Bring Back Tom Brady
November 27th, 2020
Family-owned Bill Currie Ford is a 60-year Tampa treasure, one mile north of Raymond James Stadium. Ira Kaufman wholeheartedly endorses them. Get an Amazon gift card up to $1,000 with any lease or new vehicle purchase this month!
BY IRA KAUFMAN
The quarterback whisperer is getting a tad hoarse.
Bruce Arians is losing his voice, and perhaps a piece of his mind, because this football team is annoyingly erratic.
After a 6-2 start, the Bucs have dropped two of their last three heading into Sunday’s matchup against the defending Super Bowl champs.
The Chiefs have been where the Bucs want to go, but Tampa Bay won’t get there unless Byron Leftwich and Tom Brady raise their game.
Leftwich has to stop abandoning the run while Brady has to demonstrate better accuracy and judgment on his downfield throws.
In a game Monday night they never trailed by more than seven points, the Bucs attempted to throw on 71 percent of their 67 snaps. That’s not a winning formula, and if that ratio continues against Patrick Mahomes, the Bucs are destined for their first two-game losing streak of the season.
Byron Leftwich
In the second half Monday, Tampa ran the ball only four times in 15 first-down snaps. It wasn’t like Brady was having a big night, either. Granted, the Rams were all over Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette.
So what? Stick with it. Show faith in Jones, who was coming off one of the best rushing games in franchise history.
Keeping Mahomes stewing on the sidelines is the key to pulling off an upset, and a victory would virtually sew up a playoff spot.
It would also help if Brady returns to the stellar form he displayed against the Raiders and Panthers. Those were vintage Brady performances, delivering the ball on time and stretching the field from sideline to sideline.
Bad Flashback
In between the highlights, there have been Brady clunkers. Too many.
In Tampa Bay’s four losses, Brady completed only 59 percent of his throws, with five TD passes and seven interceptions. That final floater he launched against Los Angeles should have been accompanied by a duck call.
Time was no factor and the Bucs trailed by only a field goal. There was no reason to look for Cameron Brate deep downfield.
None.
That’s why Arians is so distraught this week. He saw that pass too many times from Jameis Winston in 2019 — which is why Winston isn’t a Buccaneer in 2020. He surely didn’t expect a gaffe like that from No. 12.
When Arians peeked behind door No. 2 to target Brady, he wasn’t thinking about finishing No. 2 to the Saints in the NFC South. Yet that’s where we sit today, with New Orleans well on track for a fourth consecutive division title.
Given his pedigree as an offensive coach, Arians can’t help but notice Tampa Bay has averaged only 17 points in those four setbacks. During the franchise’s glory days, Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp and John Lynch used to implore the offense: get us 17 points and we’ll take care of the rest.
Those days are long gone.
This isn’t the 2002 Buc defense and scoring is way up across the league. You won’t beat the Chiefs Sunday with 17 points. You might not beat them with 37.
Brady has big cleats to fill in Week 12. He needs to manage a clean game and it would help if he completes some deep balls. Kansas City’s secondary is rather vulnerable and Brady’s weapons are healthy, so there are no excuses.
Mahomes may be the next big thing, but Brady needs to show he can come up big in a marquee matchup. Doubts are starting to creep into Buc Nation because Brady is starting to look his age.
Arians wants his voice back. Most of all, he wants his quarterback back.
Ira drives a 2020 Ford Escape from Bill Currie Ford. It really is a sweet, luxurious ride.
Ira with his good friend Sean Sullivan, general manager of Bill Currie Ford, Tampa’s first family of ford. Sean will help you personally in any way he can. Find his email at BillCurrieFord.com
November 27th, 2020 at 6:17 am
Well said IRA. And I will point out that two of our touchdowns were provided by the grit and determination of both Godwin and Evans. I think its a miistake for Brady to focus on Brown so much, who likely won’t be here next year.
November 27th, 2020 at 6:25 am
“In the second half Monday, Tampa ran the ball only four times in 15 first-down snaps. . . . So what? Stick with it.”
How many 3 and outs should they stick with it, Ira? Yes, let’s exhaust the Defense proving they can run, when they can’t. On a beat up line. Brilliant, Ira.
We went out and got a guy who won 6 SBs, and we have the the best WR corp in franchise history. We have a RB, who outside of one busted play is very average. We are missing a starting Guard.
But let’s prove we can run the ball.
Brilliant.
November 27th, 2020 at 6:25 am
Good article Ira, but you let BA … and BL … off the hook IMO. They ARE the problem, just as much as Tom Brady’s deep passing inaccuracy is right now. Both of them are misusing TB’s remaining skillset (hey, he IS 43 years old) to dogmatically continue trying to prove that THEIR offensive attack system still works in today’s NFL.
It doesn’t. Oh it’ll accumulate passing yardage out the whazoo, and it’ll even put up lots of points, BUT … it can be very ‘erratic’ (uhhh, maybe ‘herky-jerky’ would be better?) and doesn’t really CONTROL most games. It works quite well against poorer defenses, but against the better defenses its ‘erratic’ nature is the kiss of death and leads to a propensity for more turnovers.
The better offenses seem to average over 30 mins TOP CONSISTENTLY, and almost never lose the Turnover Differential by more than 1. They also seem to do very well on 3rd down conversions. New Orleans (8-2 this year) is a great example: #5 in 3rd down conversions; #8 in TOP; # 7 in TO Differential. And they rank in the Top-10 CONSISTENTLY every year.
Bucs SHOULD have beaten the Bears & the Rams, but we were never gonna beat the Saints this year for 1 simple reason: they’re a better, more CONSISTENT TEAM with Drew Brees at the helm. He’s a surgeon & he just methodically cut us up and CONTROLLED THE GAME. With Taysom Hill at QB? I’m not so sure, even with Sean Payton as his coach. That’ll be interesting, because I have doubts that Brees will return this year.
HOPEFULLY BA & BL stop their arrogant adherence to ‘Bombs Away’, start acting like real 21st century coaches and use Tom Brady’s skillset to its maximum advantage from here on out.
November 27th, 2020 at 8:09 am
Arains is showing to be a fraud. He, and his staff have been continually out coached during our losses. His coaching has been suspect in victory too, just that we beat some teams with talent alone. Monday morning we’ll be scratching ours heads about a game plan that gave up to much on defense, and doesn’t produce enough on offense. We hit those trows in practice. Talking about practice? Practice?
November 27th, 2020 at 8:33 am
Whatever happened to “turn D White loose”? This front 4 ( without Vea) has shown they can’t get to QB on their own . Bucs need to come up with blitz packages featuring LB’s and safeties.
If Goff can pick them apart with zone coverage, imagine what Mahomes will do.
November 27th, 2020 at 9:41 am
These “clunker” games could have been avoided if the Bucs had a coaching staff that made offensive and defensive adjustments earlier rather than later.
Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette can not catch the ball period! Brady has to have a 3rd down back that he can check it to. The rookie that they drafted is a skilled pass catcher. He needs to be in the field when there isn’t a clean pocket for Brady.
Forget about zone schemes. I’d much rather see them tighten up the middle of the field and defend between the hashes instead of dropping back, letting guys catch it 6-8 yards and then doing a horrible job tackling, allowing another 10 yards of YAC. Cooper Kupp is a great slot receiver but he can be tackled.
So go basic, put in a game plan that has a RB in the game in short yardage situations. Press the receivers. Get Godwin and Brown in the same position that Sean McVay and Sean Payton get their playmakers. Allow them to catch it short and break the tackles. Too many low percentage passing plays and running plays with very little deception.
Leftwich is playing it too straight. Maybe watching tape of the Andy Reid’s offense will open up these offensive coaches to try to create more space for Brown and Godwin to catch the ball in spots where they can run.
Don’t give up on the run so easy either.
November 27th, 2020 at 10:04 am
Let’s not forget the D. They need to clamp down like in the Green Bay game. Goff ate them 7 yard passes up all game. Better find a way to hit mahomes. Reid is a smart coach and will do the same.
November 27th, 2020 at 10:58 am
My fellow Buc fans are as delusional as you Ira. Placing your faith in a 43 yr old has-been who has seen his best days at QB. The perfect examples..here comes the defensive rush. Mahomes….Gee, I like this. Let me prance dance and complete a pass on the run. Brady…Oh hell, armageddon I’m a goner. Better fall correct. Pressure invigorated one while it dooms the other. It’s just that simple. But I told you all this last year.
November 27th, 2020 at 11:39 am
Great mobile qb’s grow on trees — Mike Johnson
November 27th, 2020 at 12:38 pm
Wake me up when BA, BL and Brady realize that “look deep, then short” doesn’t work against teams with great pass rushing.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:36 pm
“Too many low percentage passing plays and running plays with very little deception”
Ed – if there was an award for the most succinct answer to the question of – “What’ is wrong with the Buccaneer offense?” – You would be holding the trophy with that sentence.
11 games into the season with the most experienced and accomplished QB of all time and all pros at every receiving spot – and how many “creative” offensive plays or even pre-snap sets have we seen??
Where are the question marks in defenders and defending coaches heads? There aren’t any. They know what’s coming. Just gotta line up and make a play to stop what they pretty well know is coming.
The 4 losses so far in 2020 are absolutely a “coaching problem”.
Maybe watching KC tape all week will have a positive effect on BL and spur him to be at least a bit more creative with his playcalling this week.
Its a systematic problem that this offense looks so non-creative – but any good coach can add “wrinkles” as time progresses and on a week to week basis – unfortunately, we just aren’t seeing much of that.
We have great players – we have a very good offense – but the system and coaching is not getting the job done and is largely responsible for 7-4 instead of 9-2.
Not enough creativity leads to getting “stopped” too often. Every week – This offense should be making even good defenses look like the Washington Generals trying to defend Curly Neil and Meadowlark Lemon.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:23 pm
Let’s get over the BA/BL joined at the hip blame game. Bruce Arians is the head coach, and he tells Leftwich what to do. So does Brady. The Rams loss is on Brady and Leftwich. I was shocked that the Rams didn’t blow the Bucs outta the water after Brady threw that long bomb to the Rams in the first half. LA marched down the short field and scored 7. Now, when JPP picked off that pass, Brady goes down the field and fizzles. We only get 3 points. Bucs lose this one by what, 3 points. Like really? We and the entire team are owed this game Sunday against KC. Arians and Brady better get their act together!
November 27th, 2020 at 4:26 pm
Major typo—that should say the Rams loss was on Brady and Arians, not Leftwich!
November 28th, 2020 at 9:04 am
Bring back Brady? Ira consider this your cease and desist order. 🙂
Two new starters on the left side of the offensive line will be two enormous excuses but, there will be others.
November 28th, 2020 at 11:27 am
Bucs need to call more play action, especially on first down. On second down, call more running plays, but NOT HB dive, be more creative with motion, increase deception. If you’re going into 3rd down, you want it to be 3rd and 4 or less, which opens up the playbook.
Bottom line: this team needs to show more creativity in play design and playcalling. It’s not too late.
November 28th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
The Quarterback Whisperer has been more of a quarterback Whimper so far as Bucs head coach.
I’m stoked for a winning record and all, but going 1 and done in the playoffs after this offseason would be a MASSIVE failure imo.