Ten days. The Bucs have 10 days from the end of the embarrassment that was their Thursday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens and their upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Ten days can feel like a long time. For the Bucs, it should feel like an eternity.

The hope, if there is any, is that it gives the team ample time to take a long look in the mirror and decide who they are going to be for the remainder of this season. And it gives them the requisite time to make necessary decisions. And there is a whole host of decisions that need to be made immediately.

Bucs Left Guard Battle Has Been Won

While the Bucs had originally intended to continue last week’s time-share at left guard with rookie Luke Goedeke and undrafted free agent Nick Leverett, Goedeke’s injury allowed Leverett to play the entire game. And Leverett responded by balling out. He consistently anchored, pulled, and punched with precision and authority.

It was a breath of fresh air after six weeks of terrible play. Goedeke still has talent and promise. But he should not be the starter going forward this year. I don’t care if he was a second-round pick. I don’t care that the Bucs traded up to get him. And the Bucs shouldn’t either. They have three more years to justify the assets used to acquire Goedeke. Right now, they need to play the best man at the moment. And that man is overwhelmingly Nick Leverett.

Change In Play-Caller

I tried to defend offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. I even thought he had turned a corner in the first quarter of the game.

Leftwich’s play calling has been so much better overall tonight. And magically points occur.

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) October 28, 2022

I was wrong. Leftwich seemingly called a solid first drive and then fell back into his usual tropes. In neutral first down situations, he called seven run plays to nine pass plays. He had his balance. And those run plays generated only 2.71 yards per play. That’s half of the average pass play.

Why the need for balance? I believe the old refrain is to make sure the defense doesn’t know what is coming. Who cares if the defense knows what’s coming? The Bills pass on close to 80% of their first downs and they have one of the best offenses in the league. They face third downs at one of the lowest rates in the league!

Bucs OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I’ll close this argument by pointing out in non-neutral situations (inside the two-minute warning in the first half and after the Bucs fell behind 24-13 late in the fourth quarter) the Bucs passed on every first down. And the Ravens knew they would. And yet, the Bucs averaged 10.9 yards per play. Go figure.

Three straight screens on the second drive. Three!

Fool me once shame on me. Fool me twice shame on you. You know why there isn’t a third stanza to that old saying? Because nobody would be foolish enough to try and fool someone a third time! The person learned after the second!

But that third screen to Rachaad White was sniffed out for a 2-yard loss that put the Bucs in second and 12 at the Baltimore 13. A field goal would ensue three plays later. Where the Bucs had a chance to go up by two scores, they failed.

Seemingly every throw quarterback Tom Brady has had to make has been into at least tight single coverage. That’s because this system does not adequately scheme receivers open in this day and age of NFL football. And the Bucs receivers aren’t natural separators.  Mike Evans currently ranks 89th in the league in average yards of separation, per Next Gen Stats. Chris Godwin ranks 75th.

Leftwich has proven he is bound and determined to fit a round peg into a square hole. And the Bucs should not tolerate it one game longer.

Send A Message To Your Defensive Captain – And By Extension, Your Defense

Devin White had arguably the worst game of his career last night. It was embarrassing. He couldn’t get off a block to save his life. He got pulled out of position by the pre-snap motion of fullback Patrick Ricard. He decided to jog on a third-and-9 in a critical situation rather than run to the whistle against a wide receiver screen. The play resulted in a converted first down that led to a touchdown that gave Baltimore a lead they would never relinquish.

This is the captain of the Bucs defense.

He is stacking poor performance on top of poor performance. He is talking about being “bored.”

He is jogging.

Yes, it was the ninth play of the drive. But this guy wants to be considered the best. The best lead in times of adversity.

I have seen zero leadership from White.

White needs to be benched to send him a message that his play has been atrocious and unacceptable. White needs to be benched to show the rest of the defense that objectively putrid play can lead anyone to the pine.

White needs to be benched, and the team must give backup Olakunle Fatukasi at shot.

Put Vea Back In a Position To Succeed

Bucs NT Vita Vea and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

For the vast majority of Vita Vea’s career he has been a 0-technique nose tackle. This meant he lined up head up over the offense’s center. Vea was responsible for two-gapping in run defense. He was very good doing that.

No, check that. Vea was excellent doing that.

This year, the Bucs defense has opted for more one-gap under fronts. And Vea is struggling to adapt. Whether he just can’t acclimate to holding a single gap when each offensive lineman in front of him has a leveraged angle or something else, I don’t know. But the center of the front of the Bucs defense is not excelling this new scheme.

And the Bucs and head coach Todd Bowles need to make a change.

What Will Become Of This Team In The Second Half?

Incredibly, the 3-5 Bucs aren’t nearly out of the playoff picture despite three straight horrendous performances. They currently sit half a game out of first place in their division (2-1 record) with more than half a season ahead of them.

The NFC is currently a wasteland, and the Bucs can take advantage of that. There is really no good reason not to go for it with this likely being Tom Brady’s last season.

The Bucs need to take a long look in the mirror. They need to solve their mental errors, improve their execution, scheme and play to their strengths, swallow their pride, and try to salvage what’s left of this season.

But will they?