Chris Simms: Run The Ball!
October 23rd, 2020
Advocates old school football.
A quarterback thinks the Bucs should run. Who knew?
Most quarterbacks want to throw, throw and throw some more, especially if they envision themselves playing with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and foot-rubbing, car-littering Rob Gronkowski.
Former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms, who played for Chucky and later coached for Bill Belicheat, is going the Belicheat route in analyzing the Raiders-Bucs game.
With the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL, Ronald Jones, Simms said on his “Unbuttoned” podcast that the Bucs should just pound the crap out of the Raiders on the ground.
“I’m sure [Chucky] wants to shove it up [the Bucs] where the sun don’t shine, certainly,” Simms said. “I’ve been around the guy in these types of scenarios. I was with him in Tampa when we went back to play the Oakland Raiders who he was with just two years before. That was personal. That was very personal.
“He got p!ssed off at me because I wore a Kenny Stabler jersey to the game. He was very p!ssed, alright? So Derek Carr, don’t wear a Brad Johnson or Warren Sapp jersey to the game. He won’t like that.
“I’m a little concerned about the Raiders because their whole o-line might have COVID-19. We know Trent Brown did and the o-line doesn’t get to practice? That’s concerning when the Buccaneers are coming to town and they have a lot of big, bad dudes up front. I mean it is one of the best front-sevens in football. So that is scary. …
“I think [the Bucs ]are trending in the right direction. … Offensively, the Bucs are a balanced team that can run the ball on you. From what I have seen, here with the Raiders is if you can run the ball on them or have a great running attack, they have no chance. And that’s where I just go, ‘They are going to be in a tough spot.'”
(First, Chucky had every right to cuss out Simms for showing up to a Bucs-Raiders game wearing Raiders gear. That is just freaking stupid. Doesn’t matter how much respect you wanted to pay Kenny Stabler. C’mon Chris, in college you played in the Red River Shootout (f’ that pansy “rivalry” schtick), What do you think the reaction would have been if you showed up to play Oklahoma wearing a Billy Sims jersey? You’d have been banned from every bar in Austin and all points north. You’re smarter than this, Chris. Good thing Warren Sapp didn’t chew your head off.)
Joe found it very interesting that Simms assessed the Raiders defense as vulnerable to the run. And the Bucs are gouging people between the tackles, mostly by Ronald Jones (and Leonard Fournette appears to be healthy for Sunday).
So Joe ran off to Pro-Football-Reference to look at Raiders stats. Sure enough, the Raiders’ defense was getting torn up on the ground the first three weeks. But the past two games have been a far different story.
Playing Buffalo and Kansas City, the Raiders allowed just 143 rushing yards total. And that’s playing two good offenses (the Bills averaged less than three yards a carry while the Chiefs averaged four).
Seems like Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli has his unit turned around or at least pointed in the right direction.
Simms believes if the Bucs go ground-and-pound, the Bucs win 34-24.
October 23rd, 2020 at 11:38 am
Another reason I wanted Wirfs! Big strong fast man who moves things….run it down all of their throats…sneak some passes here and there.
I said run it down their throats before the green bay game and look what worked baby 🙂
October 23rd, 2020 at 11:43 am
offense is very balanced….
rojo running very effectively….
and folks still not happy with the OC…lol..its a BUCS life…
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 23rd, 2020 at 11:53 am
I hope that we kick the living hell out of Gruden and the Raiders. I want revenge for Gruden getting too greedy (IMHO) and wanting his hands in every gosh damn basket. He is a good coach and would still be our coach if had had been just been a little more humble. I appreciate what he did here and I have no animosity for him outside of football, but f Gruden.
October 23rd, 2020 at 12:04 pm
As I posted before, my company cleaned Jon Grudens roof, back when he still lived here in Tampa.
Nonetheless, he is not our coach anymore, and I want him to loose.
In fact, I hope we really beat them bad enough, that Gruden starts making those weird faces he is known to make, when things don’t go his way.
Go Bucs!
October 23rd, 2020 at 12:28 pm
813bucboi … There’s not much correlation between RoJo running the ball effectively and BL’s prowess as a play-caller IMO. Far as I’m concerned, RoJo’s succeeding despite many of the play-calls, not because of them. And certainly not because of the way BL is designing the plays.
Take the simplest stat bucboi: RoJo had 23 carries for 113 yds against Green Bay … 16 of those came on 1st down & gained 69 yds (4.3 YPC average). One of those 16 though was an explosive 25 yd scamper (around right end I might add instead of between the tackles like all his others); the other 15 runs on 1st down gained 44 yds (2.9 YPC). Half of his 1st down runs (8) were over the middle, with 3 over the Guards & 4 over the Tackles (plus the end run). RoJo was actually most successful running over the Center.
RoJo also had 7 rushes on 2nd down & those gained 44 yds (7.3 YPC). Two of those were over 10 yds, and BOTH were over the center (as were 5 of RoJo’s 7 runs on 2nd down; the other 2 were over RG).
Far as I’m concerned bucboi, RoJo’s is getting his 100-yd games in spite of the play-calling, not because of it. BL’s attack scheme & play design are bereft of imagination IMO. It’s a good thing that BL has super-studs manning his offense, because he would’ve been fired long ago otherwise.
October 23rd, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Oops, typo … 6.3 YPC not 7.3.
October 23rd, 2020 at 12:31 pm
Should start having more play action now as well if teams have to worry about our rushing ability. It all works together just like the front 7 getting so much pressure on Rodgers helped the secondary so much.
October 23rd, 2020 at 2:04 pm
DR
you sure took the bait…lol..
the simplest stat is rojo rushed 23times for 113 for 2TDS….i see you forgot that important stat….rojo got 2TDs from the goal line thanks to BL….
so the bucs have a top10 offense despite BL…lol…
BL’s attack scheme and play design has helped rojo produce 3 straight 100yard rushing games…because of BL rojo is having a career year….
as far as im concerned DR, rojo is getting his 100yard games DIRECTLY because of the BL and the playcalling….which is obvious….
stop hating…
BL will be a HC next with the BUCS or Texans BECAUSE of the work he’s doing NOW imo….
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 23rd, 2020 at 5:25 pm
No way the raiders score 24 on Sunday
October 23rd, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Buc Boi, just a couple things to consider.
While the offense is top 10 in scoring (8) in total yards we are 20.
This discrepancy is explained by field position which is a product of several factors special teams, turn overs and defense. Defense,I believe , deserves most of the credit. Better field position , shorter drives to score, less yards total.
Passing yards (17th) and rushing yards (20th) is not top 10 . Since the ranking of offense and defense is based on total yards , not scoring, the offense is not top 10 at the moment.
Only by using scoring as the parameter is it possible to state we have a top 10 offense. I understand the importance of scoring as a metric but there’s a reason why total yards has been and remains the most important single stat to judge the success of a unit. Based on those numbers the offense is not in the upper half of the league.
Defenserules credits Rojo as the primary reason for his recent success whereas you believe it’s about BL’s playcalling. How can we determine who is more accurate in his assessment of the situation?
Actually, it’s pretty simple and the stats exist to determine whether it’s play design or player. In this case, the numbers present a compelling case that rojo’s success is due , in large part, to his own efforts.
But before we go to the numbers, let’s first acknowledge , Play design and calling no question are part of the equation but that’s not how you two have presented your arguments. The credit is either to the player or coach , DR on the players side or BB on the side of the OC. Overlooking the poorly constructed premise that defines this case, it’s only possible to have a single outcome DR or You!
In this case, the metric to examine is YBC v YAC. Rojo has gained > .70% of his total yards after contact. This is overwhelming evidence of Rojo creating positive returns versus play design. No further evidence required to determine the winner. It’s DR.
October 24th, 2020 at 1:54 am
^^^^ case closed ^^^^