Was Antonio Brown A Distraction?
November 9th, 2020
Like most Bucs fans, Joe is searching for reasons why the Bucs had what Bucco Bruce Arians called a “shocking” loss last night, 38-3 to the Saints at the Den of Depression before a national TV audience.
Joe can’t figure out why Todd Bowles’ coaching failed miserably and his defense got carved up, as Tom Brady had arguably his worst game in nearly 10 years and nothing could get going offensively.
Look at all those weapons on the Bucs roster.
Look at how ready the Bucs should have been for a huge, huge game following a scare on Monday Night Football.
There was one thing very different about the Bucs this week, and that was the arrival of mercurial, felonious receiver Antonio Brown. And Joe thinks it’s fair to wonder whether Brown has been a distraction for Brady. Heck, he’s supposedly living with Brady and even arrived at last night’s game wearing TB12 gear. (Does he get closet privileges?)
Maybe Brady spent too much time working with Brown and it took away from his usual game prep?
Maybe Brady’s family is giving him backlash about the new house guest?
Joe’s reaching here, but the Bucs were so awful, so not themselves, that Joe thinks the questions are fair. Maybe enough players didn’t like the Brown signing and it tripped them up. Bucco Bruce Arians said the team had a strong week of practice, so that’s unlikely.
Regardless, the question has to be asked — along with many other questions about why the Bucs weren’t ready to play against the Saints — the Saints! — and never snapped out of it.
Brown finished his Bucs debut with three catches for 31 yards on five targets, and he was out of sync with Brady on a play that led to Brady’s second of three interceptions.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:01 am
Brady didn’t lose this game
THAT was a team (lack of) effort
November 9th, 2020 at 12:02 am
I don’t think so at all.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:03 am
There is no way Brown could have had that negative of an influence…….the entire team played poorly……and, in particular, the coaching was terrible…..BA, Bowles, Leftwich……
When a team this good can’t score first and goal from the 1…..there is surely something else at play.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:06 am
Coaches suck. We suck. Its a bucs life. I’m calling out of work
November 9th, 2020 at 12:07 am
No,
Based on what arians is saying in the post game presser no this game had nothing to do with AB possibly being a distraction.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:07 am
Absolutely nothing to to do with Brown. This was piss poor coaching and a piss poor game plan. We had had four f@cking 3 & outs to start. There is zero creativity and Arians just admitted they thought it would be better not to pressure Brees and prevent the deep ball on defense instead of blitzing…
November 9th, 2020 at 12:08 am
C’mon Joe. It is obvious that Brady had a bad game because the o line was a dumpster fire. Did they miss Marpett? I am sure. But DS 76 earned a termination on this one performance alone.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:08 am
Nobody was where they should have been on offense or defense through the entire game (see Lavonte Davids gesticulations)
The score was just an indication of how embarrassingly bad this game was played
November 9th, 2020 at 12:09 am
He did not distract the Saints Defensive line. The Bucs got beat in the trenches again by the Saints. The O line was not good tonight. Same thing last year. The Giants also last week. Fundamental football, he who wins the lines of scrimmage usually wins. This is not complicated. Drew brees clean jersey, because Todd B plays scared prevent defense. If the Saints do that to Brady, then Brady has a much better night. First pass by Brady -Cam Jordan walks Wirfs back into Brady. That was a sign of things to come. The Oline was not good. The Bucs barely put any pressure on Brees because of scared prevent defensive strategy. Not a fun thing to watch, the ghost of Mike Smith Coaching the Defense tonight. GO BUCS!!!!
November 9th, 2020 at 12:11 am
Awful, passive defensive game plan (hello, Lovie and Mike Smith???) and some very uninspiring offensive play calling, combined with awful first half field position results in an embarrassing loss. Bucs SHOULD make the playoffs, but it won’t matter if we can’t make adjustments against the Saints. The difference in line play on both sides of the ball is evident, and the difference in offensive ingenuity is a difference maker.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:11 am
Donovan Smith should be given a one way ticket to Siberia!
Maybe not his worst game ever, but it’s in the running!
November 9th, 2020 at 12:17 am
Joe’s, I love your site, but PLEASE don’t push this story all week… Antonio Brown had nothing to do with this miserable loss… Aim your questions and your articles straight at the coaches, they earned (deserve) being questioned!
November 9th, 2020 at 12:18 am
Send a Message to the team. When your highest paid o lineman loafs And loafs severely. He isn’t worthy of playing on this team. Take off DS 76!
November 9th, 2020 at 12:22 am
he might not be a cancer here…yet…but could he be a mold spore at this point?
i dunno…only the players do
November 9th, 2020 at 12:45 am
I didn’t like what I saw with Brown in the mix. Still time to work it out, but think they were in fact out of sync with a distraction of a player of Brown’s caliber coming in mid season. They were rolling! Not sure how wise this all is. Hopefully they can shake it off quickly…
November 9th, 2020 at 1:04 am
I was critical of you, Joe, about going on and on about Brown. I’m half a mind to cut him tonight. He gets one more week and if we get blown out again, he’s gone. IMO Brady brought in two players (Gronk, Brown), and Gronk was atrocious tonight (what is that, 2 good games this season?). There’s a part of me that thinks just having Miller and Brate out there instead of Brown and Gronk would be safer and have less variables.
Also, they legit need to practice with Wells or Haeg at RT and Wirfs at Left…not sure Donovan is long for BucsWorld.
November 9th, 2020 at 1:05 am
Coaches got out coached bottom line. All those ex pro athletes and no one has the balls to tell the Defensive Coordinator that his plan of attack was horrible. And then when Brees comes out and walks his team down the field with no problem no one says hey time to go to what we do best pressure and man coverage. Smh I know I’m just a fan but if it’s obvious to me why can’t the guys making millions see it?
Joe I hope you and all the other reporters ask the tough questions this week with some follow-up.
Last year the defense got better after Hargreaves was sent packing. It’s time to sit Donovan Smith for loafing. The guy is never going to get it.
I’m tired of this excuse from BA about we’ve got to do better moving Mike around and getting him the ball. It’s time BA takes over play calling and start scheming guys open. We’ve got too much talent to put up a goose egg.
November 9th, 2020 at 1:21 am
Seemed like they wanted Brown involved and tried to hard to get it to him. Evans is the star of the team not named Brady, but they hadn’t found a way to even target him through the first half.
Ali Marpet maybe should be the MVP this season. Without him: no run game and terrible pass protection.
Starting against the wind hurt them a lot too.
November 9th, 2020 at 1:47 am
Does Antonio Brown play defense?
November 9th, 2020 at 2:22 am
100% Agree with Will… Why are we not manning up against WR’s… And you guys as reporters need to take it to them with this exact point! Why not man coverage? Joe? the other Joe? Ira?
November 9th, 2020 at 2:30 am
[Arians said the gameplan was to play zone. — Joe]
November 9th, 2020 at 3:49 am
Dirk Koetter went 3-3 against the Saints. BA is 0-4, two of those games with the greatest QB ever. All I ask is that our fans and media hold BA to the same standards they held Koetter.
November 9th, 2020 at 5:20 am
Nothing in this game that wasn’t there in the Giants game. It’s just e got Drew Brees this time instead of Daniel Jones.
November 9th, 2020 at 6:31 am
Sesteprenicus – in case you haven’t noticed guy (you haven’t) Mike Evans apparently lost his ability to get open at all. It’s really pathetic that Antonio Brown looked by far the most “crisp” with his routes and getting the most separation after being out of football for mostly 2yrs. Mike Evans was nowhere to be found, AGAIN last night
November 9th, 2020 at 7:12 am
No QB….whether Brady or Rodgers….can be effective when under constant pressure. Smith was awful, it seemed there was a push up the middle. That’s how the game works…..QB pressure makes things a lot more difficult to execute. Add in nothing went our way, we just missed on every attempt and its just one of those games you hope to refocus your great players.
November 9th, 2020 at 7:12 am
What does it do to the psyche of your team when you say you are “contenders” then you feel you need to add a supposed “superstar” who has been nothing but trouble for every team he has been on…I say you start to think we really aren’t very good and it showed
November 9th, 2020 at 7:17 am
This article is dumb!
November 9th, 2020 at 7:25 am
So no one saw Todd playing zone defense and rushing front 4? No one saw our online get pushed back in Brady’s lap? No one saw that we didn’t counter the blitz with slants or short come backs or screens? No one saw Lavonte clapping his hands at players because they were out of position? No one saw Deen come up and bite on a play in the flats but he had deep thirds and allowed a touchdown, no one saw Deen get beat on a double move once again for another touchdown? But this was AB fault? Hahahahahaha people trying to find an excuse to cut this guy after one week. I know he’s not a great dude off the field but damn I guess the offensive game plan was his fault as well as the defensive game plan. And the punt the Brady throw up for grabs.
November 9th, 2020 at 7:31 am
I have never seen an entire team so off. No Joe, Brown had nothing to do with:
Brady’s awful passing, awful. TB, you made me miss JW last night, shame on you
Gronk’s bricks for mitts – 6 targets, 1 catch
4 running attempts, 4? Really BL?!
Coaching was Lovie Smith, on both sides of the ball
Of course the way Rojo and Fournette were running, whats the point of rushing?
Wirfs, was Donavon coaching you this week?
the only constant was D Smith, oh, wait…
At least the defense was getting the ball back to Brady quickly by letting Bress fly up and down the field…
How do I keep getting so sucked into this team for decades on end…😭
November 9th, 2020 at 8:14 am
bucem
i agree 100%….
once again, the team came out flat with no urgency….
GO BUCS!!!!
November 9th, 2020 at 8:24 am
Everyone is acting like this was a huge surprise—but this turd has been brewing for weeks. I’m fact, the argument can be made that this team has underperformed all year long. They’ve been mauled by the Saints twice, beat a Panthers team with a final score that looks nothing like the actual game, should’ve destroyed the Broncos by 4 scores, barely escaped the Chargers, played poorly in a loss to the Bears, spotted the Pack 14, let the Raiders keep it close until the end, and then beat the G-men with the help of VERY favorable officiating.
Wins are wins, but they can mask many of the on field mistakes and poor coaching that has crept up along the way…this wasn’t Bucs beating Bucs either…this was Sean humiliating Bruce (again). If this team manages to limp into the playoffs, who are they going to beat playing like they’ve played?
November 9th, 2020 at 9:18 am
AB was one of the better players on the field last night. Caught a few balls and actually had some energy.
November 9th, 2020 at 9:49 am
Bucs had 0 chance against Brees last night. That guy was deadly, decisive, fast, accurate. Perfect game plan, better coaching. NO looked like they were 100% confident they would kick our ass.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:27 pm
Oh please.
Brown was the best player on the field for the Bucs last night.
Everyone else is a bunch of pretenders, Brady included. Those interceptions were pathetic. Jameis plays better than that.
November 9th, 2020 at 5:56 pm
YES!