Playing A Full Four Quarters
October 9th, 2022
Discusses second-half swoon.
So why didn’t the Bucs blow out the Dixie Chicks this afternoon? Bucs coach Todd Bowles has ideas.
The Bucs led 13-0 over the Dixie Chicks at halftime and 21-0 after three quarters. It seemed as if this game was on its way to a blowout. The opposite happened.
The Bucs opened the door and escorted the Dixie Chicks back into the game. And if not for a heinous, phantom roughing-the-passer called on Atlanta, the Bucs would have been likely hanging on by the skin of their teeth.
Bowles spoke after the game about what happened.
“You have to play four quarters,” Bowles said. “We played good team-ball in the first half.
“I think we lacked that in the second half. We have to get better than that.”
Bowles referred to the game as “a tale of two halves.” The first half was great. The second half, well, ugly.
“The first half we kept their defense on the field,” Bowles said. “Second half, our offense was going three-and-out, which kept our defense on the field.”
Bowles added “fatigue” was starting to wear on the Bucs defense in the second half, due in part to Atlanta having the ball so much.
Look, a win is a win and Joe is stoked about that. That doesn’t mean the Bucs played a pristine game of football today. Hardly.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:41 pm
Playing not to lose rather than playing to win.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:45 pm
Am I the only one sensing some tension between Lenny and Brady?
October 9th, 2022 at 7:46 pm
I hated how hesitant Lenny looked on that run (think it was 4th and inches). Should have just run straight up the field with his pads low…but looked hesitant… I still think he got it though.. as I still think otton got a bad spot the play before. That was a bit turning point
October 9th, 2022 at 7:46 pm
I hate it when they stop doing what got them in the lead in the first place.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:47 pm
The emergence of Cade Otton and Rachaad White will really help the offense.
The defense needs to stay healthy and be aggressive.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:53 pm
That’s what happens when you turtle up with a lead. This team is a downfield passing offense. This run and dink and dunk crap is what damn near got them beat today against a pretty trash team.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Two of three and outs totaled 1:30, that’s why the defense was spent (that’s Jameis type stuff, basically a turnover)
October 9th, 2022 at 7:55 pm
A Bucs Fan Says:
“The emergence of Cade Otton and Rachaad White will really help the offense.”
______________
Definitely AGREED.
Those 2 rookies showed a whole lot today, and seem to have gained Tom’s trust.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:57 pm
Too many horizontal plays, especially deep in our end – BL called a screen from the 4 yd line – play calling in the second half was very suspect
October 9th, 2022 at 8:19 pm
Bagdad Bowles…nothing to do with the coaching play calling.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:33 pm
Scheming a gameplan for the week takes a lot of thinking, which I think Bowles and Leftwich are lacking.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:34 pm
Let’s face it. Our losses on the O line will most likely derail our off-season aspirations. Everybody knows who we lost and who we have replacing them.
Kudos for their efforts but we can’t compete with the best with who we have left on that line. And boy has it shown so far.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:36 pm
That’s why we can’t win any of those 4th and 1’s with this oline.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:40 pm
It was brutally hot today we CANNOT go three and out back to back to back !!! Inexcusable, no wonder they mounted a comeback defense was gassed
October 9th, 2022 at 8:49 pm
Simple… Don’t play to not lose… Effing take it to them until its time to kneel down. If you let off the gas, you will likely not find the pedal again until its too late… that’s on the coaches. As soon as they went up 21-0, BL started his run up the middle for negative yards and “fake” creative short yardage calls. You play the game all the way through to your strengths. Brady looked great until that first 3 and out drive, then the whole offense played like they were constipated. BL… he is a problem. I really mean that. Any play caller can get this team rolling… it takes a bad play caller to constantly keep them in a rut.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:55 pm
Coburn, that is just how Lenny runs. Call it hesitation, I call it twinkle toes. Indecisive pitter patter instead of decisive, forceful and explosive north-south. He’ll make some plays receiving, he’ll go when there is open field (but any decent back would), and behind an OL that is dominating in the fourth quarter, he’ll run out the clock (as any decent back would).
Lenny isn’t a power back or a feature back, on a roster that badly needs one.
October 9th, 2022 at 9:02 pm
Todd – you’re the man, you keep sputtering this gibberish and you can’t do anything to change it.
You better just tell BA to tell you every move to make the next three weeks before having another original thought.
October 9th, 2022 at 9:26 pm
I just dont understand why they would let him be head coach after being fired in NY. Todd ur good at D go back there and stay there geez. Another Ron Rivera duh we won because duh duh.
October 9th, 2022 at 9:26 pm
We need a firey coach !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 9th, 2022 at 9:38 pm
Goatfarmer … Bowles is right in that our offense & defense flamed out in the 2nd half (actually the 4th quarter). We were ahead 21-0 going into that quarter, but could’ve very easily lost it.
Go back & look at the Rams-Falcons game earlier this season & you’ll see almost the identical game. Rams were ahead 28-10 going into the 4th quarter, then 31-10 (21 point difference) with about 12 minutes to play. Then the bottom fell out and Falcons scored 2 quick TDs to make it 31-25 with 5 minutes still to go. Could’ve won because they got the ball back, made it to the Rams 37, but then Mariota threw an INT with 2 minutes to go to kill the drive.
Bad luck? Same with the roughing-the-passer call?. If not for those, you never know how the game would’ve turned out.
October 9th, 2022 at 10:18 pm
This team misses BA and his fiery attitude.
October 9th, 2022 at 10:27 pm
DR – no argument with you. It’s simply Todd’s the leader of the team and has control over preparation and corrective action. He does neither well.
October 9th, 2022 at 11:56 pm
@Goatfarmer. I’ve been hesitant to criticize Bowles, but I’m not liking the culture of our team now. Where’s the locker room leadership?
October 10th, 2022 at 2:32 am
“Playing not to lose” is Todd Bowles trademark. It’s the principal reason why his offenses are so anemic. It’s why on a day when the Bucs offense had 420 yards, no fumbles, no interceptions (and the defense had 5 sacks) we only scored 21 points. Why did we ever hire him as head coach? He was an absolute flop in New York.
October 10th, 2022 at 2:56 am
BUCS don’t play with any fire, heart or passion.
Bucs usually come out and play soft and slow to start. If they get behind, they try to turn on the gas and sometimes it works and they have a decent second half, trying to come back.
Conversely, if they get a good lead, then they start to coast and never turn on the gas, and like yesterday, almost get burned by their opponent.
But they never play a full game with conviction and consistency, fired up and aggressive from stat to finish. It’s like they’re always just trying to do the bare minimum to win, even when they’re losing.
The team as a whole has a serious mental attitude issue. Probably stems from their poor coaching staff who have no idea how to fire up a team.
October 10th, 2022 at 5:37 am
Why is no one mentioning the injuries to the secondary? That was the biggest reason we lost today. We were fine until davis, edwards and bunting all went down. I dont even see any articles on joebucsfan mentioning this. To me this is the biggest reason we lost, and will really kill us in future games if these guys dont play. This is getting to be like last year again!
October 10th, 2022 at 8:03 am
Teams are starting to bring the wildact back in. Why not just a direct snap to Lenny on short yardage? Take out Brady, bring in an extra blocker, and snap it to a RB, WR. You can even bring in Gabbert in certain situations. Lefty has no immagination trying anything different, or new.
October 10th, 2022 at 10:13 am
Where did Godwin and R. White go in the second half? Are they injured?