Sad Defense & The Scotty Miller Embarrassment
October 22nd, 2023
Carlton Davis
There’s a divide at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
One Joe thinks the Bucs defense is keeping up its end of the bargain. The other Joe sees serious issues among a very talented unit.
Whatever the reality is, the numbers show a Bucs defense that allowed Desmond Ridder to complete 76 percent of his passes today for 250 yards. Ridder also scrambled for 38 yards and a touchdown. Falcons running backs hammered away consistently as Atlanta converted 7 of 13 first downs against the Bucs, helping drop 401 yards of offense on Tampa Bay.
Don’t you dare tell Joe the Bucs defense was tired because their offense was brutal. The Bucs won the time of possession battle.
Yeah, Atlanta scored just 16 points, but that was more about mistake-prone Ridder than the Todd Bowles defense.
Lastly, Joe was in need of an adult diaper when Ridder unloaded a 45-yard bomb to Scotty Miller. Yeah, that Scotty Miller, the former Bucs hero turned Bucs reject who had 3 catches for a total of 14 yards entering today’s game.
Bucs No. 1 cornerback Carlton Davis was covering Miller and was no match. The video is below.
What a rough day. Among other things, Joe will be up all night wondering when/if Devin White is going to look like a Pro Bowl player again.
Welcome back to Tampa, @MillerTime___10 ‼️
📺 FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/0yCLFgXs3m
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 22, 2023
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:04 pm
this game took years off my life I think… hours later I still feel it lol
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:06 pm
Score doesn’t tell the story…Falcons dominated and should have scored 30+. Looks like they’re the best in the NFC south.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:09 pm
The Defense is bending all the way until it gets a redzone takeaway. This doesn’t help anything, least of all field position.
The offense, penalty prone and without a running game has to march 80-90 yards, and can’t pull it off reliably, without the drive getting killed.
Way too many explosives, soft on the run, and making Ridder look like an accurate QB tell me the defense needs some refinement.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:09 pm
I about puked when Scotty Miller caught that pass on Carlton Davis. I thought Davis was our number one corner. When is the last time he had a pick or knocked a pass away. It looked like if he would have turned his head and found the ball he could have batted it down.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:11 pm
The nonstop avoidance of ineptitude on the oline is comical and absurd.
Licht sucks and should defend his oline choices
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:11 pm
It’s mind blowing that CD can play 15 yards off and still gets burned. He and Dean have absolutely mailed it in since getting paid
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:12 pm
Don’t you want to quote What he was going to do? Dumbass got wrecked!
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:13 pm
The Falcons clearly should have 2 added TDs IF not for the 2 runners fumbling the ball just before the end-zone that became touch backs…
This defense is becoming ancient before our eyes…
Love seeing all the FIRE Bowles suggestions… Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy!
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:14 pm
@kstoges – i felt the same way. weirdly, rewatching it condensed helped get over it.
fight fire with fire, i guess…
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:18 pm
Bucs No. 1 cornerback Carlton Davis was covering Miller and was no match.
———
When I watched the game live I thought they were in zone here – watching it again, it looks more like man. But the way Davis is hesitating, to me, it looks like he’s expecting inside support on it. Could be wrong, will have to see the All22. But this will happen when you play zone literally 90%+ of the time, your expensive man-to-man corners are going to get rusty.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:20 pm
lol at the joe who trashes the defense. This has always been Todd’s defense while here. Gives up yards. Gives up bigger plays but locks it down to force a fg.
The offense is averaging a miserable 17 or so points a game while the defense is allowing that same amount. So which is it? If the defense is giving up the arse, then the offense, which is scoring pretty much that same amount, is doing great!
So, to that Joe, which is it? Would love to hear an explanation on this.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:21 pm
I guess no one noticed that rich McKay still runs things for the falcons as well. The Scotty miller play sucked. As did the failure to punt on the first series and the Pitts big play.
But miller’s replacements did nothing today. And gage is a drain that didn’t do much when he did play.
But that didn’t cost us the game. Not being able to run the ball cost us the game.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:21 pm
I always said that I am not confident of the secondary. Even a couple years ago. Oh well. That was Scotty’s catch for the season.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:26 pm
Davis is not good. The pass rush was not good. The Falcons had multiple TOs or it would have been much worse.
The playcalling was bad. The receivers could not get open. The ridiculous penalties killed drives. Mauch is lousy. His holding killed a drive. Hainsey got tossed around like a girl.
No, Joe. The Defense was not good.
Bad.
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:30 pm
Instead of loafing let’s call it conserving energy or injury protection.
I want to root for our guys and too much halfassing will reduce my enthusiasm
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:45 pm
The defense today played average at best.
Atlanta moved the ball very well and had 157 yards rushing.
If not for 2 turnovers at the Bucs 1 yard line the Falcons would have won by 17
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:52 pm
@Rod Munch: I also think Davis was playing like he was expecting help (if you look at the cushion at the snap and the way he positions himself more to take away the sideline route). Having said this, this is season 5 of this defense… how long will we wait for the “communication” & “confusion” excuse to disappear from the lips of Mr. Bowles?
October 22nd, 2023 at 11:58 pm
About time you came to your senses and addressed the defense. Our coach is defense minded. We should be better and they play like this consistently.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:16 am
Bucs Self inflicted wounds combined with Atlanta attempting multiple times to gift wrap the game to Tampa was vomit inducing. I too think this game took years off my life the lack of fire and passion in critical moments throughout game took me by complete shock.
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:10 am
Bowles sucks or his assistant coaches suck. That was the most basic route you will see but apparently David forgot he used to be a teammate and has speeded to burn.
This team isn’t putting enough effort into preparation which was essentially what baker said after last weeks lose. We have Mike Evans and Godwin and are ballin but they can’t seem to make a difference that affects the outcome of the games
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:18 am
Davis’s coverage was good. But it literally looked like Davis helped Miller make the catch. I remember when Davis was drafted, second round I think. I remember readin he had maybe one pick in his college career. So that there you have it. A shut down corner that is worthless.
October 23rd, 2023 at 4:18 am
We paid Davis top dollar to be our best corner, and he gets beat by our castoff #3 receiver. That’s why we suck.
October 23rd, 2023 at 4:49 am
Scotty is what we need as a compliment for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They are solid, but not explosive. My guess was that Scotty wasn’t good enough, but he shows his value at the moment… Maybe just Bucs coaching for him wasn’t good enough..?
October 23rd, 2023 at 5:25 am
Dude had one catch, lets not get carried away saying we should’ve kept him.
October 23rd, 2023 at 6:07 am
So that was “the pissed off” Bucs we saw yesterday?
Lol that’s hilarious as was their play. In a word….
G A R B A G E team.
October 23rd, 2023 at 6:49 am
Carlton Davis used to be a pesky corner with his hands on the receiver, not so much any more. Not sure why, but it looks like defenders on a lot of teams are going back to that style. Refs are allowing a lot of leeway to the defender and if you get caught its only a five yard penalty for holding for gabbing body parts or
jersees in lieu of a deep completion. Here’s a question why is it only a five yard
penalty for defensive holding when its a 10 yard penalty for offensive holding?
October 23rd, 2023 at 6:55 am
Bowles is the same guy who said we have to sustain drives on offense so the defense doesn’t wear down, who plays bend but don’t break d and has the them giving up 400 yards. Bowles needs to go, the sooner the better.
October 23rd, 2023 at 7:04 am
I’m no Xs and Os expert, but it sure looked to my untrained eyes that CDIII was in good position to pick that if he had read Miller’s body and grasped that he was expecting the ball to arrive any moment. At the very least he should’ve been able to make it a contested catch.
October 23rd, 2023 at 7:06 am
That’s with an 8 yard cushion and Davis backpedaling on the snap.
October 23rd, 2023 at 8:29 am
I love Scotty Miller but that is a slap in the face folks! From Dan Quinn!
Go Bucs!
October 23rd, 2023 at 8:58 am
The money the Bucs are paying Dean & Davis should be used to re sign Antoine Winfield Jr to a lifetime contract
Crazy to pay 2 Corners that much who don’t intercept passes or shut down a team’s 3rd or 4th receiving option.
October 23rd, 2023 at 9:22 am
Davis got his sh!t wrecked. Again.
October 23rd, 2023 at 10:31 am
Davis and Dean are the Rashad Whites of CBs
October 23rd, 2023 at 11:18 am
just keep playing that soft coverage. so difficult to understand. Davis and Dean are not great a zone or soft coverage but are really good at press man. why are we not playing press man more. or even press on zone. give the front 7 a chance to get to the QB. Also JTS can not hold the edge against the run. something has got to change.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:25 pm
Our corners…basically Davis and Dean…ah, yes pseudonym for their grades at this critical position. They have no ball skills!!! If Davis had any he was in position to intercept that pass bt never even looked for the ball. They are hugely overrated as ” cover” corners. Talk about overrated? 45 is an absolute joke. He talks a good game, vocal as hell trying to come off as a leader but the proof is in his play! He is only an average LB at best but yesterday he was freakin horrible! No plays other than one good tackle early that is expected of any NFL LB. He’s lazy, no game instincts etc. I could go on and on but if BUD Light gives him a big contract it will be a huge mistake. Savior LB my a$$…the film doesn’t lie….and he’s still a media darling, even on these pages. Lavonte David is 10 times the player with 100 5imes the heart!!!!
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:26 pm
Meant to add ” D” and “D”
October 25th, 2023 at 11:46 pm
Lavonte David is by far if not the best all around players to ever play the game! No he’s not a household name like Ray Lewis or anybody like that but that man shows up every game every play he doesn’t run his mouth or complain he does what he’s supposed to do on and off the field he definitely doesn’t get the credit he deserves kinda reminds me of another LB that played for Tampa that doesn’t get the credit he’s deserves David is definitely the LB I want to have on the field for my team every game every play on the defensive of side of the ball what Tampa needs to do is trade Devin White and acquire a running back our corners and safeties are talented they’re young and need to get to 100% and play better man coverage!