Jamel Dean: Communication Is Why The Buccaneers Lose
August 5th, 2022
Jamel Dean talks losing.
It was sobering hearing Richard Sherman talk this week about the Bucs’ late defensive meltdown against the Rams in the playoffs.
Visiting the All Things Covered podcast, Sherman lamented the mess of the Rams’ back-breaking deep completion to wide receiver Cooper Kupp to set up the winning short field goal that crushed the Tampa Bay comeback.
“You know Bowles, that boy calls zero against Cooper Kupp on them boys’ last play,” said Sherman, before explaining the Rams were in a hurry-up and the Bucs blew their communication. “So the nickel [cornerback] hadn’t even got the call. So they ran zero blitz without two people that’s blitzing. … You didn’t cover Cooper Kupp, and you didn’t blitz?”
Cornerback Jamel Dean was asked after training camp practice today about multiple busted coverages against the Rams last season and whether fixing that is a focus now.
Dean said bad communication flat out cost the Bucs wins and is a major priority.
“Knowing as many games as we lost is always because of communication. It can be either one or two, but that one or two makes a huge difference in the game,” Dean said.
Dean added that Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal are great additions on that front, adding that Ryan is fantastic at disguising and reading offensive concepts … and communicating them.
August 5th, 2022 at 12:38 pm
Reminds me of the famous scene from the movie “Cool Hand Luke”
“What we have here is a failure to communicate”
In modern day……he would say “We need to be on the same page”
That, i believe, is the most overused cliche in the NFL……
August 5th, 2022 at 12:39 pm
Perhaps thats why Whitehead is gone
August 5th, 2022 at 12:39 pm
Ryan should be able to clean most of that up. The bucs had communication problems in the secondary all season. If the players can’t execute the plan, then simplify it. I know they were banged up, but it sounds like a coaching problem to me. Ryan isn’t afraid to tell coaches, if he thinks a plan is flawed. His experience is invaluable.
August 5th, 2022 at 12:45 pm
“You didn’t cover Cooper Kupp, and you didn’t blitz?”
I have yet to watch the play again since it happened. Hurts too much.
However, these pages were filled with comments criticizing Bowles for calling a blitz against Stafford, who “eats blitzes for lunch.”
The critics claimed we blew the play because we DID blitz, yet Sherman claims nobody blitzed.
So which is it? Is Sherman, a member of the team, dead wrong or are the “experts” who penned their complaints off their rocker?
August 5th, 2022 at 1:02 pm
@JA
The call was indeed a zero blitz, but it’s been public knowledge since Lavonte Davids’ post game presser against the Rams that not everybody got the call, so even if it were 1 or 2 guys, not having all the pieces on the field of play on the same page results in blown plays. So to say the coaches blew the call, when the call was admittedly not received by all 11 defensive players means we don’t know how the actual call would’ve played out because some players were freelancing at the snap after the offense hurried them up.
August 5th, 2022 at 1:13 pm
Sounds like a headline from the Mike Smith era. Seems like every defensive torching was chalked up to “poor communication”…
Glad I don’t live in those days anymore
August 5th, 2022 at 1:22 pm
“Communication” as an excuse is often a code word for something deeper. Sort of like glossing over something bad.
With Mike Smith’s defense, “communication” meant just that. The Bucs’ defenders couldn’t understand the dude (who is no longer with the Bucs but still in the league) calling the plays in the huddle. So players ended up freelancing and often got roasted as a result.
You’d think Bucs coaches would have given that responsibility to someone who could enunciate. Elementary stuff, right? But this was the level of coaching acumen Dirk Koetter had on his staff (one day Joe has a doozy of a story to tell about an assistant that will make you slam your head into a wall).
August 5th, 2022 at 1:28 pm
The point is, why rush a call while the offense is in a hurry up offense at the very end of the game? If it’s called at the last minute while players are hurrying to get in position in time for the snap while also getting in the right place, it’s a bad coaching decision. That’s the only way the rams get in position in time to kick the field goal. And their kicker was already in his own head from missing earlier and being back in Tampa where he never hit consistently. We completely shot the pooch and give the mental case a chip shot… that still was along the left upright.
August 5th, 2022 at 1:40 pm
If you’re calling a casino blitz, it’s imperative that you jam, or at least re-direct Cupp. Funny thing is, the play wasn’t even called for Cupp. The primary on that play was Van Jefferson on a deep in. The Rams were planning on completing that pass, and spiking the ball for one final play.
I don’t necessarily have a problem with the call. Belichick does it all the time, in similar circumstances. Even if everyone who was supposed to blitz, does, I still think Stafford finds Cupp, because of the free release. Stafford also quick snapped them, which explains some of the confusion.
August 5th, 2022 at 1:48 pm
I’ve yet to watch it either
GO BUCS
August 5th, 2022 at 1:53 pm
If multiple players didn’t get the call I put that on coaching. If it’s one guy then maybe I say he was just a rock head on that play, but when it’s 3 or 4 guys… it’s more than that.
August 5th, 2022 at 2:13 pm
Why didn’t Bowles or someone on D simply call a timeout. You’ve seen coaches and players do that at a crucial point in a game. If one player, there were several didn’t get the call, time out. That’s my biggest question
August 5th, 2022 at 2:31 pm
Gotta put that on DW IMO….
He’s the MLB…he gets the call and tells the players…
or at least call TO as someone mentioned above…
Whitehead deserves honorable mention lol….
GO BUCS
August 5th, 2022 at 2:34 pm
@Hodad
We didn’t have any timeouts on that last offensive or defensive drive. IIRC we burned the last one on the drive Evans caught that bomb for a score which I believe was our second to last offensive drive. Calling a timeout with no timeouts left is a penalty. I know the offense can get hit with a delay of game penalty if they do it, but not to sure how it gets enforced against a defense.
August 5th, 2022 at 2:49 pm
I don’t mind some of the blame going to the players and some to the coaches. Over long careers, things work themselves out on missed plays or made plays.
The offenses have the advantage so there are going to seem to be more bad plays by the defense year in and year out.
That being said, boy did the Bucs defense shine enough in the year we won the Superbowl. Especially those Green Bay and Kansas City playoff games. And by the way, both KC and Green Bay defenses had some head scratching defensive plays against our offense.
August 5th, 2022 at 3:06 pm
Coaching, Coaching, Coaching, nothing like 3 interviews the same week as playoff game.
August 5th, 2022 at 5:35 pm
If youre gonna freelance or play off instinct shouldnt your first instinct be to stick to Cooper Kupp like Gorilla Glue??? One of you, any of you as pro players didnt think…hmmmm I should probably cover this guy??? Regardless of the call they did or didnt get. I mean….C’mon MAN!!!!
August 5th, 2022 at 7:07 pm
That and not drafting better corners
August 5th, 2022 at 8:54 pm
The difference between winning and losing is razor thin. Brady has said that many times. One very bad play cost them a chance to repeat, they were that close. GOBUCS!
August 5th, 2022 at 9:58 pm
You can’t be more inept as a coach to enable that to happen.
Thanks Todd and congrats on getting promoted after setting fire to RayJay.
Cover zero isn’t supposed to mean cover no one. But, communication. That’s Mike Smithian.
August 5th, 2022 at 10:17 pm
Idiots. I’m more and more convinced anyone with half a brain in real life, outside of football, could run circles around these coaches. How does this even happen. Very concerned Bowles is too comfortable with sloppy play.
August 6th, 2022 at 1:54 am
“Communications”. “…Some freelanced at the snap”…”Nobody knows”….
This is all unacceptable, poor coaching, lack of discipline, wrong on every level. It all needs to be tightened up, everyone serious and disciplined (or get benched or cut). I’m pleased that Logan Ryan is here. He’ll bring a lot of it and be an example.
August 6th, 2022 at 2:41 pm
For a group of guys that’s been playing in the same system for all these years together seems like it’s always blamed on communication year after after year as it relates to mistakes on the back end wtf is going on here?!?