After Further Review
September 27th, 2021
#Cushion
Joe’s possibly weekly feature of notes and thoughts when Joe rewatches the Bucs’ game in no particular order.
*At the bottom of the photo above, you’ll see the fat cushion on Rams receiver on Van Jefferson from Bucs cornerback Dee Delaney. The Bucs’ rush is good but the pass comes quickly to Jefferson, caught eight yards down the field with Delaney four yards off Jefferson. First down Rams – 11-yard completion. If you weren’t a fan during the Dirk Koetter era, now you know what you missed.
*On the Rams’ game-winning touchdown in the third quarter, on a 1st and 10 from the Bucs’ 10. Carlton Davis gave Cooper Kupp nearly an eight-yard cushion at the line of scrimmage. Why would you do that to a receiver known for his physical YAC (yards after catch)? Easy pitch-and-catch touchdown for the Rams to go up 28-14.
*14:15 of the second quarter, 3rd-and-3 for the Rams on Bucs’ 19 yard line: Rams receiver Robert Woods comes down on a slant from left to right and blasts Devin White with a left forearm and and takes him out, then catches the first down throw. Very rare to see from White. It was not his most physical day.
*On the next play, Lavonte David was slow in coverage on rather slow tight end Tyler Higbee, the pride of Pinellas County. Two plays later, David was a little slow getting around offensive lineman Brian Allen and Higbee scored on a six-yard touchdown pass.
*Motor consistency for Joe Tyron-Shoyinka was improved this week. He’s close to making plays. Feels like they will come.
*Donovan Smith had some impressive work in run blocking, making Aaron Donald look like a JV player on one second-quarter rush. Trailing 7-0, the Bucs had 3rd-and-1 from the Rams’ 34 and ran right behind Smith. Joe wonders if Bucs coaches were seeing what Joe was seeing from Smith. Overall a very strong day for Smith.
Can anyone explain Shaq Barrett’s many pass rushes to Joe with about 4 minutes remaining in the first half until halftime? Then at 14:12 of the third quarter, Shaq seemed gassed on rush reminiscent of Stylez White when he wasn’t into it. Step it up, Shaq! We need you!
*Underrated pass blocking through the game from Leonard Fournette.
*With 12 seconds left in the first half and the Bucs with one timeout in their pocket, Scotty Miller caught a pass over the middle at the Rams’ 40 yard line. Miller easily had room to get to the 36 or 35 (at least) but he danced and went backwards and was tackled at the 38 yard line. Bad awareness and Succop missed the 55-yard field goal on the next play as the Rams went into halftime up 14-7. Succop is probably kicking with a lot more confidence if given three more yards to work with. … Bad false start penalty on third down in the third quarter made it a rough day for Miller in very limited work. … To be fair, Brady didn’t see Miller wide open in the end zone late in the third quarter.
*As Joe wrote yesterday, but it’s worth noting again, damn Tom Brady looks nimble, strong and accurate.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:12 pm
Hey Joe
What’s your opinion of SOFI stadium.. is it all that?
September 27th, 2021 at 1:18 pm
*Aaron Donald.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:20 pm
Looks like all the corners and linebacker off line in zone,the 8 yards you describe. Not just dee Delaney. Stomach cramps from mike smith remembrance.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Aaron Rodgers played that entire game, then still hauled it up San Fran for the double header? The guy gets a lot of crap from people, but that is some hussle, like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders in their prime pulling double duty on Sundays.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Hopefully, more than a couple of Buc players got the message:
STOP living on your laurels or you’re gonna get your asses kicked regularly.
WAKE THE F UP!
Peace, out ….
September 27th, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Don’t want to hear anything about our starting CB’s. They do the same thing and get roasted and burnt the same way. And it is not the offense fault the defense can’t get their own ass off the field. We need at least 2 Vet good corners in here and don’t ask where we get them. Should have thought about that in the off season.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:24 pm
What I know from watching the game yesterday, is literally every single time I paid attention to the defensive formation, it was a 4-man rush, literally every time they failed to get any pressure. I know they did more than that — or I assume they did more than that, but what Bowles was doing most of the day wasn’t working and yet I didn’t notice any adjustments in the plays where I was watching for it. Overall Bowles gets a F- on the day. With everything you heard about him from the Jets, you have to be concerned. They said he got real stubborn and conservative after having success with their defense, he stopped doing what got him there and instead played not to lose. Arians needs to give him a huge kick in the a– and hope that gets him back into gear.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:29 pm
i saw 10 yard cushions at times…
i remember thinking wtf are they doing
September 27th, 2021 at 1:29 pm
The fat cushion given by Dee Delaney was by design. If Dee Delaney plays press man (which wasn’t the call) or at least gives a small cushion, the WR may well buzz right by him. And if the WR gets by Delaney, the only player between the WR and the goal line is the free safety, who has to make a tackle in the open field which is quite difficult.
Don’t blame Delaney, he’s following orders and is an end of the bench guy in terms of talent. That explains the cushion.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:29 pm
Your corners are always going to look like garbage if there is no pass rush. Always. Maybe if you drop 10 that won’t be the case, but then they’ll just run for 9 yards on each play.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:29 pm
Stick to what works, Miller on the long ball only
September 27th, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Disappointing, but not surprising here. Down to 4th and 5th and 6th DBs, of course the Rams would spread the D out and just play catch. All the Bucs D could do as a scheme was get a tip or a deflection or a fumble.
I was more concerned that the Rams were much more physical and our pass rush disappeared without JPP.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:49 pm
this game was over 1/2 way into the 2nd qtr. but when they went into 1/2 and did not get a TD….that was the nail in the coffin.
once Dean was out the game plan should have went out the window.
missing CB’s and missing AB proved to be very costly when we had no run game and they have that passing attack. Almost like they knew they were gonna lose.
If there was one to lose, this was the one though.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:58 pm
The game wasn’t over in the second quarter. The game was over in the 3rd quarter when this defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. Just embarrassing. They scored to make it 21-14 and the rams just marched toward the endzone and make it 28-14. Game was over at that point. It puts immense pressure on your offense and it didn’t help with the penalties.
September 27th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
Invite the run for the love of God. They couldn’t run yesterday, and the Rams didn’t even try. They should never get beat deep. Teams can’t beat you running the ball, so let them. To beat the bucs you need to score. Like my old friend Jaws always said. Points come from the passing game. Stick 8 DB’s out there if you have to.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:05 pm
The sky is falling!!! We had multiple games last year where we looked aorse than yesterday. We have several people out in the secondary. It’s a long season. As long the GOAT is healthy we’re in good shape. Questionable letting him play so long yesterday after the game was already over though.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:05 pm
Ben Green hard to win when your defense gives up 34 points. Also when it was 28-14 this offense had penalties that killed that drive. This defense let the team down yesterday. They have to start playing. I didn’t see much energy from this team yesterday . Don’t know. They start the game very vanilla on offense.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:06 pm
This makes me feel a little less depressed than Ira’s article haha
September 27th, 2021 at 2:11 pm
Is there an agenda against Gio Bernard……anyone watching that game had to take notice of how well he performed.
I’ll add Tyler Johnson (although he’s been mentioned)……Tyler Johnson looks like a grownup out there…..not a boy like Scotty.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:11 pm
“CUSHION OF DEATH”
The other big thing about playing with those huge cushions in coverage is that QBs hold the ball less when there’s not tight coverage. When there’s tight coverage, even if the WR is going to beat his cover man on his route, it still makes the QB second guess whether he’s blanketed or not in the first couple of seconds of the play. But with a huge cushion, they easily get the ball out quick. This leads to a lot less sacks.
If we want more sacks we need to stop playing with the huge cushions off the line.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:12 pm
They look gassed in the front seven. Brady needs to make them run hills. I’m actually surprised he didn’t bring it down with him. His teams were always in superior shape. Ben sometimes doubts whether the bucs are
September 27th, 2021 at 2:15 pm
Jmarkbuc: I was at the stadium yesterday (flew in from MT for the game) expecting to be wowed. But, like the Buc’s pass rush, I was totally underwhelmed. Constant, incessant cacophony of thumping rap noise. Tiny seats. Obnoxious DJ/host/rabble-rouser forever screaming at fans over the loud speaker system. Took hours after the game looking for a sensory deprivation tank to clear my concussion. Not to mention that in about seven years, the grayish outside structure will be featured in some local post-apocalypse movies. And, coming from MT, I thought I had left the US and ended up at a stadium in Mexico City (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Chalk it up to culture shock. We’ll, at least the Bucs…. never mind.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:21 pm
as I said last week If I was the Rams owner I would fire the coach if he ran it more than twice in the game hahaha. The other team’s offenses are licking their chops. Especially Bilichick
September 27th, 2021 at 2:22 pm
I think Mr. Seven Rings missed Mike Evans wide open in the end zone while trying to force a pass to a covered/injured Gronk
September 27th, 2021 at 2:28 pm
On today’s edition of “Where Have You Ben (green)?!”…predictably after a day of silence when threats fell flat, our main man returns to gloat after a Buc loss. Thankfully he played strong safety in flag football and coached/worked charity events ( allegedly ) with the legendary Willie McGinest. His opinion means everything.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:31 pm
MT Buc Fan…thanks for the excellent description. Sounds nothing like the legendary Washington Griz Stadium in Missoula…unfortunately. Disappointing that the field isn’t grass in California of all places.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:40 pm
@rrsrq
I have to tell you that I saw the same!!!! I was really surprised he missed that!!!!
September 27th, 2021 at 2:46 pm
@DBS Says:
Don’t want to hear anything about our starting CB’s…. …We need at least 2 Vet good corners in here and don’t ask where we get them. Should have thought about that in the off season.
——————
can’t be more accurate, at the point statement.
JL and the money/math guy he consider “manager”, should find and bring this week two or more CB, if they are that good that all of us thought of.
bringing 22 players back, which some of them looks like no one was willing to pay that money, it does NOT look a BIG success anymore. Find CB, scr$w the draft and the “great D players” we have, cause we don’t.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:56 pm
@rrsrq
..seven rings…
—–
correct. He did more than one bad through yesterday. Gronk was sick, check his interview last Wednesday.. he is disoriented, tired, lazy/bored…not his normal behavior. im sure TB12 new that…. still he was targeting him.
ME, no classy behavior told the world, how easy he can forget TB12 SB rings, and how ingenuine his statements are when he talk about Gronk.
ME great player; low class.
September 27th, 2021 at 2:56 pm
Rod Munch’s comments about Todd Bowles time with the Jets were interesting.
I have friends who are Jet Fans who were glad to see him go.
They called him “Toilet Bowles”.
Winning the Super Bowl shut up my Jet Fan friends, for awhile.
But one called me after our loss yesterday, with a “See what I mean” comment.
With a complete lack of pressure, and a depleted secondary, Matt Stafford had his way with us.
Sony Michele took care of Devin White all game, when he tried to blitz.
Speaking of my New York Friends, the one who called to rub it in about Boles even said “You guys had BETTER win, or Brady will not be back next year” I thought about that for a minute, and realized he may be right.
If we do not win, or at least play in a Super Bowl this year, how many think Brady will come back ?
September 27th, 2021 at 2:58 pm
So far every team is getting it out quick. So Tryon might not make plays unless Bowles cuts the cushion outta the game. With a rookie qb coming up now would be the time..well since it wasn’t yesterday.
September 27th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
@Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:
“…Rod Munch’s comments about Todd Bowles time with the Jets were interesting.
I have friends who are Jet Fans who were glad to see him go.
They called him “Toilet Bowles”….”
—————————
im saying that since Lowie S 2.0 aka Mr. Magoo, brought him here.
Glad to here that….👏
September 27th, 2021 at 3:07 pm
TBBF … Agree with you that Gio is playing extremely well. He has 13 catches in 15 targets (86.7%) which is outstanding. Lenny is doing well catching the ball too though (12 catches in 14 targets for 85.7%). Both of them have been pass blocking very well also. RoJo will be odd-man-out before he can blink if he’s not careful.
September 27th, 2021 at 3:08 pm
Three games. Two sacks? That’s no fluke. That’s being lousy. One bad game can be excused, no real preseason practice etc. But less than 1 sack average for 3 games and only one of those opponents a real contender. Bucs pass rush is not much of a factor this season . Game 4 next week will be at almost 25% of the season! If we can’t sack a rookie qb multiple times next week and win big another super bowl looks less and less likely.
September 27th, 2021 at 3:16 pm
No one winning at the LOS
DBs playing scared, lining up with 8 yards of cushion and back peddling
LBs getting manhandled. D White let a WR push him out of the way
Safeties a step slow
Just terrible on D
September 27th, 2021 at 3:30 pm
Def bad day on d we need to fix it fast they are passing all over us.. plus we dropped balls on offense that shouldnt have been dropped.. no AB hurt is bad
September 27th, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Belifraud is saying he will handle Brady ! Sunday the only player widowed for the game was Brady !!! Can the other 35 players show up next Sunday night !!! The defense looks really old and FAT !)
Yes
V
September 27th, 2021 at 3:35 pm
Sorry s/b showed up
September 27th, 2021 at 3:40 pm
I hate when we play that off zone – our D is so much better when we play man underneath with help over the top and design some stunts/ blitz to get to the QB. I’m not saying play cover-zero. Just be creative –
As bad as we played yesterday. We gave away a 75yrd TD (defender fell down) and shanked a punt – gave away another 3 points. Plus, tons of penalties…
September 27th, 2021 at 3:44 pm
The problem is that we don’t have the personnel to play man, Aaron. And without the pass rush, it can become suicidal to go man with the caliber of backups at the corners.
September 27th, 2021 at 4:10 pm
Both of them have been pass blocking very well also.
– you must’ve not watched Bernard getting trucked twice leading to Brady getting sacked and hit.
September 27th, 2021 at 5:02 pm
I know The Bucs can play better than what they showed Sunday. The best is yet to come. GO BUCS!
September 27th, 2021 at 5:51 pm
I’m still not understanding how they don’t call illegal contact or OPI on that, yet they flagged Gronk on our next drive for simply running his route.
Can someone explain this to me?
September 27th, 2021 at 6:02 pm
DBS- You took the word’s out of my mouth !! And to make matters worse , the Bucs dragged their feet and now the Panthers are getting CJ Henderson from the Jags for a bum tight end and a 3rd round pick !! We needed him and Sherman !! Sherman alone will NOT fix the secondary
September 27th, 2021 at 6:06 pm
Unbelievable- If you noticed the same thing I have , it sure seems like the REF’S are out to get the Bucs !! ALL 3 GAME’S THEY CALL PENALTIES ON THE BUCS , BUT I WATCH THE OPPOSING TEAMS O-LINE HOLD ON ALMOST EVERY PLAY AND NOT GET CALLED !! Think 🤔 I’m crazy ? Go back and watch for yourselves
September 27th, 2021 at 6:12 pm
^ I’ve thought the same thing.
I try not to be a homer with that stuff, but it has seemed blatantly obvious this year. Feels like the lost decade when we’d get flagged for everything possible, in part bc we were a sucky team and the league’s punching bag.
Thought we finally had rid ourselves of that when Brady came, but apparently not this year.
September 27th, 2021 at 6:22 pm
Game 3 folks. Relax. The team is excellent. Take a chill pill and dream about beating the Patriots.
September 27th, 2021 at 6:57 pm
It was a Rams home game. The team was flagged for false starts due to the noise. You have to expect drive killing penalties on the road in hostile stadiums.
September 27th, 2021 at 9:02 pm
Chris@Apple – Now that was when Bowles was head coach, that’s not his title here so Arians can always kick him in the rear to get him to mix it up. Will that happen? I hope so, but Arians gives Leftwich and Bowles a ton of leeway.
But I just don’t understand how anyone can take getting slowly diced up and not even try to do something different.
September 27th, 2021 at 9:29 pm
Tbdj,,seen that,,was thinking the same thing,, should of went after him or put a offer out there
September 28th, 2021 at 9:21 am
This is what happens when you think all you have to do is sign all returning vets to repeat.
October 2nd, 2021 at 10:40 am
Lotsa blame to go around but I think a big part of the problem was the trip there.
A 5-6 hour flight will affect performance all by itself. That same flight into a different time zone amplifies the effect.
If we had flown in on Friday and done walk-throughs on Saturday we would have seen a higher level of play and possibly a win.