Who Pulled The Plug On The Offense?
October 4th, 2024
Joe smells meddling.
Just a hunch. Pure speculation. But it sure seems like someone not named Liam Coen pulled the plug on the Bucs’ offense tonight.
Coaches cannot be blamed for Bucky Irving’s critical fumble at the Falcons’ 25 yard line with 2:55 remaining and the Bucs driving. However, what happened after that?
The Bucs got the ball back and went full-blown turtle. First, they handed off on first down to Rachaad White, which essentially represents the offense’s worst option. What’s wrong with a quick receiver screen to Chris Godwin or Mike Evans? Or something more to the guys each making $20 million-plus and having good nights?
Then Atlanta calls timeout after a three-yard loss. Do the Bucs drop back to pass and try to end the game to one of their top playmakers? Nope. It’s a handoff to the guy that just fumbled. (The missed face mask is another story.)
Then it’s 3rd-and-25 and the Bucs need yards for field goal range. So where were the stud receivers? The Bucs threw a screen pass to White that was dead before it started. It clearly was the first option.
It’s possible Coen got nervous, but he expressly said in past weeks that he would keep his foot on the gas unless ordered otherwise.
So did someone order Code Turtle?
October 4th, 2024 at 12:13 am
TENNESSEE READY!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
October 4th, 2024 at 12:13 am
Bad coaching…..that’s it!!!!
October 4th, 2024 at 12:14 am
Most likely Bowles.. he likes to be conservative when he’s up. Also his terrible zone scheme.. is outdated. Cousins was picking apart that zone all game.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:15 am
Inexcusable.
You rode Baker’s arm to a lead and 30 points just to take the ball out of his hands in the final 15 minutes??
You’re not a power running team. You had a decent night on the ground but that’s not what got you here. Let you QB win you the game, he shown you enough.
You play “not to lose” and you lose. You’re going to win games this year on the backs of your 2 stud receivers and the arm of Baker Mayfield. Your QB was on all night. You let him win you the game, especially when you know your defense cannot get a stop.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:15 am
In the words of Hyman Roth ” who gave the order”
October 4th, 2024 at 12:16 am
The middle of the offensive line pulled the plug on the offense in the 2nd half.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:18 am
@Waterboy BINGO! You got it right. 57% pressure rate in the second half and Baker got sacked awkwardly on his plant leg. That’s exactly why.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:19 am
While there is no proof, the offense turning turtle in the second half sounds very Todd Bowles.
I can’t wait until the Bucs get rid of him. Good DC, horrible HC.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:20 am
Smells like a conservative defensive minded head coach type thing….
October 4th, 2024 at 12:21 am
The problem was they abandoned the idea of getting it out of Mayfield hands quickly. They started holding onto the ball too long in trb second half which led to baker being hit more and bad things happening
October 4th, 2024 at 12:21 am
you can blame coaching for handing to sucky with game on the line . how many times has white ever fumbled?
October 4th, 2024 at 12:21 am
Hey the good news is we’ll learn from this. It’s still early. Cousins threw it 58 times. Baker threw it 24 times and only 6 passes in the second half. Scoring 6 points in the second half of a game like this we didn’t deserve to win. A 7 point halftime lead is nothing. We could have scored 40 points easy in regulation. Liam and Baker – Fix It!!
October 4th, 2024 at 12:23 am
Way too much talent on this team to beat by Cousins. How sad is that???? Cousins, who has been playing like garbage all year, their O playing like garbage all year and they run into a D mastermind like Lovie and make him look like Marino reincarnated. What a joke
October 4th, 2024 at 12:26 am
46-60
Everyone knows what happened.
Leftwich, Canales, Cohen… all three turtle when the game in hanging in the balance? No, they all listened to their boss.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:29 am
Seen this show to many times. Where the defense looks great one game and then terrible. How much longer are we going to have to deal with inept coaching from Bowles.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:29 am
I’m normally quick to bash Bowles for getting conservative, but you guys are forgetting the fact, the Bucs, with under 3 minutes, were moving the ball at will, it was over, then Bucky fumbled.
Then the defense got the Falcons off the field, 4-and-out.
Then the Bucs got the ball back, running out the clock, which is the proper move – and the refs literally changed the outcome of the game by not calling a blatant facemask while also calling a phantom holding call. That’s a 25-yard swing and a 1st down, the game is over.
Stop with this crap about you’re supposed to not only win the game missing half your roster, but you’re also supposed to beat the refs.
The Bucs were clearly the better team, and they had a win stolen from them. That should be the outcome, that should fuel them for the rest of the season. Losing because you got outcoached, the other team was better, people can live with that and get over, but losing because someone else determined the outcome of the game, that should stick with the team and p-ss them off for the rest of the season and fuel their hatred for everyone, and show that no lead is safe, it can be stolen at any moment.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:30 am
Joes, please ask Bowels if he did call “Code Turtle” in his next presser. This had to be Bowels overriding the OC.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:34 am
Rod Munch, problem is that the Bucs may be better than the ATL but the Bucs org has chosen to wear those awful creamsicle monstrosities fir the revenge match. The Bucs have won one game in those throwback unis, either against Green Bay or the Fins in a night game when they were winless. Every other time they have worn those things they have lost. However, you are right, the refs hosed the Bucs but whomever called the tutle prevent offense did cost the Bucs the game whether it was Bowels or Coen…..
October 4th, 2024 at 12:39 am
Didn’t go for the win, played to not lose.
October 4th, 2024 at 1:26 am
I figured the Bucs would win, my bad. That face mask call was the game. I thought ATL would choke, especially when they slowly sauntered to the line not once but twice in OT, yet Cousins managed to spike the ball with a second left.
The Bucs are the better team, they should have won. Not a big deal over a 17 game season… BUT what I dread is that it gives ATL confidence and momentum. I project ATL to be a very good tram late in the season and a serious problem next season… but tonight’s loss gives them confidence and serious momentum.
October 4th, 2024 at 2:03 am
That’s why the Bucs don’t get the respect they deserve. Owners of the team, if you want to win get coaches that want to win. A minute and a half all you need is a first down …game over. You tell us, was it a thrown game or what.
October 4th, 2024 at 2:05 am
That’s why the Bucs don’t get the respect they deserve. Owners of the team, if you want to win get coaches that want to win. A minute and a half all you need is a first down …game over. You tell us, was it a thrown game or what. Win if you’re going to win if jot forfeit the season.
October 4th, 2024 at 4:05 am
This one is obvious Joe! Of course he did!!
Look at this:
– same OC, 3 years with Bruce Arians, record breaking offensive numbers. Todd takes over and they average below 20 point…. Same OC, Tom Brady as QB
– last year, new OC, offense looked strangely like the last year of the previous OC. Same difficulty in scoring 20 points, same conservative concept
– This year, new OC: first game looked good, then in game 2 we played conservative and in game 3 we looked like the offense of the previous 2 years. Last game, as reaction to the embarrassing display against the Broncos, we opened up the offense and scored. Today, first half, the same. Second half, with a lead, we went to the same old rotten offense again.
Coincidence? I don’t believe that 2+ seasons of such consistent evidence is coincidence. This is the result of a strategy to play offense in a certain way….
October 4th, 2024 at 5:36 am
‘Joe smells meddling. It’s possible Coen got nervous, but he expressly said in past weeks that he would keep his foot on the gas unless ordered otherwise. So did someone order Code Turtle?’
Pure speculation is right Joe. How can anyone believe that Bowles would want to put that game into the hands of the defense after the Thanksgiving carving that Cousins did on the Bucs defense? That game was destined to end up in a last-man-standing shootout, and the Bucs took the opportunity to shoot themselves instead of hunting Falcons. We LOST the game, as opposed to Atlanta winning the game.
And BTW, the Bucs’ defense was decimated BEFORE the game (look at who was on the 2 Oct injury report & who practiced LP vs FP this week), and it only got worse & worse as the night went on. Britt had ZERO right to be out there last night, and Cousins feasted on the middle of the turkey all night long. There’s no adjusting when you’re weak in the middle.
October 4th, 2024 at 7:12 am
It’s a fireable offense
If it’s the analytics team then they are idiots
If it’s Coen it’s bad offense and he shouldn’t be making those macro calls
If it’s Bowles it’s a bad decision that he’s never learned from
All of the above are fireable. It comes down to Bowles being the same guy he’s always been. He’s going to cost you multiple games a year on his own
October 4th, 2024 at 7:55 am
Bowles gutless there. Been saying it all night. Bowles time management is piss.poor. Gotta be more creative there. Go win the game, 10 yards away. If anything, why didnt bowles call TO after the falcons called it to see what defense they were in and talk to Coen about calling a good play. This blows my mind. Just pure lazyness.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:51 am
Prevent Defense. Prevent Offense. Playing not to lose makes you lose. This is on Todd. He choked.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:52 am
IF White breaks a tackle then everybody is calling Coen/Bowles heroes this morning!!!
Atlanta is NOT as bad as some here wish to believe. The freaking NFC South is not as weak as the “large market” experts in the NFC East want everybody to believe.
We’re about to find that out a week from Sunday in N.O. That will be a very difficult game!!! IF Winfield and Kancey and Goeddeke are all back I’d feel more comfortable. But what are the odds? I’ve given up on Goeddeke because concussions are a wild card, but Kancey may yet make it back and so will Winfield, but in time for N.O.?
October 4th, 2024 at 1:22 pm
Bowles is not going to change…..
October 4th, 2024 at 9:40 pm
I’m sorry but the defense got obliterated. 500+ passing yards is just inexcusable. Bowles is outdated and so is his scheme.