Bucs On Pace For 24.5 Sacks
November 10th, 2014
Where are the red jerseys?
Greg Schiano’s goofy, ineffective, blitz-happy pass rush last season generated 35 sacks and Tampa Bay finished with the NFL’s 17th-ranked defense.
But that’s old news, Lovie Smith’s Bucs have just 14 sacks through nine games — in a defense that revolves around the pass rush.
And this reason No. 1 why the Tampa bay defense is ranked 29th in the NFL. It’s not just the sacks; it’s also a lack of quarterback pressure, the critical component in Lovie’s defense.
Joe’s shared this heinous, sack-challenged pace previously, primarily because it illustrates how much the Bucs must address their pass rush this offseason.
Casper Johnson isn’t cutting it. Will Gholston is developing, but he’s got only one sack in eight starts this season. There’s just no edge threat.
The Bucs’ sack total is tied for 27th in the NFL. It won’t get easier. The next two opponents do solid (Redskins) and great (Bengals) jobs of protecting their QBs.
November 10th, 2014 at 10:33 am
Joe…..so much for your decision earlier today to not talk about our poor pass rush.
I didn’t think you could help yourself!!!
November 10th, 2014 at 10:39 am
I’ve got a new name for Johnson. We should start calling him Keyser Soze. He comes in, kills our D line, steals our money and nobody knows he was even there.
November 10th, 2014 at 10:39 am
Trench Mob, engaged.
We need STUD Linemen on BOTH sides of the ball. Fixing our trenches would be the best thing to make the Bucs winners again.
And for crying out loud, Lovie, put Glennon back in there. We have nothing to lose, so we might as well get an extended look at the young man. We know McCown is not the guy.
November 10th, 2014 at 10:45 am
I agree…..it serves no purpose to play McCown….and I also agree we need serious work with our lines.
I know everyone wants a QB….but I think we should trade down for extra picks and stll get a good prospect like Cook or Petty later in rd 1 or 2……use the extra picks to improve our lines.
November 10th, 2014 at 10:45 am
Im gonna be on the bucs sidelines at the redskins game. What do you want me to tell the players 😉
November 10th, 2014 at 10:47 am
What about the turnovers??? Gref Schiano teams took the ball away!!
November 10th, 2014 at 10:48 am
GlennonGrad,
Nothing. Don’t tell them anything. They don’t deserve to be asked about their play. They know they are toast, and are playing terrible.
Let the 60 minutes next Sunday be their punishment.
Do we expect anything less than a blow out to the Red Skins?
November 10th, 2014 at 10:49 am
They’ve heard it all. Nothing else needs to be said to them or by them anymore. They don’t need a pep talk. They need to execute like professionals.
November 10th, 2014 at 10:50 am
The Bucs D could’nt sack a bag of groceries without the bottom falling out.
November 10th, 2014 at 10:56 am
@Patrick In VA: Execute like professionals? Or be executed by The Professional?
And I’m all in on calling that No-Show DE “Keyser Soze”. Well played!
November 10th, 2014 at 10:57 am
I realize that it’s not going to have much of a chance to happen but if we get enough people calling for it can we get new ownership? I’m all about being on the NOM (New Ownership Mob). They’re the common denominator in all of the losing we’ve done. Malcolm was a good owner, his sons are not. Just because they have the same last name it doesn’t mean that they have the same ability to put together a team.
NOM, NOM, NOM, NOM
November 10th, 2014 at 10:58 am
How many plays have our Safties made this year in the passing game. I can’t remember any. Who is the coach for the safties? Lovie’s son. Team Glazier should go to Lovie and tell him to Fire his son and also the special teams coach to shake up this team. They are just bad.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:09 am
Will the press and afternoon Radio host on 620 offer Lovie the same criticism that was hurled at Schiano this time last year?
Obviously not, as LightningBuc has mentioned, “IT TAKES TIME!”.
What a joke. Everyone hated Schiano for D-Line stunts, at least he could make chicken salad of out chicken spit.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Joe,
Are we 3 starting D-Lineman away from a consistent pass rush?
Why does GMC get a pass? JJ Watt still makes it happen, despite constant double and triple teams.
The Falcons had their 3rd string center starting yesterday, and we couldn’t even sniff Matty Ice.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:11 am
This team needs a leader and we don’t have one as the HC, he should go this week or next, let the new guy clean house this year and know what we really need for next year and go get it.
Remember some of the coaches came from the Browns, they quit losing after they left and we are losing worse than we were with them, so hopefully some rocket scientist in the Glazers’ brain trust will notice and do something because from the way they are doing things they must be in space as a space cadet. We need Obi won Kon Obi now.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:18 am
Missing Adrian Clayborne right about now!!
November 10th, 2014 at 11:19 am
Give it up, Lovies not going anywhere for at least 2 years!
November 10th, 2014 at 11:19 am
Just another gaping hole on these defense. More gaping holes on this team than a porn studio
November 10th, 2014 at 11:20 am
theres a reason Clinton McDonald was able to get a big contract, he left seattle where he was a monster on their defensive line. it’s like joe Cullen is teaching his lineman to just run directly into the offensive line and hope they fall over, no one has any pass rush moves whatsoever. you cant tell me Will Gholston is developing, developing what because you would think they are practicing pass rush moves, do you see anyone using swim moves or effective bull rushes or spin moves? so how is Will Gholston developing?
November 10th, 2014 at 11:21 am
@Bucrightoff – It’s even worse than that. If they were in a studio the CBs might actually catch something
November 10th, 2014 at 11:28 am
No argument against the need for some player upgrades…..next year. But, very good coaches work with whatever talent they have to improve it and teach it to be the best they can in a system that exploits their skills and avoids their weaknesses. Just as there is no “I” in team there should not be an “I” when coaches are included as the team.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:29 am
We don’t have the personnel, simple is that. However, Based upon how most of our draft picks are performing(ala Man-beast Receiver Mike Evans), I trust Lovie Smith and Jason Licht to acquire all the right pieces required in order for our defense to flourish. Patience fellow Bucs fans, patience.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:42 am
Patience?
Maybe if the Bucs were showing any signs of progress. But we’re not. None. All three phases of football are truly awful. Appalling.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:44 am
Agreed on the trenches part, but i think the defensive backend might be a just as much, if not a little more important.
Disagree on the Glennon front. It appears that they’ve already decided that they’ve seen all they need to see in Glennon and he’s not going to be the guy. Putting him in now could harm any trade value they perceive he could have. Glennon should’ve made his case during the CLE and MIN games.
And please, for the love of God, I beg you. Lets not play the “trade down” game because its always a LONG shot to guess and shouldn’t be worth investing the brain power in. This isn’t Madden; you can’t just reset if you don’t get a trade offer you like. Just support who you think will be there at the position we’re slotted at.
Besides, we all know that if they traded back and someone traded in front of that new spot and took the person we wanted, we’d blame the organization for not just taking the guy they wanted in the first place.
I expect it to stay close, just like this game did and the couple of games before it. I don’t expect blowouts.
The ONLY way I would stand behind firing Lovie would be if we brought in an Offensive HC with a penchant for developing QBs AND said coach would be able to play out AT LEAST the first 4 years of his contract. By the end of year 4, he would either be renewed or fired (no coach wants a lame duck year).
I’m tired of the constant turn over at HC. The consistently good organizations have stability at that position and aren’t hiring new HCs every 2-3 years.
If the owners are going to stick with Lovie, I’ll support it because I’m not going to NOT root for my team.
And if its not an offensive HC that they’re bringing in, they need to just go ahead and stick with Lovie.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:51 am
Celly,
Jim Harbaugh on line one?
November 10th, 2014 at 11:57 am
How pathetic is it that the main argument on this site week after week is the QB debate? It’s basically who is the hottest 400 lb girl with no teeth and syphilis? We know that McCown is a career backup and a season and a half of Glennon has shown that he’s at best a backup.
The real question is who will be the backup next year behind our starting rookie QB? There should be no “controversy” about who is somehow going to lead a 1 loss team to the promise land. It’s whether you want a veteran QB who makes too much as a backup or a semi veteran who has a handful of wins under his belt. Either way and we are completely hosed when the rookie QB winds up on the IR due to getting crushed due to a porous OL next year.
Please quit the whining about it in every post.
November 10th, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Yet most of you think we need to draft a QB with the 1st pick…
November 10th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
Super Bowl Facts:
Offensive Rank
• The top-ranked offense has REACHED the Super Bowl 14 times and is 8-6 in the Super Bowl.
• The average NFL offensive rank for an eventual Super Bowl champion is 7.9 (eighth).
Offensive Line (Sacks Allowed)
• 21 of the 47 Super Bowl champions have allowed less than 30 sacks in a season.
Running Game
• 34 of the 47 Super Bowl champions have been ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards per game.
Vs.
Defensive Rank
• The average NFL defensive rank for an eventual Super Bowl champion is 6.8 (seventh).
• The top-ranked defense has REACHED the Super Bowl 11 times and is 8-3 in the Super Bowl.
Points Allowed
• The team allowing the fewest points during the season has REACHED the Super Bowl 18 times and is 13-5 in the Super Bowl.
Sacks
• 45 of the 47 Super Bowl champions have totaled at least 30 sacks in a season.
November 10th, 2014 at 1:04 pm
Quarterbacks
• Winning Super Bowl quarterbacks have been drafted in the first round 55.3 percent of the time (29.8 percent with the first overall pick).
• Of the 45 quarterbacks taken in the traditional NFL draft, the average selection spot is 54.9. (Mid 2nd round pick)
November 10th, 2014 at 1:45 pm
Even if you had a rookie QB, until the HC is changed there will be no game winners because the Defense cannot stop anyone.
We would have patience and not talk about the QB every week if the defense was at least showing up. If you think Lovie gets any better, think again. What you see is what you get!
The sad part is they had Chip Kelly in the building and let him get away. Can you imagine the conversations we would be having if they had landed Chip Kelly and allowed him to run the program like he is running the Eagles!! He is going to win games and go to the playoffs with Ole Butt Fumbler Mark Sanchez…..Good coaches win with what they are given to play with.
Bruce Arrians will win with Drew Stanton in Arizona! Good HC win with the horses they have in the stable.
Too many excuses…too many stupid celebrations on a 1-8 team….just make it stop…can’t wait until the end of the season…but if they don’t fire Lovie we are going to suffer thru this exact same Gong Show every week!
I don’t care if he has had only one year…I don’t care if his OC is sick…excuses are tiresome! Just win baby! We could have had Johnny Football! I know he would not be the answer to all of the Buc’s problems and they would probably have gotten him mangled by now…..but just the fact that Manziel competes….he loves football and would excite the crowd just running for his life!!
Greg Schiano
November 10th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Maybe a better position coach could get the most out of them. I saw Cullen yelling at all of them yesterday, and I can’t imagine they respect him.
November 10th, 2014 at 3:38 pm
I think that if it doesn’t make sense as to why we don’t have more sacks – then it’s probably because the scheme isn’t designed that way.
That is either because we’re REALLY more worried about trying to stop the run – or we’re actually disguising a weakness behind the line.
…or maybe it’s both? I remember Dungy and Monte stressing turnovers – I don’t actually remember them saying a sack is most important (unless you can get sacks with JUST your front 4). That tells me that sacks aren’t AS important – to Lovie – as what he’s actually using his front 4 to do.
As I recall, the Tampa-Two had a lot of problems with power running attacks, and QB’s that could pick apart the zones.
Monte’s version ot the Tampa-Two evolved into more cover-3 – to hide some of the seams these QB’s were finding success attacking…?
Offhand – our personnel isn’t ideal for the defense – so we’re not even running a Tampa-Two. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Pat Kirwan pointed it out last week. The fact that Lovie traded Mark Barron illustrates that he’s not getting what he needs in the secondary – neither in run-supoort NOR zone responsibilities. That means the front four aren’t being utilized to attack the QB. If that’s the case – is it because they can’t get there – or because we’re putting more emphasis on stoppin the run?
Either way – we’re winning about the same amount of games…not enough.
November 10th, 2014 at 4:17 pm
LOL Joe – I just read a few articles earlier today that you were not going to write about the piss poor job the DL is doing anymore this year.
November 10th, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Not going to write anymore how the defensive line can take advantage of an opponent’s weak offensive line.
November 10th, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Please stop staying that Wil Gholston is developing. Developing into what? Another Daniel Teo Neisheim?
November 10th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Cullen was yelling at them after the 3 back to back to back offsides penalties…
…and he had every right to.
November 10th, 2014 at 5:55 pm
maybe it’s time for Frazier to take a page out of the Schiano playbook and run some more stunts and blitzes if it can help generate some pressure? Mid teens defense with top 5 turnover margin…so far ‘Rutgers’ D has far surpassed the ‘Vikings/Bears’ D by a large margin. I get they want the players to learn Lovieball 101, but for whatever reason it’s not working. The excuse we have no talent is BS too since almost every pro analyst had the Bucs making a Chiefs-like turnaround since there was a solid foundation of talent.
November 10th, 2014 at 11:02 pm
14 sacks and 5 of them came in one game.
November 11th, 2014 at 1:05 am
Are we 3 starting D-Lineman away from a consistent pass rush?
Probably.