Todd Bowles Not Interested In Knocked Down Passes
July 31st, 2023
Takeaway chatter.
There is an old football saying: If defensive backs could catch, they’d be wide receivers.
There is a whole lot of truth in that. Especially in this new-age era where offense rules. Besides, it’s common for receivers to pull in the big bucks.
So Joe thought of this when hearing Bucs head coach Todd Bowles gripe about how his defensive backs aren’t catching (intercepting) passes.
“Just got to learn how to catch them,” Bowles said of the passes broken up by defensive backs yesterday. “We knock down more balls than we catch.
“We’ve got to be able to get turnovers this year – we can’t knock them down.”
So is Bowles turning into former Bucs head caoch Lovie Smith, who only gave a damn about was turnovers? If his defense got a turnover, Lovie acted like referees would award the Bucs seven points?
Joe wonders if Bowles, unspoken, is worried about bigger issues? Is he hoping forced turnovers by his defense will make up for a low-scoring offense?
Look, punts are turnovers too. Just get off the field.
After reading Warren Sharp’s intel on how sacks destroy offensive possessions, Joe wonders if sacks are now more important than takeaways?
July 31st, 2023 at 12:16 am
No, sacks are not more important than takeaways. While sacks greatly reduce the percentage of drives that end in scores. Takeaways turn that percentage into a zero.
July 31st, 2023 at 1:14 am
Plus, In the past 3 years we have given up a lot of 1st downs after a sack.
I wonder what Tampa ranks in that category on PFF?
iMO nothing defensively is bigger than a turnover except a TD on that turnover.
July 31st, 2023 at 2:13 am
Seems pretty simple to me.
PBUs are good
INTs are better.
You don’t want to be the cowboys though – yeah they turn the ball over but they give up big plays too.
You want to add turnovers to a stiff defense not trade them for yards given up by getting burned on bad gambles.
July 31st, 2023 at 5:13 am
You guys got rid of the playmakers on the team.
July 31st, 2023 at 6:16 am
Is Bowles interested in Mayfield’s knocked won passes?
July 31st, 2023 at 6:17 am
knocked down
July 31st, 2023 at 7:00 am
When the Bucs defenses were good, the turnover ratio (our turnovers collected to our turnovers given up) was solidly positive, around 1.5 to 2.0. That’s what we ought to be shooting for. You can win a lot of games doing that.
July 31st, 2023 at 7:02 am
Since you always like to talk about your “erection” for sacks because of how they can lead to less completed drives, why wouldn’t you really get excited for turnovers? I know, you never said that. Sacks will never be more important than drives, unless the sack causes an injury that knocks out a big time player, thus heavily altering the game.
July 31st, 2023 at 7:04 am
@Christmas Is this a troll attempt?
Everyone that isn’t returning for 2023, arguably including #12, wasn’t a “playmaker” in 2022. A few were playmakers in 2020 and 2021, but not 2022.
So no, we didn’t get “rid of the playmakers on the team”.
July 31st, 2023 at 7:33 am
I dunno how you coach that really in general. Guys like Davis just need to be working the jugs machine more probably
July 31st, 2023 at 8:37 am
Nothing at all with a knocked down pass…..especially at the LOS…….sometimes a DB can only get one hand on the ball…..but yes, when it’s two hands they need to catch it.
July 31st, 2023 at 8:39 am
Didn’t he say the same thing in camp last year?
Just an observation.
Go Bucs!
July 31st, 2023 at 8:40 am
Our DBs are really good, but what keeps them from being elite is neither of them can catch. Davis/Dean drop a ton of really easy INTs. Lavontae drops a ton of them also.
July 31st, 2023 at 8:57 am
I would like more interceptions, but there is a reason DBs are DBs.
They can’t catch, if they could they would be receivers.
July 31st, 2023 at 9:08 am
Joe says: “Joe wonders if Bowles, unspoken, is worried about bigger issues? Is he hoping forced turnovers by his defense will make up for a low-scoring offense”
Maybe it’s not so much a “low-scoring offense” as it is a more slow and plodding offense. While a solid ground game and “move the chains” short throws can produce those so-called “beautiful, long 75 yard drives” they take up 7:30 of game clock so, while that may “demoralize a defense” and keep the other team’s offense off the field, it also limits the number of possessions for your own offense since the game clock is a finite 60 minutes.
Shortening the field is huge if this is going to be our style over the “quick strike – no risk it, no biscuit” offense. Defensive takeaways, quick 3 and outs on D and good ST play to win the battle of field position will be more important to a team who needs time to “matriculate down the field” as Hank Stram once called it.
Sacks are great and can kill some if not most drives but teams can more easily overcome 4 sacks per game than 4 turnovers per game. Plus turnovers stop the ticking clock while sacks do not.
Canales is a stats and numbers guy (allegedly) so I’m sure he knows that you can only fit in so many “beautiful, demoralizing, 75 yard, 7 minute drives” within your share of the 60 minutes.
Then again, we may see Canales open ‘er up on offense more than he’s alluding to. He has the weapons, just need to get them the ball.
July 31st, 2023 at 9:48 am
“I would like more interceptions, but there is a reason DBs are DBs.
They can’t catch, if they could they would be receivers.”
THIS! probably gets told to at least one person on every football team at every level of the game wherever football is being taught and learned. It also comes in that cheeky, but positively re-enforced tone and can generate a good laugh
“that’s alright DJ if you could catch we’d be down our best CB” like wait, what? 😂
-or-
“that boy couldn’t catch a cold butt naked in Alaska” is the funniest one I’ve personally”
PBUs, INTs, Sacks all good defensive reps, but the last two can get you the ball back and flip the field for your offense.
July 31st, 2023 at 10:05 am
Play your highly paid CB’s in man to man and give them a chance for turnovers vs the 10-15 yard soft zones and maybe they will force those turnovers
Just a thought
July 31st, 2023 at 10:45 am
INT > knock-down > completion, just as sack > knock-down > pressure > completion
The key is going up the D food chain…
July 31st, 2023 at 11:33 am
Just play good football on both sides of the ball. Then we can expect to see a winning team.
July 31st, 2023 at 1:38 pm
Joe, which DBs are working in the juggs? They need to be hitting it more than the receivers.
July 31st, 2023 at 2:19 pm
In Joes’ camp notes he mentions plenty of long pass attempts. Seattle wasn’t afraid to chuck it down the field and we won’t be either.