The Importance Of Sacks (2024 Edition)
September 23rd, 2024
Why does Joe go so bananas about an edge rush? Because sacks change games. Because sacks are drive-killers.
Noted NFL stathead and handicapper Warren Sharp posts regularly on his website Sharp Football Analysis and his annual football preview just how dramatically a sack can turn a promising drive into a punt.
Bucs fans saw this twice early in the second half yesterday when the Bucs had a shot to pull within one score of the Broncos.
Well, one of Sharp’s henchmen, Rich Hribar, posted this morning on Twitter, currently known as “X,” just how much a sack destroys drives.
Teams that suffer a sack through three games this season have but a six percent chance of scoring a touchdown on that same drive.
@LordReebs: Drives without a sack so far:
2.13 Pts/Drive
40.5% score %
23.6% TD %
32.0% punt %With a sack:
1.04 Pts/Drive
26.5% score %
6.1% TD %
50.0% punt %
Yet the Bucs, who consider themselves an NFC contender (Joe still thinks so, too), appear indifferent to an edge rush both in words and actions. Yesterday, Joe saw evidence of what happens when a team gets sacks, and when a team give up sacks.
Denver had seven sacks. The Bucs? Zee-row. Now that’s losing football.
As Chucky said this weekend, “You can’t win a championship if you don’t have a fourth-quarter pass rush.”
Right now, the Bucs would take an any-quarter pass rush.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:16 am
“”Yet the Bucs, who consider themselves an NFC contender (Joe still thinks so, too””
Glad someone still thinks we’re still a contender. This team was exposed for all the world to see. They’re pretenders not contenders.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:18 am
The Bucs has too many sacks, and sack creators on the sidelines, looking good, smelling good…..lol
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:21 am
I disagree BucU, being at the game yesterday, 1. in the section I was sitting “Let’s go Broncos” chants were much louder than any bucs fans 2. whole team played like garbage, completely different to weeks past (except the pass rush) 3. Baker had a bad game, he’ll be back 4. Injuries are so apparent, Skule can never see the green grass at RayJay ever again.
I say we’re still contenders because this performance was so bad compared to what was displayed at the end of last season/first 2 weeks, we are not as bad as this last game but it was for sure a wake up call. I think our only route to the playoffs is winning the division which I think is very likely, but once we get there (if healthy) we can compete
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:23 am
At the end of the day,
I still think this Bucs team win the NFC South
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:29 am
Why don’t the Bucs prioritize getting a legit edge rusher through free agency? It’s same problem every season, lack of a pass rush.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:34 am
Bowles doesn’t value pure EDGE rushers the same. They have to be well rounded players who can play the run 1st and then also drop in coverage for his designer blitz packages.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:40 am
Yesterday’s game sucked!! Bucs sucked yesterday!! Baker sucked! Bowkes and his staff sucked. Defense sucked! Offense line was terrible! Wirfs sucked! I could on and on. Bucs be fixed this or I can find other things to do in Tampa, Fl on Sundays then pay money to go sit in the hot sun and watch that yesterday. That was bs! I noticed this last season too. Everytime the national media begins talking the Bucs like they did the past 2 weeks. Bucs team comes out just puts a bs effort game in like last week. This Bucs team can’t handle success well. They can’t be a winning team and just handle all the flowers they get from the media and continue to win. And that’s on coaching and leadership of this team.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:43 am
The Bucs didn’t have the money to spend on expensive Free Agents, after they locked up Mayfield, Whirfs, Evans, David etc.
They could only afford minimum to mid- level free agents
Guys like, Whitehead, Opeta, Bredeson, Hall, Thomas, Gregory
We know what happen to Gregory, Hall, Opeta
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:44 am
Just relax
The sacks are coming
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:49 am
I agree Lakeland, scary to see that we can’t generate ANYTHING without Vea and CK though. 2 sacks in 3 games is piss poor and I’m starting to wonder if those 2 guys can even bring us to having a decent pass rush let alone a good one. Not to mention how terrible we were against the run yesterday (Anthony Nelson may actually need replacement ankles after getting put on skates)
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:50 am
Baker Bowl Says:
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:21 am “Let’s go Broncos” chants were much louder than bucs fans
^^^^
Next week the Philly “jailbirds” are going to smell blood.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:57 am
The Buccaneers need to start giving tickets away to school kids to develop an actual fan base. Seriously, it was a weekly thing in the ’90s and 2000s here in Colorado, and the team would send a few players to the schools. They would draw Broncos symbols players or whatever send them in Or the school would have “Play 60” days to compete with 40yrd dashes or whatever for tickets; typically, an elementary school would win, and the whole second/third/fifth-grade class etc would get tickets as a field trip. The Broncos showed up at 0-2, louder than any Bucs fan there and that’s crazy, BucU. That’s what it looked like on TV, so I completely believe it. It’s just demoralizing as a player anyone who played even for a crappy high-school team knows if your home and the crowd is louder for your opponent that just makes it hard to compete. I know there professionals and Winning games they’re supposed to win at home would help heaps, I’m sure.
But…
If I was closer, I’d be the Barrel Man for the Bucs; he was iconic here in Colorado, and it’s hot at the stadium anyway. Home field advantage is real. Fans are important, especially for team morale. The Broncos may not be great this year, but they still sell out every home game. The season ticket holders are proud, diehard fans. Maybe it’s half because there’s no beach, and you can only really enjoy the mountains if you ski or snowboard in the winter. Either way, they show up and scream and yell, regardless of the team’s record.
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:59 am
Better coach, better preparations, better results!
September 23rd, 2024 at 11:00 am
Baker Bowl Says:
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:21 am “Let’s go Broncos” chants were much louder than bucs fans
^^^^
Second attempt;
Next week the Philly fans will smell “ichor” and they are the sort of fans that needed a slammer and their own Judge Roy Bean under the stadium. Many if not most of them live here now and they ain’t gonna change allegiance.
September 23rd, 2024 at 11:06 am
Sooo, sacking their QB,while protecting ours, wins Games?
Yeah. Absolutely the most important thing.
Except to Jason Licht- who acts like O Linemen and Pass Rushers are
Unnecessary luxury Items
Bucky Irving has 2 long runs. The rest are 3.5 or less a carry. Mayfield is getting sacked or pressured every play.
And we’ve know this since Frbuary. We KNEW this, Yet Licht did nothing but bring in two bad back ups. Randy Gregory and Ben Bredesen.
If the team isnt GONNA TRY to Win- then why should I spend Money on Tickets or merchandise?
September 23rd, 2024 at 11:06 am
Citrus County Says:
September 23rd, 2024 at 11:00 am “Many if not most of them live here now and they ain’t gonna change allegiance.”
^^^^
Planning on going to this game as well and am not excited to be outnumbered again but I almost guarantee it will happen. The only thing making it feel like a home game will be the 104 heat
September 23rd, 2024 at 11:06 am
We have plenty of money to sign a pass rusher now I could care less about the false excuse of not having money. Trade for Reddick already. Getting sacks towards the end of the season when we have already been eliminated from playoff contention is meaningless
September 23rd, 2024 at 11:07 am
Josh Says:
September 23rd, 2024 at 10:57 The Buccaneers need to start giving tickets away to school kids to develop an actual fan base.
^^^^^
That’s a GOOD idea ! But, if the parents can’t afford to come with the child, then what ? Nobody in their right mind would let their kid out of their sight these days.
September 23rd, 2024 at 2:22 pm
Kyle Van Noy and Andrew Van Ginkle had sacks yesterday.
It isn’t just about personnel.
The Bucs pass rushers seemed to want to stand up and hug their blockers all day.