Use Your Best Players No. 34,975
November 24th, 2019
Personnel groupings.
Joe has a handful of simple football axioms.
1. Score points.
2. Hit the quarterback early and often and hit him hard.
3. Get your best players the ball.
4. Get your best players on the field.
5. Tackle.
It seems the Bucs only believe in two of those traits.
In a piece typed by Jenna Laine of ESPN, it appears that in goal line situations last week, the Bucs did not have their best players on the field.
The Bucs’ best playcaller (Arians) isn’t the one calling plays, and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich made some questionable decisions. When the Bucs went to their hurry-up offense on first-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 3:47 to go, twice they handed the ball to Dare Ogunbowale, who had just five carries all season up until this point. They went up the middle twice for no gain. Why wasn’t Peyton Barber, their short-yardage back, or Jones in the game at that point?
Joe simply does not understand why this Ogunbowle is on the roster much less on the field. And don’t give Joe the line that he blocks well. Enough! If a team is truly worried about a running back blocking, they would put in a reserve offensive lineman or tight end to block. Stop conning people!
But to be frank, it is not like Peyton Barber will ever make people forget Christian Okoye.
This also tells Joe that Bucco Bruce Arians fully approved of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich using lesser players in critical situations.
November 24th, 2019 at 7:46 am
Lets see more Evans, Godwin, Brate, OJ, Rojo packages on the field! Five best players should be on the field together more often!
November 24th, 2019 at 7:48 am
Playing for the draft like at least one of the Joes want, I guess.
November 24th, 2019 at 7:51 am
There are people on this roster that would not be on any other nfl teams roster. Apparently its who kisses BA butt to play.
November 24th, 2019 at 7:53 am
I’ve always assumed that Leftwich targeting the “glorified practice squad” players like Ogunbowle and Scotty Miller instead of the rational, logical superstars like Evans and Godwin was some sort of message to the former to shape up and start making plays.
November 24th, 2019 at 7:55 am
I’ve always assumed that Leftwich targeting the “glorified practice squad” players like Ogunbowle and Scotty Miller instead of the rational, logical superstars like Evans and Godwin was some sort of message to the *LATTER* to shape up and start making plays.
November 24th, 2019 at 8:04 am
No Don. He just overthinks everything and tries to be cute with his play calling.
November 24th, 2019 at 8:13 am
Ogunbowle, Perriman, Miller…. Bueller.? Bueller? Bueller???
November 24th, 2019 at 8:29 am
I hate to say it but I really think they are secretly tanking. What else could possibly explain their play calling and personnel decisions? They are trying to lose for better draft position lol. That or they are complete idiots. Hoping against hope it’s not the latter.
November 24th, 2019 at 8:38 am
Props Joe for bringing up Christian ‘the Nigerian Nightmare’ Okoye.
November 24th, 2019 at 8:41 am
1000000% agreed!
too much scotty miller, dare, perriman feeding – Miller and Dare are bottom of the roster players, stick to special teams and the once a game look
the players make the plays Byron, quit trying to “fool” people and feed your stars…
November 24th, 2019 at 8:57 am
Could be that golf cart boy had a plan to suck as bad as he can thereby causing the spoiled trust fund clan err the Glazers to fire him after one season thereby allowing him to fish in Georgia for years and still get paid. Makes as much sense compared to what else he has done this season.
November 24th, 2019 at 9:38 am
Same with defense.
The issue on offense, the play above excluded, is our best players ARE on the field. It’s the distribution.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Joe! “Nigerian Nightmare” !
November 24th, 2019 at 11:42 am
Agree totally Joe.
And speaking of finding blocking in the backfield from different places.
As has been mentioned frequently here Vita can easily fill that role. Suh could as well but he’s getting perhaps a bit too old for that role.
They did finally use Vita for a couple of goal line plays as a blocker and whoa…Barber gets in the end zone.
And the benefit of Vita is that he was an outstanding runner in high school. He’s an ATHLETE..not just a roided up giant man..he’s BIG and strong because of his genes and he’s still agile. IE…put him in the backfield and use him for real as an RB…he can catch as well…and if he ever gets one on one with a LB much less a DB trying to tackle him. As Mr T said..”Pity the fool”.