Still No. 1
November 1st, 2019
Don’t run on him.
Yes, the Bucs are not playing well in several areas. There is, however, one element of the game where the Bucs are dominating.
That would be the run game.
The Bucs continue to be the best run defense in the NFL and it is not remotely close to the No. 2 team, the Saints.
The Bucs are holding opponents to an unreal 68.6 yards per game on the ground. That’s over 15 yards better than the Saints who are giving up 85.2 yards a game — 17.4 yards a game better than the Saints to be exact.
When it comes to yards per carry, the Bucs are the best there as well. The Bucs give up an average of 3.0 yards a carry. Impressive.
Just out of curiosity, Joe dug up the rush defense stats from the 2002 Super Bowl-winning season. The Bucs defense was impressive there as well, but not as good against the run as the 2019 Bucs. In 2002, the Bucs were tied for fifth with the Dolphins in the NFL in rush defense allowing 97.1 yards a game. When it came to yards a carry, the Bucs were tied with five other teams for third place allowing 3.8 yards a game.
The last ferocious Bucs run defense was Lovie Smith’s 2015 team, allowing just 3.4 yards per carry. (Lovie was fired after the season)
This year’s dominance of the Bucs rushing attack has to be more than frustrating for coaches. Just about every defensive coach you ever talk to drools at the chance of making teams one-dimensional.
The Bucs have done that, forcing teams to throw. And even though the Bucs know teams will throw on them because the run defense is so damn good, they still can’t stop teams from roasting them through the air.
November 1st, 2019 at 11:35 am
who needs to run the ball when we have a QB that will give them extra possessions and shorts fields….lol…
GO BUCS!!!!!
November 1st, 2019 at 11:36 am
Why would anyone even try to run the ball on us? Just throw the damn thing.
November 1st, 2019 at 11:42 am
^Exactly!!!
What do you do to the last ranked pass defense!!! You throw against them!!
Granted, Big V, Suh and the rest are a stout bunch to push through, but wheres the stat that compares pass to run from the opposing teams?
November 1st, 2019 at 11:52 am
Well I’ll say it is fun to watch our defense make plays against the run.
But on passing plays, just pass the shots. Because I usually need a lot of liquor to get through these games.
November 1st, 2019 at 11:54 am
Boring ,but so true,You are only as strong as your weakest links—RIGHT DEFENSIVE BACKS AND QUARTERBACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 1st, 2019 at 11:55 am
WE’RE NUMBER 1! WE’RE NUMBER 1!
See guys, the season isn’t lost after all.
November 1st, 2019 at 11:55 am
813
Who needs to run the ball when they have vh3bust to embarrass…. that’s what you really meant to say….
November 1st, 2019 at 11:56 am
Tristan Wirfs or Grant Delpit here we come
November 1st, 2019 at 12:00 pm
How in the world are the Bucs got the #1 Run Defense and a top scoring offence and can only manage to win two of 7 games? Just how is that possible?……Oh right, lack of fundamentals, league leading turnivers, missed kicks & your best player dropping 12 points the last two games.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:04 pm
perfume on a turd
November 1st, 2019 at 12:05 pm
That’s be the clean end of a turd.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:09 pm
Can’t build Rome in a day.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:11 pm
Well hey the playoffs are nothing but a Longshot now but it’s still good to see signs of improvement like our Run Stop.
The key is to keep our strengths strong and producing. The only strength Bruce inherited is the pass attack and it’s still a strenght.
Nothing else was a strenght last year but now weve added Run Defense to it……..I’ll go out on a limb and call Special Teams a strenght ringht now even though they still got more to proove. I think a lot of people would disagree but if you go back and watch the situations our coverage has created Sparks and big time game changing play(even though quite a few got called back). Our Special Teams has stepped up at very critical moments when the rest of the team was struggling. Ryan Smith coming back has only enhanced it.
There’s signs there of this team improving……They’re just really hard to see.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:11 pm
How many times are the same people going to post under different names?
And they think we’re fooled!
November 1st, 2019 at 12:12 pm
JimmyJack I agree.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:17 pm
Next up is our secondary. Don’t look now but they did OK last week.
Especially early in that game there was a couple key 3rd downs and our backfield defended a few passes to get us off the field. We also got robbed of an INT that would of made our day look a lot better. Granted the Titans don’t got much for passing weapons……But maybe they treat like a get-right pitcher in baseball and start heating up.
The Seattle game should shows us where they are.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:30 pm
you are who your record says you ARE!!!
time to clean house 5 year of jw was enough …… time for LICKED to go as well …. leftwich doesnt have a clue……
November 1st, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Our special teams are a mixed bag……
Fans complain about Pinion but he is solid….we rank #2 in the NFL for touchback percentage…..and that’s a good thing because we give up returns when opponents run it out.
Our punt blocking is terrible and out PR average shows it.
And, we are penalized too often.
As far as Matt Gay, he has settled down.
Our run game is outstanding…..we needed a shutdown corner to help our D and didn’t get one.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:34 pm
Why does Jameis get a pass for all the turnovers? Don’t other QBs in the NFL have to overcome the same types of hurdles: receivers running the wrong route, etc.
I am hopeful we win this Sunday, and if we lose I will look right at the Turnover battle. We need to be better. Now or never. Another bad game, with no chance to win and I will be talking draft
November 1st, 2019 at 12:47 pm
This just in: 2 + 2 = 4. Now go stop the pass.
November 1st, 2019 at 12:53 pm
SteveK…jameis1of1…err jason licht’s twitter wonder if they both go dark sunday afternoon at same time
November 1st, 2019 at 1:22 pm
TampaBayBucFan. Mixed bag is a good description for our ST. Just going on memory, maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like our pentalties have gone down. But still too much. Now we gotta take the next step which is steady imporvement and consistency. Let’s hope they end these pentalties during this season and heading to the future. All’s it takes is practice.
On another note many have questioned TJ Logan but he showed me his value in Tennessee. He set us up for a much needed FG on one punt return. Now he just gotta do it again.
GO BUCS!
November 1st, 2019 at 2:13 pm
There are veterans on the front 7 that can teach young guys how to do it. Why is our only “veteran” in the secondary VH3? I really think that is the biggest issue in the secondary, a bunch of new young players who have no one to show them how to do it. The answer is not a draft pick IMO, it is a FA vet that has a leadership mentality to show the youngins.
November 1st, 2019 at 2:35 pm
Chris Carson is going to have the best rushing game vs Bucs defense this year. Pete Carroll doesn’t abandon his run game.
November 1st, 2019 at 2:46 pm
In turnovers since 2015. Lets Go America’s QB!
November 1st, 2019 at 4:35 pm
What team wants to run against us when you can pass against us so easily.
November 1st, 2019 at 7:27 pm
Through 7 games Bucs’ opponents have run a total of 461 plays. Of those, 162 have been rushes, 283 have been passes and 16 have been sacks. That means that our opponents have only been running on us 35.1% of the time. Bummer, I wish they’d run more.
Another 3.5% of our opponents plays have ended in sacks. That leaves them passing on 61.4% of their plays against us. I don’t know for sure, but I’d bet that leads the NFL.
And THAT’S a problem. When opponents pass against you THAT much, they’re bound to hit some big plays in there. And especially against our very inexperienced Secondary. Yet interestingly Bucs have only allowed opposing QBs to complete 63.6% of their passes. And the vast majority of those have been short passes that are difficult to defend. We’re getting nickeled & dimed to death IMO.
If you go into the stats for the various NFL teams, you’ll find that our 63.6% is actually fairly decent (not as good as the Patriots 52% but still decent). Dallas for instance is leading their division yet their pass defense is allowing 65.7% completions. Colts are leading their division yet they’re allowing 68.5% completions. Good news is (HOPEFULLY) that as our youngsters gain more experience, our Secondary (and LBs) will improve. We just need to be more patient I suspect.
November 2nd, 2019 at 1:31 am
The Saints are #2 because evryone is playing from behind. The Bucs are #1 because of VH3 and the rest of the busts Licht and Shelton Quarles (how does Quarles avoid scrutiny as the player development honcho???) would allow the skins or the fins to put up 35. Disgusting. Fire Licht!
November 2nd, 2019 at 5:23 am
BS stat. Here’s a number for you, 30…points per game they’re giving up. Only Atlanta and Miami are worse. And for those of us who want to lay blame on the turnover machine at QB, two of the top 6 defenses in the NFL are teams also with a minus when it comes to turnover ratio, Buffalo and Denver. My point, and I know I’m coming late to the party, the talent level on the back end isn’t elite, but it’s guilt by association with this team because there have many a pass play where the opposing QB has had half a day to throw the ball. And let’s not forget, from a linebacker standpoint, have we talked about anyone else outside of Lavonte when it comes to being great in pass coverage? It’s a flawed scheme because asking JPP and Nassib to cover anyone is a liability. 3-4 backers, especially on the edge have to be reliable to rush and cover. Yes, teams are roasting Hargreaves, but they’re also killing the defense on the out routes and curls because the outside backers are getting to their depth fast enough. Yes, this run defense is better than the 2002 team. However, this number forever defines the defense, 12.2…points per game allowed. That’s the only stat that matters.
November 2nd, 2019 at 7:54 am
Devin White looks better now, Kwon Alexander out for the rest of season.