Sacks Are Drive-Killers (Revisted)
September 26th, 2024
Defensively, it’s all about sacks.
Joe has pointed out (more than once) how sacks are drive-killers. The statistical evidence is overwhelming.
And now we have statistical evidence of how the Bucs, when they suffer a sack, may as well save the wear-and-tear on their bodies and punt. Because it’s over.
Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis details how bad it hurts the Bucs to take a sack.
The Buccaneers are averaging 3.05 points per drive without a sack (3rd) compared to 0.55 points per drive when sacked (24th).
The best example of this came in the Bucs’ loss to the Broncos. To start the second half, down 20-7, the Bucs had promising drives on their first two possessions, reaching midfield both times.
And both times, with a decent shot to turn the game into a one-score game, Baker Mayfield got sacked. Punt team, get ready!
Hribar also shared that through two games of the NFL season, teams that took a sack scored on the same drive about 6 percent of the time. Six percent!
That’s dreadful.
Of course, the Bucs are looking for their first defensive sack since Week 1. when the Bucs were able to put Jayden Daniels on the ground twice.
September 26th, 2024 at 4:06 am
Hopefully Goedeke is back in the Line up along with Vea. Where the hell is Kancey at??? Is there no timetable for his return yet?
September 26th, 2024 at 4:53 am
F Callijah Kancey. He’s a bum.
September 26th, 2024 at 6:10 am
BucU: I’m sure you’re a very important person, calling people bums on JBF. 🙄
September 26th, 2024 at 6:47 am
So instead of trying to find a way to sack the QB Bowles is looking for a better punter! He said yesterday our punter needs to be more consistent. Never mind our starting edge rushers have one sack in 3 games! Todd light a fire under JTS, and Yaya’s butt instead of looking for more hang time!
September 26th, 2024 at 7:35 am
Hodad … I’m surprised at your last line there because you know much more about football than I do. If it was as simple as just the HC lighting a fire under our OLB butts I’m sure that Bowles would’ve done that a looong time ago (and we’d still have Shaq).
To Todd every game is a chess match, and all the pieces work together (and depend upon each other). Bucs don’t have the dominant superstar OLBs (like Detroit’s Hutchinson?) who can take over a game (and dominate). But it’s pretty much the same at every position IMO; Bucs have solid performers who typically play very nicely together. But when we’re missing several starters & backups fill in, we have problems.
In the case of our OLBs, they NEED the interior DLine to create ‘pressure & disruption’ for them to be able to do their thing from the outside. And usually our blitzers NEED the same help from the interior DLine. Without Vea (and yes Kancey) to provide that ‘pressure & disruption’ we’ve got major issues on defense, just like every other NFL team would. Hard to scheme around bad play on the field.
September 26th, 2024 at 7:38 am
Good post Defense Rules. Of course, some fans want the backups to be as good as the starters.
September 26th, 2024 at 8:09 am
It’s much harder to get sacks when your team is playing from behind like this past week. Teams can be more conservative with the ball when they are up by 14 early in the game. At the same time, it’s way easier to get sacks when the other team is forced to pass to play catch up.
September 26th, 2024 at 8:47 am
That’s what kills me, Todd is quick to bring up sacks, and quick to bring up about getting the ball out quicker, but for the most part has stayed silent when it comes to how dreadful his defense has been, made bo look like Peyton manning, can’t tackle, no pass rush, imagine if baker had the time to throw that bo was getting. It was just pitiful all across the board, but Todd won’t blame the defense he will keep choosing to blame the offense
September 26th, 2024 at 9:35 am
Defense, I’ll tell you how to light a fire in your players. If I’m Bowles I take YaYa into my office one, on one. I show him his reps against a rookie backup tackle he couldn’t beat once. I tell him Braswell gets the start this week. I tell him when you come off the bench win your job back! If you can’t, the street isn’t far from the bench. I’d do the same with Mauch. Here you are getting beat on back, to back plays almost getting Baker killed. We’re going to give Klein a shot. That’s how you light a fire in your players. They’ve been taking their starting jobs for granted, they’re becoming comfortable with losing, and not paying a price with their starting jobs. That’s what I think needs to be done. You can agree, or disagree, what matters really is what is Todd’s take on this?
September 26th, 2024 at 9:44 am
Another reason to clean house n bring is new upper management
September 26th, 2024 at 10:00 am
It’s sad that the Bucs d line has more offside and encroachment penalties than sacks.
Let that sink in.
September 26th, 2024 at 10:11 am
Todd only has 2 years remaining on his deal. Bill Belichick is circling out their like the the great white shark in jaws, I can hear the music. It would not surprise me if Bowles team falls short this season the Glazers go shark hunting. They got Gruden when Dungy did better then Bowles. Something to think about.
September 26th, 2024 at 10:25 am
Hopefully Vea and Calijah “Calfman” Kancey are back soon. We desperately need those 2 so our edges can start feasting.
September 26th, 2024 at 10:40 am
Hodad … ‘They’ve been taking their starting jobs for granted, they’re becoming comfortable with losing, and not paying a price with their starting jobs.’
I understand where you’re coming from Hodad, but we’ve only lost 1 game this season. We need to at least see them against the Eagles before telling them that they’re getting comfortable with losing. Personally I think the Denver game was a much-needed wake-up call (the Detroit game should’ve been, but ‘unfortunately’ we won despite getting trounced in the stats (defense did rise to the occasion though).
High quality pass rushing guys like Hutchinson, the Bosa brothers, the Watts brothers are picked high in Rnd 1 for a reason as you well know: they’re VERY talented. Other teams must game-plan against them or pay the price; they can take over a game if you don’t Guys like Diaby & Braswell are talented, but not THAT talented; they depend on pressure from elsewhere IMO to create favorable situations that they can take advantage of. Right now we’re not getting that. The bigger issue IMO is with our interior DLine.
Last year we had 9 sacks after 3 games, but 6 of them came against the Bears in Game 2. Bears gave up 13 sacks in their first 3 games, and 50 on the season. It apparently took awhile for them to figure out that sacks were a bad thing (slow learners?). For us it was ‘right time, right place’.
After 4 games last season we were 3-1. We sacked opposing QBs 12 times in those 4 games, and took only 4 sacks. Bucs’ offense only made 3 giveaways versus our defense creating 10 takeaways. We were on a roll; that’s how you win games.
But then the wheels came off, and we lost 6 of our next 7 games. Bucs’ offense took 22 sacks in those 7 games, but our defense still sacked opposing QBs 19 times. Our offense gave it away 9 times, but our defense created 7 takeaways to partially counter-balance that.
We weren’t nearly as ‘opportunistic’ as we had been in those first 4 games. And it showed in our record. Personally I think our performance on the field is a reflection of our guys in the trenches on both offense & defense more than it is anything else. And until Vea & Kancey & Goedeke make it back, we’re hurting.
September 26th, 2024 at 11:32 am
It’s to bad we didn’t replace our two horrible guards. We might have been a contender this year.
Instead, we will allow 2 horrible players to run any chance of winning meaningful games.
One of Mike Evans last seasons. Lavonne David’s last season.
All wasted, because for the third straight season Jason Licht has refuse to properly address the worst running game in the League. It’s the lines fault.
It’s the Lines fault. Specifically our two guards.
I’ve been posting it here since February. Over and over.to the point that it annoyed some of you.
But it’s pretty obvious now. This line can’t Run block. This line can’t pass block.
We wasted Brady’s last year. We could have gone further last year with a decent O Line.
Now this year that line will waste a season- where we actually have elite talent at several positions.
Wasted.wasted. Because for year 3- our GM Jason Licht has refused to improve the worst interior offensive line in the NFL.
This losing season is ENTIRELY THE FAULT OF JASON LICHT.
Yes, we added a great Kid to play Center. He will be a great Center.
But he is terrible so far this season.
That’s normal. He’s a rookie. He’s learning. Huge step from College left tackle to NFL Center. But he’s been really bad.
But not nearly as bad as Mauch and Bredeson.
Neither of them should be playing. We had a full season of tape on him. He was absolutely awful. Never should have signed him. Was ranked as bottom ranked Center/Guard in the league.
Mauch was ranked in 80ties last Season. That was generous.
He hasn’t improved. He’s worse.
And Jason Licht knew this. “…..
And did nothing.
September 26th, 2024 at 11:42 am
We missed our RT they got 7 sacks, they were missing there LT we got no sacks. Can’t make excuses. If your starters aren’t producing, they need to lose their starting jobs. So are you saying because YaYa wasn’t a high first round pick we shouldn’t expect to much, and therefore should keep his starting gig? Braswell was drafted a round earlier, he’s the higher pick give him a shot at starting. He played half the snaps of YaYa but at least got 2 hits on Nix. I’d reward production with a start for Braswell. I’d bench the 3rd rounder who couldn’t beat a rook.
September 26th, 2024 at 11:51 am
It is time to try Klein! Klein and Irving and Hainsey as a third tackle on the right side, if Goedeke can’t go, or at least two tight ends.
Stefanski did that with Baker a lot. It seems like Koetter did that in Tampa, as well.
As for defense, the winds seemed to have shifted back to Tampa 2. Kancey might fit that defense better. Diaby, Nelson, and Ramirez might be better as ends, too.
Lane Kiffen will straighten it out next year!
September 26th, 2024 at 12:16 pm
Nah, the Glazers won’t fool around with Lane Kiffen when Belichick is out there. Licht even worked under Bill, it makes to much sense. All mute if we win, but if Todd does worse then last season, I can see the Glazers going for the big name coach like they did with Gruden. Glazers think this team should be a SB contenter, like they did Dungy’s last year. I would think Bill’s name will top their list if Todd falls on his face.
September 26th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
So in two games your QB is sacked like eight times. We might need to get him a knights chest plate thing if this keeps up. Or them ball things, the ones you get inside 😜 hahaha 🤣😂
Football in 2045🤔🤔🤔 I thought Skuule has been with the Bucs for a couple years man. I’m sorry but that makes me want to ask, don’t y’all got some money to get someone better? Just in case. I mean, if your QB is laying on the ground even after the play we’re going back to the old days again..
September 26th, 2024 at 1:46 pm
Hodad … I’m not at all convinced that YaYa is back even close to 100% yet. He missed most of Preseason, and magically started Game 1. Too many injured guys rush back IMO because they’re afraid of losing their starting position. So ya, if Diaby can’t produce then maybe Braswell needs to slide in as starter to see if that might make a difference.
Of course, thus far both of them have played 3 games. Diaby has 0 sacks, 3 QBKDs & 5 Hurries for a total of 8 ‘pressures’ in 142 def snaps. Braswell has 0 sacks, 2 QBKDs & 0 Hurries for a total of 2 ‘Pressures’ in 66 def snaps. Not impressed with either one of them to date; I was expecting more production from both of them even early in the season. But they’re both young & they’ll improve.
Nelson is the OLB who seems to thrive with limited snaps. Thus far he’s gotten 4 QBKDs & 1 Hurry for a total of 5 ‘pressures’ but that’s in only 78 def snaps so far. The fact that he’s been tagged with 2 Missed Tackles may have something to do with that. Still, Nelly’s best years were 2020 & 2021 when he had relatively few def snaps. He got almost double the snaps in 2022, and his stats fell to about half of what they were. Decent rotational player but not starter caliber apparently.
September 27th, 2024 at 9:46 am
We have a number of “good” young players we hope will develop into bonifide starters. They’re not there yet and shouldn’t really be starters. Some are getting a little complacent. Hodad has it right. Sit there butt on the pine. If they are injured still they should be there anyway. Some of our young guys aren’t so good and never will be. We’re still digging out of dead cap penalties. Too much money paid to players not on the team. We’re substituting second teamers to fill that void. Todd does his best but he is not skilled enough to make up for that disparity. His conservative style may never allow him to compete at the highest levels. He plays it too safe. He’s been a good place holder for whoever they bring in at the end of his deal.
Todd’s afraid to sit those under performers. Doesn’t want the blame for replacing a “starter”. He needs to do it before he loses the guys doing the heavy lifting. The injuries may be a large part of the seemingly low energy. We’re not showing any fire along with too many mistakes. The Philly game will show us a lot about Todd. Can he get them coached up and forget the bad game let down? Will they be fired up? Will he make some changes?
Get it done Todd. Your job and the season on the line. Granted it’s only one game Ina long season.