Scheming Issues Continue
November 24th, 2020
Our beloved Buccaneers went from no running game last season to a very inconsistent one this season.
Joe will take the improvement all day! But there clearly are two major issues/questions.
First, why do the Bucs have the sixth-lowest rank when it comes to average rushing attempts per game? The teams with fewer runs per game specialize in losing and trailing in games. The Bucs are 7-4.
Bucco Bruce Arians has said multiple times that he’s committed to the run and great things happen off his run game. And the Bucs have two very capable running backs for a change. So what’s happening?
During last year’s playoffs, Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson raved repeatedly about how 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is the best in the NFL at scheming the running game. San Francisco was second in rush attempts and second in rushing yards. The league knew what was coming and couldn’t stop it, and the 49ers didn’t have special running backs.
That brings Joe back to the Bucs “scheming” in their run game. The Bucs have Tom Brady and a mind-blowing array of pass-catching talent. Shouldn’t that soften the defense for the run game and/or set up the Bucs playcaller to scheme effectively?
Joe heard Bucs officials say repeatedly this offseason that Tom Brady would make the run game a lot better, checking to effective runs at the line of scrimmage. Joe is confident Brady has had an impact, but it surely doesn’t feel like it’s been enough.
It seems like Brady-Arians-Leftwich want to play gunslinger whether it’s working smoothly or not.
They’ll win a hearty chunk of games that way, and Joe’s not calling for 20th-century football. But to get where they want to go, the Bucs will have to figure out improving the run game, especially if Tom Brady continues to struggle throwing deep.
For a glorious change, the Bucs have talented young running backs with fresh legs. There’s no excuse not to get a little more out of those guys.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:08 am
Whats up with vaughn and mccoy? I mean sprinkle them in on first down maybe throw some first down screens to the backs. This is just a crazy offense with brady, evans godwin and brown not being able to get open in the zone that the rams were running. The Rams played match up zone defense and put pressure in tommys face and dared tommy to throw it deep…stop the deep pass it isnt there
November 24th, 2020 at 11:09 am
We’re going on 27 games of this garbage now. I saw enough of Leftwich last year
November 24th, 2020 at 11:12 am
RoJo up the middle for 1 yard on 1st down every series isn’t a “run scheme”. They tried running outside last night, it worked, then back to RoJo up the middle.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:12 am
Can’t wait to hear 813 tell us how much of a genius Byron Leftwich is for calling 49 pass plays vs 18 runs against one of the best defenses in the league.
Especially when your quarterback is incapable of hitting a pass over 20 yards downfield.
But they that’s okay let’s just keep making excuses for them instead.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:16 am
I’m still upset that the NFL and BSPN didn’t honor the All-White Offensive Line that the Rams so bravely sported.
It was a historic moment that was lost.
🥲
November 24th, 2020 at 11:17 am
Guys Leftwich is not the guy, we all know what it should look like and this is not it. We totaled 8yds in the 3rd qtr. With this array of talent 8yds. is just unacceptable. He learned from the Saints game by getting it out early to the wr’s on slip screens but it only lasted one half then amnesia kicked in. Adam Gase could do more with this O then Leftwich and that’s saying a lot.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:17 am
Leftwich is a turd in waiting.
Some team is going.to hire him then fire him after a season or two.
Dude is straight up trash.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:21 am
Out coached on both sides of the ball. Plain and simple.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:25 am
What we are watching is a coach who is hell bent on imposing his “scheme” whether the players can execute it or not. Its arrogant, its counter-productive and its wasting our talent (and cap dollars)
If you didn’t intend to bring Brady in to run an offense he is comfortable with, why bring him in at all? We wasting $50,000,000?
November 24th, 2020 at 11:27 am
No no no you guys, Leftwich is the best OC in the league! just ask bucboi lol
I mean, how could you not be the best when you only get 8 yards an entire quarter and have dozens of 3 and outs all night long, game after game, especially with the following skills players:
Tom Brady
Antonio Brown
Mike Evans
Chris Godwin
Gronk
Leonard Fournette
RoJo
Cam Brate
Only a true genius could take all that talent and get an incredible 8 yards with it.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:28 am
I am not a conspiracist but I put full blame on Tom Brady for the Buc’s loss to the Rams. This is just my opinion of what I observed of the game and the interaction on the field between Antonio Brown and Brady. They are good friends. Brady fed him the ball in order to help him regain his shattered reputation. Brown got the pass when there were better and more productive receivers open. I say bring back Winston. Let Brady mentor him for a year. Then let them share quarterback duties. Get Winston’s interference rate down. Brady’s is not that great.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:28 am
If we had Mcvay calling plays we would be undefeated
November 24th, 2020 at 11:29 am
I’d be curious to see how many of the top teams use dink/dunk vs heavy vertical concepts… I’m sure it’s some kind of mix for many… But I swear .. despite the criticism dink and dunk just flat out seems to win games .. embrace it man. Keeps your qb jersey clean, neutralizes pass rush… It can just be hard to defend in general… Of course when they creep up you take a shot… Man I just don’t see the reluctance to go that route .. I can only imagine what Gruden would do with these weapons
November 24th, 2020 at 11:30 am
Check the stats Joe. Bucs only had men in motion 6 times. Absolutely mind boggling. If we swap play calls with the Rams, Bucs win. This game is on our head coach and his stooge Leftwhich.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:33 am
Well doosh it wasn’t too long ago, within my lifetime that’s all that was allowed on the field in the first place because no one but white men were allowed to play let alone ride in the front seat of a bus. I’m sure you missed it when the announcers said you people didn’t allow a black referee until 1980. Are you kidding me? 1980 and and quite a few others out there upset that the NFL rolled out an all black crew to make a point even though hundreds upon hundreds of all white crews have been out there for ever. The 1st black qb in the NFL took over for Terry Bradshaw got death threats for playing a freaking game, but people like you with your white amnesia ignore the facts of what has gone on in this country and act like people are supposed to just get over it. I can understand why they are so hostile to you people, and unfortunately to others who had nothing to do with it!
November 24th, 2020 at 11:36 am
It’s funny. When they win, Aroans and Leftwich are geniuses. When they lose, it’s because they sit like statues and make no adjustments
l don’t understand why Ronald Jones can’t evade a tackle.
I don’t understand why he can’t break a tackle.
I don’t understand why they don’t use a fullback.
I don’t understand why we don’t use a short passing game.
I don’t understand why they never throw slant patterns.
I don’t understand why Brady doesn’t change bad play calls from Leftwich.
I don’t understand why RBs can’t catch.
Apparently, Arians and Leftwich don’t either.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:37 am
cant blame BL for fournette dropping passes and brady throwing picks….
shouldve ran rojo more but poor execution on the offense doomed us…..combined with no pressure on goff…
obviously, folks like unbelievable are hunting for scapegoats…..
while you’re out, find “THE GOAT” and tell him to report back to OBP….
GO BUCS!!!!!
November 24th, 2020 at 11:40 am
if we had rams DC, we’d be undefeated….
GO BUCS!!!!
November 24th, 2020 at 11:40 am
I kept yelling at the TV in the second half.
“Run the damn ball”
November 24th, 2020 at 11:43 am
Ken. Think the frustration mostly comes from the fact that what they were doing on offense worked in the first half and then for whatever reason they changed the script and stuck with it even when it wasn’t working. Defense was the opposite and was nice to see, only question was why did it take that long
November 24th, 2020 at 11:43 am
I don’t understand why Brady doesn’t change bad play calls from Leftwich.
maybe because its not a bad play….we just need better execution….bad passes…dropped balls…
GO BUCS!!!!
November 24th, 2020 at 11:44 am
The fans have done their part! Now it’s on the organization!!!
November 24th, 2020 at 11:45 am
@813- Leftwich Arians AND Brady are all to blame. All of them.
If we had the Rams OC, we win that game. Simple as that. The defense did enough.
Brady isn’t the one who calls 18 rushes vs. 49 passes! Or the one who takes the ball of RoJos hands even though he’s the 3rd leading running back in the league.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:47 am
Keep celebrating mediocrity and running a dated 1990s offensive scheme. Maybe in another 10 years the Glazers will actually find a coach who has a clue.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:53 am
If I’m Rojo I want out of Tampa. BL can’t see that when you feed Rojo he gets better as the game goes on and the defense starts to get tired. 18 runs that’s horrible when they talk about how much we need to run and how good Rojo is when we run him. I’m not a huge fan of Fournette he seems to be doing too much dancing behind the LOS. For the life of me I can’t understand why every team but ours can run screens and draws effectively.
My good buddy is a Rams fan and texted me after the game and said, “tell your OC thank you for being away from the quick passes they were killing us with that. I don’t understand why they stopped but I’m glad they did.”.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:55 am
When Rojo dominates the snap count we generally win.
When Fournette dominates the snap count we are 50% and one of those we barely squeaked by(Giants)
Rojo has grown into a powerful running machine. Fournette? Meh…He isn’t even catching well.
IMO, there should not be another game this season that Rojo doesn’t get at least 60% or more of the snaps.
Passing stats,
Rojo 26/38
Fournette 25/34
That’s a wash
November 24th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
so blame/bash them all and not just BL chump…
GO BUCS!!!!
November 24th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Easy 11-5 or 10-6 finish.
No reason to panic.
Playoffs are far away.
Go Bucs!!!(How far no one knows.)
November 24th, 2020 at 12:01 pm
Can you imagine this team with an Andy Reid, Shanahan or McVay type scheme and play caller how this offense wood look?
November 24th, 2020 at 12:02 pm
813….I was angry at numerous plays last night. Not just angry with Brady.
November 24th, 2020 at 12:50 pm
I don’t blame BL for the RBs drops. Just for calling plays which call for passes to them. That is on BL. For not understanding O stats.
November 24th, 2020 at 1:13 pm
I have blamed them all chump.
You’re the one who can’t get BL’s balls out of your mouth long enough to see he’s a below average coordinator who has zero feel for the game and gets outsmarted by every single decent defense he faces.
November 24th, 2020 at 1:17 pm
I say stop wasting outlet throws to the running backs. They are straight awful. Put Cam Brate at H-Back and make him the outlet receiver. Brady’s arm looks tired to me. It is not just that his long throws are short, but alot of his shorter throws are also late. That is why the db’s are able to make plays and break up the passes.
November 24th, 2020 at 1:41 pm
Andy Reid
Sean Payton
Sean McVay
Shanahan
Each of these coaches would scheme to their talent.
Not just the crappy running game.
Bad passing scheme.
Can’t believe they called that play for Cam Brate down the seam with less than two minutes.
That last drive was awful. They should have focused on moving the chains and putting in the end zone with no time left. OR tie with a FG and head to overtime.
Just stupid crap.
Mind boggling.
November 24th, 2020 at 1:52 pm
Hubris. Plain and Simple. 12 is slowly deteriorating before our very eyes. He is simply not as sharp, nor his arm as lively as it was before the Giants game. BA/BL either refuse to see it or are too obtuse to do the obvious—protect the GOAT with short/quick high % passes and a commitment to running (need to significantly up the attempts). We’ve been exposed on both sides of the ball. If adjustments aren’t made, next week’s game could be over before halftime.
November 24th, 2020 at 2:14 pm
Not sure how Bucs will get to the playoffs with this old fart fossilized coach named Arians. The team (even minus Brady and the backup clown) deserves to walk into the playoffs. They are that talented across the board.
November 24th, 2020 at 3:16 pm
Leftwich is undercover for the saints
November 24th, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Arians offense was very good seven years ago – things change. JW threw for 30 TD’s and a lot of offense but I wonder how much of his other 30 were Arians pushing to fit a square peg in a round hole. If you don’t think time has a way of working against you then lefts bring back the Wishbone or the Wing T offense.
Teams had figured Arians out. No movement on the line, no slants, cutbacks or crisis crosses route, how often have you seen two or even three receivers in the same area this year. When hey go-to tight group 90% its a run. Gronk is a great blocker but we rarely pull a guard and look to run outside the tackle, so everything is a grind. Can you remember the last time you saw a delayed handoff against the pass rush?
There are NO adjustments of defense of offense, it’s all hammer and nail. And speaking of defense, what happened to the wunderkind blitz king Todd Bowles? Why is Lavonte and Delvin always rushing the A gap? where are the corner blitzes, and stunts – WTF has happened to this team?
November 24th, 2020 at 3:34 pm
Seems like Brady-Arians-Leftwich want to prove Brady’s still got an arm. To the detriment of the team!
November 24th, 2020 at 4:32 pm
Fire Bruce Arians
November 24th, 2020 at 4:39 pm
Should have polled Bucs fans on this hire beforehand. I, for one, have experienced for a decade visceral feelings of failure, futility, and defeat when I hear the name Byron Leftwich.
November 24th, 2020 at 6:16 pm
Seems to me that the defense was a problem last night. Rams have a top 5 defense and supposably so do the Buccaneers. Rams looked like they had no problems moving the ball against us. Defense was the problem and lack of adjustment was the reason! Same as the saints game, and bears game. Play zone and any QB will pick us apart, we suck at zone! More press was needed and more pressure on QB
November 24th, 2020 at 11:47 pm
We should have pinched Josh McDaniels from NE while we were at it.
November 24th, 2020 at 11:49 pm
@robertg,
This D has to play zone when they know the DBs can’t handle fast WRs in man.
Playing zone that much and getting ripped apart with no pass rush is a telling sign what confidence Todd has in our DBs covering in man situation. The Rams didn’t even have their starting LT. There is only so much JPP can do alone.
November 25th, 2020 at 3:18 am
I kept wondering if Dirk Koeller was hiding in the hull of the ship and tapping in to the signal going in to TB’s helmet in the huddle because there are still way too many predictable run play-calls on first down.
November 25th, 2020 at 3:21 am
And what the hell happened to the blitzing defense that has been mauling offenses the first half of the season?