Not So Cardiac Bucs
June 25th, 2024
Offense not clutch late.
Well, this is rather disturbing.
When Joe first read these stats from handicapper turned stathead Warren Sharp, Joe thought this was really good for the Bucs. Per Sharp, only three other teams this decade have won more games when trailing after three quarters. Cool, right?
Wrong!
It wasn’t totally awful when Tom Brady was behind center for Todd Bowles, but simply put, under former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales, the Bucs offense was terrible playing from behind after three quarters.
In the past 34 regular season games, the Bucs have trailed after three quarters 18 times. They’ve won just three. Yes, the Bucs are 3-15 the past two years when trailing after three quarters.
Worse: The Bucs were 0-7 last year when trailing after three quarters.
That, boys and girls, is a fundamental problem. With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rachaad White and, to a lesser extent, Cade Otton in the passing game, Canales couldn’t find a way to rally for a win in the fourth quarter? Not once?
Talk about sad.
To be fair to the Bucs defense, only once did the Bucs blow a lead after three quarters last season, and that was at Houston.
Surely new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen can do better than last year’s ugly results.
In 2022, the Bucs trailed after three quarters 11 times in the regular season which is horrifying with Brady at quarterback. No wonder Byron Leftwich cannot find work. You had Brady at quarterback, Evans and Godwin at receiver and trailed after three quarters 11 times in one year? How?
(Might have helped if they could have scored a touchdown or two on the opening drive.)
Three times in 2022 Brady rallied the Bucs to a win when trailing after three (home games against New Orleans, Los Angeles and Carolina).
The Bucs also won two road games in 2022 (at Arizona and New Orleans) with the game tied after three.
games won DESPITE losing thru 3 quarters (since 2000)
15 – PIT
14
13
12
11
10 – KC
9
8 – MIN
7 – TB, WAS, PHI, LAC, DET
6 – IND, CHI, SEA, BAL, NYG, NYJ, CIN
5 – CLE, TEN, DEN, MIA, LAR, LV, JAX
4 – ATL
3 – SF, BUF, GB, ARI, DAL, NE, HOU
2 – NO, CAR— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 24, 2024
June 25th, 2024 at 5:51 am
Well. We’re better than most, it would appear
June 25th, 2024 at 6:18 am
Joe … ‘With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rachaad White and, to a lesser extent, Cade Otton in the passing game, Canales couldn’t find a way to rally for a win in the fourth quarter? Not once?’
I’m just curious why Brady gets 4 mentions in that piece, but Baker’s name isn’t even mentioned once. Couldn’t y’all have substituted Baker’s name for Canales’ in that ‘couldn’t find a way to rally for a win in the 4th quarter’?
BTW according to Pro-Football-Reference, Baker actually did pretty good with 4th quarter comebacks in his first 3 years: 6 total. Not so good in his last 3 years though: 2 total.
June 25th, 2024 at 7:32 am
Baker had two late comebacks last season that I recall, defense lost them both
June 25th, 2024 at 8:58 am
It’s the QB, not the OC. Baker is not clutch, especially when it mattered against Detroit.
June 25th, 2024 at 9:02 am
Leading and trying to hold on induces a greater cardiac event for me than attempting a 4th quarter comeback. The latter is more “exciting and hopeful” than “oh jeez, we’re gunna give this one away.”
June 25th, 2024 at 9:29 am
If this stat is for real, what does it matter. I think it is not real. Wins since 2000. I could believe it, if it was from 2020 and on.
June 25th, 2024 at 9:35 am
Sharp explains in a response that he meant 2020
June 25th, 2024 at 9:35 am
The Bucs seem to be the comeback kids at times. It’s a cardiac event for all of us in the 3rd and 4th quarters!
Agree with Leighroy – We all get excited and then start stressing out that we may give it away!
June 25th, 2024 at 9:56 am
Seems like a huge difference in head coaching styles. Arians no risk it no biscuit and Bowles’s more conservative approach wanting to run the ball and control the clock. The conservative approach will almost always keep the game close with fewer points scored across the board.
June 25th, 2024 at 10:26 am
Not if he has similar results to what he had with the Rams.
Those stats you posted yesterday were U-G-L-Y!
June 25th, 2024 at 11:33 am
Joe is confident he was quite clear in the story who was the offensive coordinator in 2022 and who was the offensive coordinator in 2023.
June 25th, 2024 at 11:34 am
Joe pointed that out as well.
June 25th, 2024 at 11:35 am
“Keeping the game close” = keeping your opponent in the game.
June 25th, 2024 at 11:48 am
The trailing part has always pissed me off. Hopefully, Liam will change things up and try to score as many points as possible as fast as possible. I never understood opening up the offense once we are trailing. Get ahead and step on the gas should be our motivation, period.
June 25th, 2024 at 12:15 pm
#AsToddEvolves
#AsRichardDevolves
This year will be different, Todd is making the changes.
June 25th, 2024 at 12:24 pm
Ding, ding, ding, ding!
Teams with a passing attack that includes Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rachaad White should never trail after three quarters as much as the Bucs did the past two years.
June 25th, 2024 at 12:30 pm
Buccaneers reg season W-L history : 308 W 450 L 41 % win rate
Doug Williams 33-33
Tony Dungy 54-42
Tom Brady 32-18
total 119-93 56 % win rate
Everybody Else 189-357 35 % win rate
Jason Licht :
with Brady 32-18. 64 % win rate
without Brady 43-70. 38 % win rate
any questions ?
oh yeah I forgot : Jason Licht
is the best GM in NFL history
better than Rich McKay
June 25th, 2024 at 12:58 pm
“Teams with a passing attack that includes Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rachaad White should never trail after three quarters as much as the Bucs did the past two years.”
We scored a total of 3 first quarter TDs all season and bore the consequences of that embarrassing scoring output.
June 25th, 2024 at 1:21 pm
“Sorry Joe won’t write boring stories that chase off readers about the second-string practice squad defensive tackle from East Cornfield State who will make people forget about Aaron Donald.”
You don’t think talking about guys like Judge Culpepper, Tyrek Funderburke, Elijah Klein, 27 yr old rookie Berlin Behemoth Lorentz Metz, Rashad Wisdom, Marcus Banks or any of the other super interesting role player candidates wont be well received? Some like knowing about these guys so when “next man up” time comes you know a little something about the guy.
June 25th, 2024 at 2:07 pm
They don’t move the needle, sorry. Joe has 16 years of evidence. Joe always writes about what interests him and through 16 years it has resonated with the majority of Bucs fans.
June 25th, 2024 at 2:33 pm
Joe-
You are the one who sees what interests people through your metrics. So obviously you are going to write about things that interest the most people. This is a business. And yes there are other alternatives for the people who don’t agree. Obviously you are doing a great job as I am sure that yours is the biggest Bucs fan site. So carry on my good man ahem men.
June 25th, 2024 at 10:17 pm
Personally, I think what matters more is the reason we were behind.