Bigger Game For 5 Buccaneers
November 24th, 2019
Today’s game in Atlanta means a little more for certain Buccaneers — for a variety of reasons.
Here’s a quick look:
Carl Nassib: The linebacker/DE returns after missing two games with groin injury suffered early against the Seahawks. Bucco Bruce Arians blamed all the Bucs’ travel, but the rest of the NFL won’t buy that. In a contract year, Nassib has three sacks and was coming on in his last two games. With six games to play, Nassib is playing for a lot of money in 2020. Young pass rushers always get paid, and 26-year-old Nassib will cash in if he can find his way to another 6 1/2-sack season.
Jamel Dean: When you’re a rookie cornerback and your head coach goes public and says coaches should have played you a lot more in the last game, then the game that follows is a big one. Today would be terrible time for a clunker from Dean.
Ronald Jones: Joe wants to be sure Jones’ confidence is intact. He only got four carries last week after a fourth-quarter fumble/turnover against the Cardinals. The Bucs’ painted him early this year as a guy with a confidence issue. So Joe thinks a bounce-back game now is critical to his development.
Mike Evans: With seven more yards receiving, Mike Evans will have 1,000 yards again for the sixth consecutive season. If it wasn’t special, it wouldn’t just be Evans and Randy Moss with that distinction. Joe hopes Evans gets it early in the game — very early.
Todd Bowles: At some point, Bowles must be accountable for his horrible defense. In addition to coaching, Team Glazer knows Bowles had a strong voice in picking players. Bowles has faced Matt Ryan as a coordinator in Arizona (the Cardinals got torched) and as a head coach with the Jets (better showing but a Falcons win). There should be no learning curve. He’s also coached against Dirk Koetter’s offense, and he’s got all kinds of help from Tampa Bay players when it comes to Koetter’s offense. Today is going to tell Joe a lot about Bowles.
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November 24th, 2019 at 9:30 am
Big Mike gets it done early …on route to a 200 yard game!!!
November 24th, 2019 at 9:42 am
Agreed Hog!
Mike ‘s gonna have a monster game.
I hope our defense plays their best game yet as a big middle finger to Koetter!!!
November 24th, 2019 at 10:08 am
When was the last time you could say Toilet Bowles was a Great Coach !!! He is another Great Knowledge Guy and checks all the class room boxes but that is only a small portion of being a Great Coach !!!
The Answer May be , the last time a HEAD COACH used Todd’s knowledge but still implemented the decisions !!! BRUCE IS FAILING the GLAZERS with his republicrat bs …….. talk the talk but choose where and whom get to walk the walk !!! OR coddled !!!or protected !!! After All Bruce has chose to Coach totally different than he ever has and walking the walk would force him to be ALL IN !!! Not half in and ripping off the players , fans and Team Glazer Vault !!! Bruce we get the CEO mentality try but that’s not how you succeeded in the past !!! Either move Bowles to asst head coach and lefty to a support role or pack it up !!! Your doing yourself and everyone disservice !!! Talk the Talk , Walk The Walk Bruce !!! This ain’t Goodwill , Kango Man !!! Cut the Crap with your feel good projects and everyone else’s expense !!! Your not fooling anyone but yourself !!!
November 24th, 2019 at 10:15 am
If the defense has a bad day then Bowles has to go.
November 24th, 2019 at 10:41 am
It’s all so interconnected.
So if good JW shows up ME will have a great day…IF the OL blocks…if Jones regains his confidence…
As for our D…are we going to be angry if JJ torches us?
Not me. JJ torched the Seahawk DB’s who are probably even worse than ours..for 10 catches 152 yards.
The Saints DBs definitely better than ours by a significant margin managed to hold him to just 3 catches and 79 yards
The Panthers…better but not like the Saints held JJ to 6 catches and 91 yards.
So…IF…Nassib’s return…JPP’s continuing progress…Shaq..and Vea have big days and our young DB’s start realizing their talent level and not just inexperience…we could hold JJ to under 100 yards. ME13 could match that…
I’m looking forward to a good game…depending of course WHICH Buc team…which JW shows up…play to potential we can win…come out lethargically like against the Saints…well we’ve seen that show and it isn’t pretty.
November 24th, 2019 at 10:48 am
Nassib is essentially playing for his next team. They can keep Nelson on the cheap and draft another pass rusher (fat joe is cringing) and use that money towards other players. Why wasn’t Winston in the article? Hell its a big game for him every week.
November 24th, 2019 at 11:32 am
Nassib hasn’t done squat this season.
November 24th, 2019 at 11:38 am
EVERY game should be a BIG game!!!!!! I am sick to F$&-.?! Death of spending my hard earned money EVERY F…. year year in year out only to be out of it by mid to late October! Hell the least they could do is wait until November rolls around to make me depressed. I’m giving some SERIOUS thought to not renewing next year.
November 24th, 2019 at 11:41 am
TampaTown … Congrats, looks like you’ve found another scapegoat to replace Smitty. Newsflash #1: NEITHER of those DCs ever played a single down in a Bucs’ uniform.
Bucs have had marginal talent in the Secondary for years. Many, many years. And their pass rushing talent hasn’t exactly set the NFL on fire either. Newsflash #2: Combine a marginal pass rush with a marginal Secondary and you’ll get a marginal defense. Makes winning a bitch but does make it a lot easier to find scapegoats.
Todd Bowles isn’t the problem, any more than Leslie Frazier was the problem. Quite the contrary: TB is the solution. Bucs gave him a bunch of rookies & 2nd year players to mold into a REAL Secondary. That doesn’t happen overnight. And certainly not when there’s also a rookie ILB in front of them learning how to pass defend and a bunch of FAs apparently still trying to figure out how to pass rush. And oh ya, when your QB hands our INTs & fumbles like they’re M&Ms.
November 24th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
Good list Joe. Another guy whose got a lot to proove is Jensen. Also got a lot to play for with 10M sitting on the table.
No room for error in mine opinion. Untrust between C & QB is a really bad situation. I’ll be watching ching him all day. Anything less than hen impressed & I’m saying we need a new Center.
November 24th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
DR quality post. Totally agree. Today is a big test for this young secondary. Don’t think it’s asked ng too much to wanna see results. At some point they are gonna gotta step up.
At least get me a “C” grade. Weve had way too many Fs over the years vs Atlanta.
GO BUCS!
November 24th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
DefenseRules:
So you think Todd Bowles is the answer to all our defensive problems and a Savior for this team? Interesting
November 24th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Bowles should stay on as the defensive line coach. He doesn’t know how to keep the other team guessing about the DBs. They should be switching from man to cover 2 and on to cover 3 and 4. They don’t, they just keep showing the same tired look and opposing receivers and QBs exploit that.
Hope Nassib has a big day, he was one of the few good things about last year’s defense.
Did anyone else notice how well VH3 plays on his new team? The Bucs didn’t quite ruin him.