Controlling The Game With The Run
December 1st, 2023
Pumped over revitalized run game.
Last week in Indianapolis marked a Bucs milestone.
Second-year running back Rachaad White ran for 100 yards for the first time in his young NFL career in the continental-48. And the Bucs had an OK game moving the ball (298 yards of offense).
Yesterday, Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales crowed over White’s second-best career run performance. And Canales strongly suggested White’s success will springboard the whole offense.
“We’re always hoping for those big games [on the ground] to control it from the run game,” Canales said. “It opens up a lot more things for us – play actions and some of the screens and things that we do there.”
Well, this is a wive’s tale that you need a running game to run play-action. Tons of data is out there for anyone inclined to DuckDuckGo and bang on a keyboard; you can find the stats that show just the quarterback showing the football in a faux handoff buys a quarterback time. Joe is surprised Canales doesn’t seem to know this.
Canales raved about the Bucs’ offensive line, stating have been getting the job done up front for the past month. There is no question that right guard Cody Mauch seems to be settling in as an NFL starter.
Mauch had a fine game against San Francisco, against maybe the best front seven in the game. Mauch followed that up with a solid game against the Colts.
Canales believes White is finally getting comfortable.
“Then Rachaad [White is] trusting what’s happening up front,” Canales said. “I thought it was his best-disciplined run game that he had of the year, in terms of just pressing the runs the right way to force the defense into those combo blocks. That’s where we’re seeing that all come together.”
The Bucs are being held back by what he deemed a “sloppy” passing game, Canales said. While maybe sloppy, the passing agme sure hums better than the Bucs run game.
Look what happened at Indianapolis last Sunday when on the same drive Baker Mayfield kept targeting both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Bucs scored a quick touchdown. That wasn’t an accident.
Want to open up the run game? Start targeting Evans and Godwin a lot more, and then watch defenses turn soft on the run.
Joe has no earthly idea why it is such a mortal sin to use your best players and stay away from an element of your offense so bad (running game) it may cause good people to lose their jobs next month.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:05 am
A great loss.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:16 am
Our running game has controlled a better draft position…..nothing else
December 1st, 2023 at 9:16 am
Blah,blah,blah…talk is cheap and stats are for losers. When will a Canales learn that it is about scoring points any way possible. I don’t care if White gets 1 yard or 100 yards as long as the Bucs win. There are no moral victories in the NFL.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:18 am
The one constant here is Qb play. When your QBs ceiling is average play your going to have a hard time winning games. Even with the 1 in 9 games your offense runs for a hundred yards. When you run that often I would hope you would get 100 most games.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:22 am
Every week Canales and Bowles try to spin their press conference to have us fans believe things are improving, when in fact, everything is disintegrating before our very eyes. Enough with the bs. They should man up and admit they suck and their players suck.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:28 am
The O-line needs to do something more than just block forward for a run game to happen.
They need to use a zone blocking scheme of some sort to vary the pressure on the D-line. Using a TE to break something is all they have done so far. It could work more, but the timing of it being used is suspect.
That second down run by White on the first drive sis not have that helping TE. If you are going to use it, do it where it counts, like at the goal line.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:31 am
That’s all I been saying all year. Throw the ball to our stars. Then the holes in the run game will appear.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:42 am
Canales needs to worry about scoring points, and running the football does not score points. The philosophy of the HC and OC are not working.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:47 am
Kgh I couldn’t agree more. Well said.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:56 am
I’m now in the phase of a “Buc fan who doesn’t care anymore this season.”
Crappy, uninspired foosball orchestrated by terrible coaching will do that to you.
I now watch games expecting failure and terrible football, knowing the result is another loss followed by lame excuses.
“We keep working hard” has become another Dungy-esque “we just weren’t in sync.”
I look forward to “Black Monday,” wholesale roster changes, the draft, and new hope for my beloved team.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:58 am
You would almost think that we won the game the way Canales is glowing over it. I guess when you are on a losing streak like this you have to settle for moral victories
December 1st, 2023 at 10:15 am
Evans and Godwin were targeted 16 times and 9 passes were completed vs Colts- that’s 7 incompletions (no gain and loss of down) plus 1 interception when Mayfield forced it to Evans under triple coverage.
The other receivers combined caught 11 of 14 targets- the opponents are focusing on defending Evans and Godwin.
If anything, Mayfield needs to target the short pass open receiver more often and then he’ll have less sacks, less turnovers and the Offense will move the ball more.
December 1st, 2023 at 10:21 am
This whole coaching staff is clueless. Canales is beginning is getting to be one of the worst. Fire all of them and start over
December 1st, 2023 at 10:30 am
Dave Canales speaks and the Vegas line of the Bucs Panthers moves toward the Panthers. Ditto for the money-line. Canares is talking about trying to run, probably the one thing the Panthers can stop. Throw the ****ing ball Dave. Insane Dave! Get to 19 or 20 and you are likely to win unless your O gives the Panthers free points on numerous turnovers.
Bucs must win Sunday, yet I feel like I am back in 1987 to 1990 or so with the Bucs playing at the old Sombrero wondering if the Perkins led 2-8 Bucs can beat the 2-8 Packers or Lions as we are favored for the first time since we played those clubs at home last time…. The difference is now the whole NFC South bites, back then the NFC Norris had decent clubs in Chicago and Minneapolis, while the Bucs, Lions and Packers were bottom feeders…….
December 1st, 2023 at 10:35 am
White did indeed have a fine day. BFD! We still lost a game we should have won.
Maybe he can do it again Sunday. It won’t help unless we score more points than them.
December 1st, 2023 at 10:46 am
Maybe if he has a couple more games like last week.
December 1st, 2023 at 10:58 am
It really is head-scratching to try to understand why Evans and Godwin aren’t being targeted more frequently. They are, literally, our “bread and butter”!
The way our defense has been struggling, it has never been more important to maintain TOP. An effective running game will take some pressure off. Lets hope that last week’s performance continues to progress.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:00 am
My Quess is Mr. Chipper (Canales), also has his bags packed. He and Bowles will share jokes and coffee after their firings.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:02 am
Yay, more positivity from our team motivational speaker- I mean, offensive coordinator.
@Alanbucsfan – the vast majority of Mayfields passes are already checkdowns for short yardage. It doesn’t open up anything, except more opportunities for the opponents to get the ball back when we fail to convert on 3rd and 7.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:11 am
The Bucs should’ve hired Todd Monken. Canales was the wrong choice and should go with Bowles after we lose to Carolina.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:27 am
I dont really have an issue with our offense I expected us to struggle a little bit. I am pretty pissed about the defense though,. Todd Bowles defense is letting us down its that simple. Games like the Texans game or letting the colts score 27 just cant happen period.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:31 am
Todd Monken loved Mayfield when they were at Cleveland in 2018 during Baker’s rookie season. Monken should have been named the HC in 2019. I believe that would have saved Mayfield in 2019 by adding stability to his maturing process. But typical of the Browns, they hired someone with no head coaching experience.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:39 am
WyomingJoe Says:
December 1st, 2023 at 11:31 am
Todd Monken loved Mayfield when they were at Cleveland in 2018 during Baker’s rookie season. Monken should have been named the HC in 2019. I believe that would have saved Mayfield in 2019 by adding stability to his maturing process. But typical of the Browns, they hired someone with no head coaching experience.
^^^^
Doesn’t Todd Monken also have no head coaching experience at the NFL level? You sound like a hypocrite
December 1st, 2023 at 11:41 am
Unbelievable-
I’m just saying that Mayfield tends to hold the ball too long waiting for Evans and Godwin to get open when he has other receivers open for shorter passes and that this leads to him getting sacked and fumbling. – take what the opponents’ D is giving you.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:43 am
Conner50: Monken also had the Baltimore job on the table (and others in most likelihood). Can not blame the dude for picking Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson over Bowels and Baker job security comes to mind. Many were amazed Bowels did not get launched with Leftwich after last year’s epic fail.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:47 am
Yeah, I think it’s cuz he can’t see over the offensive and defensive lineman half the time. There’s been a lot of plays where he’s not even seeing or looking towards open receivers, whether it’s Evans, Godwin or anyone else. And the truth is Trey Palmer and the other guys have dropped a lot of passes themselves as well when targeted.
December 1st, 2023 at 11:50 am
This article should be named “Controlling the Loss with the Run” or maybe “Losing Closer with the Run.”
Todd.
December 1st, 2023 at 2:34 pm
It was freaking Indy!!! They are ranked 23rd and give up over 5 yds per play. Bucs are now ranked 27th how the mighty have fallen under Bowles. Look back at Joe’s previous post with Bowles D rankings as a HC both Bucs & Jets. His predecessors hand him a top ranked D and within one season he tanks them. How is this guy a good DC?
December 1st, 2023 at 2:51 pm
FortMyersDave….
Money talks bs walks, could have gotten Monken if they really wanted him I’m sure but oh well. Gotta start over with HC anyhow
December 1st, 2023 at 5:11 pm
They forgot the golden rule – no matter what, you have to have more points that the other team to win….
We don’t play to win, we play to be “in it”
December 1st, 2023 at 5:17 pm
What is Canales rambling about? RW had a 100 yd game and this team still lost. These coaches know they are done come the end of the season. He is just auditioning for his next gig. I bet he goea back to Seattle next year.
December 1st, 2023 at 9:10 pm
Control what? What great running game? There has been no smashmouth established this season at all, not with this bunch of average backs and this deficient OL. Slow mo Rachaad had an average day with one long run off of a broken play. Nothing special about it, or him.