Is Running The Smart Way To Attack The Eagles?
September 24th, 2023
Establish the run.
Joe knows Bucs coach Todd Bowles likes to run the ball. Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales likes to run, too. Against the Eagles, that seems to be playing right into their hands.
The Eagles are nearly as good as the Bucs defending the run, allowing an average of 3.4 yards a carry, seventh-best in the league (the Bucs are No. 6 averaging 3.3 yards a carry).
It sure seems Canales has no desire to establish the pass.
“The challenge for me is to maintain the discipline of, ‘Stick with it, it will work,’” Canales said. “We’ve played some great fronts over the years in Seattle and the games where – even if it’s a little bit hard early on, you’ve got to stick with the balance and the rhythm of the way you call the plays – trying to be balanced on first-and-10, second-and-different situations.”
Well, Seattle historically had and has better backs. The Bucs’ run game is just blah at best. Joe just cannot bank on a guy (Rachaad White) who has one good game and one OK game in 20. White having a good game is more accident than design.
Sean Tucker hasn’t proven a thing yet. (Keyword: yet).
Joe has more faith in Sneak Vaughn than White. Yeah, Joe typed that.
“Having the run-pass balance is really critical” Canales said Friday. “Then, it’s really more about the type of runs that we’ll get into, as far as the number of, so to speak.
“What they would love for you to do, just like the [San Francisco 49ers], they’d love for you [to be like], ‘Ah, we’ve just got to drop back and pass it.’ That’s a really good rush front. So, being disciplined and stick with it.”
Joe gets what Canales is saying. Don’t panic. Don’t let the Eagles’ impressive and deep defensive line pin their ears back.
Joe is much more of a matchup guy than a philosophy guy. Strengths vs. weakness.
The Eagles have through two games demonstrated they are vulnerable to the pass. They have proven they are damn tough on the ground.
If the Bucs had a better run game, Joe would be more open to ground and pound. The Bucs are much better through the air and have a pair of the NFL’s best weapons.
The trick is, do you trust Baker Mayfield to pass early and often?
September 24th, 2023 at 8:15 am
The Eagles are strong up the middle, I think the Bucs will attack the edges with the run game, make those big guys run.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:16 am
I trust Baker more than our running game that’s for sure.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:21 am
How can Joe have more faith in Vaughn? How many good games has he had? I don’t see it at all, but it’s your site.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Give Sneak one more chance then get a RB.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Hard to get hopes up when we could be down so many defensive starters. Not having Vea, White or Davis is depressing.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:37 am
The run game sucks primarily because the oline cannot consistently get any push up front. Will be no different or better this week. Blaming it all on nothing special running backs is essentially just scapegoating because you are in denial of how inept the oline is at moving anyone.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:59 am
Piggybacking what RagingBrisket said. Yep only Superstar backs can produce without a solid OL. The right side of the Bucs line is simply trying to learn their positions and keep defenders out of the backfield. Hopefully some push will come later as the entirely new unit begins to find some chemistry. A rookie RG and for all intents and purposes RT deserve a little time to find their groove,
What I’m missing is getting Raschad open with more swing passes and screens. I realize screens may come later because they require more sophistication from the OL. But toss him the rock. He’s been targeted 7 times in two games he’s caught all seven. He has great hands and is a good open field runner.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:59 am
It’s either that of Baker spends the night on his back.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:59 am
When White breaks out a big game Joe Will suddenly love him and forget he talked sh!t about him.
Kinda like what he did with ROJO.
BTW, Rachaad had over 100 yards from scrimmage last week.
September 24th, 2023 at 9:02 am
RagingBrisket Says:
September 24th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Hard to get hopes up when we could be down so many defensive starters. Not having Vea, White or Davis is depressing.
———————–
How do you know all 3 will miss tomorrow night’s game? Where did Bowles say that?
September 24th, 2023 at 9:02 am
Funny, I just read one of their blogs that said “with confidence” that our defense is “nothing special” and our secondary is a JOKE.
They seem pretty cocky! I’d say unjustifiably sure of themselves. From what I hear they haven’t exactly been blowing doors off… their games have been no stronger than ours and we’re basically in a brand new system so I’m calling it close to even.
I’m thinking that they just might have another thing coming… We WILL see!
September 24th, 2023 at 9:04 am
I see alot of passes going to Ko Kieft
September 24th, 2023 at 9:06 am
I would be happy if they use the “score more than the Iggles” kind of offense and win.
September 24th, 2023 at 9:09 am
And to me they seem to have a Super Bowl hangover and I think they are over estimating themselves. Their QB hasn’t been lighting anything up either. The Vikings almost had their number really no different than our game against them. In fact WE had a better game against the Vikes is how I see it.
I have a feeling that they are riding too high and haven’t EARNED ANYTHING this year. It IS TIME FOR A HUMBLING!
I say we SLAP THEM INTO NEXT WEEK!
GO BUCS!
September 24th, 2023 at 9:16 am
If anyone underestimates the iggles, that makes no sense, they are legit, versus the Bucs who are a scrappy bunch looking for respect. Can the Bucs win, sure, but they better play another clean game as far as turnovers.
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 24th, 2023 at 9:21 am
If you have not prepared , mentally and physically , to play , “ next man up” football, then you haven’t really prepared for the real world! The same can be said for an offense , teams that can effectively attack with either a ground or air attack , are the hardest to defend against , ( even if they prefer to use one over the other), and they are the teams that make it the farthest , one trick ponies don’t work well, but IMHO, I think we have the studs that can do either , if called upon , We will see.
September 24th, 2023 at 9:22 am
The ONE THING I want to see from our Offense is PISS and VINEGAR! How about instead of slapping them back, HOW ABOUT WE SLAP THEM FIRST!
And I’m hoping that Canales is just trying to be “for the most part” misleading when he says we’re just gonna run it 50 50 if that formula isn’t working NOR our strength! I’m “hoping” he’s smarter than that and has the whatever works best thought process going on. Including stunts. Sure we can run it. BUT WE BETTER DARN WELL BE CREATIVE or we are just begging to be slapped around. Their run defense is certainly as strong as ours so LETS NOT BE DAFT! Let’s be creative….
I DO WANT THEIR ARSES HANDED TO THEM!
O and they are BEGGING US TO JUST TRY AND RUN ON THEM AND TREATING IT AS IF Leftwich is STILL RUNNING THINGS! The Blog doesn’t seem to understand that WE ARE NOT THE SAME TEAM AS LAST YEAR! The disrespect is REAL! HOW ABOUT A WAKEUP CALL FOR THE ARSE CLOWNS! IT’S TIME THEY GET SLAPPED TO THE BACK OF THE BUS!
September 24th, 2023 at 9:30 am
One Last Thing,
They HAVE NOT played against a team as STRONG AS US EITHER! I just want to REMIND EVERYBODY of that FACT!
WE PUNCH BACK! AND IF CANALES IS SMART, WE PUNCH FIRST! And WE DON’T LET UP FOR EVEN ONE SECOND!
Well, that’s how it better go or … oops 😁
September 24th, 2023 at 9:31 am
I am already watching college games for the next back the Bucs ought to draft, unless one of those three can change my mind and I hope they do
September 24th, 2023 at 9:31 am
Oralbuc heard refs will be wearing green & silver Monday night.
September 24th, 2023 at 9:34 am
Obvious you don’t believe the Patriots are as stronge as the Bucs, they played the 3rd and 4th ranked teams in the league to one score. You played two of the worst teams.
September 24th, 2023 at 9:57 am
Joe has more faith in Sneak Vaughn than White. Yeah, Joe typed that.
Here we go….Joe trolling us again……he surely can’t believe this…..puts forth no evidence…or his reasons…
Vaughn was relegated to 4th string and not activated on game days for a reason.
At least White usually gets some positive yardage……..
September 24th, 2023 at 9:59 am
This a new offense right. He was a rookie last yr right. New line in front of him right who has to “gel” right ijs
September 24th, 2023 at 10:15 am
Really, it’s helpful to be ABLE to run. Key word ABLE. If the Eagles show a commitment to stopping the run and they’re missing a few pieces in their secondary we should look to pass first and run when they offer the better chance for running. Even our screens seem poorly designed. Other teams have blockers out in front of their screens. We never do. We can pass downfield pretty damn well. Why not do what we are good at?
The Eagles, on the other hand, CAN run the ball effectively. As long as we can stop that from happening I like our passing game a heck of a lot better than theirs
September 24th, 2023 at 10:17 am
Just don’t come up with a Byron leftwich game plan. 5 run plays and 60 pass plays but to the secondary is banged up. That front won’t give baker much time though
September 24th, 2023 at 10:21 am
And Yet NE FAN still gets up early to comment on the bucs.. why are you so infatuated with the bucs.. Shouldn’t be be on the patriots fan site?
September 24th, 2023 at 10:33 am
Ne fan 3rd and 4th ranked teams? Uhhh this is not college ohhhh and GTFOH! Your team Sucks and you are a waste of life.
September 24th, 2023 at 10:33 am
Wish is was you that fish fan got.
September 24th, 2023 at 10:36 am
I expect an emphasis on a short passing game to com0l8 ent the running attack.
September 24th, 2023 at 11:02 am
Mike C have you ever heard of Power Rankings?
September 24th, 2023 at 11:03 am
The Joe that loves Vaughn: “EDMONDS ONLY HAD 250 RUSHING YARDS LAST YEAR!!!!!!!”
The same Joe (I think): “Vaughn has potential”. Vaughn had 50 some yards rushing last year, about a fifth of what Edmonds had.
September 24th, 2023 at 11:07 am
DoooshLaRue Says
“When White breaks out a big game Joe Will suddenly love him and forget he talked sh!t about him.”
You mean…like everyone else here does about every player?
September 24th, 2023 at 11:13 am
Trap game. And I almost fell into it.
This game is going to be a true test for our OC…and Baker Mayfield will make it harder.
Running will be next to impossible, and the Eagles will bring the hammer against Mayfield, forcing him into making mistakes.
I would LOVE to win this game. Is it actually possible? I guess we shall see.
September 24th, 2023 at 11:31 am
ROJO could be signed for minimum and he would immediately add the home run threat that Bucs simply do not have at RB. If signing a player makes your roster stronger and you can do it financially(Bucs Can), then you sign that player PERIOD.
September 24th, 2023 at 11:36 am
Eagles DC from last year is now the HC in Arizona. Be careful what you wish for.
New DC has one year experience with the Bears in 2021. That year I believe the Bucs won 38-3 with a good rushing day and so so passing.
Although it does not mean squat in 2023 it is his first year with a new team as is Canales. First two weeks could have involved some dumb luck or could be a sign of things to come. In both cases things will Gel, go to Hell, or be just OK in Week 3. Just another thing that makes me think that it is going to be an evenly matched game. Might not be pretty but am sure both will welcome the W.
I’ve read predictions on both sides. One Writer wrote a page on all the reasons why Tampa is the Better Team, made a good argument, and at the end predicted Bucs as His best bet. If you scroll down a little further it had his record at 8-8-1. If that was at the top I could have just flipped a coin.
Historically Home Team getting Points on Monday Night is a good bet Against the Spread. I doubt one fan would be glad Bucs covered with a two point loss.
September 24th, 2023 at 12:16 pm
TampaBayBucsFanSince1976 Says:
September 24th, 2023 at 11:31 am
ROJO could be signed for minimum and he would immediately add the home run threat that Bucs simply do not have at RB. If signing a player makes your roster stronger and you can do it financially(Bucs Can), then you sign that player PERIOD.
^^^^^^
One problem with this scenario…Ronald Jones is terrible.
September 24th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
ROJO is a better runner than anyone currently on Bucs roster and the data bears this out – so preesh Joe in Michi- STOP.
September 24th, 2023 at 1:14 pm
Lots of talent on this team. Defense is stout, offense playing turnover free, a win against Iggles is highly possible if they stay with their game and don’t lose focus. Following week, Aints have a good D but Derek Carr is botom shelf, very winnable.
And NE fan is just tired of having the Mac attack..Kraft’s Mac and nothing is going nowhere in a hurry. I heard Steve Grogan was still available. Jim Plunkett would come off the couch for the right price.
Sad when all you have is memories
September 24th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
Go back to 2021 (last time Bucs played the Eagles in regular season). We beat them 28-22. Close score, BUT … Bucs dominated the stats that game.
o TOP: Bucs 40 – Eagles 20
o Turnovers: Bucs 1 – Eagles 1
o Total yards: Bucs 399 – Eagles 213
o Rushing: Bucs 31 runs for 102 yds (3.3 YPC) – Eagles 19 runs for 100 yds (5.3 YPC)
o Passing: Bucs 34 of 42 (81.0%) for 297 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT – Eagles 12 of 26 (38.5%) for 115 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT.
o 3rd/4th Down Conversions: Bucs 7-of-14 (50.0%) – Eagles 4-of-11 (36.4%).
What screwed us up the most in that game IMO was penalties. Bucs had 7 for 120 yds while the Eagles had only 4 for 41 yds. And ours were very costly to boot.
Eagles 2022 & 2023 teams are obviously better than they were in 2021, but they’re still beatable IF we play sound football. Bucs 24 Eagles 20.
September 24th, 2023 at 1:44 pm
We need to have decent first-down plays and stay ahead of the chains. Short, safer passes on first down might be our best bet. I’m concerned our O line will struggle and have a lot of holding penalties and put us behind the chains. I see Canales has been coaching Baker to stay patient, and that’s key to preventing interceptions. I hope we get off to a fast start and get the lead. Coming from behind could take us out of a balanced offensive attack and expose our marginally good pass-blocking.
I hope our RB’s are a little more patient. It seems they are coached to hit the designed hole hard and often miss better holes, especially on the backside. For me, White’s a little stronger at the line and Sneak is better in the open. If Tucker is more patient, he can have a big game.
September 24th, 2023 at 2:11 pm
TampaBayBucsFanSince1976 Says:
September 24th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
ROJO is a better runner than anyone currently on Bucs roster and the data bears this out – so preesh Joe in Michi- STOP.
^^^^^^
What data are you talking about? Please share.
Is Ronald Jones on an NFL team? No? Why is that?
September 24th, 2023 at 2:14 pm
There’s more to being an NFL Running Back than being a “runner”. You know, stuff like pass catching, pass protection, ball security, not running out of bounds before you get a 1st Down, and most importantly, NOT POUTING. Ronald Jones struggled with ALL OF THESE.
September 24th, 2023 at 2:28 pm
DR, AB had a huge game when they played the Eagles.
September 24th, 2023 at 5:07 pm
Scotty in Fat Antonio Says:
I see alot of passes going to Ko Kieft
^^^^^
Underrated, very funny, comment only people who watch the games would appreciate. Well done.
September 24th, 2023 at 8:56 pm
Isn’t ROjO on the Cowboys, serving a PED suspension
September 24th, 2023 at 11:39 pm
Good HCs and OCs exploit weaknesses and turn the other teams strengths against them. I think Canales knows this. But What are our strengths?
Two All Pro WRs and a third who is a burner. Decent TE room. Tucker is a threat in space unlike White. The pass might be the ticket.
I would love for Canales to stretch the field and make Philly run those big guys from edge to edge the whole game. Run up the middle…not so much.
Go Bucs!
September 25th, 2023 at 12:06 am
No they cut Rojo
September 25th, 2023 at 2:13 am
Running the ball doesn’t mean not passing the ball. Canales has spelled it out, we need to be balanced. You want that defense to be rested and fresh by eating up clock and winning the time of possession. The Bucs have passed the ball well and will attempt to do so against the iggles. We have a pretty WR core and a pretty bad RB core so I understand the argument but we need both the running and the pass game to beat these chumps. Hopefully this spark we have found will catch fire and a player or 2 on offense will blow up like Mike did last week.
I have no faith in Vaughn. He couldn’t beat out a rookie UDFA. I however am glad he will be given a shot and I hope he takes advantage of it but more than anything I hope White continues to improve and has a 100yd game. That would feel almost like a miracle.