Yes, #RaiseTheFlags
January 14th, 2021
The Bucs and good flags.
There is a popular hashtag among Bucs fandom (#RaiseTheFlags) that began with the Bucs’ all-too-long return after a 12-season absence.
Bucs fans should know what that hashtag refers to.
Well, per the excellent research of Joe’s good friend Mike Tanier, typing for Football Outsiders, that hashtag could very well mean something quite different, and be just as accurate.
Tanier found a possible NFL record the Bucs may have set this fall. Tampa Bay receivers have drawn so many defensive pass interference flags, not only do the Bucs lead the NFL in that category, but it is so high Tanier is confident that it is an NFL record.
And if you compare that to the slimy Saints’ flag-happy defense… well, Joe will let Tanier, Joe Flacco’s former high school math teacher, do the arithmetic for you.
Most interestingly for this game, the Saints led the league with 19 pass interference penalties in the regular season. They tied for third with 10 defensive holding penalties. The Buccaneers finished the regular season as the beneficiaries of 24 defensive pass interference penalties, five more than the second-place Steelers and Dolphins and the highest total in the NFL Penalties database, dating back to 2009. I checked the Football Outsiders record books and couldn’t find a higher total; the Buccaneers benefitted from more pass interference penalties from any team since 1985, and almost certainly of all time. They’re about to face the most interference-happy team in the NFL.
Internationally-popular JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman always harps on how the Bucs should throw early and often to Bucs star receiver Mike Evans (in-between Ira hollering for the Bucs to run the ball based solely on the name of the month) in order for Evans to draw flags.
That seems to be happening quite a bit this year, and for other Bucs receivers as well.
Could the difference in Sunday night’s game actually come down to the zebras flagging Marcus Lattimore for getting too handsy with Evans?
Maybe Joe needs to calm down, but man, Joe is getting a “Shut down the Vet” vibe with this game.
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January 14th, 2021 at 8:04 am
Well, the refs have to call them. Most of the time, they let them play in the playoffs. Lattimore can probably mug Mike Evans and get away with it.
January 14th, 2021 at 8:05 am
I’ve been feeling that vibe as well!
January 14th, 2021 at 8:22 am
44-21 Saints 💁🏾♂️ I’m sorry I just have no faith in either corner that we have on the team. We have to go D-line and corners the entire draft and free agency
January 14th, 2021 at 8:26 am
Ok don’t call pi on defense but don’t call it on offense either’ Evans would win that battle.
January 14th, 2021 at 8:28 am
They play dirty. We should do the same, but shy of getting penalties. Brees need to be picking grass from his helmet.
January 14th, 2021 at 8:39 am
Wouldnt it be great if slimy saints lost playoff game on another referee call not in their favor. 3 years in a row.
The saints dbs do not give up the big play. They will grab/ hold/ interfere before giving up big play downfield for td
January 14th, 2021 at 8:44 am
Good news. GO BUCS!!!
January 14th, 2021 at 8:44 am
It’s about time special teams showed up and did something…you know…special! Go Bucs!
January 14th, 2021 at 8:54 am
The reason why our receivers get so many pass interference flags is, they are hard to cover.
January 14th, 2021 at 8:58 am
“Send Bress into RETIREMENT”
Better than shutting down the Vet. A match up of two aging HOF QBs with Brady coming out on TOP with the world watching in prime time!
January 14th, 2021 at 9:00 am
Wow i was literally saying this last night to a coworker, how the saints are a dirty football team (on defense) and how this year every team but especially the saints grab on our recievers constantly and while we get a few flags they get away with some too. The 1st game i think they had 3 called but were doing to someone it looked like on every play. 2nd game the refs didnt care and we got mauled. The zebras will olay a role in this one. Glad to see this article confirms what my eyes told me. On the flip side of this our dbs wont lay a finger on anyone, against a team that relues on rhythm and timing. Knock them off route and out of position and drew will eventually throw one to the wrong spot. Watch what cam brate did to that poor db on Washington last Saturday. They were playing press man and cam came off the line and put that dude on his ass, wide open huge gain.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:09 am
ok troll!!!!
you’ll eat crow later!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
January 14th, 2021 at 9:09 am
Need Mike to keep his cool against Lattimore and just play his game. Those DBs are obviously huge trash talkers (possibly crossing the line with how many times they’ve had WRs punch them and get ejected). Regardless, Mike must do his talking with stats and not let those guys get in his head. I believe he will.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:10 am
We are getting fewer DPI flags because our Dbacks aren’t close enough to receive a penalty…..
January 14th, 2021 at 9:38 am
Leading up to the Philly NFC Champ game. I was nervous as hell knowing the Bucs were going to lose. 2 days before the game, I had good thoughts, and thought the Bucs were going to pull off the upset.
This game not so much. No vibe here. Perhaps because the Bucs were blown out the last 2 times they played the Saints and I saw what Heineken did to the Bucs secondary.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:42 am
Buc1987 – luckily we have another day for you to get good thoughts.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:46 am
@TBBF … “We are getting fewer DPI flags because our Dbacks aren’t close enough to receive a penalty.”
Oh TBBF, that was cruel. Ya OK true, but cruel nonetheless. And on the good news side, our Dbacks do have a lot of tackles.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:51 am
The good news is that the Bucs receivers, that have been having trouble as of late on grass, will be running sure footed on the indoor turf in New Orleans and with barely anyone in attendance, the crowd noise will be sparse, it is almost a neutral site… and our best performances and wins have come in New Orleans. If we can establish the run, set up our play-action passing game, we can score lots of points in the Big Easy.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:53 am
I have no idea what happened the last time but I guarantee this is a different mindset now and that disaster will not happen again. I predict a close, high scoring game and just for kicks, I predict Gronk has a 2 TD game.
January 14th, 2021 at 9:57 am
Can we just fast forward to Sunday?
January 14th, 2021 at 10:43 am
aFEDupBUCfan
You must not have watched the first Bucs Saints game. Davis held Michael Thomas to 15 yards on 3 catches.
January 14th, 2021 at 10:59 am
Plant Brees
Plant Hill
And
Plant Jordan
Sounds like the start to a great garden!
Lotsa butterflies
January 14th, 2021 at 11:28 am
Don’t calm down Joe! You’re the captain of the ship we need you to lead us!
January 14th, 2021 at 11:58 am
Smart DB’S play the game, they hold, grab etc mainly because the refs won’t throw the flag on every play. That’s actually smart D.
January 14th, 2021 at 12:05 pm
I’m a big fan of Joe’s newest schtick about people ‘only running the football b/c of the year on the calendar’… Brings me a lot of laughs.
BTW Joe, do you know what our record is this season when RoJo and/or Fournette get 17+ rushes in a game?
9 – 3.
When we don’t: 3-2.
I’d say running the ball is good for reasons other than the month on the calendar.
January 14th, 2021 at 12:19 pm
’87
Same here. When first considering we had to play the Aint’s, I did not like it. NOW I love it. If we can’t beat them, we don’t deserve the SB.
#SendBressIntoRetirement