Red Zone Fails Bothered Bruce Arians
October 4th, 2021
Red zone gripes.
UPDATED 4:47 p.m. – Usually the Bucs are a money team in the red zone.
That stands to reason when the Bucs entered Sunday’s game against the Belicheats tied for the most point scored this season.
But last night the Bucs had to settle for field goals when they entered New England real estate. It eems like that will be a focus in practice this week.
“We didn’t execute,” Arians said. “We didnt execute at all.”
Part of that was that mastermind Bill Belicheat always finds a way to confuse an offense. That was the case yesterday and Arians doffed his cap to the master.
“A couple of things we thought we were going to have, they had mixed up and doubled guys [the Bucs didn’t expect to get double-teamed],” Arians said. “We never thought we’d put [reserve tight end] Codey McElroy in a game and all of a sudden he was double-covered.”
Who (and why?) would a team double-team a No. 4 tight end? Belicheat, that’s who.
Red zone offense was “a disappointing part of the game,” Arians added. “It was tough to watch us in the red zone in that game.”
Sooner or later if you trade field goals for touchdowns, that will come back to bite a team. It nearly bit the Bucs yesterday.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:40 pm
This is where you miss Gronk, as well as a reliable between the tackles power running game. It would also help if Arians took a long, hard look at the coaching.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:40 pm
Maybe Todd Bowles can learn something from that.
Love ya Todd, but you need to get it together ASAP.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:44 pm
TBBF gets after Joe sometimes….but I have to admit, Joe is working his a$$ off….pounding us with article after article…..hats off!!!
Joe operates the same way every year. Joe writes what Joe finds interesting when Joe finds it interesting. No need to take off a hat, and no need to criticize when you don’t like what is and isn’t here. –Joe
October 4th, 2021 at 4:48 pm
That handoff to Godwin would work…..where was OJ?…..you can’t double-team everybody…..
October 4th, 2021 at 4:55 pm
The problem with the Bucs is they depend too much on anticipation of what the defense is going to do with a particular play design and personnel grouping. Basically, they outsmarted themselves a few times and should have just picked a matchup with CG or Evans and let them try an win a matchup. They were finally doing that some with AB at the end but too little too late.
October 4th, 2021 at 4:59 pm
BA not happy with everything except himself. No blame on you BA. Belichick kicked your arse last night, your teams is just more talented.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:00 pm
The great chess grandmasters don’t just study the game, they study their opponents.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:06 pm
OJ Howard played last night?
October 4th, 2021 at 5:21 pm
Belichick is the best or on a very short list of the best head coaches ever, so no shame in winning a squeaker against him. Mac Jones looks like the best rookie QB this year too. Awesome game last night.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:28 pm
“We never thought we’d put [reserve tight end] Codey McElroy in a game”
Yet Leftwich did just that.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:29 pm
If Gronk is going to be out, can we kindly resign Tanner Hudson? I know Arians hates him, but we also know from preseason that Hudson is a much better TE than McElroy.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:40 pm
@Biff Barker Says:
“OJ Howard played last night?”
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o yeah, yeah he did. According to TV 🤡;blame everybody;tough_talker;side line lost…. and much more.., OJ is getting better every game. You cant see that, but he is getting better. 🙄🤪
October 4th, 2021 at 5:44 pm
Ok, then put the real running back in the game and run the ball in the red zone. Fournette won’t get those hard yards inside the 20.
October 4th, 2021 at 5:46 pm
ooo an other thing… he said Gronk maybe ready for this week… Wednesday he shall know better, the TV 🤡… what ever that means…
..just to make sure, now he KNOWS that Gronk has 5 messed up ribs, and a puncture lung… wow..
October 4th, 2021 at 5:57 pm
I think Brady was feeling the pressure a few times, because it sure looked like a couple of time he had Godwin and OJ Howard for scores in the red zone and last week he had ME (maybe not trusting the line after a few hits to hold it that extra second)
October 4th, 2021 at 6:08 pm
Ummmmm did anyone notice the horrible weather or was it just me??? Im pretty sure the down pour and damp wet new england weather had a bit to do with bad throws dropped balls if anyone has ever playex in the rain before you know what im talking about and all coaches from the couch that never played obviously have no idea. Yeah a bunch of those balls should have been caught and it was a diff ball game but the weather sucked but ultimately worked in our favor. Also maybe play calling should have been shorter passes in the horrible weather kind of like the patts were doing. We won though against a good team period
October 4th, 2021 at 6:09 pm
Red zone failures were disturbing, though some of that had to do with Bill dropping 6 – 7 DBs back in coverage.
But even still, if Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown can’t get open, what the heck are they getting paid so much money for?
October 4th, 2021 at 6:09 pm
Also we did do a good job of running more against a d that has teouble stopping the run…these are factors and weaknesses that were supposed to exploit. Exploit thier weaknesses take away thier strengths
October 4th, 2021 at 6:10 pm
There were a lot of drops too. Can’t blame it all on the weather as the dropsies didn’t seem to plague NE receivers as much.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:35 pm
Our redzone offense was horrible when Leftwitch got here and he has done a really good job in that area……….Im not going to worry too much about this over one game but I do wonder if Tom Brady is chasing ghe record book and that was a factor that slowed us down last night………….Even still I Evans has to make that catch and the throw to Brate was pooely thrown. We hurt ourselfs down there but those are plays we will make more often then not.
Whats obscene to me is to call out the redzone offense when the redzone D has been terrible 3 straight weeks now……..2of3 New England trips went for TDs, sad to say is an imporvement, and the 1 stop may have been the difference in the win column. We gotta keep improving there……..That wont hack it for another title run.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:45 pm
OJ Howard played 51 snaps. He was targeted 1 time.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:48 pm
They should give Rojo the ball more… he’s in the dog house but he is a baller and he is a spark plug on offense. Dude was tearing it up last year.
October 4th, 2021 at 6:52 pm
O.J. Howard was excellent in the line as a blocker last night……Didnt ever think Id say that but I think its a really good sign of big games ahead.
October 4th, 2021 at 7:00 pm
@JimmyJack he seemed like he had improved his blocking a lot last year before he got injured too…
October 4th, 2021 at 7:40 pm
here’s a news flash. it rained on the Pats too
October 4th, 2021 at 7:49 pm
Crazybucs_cl: the f are you talking about? Dude, stop stealing crack out of your mom purse. Your posts read like you’re stroking out in real time
October 4th, 2021 at 8:05 pm
Maybe I’m just being a naive optimist, but I think the Bucs are keeping the game plans simple to start the season and relying on talent and the goat to edge out victories. They plan to face the Rams again, why show them everything in week 3? Why use up creative plays and put them on film too soon? Until loses start to pile up and this team is in true jeopardy in the standings, I have no qualms – yet.
In the playoffs last year, Todd Bowles threw out more exotic schemes than during the regular season, and famously switched everything up in the Super Bowl. He got creative when it mattered.
There are no style points in the NFL and the team is 3-1. With perspective like that, everything else just reads as losers crying about stats.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:17 pm
McElroy doesn’t belong in the NFL let alone getting a redzone opportunity in a prime time game. Why try to trick them throwing to a scrub when you have Evans, Godwin, A.B., and Brate to throw to? B.L., and B.A. didn’t fool Belichick, but they did make fools of themselves throwing to a practice squad player.
October 4th, 2021 at 8:49 pm
B.A. should have had the patriots footballs checked for air pressure.
October 4th, 2021 at 9:04 pm
@Leighroy I agree with you. Playing the long game.
October 4th, 2021 at 9:05 pm
Microphone in the locker room.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:02 pm
Bruce ,try better self scouting ,,,,, You and lefty exclusively as compared to other teams bring in personnel to run a play for them…………it’s not bringing in a # 4 TE to Bill , it’s when they bring in cold personnel in this look they are going to them this percent of the time ………… Big Bill so out coached Arians and Lefty it’s not even debatable . I like Bruce and Lefty but they tip some of their pitches and Big Bill knew all the signs !!!
October 4th, 2021 at 10:35 pm
OJ was blocking since he’s the best blocking TE we have left. Brate can’t block, so he was running routes. McElroy has no business in the NFL, if we’re going to call him up, then go resign Hudson of the 49ers practice squad since neither can block, but at least Hudson can catch the ball.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:36 pm
JimmyJack Says:
October 4th, 2021 at 6:52 pm
O.J. Howard was excellent in the line as a blocker last night……Didnt ever think Id say that but I think its a really good sign of big games ahead.
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No kidding. All these low football IQ morons talking about how they didn’t notice OJ all night… well that means he was doing a good job.
October 5th, 2021 at 2:06 am
Well, I thought the play calling in the redzone was fairly awful.
A few things in particular… when they got down to first and goal on the 6 after a good mix of running/passing… they had a loaded d line look and it was the PERFECT time to call a playaction to OJ where he releases off a block or something liek that. instead we lost yardage running into that wall and had two long obvious pass situations and settled for FG.
Than on last real drive… bucs can almost seal game with first down and fg… why is Brady throwing deep to AB twice? Even if score TD you’re giving pats mad time to go win game… get the first down. keep the clock running. Brady had receivers open underneath on both plays… i think thats on him.
Anyways… Leftwich was AWFUL to watch most of last season and only when they started calling more of bradys plays did they take off.
Last night showed the difference in coaching IMO. Bucs more talented, pats were better coached. But they also threw the “kitchen sink” at us with multiple rare gadget plays that McDaniels adds in offseason and saves for big games… (pats fans call the 2014 playoff game vs ravens the kitchen sink game because they famously scored 2 tds on gadget plays).
October 5th, 2021 at 9:39 am
The weather didn’t bother NE receivers because they were just doing short check down passes that didn’t need alot of velocity to get there which is not what the bucs were doing but maybe should have incorporated more of considering the weather
October 5th, 2021 at 11:04 am
@Converted_Bucs_Brady_Fan
Belichick has been using that trick play of having the QB fire a backward pass to a WR repeatedly, ever since that Ravens wildcare game. And you know what’s sad? It caught Arians and his staff by surprise on Sunday night. Astounding, that’s one lazy coaching staff.