Bill Polian Blames Bucs’ Offensive Line
January 28th, 2023
If you want to know how explosive a passing offense is, its starting quarterback’s average yards per attempt number is a great indicator.
This season among starting quarterbacks, only rookie Kenny Pickett and Kyler Murray had less yards per attempt than Tom Brady.
The Goat averaged 6.4 yards per throw in 2022, a full yard less than in 2021. Back in 2019, Brady’s last year with the Belicheats, he was at 6.6 yards and some were calling him washed up because of it.
That was a bad evaluation, obviously. Brady struggled that year with a bunch of no-name targets and soon after blossomed in Tampa with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the no-risk-it-no-biscuit offense.
Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian talked this week about Brady’s plummeting average yards per attempt this season and firmly blamed the Tampa Bay offensive line.
“I don’t think there’s any question that was the main problem,” Polian said. “… He had to get the ball out immediately or he’s going to get obliterated.”
Polian pointed to the Giants have poor receivers and good pass protection, and the Bucs being the opposite.
Joe will agree with Polian from the standpoint that there clearly was a fear factor with Brady in the pocket. There definitely was some self-preservation going on from Brady, the kind you wouldn’t see from a young quarterback. But overall Joe thinks the line wasn’t nearly as bad pass blocking as Polian paints.
What was horrendous was playcaller Bryon Leftwich’s inability to adjust and get the most out of his players, which is likely why Todd Bowles retained his offensive line coaches.
Joe recently gave the offensive line a B- grade and is sticking with that.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:16 am
I agree with Polian. But, at least they couldn’t run block either.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:16 am
Doesn’t take a brainiac to figure that one out.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:34 am
Oline was bad on an epic scale. LT D Smith led the NFL in sacks given up and in penalties , and LT is your most important position on the Oline. I am going to go with Bill Polian knowing more than 99% of all others , face up to the fact that we were well below par on the Oline.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:35 am
Nah… yall fans keep that same energy.. blame it all on the OC… don’t listen to Polian now… I mean Ali Marpet retires, Jensen and Stinnie out for the season, and both tackles played hurt… but who cares about talent right?!?! It’s all about the OC… fans are the absolute worst.. yall think another OC gonna come to the Bucs and the Bucs are gonna be better next year?!?!
Leftwich proved if the line give Brady time, they can be a top 5 offense… he did it… even w Jameis he did it… and fans got Leftwich fired… for who exactly?? Yall think any of these names being floted are better options?
Fans know 2 things.. blame the coach or blame the QB….
And when NFL legends like Kurt Warner or Bill Polian say different… nah they don’t know anything according to yall…
Be prepared to be bad for a few years.. and they gonna blame Bowles for that too… cause fans are such geniuses
January 28th, 2023 at 11:35 am
Both OL and DL took nose dives in talent loss
On top of that the mayhem in the offseason with Brady going, then returning then Brucey retiring all contributed to the most bizarre chapter in Buccaneers history!
The Gawd it is over and we can enjoy watching great football tomorrow without a dog in the first.
It’ll be a painful reminder of how far off the team was from playing good football!
January 28th, 2023 at 11:37 am
No brainer. Everybody but Joe and the Brady Hating Committee knew this coming out of pre season! You don’t lose Marpet, Cappa, Jensen, Stinnie in one offseason and not suffer the consequences.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:50 am
Our line was pretty lackluster. If the Bucs weren’t in such a salary cap mess I would recommend cutting D. Smith. But then we need to replace him… I really don’t want to spend our #19 pick on a LT.
We have so many needs on defense – this needs to be an almost all defensive draft.
LB
OLB
DT
SS
CB
We need to load up on defense. Our line is the only unit returning intact besides our starting WR group…
D. Smith is average when he is fully healthy. When he is playing with 2-3 different injuries he is way below average. I hope he can heal up and give us a better effort next season.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:50 am
Biggest problem? I think if we had Gronk out there, it would have been a different story. But water under the bridge.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:51 am
The line was subpar. The injuries were the death knell. Nobody can succeed with a terrible line. An F-run grade and maybe a C-pass grade helped by Brady getting rid of the ball gets you a big D. In his defense. I don’t believe Smiths elbow ever healed up. A young QB who holds the ball gets killed behind that line
January 28th, 2023 at 11:58 am
Blaming the offensive line for everything is a cop out. Were there times early in the year when protection broke down? Absolutely. Find me an offensive line where that doesn’t happen. Joe Burrow spends half of every game picking himself up off the ground. Why is that? Because he knows he’s going to get hit, but he also knows if he continues through his progressions, his recievers will likely get open, if not, he takes the sack or throws it away and takes the hit.
Brady, understandably at 45 years old, is unwilling to take those hits, but that also results in missed reads in progression and an insane amount of dump off passes to running backs, thus the 6.4 yards per attempt. Basically, he’s at the age and mental state that he’s going to see ghosts and ignore his progressions for the easy safety valve option. I don’t care how pliable the guy is, he’s not going to recover as fast from bumps and bruises as fast as these younger QBs in the league.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:59 am
Dubcity looks like Oneilsqueel reincarnated. That’s not a compliment.
The thing your man Bye’Mron never did, couldn’t understand, was the need to adjust to the circumstances and become less predictable. It’s not just the play calling but obviously how they went about practice. The Bucs looked in slow motion because (according to Brady) they practiced slow. They didn’t practice at full speed. Why? Because the coaches are such poor teachers, no one knew their assignments at full speed.
The offense was horrible but at least the defense couldn’t stop anyone good and even some not so good.
Dumpster fire.
BA is why Bye’Mron looked good. Take BA away and you have the drooling stooge we watched all year long.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Injuries. Injuries. Injuries.
But to those making excuses for Leftwich, he was fired for his lack in the playcalling department.
As to Brady, it was a rough year on and off the field. Clearly he was going through some things and was distracted. I get it.
I lost 5 people in 2022…3 to a virus they claim is no longer a threat. I get distractions.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Momma’s don’t let your babies grow up to be offensive linemen.
They are the whipping post of every dumba$$ fan out there whenever a play doesn’t work perfectly.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:06 pm
Your grade extremely generous
smells of being tainted by backups being an okay excuse for poor play
C- at best – NO push in the run game and forced TB into a ton of dirt balls under duress
We need upgrades at LT, LG badly
January 28th, 2023 at 12:08 pm
Yes, Dubcity aka Oneilbuc Junior…It was us fans that got Leftwich fired and nothing to do with the piss poor “job” he did.
Examples:
1) Not knowing play action passing works
2) Calling football analytics “fantasy football”
3) Not using matchups to the Bucs favor
To name a few.
You blame that on us fans? What planet are you from?
January 28th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
I just watched some YouTube videos explaining Todd Monken’s offense and I like how he changes formations and uses pre-snap motion to confuse defenses by using misdirection. He reminds me of Kyle Shannahan’s offenses except without using different variations of the same play to punish the defense for predicting where the ball is going.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
It is not about being a whipping post , it is about looking at the facts objectively. You do not produce running game numbers that are the lowest in 50 years if you are even slightly below average as an offensive line. Stop mentioning Burrow getting hit , look at Bengals rushing yards against Buffalo on the road-they ran for 170. bengals were missing 3 starters and they still got it done with attitude and determination. Bucs Pline coach is in over his head and Licht did nothing to help the Oline , even though help was available.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Yeah Dub. If the Bucs are bad, it is because of us fans. We tell the Glazers what to do and they do it. Nice being in charge, isn’t it?
January 28th, 2023 at 12:13 pm
This debate is going to make me rewatch every offensive play from the Bucs this season, but I will still maintain that Brady frequently didn’t have enough time to throw. The only games I can think of where this wasn’t the case was the Seattle game and the second Carolina game.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
Dubcity must be Byron leftb**ch pretending to be some anonymous poster.
Goatfarmer thinks he’s oneilbuc, but I think he’s Byron
January 28th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
Dub is the newest Village Idiot. That’s a significant accomplishment.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:16 pm
Monken can use matchups and game plans to the other team’s tendencies. So far the best OC candidate. Still really need to shore up the OGs and LT as well as getting a real blocking TE.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:16 pm
Tom Brady is useless when he has to scramble or throw on the run, therefore his offensive line is responsible for his success–and also Mike Evans not dropping touchdown passes.
TEAM no-risk-it-no-biscuit!
January 28th, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Dubcity must be Byron leftwhitch pretending to be some anonymous poster.
Goatfarmer thinks he’s oneilbuc, but I think he’s Byron
January 28th, 2023 at 12:20 pm
I agree with Dubcity to a point. Although I agree with Leftwich’s struggles to course correct and adapt during the game I don’t believe it was fair to blame him for horrible line play and Tom Brady’s self preservation. I do agree that fans are quick to put the blame on the coaches or the QB when the supporting cast is weak mostly because of unseasoned talent and injuries to your top players.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:20 pm
Speculation, but how much of poor run blocking was on Leftwich stubbornly sticking to Arians’ offensive philosophy and just “checking the box” to placate Bowles regarding running plays instead of putting in time to devise some innovative run plays.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:21 pm
Blaming any one thing is too easy. But it is Byron Leftwich in charge of all those “one things” on the offense. No creativity, no adjustment. Just the same archaic predictable offensive play calling over and over.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:24 pm
Each year father time is slowly catching up to Brady. That being said the team can’t rely on him in every game to come from behind. He can do it at times but not as often as before. You can tell the overall motivation of the team was lacking playing with no energy. Was that fearless leader Bowles or the Brady mystic finally wore off or both. I personally think that is on the head coach period. I don’t think one person/quarterback is the answer for this team its unless of course the one person is Todd Bowles.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
There are good reliable experienced and durable LT’s available in FA thsi offseason , cut DSmith and sign one at 4 mil per or less.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:31 pm
I agree with Polian, AND, even Mrs. D-Rok could see our line was way below average.
She would often ask me, “Why didn’t the Bucs runner even make it to the blue line, aren’t our blockers supposed to block the other team?”
And I’d sigh and mumble, “Yes honey, they are.”
It got to be a running joke between wifey and I by the end of the year.
And I’ll SCREAM it one more time, for those in the back:
Lack of sacks does NOT mean the line is good in pass-pro!!!!!
January 28th, 2023 at 12:32 pm
Sign K. Beachum or C.Fleming for less than 4mil both would be an upgrade, sign both and dump Smith.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
When this Joe says,
“But overall Joe thinks the line wasn’t nearly as bad pass blocking as Polian paints,”
I think you should do a poll, Joe, and see what the majority of us fans think about our OL. Some of us actually have been watching football a long time and have an idea what bad blocking looks like.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:39 pm
Ty D-Rok
January 28th, 2023 at 12:43 pm
@ Joe
Maybe do a poll – What should the Bucs do with LT – D. Smith?
#1 – Cut him and save $10M in cap space.
#2 – Keep him one more season and hope for the best.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:44 pm
Between Donovan Smiths problems and a waste of a second round pick Goedke its amazing the o-line did as well as it did.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:47 pm
TampaBayBucsFanSince1976 … ‘There are good reliable experienced and durable LT’s available in FA this offseason , cut DSmith and sign one at 4 mil per or less’.
4 mil or less for a LT you say. Awesome. At that price, we need 2 (just in case of injuries). Now, could you provide the names please so we can get the best of that bunch?
January 28th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
kelvin Beachum started all 17 games and Spotrac has him at 4 mill value. Jason Peters of the Eagles to back him up.
January 28th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
Lose 1 to retirement..1 to free agency…
Trade for a decent one..
Lose probowl center and tone setter before the season..
D smith is not him and never will be him..
Rookies at guard n center..and a bunch of injuries all year long.
Oline has its excuse..
With that said it be nice we could find a lg n lt ..I believe the right side is good for the next 2 years at least
January 28th, 2023 at 1:02 pm
Sorry , but no excuse when a very good Center was available for the asking at 2-3 mil per year the day after Jensen got injured.
January 28th, 2023 at 1:09 pm
Oh yeah, Dub City definitely beez Oh-kneelz.
That grammar be the same.
January 28th, 2023 at 1:10 pm
Joe gives the OL a B-
Joe “loves Johnny” too.
January 28th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
Everyone gets it, but Joe and the “predictable play-calling” parrots.
Even Mrs. D-Rok, gets it.
If the Bucs can’t execute a simple play, how would they execute some complex play? Dominant football players impose their will, and do whatever is asked.
If Bucs struggle to run or pass, what is the option? Punt on 1st down? lol
January 28th, 2023 at 1:21 pm
You had two backups protecting the middle…..with groedke being an unpolished rookie who was also undersized at LG. Smith isn’t great when healthy and he was hurt or dealing with something. Line was by far the common denominator. Brady is no different than Mahomes….if you get pressure he’s not as effective. We proved this in the SB. Mahomes is great but under pressure constantly he looks terrible….that’s any QB.
January 28th, 2023 at 1:25 pm
A B- grade for the O line means (assuing a Bell curve) that the Bucs O line is in the 10th to 14th overall in the NFL.
Are the Joe’s drinking too much Big Storm Bramosa beer? I saw a very below avaerage run game push (wheree did the Bucs rank in rushing Joe?) and a QB hurriedly rushing his throws all season.
Maybe a B- when everyone was healthy but that was only about 2 games last season.
January 28th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
Ypa tells the story.
Quick out offense as a result.
Rarely are things perfect in football
January 28th, 2023 at 1:29 pm
Wait … I’m confused … Help me out here … So, the players Brady plays with affects his performance, but the players Trask plays with does not affect his performance … Is that right? … Joe? … NEMasshole? … Rod Munchie? … 😛
January 28th, 2023 at 1:31 pm
I say, we drink some Beer-Mosa and marinate on it for a while.
January 28th, 2023 at 1:49 pm
I doubt there will be good and reliable left tackles available for 4 million or less this off season.
And even if there were 1 left tackle that is available for 4 million or less, I am not sure why he is any more likely to choose the Bucs than any of the other 31 teams.
Now good and reliable for 10 million a season, maybe?
January 28th, 2023 at 1:55 pm
If the OL could have run blocked then the other teams would have been forced to put more than 6 or 7 in the box and opened up the quick play actions that often went to the dirt because they were covered. Of course then there would have been more people to confuse the OL in terms of who to block and Brady would have been schmeared anyway.
Never mind, the OL sucked.
January 28th, 2023 at 2:03 pm
Can’t blame the goat for all the over throws and balls in the dirt can you
January 28th, 2023 at 2:05 pm
All you need is a QB who isn’t confident in his OL. It doesn’t matter if you grade them a B-, to Brady, they were unreliable. That’s all she wrote.
Another stat to look at that will corroborate the avg yards per attempt his the QB release time. Without even checking, I’m sure year 3 was the quickest Brady has gotten rid of the ball as a Buc.
3/5 OL were new. Shaq Mason is not new in the sense that he’s a vet and knows Brady’s tendencies, but for a OL to gel – he was new.
January 28th, 2023 at 2:18 pm
@D-Rok
I agree. Just look at the two prior years of o line play for a comparison. I think fans don’t give enough credit to how good that o line was the SB year and even last year. Brady was reading routes long to short the first two years as a Buc, while last year he was back to his Pats days of short first then long.
The reason why teams have gone to mobile quarterbacks is it is extremely difficult to block pass rushers and blitz schemes when the D knows exactly where the qb is going to be and it’s hard to find 7-8 really good o line man. You hope to have 4 or 5 and pray for health. We had one of, if not the healthiest O lines prior to last season. With Brady you need a better than average o line for Super Bowl level success. It’s not a knock on Brady, it’s a fact of who he is more so now then when he was younger and willing to take the pounding.
Look at the struggles Mahomes had against us in the Super Bowl. The KC o line was beat up and Mahomes was hobbled. The Bucs D made them look terrible.
I’m not putting all the blame on the o line, I do think the offensive coaching was too basic, and like most others have said, I would have run 60-70 percent play action until you stop me by dropping your safetys and linebackers to depth, than when your back peddling expecting pass I’d run, draws or quick counters. Start creeping up again and I’d go over your head. All that said, my neighbor who was a long time high school and college coach always said you can scheme all you want, at the end of the day it’s all about blocking and tackling better than your opponent.
Lastly I really think Brady has become injury adverse and that affected his play with the o line he was given. He knows that any injury would probably mean he’s done. I don’t see him rehabbing for 6 months just so he can play at 46. Again it’s not a slam against Brady, it’s just the reality of being a 45 year old QB. For perspective the average age of the 4 remaining QB’s in the playoffs is 25 years old. Mahomes is the old guy at 27…..
January 28th, 2023 at 2:18 pm
Brady had the quickest release in the league with no time to throw. I’m sure he had less than a full second to throw in most games than the past two seasons.
Bucs have a lot of work to do to get better in the trenches this offseason. They should draft a premier OL with their first pick this year and Edge rusher with their second. DB’s and corners can be found later.
Also, looks like the Monken now has options. He was interviewed by Baltimore too. Unless the Glazers tell him he can take over the team if Todd fails… I know what decision I’d make.
January 28th, 2023 at 2:19 pm
Gotbbucs, it’s not a cop out to blame the line. How did Mahomes look in the superbowl against us? All QBs need a line. It doesn’t matter if you’re a statue or Steve Young. The bucs line ranked near the bottom in both pass and run block win rate. It starts and ends in the trenches. If you control the line of scrimmage, your offense will succeed. Goff is no great QB. But he had the best line in football. Defenses also played strictly coverage against the bucs. No QB threw into coverage more than Brady. 7+ defenders on more drop backs than anyone.
January 28th, 2023 at 2:22 pm
NCal, 100% agreed.
January 28th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
Guess the OL was calling runs up the middle most plays as well
January 28th, 2023 at 2:25 pm
You can’t possibly grade the OL a B- when BOTH pass and run offense stunk it up. There’s a common thread there.
Play calling is one thing–a major thing–but we have pro athletes who can make something out of nothing at least a few times a game. But, that’s only when they have some help with blocking.
January 28th, 2023 at 2:28 pm
PJ Walker had the quickest release 2.38 vs second place Tom 2.42 so I imagine Panthers o-line was worse. If Brady don’t sign Walker may be an experienced option he will probably think hes got all day to throw with our o-line. HAHAHA
January 28th, 2023 at 2:38 pm
@theghost
Go look at Next Gen Stats charts for 4nette and White. They were not mostly up the middle runs. Also, while you’re at it, look up Miles Sanders and Saquon Barkley charts: those are mostly up the middle runs.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:01 pm
Everyone complains about Brady’s lack of scoring points when only 7 QB’s in the league had more td’s. And other than Mahomes 41, Burrows 35 and Allen 35, Smith 30 the rest were under 30 td’s and Brady had 25 and sat 3qtrs in Atl game. Roger’s 26, Hebert 25, Goff & Cousins 29, Hurst 26. The difference is they scored rushing TD’s making their game point totals higher.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
Sorry Hurts has 22, Lawrence 25.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
New englands coaches suck without Tom Brady on their team btw
January 28th, 2023 at 3:10 pm
Every time I looked, it seemed like the Bucs were punting.
I couldn’t go the bathroom, for fear of missing a 3 and out.
There aren’t many secrets in coaching, except good football players.
Usually, the team with the best football players win.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:18 pm
beanblo, most men fantasize about money, women, fast cars, in your case it’s Trask some day being a probowl QB or even taking a starting NFL snap. Sad but true. Go buy a scratch ticket your odds would be better.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:18 pm
I am 75% sure that “Dubcity” is Byron Leftwich posting. Just read this post over and over again and you will come to the same conclusion.
Dubcity Says:
January 28th, 2023 at 11:35 am
Nah… yall fans keep that same energy.. blame it all on the OC… don’t listen to Polian now… I mean Ali Marpet retires, Jensen and Stinnie out for the season, and both tackles played hurt… but who cares about talent right?!?! It’s all about the OC… fans are the absolute worst.. yall think another OC gonna come to the Bucs and the Bucs are gonna be better next year?!?!
Leftwich proved if the line give Brady time, they can be a top 5 offense… he did it… even w Jameis he did it… and fans got Leftwich fired… for who exactly?? Yall think any of these names being floted are better options?
Fans know 2 things.. blame the coach or blame the QB….
And when NFL legends like Kurt Warner or Bill Polian say different… nah they don’t know anything according to yall…
Be prepared to be bad for a few years.. and they gonna blame Bowles for that too… cause fans are such geniuses
January 28th, 2023 at 3:26 pm
Ive lost all respect for Joe. He clearly cannot grade. This line OVERALL deserves no better than a C- and that’s being generous. Of all the lines I have ever seen Brady play with (and that’s all 23) this is the single worst he’s ever had for both running and passing. H3ll they made it to the AFC championship game in ’15 and the Broncos crushed him and they fired the OLine coach the next week. Polian could not be more right.
80forBrady Says:
January 28th, 2023 at 1:25 pm
A B- grade for the O line means (assuing a Bell curve) that the Bucs O line is in the 10th to 14th overall in the NFL.
Are the Joe’s drinking too much Big Storm Bramosa beer? I saw a very below avaerage run game push (wheree did the Bucs rank in rushing Joe?) and a QB hurriedly rushing his throws all season.
Maybe a B- when everyone was healthy but that was only about 2 games last season.
Spot on. Maybe 2 games they got a B-. I would say on rewatch that 12 games they deserve a D- on average… and Cs for the rest…
January 28th, 2023 at 3:32 pm
Wanted 4 humongous OL players and a monster tight end along with a killer RB.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:32 pm
What I think about the o-line execution? I’m all for it.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:38 pm
And guys, c’mon now – we all seem to agree how below average our OL was. But it did NOT have to be this way.
After Jensen then Stinnie went down, as I’ve been stomping about all year, WHY didn’t Licht at least TRY to bring in some O linemen? Even 1??? Something, anything????
So in my opinion, some of the blame falls on JL, too. The talent wasn’t there, and that’s on him to bring in talent. Why he didn’t, we may never know, but I hope there’s a reasonable explanation for lack of action.
JL is a good GM but this was a serious blunder on his part. It’s like he expected the OL to be scout snipers but he issued all of them a blunderbuss with wet powder.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:44 pm
Jack, stop it. Every single coach in this league needs talent to win. You know that. What happened in New England this season was hubris. A DC calling plays and a complete buffoon in Joe judge. I don’t understand your point. If you’re trying to say no other coach could’ve done more with this roster, then you’re crazy. If sean Peyton had coached this team this season, it’s 10 or 11 wins all day.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:45 pm
D-Rok agreed. He was blind to the fact that this was a bad team and needed a jump start. Hoping Gronk and Jensen would show up around week 12 probably. Cant hope in Football, you have to prepare and get some guys in who will make a difference.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:50 pm
Well… they do kinda suck without Brady HEHE! But also, there are at least 20+ OCs out there and 16+ head coaches who would have won no less than 11 games with this 22 Bucs group simply because of motivation, matchups, and adjustments. And almost all the rest would have done no worse. And yes. Payton would have won a minimum of 11 I think. But the bigger issue is they may have only won 10 say… but they would have fought hard and been a tough team with heart. Not a team that quits at the first sign of adversity. ME13 literally said that’s what happened and we all saw it happen again and again.
Thats coaching!
January 28th, 2023 at 3:53 pm
Redeemer Says:
January 28th, 2023 at 3:44 pm
“If sean Peyton had coached this team this season, it’s 10 or 11 wins all day.”
Bro, about 10 other coaches could have squeezed at least 3 more wins outta this team last year. Heck, maybe 4, when one factors in all the HORRENDOUS game-plans, retard*d play-calling, and in-game adjustments slower than that of a 100-year-old tortoise on Valium and Mad Dog 20/20.
January 28th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Agreed, LastDance.
January 28th, 2023 at 4:13 pm
There are 31 other HC’s that would not have taken the ball out of Brady’s hands in Cleveland
January 28th, 2023 at 7:10 pm
FACT: Tom Brady was sacked fewer times than 26 other NFL QB’s. Yeah it was his quick release that made Brady produce that stat not the OL.
FACT: Donovan Smith was injured virtually the entire season. He tried to play through it especially when the backup went down. But hey lets lay this on DS not TB12 who walks on water.
FACT: Tristan Wirfs was also injured for several games.
FACT; The interior of the OL was decimated by retirments and injuries!!!
FACT: Brady used to be a stud who was counted on to convert 4th or essential 3rd and shorts with a QB dive. He did that ONCE this season opting to turn and hand it to a running back who was hit in the backfield when Brady could have normally converted these simple short yardage yard or less conversions.
Brady has become a fragile porcelin doll that even changes the plays called from a normally easily converted QB dive to a handoff that gives the D a chance to hit a gap and nail the RB in the backfield.
FACT: Brady had an inordinate and UNUSUAL for Brady HORRIBLE PASSES. Balls that were overthrown, underthrown, thrown behind guys or as in the playoff right into the DB’s hands in the freaking end zone.
FACTS do not lie nor do our eyes unless we WANT them to.
January 28th, 2023 at 9:03 pm
I would Have been in favor of the execution of our offensive line this year, as they were really bad! Karen Rogers would’ve walked half way thru the season.
January 28th, 2023 at 9:20 pm
B-?? Hell Joe, at best a D.
January 28th, 2023 at 9:23 pm
“Polian pointed to the Giants have poor receivers and good pass protection, and the Bucs being the opposite.” Polian is right about the OL, absolutely and generally correct. However, he is a bit charitable about the Buc’s receiving corps.
Godwin was hurt. Evans has never been good with Brady, and this season, he mentally checked out of a lot of games and physically slowed down. Gage was hurt. Gronk, gone. Otton, just a rookie. So, not a lot of reliable weapons. I think Brady was saddled with the worst of everything. And worst of all, the coaching.
Few if any great QBs living or dead would have thrived under such circumstances.
January 28th, 2023 at 10:06 pm
stpete, you’re mixing fact with fiction and opinion. Nice try. Clever in fact. It doesn’t change the real facts. Let me tell you again. Next gen stats says Brady had the combined WORST LINE IN FOOTBALL. They ranked in the bottom 5 for both run and pass block win rate. That means the defense is getting behind the line of scrimmage at an alarming rate. No QB threw into coverage more than Brady this season. Next gen says 7+ defenders more than any QB. Those are facts, not opinions my friend. Josh Allen is sitting home too. His team couldn’t run the ball either. Does that mean he sucks? You people have lost it. You’d rather throw Brady under the bus for something that wasn’t his fault, instead of laying the blame where it belongs. The GM, BA and a horrible staff.
January 28th, 2023 at 10:18 pm
When your running game is sideways passes to Godwin, And you can’t stretch the middle of the field, it’s simple arithmetic. I don’t care if you have Mahomes, Allen, Montana, young and Jesus Christ all combined in the same body. Failure is inevitable. This game is about 11 guys dictating to the defense. When it’s the other way around, it doesn’t matter if Jerry rice and Randy Moss are your recievers. Have you people watched the playoffs?
January 28th, 2023 at 10:56 pm
Redeemer and D-Rok — props to you both.
Next time I get a call from that woman who likes her back shaved I’m giving you lads first dibs.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:13 pm
Plus they were last in play action percentage around 15%. Bradys qbr was first among qbs using play action. Couldn’t use play action cause the running game was so awful.
January 28th, 2023 at 11:14 pm
Donovan Smith is the worst LT in the league. We need to cut him, save 10 million ion cap, and draft a true franchise LT with our 19th pick. Then, we can focus on other needs. If I was Brady I’d make this an absolute requirement before agreeing to re sign.
January 29th, 2023 at 3:42 am
More national media morons who don’t actually watch the games telling us what the issues were.
Well, dummy, he’s the issue, why the yards per attempt was way down…
No risk it, no biscuit = out
0.3 yards WR screens = in
That’s all it was, Leftwich being an idiot and calling the same plays over and over and over again. When you’re just throwing 1 yard passes to Godwin, it’s good for his catch total, but terrible for his yards per catch and Brady’s yards per attempt. And those were designed plays, that was the only target, it’s not like Brady was checking it down.
January 29th, 2023 at 1:34 pm
Bad coaching, OL injuries, sporadic TE production, a suddenly slow WR corp and a distracted QB who turned to self-preservation. That sums it up.