Running the football & Play design

[yuccaneers]

When looking at the adjusted line stats provided by Football Outsiders.com it is clear weather by design or because of personnel the Bucs have been very trendy when it comes to the running game to a point where it has almost become way too predictable and easy for opposing defenses to defense. Through we 11 or the Bucs first 10 games the Bucs average roughly 1.81 yards per run to the left meaning left end / left tackle as opposed to 4.695 yards to the right tackle / right end and a 4.58 yard average up the middle. While when watching alot of the runs they are either designed to go to the right or up the middle or the running back finds a cut back lane to the middle or right side with a decent gain. Instead when a  play is run to the left is when the Bucs have the most trouble running of finding it hard to pick up positive yards.

To be able to be balanced running to either side helps the overall running game, think this might have something to do with why the Bucs have not been getting the yards they were getting early in the season on the ground.

[keeponbucn]

Penn has a bunch to do with that, IMO. He's tits in pass pro but needs some work to he a hog like Truebloo.

[Feel Real Good]

I was going to post something about all teams having strengths and weaknesses in different areas of their offensive lines, but now that I look at the stats, pretty much no semi-respectable team is so poor in two of the five gaps. Pretty remarkable turn because IIRC in 2005 when Cadillac had the good year they ran almost exclusively to the left behind Davis and Buenning.

[yuccaneers]

Davis & Buenning were solid in terms of run blocking but lacked pass protection skills, whereas Penn is good in pass protection but needs some work at run blocking which was the same problem last season

[yuccaneers]

Doing a little more digging there is currently only one team in the NFL that runs the football less to the left side then the Buccaneers do and that is the New York Jets which is a little surprising considering they have invested heavily via the draft and free agency to solidify that side by draft D'Brickshaw and the addition of Feneca.


But it is not new news that the Bucs biggest percentage of runs are allocated or designed to be up the middle considering the draft picks used over the last few seasons with the additions of Joseph, Sears, Zuttah and the free agent addition of Jeff Faine this past off season.

The information below is through week 13

Team      
   Carries   Left   Mid   Right
BAL   396   29%   53%   18%
ATL   373   30%   46%   24%
NYG   364   29%   41%   29%
TEN   361   26%   46%   28%
MIN   350   26%   56%   18%
CAR   337   22%   53%   24%
OAK   319   31%   38%   30%
WAS   317   38%   31%   31%
CHI   315   24%   50%   25%
PIT   314   20%   54%   26%
TB   313   16%   65%   19%
MIA   307   22%   51%   27%
NYJ   302   15%   59%   27%
NE   301   22%   64%   13%
BUF   291   30%   52%   19%
DAL   286   23%   46%   30%
SEA   281   34%   44%   22%
GB   280   39%   27%   34%
HOU   280   23%   52%   25%
NO   274   23%   47%   30%
CLE   270   21%   60%   19%
SD   269   25%   54%   21%
JAC   262   17%   63%   19%
IND   260   29%   49%   22%
STL   258   24%   53%   23%
DEN   251   30%   51%   20%
KC   250   24%   52%   23%
PHI   248   28%   46%   27%
ARI   247   31%   43%   26%
SF   246   18%   57%   25%
CIN   234   22%   50%   28%
DET   222   35%   32%   33%

The NFL average is 24% to the left, 49 % to the middle and 24 % to the right

[Boid Fink]

Sears will play better.  I do think there might be some sophmore slumpage happening...it is a regular occurence.

[Feel Real Good]

But it is not new news that the Bucs biggest percentage of runs are allocated or designed to be up the middle considering the draft picks used over the last few seasons with the additions of Joseph, Sears, Zuttah and the free agent addition of Jeff Faine this past off season.

I believe Faine was largely brought in for pass protection help. Wade was a pretty good run blocker. Here are the stats from last year. 4.63 yards per carry up the middle in 2007 as opposed to 4.59 right now. Interestingly they ran a lot better to the left last season. 4.07 yards at left end compared to 2.14 right now and 4.41 at left tackle compared to 2.66 right now.

[bradentonian]

Sears was playing a lot better ball last year, too

[yuccaneers]

I went back and got the data too 2005

the Bucs have went from running the football 28 % of the time to the left in 2005 to 24 % to the left in 2006 to 19 % to the left in 2007 to 15% in 2008. When the Buccaneers drafted Joseph and Trueblood back in 2006 it was because they could not run the football to the right or pass protect, they averaged 15 % to the left in 2005, then fell to 12% in 2006 all the way up to 23% in 2007 and back down to 19% in 2008.

It would appear that depending on what happens in the off-season there could be somewhat of a surprise in store for some who feel Penn has been doing a great job on the left as the team might be looking for an upgrade at LT BASED OFF OF PAST HISTORY AND THE NUMBERS

[Feel Real Good]

Sears was playing a lot better ball last year, too

It was reported he lost a fair amount of weight in the off-season. Was it to his detriment?

[bradentonian]

Sears was playing a lot better ball last year, too

It was reported he lost a fair amount of weight in the off-season. Was it to his detriment?

Sophomore slump strikes again?