11 Targets … 31 Yards
January 23rd, 2022
Final hours?
Joe points to Cameron Brate, O.J. Howard, Tyler Johnson and Giovani Bernard today combining to shine a spotlight on the Bucs’ depth challenges on offense.
The group combined for 31 yards on 11 targets. That’s ugly.
Brate and Howard continue to look washed out and Joe suspects their Bucs careers are finished. Brate has lost a step, despite staying healthy through his eighth NFL season. Howard hasn’t recovered from a blown Achillies. And neither tight end is a special blocker.
The Bucs can do better and cheaper.
Johnson is talented, but he wasn’t ready for the big time today, as Joe wrote earlier. And that’s ok. He’s a young player and a former fifth-round pick. It’s more than ok to just be a decent backup. Joe looks forward to seeing Johnson on the roster next season.
On the depth front, Joe has to re-watch the game, but it sure felt like Scotty Miller was used too little and too late. He had a lot of juice in his legs and provided a spark late with four catches for 38 yards, and was open on other plays, but the speedster receiver clearly wasn’t a big part of the game plan.
The Bucs needed just a little more from their offensive depth chart today, including at right tackle, and it just didn’t happen.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:19 pm
Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!! We have all these so called weapons and dont use them thats OC not havening a real play book.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:20 pm
Offensive line depth was the issue today… nothing else.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:21 pm
Well the Bucs lost their two best slot receivers. I kept mentioning the importance of a slot receiver on dink and dunk, those are your go-to guys. Gronk could have been an answer, but the Bucs lost Wirf, and Brady was getting massacred.
Brate is slow and cannot block worth a damn. OJ has gone from inconsistent to nonexistent. Johnson is mediocrity, he cannot run a good route between the hash marks. Gio just never got on track, and he turned into a disappointing presence on pass protection.
It is what it is.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:21 pm
Joe, stop crying!!makes me sick!!
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Thank You Byron Leftwich
Thank You for your service
Good Bye and Good Luck
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Dumb-headed penalties, lousy field position, not enough fire power left on offense, lots of heart and TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.
Simple fact. WE DID NOT WIN THE GAME ON THE FIELD. No excuses. Now it is on to next season!
Go Bucs!
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:22 pm
As they said to the White Bronco on the Los Angeles Expressways…
BuhBye OJ.
Can we get anyone decent in that position now?
Poor Gronk and Brate carried the load and Brate is WAY overpaid for his performance this season.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:23 pm
Donovan Smith was awful. So was the rest of this o-line.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:23 pm
The losses of Godwin & AB were too big to overcome
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:24 pm
Brate is still clutch. It’s obvious Gronk was the focal point of the TE offense this year, after he got his legs under him, but Brate has come through time and again. OJ is a goner. No doubt. Brate will have to restructure though.
If anything, we don’t know how much longer Gronk has left. He’s already lined up a lot of things outside of football. You can’t let go of Brate with a short leash on Gronk. How many TEs are blocking-first TEs?
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:24 pm
Its the coaches stupid. And the lame sticking with awful draft picks.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:24 pm
OLine was awful
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:25 pm
so many needs this off season no time for stupid draft picks like kyle trask was
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:27 pm
We need a strong head coach and OC not these two idiots we have now. Im telling u Leftwitch has 10 plays in his play book every game looks the same.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:27 pm
Brady is so immobile that he needs great protection. He got it — until today. Brate is still dependable. Way too much focus toward Gronk today. The Rams — unlike the Bucs — can actually cover receivers.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:28 pm
So why don’t we use Scotty on returns?
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:28 pm
Have to call you out Joe “Johnson is talented….” really? The guy can’t outrun defenders.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:29 pm
I can’t emphasize enough how much we needed Grayson & or Perriman today….their speed was sorely missed.
Let’s face it…..Johnson & Miller aren’t # 2 & 3 wideouts…….5th & 6th round picks,
We need to make some wholesale changes with our depth…& starting with OJ & Brate isn’t a bad idea.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:31 pm
Is it too early to start talking about the draft?
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:31 pm
Gronk is blocking late in game and Brate is running routes. What’s wrong with this picture?
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:32 pm
Bucs need a good draft. Any idea what number they will pick? Anyway need to resign Godwin and carlton davis. They need to get younger upfront on that d-line as well .
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Leave it up to Bowles to take the ball away from Brady in overtime. I have no doubts he was gonna win that game in overtime.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Its dead Jim. Now they are playin Sweet Home Alabama All Summer Long on WFLA radio to ease my mind. Brady is still The Goat and Bob Wills is still the King. Thanks Tom.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:35 pm
If you cant block and give your QB a chanse you arent going to win.
Look at anytime Tom Brady has lost in the playoffs. Each and everytime its because he gets lousy blocking. Thats what happened today to both tackles. I dont think Smith blocked #40 once today. Each and every single passing play Smith failed vs #40.
You will never win a game if your LT is that bad.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:35 pm
Francisco Guzman Says:
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Leave it up to Bowles to take the ball away from Brady in overtime. I have no doubts he was gonna win that game in overtime.
——
Agree. Bowles lost this game.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:36 pm
OJ is definitely gone.
I wasn’t sure about Brate‘s contract but if it’s over then he should be gone. There are a lot of good young TEs out there that can do what he does and block better.
Johnson is frustrating but for fourth or fifth option not bad. I’d like to see Perriman back and I expect them to go after another receiver & sign Godwin to a big deal
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:37 pm
That offensive line had a rough day and that included both the right and left tackles. Defense managed to come up with big turnover to keep them in it but in the end I’m not sure what they were doing leaving Kupp in single man-to-man coverage with the game on the line.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:40 pm
Joe, the season is over, move on
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:42 pm
Brate will be back unless we can trade him — too much dead money on the cap. Gronk stays only as long as TB12 does. Need to draft a TE on day 2 of the draft and another late on day 3.
OJ and Rojo are gone. JPP probably also. Injured each of the last 3 years. Suh or Gholston? Probably Gholston because they can re-sign him for several years. Can the Bucs afford to keep Jensen and Cappa? Who do you re-sign in the secondary? Davis, SMB, Whitehead?
Lots of questions for FA and the draft now — all assuming TB12 is here next year.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:46 pm
MoHawg it’s a Buccaneers website! Move on to what?
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:53 pm
We opened up running the ball effectively off left n right tackle. Offense started off slow but defense really lost this game. No way Cooper Kupp should ever be given space, especially with 42 seconds left in the game.
January 23rd, 2022 at 7:59 pm
Brate isn’t trade bait, he’s clearly not worth his contract. He’s definitely slowed down. Good hands but he doesn’t get separation on man, he’s smart so he knows where to find a zone seam. I’m sure Brate knows that his contract has to be restructured to $2 million, and if he doesn’t go along with that the Bucs will absorb a dead cap hit slightly south of that number.
January 23rd, 2022 at 8:03 pm
Jacksonville you can have leftwich, we need a fresh approach and new ideas on offense leftwich is too predictable
January 23rd, 2022 at 8:03 pm
Cam Brate cap hit would be $7.2M according to Spotrac.com
January 23rd, 2022 at 8:07 pm
Maybe whatever-loving Licht can draft a QB in the second round again. Who knows, right?
January 23rd, 2022 at 8:15 pm
Brate would be a dead cap hit of under $2 million if he’s cut. That would save the Bucs $5.35 million or so in cap space. Trust me, Brate either takes less money or he’s cut.
January 23rd, 2022 at 8:38 pm
Brady might as well be throwing to Mahatma, Jugdish and Sidney from Animal House.
January 23rd, 2022 at 8:53 pm
Brady brought them back, defense took a nap,,40sh seconds left 3 plays,, field goal,, disgusting 😟
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:05 pm
I really wish joe put a thumbs up/down for the comments. Could really help this site (jus sayin). But this is all on the coordinators.
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:08 pm
Why not train OJ to be a reciever? He’s big like megatron and ran a 4.5, Scotty could be more of a gadget type player. Where was Bell?!? Why call a cb blitz on that play? It jus seems like no matter WHO is here, the imagination is gone, and stupidity takes over
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:10 pm
Tyler Johnson looked spooked! Jus new name is Tyler dropsit
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:10 pm
And for OL it seemed we had a good formula for that. Put Cappa at RT and bring in Ronnie Stinne for G. I was cool with that
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:11 pm
Wells didn’t look healthy enough to keep in
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:13 pm
Hey Joes. Why is my one comment being blocked. I didn’t say anything bad?
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:16 pm
OJ needs to be better utilized, he’s big like megatron and ran 4.5, why not switch him to reciever and see if it sticks? Might as well find out! Scotty could be used as a gadget playmaker, where was Bell!?!
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:24 pm
I’m as disappointed as the next guy in OJ, but he did catch every pass thrown his way…
Tyler Johnson had way more drops (and opportunities)
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:27 pm
Too many wasted throws to Gronk and Brate.
But the real problem was the offensive line failing to pass block. They stunk out loud. All. Game. Long.
And obviously Todd Bowles having THE DUMBEST PLAYCALL IN POST SEASON HISTORY with a fkn blitz with 30 sec left
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:51 pm
Fournette’s best runs came with Brate as a fullback. How can you say that he can’t block?
He isn’t heavy enough to stop a D-line guy straight up, but he chips well. He is also a clutch catcher when the ball isn’t behind him.
O.J. better invest well, because there will be no more NFL money coming his way.
Johnson is not a good backup. He drops too many balls. A #2 is either slow or less of a route runner with great hands. Johnson misses on all three. He is slow, his routes are crud, and his hands are stone. Try again.
First, though, we need to replace SMB. He spent way too much time with a worm’s eye view of the guy he was supposed to cover, and tackle, running away from him.
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:51 pm
OJ was a disaster coming back from that Achilles injury. There’s a reason he was only targeted once. The entire effort to pass block was poor, him included.
OJ teased last season prior to that injury. He never got back on track after surgery. He looks like someone who will probably get a minimum contract next season based on draft pedigree. And unless he can turn it around, he won’t last on a roster. He’s simply not good enough as a blocker and his pass-catching days are likely behind him.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:02 pm
In addition to boring and vanilla for 3Q, Leftwich did nothing creative with the roster. I think mixing in some Vaughn, Gio and more S.Miller would have helped.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:02 pm
What Bucs fan did not know that going into this game protecting Brady was going to be the key to winning this game? Brady looked like a pintata back there trying to throw the ball. He was harrassed and hit constantly. No quarterback can be successful under pressure like that even the Goat. From the get go it just looked like L.A. wanted it worse than we did. Their defensive line totally whipped our offensive line all day, and it wasn’t just one guy getting beat it was all of them. Their offensive line likewise kept Stafford from being pressured most of the day. Our defensive ends looked outclassed today. Such a terrible way to end a season.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:02 pm
You can’t lose guys like Godwin and AB and think it doesn’t make any difference. If it didn’t make any difference, then you wouldn’t be paying them big money. Then you lose your 1st team ALL-Pro tackle… if you don’t think all of that is worth at least 3 points, then you don’t know what you’re watching.
I resigned myself to the fact the team was losing if Wirfs missed the game, you just can’t keep missing guys, pro-bowl players, all-pro players, and think none of that matters.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:18 pm
What team? He’s now done here.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:19 pm
That’s some other team’s task. He’s done here.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:36 pm
Joe Says:
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:19 pm
Why not train OJ to be a reciever?
That’s some other team’s task. He’s done here.
————
Bucs should have done that years ago since Godwin and Evans get injured every year and OJ, coming out of college, was bigger and faster than Evans, and was early on a good pass catching TE. Never understood why they’d continue to use him in a way where he’s not all that helpful to you, meanwhile with his size and speed, just lining him up outside and letting him run deep routes, you just wait for man-to-man and throw up the ball and let him catch it or kill the corner so he doesn’t catch it.
It certain seems like OJ never recovered from his injury, and we haven’t seen that speed.
I still think if he’s very cheap, they’ll probably bring him back just because he knows the offense and you hope if he’s more healthy, he gets back some speed. Then you get another dedicated blocking TE, maybe bring back Hudson for that Brate role in case.
January 23rd, 2022 at 10:39 pm
Yeah–agree with Munch, when Wirfs went down, there was no coming back, yet Brady able to tie up the game, todd Bowles can please take a job anywhere–he lost this game.
see Joe says OJ is another teams problem–no doubt–spent all these years on this team doing nothing–he was never even good.
So many needs now
January 23rd, 2022 at 11:12 pm
Leftwich didn’t have any answers. Should have put Miller in the slot. No screen passes no Wr’s screens to slow up the pass rush. Just didn’t look prepared. See y’all next season
January 23rd, 2022 at 11:29 pm
Godwin plays they win, but he was hurt, Tyler, Brate ,Miller were meh. It was Lenny, Evans and Gronk , case closed.
January 23rd, 2022 at 11:54 pm
I’m placing the blame for this one on our coordinators and BA, with Byron taking the bulk of the blame. Over the last month Brady was forced to start distributing the ball around and began trust guys that had not seen much action early in the year. Leftwich decides to throw all that out the window and figures it’s a better idea to just scheme plays for the only 3 players the Rams actually game planned to stop. Bowles game plan wasn’t much better, only he was able to start making his adjustments mid 3rd quarter, only to come back and entirely s(p)it his pants on the final drive.
January 24th, 2022 at 2:42 am
BA dosen’t like Scotty Miller–that’s why he wasn’t in the game earlier.. But BA loves Darden–based on his world renowned intuition !!!!!
we had the same chance the RAM’ s had to pick up Von Miller & OBJ ;; but I guess BA’s intuition told him otherwise .. But boy did BA & Bowles pick a gem by getting Sherman -wow ,,why waste the roster spot on Von Miller or OBJ…
January 24th, 2022 at 6:38 am
Brady had Miller wide open on that play he threw to Evans on that personal faul!!
January 24th, 2022 at 7:29 am
This picture says it all to useless overpaid tight ends.
January 24th, 2022 at 1:23 pm
“Where was Bell?!? ”
Waived before the game to make room for Lenny.
January 24th, 2022 at 3:26 pm
Dont waste time or money on Tyler Johnson. He cant catch unless its 6 ft over his head. Cant make the easy ones and cant run pass routes.
January 24th, 2022 at 8:19 pm
The Bucs were down Godwin ( Brown) Perriman and Grayson. Too much to overcome. 😥
January 25th, 2022 at 7:01 pm
Let’s not forget 75 yards in totally asinine penalties: 3 unsportsmanlike conduct and 2 kickoffs out of bounds. IMO all 3 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were extremely ticky-tacky, but in a big game like this you have to play smart and not even give the refs a chance to make the call.