Packers To Mike Smith: Bring It
December 3rd, 2017
“Dude, have you seen what the Bucs call a pass rush?”
It seems the Packers have a damned good idea what Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith will do today. And it also seems the Packers may be begging for more.
In a piece by Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he typed that the Bucs blitzed Matty Ice last week in a third of Matty Ice’s dropbacks. As a result, the Packers, with wet-behind-the-ears Brett Hundley at quarterback, figure Smith will blitz the kid as much as he did Matty Ice, if not more.
And the Packers believe opportunities to expose the Bucs will be there.
When they see an opportunity, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not afraid to blitz. Last week against Atlanta, they blitzed on about a third of the passing downs and created more problems for Matt Ryan than when they backed off. That success could lead to an abundance of blitzes against Brett Hundley, who has seen five or more rushers in only about 30 percent of his snaps since becoming a starter. “They’ll empty it out,” offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said. “They’ll bring empty pressure and try to put stress on the quarterback and your protection unit. Is it five-man pressure? Is it six-man pressure? So, we’ve got to be ready for everything.” The Buccaneers rank 32nd in passing defense and sacks, so there will be plays to be made if they do blitz.
Based on recent history, this game scares Joe. Sure, the Packers are soft on defense. But damn, If Hundley can light up the mighty Steelers with three touchdowns in the Steel City, imagine what he could do against this unmitigated sieve Smith oversees?
And the Bucs lead (?) the NFL in worst pass defense on the road gagging up 315 yards a game.
As Joe has stated, with numbers like that, Smith is fortunate he doesn’t work in Mexico. Dude would wind up missing.
December 3rd, 2017 at 6:16 am
The Bucs rank ’32nd in pass defense and sacks’ for a reason Joe … they lack talent as a unit. Smitty has tried about everything I’ve ever seen a defense try (yes, including MUCH MORE BLITZING than is healthy with a weak secondary). But you know as well as anyone I’m sure that there is no magical bunny that Smitty can pull out of his hat to improve these results.
You continue to blame Smitty for overseeing this ‘unmitigated sieve’ that is the Bucs’ defense (even though you continually caveat it by telling us what a nice guy he is?). Reality to me is that Mike Smith & the rest of this coaching staff has been set up to fail by Jason Licht & the Glazers. They gave absolute priority to creating this (non-producing) offense then manned the defense with whatever was left in terms of resources.
We’ve got a rookie starting at Safety (Evans), and another at LB (Beckwith). We’ve got a 2nd year guy (Ryan Smith) starting at outside CB who played Safety last year, only because last year’s prized rookie (VHIII) fizzled outside & had to be moved to nickel. Our DEs for today’s game (Gholston, Clarke, Russell & the rookie O’Connor) have a COMBINED total of 1 sack. Time might have passed Smitty’s defensive philosophies by as you’ve implied before, but it’s impossible to make any real judgments on that when he’s been given so little to work with.
December 3rd, 2017 at 7:09 am
No Smitty sucks just like he did in Atlanta. We all knew we needed Swartz but the Eagles beat us to him. We do need to be better about finding a defensive end though. Go Bucs!
December 3rd, 2017 at 7:42 am
Don’t worry packers Mike Smith isn’t bringing anything.
Mr I sit in the box and am too good to be down on the field. Just sit up there and call stupid schemes. Please don’t change now it’s clear what you’re doing is working perfectly.
Idiot.
December 3rd, 2017 at 7:59 am
It’s amazing to me, with the numbers this defense has given up, that people still have faith.
December 3rd, 2017 at 8:11 am
Sitting in the box has advantages.You can see plays develope and how defenses are attacking you.And you have spotters up there pointing out things that you didn’t see. Agree with defense.Licht has a lot of reaches in free agency that didn’t add much to the defense.
December 3rd, 2017 at 8:21 am
Friend or no friend, if the defense gets lit up again, K needs to get Smitty the hell out of there. Although we have voids in our defense, we have few half way decent players not to be ranks in the defensive gallows . the blame would be totally on the DC.
December 3rd, 2017 at 8:33 am
In fact Licht’s drafting has been real good at linebacker,and not much else.
Who knows if Spence
will be a stud or an oft injured player. Hargreaves has yet to prove he is a
worth a number 1 pick. When the bucs defense was good the
Ryan Smith’s and Justin Evans’s would not have been forced on the field by necessity. They would get several years to learn the defense.
December 3rd, 2017 at 8:59 am
Well obviously the advantages he gets from being in the box are not working at all.
December 3rd, 2017 at 9:00 am
No kidding.
Well…Hawley is a beast when he’s healthy. And mean. Let’s hope he fires up the oline. Maybe Sweezy and him will feed off one another.
December 3rd, 2017 at 9:02 am
Interesting. LB Cameron Lynch was waived yesterday to make room for an OL guy.
December 3rd, 2017 at 9:03 am
OL Mike Liedtke
December 3rd, 2017 at 9:34 am
Here’s to another loss and another week closer to yet another regime change in Tampa.
December 3rd, 2017 at 9:42 am
Bad feeling about this game. Green Bay needs it desperately to have any chance for AR to return and somehow get to the playoffs. It is in Green Bay of Course, and last thing I heard, Matthews is back….the D backs are opportunistic which, against a “rusty and somewhat innacurate QB” could be a recipe for disaster. And their offense…Adams and Cobb against our D Backs? Ouch. One thing going our way? Likely about 50 today in Green Bay.
December 3rd, 2017 at 9:59 am
Bring what? HAHAHA! $hit I cant even get motivated by that as a fan….seriously doubting the team will too!
Chubb or KEY 1st round please!!!!
December 3rd, 2017 at 10:18 am
Even if the defense wakes up and plays lights out it’ll mean the offense won’t wake up until the 4th quarter, I have no faith in a koetter football team
December 3rd, 2017 at 10:21 am
As usual D.R. nails it. You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken spit.
Our talent level is woefully thin right now and the talent we do have is young and inexperienced.
We have good Lb’s…Beckwith is just getting better and if we resign Grimes and had a pass rush our defensive backfield is beginning to look better.
Where we suck is in the trenches on both sides of the ball!!!! Our top 5 draft picks need to be in the trenches with perhaps a RB if there is no other solution.
Remember when Licht got four players in one draft…we need that to happen with two starters on the DL and two starters on the OL…beyond that BPA’s..
December 3rd, 2017 at 11:21 am
Why do people keep suggesting to draft a RB in the first round, our priority is DE its obvious. We have been drafting “weapons for Shameus” and have failed to address our DL. Shameus has so many weapons and will still lock on 13, he can’t throw a deep ball to hit 11 in stride.
December 3rd, 2017 at 12:03 pm
Called this the day Smith was hired….said this would be a horrible defense from day one with this guy.
Guess who is playing Brett Hundley as his QB in Fantasy this week? THIS GUY!!!!!!!
December 3rd, 2017 at 4:03 pm
The is the worst coached team in North America.
December 3rd, 2017 at 4:05 pm
Also the GM locates and signs the slowest least intelligent players in the Western Hemisphere…