The Opening Drive
December 4th, 2017
Rare perfect start.
The Bucs this season have been less than stellar on opening drives, particularly in road games.
In previous road games, if the Bucs did not score early, then that proved a sign of ugly things to come as the road defense of the Bucs … let’s just say it’s like eating soup with a fork. Same effectiveness.
But yesterday, the Bucs scored a touchdown on the opening drive. Joe thought he was in some dreamy universe. As Joe referenced earlier in “The Morning After,” going to a game in Green Bay is not unlike experiencing a real life episode of “Happy Days.”
In fact, that touchdown catch yesterday, a 28-yard pass to Cam Brate from America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, was the first TD the Bucs have scored all year on an opening drive.
Through 12 games, the Bucs have scored on only five opening drives; a touchdown and four field goals. Below are the results.
Chicago: Field goal.
At Minnesota: Field goal.
Giants: Punt.
New England: Punt.
At Arizona: Punt.
At Buffalo: Field goal.
Carolina: Punt.
At New Orleans: Punt.
Jets: Punt.
Miami: Punt.
At Atlanta: Field goal.
Green Bay: Touchdown.
So of the 12 games played, five times the Bucs got points to start out the game, a 42 percent rate. That’s actually pretty strong by NFL standards, but the Bucs’ average of 1.6 points per opening drive is terrible.
Only eight percent of the time do the Bucs have a touchdown on their first drive. Mind you, teams script opening drives based on hours of intensive film study and what they perceive as weaknesses/tendencies in an opponent.
Want to know why the Bucs have a losing record? There’s one place to start. Right where the team doesn’t start.
December 4th, 2017 at 9:15 am
Yeah, and mr. turnover is the main culprit in slow starts…and it isn’t changing much…you call a QB that puts his team in a hole, EVERY WEEK, a franchise QB?
December 4th, 2017 at 9:16 am
No drive, no stat, player or coach will make a difference the bucs will continue to lose and be irrelevant until the glazer clowns sell or step away and bring in a real football guy not some failed has been ex coach or an underachieving has been ex player to appease the low standard fans. a real football guy with real power who is DEDICATED TO WINNING PERIOD!!!!
December 4th, 2017 at 9:21 am
Jameis was cool calm and collected following the script on the first drive…..then went to the sidelines playing hyper cheerleader rather than taking a seat going over the last drive with the booth and prepping for the next drive….me..me…look at me…
December 4th, 2017 at 9:30 am
Back in the day. 20 points from the bucs offense get us a win
December 4th, 2017 at 9:33 am
@Lamarcus
Gets us a win by 10 points.
December 4th, 2017 at 9:33 am
I noticed a really well defined script of plays in the first drive of the game, being said, I think the Packers have given up the most points on opening drives this season.
I did notice a movement away from the script on subsequent drives. At any case, whoever put together the opening drive script of plays, they need more of it.
December 4th, 2017 at 9:37 am
Lamarcus
back in the day the defense was not captained by a pansy arse quitter
December 4th, 2017 at 9:38 am
@Candada
Go back to watching Canadian Football. The NFL is clearly too complicated and nuanced for your maple syrup covered poutine fed brain.
Hello, Jameis was the one who led us down the field yesterday.
I want to know what happened to the short passing game that looked so potent on that first drive. Typical 2017 Dork Koetter. “Oh that worked pretty well, let’s not do that anymore.” Same mantra he’s had all year. Same reason we don’t see O.J. for 3 weeks after he has a big game. Same reason why he should and will be canned.
December 4th, 2017 at 9:51 am
blake
just ignore the canda the rest of the world already does… nothing more irrelevant than the north american step child canada.
December 4th, 2017 at 9:55 am
American conspiracy, now Joe wont let me comment 🙂
December 4th, 2017 at 9:57 am
@Blake_Bucsfan ….
Great White North, baby! Those racist comments don’t hurt me, you silly brainwash victim..CFL is sh*t, never watch it, minor league players…I defecate more football knowledge every morning than any of you flag wavers will ever have…
December 4th, 2017 at 10:07 am
this is an indictment of dirk…..he calls the plays….he’s the OC….no reason why we shouldn’t be scoring on the opening drive with all the weapons we have on offense….dirk has to go….GO BUCS!!!!
December 4th, 2017 at 10:11 am
I wonder if having a running back gain positive yards helped that drive?
December 4th, 2017 at 10:12 am
I’m sorry, but I’m 99.9% positive that “Canadian” isn’t an ethnicity/ race of people.
You are precisely right about one thing and one thing only, the CFL is Sh*t. And so is your basic, measly, Canadian opinion.
December 4th, 2017 at 10:14 am
Pretty funny that you would say that you defecate football knowledge every morning. Because based on what I’ve read from you, you’re football knowledge seems painfully similar to human excrement.
December 4th, 2017 at 10:25 am
Hopefully Here Joe, the..CLOSING DRIVE will be, Both Koetter and Pressbox Smitty picking up their next seasons paychecks at one of the little nice..Division
2 colleges.
December 4th, 2017 at 10:38 am
@Lamarcus … “Back in the day. 20 points from the bucs offense get us a win.” Great observation, but you need to include that D-E-F-E-N-S-E is also where the Bucs put their $$$ in those days (Sapp, Rice, Brooks, Lynch, etc). You might also include that those great Bucs’ defenses didn’t come together overnight … it took several years to build the T-E-A-M from a defensive perspective. Only took the Glazers 1 year to gut it however (ask Sapp, Brooks & Lynch).
December 4th, 2017 at 10:47 am
Mike McCoy, Norv Turner, Hue Jackson: good offensive coordinators but horrible head coaches. I think we can add Koetter to that list, guy has too much on his plate to do anything adequately….. Some guys just bite off more they can chew and JMHO but McCoy, Norv and Jackson probably could have got more than 4 wins out of this Buc roster and all got run (well lets wait for Jackson to go 1-15 for the Browns, they’ll probably do something the Bucs could not; beat Green Bay while the Bucs get boatraced by Detroit and whomever starts at QB for them)…..
Tough being a Bucs fan with so much ineptitude at One Buc, currently the wort pro franchise in Florida since Vince Naomoli had the Rays losing 99+ games a season on his shoestring budget ala Culverhouse, embarrassing! A new owner made that franchise relevant, sometimes you have to go past the GM to find where the stink starts and this franchise has been mismanaged ever since Malcolm had the stroke and the kids started making decisions…..
December 4th, 2017 at 11:22 am
I say it over and over again.. you can try to blame jameis.. but the fact is we took the lead in the 4th qtr with 5 mins left. Who cares what happened before
December 4th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
Exactly. Hours of intensive film study that the bucs coaches seem to skip. Jameis isnt the problem folks. He is still immature but will be fine if they find the right coach and o coordinator. These coaches tho, whew…terrible about sums em up. Getting outcoached every week, not even close. Lets find a real head coach please. Defensive guy wouldnt be bad. All this talent on d and we cant stop the forward pass or run. Special teams are bad too. Booooooooo
December 4th, 2017 at 3:15 pm
Special teams was atrocious yesterday. Two block punts that led to scores. No discipline or paying attention to detail. Market to center was a huge mistake. Donavan Smith awful left tackle and it’s been the way all season. Complete offensive line for next season. Offense play calling inside the 3 is awful, run the ball 4 times. No need to be in shotgun inside 5. Bucs need to go in a different direction and entire staff needs to be replaced.
December 4th, 2017 at 7:36 pm
Week to week the NFL has these exciting games like I watched Philly-Seattle and New Orleans-Carolina. These teams played with a tenacious attitude and were giving up their bodies to make plays.
I watch these games and when I see the Bucs play there is a lack of aggression and some of the players are just not putting out. Then you watch how the team mismanages players by not adjusting to what their players can do.
Why isn’t OJ Howard getting touches? Why isn’t there space for DJax to run to? How come you don’t see jump balls to Mike Evans. It really is a joke that the system isn’t changed for the players
December 4th, 2017 at 10:51 pm
1PM games are early! They’re still hungover from Saturday night.
Just kidding, but not really.
December 5th, 2017 at 8:17 am
I would really like to see the total scoring in the first quarter and the total scoring in the second quarter. I bet the Bucs are one of the worst in the league in those stats