Tom Brady Comment A Tipoff To Status Quo
June 13th, 2022
Many astute Bucs observers believe Tampa Bay is going to pound the rock more often this season for three main reasons:
They are, in no particular order, quarterbacks Coach Clyde Christensen has spoken about how the Bucs need a better run game, head coach Todd Bowles is a defensive-minded head coach and they all love to rush the football, and Tom Brady wants to run more like he did in New England.
Joe doesn’t buy any of that, but a lot of fans and media do.
(Also tied to the alleged Brady reason is the absence of Bucco Bruce Arians telling Brady he must play no-risk-it-no-biscuit offense. Joe doesn’t buy that line, either.)
At Brady’s news conference on Thursday, he referenced how the Bucs have “very favorable passing conditions.” That came in response to Joe asking Brady about getting injured receiver Russell Gage ready for opening day. Brady responded noting that Gage absolutely must have a strong season because the Bucs paPss a ton and they have those “very favorable passing conditions.”
Does that sound like a quarterback expecting the run the ball more? It sure doesn’t at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
So Brady believes he has optimal passing conditions — he was the least-sacked quarterback over the past two seasons — and the Bucs are the only team with three receivers earning $10 million or more. Plus, they have depth at receiver and likely a Hall of Fame tight end, plus a rookie running back known for his hands.
Joe would actually wager a little on the Bucs attempting more passes than they did in 2021, when they led the NFL in that department.
June 13th, 2022 at 4:13 pm
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. 2020 31+ points a game, 2021 30+, ya run the ball more. I agree on 3rd & 2 or 4th & 1 don’t throw the ball deep. Make opposing offenses one dime to dimentional.
June 13th, 2022 at 4:32 pm
Brady can chuck it all over the yard against most teams, but if they want to beat the saints and Rams, they need to run more. It’s not about yards per attempt, it’s about sticking to it enough to slow down the pass rushers.
Joe you’re insane if you think Brady will have more pass attempts this year. The bucs don’t have the horses for it.
June 13th, 2022 at 4:34 pm
I would not object to a little more smash-mouth clock control.
June 13th, 2022 at 4:39 pm
I like the idea about running it a bit more……and stop with the empty backfield and lets have some more play action…..
June 13th, 2022 at 5:04 pm
2020 – 4633 yards, 40 td, 12 int (16 games)
2021 – 5316 yards, 43, 12 (17 games)
With same OC and system, TB12 is not passing for less than 5K and 40 td in 2022.
June 13th, 2022 at 5:05 pm
It’s a stretch to draw any conclusions from that one statement, especially when most of the other comments this offseason about the running game have been about improving it significantly. That doesn’t mean they’re going to become a pound-the-rock team, but they did re-sign Lenny and drafted a RB who could be a real threat on the ground and in passing game.
Unless the running game can’t get rolling, I would expect us to make every attempt to gain a time of possession advantage by running a little more often. TIme of possession helps the defense. Outscoring the opponent also involves keeping the other team off the field.
June 13th, 2022 at 5:08 pm
To have a great offense definitely helps when you’re great at running the ball as well as passing. The more versatile the better. If we were better at running the ball last season after Chris Godwin went down and AB departed we’d of had a better chance at getting another ring. We were too dependent on the passing game and when two top receivers were unavailable we couldn’t overcome it.
June 13th, 2022 at 5:24 pm
I would like to see the Bucs run more to control clock, wear out defenses on sustained drives while resting their own.
Their rushing efficiency, YPC, TD’s, 1st down% last year was very similar to the 49ers who we know is tough, run first operation.
The Bucs will need more of it throughout the season to win the SB this year IMO.
June 13th, 2022 at 6:09 pm
A Bucs Fan, exactly. The quick strike stuff is great, don’t get me wrong. But, long scoring drives demoralize defenses. It also puts more pressure on the opposing offense, by limiting opportunities. Most teams can’t matriculate down the field. Why not use that to your advantage. Too many times last year, the bucs found themselves in shootouts. They abandoned the run far too early against the Rams.
June 13th, 2022 at 6:31 pm
It’s more being able to run when they know you are running and staying in good down and distance situations
Quality over quantity means TB12 is deadly on play action
June 13th, 2022 at 7:02 pm
The lack of play action is another mystery. No correlation exists between successful running attempts and successful play action passing. I know it sounds crazy, but the numbers are clear. PA passing is just as effective if you run 30% of the time, as it is if you run 50% of the time. Brady knows this. He’s a student of the game above all. Whatever the case, the need more of it
June 13th, 2022 at 7:05 pm
We didn’t run the ball well when we tried last year. We have no imagination when it comes to the run game. Run up the gut on first down so many times, my wife knew it was coming. We had the best passing game in football and scored more points than everybody but cowboys. It doesn’t matter how we score as long as we score. But when we get ahead, run the clock down a little to help the defense rest.
June 13th, 2022 at 7:06 pm
The Bucs can run the ball more after Brady retires…Half kidding about this.
June 13th, 2022 at 7:32 pm
All depends on the score of the games. Bowles won’t be risking a biscuit up big.
June 13th, 2022 at 8:50 pm
It all depends on:
1. Does Gronk re-sign
2. Does Gage develop chemistry with Brady (he won’t while injured, kids)
3. Can Godwin come back in a timely manner, and quickly become productive
4. Wild card: Does some WR4 or RB (hello Rachaad White) emerge?
I’d feel better if at least two of the aforementioned conditions emerge next season.
June 13th, 2022 at 8:50 pm
I disagree about throwing it MORE.
I think screens work better, and more delayed TE passes and shuffles etc.
It hinges on the FACT that Tampa went out and got better run blocking guards and TEs in FA and the draft.
Plus they finally got the RB pick right.
Gonna be a fun year to be a Bucs fan.
All those blowouts we wanted last year will happen against better teams this year.
June 13th, 2022 at 9:10 pm
I like the idea of running the ball more in order to preserve Brady’s arm. You never know how many passes he has left in him. It’s like watching a pitcher’s pitch count. We need him throwing the ball equally well if not better in the playoffs. If Brady’s arm gives out towards the end of the year then there will be no Super Bowl. Let’s rest that arm more in practice and in games.
June 13th, 2022 at 9:32 pm
Interesting. I took it to mean weather conditions. Especially late in the year.
June 13th, 2022 at 9:59 pm
PassingThru Says:
June 13th, 2022 at 8:50 pm
I agree with Passing Thru.
June 13th, 2022 at 11:51 pm
Ball control, give the defense a blow, establishing our plan of attack early, and limiting those dreaded sub 90-second “nothing” 3 & outs. We’ve got 2 of the 5 RBs on the team right now that are pretty much untapped talent, we’ve seen glimpses from Vaughn but we’ve also seen him have some lapses. At this point nobody knows for sure what we have in Rachaad White in terms of how what we’ve seen of his talent in college and how that’ll translate to his application with this team as a pro. Brady is probably the perfect QB to have to say “we need you to do just as much in with less options ” challenge the old man’s efficiency from the pocket and maybe shave some of the plays off that’d have our WRs out in traffic risking injury. There’s a lot of good that can come from not just mixing more rushes into our attack, but we’d also be giving opposing DCs something else to key on in their game plans. I’m short, keep them h*es guessing
June 14th, 2022 at 1:37 am
We are a passing team first, and why would we not be ?
We have Tom Brady, and some really awesome receivers.
I agree with Joe that we may have even more pass attempts this year, then in the past year.
A lot is going to have to do with Gage. We need a big year out of him, or else.
I think our rookie Running Back White is going to surprise people, with passes caught out of the backfield.
June 14th, 2022 at 3:31 am
We need to run consistently and early because we have a 45 year old QB and because the Rams and Saints have our number.
June 14th, 2022 at 7:02 am
The run option is just that. You want that option if needed. Also it makes the play action more effective. GOBUCS!
June 14th, 2022 at 8:13 am
Status quo has been pretty good! If bucs continue to rely on blocking receivers and Godwin is not ready to go I can see more passing. They probably don’t yet know if gage can play slot like Godwin so status quo is smart for now
June 14th, 2022 at 11:11 am
I thought this from day one with him. I believe there will be a little increase in running the ball to help the defense and play action.
It doesn’t have to be much, maybe 3 more a game.