Bucs Fans Have A Reason To Sweat About Blocking — Run Blocking
August 11th, 2022
Bucs run game coordinator Harold Goodwin.
Joe understands a sect of Bucs fans demands Joe type that the Bucs cannot pass block. There are several reasons for this, Joe can only assume:
1) Fans have a perpetual narrative the Bucs cannot pass block — even though they dominated last year — 731 pass attempts and only 23 sacks. Try to find a better ratio. And if you do not feed this narrative that the Bucs cannot pass block, you are some team-paid salesman trying to con fans.
2) Donovan Smith. Fans have hated on this guy since he was drafted because — hell, Joe doesn’t know why outside maybe the worst judges of offensive line play, the PFF tribe, said so. But many fans cannot stand Smith and they like any negative light that can be shined on Smith, so maybe that will nudge Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to run him.
3) If Joe or others write — never mind if it is accurate or not — that the Bucs cannot pass block, then maybe that will force Team Glazer to order Licht to go sign a guy who is unemployed in the middle of August.
4) Some Bucs fans are bored with a good team and need something to kvetch about. Still suffering PTSD from the Lost Decade, these Bucs fans cannot relax and embrace a good team without ugly, bed-wetting flashbacks in the dark of the night.
Well, Joe is here to say Bucs fans have every reason to sweat about the offensive line. There, feel better? But no! It’s not pass blocking. The pass blocking is fine (as of August 11).
The reason fans should be nervous about the offensive line is the interior run blocking.
Beginning about a week, maybe 10 days ago, the Bucs simply cannot create creases for running backs between the tackles. These guys inside, more often than not, are getting pushed around.
Today, for reasons unclear, Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich must have been p!ssed at his running backs. Joe has never seen a practice where the offensive coordinator scripted so many run plays up the middle. And rarely did the Bucs gain any sort of yardage.
Remember, this was a controlled scrimmage. Perhaps Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel asked Todd Bowles if the Bucs could keep running up the middle because his defensive tackles needed work? Or, Bowles wanted Leftwich to run up the middle because a left guard is still undecided, and perhaps Robert Hainsey and/or Luke Goedeke needed seasoning in run blocking.
Either way, the Bucs time after and time after time ran the ball between the tackles. And it didn’t matter: Rachaad White, Giovani Bernard or Ke’Shawn Vaughn rarely got any production.
So Bucs fans, you can now begin wringing your hands over the Bucs’ offensive line. Forget the pass blocking. Better start doing shots about the interior run blocking.
August 11th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Def Line is probably best part of Dolphins team. Pretty Strong.
August 11th, 2022 at 12:22 pm
haha joes are ptsd with the brady not being at practice scandel
August 11th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
That’s not good news. Because even if the pass blacking is good, NO pass blocking will stay good if we can’t run. DLs will start pinning their ears back to go after the QB.
August 11th, 2022 at 12:43 pm
Joe- You sure know how to use the word hate…..I never ever hated donnie, but there is huge evidence tha before TB12 arrived he was a way much worst player than he is now…..Even sometimes he had a werid attitude….
When the Goat arrived everything changed….Sure some idiots, specially on social media post stupid things….But most of the Bucs fans do not HATE Donnie….
You can´t deny that…Just watch old games…..
August 11th, 2022 at 12:53 pm
I’ll blame the media. Media hypes a player to be this world beater LT and only to see him play below average and then said player gets attacked.
And then players like Will Ghoston who has been fantastic for us for years gets no love but GMC get forced down our throats who sucked because Joe like him!!
We don’t wake up look for players to hate or just hate them just because. There’s a Reason!!!
August 11th, 2022 at 12:55 pm
Joe had former o-linemen — who never played for the Bucs — tell Joe different. And if Joe thought he was awful he would have written it.
Besides, as Joe has written endless times, it’s damn near impossible for the Bucs to have had a top NFL offense the way they did from 2016-2019 with a lousy LT. That simply doesn’t compute.
And if Smith was that awful as a LT, you are going to have to explain to Joe in great detail how the hell Mollie Hamster of all people ran for 1,000 yards.
August 11th, 2022 at 12:56 pm
I’ll worry if they can’t run in the regular season. Scrimmages and pre-season are meant to work kinks out. This team will setup the run with the pass, which in turn sets up play action. Then rinse & repeat….
August 11th, 2022 at 12:56 pm
And Joe. You are a fan just like us. You praise and hardly criticize players you love and hardly mention players you don’t like. Talent doesn’t matter
August 11th, 2022 at 12:59 pm
Joe regularly typed Alterraun Verner stunk and there were few players Joe respected more. Total class act. Just sucked out loud as an NFL corner.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Lamarcus
You are going against your promise to not post here anymore. Please disburse now. Jameis is on the saints now
😂
August 11th, 2022 at 1:08 pm
30 out of 32 teams would have good pass blocking with brady at qb. 2.2 seconds. He was only second to big ben i believe which was shocking. So yah i had concerns about oline and got heckled by yah.
No run game means one dimensional. And 45 year old brady throws 50 times a game. Got disaster written all over it. Which means the oline interior is an issue. 3 new starters. So yes maybe taking a flyer on someone may be a good idea if this keeps up.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:08 pm
Joe….
We can´t go 15 rounds with this….
You use the word hate veary easily and is far from being accurate, we can have different opinions on what Donnie´s game was before TB12 arrived, and it´s fine, but again, you use the wird HATE or HATER very easily and is not fine.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:23 pm
Joe is very feisty today.
But concerning Buccaneer football, he is correct 85 to 90% of the time. Just like Colin Cowherd is with his predictions on NFL football and the NBA (if you watch Cowherd).
Interestingly enough, both the Joes and Cowherd try to also entice people to continue to come to their media by making interesting comments. Personally, I think neither of them would have that much of an audience if they were not generally accurate on their sports information.
I am not keeping score though. When it comes to other subjects besides the NFL and Bucs, both the Joe’s and Cowherd are much less accurate.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:29 pm
I blame the play caller. The o line may be a bit soft in the middle-agreed. but everyone knows the BL script. run for zero, than maybe a screen for 2 and hang it on tommy and WR to get the 1st down on 3rd…….or you could say in the 1st half and then switch to tommy in the 2nd. same same. this is a pass 1st team. tom strength is pass and read the D, which makes the OL pass block look better (said that before he got here). EVERY time they switch to tom’s playbook, whether it be in the 2nd 1/2 of the game or the season the offense opens up (short of the end of last year when we were scraps at WR) and the run up the gut opens up as the D backs off. BL can’t get it through his head that this is not a play action team anymore…even though tom is good at it….the opponent knows BL, as he has yet to change in 3 years.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:38 pm
As long as we don’t run to the left side we’ll be ok.
DD really sucks when he doesn’t get to backpedal and play patty cakes.
You can drop the PFF BS as well.
My great DISDAIN, not hate for DURABLE DONNIE, comes from watching the games, and in particular, him.
Lack of effort
Rarely looks to take on another defender if he beats his man.
Brady’s quick release helped DD and the whole line look better, but when it comes to run blocking DD struggles mightily.
How many runs did the Muscle Hamster make to the left side vs the right side during that span Joe?
Answer that oh Wise One.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:39 pm
I don’t think it’s time to push the panic button. It takes time for an offensive line to mesh and block well as a unit. We have all seen teams who didn’t pass block well or run block well in the start of the season and by mid season they were moving the ball on the ground or pass blocking well enough to give the QB time to throw.
August 11th, 2022 at 1:47 pm
I was a critic before Donnie blocked for the Goat. He then was outstanding protecting Him. He just needs to be that motivated for whoever is Our QB.
August 11th, 2022 at 2:10 pm
The Bucs were one-dimensional last year. No one passed more. With a 44-year old quarterback.
August 11th, 2022 at 2:24 pm
Bird
I dont make promises to internet blogs
August 11th, 2022 at 2:58 pm
David Bergdoll, Esq. Says:
August 11th, 2022 at 1:47 pm
I was a critic before Donnie blocked for the Goat. He then was outstanding protecting Him. He just needs to be that motivated for whoever is Our QB.
_____________
You just made a case for one major reason why he sucks.
He was well-paid before Brady arrived, but yet wasn’t giving 100% effort.
Close to 1 million per game should warrant 30 MINUTES of full effort don’t you think?
August 11th, 2022 at 3:55 pm
D Smith is a good but not great lt.. over paid according to his position some would say no…I would say yes..
His trouble comes from slow foot work it’s why he gets beat by fast ends.
He’s strong enough to gobble up must defenders he’s just to slow on his foot work to beat speedy edge rushers.
With that said he’s currently in top 12 lt of the league for what he can do and along as he has brady making fast reads then we should he good.
Now to speak of the whole oline.
We suck at run protection we have sucked at running the ball.
If we didn’t we would be a unpredictable team.
I honestly believe the run to the right will be the best option.
With the receiver room we have running should be the 2nd option and the oline who should lick its chops to run the ball will be good enough to pass protect the qb.
When you run the ball the oline gets to give punishment not take it.
It’s sad that the oline coach can’t get these guys making holes or enjoying the aggressive side of their play style.
We will still be number 1 passing team and very unbalanced until they can find a few effective plays or a godly running back.
Screens n short passes will help keep the defenders honest but a run game will get wide outs wide open.
Imagine doubling Mike doubling ideally julio..
Linebacker keying the run…godwin n gage will eat up teams…I’m still concerned at te..I think people need to beg gronk back n still talk to suh..
This team couldn’t hurt from another linemen trade a lg…if Jensen comes back that would set us up with a mean oline..specially if he moves to LG like he did with marpet went out..I remember a 95yd running touchdown that game
August 11th, 2022 at 3:59 pm
Cappa and Wirfs created the holes that got the run game started last season.
Mason is supposedly an upgrade on Cappa, and I have seen him run block.
The problem is the play calling. The OC should be throwing some counters and treys into the blocking scheme, but I don’t see it happening.
August 11th, 2022 at 4:20 pm
Folks blaming the play calling are a joke lol
OLmen block!!!!….pass and run….don’t matter…that’s like having a WR that has 4.2 speed, runs great routes, blocks but can’t catch the ball lol….your main job is to catch the ball…..
I hope this answers joe question as to why BL continues to run up the middle in TC….obviously he’s putting forth the effort to improve the run game….it’s up to the players to step up or JL needs to find OL that can do both…..
GO BUCS
August 11th, 2022 at 5:15 pm
If you can’t run up the middle, you might want to do something else BL!!!!!! Stubborn!!!!!
August 11th, 2022 at 5:25 pm
Glad to see this being addressed now instead of even later. Evaluation of both run and pass blocking needs to be brutal and honest. Wirfs will be fine, Shaq “should” be (good run blocker) but a shorter guy who’s had to compensate for that.
Dolphins are a good test.
August 11th, 2022 at 10:08 pm
Hey Joe’s..I’m sorry, but I am over hearing about ANYONE bringing up any failures associated with PTSD. I am a Marine (Hello Marine Buc!) Our beloved Bucs’ don’t change the challenges we have seen. I was never deployed during combat, but I have dear fellow Marines that were. There is a difference of being traumised due to combat versus a game.. God Bless our Military so we can have an open forum to discuss our opinions.Over my rant now. PTSD is uniquely personal, not to be graded one versus another. Someone can get PTSD from finding a spider in their toilet or a snake in their shower, or by watching horrible football. –Joe