Five Things
November 11th, 2024
49ers TE George Kittle hauls in one of his four passes Sunday. (Photo courtesy 49ers.com.)
Such a depressing game yesterday. Let’s get to it before the coffee grows cold.
Injuries Finally Caught Up With Bucs
No team can survive the following injuries to its offense:
Lose a Pro Bowl receiver.
Lose an All-Pro tackle.
Lose a future Hall of Fame receiver.
And that’s just on offense. Those injuries, along with preseason No. 3 receiver Jalen McMillan, were brutally obvious yesterday.
Mike Evans and Chirs Godwin, of course, were lost in the home debacle against the Crows. Wirfs went down in the first half yesterday. For two games, the Bucs and offensive coordinator Liam Coen did a really nice job of wading through the muck of not having a starting receiver.
That all caught up with them yesterday. When Wirfs went down, to make sure Nick Bosa didn’t go nuts, the Bucs were forced to throw two-yard passes. Maybe. In short, the Bucs offense was neutered.
How so? Of the 29 pass attempts Mayfield had, only four were completed to wide receivers. It’s kind of hard to play offense with a hand tied behind your back.
But it wasn’t just offense. On defense, the Bucs were without three starters in the secondary. When Zyon McCullom went down with a hamstring, he joined Jamel Dean and Tykee Smith on the sidelines.
However, Joe thinks the 49ers scored on the final drive more because teams have figured out the Bucs defense, but clearly it did not help playing so many backups.
It was only a matter of time before all those injuries caught up with the team.
Sunday was that day.
Why Not Use Bucky Irving?
A few weeks ago when Sean Tucker had a breakout game against the slimy Saints, the Bucs said they would devote a series to each of their three running backs and then ride the hot hand.
Who had a hotter hand at running back yesterday than Bucky Irving? So who got touches on the Bucs’ final drive where a touchdown may have won the game? It wasn’t Bucky Irving.
No, it was Rachaad White.
Now Joe sort of gets it. With Wirfs out, the Bucs needed help blocking. White, the Bucs believe, is a better blocker than Irving. And he is a better pass catcher.
So Joe gets why White was on the field. However, the Bucs didn’t use him right. On first-and-goal, the Bucs had White run twice between the tackles. That’s not his forte. At all.
If White was your preferred option, why not run him outside? Or throw him the ball outside. He’s got the moves outside the hashmarks to make guys miss.
And if you were going to run, you sure as hell didn’t need White (or Irving) to block. So why not have your best running back on the field, Irving?
Poor use of personnel there.
Liam Coen Finally Had A Less Than Ideal Game
Joe has been a big proponent of offensive coordinator Liam Coen. He’s done a wonderful job, especially in light of all the injuries. He’s found ways to highlight guys’ skills, like Cade Otton.
But Coen finally had a less-than-ideal game yesterday. Yes, he had his hands tied somewhat with Wirfs’ injury. Still, what was that in the Bucs’ final drive?
White for two runs and then a failed pass to Rakim Jarrett? Really? Those were the best options on your playsheet?
If the Bucs were going to run the ball, Coen absolutely should have had Irving out there and not White. Huge miscalculation.
Coen has been the bright spot for the Bucs each week, it seems. He’s now proven to be human.
Defense Needs Help But Offense Doesn’t Have The Juice
Joe doesn’t think there is any question Bucs coach Todd Bowles trusts his defense way, way too much.
This isn’t his defense of 2020 or even 2021. This is a bad defense. And a depleted defense. Bowles has now been burned three times in the past six games and twice in the past week by banking on his defense to get one last stop.
The defense barfed on itself each time.
One way to help the defense is to score, preferably more points, preferably first (yesterday, the Bucs fell to 0-5 this season when opponents score first).
But as Joe pointed out, now the Bucs are down a Pro Bowl receiver, an All-Pro tackle (maybe) and a future Hall of Fame receiver.
The Bucs couldn’t score enough points to make up for the defense. And that’s a bad, bad combination.
We saw a whole lot of that during The Lost Decade.
No wonder the Bucs are 4-6 bad.
Baker Mayfield’s Stiff-Arm
There aren’t a lot of good things Joe can take away from yesterday’s game. But Baker Mayfield demonstrated (again) why his teammates really like him and why he has the respect of opponents.
Mayfield has dawg in him. And Mayfield had such a dawg move yesterday, it nearly had Tom Brady jump out of his seat.
Remember how Mayfield stiff-armed Nick Bosa and kept Bosa at arm’s length on fourth down just long enough to float a pass through traffic that Rachaad White hauled in (excellent catch) for a first down on the Bucs’ final drive?
That was a helluva play. That was Mayfield in a nutshell. Heart, determination, grit, fight, feistiness. Yeah, and moxie.
Brady hollered from his FOX TV booth how that play by Mayfield was the best play from a quarterback he has ever seen.
That’s a mouthful.
Real recognizes real.
The Bucs offense is in decent hands so long as Mayfield can stay upright.
"That's one of the best plays I've ever seen a quarterback make." – Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/xsjtO4I8VE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 10, 2024
November 11th, 2024 at 5:09 am
white was gassed-where was tucker-
November 11th, 2024 at 5:16 am
Get ready for the giants in two weeks. Prolly the only win we have going forward.
November 11th, 2024 at 5:47 am
After hearing HC Bowles presser after the game. I have one thing
Our coaching will be smarter next year when he isn’t in the building. Can someone tell BA to stop covering for his boy. Its as unbelievable as some of the crap that comes out of Mike Pereras mouth when you watch an obvious no call and they cut back to NY to apologize for it.
November 11th, 2024 at 5:49 am
Message for Todd Bowles: If you have Anthony Nelson trying to cover McCaffrey on a critical 3rd Down late in the game, you don’t know what you’re doing.
November 11th, 2024 at 5:54 am
How healthy will the team be after the bye? Going to be a real challenge to make the playoffs now.
November 11th, 2024 at 5:55 am
I can’t help but think we’d have won this game if it wasn’t for all the injuries.
There were a few questionable plays and playcalls on both sides of the ball. And some individual goofs by certain players.
I groaned when I saw Rachaad White running it up the middle for nothing on the first two plays of the game. And I’m also wondering why Bucky Irving wasn’t on the field for the final drive.
Still, it looks to me like our D has been playing with a little more intensity, focus and urgency the past two weeks. No, they aren’t perfect and yes, there’s still some mistakes. But to me, it appears that they’re swarming the ball a lot more.
Our offense is playing its heart out. It’s not perfect, but it’s obvious they’re doing their darndest to adapt and overcome. I agree: Liam Coen showed he was human yesterday with a couple of head-scratching decisions.
November 11th, 2024 at 6:16 am
Agree on all points, Joe. Loved Baker’s stiff-armed! You could feel the energy via Brady’s comments on air too.
Agree, Vanessa Anne. The Bucs did play with their hearts and souls yesterday and with more intensity and focus.
November 11th, 2024 at 6:38 am
Belechick is available.
November 11th, 2024 at 6:47 am
These 5th,6th,and 7th string guys would be watching football on TV like the rest of us if it’s not for all the injuries to this team IMO. Baker Mayfield is in the top 7 best quarterbacks in the league he has that punch you in the face mentally I just love from a QB. Liam Coen is getting handcuffed by the play not to loose mentally headcoach Tood Bowles. Todd Bowles defense is a defense that does not adjust. He has the same 4 to 7 calls on defense no matter the offense they play. Just to be fair he defense is missing quite a few starters. They starters they are playing are playing to many minutes during the first 3 quarters. Hence the reason they can not stop anymore in the 4th quarter or overtime. I am not and never have been a Tood Bowles fan but the coach gets the blame for all wins and losses even with the injuries the Bucs have suffered. The bottom line is if they can get a few guys back after they by week maybe we can salvage the season.
November 11th, 2024 at 6:57 am
If only Baker was 4 inches taller he’d be able to see over the middle of the line and have more options in the middle. Funny thing about his stiff arm is Bosa had longer arms! Baker will live in his mind for a lil while. Wonder what Tucker did to get in the doghouse. It’s insane he didn’t even see the field. Coen is proving to channel Blowles with his constant use of White up the gut web he has zero burst and takes too long to gain speed in traffic. It hasn’t changed yet and I doubt Coen will change it
November 11th, 2024 at 7:30 am
I think for the defense:
Russell still inexperienced and not sure what he is in comparison to Britt
Hayes improved but still will get exposed
McCollum even when out there wasn’t himself, wonder did he injure himself early and tried to play through it
Winfield is playing with a bad foot, he is not as explosive and seems to be a step slower/late on plays
The Bryce Hall injury is really showing up now
Our inside guys are leading the team in sacks, what is that….
November 11th, 2024 at 7:34 am
What do you expect when you have people at the top who say it’s ok we don’t need any help. Don’t tell me the HC is good with no help.If he is then yes he does need to be fired. There were player’s that could have helped this team available.
November 11th, 2024 at 7:42 am
4 passes to WRs just doesn’t cut it…
November 11th, 2024 at 7:45 am
The Curse’s Five Things:
1. Bowles is below average when coaching situational football.
2. Baker is worth the money, if not more.
3. Refs tried to give the Bucs the game at the end, but the team said “No thanks.”
4. Irving should be RB1.
5. On TV, it sounded like the crowd was 40% Niner fans.
November 11th, 2024 at 7:46 am
Yesterday sucked, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet. In the past two weeks, we’ve taken Super Bowl teams down to the wire with half the team injured. Can’t stress enough how much Mayfield has kept this team competitive! The offense has had success in spite of the D! Getting the ball on the 5 yard line half the time isn’t ideal with our lack of weapons, but somehow we’ve stayed the course.
November 11th, 2024 at 7:49 am
Fans that dislike Bowles should be more P!ssed about the 2 losses against an average Falcons team. Now that makes more sense!
November 11th, 2024 at 7:50 am
Might as well get used to this. Todd Bowels is here for the long haul.
Two more years on his contract and the owners like him.
It’s unfortunate because there are some good players making good efforts to win.
But the leader of the team is happy to lose his way.
At least we’ll get mid range draft picks.
It’s a Bucs life!
November 11th, 2024 at 8:18 am
Bucs will probably go on a run after the bye because they are more talented and have by far the superior QB. Perhaps the Bucs even win enough to make it to the playoffs. Regardless, Bowles has got to go. His defense is embarrassingly bad.
November 11th, 2024 at 8:29 am
Coen ran the ball up the gut to run the clock and use the 49ers timeouts because he knew Bowles defense couldn’t stop a fart in the wind…
November 11th, 2024 at 8:39 am
In all fairness to Coen, his best weapon since losing Chris and Mike was Otton, and after Wirfs went down, it looked like he spent a lot of the time helping Skule contain Bosa. That final drive was nothing short of a miracle with the 49ers racking up penalty after penalty to give us a chance to win the game.
November 11th, 2024 at 8:42 am
This entire team is hot garbage. They’re not worth your time. Dump them.
November 11th, 2024 at 8:48 am
@Bucnjim… everything you said was true, but what isn’t true, is that this team doesn’t know how to play at THIS level against everyone… if we did, I think we could sweep the rest of the season. But we manage to play-up for some of the better teams, and down for the sh!t ones. I’m not confident we take 2 from Carolina, and that we can finish the Saints in our house, they were marred by injury, no Lattimore, no Olave, and still beat Atlanta!? I only mention those teams because they’re not only divisional opponents, but low hanging fruit. We’re going to play just good enough to come up short, no top 10 draft pick, etc.
November 11th, 2024 at 8:56 am
Doesn’t matter to the Hate Baker Brigade that he stiff armed Bosa to complete a big 4th and 7.
The newest fable is Baker can’t throw the ball farther than 10 yards. Notwithstanding the fact that Tom Brady said more than once, what a strong and accurate arm Baker has. Maybe the fact that this new O line has been a mess for most of the season with injuries to Goedeke and now Tristan Wirfs might be factors. Also, could it be that he is playing without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and is throwing to inexperienced NFL 3rd string WR’s?
If Bucs fans, haven’t figured out Mayfield by now, time to switch to playing bingo.
November 11th, 2024 at 8:57 am
Too bad our Bucs haven’t lived up to the preseason hype. They are no better than a 5-12 team.
November 11th, 2024 at 9:04 am
I was surprised Bucky wasn’t out with concussion protocol after a collision with another Buc. He may have slipped through without having to go to the tent but he may have been less than ready on that final drive and they had to go with White.
November 11th, 2024 at 9:11 am
Carlton Davis had 2(!) interceptions yesterday. Are pigs flying?
November 11th, 2024 at 9:23 am
Baker woefully under threw that ball to the end zone coming out of that 360 spin & missed real bad on a couple of easy throws in the 4th Quarter. I LOVED what Gronk had to say at the end of the postgame show when everyone was giving their “thanks to the navy,” etc. Right after Gronk gave his “thanks,” he immediately pivoted to the Bucs saying, “On Top Of It I Just Wanna Talk About MY Tampa Bay Bucs Real Quick!” Then, proceeded to speak TRUTH. He was FIRED-UP and soooo spot-on.
November 11th, 2024 at 9:33 am
It was really really GOOD. What was best about it though, was that you KNOW that the Glazer’s don’t miss a SINGLE WORD ever spoken about the Bucs in the media, ESPECIALLY when it comes from someone like, The GRONK. Hopefully, he is in their ear about a coaching change this off-season, or it at least, opens their eyes to what we ALL are seeing out there. It’s time to move-on (this off-season)… You just CAN’T play that far back when only a FG BEATS YOU. You Just CAN’T!!!!
November 11th, 2024 at 10:07 am
Does Daniel Jones go off for 300+ yards and 3tds week after next?… Take the over
November 11th, 2024 at 10:34 am
@stikinup4centers:
Carlton Davis was in the worst defensive scheme in the NFL with the Bucs and now he is in one of the best with the Lions.
November 11th, 2024 at 10:52 am
Running white up the gut was a terrible terrible call. Joe you hit the nail on the head if we are running why not have Bucky in there. Have both in there to keep the defense guessing. Run with Bucky thro to white.
November 11th, 2024 at 11:40 am
How can Baker throw deep balls with his best receivers out? I think Todd does a decent job but we need a new younger DC. I also have no idea why we were not using Tucker on offense. I agree with Joe and also the two women who posted on here. Everyone makes some mistakes but we tied two Very GOOD TEAMS even though with a depleted team we lost.
November 11th, 2024 at 11:55 am
BallHawk75 Says:
November 11th, 2024 at 7:50 am
Might as well get used to this. Todd Bowels is here for the long haul.
^^^^^^^^
If the Bucs miss the playoffs, which is highly likely, Bowles will be fired.
November 11th, 2024 at 1:15 pm
Save Bucky!!! For next year and a new coach.
November 11th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
Don’t worry so much about Jones, who had the look of a guy who just caught his wife in Joe’s apartment lifting cold ones while holding hands with him in the Dorito bowl after yesterday’s loss to the panters, beware of their pass rush, which is one of the most formidable ones in the league.
November 11th, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Mayfield should start dictating personnel packages for the situation. If Lovie doesn’t like it, tell him the truth. Someone needs to.
November 11th, 2024 at 2:08 pm
Enough of the excuses. Bottom line is we suck. No way to spin it. When you add up our defense can’t stop anybody, our STs constantly gives up big returns without any of our own, and our offense settles for to many FGs, you have a team that sucks. Better luck next year.