Bring The Evidence
December 7th, 2020
Family-owned Bill Currie Ford is a 60-year Tampa treasure, one mile north of Raymond James Stadium. Ira Kaufman wholeheartedly endorses them. Amazing year-end sales happening right now. Start shopping at BillCurrieFord.com!
BY IRA KAUFMAN
The Bucs have quite an opportunity Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
They can quell the growing fears of Buc Nation while telling their growing legion of skeptics to stick it where the sun don’t shine.
All they have to do is beat a mediocre team itching to get beat.
The Vikings have won five of their past six following a 1-5 start, creeping within a game of the reeling Bucs. But if you saw Minnesota’s OT victory against the hapless Jags, you know the Vikings bumbled their way to the .500 mark.
Run defense might never be more critical for Jason Pierre-Paul and friends
Tampa Bay is favored by 6 1/2 points and on paper, this is a promising matchup. The Vikings run about as often as they throw, making them an anomaly in this pass-happy era. They have Dalvin Cook, who averages 113.6 rushing yards per game, but the Bucs counter with the league’s stingiest run defense.
In the past 34 games, no back has gained more than 106 yards against the Bucs, so Mr. Cook faces an immense challenge.
And guess what? The Bucs have a productive back of their own in Ronald Jones. His 5.1 yards-per-carry average tops the NFL for players with more than 145 carries.
The problem is the Bucs have a nasty habit of falling behind early.
Then they show no patience, throwing the game plan in the direction of the Bill Currie Ford showroom on Dale Mabry and turning Jones into an afterthought.
Jones averaged 16 carries during the first six weeks. In the past six games, that average has shrunk to 11 rushing attempts. He has 10 or less carries in four of the past five games.
That’s bad coaching.
Jones isn’t hurt, he isn’t worn out and he certainly isn’t asking for a reduced workload.
Give him the rock against a very average rushing defense.
Fighting Dark Thoughts
At 7-5, the Bucs look to be in good shape to end the NFC’s longest playoff drought. Looks are deceiving. The third quarter of the season was disconcerting and Tampa Bay fans are starting to notice that old feeling of dread creeping in.
A loss to Minnesota would vault the Vikings ahead of the Bucs in the wild-card chase. Think about that.
Bucs are beating back a lot of ghosts this week
After six weeks, the Bucs were three games up on Minnesota. While a win would virtually ensure a playoff spot, a setback could set the stage for a monumental collapse.
Tom Brady is 14-4 coming off a bye week and the Bucs have had additional time to prepare for Mike Zimmer’s club. Tampa Bay is healthy, rested and playing at home.
What else is there?
The Browns seem destined to make the postseason for the first time in 18 years. If the Bucs fall apart, they will likely stand alone among playoff-starved clubs — and the Glazers will have to live with that infamy.
“These final four games are going to tell the story,” says Kirk Cousins. The same applies to the Bucs, who still have a chance to right this listing pirate ship.
Tampa Bay fans are nervous. Can you blame them, given the history of this forlorn franchise?
Buc supporters are taking nothing for granted … nor should they. At 8-5, a playoff berth would be all but assured. At 7-6, all bets are off. Minnesota would be ahead of Tampa Bay and the other two wild-card spots could come out of the NFC West.
Let’s think positive, shall we?
If the Bucs go 4-0 in the final quarter, they’ll finish with 11 wins for the first time since 2005. The playoff drought would be over and Buc fans would have every right to feel good about their team’s chances of reaching the Super Bowl.
First things first.
Beat the Vikings and leave them in your wake. Give Jones 15 or 20 carries. Turn Devin White loose on the pass rush. Throw a slant to Antonio Brown. Give Mike Edwards more snaps.
Provide evidence that your 6-2 getaway wasn’t a fluke. Restore the confidence of your fan base. Prove this all-in strategy isn’t on the outs.
Show us you’re not breaking bad.
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.
December 7th, 2020 at 1:15 pm
This game is going to be a War, because if Minnesota wins, they get rid of their biggest playoff spot rival, Us!
I see this game as a must win game for us.
December 7th, 2020 at 1:37 pm
Hey Ira: you are saying Bucs finished 11-5 in 2005? Don’t think so. Please recheck your notes.
December 7th, 2020 at 1:58 pm
Bucs fans aren’t nervous I. The weather will be fair this week bandwagoners. Every games a different hurdle so just get in the dance. Then anything will happen
December 7th, 2020 at 2:04 pm
@Sage … “Give him (RoJo) the rock against a very average rushing defense.”
Nailed it Ira.
December 7th, 2020 at 2:33 pm
If the bar is for expectations is lowered now to “hey, let’s get a wildcard. Joy.” then great. A month ago it was winning the division. The Bucs are in a great position when compared with JAX. It sucks compared even to NYG, who are on their way to winning a division title.
If they beat MIN and are 8-5, that virtually guarantees—nothing. 9 wins MAY do it; but assuming these guys will get one or two more after that is a bit presumptive. Let’s see how they come out of the tunnel and do this Sunday. They “should” be ready to go hard and fast. This is the BEST they will be all season (sorry to say!).
December 7th, 2020 at 2:35 pm
Well Ira, it’s it’s 2nd or 3rd and short, for RoJo to be in the game we’d have to assume they have ANYone in the backfield. They seem to love those downs with no hint of a run. But hey, it works for the ATL right? Not.
December 7th, 2020 at 3:15 pm
“Give Jones 15 or 20 carries. Turn Devin White loose on the pass rush. Throw a slant to Antonio Brown. Give Mike Edwards more snaps.”
That is the game plan, right there, Ira. Is anyone reading?
December 7th, 2020 at 4:27 pm
Great article sage!
December 7th, 2020 at 5:15 pm
Rush the QB and rush the football. It really is that simple.
One thing that has really hurt this team the last five games or so is the defense coming out of the gate asleep. They have to get some early stops so this offense can establish the run without feeling like they’re going to have to keep up in a shootout every week.
Tightening up on D in the second half is great, but by then the offense is already completely lopsided and Leftwich and Brady can’t seem to get back into rhythm.
The lack of a running game recently has just as much to do with the defense as it does with the play calling.
December 7th, 2020 at 5:26 pm
I don’t think my Bucs can..RUN THE TABLE and win 4 straight. So..I hope they make a lie out of me. Time will tell. The Vikes are on an upswing. And their QB can roll in..out..between and sideways. Ours cannot. However IF..our O line can have a great game, we win. If not? Well, it will once again be a..Buclife.
December 7th, 2020 at 6:18 pm
Been saying this for weeks and weeks and weeks:
1. Run the ball
2. Play action
3. Throw some slants
4. No more soft zone coverage for the entire first half on D
Maybe you guys should lobby the Glazers to hire me. I’ll only demand 2mil per year for my coaching services.
December 7th, 2020 at 6:28 pm
Joe , can Sean get me one of those new electric Mustang’s ? What kind of extra discount do JBF readers get ? Tell him to put that in his next advert. on your site ! Holiday specials for JBF !!!
December 7th, 2020 at 6:40 pm
Hey orl check your records the bucs were 11-5. In 2005. A simple google would have saved you from that statement.
December 7th, 2020 at 7:51 pm
Play strong D from the rip!! Get after cousins stop getting beat on the dumb ass short throws. Make the tackle. Get it done. D has been really bad last few weeks.
December 7th, 2020 at 8:18 pm
All I got to say is if they can’t be Cousins then they deserve to blow it all up and start from scratch. But I don’t think they’ll have a problem with Minnesota since the line is healthy.
One other question is why hasn’t Rojo been playing??? Did he lose his confidence again and Arians is covering for him the last few games….. he’ll never be a great back if the mental side is always a mess after mess ups. 3rd year and still don’t know what they have in him. Sad
December 8th, 2020 at 4:01 am
Hey Sage! Wouldn’t it be funny if both running backs broke a hundred this week? Wouldn’t it be fun if this game turned into an old fashioned “slobber knocker”? Instead of a new age pin ball, arena-league-like video game?
Of course Tampa Bay needs to come out on top, say, 27-24.
Go Bucs!
December 8th, 2020 at 6:30 am
Our biggest hurdle we have to over come is our coaching plain and simple! They’ve been out coached in over half of our games this year because they are stubborn to a tee! Coach my schemers the lot of them. The fact that they take the ball out of our most productive back and give it to the prancing panda just for the sake of their scheme speaks volumes to their football intelligence. They will be the biggest reason we go nowhere not the players because they don’t put the players in the best position to win nor scheme to their strengths.
Dalvin will get his 100 because no Vita Vea unless we get out to a big lead early that’s the only way we can make him a non factor unfortunately Cousins is on that notorious list called Buc Killers. No pass rush, no coverage does not make this game out to be very easy, especially since we got out coached out played by the Giants.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:14 am
11-5 in 2005. My bad. How come they blew it in the playoffs?? Answer the question.
December 8th, 2020 at 7:58 am
Orl
If I recall, Buc defense held Washington to 150 yards total offense. The offensive mastermind could only get six points out of the team.
SImms did have an apparent TD ruled incomplete however.
But I’m sure you knew that already.
December 8th, 2020 at 9:14 am
Mike Johnson Says:
December 7th, 2020 at 5:26 pm
“And their QB can roll in..out..between and sideways. Ours cannot.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Kirk Cousins, sacked 25 times this year
Tom Brady, sacked 16 times this year
Yes, Kirk Cousins is more mobile. To insinuate that it somehow makes Cousins better than Brady would be incorrect, IMHO.
December 8th, 2020 at 12:01 pm
Good stuff Ira.