Can’t Blame The Defense
October 22nd, 2023
Thirteen tackles on Sunday.
Warren Sapp would sort of be happy.
Remember when he played and the Bucs offense was prehistoric? Run, run, run and run some more and try your best not to let Trent Dilfer throw the ball? Very 1960s.
Sapp, the Bucs great defensive tackle and Pro Football Hall of Famer used to say, “Just give us 17.” The defense would take care of the rest.
Today, the Bucs only scored 13. But the defense held Atlanta to 16 points, enough for Sapp and his teammates to drink to victory. Unfortunately, the Bucs offense now is so bad, Dilfer seems like an upgrade.
The defense is not the problem, guys. The defense is actually saving the Bucs’ bacon. Consider the three red zone fumbles the Bucs forced from Dixie Chicks’ dismal quarterback Desmond Ridder. That hasn’t happened in 45 years.
And still the Bucs’ offense could not take advantage. Unreal!
The Bucs so far this year have allowed 104 points through six games. That’s fifth in the NFL. The Bucs have allowed 17.3 points a game so far, the best start for the defense since Chucky coached his final season (2008).
Also, the Dixie Chicks averaged 4.1 yards a carry on 38 carries. That’s the lowest yards-per-carry by Atlanta with at least 38 carries since 2012.
The problem is the offense, and Joe is more convinced than ever it’s the philosophy of running the ball come hell or high water.
Pretty soon, with that continued stubbornness, the Bucs will be in deep sh!t.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:08 pm
Blame the whole team. Collectively suck. All of them.
Who cares now anyway. Season is over.
Start writing about the draft.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:13 pm
JOE YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! THE SMOOTH TALKING OC WAS A QB COACH NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS!! IS HE BETTER THROUGH 6 GAMES?
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:16 pm
Umm allowing big plays and the one Mcullem and LVD got burned on with 49 seconds left. Defense got gashed and just imagine if their starter was playing 😂
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:19 pm
“The Bucs so far this year have allowed 104 points through six games. That’s fifth in the NFL. The Bucs have allowed 17.3 points a game so far, the best start for the defense since Chucky coached his final season (2008).”
Our defense is going to have to stop teams from scoring double digits because Dave Canales sorry as offense can only score 18 points on a good day!
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:22 pm
Agreed JOE. Can they be pourers at times for sure but they kept us in the game the whole time. That last drive doesn’t mean spit if the offense does its job. Now the offense did a better job of sustaining drives and keeping the D off the field as much as it was the past 2 games. They gotta score and I don’t mean field goals
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:22 pm
I hope they lose every game from here on out then pick the worst QB of the bunch and suck for the next 5 years like with Winston.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:22 pm
Today I have to think Canales is way over his head. Today proved this team is really bad. I definitely will not defend Bowles again.. 2 of the best receivers in the game and he still try’s to run every other play.. Bowles is so stubborn it will cost him his job. The going for it on 4 th down in the first quarter was really dumb
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:24 pm
Atlanta averages 16.5 points per game, that means the D played pretty much the average.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:24 pm
They’ll blame everything but the journeyman who couldn’t see or hit the broadside of a freshly painted barn.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:26 pm
The problem joe is the bucs do not take advantage of anything. Our defense gives up 3rd and long I’d say 90% of the time. The turnover is more on Desmond vs us having a good defense. We’re simply lucky Atlanta isn’t good. Bad teams do bad things. Our corners don’t tackle or cover. Jamal dean is worthless. Cd 24 is trash too.
Replace the entire interior o line, both corners, devin white, the coaches, and the qb. Another words, we suck
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:26 pm
Trade three players fill in the blank…. I’ll start with baker Mayfield to the jets? Then fire Todd bowels.. and try for a new QB next year
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:27 pm
The D kept them in the game but they could have done more. Falcons QB is garbage and they should have been in press coverage all game. 400 yards is still bad. Saying all of that, no way they get the blame today. Canales seat should be hot. Now that teams have film on what he’s doing, he has to change it up and call some knee plays. Running on 3rd and 1 was just plain stupid and he 100% knew better. He promised adjustments and we haven’t seen them really the last 3 games. He better get on er.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:28 pm
I’m actually the one to blame for my disappointment here! Before the season began I expected very little, in fact I expected them to be bad. Then they came out & played well & I got sucked right in. Fools Gold! This team is what it is. We are lacking the talent & the coaching be anything more than what we are, a lower tiered team who was hoping beyond hope that we might strike gold with Baker or perhaps Trask. Hoping that miraculously our running game would improve inspite
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:29 pm
THE OFFENSE FREAKIN SUCKS ARSE!
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:29 pm
And so will Bowles. And the new coach will want his own OC.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:31 pm
The first thing we heard was Mayfield is here because Bowles needs wins to keep his job.
So what is going to happen after the Bucs get creamed by Buffalo?
3 losses in a row and 4 out of 5 sinking to 3-4? What then huh?
This game against Buffalo is Baker’s Waterloo. He’s got to show he can throw for 3 bills and multiple TDs vs a quality team. That’s what it takes to win in the NFL.
Or else what’s the reason for starting Mayfield? Huh? Someone want to fill us in? The guy was here to stack wins – but he’s not stacking wins. Ok so now what?
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:32 pm
Baker blew this game. They were driving deep into Atlanta’s territory with a chance to tie it up. He had an easy outlet pass to Rashad White with tons of space where he could have easily gotten good yardage and at least a first down. Instead he threw an unnecessary high risk throw that was intercepted.
That interception right there cost them minimum three points and probably the game.
As much as he has been making Mike Evans look like a superstar once again he sometimes overlooks his way as well at the expense of Godwin and some of the other receivers
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:32 pm
Please don’t tell me we have another HC that is stubborn enough to run it up the gut
The Bucs had to fire Dungy to win a Super Bowl.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:32 pm
It never was about Bowles wanting to stack wins enough to keep his job. It was always about Bowles putting his stamp on this team and making it about him being the HC and not just a stand-in for Arians.
Trask is a Licht-Arians QB. Tall prototype guy they thought could pick up some things from Brady and attack from the pocket on an offensive minded team.
Bowles doesn’t want that. He wants his offense to compliment his defense. He wants to manage TOP so he can keep his guys fresh. He wants old school conservative football – 3 yards and pile of dust with just enough passing mixed in to keep things honest.
Funny thing now is the opposite of what Bowles intended game script is happening. Without playing with a lead the intensity on defense is dialed up and these guys get gassed and give the game away late – usually involving Neal getting toasted somehow.
This is not what this team is. Its not a road grater pound the rock team where you can run out some wiley scrambler QB to checkdown on 3rd and manageable and dominate on defense. This isn’t that squad. I love nostalgia as much as the next guy, but Mike Alstott isn’t walking through that door. Warren Sapp is doing podcast interviews these days.
This is a high flying WR rich squad that’s going to get you a lead and then blitz the eff out of you. That’s what this team is – so the right move is to strap up the 6’5″ prototype and start slinging the rock around to your big play receivers.
Its not about who’s got the locker room – the moment Trask lights up that scoreboard he’s going to get the locker room. these guys want to win. We all want them to win.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:33 pm
This game was the eyes opener.
What we have seen is the reality and for me it is just a mediocre team.
As we have seen, Offensive
1.- Offensive Line is Good pass Protector and bad running the ball. They do not have the ferocity.
2.- There are not any Talented Running Back.
3.- QB has skills, but he just can’t read the field and his WRs.
4.- OC cannot read the game and Adjust. He stays with his Planned game and get stuck. I cannot see any special here. All the opponents’ DCs are winning the strategy.
DEFENSIVE:
1.- No Pass Rush. Everybody got stuck in the line of scrimmage
2.- Stop the run is now a dream. Everybody get blocked as a kid. no vision
3.- Defensive Backs get confused constantly in the covers. A lot of completed passes in the last two games.
MY Recognition to Lavonte David and Winfield Jr.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:35 pm
The defense has been good-. Toilet Bowl defended Baker last week when the whole world did not . Why ? He knows he has to or he will go down with him as the coach who hired Baker .
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:36 pm
Bucs defense is giving up an average of 17 points per game. I am pretty sure that is what this putrid offense is putting up per game.
This offense is a hot mess and it is week 7!!! This is bad
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:38 pm
The interior of the offensive line gets zero push, yet we keep trying to hammer the ball to the middle. We chased Boron out of town and into permanent unemployment and yet this is still what we do?!?! Is Canales actually running the offense? If he is, he is just as moronic as the Boron we just fired. This team needs to pass pass pass to Godwin and Evans and when we run follow Wirfs. This team is quickly becoming a joke.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:40 pm
Bucs only ran the ball 16 times… hard to win with 9 penalties, 3 sacks, and 2 turnovers. But ATL rammed the ball down TB’s throat for over 150 yards… that kind of rushing yards usually leads to a W. Also, Bucs D couldn’t stop ATL from driving down the field with 45 seconds on the clock to get a FG. In Sapps day, you WANTED the D on the field with under 2 minutes.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:41 pm
When an NFL defense only gives up 16 points, the team has to win. If not, then one has to look at the QB, the OC and the scheme.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:47 pm
David I don’t get it – this team won the super bowl being a passing team that gets a lead and then blitzes the daylights out of you.
The checkdown scramble QB is the wrong guy for this personnel.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:48 pm
Just wait til it clicks…..LMAO
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:49 pm
Question Joe and Bucs fans. When Harbaugh Choose to stay at Michigan last year did he sign a big time contract
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:50 pm
The same D that had a qb worse than baker only have 5 incompletions? And their 1st round rb not even play? Atlanta ain’t a high powered offense we got turnovers by luck in the red zone. We were fortunate to only give up 16. Defense was a huge part of why we lost
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:51 pm
Baker was hired for 4 million bucks to fill a roster spot, NOT to be the savior of our Bucs. Bucs had only one QB on the roster, Trask, with no game experience. Light stated many times the Bucs were going to play on the cheap this year, payoff the superbowl cap, sign a lot of young players, dump a lot of retreads and be ready next year to enter the QB sweepstakes. Win a few games along the way thats gravy. I believe Jasons plan is to get your new QB, head coach and staff next year. (fingers crossed)
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:56 pm
Well for the most part the defense has been god but not all the time. Ryan Neal needs to be damn released I am tired of watching people run by him and him out of position. The guy has no clue what he is doing. Damn Winfield is covering for him at this point with all the splash plays.
October 22nd, 2023 at 7:58 pm
Joe … ‘The problem is the offense, and Joe is more convinced than ever it’s the philosophy of running the ball come hell or high water. Pretty soon, with that continued stubbornness, the Bucs will be in deep sh!t.’
So in 65 offensive plays, we ran it 20 times, passed it 42 times & Baker was sacked 3 times. Run-pass percentage: 30.8% . In our 3 wins we averaged very close to 50%, so I’m not sure that ‘running the ball come he11 or high water’ is really our biggest problem right now. Running the ball poorly however is a strong contender (we’re only averaging 3.0 yds/rushing attempt).
Mayfield was 27-of-42 (64.3%) for 275 yards & 1 TD today. His average thus far this season is 65.4%, so he’s right in the ballpark. Unfortunately, he spends too much time dinking & dunking (we’re only averaging 6.3 yds/pass attempt).
With this type of offense, you can’t score TDs unless you can sustain drives with a lot of plays. We’re obviously incapable of doing that on a consistent basis. Far too many wasted 1st & 2nd down plays are killing drives, even though our 42% 3rd down efficiency is not all that bad (too many 3rd-and-longs).
Baker’s not helping the problem (tipped balls, too many checkdowns, etc), but the bigger problem seems to be with our offensive scheme. Guys aren’t getting open, and Mayfield isn’t able to compensate far too often. He did in several of the earlier games (rollouts, etc), but not nearly as much lately. If he’s gonna stay close to the pocket, I’d personally rather see Trask in there. He seemed to have a better tough for the intermediate throws.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:09 pm
AMEN! DEFENSE IS GOOD. OFFENSE IS TERRIBLE
but … THE OFFENSE ACTUALLY GOT WORSE!!!!
No balanced attached today. They threw the ball 2-1. 42 passes to 20 runs. Licht/Bowles obviously told Canales, “We need a win. Throw the ball. Score points!” They tried and they failed. Where does the team go from here? Yikes.
Watch Bowles face during the presser. Never seen him that mad. It’s bad. It’s really bad.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:20 pm
DR, you neglected to say Mayfield also had an incredibly costly interception as well.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:22 pm
No pass rush, unable so stop the run and after all this time his veterans are still having trouble playing zone. Don’t want to blame the defense that’s fine, blame the below average one dimensional head coach.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:26 pm
You should never have Baker throwing over 40 times a game, and in particular if you are only going to score under 20 pts. The run game needs to be fixed. Move R.White to WR, and start looking for guys on the street that want to run the ball. May have to look into moving 69 and 70 out of the lineup after Thursday.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:29 pm
Joe, I guess you’re not a numbers guy, they average 16.5 points a game, Atlanta’s offense is worst than the Bucs. That is a fact. Sorry I don’t agree with you.Bucs D played to the average.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:33 pm
If Winfield had not made 2 miraculous plays at the Bucs 1 yard line today the Bucs would have lost by 17 points or so.
Don’t just look at 16 points and think the defense played well as they were just average.
Falcons moved the ball quite well
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:33 pm
Canales needs to get it through his big fat head that he has a bunch of receivers including White and Otton. Use the so-called running game as a decoy. Bucs get a strong lead, the #### refs will back off. Man, Bowles wasn’t the only one pissed. I was, too. D and ST had good games. If Canales will kindly open up the O, Bucs will win. It sure ain’t rocket science, and I’m listening on radio!
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:33 pm
The problem is the offense, and Joe is more convinced than ever it’s the philosophy of running the ball come hell or high water.
———
I completely agree with this Joe.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:38 pm
156 yards rushing against isn’t the defense doing its job.
Ryan Neal letting receivers run wild isn’t either.
Team Loss – offense, defense and ESPECIALLY coaching.
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:42 pm
Yes we can blame some of the loss on the Defense. Where was the pass rush all game?
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:52 pm
Defense rules,
Do you listen to canales?
He’s explained in detail many Times how the offense is supposed to work.
Throwing underneath (ding and dunk) is the scheme! Baker has one read then check down by design on most plays. You can see by the drop depth which plays are short and which are reads to progressions.
6.6 is low , add a single yd and it’s top 10 in the league. Context in stats matters ! As does scheme and play design . You can’t divine everything by using post game stats!
October 22nd, 2023 at 8:53 pm
Nothing but hot air coming out of 1 Buc Place – it’s a disaster
Looks just like last year but no we have Batted Baker and not the GOAT, so no 4 miracle comeback wins this year
Six wins max with Todd and Baker, just like everyone in the country predicted
How could you watch the past month of this garbage and not be completely convinced this team flat out sucks with Todd pulling the strings
October 22nd, 2023 at 9:01 pm
3 turnovers. 0 points from turnovers. End of story.
October 22nd, 2023 at 9:08 pm
Need a taller qb’.
October 22nd, 2023 at 9:18 pm
D1 … ‘Throwing underneath (ding and dunk) is the scheme! Baker has one read then check down by design on most plays. You can see by the drop depth which plays are short and which are reads to progressions.’
And that’s what I’m saying is a problem with our offense. If 1 play fails (let’s say a run on 1st down only gets 1 yd or if we get a penalty), then it becomes very difficult for this scheme to compensate, especially against good defenses. Bucs’ offense scored 7 TDs in our 3 wins (against OK to meh defenses), but only 2 TDs in our 3 losses (against pretty good defenses). We’re having trouble sustaining drives.
October 22nd, 2023 at 9:27 pm
Oline is the root of all evil here. Not ready to throw Baker under the bus just yet, but he needs to be more mobile, audible more and for God’s sake take what the defense gives him. As far as Canales, he has gone down hill fast. Terrible play caller. Btw 17 seconds with 3 timeouts. Bowles is an idiot. No excuses. The guy is a total door stop.
October 22nd, 2023 at 10:07 pm
Sure they helped hold the score down. But once again they could not get their own ass off the field. Allowed Altanta to use their run game and passing game. By the way. How about that Secondary? Other than Winfield? They Suck! So that kept our offense off the field.
Want to know where to save cap room next year? Look at the secondary.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:03 pm
Bucs D is Charmin soft.
They got pushed around all day.
Ridder was sloppy.
ATL should scored 30+ points.
Fools gold. Buffalo is going to make us hurt.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:55 pm
We gave up scores first drive of the game and last drive of the game. But it’s not on the defense?
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:43 am
I’ve been saying it all training camp Kyle Trask out played Baker Mayfield but most of yall on here where so anti Kyle Trask now look. Baker Mayfield is on his 4th team in 6 years for a reason but a lot y’all like Wyoming and others couldn’t understand that Baker Mayfield is not a good quarterback. He’s only starting because of his popularity not because he earned the starting job. But Joe and the rest of y’all were so anti Kyle Trask and pro Baker Mayfield and I knew Baker Mayfield would play like this. It’s Kyle Trask time now if we are going to lose it’s best to do it with a young quarterback than a old below average quarterback.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:51 am
The Defense had some big plays, but really had no answer for Atlanta’s mediocre offense. They drove the ball at will up and down the field.
October 23rd, 2023 at 5:16 am
I’m starting to agree that it’s Trask time. It’s time we got to see just why he wasn’t made starter this year despite being with the organisation for 3 years. It’s time to show that he’s not an NFL calibre QB. Let’s get it over with and move on.
October 23rd, 2023 at 5:48 am
Bowels neutered Mayfield and Canelas.Everybody knows our running game sucks, except for do nothing Jason and Bowles who is trying to put a square peg in a round hole. At the start of the season it sure looked different than it does now, it looks like Leftwich never left. I blame Todd Bowels, it’s got his m.o. all over it
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:37 pm
The Defense isn’t the problem- but allowing Falcons to drive for winning FG in 40 seconds is bad-and minus the 3 fumbles by Ridder, Bucs probably lose by 20