LB Derrick Johnson...... "Bucs run an old-school type scheme.”

[michael89156]

Enemy Lines: Johnson Focused on the Run

Posted 3 hours ago

 





Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson knows what a potent running game looks like – Jamaal Charles is his teammate after all – and he thinks the Bucs have the makings of exactly that


Derrick Johnson has the privilege of facing the NFL’s leading runner in practice every day, as well as the league’s second-ranked rushing attack overall.  That should be good preparation for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week Six game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, because Johnson expects to see a similar emphasis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 
 “The running game – strong running game, power-style running game,” Johnson replied, when asked what stands out about the Buccaneers under first-year Head Coach Greg Schiano.  “They kind of wait ‘til you make a mistake.  They like the deep ball, they like to run it of course first but they do max up and throw it deep to Vincent Jackson and those guys.  They’ve got a nice scheme, kind of an old-school type scheme.”
 
The Buccaneers’ rushing attack got off to a strong start in 2012 with a 160-yard day in a 16-10 opening-day win over the Carolina Panthers. Since then, Tampa Bay has failed to crack triple digits again in any of three consecutive losses, though some of that has been due to situational play-calling.  The Week Two game at New York, for instance, turned into a second-half aerial shootout, and the Bucs were trying to rally against a dwindling clock for most of the second half in Dallas in Week Three.
 
In addition, the Bucs have yet to hit any real home runs in the running game, unlike Johnson’s teammate, Jamaal Charles, who broke off a 91-yard touchdown run against New Orleans in Week Three.  Rookie back Doug Martin is averaging a respectable 3.6 yards per carry but has really had to work hard to grind out each yard between the tackles.
 
The Bucs think they’re on the verge of breaking some longer runs, and Johnson sees the same potential problem.
 
“They don’t care if they get one or two yards here or there, but as soon as you mess up, as soon as you don’t play your gaps aggressively and do your assignments right, they’re going to hit you for a big one,” said the former 2005 first-round pick, who has been a starter for most of his eight seasons in the NFL, all in Kansas City.
 
 The Chiefs have just one win, like the Bucs, and their four losses have largely been the product of a league-high 19 turnovers by the offense.  That belies not only the potent Charles-led rushing attack but also a defense that ranks 10th in the league in yards allowed (326.8 per game).  It could be argued that the more telling statistic is points allowed, and there the Chiefs rank 27th in the NFL (29.0 per game), but again, turnovers by the offense have been a major factor in that disparity between the two rankings.  Short fields and scoring returns have helped pump up opposing teams’ scores, as the Chiefs 19 giveaways have resulted in seven touchdowns and six field goals.
 
 Johnson obviously knows the turnovers are a problem but he’s not pointing fingers at the offense.
 
“It’s the ultimate team game, so we have to work good for the offense and the offense has to work good for the defense, regardless of situations,” he said.  “Whenever I get there on the field, I’m out there to stop the offense from scoring.”
 
Nevertheless, Johnson feels as if the Chiefs’ defense has played well and will only get better as the season progresses.  They have been better against the pass (eighth in the league) than the run (22nd), however, giving up 121.0 ground yards per game.  Again, Johnson sees that matchup between his team’s rush defense and the Bucs’ ground game as the key on Sunday.
 
“Right now as a defense we’re playing a lot better,” he said.  “We’re kind of clicking, kind of like last year.  Things are kind of coming together, slowing down for our defense.  We have a young defensive team and it’s going to be a big challenge this week to stop this running game but we’re going to have to make them one-dimensional.  I think they’re running game is great.  It’s an old-style, downhill type of running game but they’re having a lot of success at it.”
 
 Obviously, the Bucs’ defense has just as great of a challenge, if not more so, against Charles and his fellow Kansas City backs.  Whichever D fares better in that regard will likely see its team collect a second win on Sunday.
 
“At the end of the day, wins and losses, that’s what we count,” said Johnson.  “Right now, we’re a 1-4 team and we’re trying to get out of the hole.  Tampa Bay’s trying to do the same thing, so it’s one of those games where we both need a win.  This week is going to be an old-school type of game.  We’re going to run the ball, they’re going to run the ball and we’ll see who does better on Sunday.”





http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/Enemy-Lines-Johnson-Focused-on-the-Run/d21fcadd-5857-4c6f-91a6-4d9327579207

[Knucknbuc]

Derrick Johnson really means to say is that the "bucs run a stone-age type of scheme." The sorry part of it is that maybe if in every game we have played so far, if we would of took 2-3 more of those deep shots each game instead of running shoestring martin for 2 yards we would probably be at above .500

[Pteranodon]

Derrick Johnson really means to say is that the "bucs run a stone-age type of scheme." The sorry part of it is that maybe if in every game we have played so far, if we would of took 2-3 more of those deep shots each game instead of running shoestring martin for 2 yards we would probably be at above .500

Yeah he was being nice with the things he said, like the part where if they don't play their gaps right the Bucs can hit them with a big one, I figured with Charles on his team he would define a big run as more than 17 yards.

[Ms Elam]

Derrick Johnson really means to say is that the "bucs run a stone-age type of scheme." The sorry part of it is that maybe if in every game we have played so far, if we would of took 2-3 more of those deep shots each game instead of running shoestring martin for 2 yards we would probably be at above .500

Yeah he was being nice with the things he said, like the part where if they don't play their gaps right the Bucs can hit them with a big one, I figured with Charles on his team he would define a big run as more than 17 yards.

agree with both if you guys. Both offensively and defensively, the bucs are old school. They don't disguise blitzes and I don't think Freeman has attempted 30 passes once all season. I think you can be old school ground and pound but still incorporate the new school style of play. I think the 49ers are the perfect example of it. Chino is to busy running around pointing out what he did at rutgers to realize he needs to open things up more.

[GameTime]

I don't think Freeman has attempted 30 passes once all season. I think you can be old school ground and pound but still incorporate the new school style of play. I think the 49ers are the perfect example of it. Chino is to busy running around pointing out what he did at rutgers to realize he needs to open things up more.

freeman attempted 24, 28, 28, and 39 passes.  an average of 30.  alex smith has thrown 137 passes in 5 games,  an average of 27.

[Dolorous Jason]

We're not old school , we just suck.

[awitron]

Old school is a nice way to way archaic.

[The Anti-Java]

I don't think Freeman has attempted 30 passes once all season. I think you can be old school ground and pound but still incorporate the new school style of play. I think the 49ers are the perfect example of it. Chino is to busy running around pointing out what he did at rutgers to realize he needs to open things up more.

freeman attempted 24, 28, 28, and 39 passes.  an average of 30.  alex smith has thrown 137 passes in 5 games,  an average of 27.

Interesting.

[Ms Elam]

I don't think Freeman has attempted 30 passes once all season. I think you can be old school ground and pound but still incorporate the new school style of play. I think the 49ers are the perfect example of it. Chino is to busy running around pointing out what he did at rutgers to realize he needs to open things up more.

freeman attempted 24, 28, 28, and 39 passes.  an average of 30.  alex smith has thrown 137 passes in 5 games,  an average of 27.

Interesting.

In those last 3 games how many of those throws came when the bucs were behind and teams were expecting the pass. There is a huge difference between game planned passing and dictated passing. for example coming out and throwing on 1st down verses throwing on 3rd and 9. Maybe I was wrong for alluding to a specific number of passes, because opening it up may not necessarily mean passing 40 times. And Alex Smiths numbers coincide with my earlier assessment that the 49ers run a new school version of the ground and pound. Both offensively and defensively they are much more up todate and more innovative.