“Something We Can Look Forward To In The Todd Bowles Era”
September 13th, 2022
Bucs badasses on the interior line.
Tom Brady wants to throw the ball less and Todd Bowles wants a more physical Bucs team than the 13-game winner of last season.
So what does that mean? Joe isn’t about to believe Brady on this point, but the Bowles part makes since given that he’s a defensive-minded coach. Plus, that’s what Bowles told Father Dungy, and nobody lies to Father Dungy.
The net result is the Bucs more focused on the running the football. Derrick Brooks says that’s Bowles’ influence on the offense, and former Bucs QB Chris Simms was on the NBC broadcast last night singing a similar tune.
Simms was impressed by the physical nature and approach of the Bucs.
“They realized their O-line can push around a smaller Cowboys defensive line,” Simms said of the Bucs’ prowess on the ground. “”I think that’s something we can look forward to in the Todd Bowles era as far as a head coach, especially with new pieces on the interior part of that offensive line.”
Less pass blocking means less chances of Tom Brady getting mauled, but throwing is the strength of this team so running more isn’t something Joe will raise a hand for.
And Joe isn’t too keen on pounding Leonard Fournette with 20 carries a game and Rachaad White has yet to prove anything in August or September.
September 13th, 2022 at 4:38 am
The O Line is better at run blocking than pass protection, so it makes sense to go with that strength.
September 13th, 2022 at 5:21 am
Joe … ‘throwing is the strength of this team so running more isn’t something Joe will raise a hand for’.
I’ll bet you’ll raise your hand for winning though, huh Joe. And if running more is what it takes to win, bring it on.
And as far as not being ‘too keen on pounding Leonard Fournette with 20 carries a game’ goes, why not? He’s a big boy, gets paid well to do his job & can obviously do it very productively. Heck, the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor ran the ball yesterday 31 times (161 yards) for the Colts in their OT tie with the Texans. (Didn’t watch the game, but the Colts had 92 offensive plays in that game; kudos to the Texans’ defense).
September 13th, 2022 at 5:32 am
With Smith and Jensen ‘hors de combat,’ Cappa gone and Marpet retired, Wirfs was the only 2021 starter holding down the OL fort at the conclusion of Monday night’s victory. It doesn’t take a genius to discern why Sir Todd was committed to the run. On most of his pass attempts, Brady had nearly a full second less to get rid of the ball than he had with last year’s OL.
With that, I’m not buying into the “more physical” angle by committing to the run. This team is built to throw the ball. If you tell me the main goal is to have your 45 year old QB alive and well at the end of the season, I’ll take that one at face value.
And please don’t sell me on how great the OL looked on Sunday night. Other than some good run blocking they were horrible against the pass rush. If you believe they played great, your judgment was clouded by victory and multiple libations.
As usual, the New Orleans ‘D’’ will be a tough test, especially for the newbies.
I wish them the best of luck. They’ll need it!
September 13th, 2022 at 5:48 am
Throwing and running are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the opposite is true; they are complementary. This is the fallacy of today’s NFL. Teams do not need to throw the ball 40+ times a game to win every game. The game dictates the offense.
Our offense last year was imbalanced. We did not run the ball effectively. Running the ball effectively takes pressure off the QB and defense and opens up the passing game. This is not rocket science.
The threat of a running attack will make this offense even more explosive.
September 13th, 2022 at 6:06 am
White hasn’t shown anything yet? He has passed Gio and Vaughn on the depth chart. He is doing something right.
September 13th, 2022 at 6:40 am
Still need to throw on 1st down a few times. More succes for the passing game and sets up the run. If not, then teams will focus on stopping the run and leave the Bucs with 2nd & long. They will tee off and pressure Brady.
September 13th, 2022 at 6:48 am
I am all for ground and pound when logical. What is not logical is trying ground and pound in the red zone. Thats how you end up with cowboys #11 blowing your doors off on 3rd and desperate and walking away with 4 field goals. But hey, as long as the defense can hold opponents to 3 pts, that might be all you need.
September 13th, 2022 at 6:49 am
Didn’t Derrick Brooks pick the Cowgirls win Sunday night?
September 13th, 2022 at 7:35 am
I think that our team is good enough to play smashmouth or win in a shootout. I much prefer yesterdays smashmouth win though. Old school butt wuppins are the best, especially when it’s a division foe or that sellout (great business man though) Jerry’s team. If we bring this same attitude against the saints I am going to be happy as hell.
September 13th, 2022 at 7:37 am
OLine will get better as the season goes. Our passing attack will get better in turn. Just in time for the playoff run.
Plus we’ll add Suh.
September 13th, 2022 at 7:45 am
Agree. It’s a long season. Can’t run Lenny to the ground.
September 13th, 2022 at 7:50 am
Get used to it, for the next 3 games a least.
We are establishing that OH SO ELUSIVE identity.
We want to be, probably because BRADY wants to be, a Smashmouth team.
This is the real reason he took off for a couple of weeks. He was forcing the coaches to take a RUN first approach and to NOT depend on his sorcery.
Like I said back then and have since been proven right. IT WAS THE BEST THING FOR THE TEAM that Tom took some time off.
This is the results!
September 13th, 2022 at 7:56 am
Vaughn needs to be activated if we are going to run this much. Otherwise playoff Lenny won’t be around for the playoffs.
September 13th, 2022 at 7:59 am
Running sets up play-action, where Brady excels; Goedeke is better at run blocking; running slows the pass rush; running controls the clock when playing from ahead in the second half.
September 13th, 2022 at 8:03 am
Last three Super Bowl teams that won, have won with their passing attacks.
Lots of ways to win in the NFL.
Come playoff time, I suspect that this Buc team will need to be elite passing the ball more than elite running the ball.
What we do in the 1st 10 games does not matter as much as what kind of team we are for the last 10 games into the playoff season.
September 13th, 2022 at 8:13 am
I like the idea of us being a power running team. Not only does a running game control the clock and rests the defense, it also sets up the running game.
Because we were gashing the Cowboys so badly with the run, they were forced to stack the line, and play zone instead of man.
That left Evans and our other receivers one on one, and we all saw what happened!
September 13th, 2022 at 8:14 am
The other teams defense will dictate like always the gameplane it was run heavy this time others won’t be. I don’t really care how they win as long as they do win go bucs.
September 13th, 2022 at 8:16 am
Run blocking is easier for the younger OLmen , simple as that . Thing is DC’s will realize this and next week won’t be so easy
September 13th, 2022 at 8:24 am
I expected a few more runs per game but I think that first game was an anomaly. I don’t believe they will be running that much that often, not with Brady and the receivers they have. Heck, that game just set up play action against the Saints without even running the ball during the game
September 13th, 2022 at 8:42 am
@geno711
Pretty sure 2020 SB was won by the D vs one of the best passing attacks of all time.
Just saying
September 13th, 2022 at 8:43 am
Running the ball is great when it works……a disaster when it doesn’t….
I like the idea of play action on 1xt downs more often……
September 13th, 2022 at 8:47 am
“Less pass blocking means less chances of Tom Brady getting mauled, but throwing is the strength of this team so running more isn’t something Joe will raise a hand for.”
If we have almost an entire offensive line made of backups, maybe throwing isn’t a “strength of this team”?
September 13th, 2022 at 8:53 am
If they can continue averaging 5 yards a carry they’d have to be idiots to not continue running the ball.
September 13th, 2022 at 9:16 am
The fact that Parsons and Miller even acknowledged the BLOCK is embarrassing for them. What was Lenny supposed to do, slap him on the arse after he blows by him? It’s called BLOCKING, Parson doesn’t know he needs to have his head on a swivel?
September 13th, 2022 at 9:32 am
Running and slowing the game down is a fine strategery…IF you have a stingy D to back it up.
Seriously, I thought I was watching DungyBall Sunday night.
Seems with a young OL and injuries, Bowles played to his player’s strengths.
September 13th, 2022 at 9:36 am
OK.
Bucs were effective running the ball last year, averaging something like 4.6 ypc. They simply chose to throw it prolifically because they had the elite pass blocking OL in the league.
Not now.
What they do have are good run blockers. So you run. Play to the strength. If Brady had dropped back 43 times Sunday night, he wouldn’t have walked our of the stadium. He would have been hit at least 8 times, sacked 4 times and the Bucs would have lost.
Play to the strength of the OL.
Byron will need to be creative against the Aints. They’ll be run blitzing the daylights out of the Bucs on first downs and short yardage.
September 13th, 2022 at 9:46 am
Like what BA said last year…”this team can do it all” !! If running gets the job done, so be it!! If passing gets the job done, so be it!! If a balanced attack gets the job done, so be it!! The game plan will dictate!! It’s always about getting the win!! LFG!!!
September 13th, 2022 at 9:56 am
If Bowles is any kind of coach the game plan with change for every game of the season.
I expect Bowles to adapt his team to each individual team they play.
It is important to the Bowles legacy, which is trash at the moment. He has the tools to bury his Jets resume, and I think he will.
The line will gel, it will take a few weeks, but it will happen. It will help a lot if the Bucs manhandle the Saints this week. If Smith returns, it will help.
To do that a few deep balls have to be tossed out on first down, to keep the safeties back in their box.
September 13th, 2022 at 9:58 am
If we’re going just off what we’ve seen, the running game is currently more polished than the passing game. Our receivers are amazing on paper but seems like Gage isn’t 100% and Julio looks capable but still fragile. Perriman is not that guy. Godwin is probably out a month.
Running the ball is exactly what we should be doing. Especially as long as our defense plays like they did Sunday. I’m totally fine with our passing game taking a back seat If it means a division title, home playoffs, and a healthy Brady with a full arsenal.
September 13th, 2022 at 9:59 am
Dallas was a top 5 pass defense last year and returned virtually everyone. The game plan was to balance run and pass. That won’t be the same each week. The Superbowl win was due to a GREAT defensive game plan with two high safeties and a ferocious pass rush.
September 13th, 2022 at 10:04 am
I agree with the takes on first down. Running every first down is too predictable and will create 2nd and 8 or no gains too often. Mix it up on first down as its the easiest down to pass on as teams aren’t expecting it and defenses have their personel playing closer at the line.
But in those 2nd and short or 3rd and short thats where you run most of the time other than at the goal line.
I think Brady and Otton need to get on the same page. We need a tight end to catch the ball and he has good hands and runs good routes. Leftwich needs to find a way to get him some targets.
September 13th, 2022 at 10:45 am
What I like about running the ball more and increased ToP: The D looked totally fresh late into Q4.
In the past, the D has wilted somewhat as the game progresses because they were on the field more often because of the quick-strike risk-it/bisk-it O…
September 13th, 2022 at 10:47 am
One secret to D success last Sunday: good pressure with the from five. Not many blitzes.
There were fewer holes in the D backfield.
Nice to see.
September 13th, 2022 at 10:49 am
Joe Says:
*sense
September 13th, 2022 at 12:07 pm
Having the ability to be a smash mouth team is the key. We may not need to smash you in the mouth, but we can. Can’t say that in previous years. Smash mouth is how you beat the Aints and Rams. It’s another dimension and I love it!
September 13th, 2022 at 12:09 pm
Crackwise
The Chiefs were missing BOTH their tackles.
Just sayin.
September 13th, 2022 at 12:14 pm
The team put up a lot of passing yards in the first half. I think about 180 yards . Second half ran the clock out on the ground and got the win.
I fully expect the team to continue to use the pass extensively when the circumstances call for it
September 13th, 2022 at 12:31 pm
Wonder how Cappa did ??
The picks and sacks Joe B. had. How much of that was
Cappa’s
September 13th, 2022 at 1:00 pm
My favorite part (except for the acrobatic catches and I watched Lenny’s block about 10 times, laughing the whole times) was the fact that the Bucs played all 4 quarters. It’s been a while since we have seen that.
September 13th, 2022 at 1:27 pm
Relax puppies, Bucs scored only 19 points and I would call Dallas a elite offense. Shultz and the overrated Lamb.. If the Bucs needed more points like last season when the secondary was invisible Brady would have launched it all over the field. I doubt Lenny is going to run a muck every week. It would great if he turns out to be a 1000 yd rusher.
September 13th, 2022 at 4:29 pm
Defense and smashmouth. Thank you. Do it.
September 13th, 2022 at 5:46 pm
I think people are deciding too much off of one game this was what this game called for while they are still trying to build chemistry won’t necessarily be what the end product is going to be.
September 13th, 2022 at 8:25 pm
I think the Bucs finally have what D.R. has been craving all along. BALANCE!!
As Cobra pointed out on one thread the Special team coverage did not look like the Buc’s sorry efforts of the past. In fact they looked downright terrific and helped keep the ‘Boy’s in check.
I think we’ll run or pass depending on what the defense dictates. Great game planning saw that the Cowboys DL is highly respected but it’s based on their speed and agility…they are too light to play smashmouth. Give Bowles, BL and TB credit. They paid attention to their scouting reports and video and so they pounded it more.
Personally I’m thrilled to be able to run it more. We can now pass or run whichever is most effective. Add a physical smash mouth run game to a passing attack with the GOAT and ME, JJ, CG and others and it becomes a real pick your poison choice for DC’s.