How Did It Happen?
August 16th, 2021
Tristan Wirfs
Living the Bucs life means overthinking everything pewter and red.
It comes with the hardcore-fan turf. Joe loves every minute of the experience.
On Saturday night in the preseason opener, Tom Brady was sacked in the one series he took the field. It was a breakdown of the offensive line.
That was the one thing that couldn’t happen. Yet it did.
Brady is fine and that’s football, but Joe still can’t believe fate was tested like that with a rookie getting through on Brady.
Joe has posted the video below so all the amateur film gurus in the house can spout off.
Joe sure hopes the next sack of Brady isn’t seen until October.
WINcinnati! Enjoy the best plays from our preseason opener against the defending champs.
We're back on Friday in Washington at 8 PM ET on NFL Network. pic.twitter.com/tTaNXAYNtt
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 15, 2021
August 16th, 2021 at 11:05 am
The first thing I looked for was the number, and was very surprised it was the “1 sac wonder” Wirfs. Surely it was bench time for Brady after that. GO BUCS!!!!
August 16th, 2021 at 11:07 am
It happens….good thing it’s preseason…..surprised it was Wirfs…..maybe a wakeup call…
August 16th, 2021 at 11:10 am
Wirfs was almost responsible for ending TB12’s career right there & some BOZO whose name rhymes w/ Dick Stroud blamed it on Cappa
August 16th, 2021 at 11:21 am
Sloppy line play.
That’s why PS games are played.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:22 am
Let’s hope Wirfs hasn’t read too many of his press clippings.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:26 am
wouldn’t read into this too much. I remember our line had been genuinely awful in preseason before. They pulled it together when it mattered. Only thing I genuinely worry about is brady taking hits.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:27 am
People act like they’re supposed to be perfect, but there’s only One who was perfect. Wirfs is only human and as good as he is there will always will be someone on any give play who can play better. People need to get over their outrage.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:27 am
I expected a lot better all around performance than we got Saturday night. Hope we play better this week against a better team. And Hainsey’s snaps need a lot more juice.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:39 am
It looks like Wirfs was expecting help from one of the interior lineman when the rusher went inside.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:39 am
It was a good play for them. looked like a TB scheme. that guy came inside on Wirfs and the other side went wide giving TB no escape.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:47 am
BA has made a few references to Wirfs during camp so far, and not in a good way (getting beat by Tryon, wearing his SB ring too much, etc.). Hoping he hasn’t lost the edge that helped him become a top RT last year, though he wouldn’t be the first after tasting early success in their career. Fingers crossed.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:49 am
I don’t see how you can really lay it on one guy. All the pressure came up the middle to start with. Brady couldn’t step up. Wirfs steered his man to the outside and back, and when Brady couldn’t step up in a clean pocket, the play collapsed.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:50 am
I’m with tackleblockwin on this one. This is on Cappa.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:52 am
I don’t think Wirfs was expecting that guy to give the full effort like he did.
Another thing I noticed was Brady was smart enough to not try and fight the sack like many QB’s would in a regular season game. I think Arians said he “folded like a tent”. Thankfully that was the smart move and kept him from risking injury.
August 16th, 2021 at 11:56 am
If it was Zone Blocking, Wirfs should’ve stayed home & not followed the guy inside then let up….and get Brady destroyed
August 16th, 2021 at 11:57 am
Now that we have a 40+ year old quarterback, after watching that play I’m all for defensive players not being able to put their full “body weight” on the QB, haha
When we have a young QB, I’ll probably go back to saying that rule is bulls….
August 16th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Sometime it is good to have a wakeup call. Glad it happened in preseason.
August 16th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Wow! The sky is falling! Move Smith over to RT immediately! Wirfs is a bust!
Seriously though, it was a great play by Cincy and a bad read from our OL. Watch Jensen float out with nobody to block! Bad read!
August 16th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Was that Trueblood v2 in that clip?
August 16th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Fyi – all the analytics suggest that Donovan Smith is a good RT and below average pass-blocking LT
August 16th, 2021 at 12:47 pm
wirfs is definitely a bust now!!
August 16th, 2021 at 12:52 pm
This is where PFF blows. Me too, as we can only guess at who is responsible for what in terms of blocking scheme.
In pass blocking the OLine is usually (but not always) responsible for gap management, so blaming Wirfs might be right. But there’s a trick on this play, the DLine is executing a stunt. From what I can see, this sack is a like an auto accident where a confluence of errors cause the crash. First, notice how Wirfs glances inside as he’s watching for any possible blitz or is wary of a stunt. Wirf then tangles after the snap with the DE Ossai (Bengals rookie third round pick). The left DT has quickly disengaged Cappa and is moving through the gap created by Ossai. Meanwhile Jensen is looking to engage anyone then doubles to his left not right where Ossai in penetrating. Most of the pressure is coming from the right, but either by plan or execution Jensen concerns himself with the left where Marpet is doing his job. Gio is supposed to help out in pass protection, but from his position he doesn’t see Wirf either losing the hand battle to Ossai, or Wirf disengaging to take care of the stunting DT (I cannot tell which) who has abandoned the B gap and using the C gap. Instead of helping out Wirfs, Gio runs a short pattern after a chip block on the DT.
So who is at fault? All of ’em. To me it looks like poor communication in terms of knowing their assignments. Wirfs seems like he’s in no man’s land. He’s either looking (or praying) for help as he’s either losing or disengaging Ossai. Jensen has nothing to do. Cappa seems sluggish, it looks like he should be collapsing, ready for the stunt but he’s stuck in neutral as he’s maintaining an empty gap. Gio seems to think the play is working, his vantage point is looking at Wirf’s backside.
Why might it be Cappa? This is where I get suspicious. Watch Wirf’s head pivot. He likely expected Cappa inside. His head pivots towards the stunting DT. Meanwhile Cappa after missing a beat also tries moving to pick up the DT. And the DE gets an easy sack on Brady.
August 16th, 2021 at 1:18 pm
I’m sure the Bucs coaching staff will be using this as a talking point for improving communication and the importance of knowing your assignments. Also, the other guys get paid too and sometimes they are going to win on a play. They will learn from it though.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:04 pm
Relax, it happens. It looked like miscommunication. Wirfs had the man and then he went inside and was passing him to Kappa but he was tied up double teaming with the center.
No big deal.
August 16th, 2021 at 2:06 pm
My bad, Cappa Was not tied up double teaming with the center, he was pushing his man to the outside.
Basically the defense ran it like a pick play by the receivers and it worked. They’ll get it straightened out,
all about communication
August 16th, 2021 at 2:07 pm
surprised it was Wirfs, but ok, he has had his one mistake for the year excused , now on with perfection Tristan !
August 16th, 2021 at 2:20 pm
Dew Says:
August 16th, 2021 at 11:27 am
I expected a lot better all around performance than we got Saturday night. Hope we play better this week against a better team. And Hainsey’s snaps need a lot more juice.
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Great analysis… Hainsey didn’t play though! 🙂
August 16th, 2021 at 2:49 pm
So far, Wirfs being beaten by rookies is the norm for camp and preseason, not the exception. Until proven otherwise, the success has gone to his head and he is in a sophomore slump. Growth opportunity for him.
August 16th, 2021 at 5:54 pm
Bellingham…don’t think that “sophomore slump” will happen. Why?
Tom Brady.
Tom won’t sit there quietly while it happens, and if he screws up and gets Tom hurt, he will never live it down.
August 16th, 2021 at 7:37 pm
At brasho. My bad. Whoever was playing center when Trask was playing.
August 19th, 2021 at 9:32 am
I live in Cincinnati and follow Cincy sports media. If I hear one more time about this sack “against the number one tackle, Wirfs, and taking down the Goat (the GOAT!) and shaking the moxy of the starters on this super Super Bowl-winning team” my head will explode. Boy, the Bengals are savoring this — and by a rookie, nonetheless. It pains me to hear a ding on Wirfs. I am very protective of him and his success — and wish the Bucs were facing the Bengals on this year’s schedule once again. But no matter this or that, in Tristan I trust.