America Watched The Bucs
September 15th, 2020
The nation had its eyes on the Bucs.
The Bucs were the national broadcast for the NFL on FOX and the debut of park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring Bucs quarterback Tom Brady wearing Bucs white shattered TV records.
As you can see in the graphic below, this was the most-watched NFL game on Opening Weekend in years.
(“AFOTW” stands for “America’s Game of the Week.”)
The star-studded showdown between Brady’s @Buccaneers and Brees’ @Saints led America’s Game of the Week to a strong start. 🦾 pic.twitter.com/q6NM6youjN
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) September 14, 2020
Yes, we all know the Bucs got more run than anyone ever dreamed possible. Joe was getting texts from friends and readers that the Bucs dominated coverage in the pregame shows (which Joe refuses to watch live unless it is Adam Schein’s “That Other Pregame Show” on CBS Sports Network at 10 a.m.).
How much run did the game get? Well, FOX News sent one of its anchor babes (Ashley Strohmier) to do live stand-ups outside the Superdome Sunday morning. That is usually only reserved for a Super Bowl or a Final Four game.
Also, the Wall Street Journal did a game feature — the Wall Street Journal! Joe can never, ever remember the Wall Street Journal covering a Bucs game.
September 15th, 2020 at 1:57 pm
Too bad America was exposed to the “Same Ol’ Bucs”
September 15th, 2020 at 1:59 pm
Tampa Bay Buccaneers…..the new “America’s Team”
September 15th, 2020 at 2:04 pm
I don’t understand all the “Sky Is Falling” doom & gloom being posted over the Week #1 loss…
– The Saints are a consensus Top 3 team in the NFL. They’re a great team on both sides of the ball. They were a very tough opponent to open the season on the road against.
– Outside of the bone-headed penalties and a couple of bad throws that Brady would to have back, we played pretty well. Our Defense held the Saints to 14 total yards throughout much of the 2nd half.
– Our Defense played very, very well. Dean’s lazy coverage play certainly may have cost the Bucs a chance to win that game, even as ugly as it was. That was inexcusable and came at a really bad time.
– Our Secondary overall, played a solid game and didn’t let Brees go off. In a pass league, against one of the best, they’re going to get their yards. But our young secondary performed really well.
– Winfield played absolutely fantastic as a rookie in his first game. Made some solid tackles and was all over the field.
– Devin White seems to have taken his game to a much higher level. He made some great plays last year, but he played long a dominating Pro Bowl type player in this game against the Saints and he may be the best player we have on Defense by a long shot.
– Our run-blocking seemed weak once again (like it was last season). But we were also playing the #4 ranked rush defense.
– Donovan Smith played one of the worst games I’ve ever seen him play. I guess he really did turn into a “lab rat” because he played like one. Inexcusable. He had 6-7 absolutely pathetic plays in the 2nd half. So bad that that I wouldn’t be surprised if the team was looking to bring in another LT.
– Our Special Team just isn’t very special. No spark. No excitement. They just don’t seem to aggressively block in punt coverage and ever give our return guy a chance to do… well… anything.
– Brady that those bad throws that he would love to have back, but he always played pretty well for most of the game. The beautiful deep sideline pass to Godwin that had amazing tough and accuracy, and the great throw from his back heels on 3rd and 1 to find the small seam to Godwin over the middle. Brady also plays with such POISE. He calmly approaches the line, calmly reads the defense, and calls audibles due to all of his experience. He’ll be fine as he learns the playbook more and they make some adjustments.
– We have to get the running game going. Rojo had some great, aggressive runs. But our Line just isn’t opening up many holes for our backs to run through, nor are we creatively calling other running plays when the same “off left tackle” has failed so many times in a row.
– The Bucs could have easily won that game against one of the Top 3 teams in the NFL, on the road, to open the season without as much prep as they would have normally liked. No reason for the total panic.
Anyone that doesn’t think this Buccaneers team is only going to get better and better (barring injuries) doesn’t know football. Gronk has been out of the game for over a year. We’ve got a rookie RT. We’ve got a QB that’s played in the same system for 20 years and now is having to play in a new one.
These aren’t excuses, they are REALITIES. Fine-tuning things does take time. There’s no other way around it. There’s a reason our secondary started to play much better in the 2nd half of the season.
No need to panic. This team is still very capable of making a run at the Super Bowl this year.
September 15th, 2020 at 2:09 pm
Ironically, in a game made up of hundreds of plays, this entire game looks completely different if we had eliminated just a few…
1. Brady’s across the field pick-six (he should have opted for left side screen).
2. FG team not blocking and let someone slide almost untouched up the middle for the block.
3. Vea jumping off sides on an idiot 4th down mistake.
4. Jamel “Lazy” Dean making a high school coverage mistake to let up and allow the big completion on a critical 3rd and long.
September 15th, 2020 at 2:25 pm
Ivan, great points. However I heard today that Arians stated after watching the tape that Dean did not blow that coverage. The safety blew the coverage and Dean tried to recover in time to make a play which obviously didn’t happen.
September 15th, 2020 at 2:28 pm
Arians explanation of that play made sense to me. Sometimes he covers for his players, but typically it’s the safety that has the responsibility on the tight end.
September 15th, 2020 at 2:30 pm
America got its first taste of Lovie ball!
September 15th, 2020 at 2:40 pm
Meanwhile, Sunday Night Football featuring the Cowboys vs. Rams had a pathetic 6.2 rating. The initial reports had it as low as 4.7 for the early ratings. To put that in perspective, there used to be a time when professional wrestling did better than 4.7.
The Cowboys are no longer America’s Team. It’s now the Bucs!
September 15th, 2020 at 2:41 pm
Ivan, almost all NFL games ultimately come down to 3-5 plays.
September 15th, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Ivan.
Ya said dont overreact to one game then you overreacted to areas of the team after one game. After this week it’ll be different. Then after 3rd etc etc etc. One at a time and hope to get in. Some people love drama and will always overreact. Heck some even get paid to do it. I remember the sb year clearly i was at every home game. Opening game loss to NO. Trying to convince people not to overreact is trying to get them to unlearn childhood behaviors. Good luck
September 15th, 2020 at 2:55 pm
Ivan maybe the points your missing is nobodys crying sky is falling and doom…….Maybe they never said that your just assuming.
Now to be fair I dont do facebook and twitter so maybe I’m not seeing what you are.
Just speaking for myself that I am keeping this one game in perspective that it’s not too giant of a hurdle to overcome but at the same time I am very very angry at how unprepared we were. There’s is no excuse to run into your own player…….to flat out block nothing as an OL…..to make repeated presnap penalties in critical moments…..Or make a boneheaded decision you learned better then 20 years ago.
I for one expect to see this team contend. They arent even close right now. No, I’m not handing out free passes. There’s no excuse. My excitement done for now. It’s on the players to earn it back.
September 15th, 2020 at 3:05 pm
that sweet “AFOTW” slot ‘eh?
September 15th, 2020 at 3:09 pm
may bode well for Lavonte David to finally get the accolades he’s deserved for years
September 15th, 2020 at 3:54 pm
Fox sent it’s number one broadcast team, for what was supposed to be our coming out party, and we laid an egg.
September 15th, 2020 at 5:10 pm
I’ll complete your editors sentence here joe. America watched the Bucs do their usual..choke and lose. There I cleaned it up for yas.
September 15th, 2020 at 5:12 pm
Arians said Dean was not at fault on that play. The safety was supposed the cover the deep threat, but he bit on a crossing route.
September 15th, 2020 at 5:42 pm
Ivan
Great post. Not well received perhaps by the significant % of “Chicken Littles” here.
I think the reaction while typical has been exacerbated by expectations and the lack of entertainment leading up to this contest with NO preseason or even scrimmages. People were starved for this game and they were fed a turd..
Brady did not play well but not nearly as badly as some would have us believe.
I’ve always tried to stand up for Donovan Smith…but I gotta say one…maybe two more games like this past Sunday then it’s time to put Haeg on the field either at LT or RT depending on whether the Bucs feel Wirf’s future is at RT or LT if D Smith doesn’t get his ship together.
September 15th, 2020 at 7:14 pm
I doubt this game was that big deal, national broadcast wise. Brady and Gronk, two relics this team doesn’t need. What a performance Brady put on. Two fatal interceptions. I sensed it from the start and I was listening to Bucs radio. It’s karma from way back.
September 15th, 2020 at 7:17 pm
Ivan, here is the problem with your post. The Bucs are not expected to be bottom dwellers this year. Many Bucs fans have SB hopes and the media as well. This was not a game of 3-5 plays either. They were an inch away from a final of 41-23. After that first drive they were completely outplayed. If they had lost 34-31 and were in contention the entire game no Bucs fans would have an issue. If you expect to be a good team you can’t have a ton of mental mistakes and get effectively blown out. Many expect the Bucs to be almost as good as the Saints and they got man handled Sunday.
September 15th, 2020 at 7:37 pm
Look at the stats:
Kamara was stuffed. (+)
Brees was stuffed (+) except for a Buc blown assignment and a pass interference penalty (-) (-).
Stupid penalties. (-)
Mike Evans letting Lattimore into his head (-).
Donovan Smith (-) 🤬
Keystone Cop special teams play. (🤯)
Stupid TB12 Winston-like pick 6. (😳)
Hmmmmm 🤔 Did look like the Bucs. Ohh. They are the Bucs🤪
On the other hand, none other than Booger McFarland said the preseason-less Bucs with key new QB played a veteran two year in a row 13-3 Saints.
September 15th, 2020 at 8:37 pm
Brady Bunch. I think I wrote at least ten paragraphs on here today trying to explain exactually what you just said. Me not so good with words.
Perfectly said Bunch.
September 16th, 2020 at 9:24 am
Ivan… decent analysis but Dean’s lazy coverage play was a blown coverage by Andrew Adams. They were in cover 2 and Dean was trailing Cook and had his eyes on the short zone in front of him while Adams was supposed to cover Cook over top. Even after the play he communicated something with Adams indicating that someone had blown the coverage, turns out after post game interviews, it wasn’t him. Our young CBs are amazing. Adams was only on the field for a few snaps and he definitely was the culprit there.