Five Things
September 19th, 2022
Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.
What a day yesterday was. What a defensive performance. What clutch plays.
Finally, the voodoo hex the slimy Saints had over the Bucs and over Tom Brady, at least for the moment, is over.
It was a glorious Sunday. Time to relive some highlights. It’s Victory Monday!
Jamel Dean Comes Up Big
The defense played lights out and the leader of the pack, at least in the secondary, was Jamel Dean. Just two games after he was named a full-time starter by Todd Bowles, Dean came up with two picks.
In a game that was close until the fourth quarter, this proved huge. Easily Dean’s biggest game.
And Dean, who is in a contract year, is likely going to get paid big time. And if this is how Dean is playing in the second game of the year, Joe believes he’s only going to get better as the season moves forward.
Excellent work by the defense. Excellent work by Dean.
The Hassle with Marshon Lattimore
Joe is convinced this NWA match between Lattimore and several Bucs (nearly with Bucco Bruce Arians, as well), easily could have been prevented if the zebras were doing their job.
The play that sparked the hassle was a third down along the right sideline where Lattimore clearly blocked out Scotty Miller and prevented him from being able to make a play on the ball.
Joe honestly cannot kill Lattimore for that. It’s better to give up a penalty than six points. But where were the otherwise flag-happy zebras on Shawn Hochuli’s crew? Those guys will throw a flag on someone who sneezes. Curiously, the flag stayed in the pockets.
Immediately after that, Lattimore began chirping at the Bucs bench. As Tom Brady went to the bench, Brady told Lattimore to jump in the Mississippi River (but with much stronger language, Joe is confident).
And that’s where the match was lit.
Lattimore wouldn’t have been woofing at the Bucs had he been flagged. You could also argue the refs should have flagged Lattimore for barking at the Bucs bench. But nothing.
The whole incident would have prevented if the refs did their jobs. They let things get out of control.
Joe hopes common sense prevails with the league office. But, sadly, we know better. Mike Evans likely won’t be available against the Packers.
And yeah, Joe is convinced Lattimore’s nonsense woke up the Bucs. So for that, Joe would to say to Lattimore, “Thank you, azzhole!”
Finding a Way to Win
So let’s think about this. The Bucs were down Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, Donovan Smith, Josh Wells (!) and Evans. Playoff Lenny was dinged up. Yet the Bucs somehow found a way to win.
This sort of reminds Joe of last year’s playoff game with the Rams, the Bucs seemed to have been toast and Evans was the lone reliable receiver available, and damn if Tom Brady didn’t almost pull out a win with a strong second half.
If you mix in Brady with guys who are willing to bust their tails, good things will happen. That will pay off down the road. If the Bucs can pull this off this short-handed success against an excellent defense like New Orleans’, they should be able to weather other storms.
Road Warriors
So Todd Bowles became the first Bucs coach to win his first two games on the road. That’s pretty cool. But how that happened is a major credit to Bowles.
Yeah, Bowles is still calling the shots on defense. And the way the defense is playing, Bowles, who has hinted he wants to hire a defensive coordinator to take over next year rather than splitting duties between Larry Foote and Kacy Rodgers, should forget all about that.
Joe doesn’t believe in fixing something that isn’t broken. And right now that defense isn’t close to broken.
The defense had five takeaways along with six sacks for only the fourth time in franchise history. The way the Bucs smothered the slimy Saints, it reminded Joe of the glory years when Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and John Lynch were raising hell.
Joe has written the following several times already and said it in the “Ira Kaufman Podcast:” The way the defense is playing, it will carry the Bucs until the offense finds a groove and, equally important, gets healthy.
Thirteen points allowed in two road games is remarkable.
Mike Edwards An NFL leader
The Bucs are going to have a difficult time paying some defensive backs next year. Two guys Joe thinks the Bucs really need to keep are Mike Edwards and Dean.
Why is Joe so big on Edwards? He changes games, that’s all there is to it. He has a knack for taking the ball away. But here is where he is a game-changer. Edwards, since he was drafted in 2019, leads the NFL in pick-sixes with three after his pick-six of Jameis yesterday.
Others who have three pick-sixes since the start of the 2019 season are Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marcus Peters.
The Bucs can’t let a guy who changes games walk. Problem is with Dean and Edwards, both will be very valuable if they hit the open market.
September 19th, 2022 at 4:00 am
Excellent points, Joe. The overreaction to the offensive struggles are laughable. Hello, we have three new interior OL, injured and new receivers, and a new mindset with a defensive coach. It’s gonna take time to gel. You can see the offensive line finding its groove. Thank you Tom for the masterful job of motivating these guys with clips from BSPN and others. Remember in 2020 we had struggles with the offense in the beginning and we eventually found our groove. It’s only been two games and we are throwing dirt on Brady and this offense. The defense is much healthier and have more continuity. They have held it down for us while the offense works out it kinks.
I know a Joe brought up how Rascaad White has been overhyped. He did absolutely nothing today, and I’m pretty sure Brady had him disappeared after that big drop. Sneak deserves some snaps.
Finally, our offenses faced two very good defenses. Did anyone see Burrow struggle against the Cowboys? Parsons wrecked total havoc. They fared no better than we did against the Cowboys. Think about that before we want to bury Brady. By some of the fans logic, Burrow sucks and should be benched. I think for the most part Brady played well. He didn’t throw any picks, which have been a problem. You could tell he was protecting the football when guys weren’t open. He just tossed it away
September 19th, 2022 at 4:24 am
What a win. And it has long-term implications as well.
The Bucs have finally solved the Saints. The way you attack the Saints’ defense is to run it down their throat. New Orleans wants to to pass rush all the time, so if you make them slow down their rush, then you have them where you want them.
You don’t have to be super successful with your run game against them, you just have to make them think about rushing for a split second longer (to stop the run) in order to slow their rush. That’s all it takes. And it worked brilliantly yesterday, even with a 3rd-string LT, a rookie LG and a new center.
People are complaining about Brady, saying he looks old. Nope. It’s not about him. He’s missing the three receivers (security blankets) from last year he was most comfortable with in Gronk, Brown and Godwin. Then Evans got tossed and Julio was out. Other guys either could not get open (Brate) or had the dropsies (Miller, White). If Brady had his weapons to pass to, he’d look the same as ever. Although, to be fair, he’s always a bit shook when he plays the Saints. But he managed it yesterday and only had the fumble turnover. No picks thrown by Brady against New Orleans is a huge improvement.
The formula against New Orleans is “run sets up the pass,” you dump the “No Risk It, No Biscuit” stuff that lets the Saints rush and takes your offense off the field quickly (and wears out your defense who is on the field too long), short passing game to further stifle their rush, and finally try to stay even with them or get a lead and let Jameis implode.
This formula worked perfectly yesterday. And the Bucs can use a similar formula against other top teams until more passing targets return to the fold and until Brady trusts his passing targets more. That will come. Hopefully Gronk will be back soon. Brady misses having him a ton, and we miss him massively in the red zone and on third down.
The defense is exceptional. Super Bowl level. As long as it stays healthy, especially the secondary, things should only get better. The defense slipped last year because the secondary was constantly hurt. That wrecked all the schemes of the defense. So far this year, it all looks good.
I’ll be happy with 3-1 over 4 games. But we need to take at least one of the next two. Will be hard with Evans maybe going out and guys hurt, but if players like White and Gage and Miller step up, we should be able to get it done.
September 19th, 2022 at 4:38 am
Epic win. But holey moley did refs do some work on our TD drive. Mike Evans is a real one. Fournette is the truth. Big Ups to the oline. And I’m pouring a mega pint for the defense. I love to see it happen. I hope Hicks is OK. Cheers. 3
September 19th, 2022 at 5:18 am
Congrats. Bad game all around.
Evans has no class.
September 19th, 2022 at 5:20 am
Saints fans talking about class as if that team has ever had any. 🤣
September 19th, 2022 at 5:36 am
It hasn’t burned us yet, but for two games now running backs have been gashing us for 5+ yard carries consistently. This run defense isn’t what it was the past two years.
Any word on Akiem Hicks?
September 19th, 2022 at 5:54 am
The team and Brady misses the bruising style of Gronk. Cam is not that type of
tight end, in the last couple of years I can’t remember him turning a short pass
into a first down. He may still be a a good option in the endzone, but I believe its
time to give our rookie tight ends more opportunities to get more involved. We also signed Rudolph and we need to see if he can catch the ball and rumble for a first down. Kief brings some much needed physicality to the position and I’d like to see his role expanded to include some offensive plays for him.
September 19th, 2022 at 5:56 am
BucsBro … Agree with you about our need to run the ball against the Saints (actually against most opponents), but the story of yesterday’s game was Turnover Differential (Bucs 1; Saints 5 for a PLUS 4 TO Differential) AND Sacks (Bucs 6; Saints 1). BOTH are defensive stats; we beat them with DEFENSE not offense.
Saints were obviously expecting the Bucs to run a LOT more than in past games, and they contained our run game quite well I thought. Bucs rushed 30 times for 72 yards (2.4 yds/carry average) & Brady completed 18 of 34 (52.9%) for 188 passing yards with 1 sack. Works out to a 46% run-pass ratio BTW).
Bucs’ offense struggled but was able to take advantage of the Saints’ turnovers when it counted (good old COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL). Bucs’ defense played their butts off yesterday. That was the story of the game IMO, and that’s what it takes to beat quality opponents like the Saints.
September 19th, 2022 at 5:58 am
I agree with Joe on the Lattimore “dust up”. The refs let that get out of control.
The defense was lights out but they are allowing some pretty big runs as Joseph stated above. I kept looking for Hicks in the middle but haven’t seen much so far. Overall, the defense just appears faster these last two games.
It’s “go time” for these back-up WRs. I’m calling you out. I saw ONE good play from a WR not named Evans yesterday.
September 19th, 2022 at 6:23 am
Who dat- swampland mud people in the dirty rat infested bayou talking about class? That’s rich. Blo me. How about “dat.” How’s “dat” for class
September 19th, 2022 at 6:27 am
Who dat, thanks for the laugh. Sucks to be you. 😆
September 19th, 2022 at 6:39 am
Typical Monday crap. Bucs win, and Keyboard Coaches want to complain about Brate and the average per rush by opposing teams.
Just enjoy the win, Chicken Littles.
September 19th, 2022 at 6:40 am
Truth be told, with only three preseason games played, n the starters on both sides of the ball playing no more than a total of two quarters, then it’s obvious that it’ll take about 4-5 regular season games before players are all on the same page with each other. The following will be corrected as the season progress:
•multiple dropsies
•wrong routes
•timing
•injuries
•penalties
•back ups
I watched back up LT Brandon Walton very closely n this guy plays aggressive n stays with his man to ensure his qb is protected. He was consistent with run n pass blocking. And, Ko Keif is a diamond in the ruff, he’s a beast mode of a blocker, now create some pass plays for him. I notice the defense this year is
playing much more aggressive than previous years.
We must correct the defensive run game. I notice the saints created some big holes for massive gains with their run game yesterday. Did Akeem Hicks play yesterday?☹️ Have we really missed Suh?
September 19th, 2022 at 6:42 am
Why don’t w do play action?
September 19th, 2022 at 6:51 am
Defense Rules — I agree, the story of the game was defense. But our offense was doing much better than usual against the Saints, particularly in terms of turnovers and protecting Brady.
If not for the fumble and the missed 4th down, we score more points.
The key against New Orleans is to keep their pass rush honest by running the ball on them. Even if you don’t rack up the yards.
We did that yesterday, and it worked. No INT’s and Brady sacked just one time. Even with an inexperienced O-line.
What I’m saying is that, in the past, the offensive gameplan was all wrong. “No Risk It, No Biscuit” will not work against New Orleans. Changing that was key to the win, and will be key in future games against them.
Of course, the defense had to carry the load and probably often will have to do so against the Saints. But if you have the wrong offensive gameplan against them, you’re probably going to lose anyways.
And one reason you will lose is because you’ll have a bunch of three-and-out drives that leaves a tired defense out on the field far too long.
If we play like this, we may still lose to the Saints. But they’ll be like 17-14 loses rather than the garbage of 38-3 from a few years ago.
September 19th, 2022 at 7:01 am
Conference victory on the road against the classless Saints is most enjoyable.
September 19th, 2022 at 7:13 am
Yeah Whodat, because bounty gate was so classy!! GTFOH!
September 19th, 2022 at 7:15 am
Never seen so many injuries between last year and the start of this year in my life. Last year cluster injuries in the secondary had us dragging people off the street to play corner.
This year the O line and receiver groups have been nothing short of decimated.
Thrilled with the win but this is ridiculous!!!
September 19th, 2022 at 7:24 am
“This sort of reminds Joe of last year’s playoff game with the Rams, the Bucs seemed to have been toast and Evans was the lone reliable receiver available, and damn if Tom Brady didn’t almost pull out a win with a strong second half.”
You omitted the part where the DEFENSE provided the spark late in the 3rd quarter EXACTLY like they did yesterday and got our offense another opportunity to get back on the field and do some work. Almost at the same point in the game as the divisional playoff game against LA, bigger part was our defense only allowed 3 points leading up to that. Brady didn’t have a great second half in the Rams game or yesterday, he had a solid 4th quarter after 3 quarters of struggling.
September 19th, 2022 at 7:26 am
Perhaps the Bucs should let the GOAT call his own plays. Running it way too much on 1st down. Set up the run with the PASS! I would be fine with 50/50 mix on 1st down.
September 19th, 2022 at 7:31 am
When Hicks left the game our run defense improved dramatically , Hicks was a huge downgrade compared to Suh , money poorly allocated on Hicks when Suh was available.
Tretter should have been signed a long time ago and with the current situation there is no excuse for not bringing in line help right now.
Miller is average , but drops as many as he catches. Darden is Meh . TE is a glaring deficiency , no reason Bucs should not have signed Seals-Jones for 1 mill when it was possible during off season . Rudolph cannot even get a jersey on for games.
Defense is balling out and will keep us in every game and TN12 will figure out a way to win most.
September 19th, 2022 at 7:52 am
Horrible game for the refs all around. Bucs had to beat the Saints, the crowd, and Ed Jr.
September 19th, 2022 at 7:58 am
Lets give a shout-out to our special teams…..6 punts 1 return for minus 6 yards…..a bunch of touchbacks…………2 for 2 on FGs…..
Solid performance…..
Don’t forget Devin White’s performance…..
September 19th, 2022 at 8:02 am
Devin White was a beast yesterday. LaVonte David was solid.
But I think the beginning of the game long rushing attempts were more a result of our linebackers taking bad angles.
Give those 2 guys and the team credit because they adapted.
Hicks had 2 solo tackles and an assist in the 19 snaps he was in there. Not sure that he was missing his job as BucsFan1976 suggests.
I am pretty sure that we will give up more rushing yards this year. Our base defense this year now includes a smaller guy like Logan Ryan or Antoine Winfield up at the line instead of a bigger guy.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:07 am
Bowes coached a great game . Hats off to a Job well done against a bitter rival.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:11 am
@Whodat
Evans knocked him so silly yesterday that Lattimore doesn’t have to take a plane to their game to Charlotte next week. He’s already there.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:13 am
Great points on Mike Edwards, Joe.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:15 am
Just look at the overall effectiveness against the run in the first two games and the only part different is Hicks . Your best ability is availability and Hicks is lacking there also. Hall of Famer showing no decline in play and NEVER injured or Hicks? Give me the HOFer and Hicks contract is fully guaranteed , Suh would have been fine with some incentives , could have had Suh for same money , it is a no brainer and cannot be defended as a smart decision by Licht or anyone else.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:18 am
DR, I disagree, I saw a balanced attack as I did in week 1. Those two wins were against pretty go defenses. I am not taking anything away from the D, the.secondary was on. I wanted Edward’s head but yesterday he seems to be getting newfound confidence and Winfield & Dean were studs. Maybe the addition of new veterans is the answer. This crippled O is not going to put up 30 pts a game. The oline other than run blocking did a great job, I think I saw Jordan make one or two tackles? Brady has done wonders with less but this O is getting close to a real skeleton crew. Oh, that’s right DR I forgot you only use injuries as an excuse for poor D play the offense isn’t allowed that privilege.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:18 am
Who Dat The Sewer Rat chiming in…when he/she should be more quiet than Cam Jordan was yesterday. The rivalry has shifted.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:20 am
@mod
We are all entitled to our opinion and can type it here. Just like you getting on the keyboard and slamming Phil or Chris Sims multiple times when you see their names. I fail to see the difference.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:20 am
On a separate note, did anyone else think it was unusual that Jason Licht and Bruce Arians were both on the sidelines? I have no idea how common it is for people who are not players, coaches, and trainers to be on the sidelines.
I’m not saying it shouldn’t happen or that it never happens. I was just a little surprised especially with Arians. I think I’ve seen Licht down there before.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:23 am
Who Dat? Dat the new sheriff in town. The Bucs are wearing the shiny star now. Check yo guns bro.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:25 am
@Whodat
That’s the Jameis we’ve been used to for so long. He’ll keep both teams in the game.😃 They can have him.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:27 am
Regarding the job Bowles did. He made one glaring error IMO. At the end of the first half, the Bucs D stopped the Saints on a third down with over a minute left to play. Bowles didn’t call a time out, with 3 in his pocket. The Saints let the clock run down and after the Bucs got the ball the Bucs didn’t run any plays. Over a minute to play with Brady at QB. C’mon man. At least give it a try. Someone needs to tell him you can’t carry unused TOs into the second half.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:29 am
Mama says…..
Ah, my mama says……
Mama says……Who Dat da Sewer Rat is stupid because he be drinkin too much of dat bayou water.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:36 am
@D-Rome
Licht has been out on the sideline a lot the last few seasons and he’s usually dressed like an assistant with his field pass around his neck looking like an OL coach or something. BA being down on the sidelines was a surprise, but the man has been on the sidelines for about a half century, 6 months into “retirement” aint gonna stop him from showing up for a game the magnitude of Bucs vs. Saints. The Fox broadcast even cut to BA talkin sh*t to the refs after the personal foul got called on David.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:43 am
The first time BA draws a flag for talking S to the refs will also be the last time you see BA on the field.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:43 am
Two big-road game-home opener wins in noisy stadiums against very good teams with key personnel injured and absent!! Todd Bowles has got his defense playing lights out!!! WOW!!!! LFG!!!
September 19th, 2022 at 8:44 am
Listnfromafar … ‘DR, I disagree, I saw a balanced attack as I did in week 1. Oh, that’s right DR I forgot you only use injuries as an excuse for poor D play the offense isn’t allowed that privilege.’
Not sure how what I wrote triggered those comments, but I don’t disagree with you at all. It was a relatively balanced attack, as evidenced by my comment “Works out to a 46% run-pass ratio” (30 runs vs 35 passing attempts).
And everyone knows how beat up the Bucs offense is; no news there. I thought I gave them credit for coming through in the crunch with my comment “Bucs’ offense struggled but was able to take advantage of the Saints’ turnovers when it counted (good old COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL).”
If I remember correctly, the Bucs’ offense was fairly healthy last year when we got shut out 9-0 at RayJay. Saints have a helluva defense, and our offense struggles to score against it. It takes an even better DEFENSE to whoop ’em.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:44 am
“The whole incident would have prevented if the refs did their jobs”
Pretty weak take Joe in my opinion. Lattimore is gonna chirp – that’s his makeup. How about if the Bucs players just control themselves and don’t take the bait. Evans will be suspended what…two games or more? Sheeesh. Maybe the Saints really did win.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:44 am
Was thinking today about how exactly ALL of our HC/Off Co./Def Co.‘s are African American and how the Saints organization has exactly none. That’s something to be proud of, but it also led me to think about this…
When is the last time the New Orleans Saints organization even employed a SINGLE ONE African American HC/OC/DC?! Don’t worry, I’ll wait….
September 19th, 2022 at 8:45 am
@PSL Bob
Other mistake they made was going for in on 4th down when they were down 3-0 & not kicking it. Need to take the points. Especially when you go into hostile environments & especially when they’re always on & off with them, too! Teams & coaches overall need to get out of this stupid analytics mindset & just coach smart & not coach with their balls because they’re costing themselves games & even playoff spots. Not only in the NFL but in college, too! There’s been a bunch of games over the last couple weeks where teams have taken the points & it’s ended up forcing the other team to keep playing still because they were smart by taking the points instead of gambling.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:47 am
Really, the way the zebras are supposed to be cracking down on taunting … mostly in ridiculous extreme … Lattimore should have been flagged immediately for taunting Brady. I can understand the non-call that led up to it, but not the non-call on the sideline. It was pretty obvious. He wasn’t trying to be sneaky. He was in Brady’s grille.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:47 am
Footnote: On FOX, Sean Payton looked so sad after the game. In the pre-game, he kept telling everyone how every Saint player knows they can beat the Bucs!! After the game…not one smirk!!
September 19th, 2022 at 8:49 am
What a frustrating first half! It felt like a winnable game was slipping away. But it just underscores how different this team is from those of the Lost Decade. Although 24-for-64 for Lombardi Lenny did seem a little Alstott-like to me.
September 19th, 2022 at 8:51 am
Footnote 2: Jameis is still Jameis!!!!
September 19th, 2022 at 9:05 am
DR, the D is WAY ahead of last season but let’s not be fooled those were the 18th and 25th ranked offenses, Grant it the Bucs D has a lot to do with those poor rankings. I hated the offensive scheme versus last weeks. I thought the 4th & 1 was a killer. Even if they make the 1st down there is no guarantee they score a TD. 50 seconds left before the half with 3 TO’s and Bowles doesn’t stop the clock on Saints 4th down. I am hoping that was either because of Brady’s hand or because Wells went out the play before. If not that is very poor coaching. This is far from a SB team. If the Bucs D was so great why did the Saints have more passing and rushing yds? The ref calls I thought were equally bad, the Bucs got a few questionable calls in the second half and the 3rd quarter D was not good. If not for Ingram fumble that game goes either way. I really like what I see from DB’s, David & Shaq, the rest are a little shaky.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:06 am
So far it’s defense saving us. Offense still struggling but it’s exciting to know we haven’t played our best game yet
September 19th, 2022 at 9:17 am
Its a welcome change that has grown to be a capable despite decimating injuries. I can remember when one key injury doomed us. Top to bottom this
organization has changed the way our team is now respected as aworthy opponent.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:18 am
ucsFanSince76 Says:
September 19th, 2022 at 8:15 am
Just look at the overall effectiveness against the run in the first two games and the only part different is Hicks . Your best ability is availability and Hicks is lacking there also. Hall of Famer showing no decline in play and NEVER injured or Hicks? Give me the HOFer and Hicks contract is fully guaranteed , Suh would have been fine with some incentives , could have had Suh for same money , it is a no brainer and cannot be defended as a smart decision by Licht or anyone else.
No decil in play–teams ran outside on us last year because they realized Suh was too slow to get out there
September 19th, 2022 at 9:31 am
Leave it to aints fans, who have no real sense of reality to begin with, to come to the best Bucs website and trash talk. Keep up the good work Joe’s. Looking forward to more articles. Lacker fans are feeling cocky too, because they beat a team they were supposed to. So this will be a fun week for me.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:37 am
Sorry Beej you are not among the leaders year after year for your whole career in Tackles For Loss if you do not play the run extremely well-outside or inside-look at the amount of 10+ yard runs given up in the first two weeks and you will see a big increase this season. Hicks was a poor substitute for a HOF’er that could have been signed for the same money on a one year deal-Fact.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:38 am
BucsBro says <Hopefully Gronk will be back soon. Brady misses having him a ton, and we miss him massively in the red zone and on third down
Time for Tom to pull out the mighty Conch Shell and call for Gronk:
Gronk, with the football gods assustance, you are reading this.
If Tom ever needed his BFFF, it would be now, for support both on the field and off. Tom posted that "missing recliner chair" video just for you. So, like the mythical Phoenix, that firebird symbol of rebirth representing the continuation of life in flames of change, rise from wherever you are and fly to Tampa Bay.
Tom has kept a light on for you and your private suite awaits you (and Camille) at the Brady compound which has been a bit sad and lonely as of late. Just imagine little Vivie's smiling face when she wakes to the sound of her Uncle Gronky's voice and the smell of those awesome gluten-free pancakes you make!
Again, if Tom ever needed you, it would be now.
Please do it, Gronk.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:39 am
Beeej, I agree, Suh was the Bucs best Dlineman in 2021. I will take durability over a one hit wonder any day. Same with Julio, one game? WTF.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:39 am
Listnfrmafar Says:
September 19th, 2022 at 9:05 am
DR, the D is WAY ahead of last season but let’s not be fooled …
But I challenge you to name 2 defenses that you want more than the Bucs right now.
It seems that Bowles has made a concerted change on 1st downs on this team. It seems we are lining up in our nickel defensive package on 1st downs on about 50% of our plays. That is daring other teams to run against our smaller set of players on 1st downs. Yes, we are giving up more rushing yards, but our pass defense is ridiculously better this year.
Opposing teams are 7 for 28 on 3rd downs against us. That’s including the fact that they are rushing the ball better against us this year than the last few years.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:42 am
BTW Suh and JPP still not signed. NFL GMs know how much value they had left.
I applaud their superior play with the Bucs in the past. There is a reason neither are on a team right now.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:46 am
Yesterdays win is the start of a new mentality against the Saints. The Bucs know they can beat the Saints. It won’t be easy, but they’ll have the confidence knowing it’s possible from here on out.
September 19th, 2022 at 9:46 am
Fan Boy Florio is at it again ( respectful of the fact he champions JBF.com…but still )…taking a shot at Bucco Bruce Arians being on the sideline and not being “agreeable” to bad calls and Lattimore’s nonsense. A forever tortured Vikings fan that Florio…
September 19th, 2022 at 9:57 am
Lattimore has been writing checks against us for years now and shouldn’t be surprised when they get cashed.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:00 am
Sure Suh is unsigned , because he knows what a Top 10 DT that is one of the leading stat producers at his position is worth and he will not GIVE away HOF talent for less than market value. Bucs made a mistake signing Hicks and thinking there would not be a big drop off from Suh in terms of productivity and availability and they could have signed Suh at the same money-it is an undeniable fact.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:00 am
The NFL used to not allow suits on the field during games. That changed in 2020 due to The Sickness. Since, Licht’s been on the sidelines a lot.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:11 am
Got to disagree still on Suh.
This organization has been so smart on who they have signed and developed. We are on a 24 and 5 streak. We are 2 and 0 without Suh.
He is no longer a top 10 DT. He had 717 snaps last year and only had 13 or 15 solo tackles. Not sure there is a high dollar market value for that. Not that PFF is the only source but their grade on him was under 50 last year.
Much respect for Suh and his career. Thinking that he makes a difference for this year’s team just seems to wrong for this elite defense.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:17 am
@Winny Testaverde,
Florio is the worst (too many ways to count or list them all). Don’t worry, that’s popular conjecture and you aren’t near alone. Who cares if he “Champions JBF” or not. What the collective I thinks about one should have nothing to do w/ the other and vice-versa.
The dude complained about the new Amazon Prime broadcast because he couldn’t figure out the rewind and fast forward speed (that’s on you dude and I figured out the speed really quick and I’m much dumber than he is 😂) 🤯. Like you’re complaining about something you didn’t even have the option for before on Thursday nights (pause, fast forward, rewind, 4 different Broadcast options). You couldn’t even have the ability to do that and now you’re complaining about it and because YOU can’t figure out the speed as a self-proclaimed smarty-arty. That’s some 2022 silliness if I’ve ever heard of it. That’s just a funny example of who he is and complains about. That’s not even the multiple meat and potatoes nor how he aggressively micro-manages his comment sections. At least Joe let’s you disagree as long as done maturely and presented well or w/o bullsp!t. Steve Joe is far better than that guy and still great as his job.
He’s very disliked by the “normal” masses. INSANELY GOOD at his job, but as a person, well many of us have reached the same conclusion and it’s not so much good. You’re not off w/ what you said.
His Bucs axe to grind is weird, awkward amd really comes through pretty plainly and I think it interferes w/ his logic at times. He takes shots all the time….even when they aren’t there. I don’t think the guy is even capable of ever admitting he’s wrong in a public forum either. It’s his way or not much other way.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:34 am
geno, your missing my point. I agree Bucs D is ahead of last year and if it’s Bowles doing regarding DB’s congrats to him. All I am saying the real tests are the next two weeks because the O may not get better. If Evan’s is suspended and possibly Lenny or Lenny is to hurt to play this O is in for a world of hurt. We still don’t know the status of Brady’s hand. The run D needs to wake up, I am not sure if any of you watched the GB game but running the balls won that one.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:42 am
Bucs had to make it ugly in order to defeat the Saints, and they managed to do it for 4 quarters to get that win. Hats off to the Defense, and Special Teams were solid. The offense obviously has room for improvement. I will take two road wins, and expect to bring the hurt to Rodgers and the Cheeseheads this week.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:50 am
List…
It will be interesting to see if the Bucs come out of their nickel defense more in the early down plays against Green Bay. I doubt it. These 1st two games probably have them convinced that they can play the nickel on many of the 1st downs.
Problem is that Green Bay runners of Jones and Dillion will be more physical players than anything that either Dallas or New Orleans had.
That will be a test for our run defense.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:58 am
Geno711 … ‘Opposing teams are 7 for 28 on 3rd downs against us. That’s including the fact that they are rushing the ball better against us this year than the last few years.’
Key stat from yesterday’s game was TURNOVERS. In our past 9 games against the Saints, the winning team won the Turnover Battle 8 out of 9 times (and usually decisively). But neck-and-neck with that stat was the 3rd/4th Down Battle. We’ve done amazingly well in that stat also (allowing only 5-for-20 vs Dallas, and 4-for-14 vs New Orleans).
Our run defense hasn’t looked as good as it has in the past 3 years, but I’m beginning to think that’s intentional on Todd Bowles part. I’m thinking now that we’ve focused so much on stopping the run in the past 3 years (to make opponents 1-dimensional) that it might have hurt us in terms of getting pressure via the pass rush. Over-focusing on gap control might’ve limited some of our pass rush options IOW. Might be wrong of course, but we’ve got some pretty good run-stuffers on our DLine IF that’s their focus.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:16 am
Geno listen up- Sacks and TFL are the money stats for a DT as well as Average yards Per game rushing by opponent. Over the last 3 full seasons played Suh has 14.5 Sacks -Hicks has 8 & Suh has 23 TFL- Suh has 23- Hicks has 13. Last season Bucs rushing D gave up under 100 yards per game. This season the average rushing yards per game is over 150.
Please do not say Hicks did not play as many games , because he was INJURED. Suh never misses games. Suh is the vastly superior player and could have been signed for the same $$$. Players that are injured and miss games contribute nothing.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:33 am
That good of a player, odd that no-one will give him the $8-$9 million that he’s reportedly asking
September 19th, 2022 at 11:37 am
I loved the play of ATM.
Thanks, Jameis!
You’re NO’s problem now, not Tampa’s…
September 19th, 2022 at 11:41 am
Bucsfan1976.
Don’t leave out the QB hits. Suh was great on those too.
More fair comparison is 2018 thru 2021 when Suh came to Bucs IMO.
As I said before the season, I was not concerned with Hicks reinjuring his elbow which was the reasons he missed most of last season with. I was concerned with Hicks lower extremity injuries. Which popped up yesterday.
Suh had 19 sacks from 2018 to 2021. Hicks had 15.5.
Suh had 65 QB Hits. Hicks had 51.
Suh had 27 TFL. Hicks had 25.
Suh had 3265 snaps. Hicks had 2071.
So yes, I see the argument for Suh. But for some reason, I also see the argument for Hicks (i.e. more production per snap share).
For me, I love Suh and JPP’s part of our history especially that Super Bowl year. But I am ok with Hicks being the guy the Bucs chose for this team right now.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:54 am
DR.
So excited to see the differences that Bowles has cooked up this year. Will it work throughout the whole season? Who knows?
But it is interesting to see how his defense is clearly different in the early down situations. I think he is almost now challenging teams to run the ball by being smaller than ever before.
We now have a 70% of plays where JTS at 259lbs is our 3rd heaviest player on the field. That was not the case these last few years.
September 19th, 2022 at 1:00 pm
This won’t be in the stats and it probably didn’t even effect the game except for insuring the last field goal attempt (made). But FOX cameras caught Brady’s last pass attempt from behind the offenses line of scrimmage. As Brady drops back the NO defensive tackle comes unblocked with a free lane straight to the QB. All of a sudden Lenny runs straight to the line of scrimmage and pops this huge dude DT and stops him dead in his tracks! I just don’t think people understand what that cat means to this team. ( later I heard he was hurt bad too) I know backs block but I’ve been watching football for over 50 years and I’ve never seen that particular block before. Thanks Lenny. You play with heart man.
September 19th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
DING. DING. DING.
But instead, we have lose Evans for a game. Because the NFL would rather the refs be part of the game, instead being invisible and just doing their job.
And because they’ve been making up that playoff no call to New Orleans for 3 goddamn years and counting…
September 19th, 2022 at 2:37 pm
@Whodat
WHODAT WHODAT WHODAT KNOCKING OUT MARSHON EVANS EVANS EVANS KNOCKING OUT MARSHON!
September 19th, 2022 at 7:04 pm
Can’t remember who asked, but Licht and BA were on the sideline because the ‘Aints wouldn’t provide a box for the Bucs.
Also, I am pleasantly surprised with our Special Teams. As most of you are well aware, that area hasn’t been as productive as it should have been. Yes, in the past we’ve had some good field goal kickers, or a good punter. But rarely both in a season. Let alone, we’ve never really been all that great on coverage and absolutely horrible in the return games. Having at least mid-tier TOTAL specials teams (kicking, punt-pinning field position, and adequate returns and coverage) will go a long way to ensuring we have a great season. That speaks to coaching, which honestly I can’t say we’ve ever had good coaching in those areas.
September 20th, 2022 at 9:57 pm
Tom brady had to start a fight to get the saints off there game to win bucs garbage!