When The Defense Carries You
October 3rd, 2020
Talks Bucs defense.
The Bucs enter tomorrow’s game at the Den of Depression with the best-scoring offense in the first quarter through three weeks, outscoring opponents 31-0.
So when Shaun O’Hara, former Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Giants, decided to hail the Bucs’ defense for leading the way, Joe got what he was saying even though he took a wrong turn to get there.
Analyst for NFL Network and co-host of the weekend version of “Good Morning Football” along with Mike Garafolo, O’Hara, Michael Robinson and fetching Colleen Wolfe were discussing the NFC South.
The Bucs hold first place in the NFC South and O’Hara claimed park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring Bucs quarterback Tom Brady is the reason the defense is playing lights out.
“To me, the biggest surprise for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is not that Tom Brady can throw the ball and that Gronk can catch it or that Mike Evans is a good receiver,” O’Hara said. “It is the defense.
“Last year, they had one of the worst defenses in the league. And now, all of a sudden the pass rushers are showing up. Shaq Barrett, JPP, it’s a defensive line meeting room at the quarterback.
“It is amazing to me how when you get an offense that is competent and a quarterback that you trust and you know can win the game in the fourth quarter, it is amazing how much better the defense always seems to play.”
Well, yeah, the defense is carrying the Bucs but O’Hara is all messed up in coming to the correct conclusion.
The Bucs defense was bad last year because for much of the season the secondary was hot garbage. So it’s not like all 16 weeks of the season the defense blew chunks. Not until the Bucs launched Vernon Hargreaves for serial loafing did the defense suddenly turn the corner into a legit outfit.
Joe isn’t sure how Brady is making the defense better. It’s certainly not by winning games in the fourth quarter. The Bucs have been sloppy offensively in the second halves. In the two wins, the Bucs have had the game in hand by halftime.
But what O’Hara speaks of in relation to quarterbacks is what Bucco Bruce Arians has stated; if the Bucs’ quarterback doesn’t play Santa Claus, they an win games.
You can see the discussion of the NFC South from the NFL Network video below.
The NFC South is full of talent, but the team records don’t reflect that so far this season.#Saints #GoBucs #KeepPounding #RiseUpATL pic.twitter.com/ANToUMtQ2t
— GMFB (@gmfb) October 3, 2020
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:03 pm
The Defense LOVES playing for our QB downgrade!!
They know that when they give the ball back to the Offense they will have time to at least take their helmet off and grab a Gatorade or two before they have to go back to work.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:03 pm
Joe it is by not turning the football over at a historic rate.
Granted this is probably the Joe# 2 that still thinks we should have drafted Johnny Football and can’t fathom how we can get rid of Jameis. Also wanted us to draft a meh running back over a front runner for DROTY or Ceedee lamb over a coveted right tackle.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:10 pm
Uuuuuuuuummmmm…all those pick sixes and the crack pipe head that led them was EXACTLY why we lost most of those games last year. All you need are eyes to see that.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:12 pm
This year while Tom and the offense plays the defense rest unlike last year’s free giveaways by America’s Backup Quarterback. Smh
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:21 pm
Ha! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves…we’ve played no one except the Aint’s.
We are winning the games we are supposed to win. This is a huge upgrade to the years past. The tough opponents are about 50/50 odds as those stronger teams expose our weaknesses. 11-5 and we can eff some teams up during the playoffs and be scary good.
We gotta get a little lucky along the way to make it to Ray Jay in February…we can totally do this…Go Bucs!
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:22 pm
The ball is being turned over at a historical rate. What you mean is that the ball is being turned over by Brady and not Jameis. Dare we discuss the contrast? If Bruce had changed the offense for Jameis, as he did for Brady, Jameis would not have thrown as many interceptions. Dare we discuss the contrast?
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:24 pm
Joe,
National media didn’t pay attention to the Bucs until this year. They only look at stats. I’m guessing Mr. O’Hara saw the defense doing well this year, then looked at the season stats from last year. He’s far from the only one that does this.
Offense will come along. We should see it come together over the next two weeks. Like I said in the previous post, Green Bay will be the measuring stick to see where the team is at.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:32 pm
Davis, Dean, Whitehead and Murphy-Bunting have another year experience under Bowles, White is healthy, and Winfield Jr may be the best safety the Bucs have had since Lynch.
Offense still needs to clean things up- establish consistent running game, eliminate penalties and continue to win turnover battle.
So far so good Succop .
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:33 pm
You beat two teams that could not beat LSU, who got beat by MS. If McCaffrey had not gotten hurt, the Bucs chance of losing that game was more likely than not. But, I do like your confidence.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Mirrormirror that dude been throwing picks before Bruce check yo sheets
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:39 pm
These negative people are funny. Good luck in your life. Lol
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:41 pm
The young guns in the secondary and flying around now and Winfield is a star in the making. The front 7 was stellar last year but now they’ve got a strong secondary too.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:41 pm
Bucs go to 3-1 on Sunday. Check yo sheets! How many times was Jay Miss 3-1?
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:46 pm
Last year the Bucs were the Tale of Two Defenses. First half of the season it wasn’t just VHIII; it was the whole defense not playing together as a TEAM. That changed dramatically in the 2nd half of the season IMO, once the rookies had gained a little experience in Todd Bowles system & once several of the guys had healed up.
This year they not only picked up where they left off, but they advanced quite a bit in the off-season. Maybe the change at QB has had something to do with that, but I still think it’s mostly Todd Bowles getting everyone to buy in. Right now they’re playing fast & furious, and with their defensive talent that’s a deadly combination.
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:52 pm
Our Defense so far has been outstanding and it is 100% healthy…..
Brady took a couple of coverage sacks….threw the ball away and didn’t cough it up…..no ints…….
I’m quite sure every player….on both sides of the ball is playing better because of Brady….
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:45 pm
Shaun O’Hara, shut up man. Before you speak, do your job, you had all off season to watch last years games
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:24 pm
You can have all the talent in the world but without the right mindset, winning attitude you will lose. Look at the Browns.
Brady has brought that mindset with him and that IS a difference maker.
All of the pieces were there last year. What we lacked was inspiration. The sure knowledge that we WOULD win -vs could win. Rah rah speeches only take you so far. That attitude is building in our locker room. Had we had a regular off-season with preseason games to build on we would be undefeated at this time.
The Chargers game represents the last of the preseason games and the real start will be in Chicago to get ready for the first real test with Green Bay.
No more high hopes.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS!
The storm is brewing, batten down the hatches.
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:46 pm
BUCS go to 3 an 1 tomorrow!!!
Currently the rest of the NFCS right now is a Combined 2 and 7
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:47 pm
Well said gp!
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:12 pm
I wish we had some this 4th quarter magic against the Saints. Naw but we good beating Broncos and Panthers. Smh. We are not ready for that real smoke
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:15 pm
Just like at the end of last year the defense is feasting on trash teams. Where was the pressure against the Saints? Where were the TOs against the Saints? Just like last year they played really well against the Jags, Lions and a beat down Falcons team. How did they do against the Saints, Seahawks or Cardinals? Let’s hope they keep it up and prove they can do it against some legit teams cause we all know our downgrade at QB will get weaker and weaker near the end of the season so he won’t be carrying anything. We already changed the offense for him what’s going to happen near the end of the year when his arm starts giving out? We going to change it again to the Wing T and just play our 3 RBs at the same time?
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:58 pm
Yes of course. All of the sudden the pass rush shows up. Not like last year. I must’ve imagined that Shaq lead the entire league in sacks last year. Silly me.
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:28 pm
You did imagine it Mort. Lol. Only difference in the D personnel is we lost Carl Nassib, Beau Allen, and gained a rookie S.
If only we could have gotten rid of those two cancers and gotten Winfield Jr for our previous QB.
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:46 pm
Joe, you don’t have to show this to anyone else but if you could just email me where I crossed the line messin’ with Ndog I would not cross it again
October 3rd, 2020 at 11:28 pm
Not sure why your comments are showing up in moderation. There is something either in your comments or coming from your IP address that the spam filter doesn’t like. Unfortunately, Joe doesn’t write computer code so there is no telling why this is happening.
Joe can assure you this is not some premeditated stunt to fool with you in any way. You’ve been one of the best commenters in like forever.
Joe hasn’t been paying close attention to the moderation queue today because he’s been trying to watch college football. Quite literally all hours of the day and night comments find themselves in moderation for a variety of reasons both known and unknown. Joe could (and often does) check every few minutes through 2-3 a.m. and there are comments showing up in moderation.
One Joe monitors the comments until the wee hours of the morning and the other Joe starts monitoring them around 5 a.m.
October 4th, 2020 at 12:04 am
Thank you Joe.
I appreciate this very much.
I was just messing with Ndog.
October 4th, 2020 at 12:06 am
Nobody can mess with you guys!!!
You OWN Bucs’ content!!!
October 4th, 2020 at 12:07 am
Thank you!
October 4th, 2020 at 12:14 am
Youngbucs Says:
October 3rd, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Mirrormirror that dude been throwing picks before Bruce check yo sheet.
That dude has always been on the worse team in the league with the worse coaches. Let us see how the season end.
October 4th, 2020 at 12:52 am
They love playing for Brady because they think they can win with him!! The players gave up on Magoo because he ALWAYS let them down!! Yes they let him down a time or 2 but it was mutual!! It’s amazing what a real leader can do!! Haven’t seen him eat his fingers or be completely fake like Winston was!! That was one of the things I hated the worst about him!! He was so fake!! All that “ahh shucks ma’am I’m just blah blah blah” only fake people act that way!! He DID touch those girls and did rape that girl in college!! He learned to play on the stupidity of people ESPECIALLY of white people eager to accept a black QB with all the fake niceties to prove how woke they are!!! FAKE! FAKE FAKE!! People can see that and feel it!! He also was a HORRIBLE QB …. HORRIBLE!?!
October 4th, 2020 at 1:12 am
Believe it or not, tomorrow is my 16th Anniversary !!
She bought me a .300 mag.
I just want a Bucs win.
October 4th, 2020 at 1:14 am
LOL!
October 4th, 2020 at 1:15 am
True tho Joe.
October 4th, 2020 at 1:19 am
I have a Catered plethora of meats and sauces being delivered right as the Bucs win tomorrow at around 2:30 my time. We will FEAST on the Bucs being 3 and 1 for the first time since when???????????
October 4th, 2020 at 1:24 am
If………If the Rays win the World Series.
If.
Would that put pressure on TOM?
October 4th, 2020 at 1:53 am
If we win tomorrow it will be SO FUN to watch haters fade into the bushes!
October 4th, 2020 at 8:54 am
So tell us NPup, why are you here again? From what you post it appears you have 2 objectives:
1. Cry about #3 being gone.
2. Say something negative about the Bucs.
A fan doesn’t spew negative BS about their team 24×7 like you do. That’s called trolling, check yo sheet.
October 4th, 2020 at 9:04 am
Joe hope you don’t have to shoot your tv