When training camp starts we'll move on to 2023 and forget about 2022. But I don't think PR has done a proper autopsy on the past season, so here's my Top 5 reasons (just IMO) for what killed the Bucs in 2022. Do you agree with my top five? How would you rank them?
5) Defense lack of interceptions. Fumbles, turnover differential, 3rd down conversions allowed, sacks, yards per game- If you go down the list almost every defensive stat the Bucs were somewhere near the middle of the pack. Nothing to write home about, but no glaring deficiencies on the defense... except for INTs. We were near the bottom with INTs with only ten. Interceptions could have created a spark at any given time for a team that badly needed a few sparks. They didn't get them. Only 10 INTs in 17 games won't jump start anything.
4) Not hungry enough. Malaise. Not a lack of caring, but a drop-off from the sharpness that contending teams have. A lack of sharpness when it comes to focusing in practice and attention to detail. Perhaps the players thought they could turn it on when they needed to, but that didn't turn out to be true. After having winning seasons the last two years, they seemed to be ready to move on to the next thing, but the Brady came back. It kind of threw the team into confusion. They were being hyped up because of Brady, but the sharpness wasn't there. They didn't seem to have the same fire in the belly. I'm putting this as a factor, but only #4 because you could argue this reason is a bunch of BS. I wouldn't totally disagree if you argued that. It's not at the top of the list, but nevertheless I think it deserves to be on the list.
3) Brady decline in performance/mobility/ drama distractions Not a big drop-off in any one area, but small drop-offs in every area. More off-field distractions Probably still more involved than many QBs, but he was known for his attention to every little detail and demanding perfection from his teammates. I don't know that he had that same level as in the past. He was known for not making mistakes. He made more of them. Brady wasn't terrible, but he wasn't as good as he was in the past. So I'm putting this at #3.
2) Coaching sucked. It was a mess. The retirement of Arians took the team by surprise. We still don't know exactly what happened. That forced the Bucs to clumsily pass on the reigns to Bowles who was stuck with the coaching staff handed to him. It was not the smooth transition that was hoped for. OC Leftwich turned out to be a mirage, not the protege that Arians was hoping for but instead a fake who was exposed. As evidence - he can't get a job coaching middle school. NFL coordinator job description: Task #1 - Adapt. Leftwich - Total Fail. And you had Tom Brady there to help you. Brady failed to adapt as well, but that's not an excuse. Bowles didn't show the ability to elevate himself from DC to HC, but he had some strikes against him. This year it's totally his team and there are no excuses.
1) Damage to the O-line/TE. #1 and not even close. Think about what we lost up front after 2022. Marpet retires (future ROH), Gronk retires (future HOF), Jensen - one of the best centers in the league - done after the first practice. Cappa - solid guard lost to free agency. Smith, all important LT position - injured/exposed/personal/all of the above, performance dropped off the cliff. This was the main reason we had no rushing attack and Brady had to get rid of the ball in about two seconds. If you lose one or two guys you can maybe recover. 4 key losses and one key drop-off. You can't take away those players and expect to have a successful season.
So, after doing the autopsy of the 2022 Buccaneers there were several contributing factors to the poor performance, but the official cause of death: Loss of the Big Uglies on offense. If you see a guy bleeding from a big hole in his chest, he might have clogged arteries and dementia, but it's pretty clear what caused his demise. The damage to the offensive front was the hole in the chest of the 2022 Bucs.
This 2022 season crapola has been discussed ad nauseum. What about the top 5 reasons the Bucs will succeed or fail during the 2023 season?
I feel like 2023 has already been discussed ad nauseum as well. Should we start on 2024?This 2022 season crapola has been discussed ad nauseum. What about the top 5 reasons the Bucs will succeed or fail during the 2023 season?
Jesus this is a bad take.
1. The lack of defensive interceptions was because of the lack of pass rush. There's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs. Bucs were 24th in hurries and guess what, 24th in INTs. This is on Licht. Barrett was having a bad year before he got injured. JTS is a JAG. Logan Hall gave the Bucs absolutely nothing.
2. The offensive was fine except for 1 player that you didn't even mention. I believe the overall production of LG-C-RG-RT was top 10 in the league. Granted skewed by Wirfs, but the other guys were actually fine. Donovan Smith killed the Bucs last year. And you guys talk about Jensen like he's really good. He's not. Hainsey was actually a relief because we didn't have to deal with all Jensen's stupid penalties. Their quality of play was literally the same. I don't even know why Jensen is even on the team at his bloated salary.
3. Brady wasn't all in and the players were running over Bowles. In the Amazon pre-game show before the Ravens game David alluded to players showing up late.
4. Offensive personnel and formations were too condensed. Miller opened up the offense because he dictates safety alignment and coverages. It's how we won the Rams game. But they insisted on slamming Ko Kieft in there and it put the brakes on offense.
So you say there's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs on defense, but there's no correlation between the defensive pass rush and Brady's hurries? No correlation between the O-line and 4.9 yards per reception? O-line has nothing to do with 4.9 completed air yards per passing attempt and 3.2 completed air yards per passing attempt? ranking 28th in the league?Jesus this is a bad take.
1. The lack of defensive interceptions was because of the lack of pass rush. There's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs. Bucs were 24th in hurries and guess what, 24th in INTs. This is on Licht. Barrett was having a bad year before he got injured. JTS is a JAG. Logan Hall gave the Bucs absolutely nothing.
2. The offensive was fine except for 1 player that you didn't even mention. I believe the overall production of LG-C-RG-RT was top 10 in the league. Granted skewed by Wirfs, but the other guys were actually fine. Donovan Smith killed the Bucs last year. And you guys talk about Jensen like he's really good. He's not. Hainsey was actually a relief because we didn't have to deal with all Jensen's stupid penalties. Their quality of play was literally the same. I don't even know why Jensen is even on the team at his bloated salary.
3. Brady wasn't all in and the players were running over Bowles. In the Amazon pre-game show before the Ravens game David alluded to players showing up late.
So you say there's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs on defense, but there's no correlation between the defensive pass rush and Brady's hurries?
Sweet Geebus…
#1 (and biggest reason). An Offensive Coordinator who had the creativity, adaptability, and the football IQ of an empty beer can.
2. A head coach who still believes it's 1997.
3. A defensive line that couldn't create a pass rush.
4. Poor and questionable personnel decisions
5. Egos from certain perceived "stars" that continued to buy into the SB bullshit.
If not for Brady, this was a 3-4 win team.
Fortunately, lots of articles on Twitter from people tied in to the situations, reporting that the offensive players are really buying into Canales and his staff.
So you say there's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs on defense, but there's no correlation between the defensive pass rush and Brady's hurries? No correlation between the O-line and 4.9 yards per reception? O-line has nothing to do with 4.9 completed air yards per passing attempt and 3.2 completed air yards per passing attempt? ranking 28th in the league?Jesus this is a bad take.
1. The lack of defensive interceptions was because of the lack of pass rush. There's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs. Bucs were 24th in hurries and guess what, 24th in INTs. This is on Licht. Barrett was having a bad year before he got injured. JTS is a JAG. Logan Hall gave the Bucs absolutely nothing.
2. The offensive was fine except for 1 player that you didn't even mention. I believe the overall production of LG-C-RG-RT was top 10 in the league. Granted skewed by Wirfs, but the other guys were actually fine. Donovan Smith killed the Bucs last year. And you guys talk about Jensen like he's really good. He's not. Hainsey was actually a relief because we didn't have to deal with all Jensen's stupid penalties. Their quality of play was literally the same. I don't even know why Jensen is even on the team at his bloated salary.
3. Brady wasn't all in and the players were running over Bowles. In the Amazon pre-game show before the Ravens game David alluded to players showing up late.
You labeled the cause of the death of the 2022 Buccaneers as loss of OL. I'm assuming you mean Marpet, Cappa and Jensen. You would be 100% wrong. The combo of Leverett, Hainsey and Mason inside was fine. The biggest downgrade on the offensive line was 2021 Donovan Smith ---> 2022 Donovan Smith. That is the general answer to your stats about the passing game. Along with Goedeke sucking early in the year at guard but that was short lived. Now we didn't have Leverett and Hainsey in the playoffs (I wonder if Hainsey could have played and they thought Jensen's bullshit was actually going to work but instead he was the worst player on the field).
Cause of death was Donovan Smith, lack of pass rush, and staying too much in 12 and 13 personnel (another reason for lack of air yards) and not being in 11 and 10 exclusively with Miller.
I listed the loss of Marpet, Gronk, Cappa, Jensen and the decline of Smith.So you say there's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs on defense, but there's no correlation between the defensive pass rush and Brady's hurries? No correlation between the O-line and 4.9 yards per reception? O-line has nothing to do with 4.9 completed air yards per passing attempt and 3.2 completed air yards per passing attempt? ranking 28th in the league?Jesus this is a bad take.
1. The lack of defensive interceptions was because of the lack of pass rush. There's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs. Bucs were 24th in hurries and guess what, 24th in INTs. This is on Licht. Barrett was having a bad year before he got injured. JTS is a JAG. Logan Hall gave the Bucs absolutely nothing.
2. The offensive was fine except for 1 player that you didn't even mention. I believe the overall production of LG-C-RG-RT was top 10 in the league. Granted skewed by Wirfs, but the other guys were actually fine. Donovan Smith killed the Bucs last year. And you guys talk about Jensen like he's really good. He's not. Hainsey was actually a relief because we didn't have to deal with all Jensen's stupid penalties. Their quality of play was literally the same. I don't even know why Jensen is even on the team at his bloated salary.
3. Brady wasn't all in and the players were running over Bowles. In the Amazon pre-game show before the Ravens game David alluded to players showing up late.
You labeled the cause of the death of the 2022 Buccaneers as loss of OL. I'm assuming you mean Marpet, Cappa and Jensen. You would be 100% wrong. The combo of Leverett, Hainsey and Mason inside was fine. The biggest downgrade on the offensive line was 2021 Donovan Smith ---> 2022 Donovan Smith. That is the general answer to your stats about the passing game. Along with Goedeke sucking early in the year at guard but that was short lived. Now we didn't have Leverett and Hainsey in the playoffs (I wonder if Hainsey could have played and they thought Jensen's bullshit was actually going to work but instead he was the worst player on the field).
Cause of death was Donovan Smith, lack of pass rush, and staying too much in 12 and 13 personnel (another reason for lack of air yards) and not being in 11 and 10 exclusively with Miller.
Gronk was a very good blocker as well as pass catcher, which is why he's one of the all-time greats, and his talents were still there when he retired. I don't blame him for retiring since he took a beating, but we lost a great player.
Marpet was one of the best Bucs O-linemen of all time. He was still in his prime when he called it quits. Again, don't blame him, but he wasn't in decline.
Jensen was a very good center, not hall of fame, but PFF had him ranked 7th before the season. So that's top 25% in the league. Gone.
Cappa is 18th rated guard by PFF going into 2023 who called him a "more than capable starter". Shaq Mason is rated 9th, but he was traded for a reason, so I'll call that a wash or close to it.
Smith was rated 24th OT going into the season, so that's still top half of the league. His decline was steep last year, whether that was because of injury, personal issues, or just being exposed because of the lower level of talent around him. His decline at the all-important left tackle position was glaring. If Smith was out for the year like Jensen it would have been better. They could have found some level of replacement, but since he was still there we had to keep him in there and hope for the best.
You can't pretend those losses weren't huge.
I listed the loss of Marpet, Gronk, Cappa, Jensen and the decline of Smith.So you say there's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs on defense, but there's no correlation between the defensive pass rush and Brady's hurries? No correlation between the O-line and 4.9 yards per reception? O-line has nothing to do with 4.9 completed air yards per passing attempt and 3.2 completed air yards per passing attempt? ranking 28th in the league?Jesus this is a bad take.
1. The lack of defensive interceptions was because of the lack of pass rush. There's a direct correlation between hurries and INTs. Bucs were 24th in hurries and guess what, 24th in INTs. This is on Licht. Barrett was having a bad year before he got injured. JTS is a JAG. Logan Hall gave the Bucs absolutely nothing.
2. The offensive was fine except for 1 player that you didn't even mention. I believe the overall production of LG-C-RG-RT was top 10 in the league. Granted skewed by Wirfs, but the other guys were actually fine. Donovan Smith killed the Bucs last year. And you guys talk about Jensen like he's really good. He's not. Hainsey was actually a relief because we didn't have to deal with all Jensen's stupid penalties. Their quality of play was literally the same. I don't even know why Jensen is even on the team at his bloated salary.
3. Brady wasn't all in and the players were running over Bowles. In the Amazon pre-game show before the Ravens game David alluded to players showing up late.
You labeled the cause of the death of the 2022 Buccaneers as loss of OL. I'm assuming you mean Marpet, Cappa and Jensen. You would be 100% wrong. The combo of Leverett, Hainsey and Mason inside was fine. The biggest downgrade on the offensive line was 2021 Donovan Smith ---> 2022 Donovan Smith. That is the general answer to your stats about the passing game. Along with Goedeke sucking early in the year at guard but that was short lived. Now we didn't have Leverett and Hainsey in the playoffs (I wonder if Hainsey could have played and they thought Jensen's bullshit was actually going to work but instead he was the worst player on the field).
Cause of death was Donovan Smith, lack of pass rush, and staying too much in 12 and 13 personnel (another reason for lack of air yards) and not being in 11 and 10 exclusively with Miller.
Gronk was a very good blocker as well as pass catcher, which is why he's one of the all-time greats, and his talents were still there when he retired. I don't blame him for retiring since he took a beating, but we lost a great player.
Marpet was one of the best Bucs O-linemen of all time. He was still in his prime when he called it quits. Again, don't blame him, but he wasn't in decline.
Jensen was a very good center, not hall of fame, but PFF had him ranked 7th before the season. So that's top 25% in the league. Gone.
Cappa is 18th rated guard by PFF going into 2023 who called him a "more than capable starter". Shaq Mason is rated 9th, but he was traded for a reason, so I'll call that a wash or close to it.
Smith was rated 24th OT going into the season, so that's still top half of the league. His decline was steep last year, whether that was because of injury, personal issues, or just being exposed because of the lower level of talent around him. His decline at the all-important left tackle position was glaring. If Smith was out for the year like Jensen it would have been better. They could have found some level of replacement, but since he was still there we had to keep him in there and hope for the best.
You can't pretend those losses weren't huge.
Gronk was a huge loss. Jensen, Marpet and Cappa were not. Jensen and Hainsey were a wash. Buc fans have this idea that Jensen is something he's not. Think it's because of all his bullshit (long red hair, tattoos, talks alot, hits people late). Leverret and Mason vs Marpet and Cappa might have been a wash too. Leverett has skills and traits that are rare. He deserves to be a starter going into camp and I really hope they don't fuck around with him. He has a knock that he's not good because he was undrafted and started the season as a backup but if this guy was a 3rd round pick nobody would be batting an eye.
Hainsey was actually an upgrade in Pass Pro over Jensen. No question.
Cappa was a JAG and Mason was an upgrade there.
But, seriously, just stop with this whole "Leverett / Marpet was a wash" nonsense.
IMO, the bigger problem was passing on a LT that fell to us in the draft. Not a fan of moving an elite, All-Pro caliber tackle.
Could've had our bookends for the next decade.
Instead, we're most likely looking at a Mauch/Goedeke right side of the line.
Hainsey was actually an upgrade in Pass Pro over Jensen. No question.
Cappa was a JAG and Mason was an upgrade there.
But, seriously, just stop with this whole "Leverett / Marpet was a wash" nonsense.
IMO, the bigger problem was passing on a LT that fell to us in the draft. Not a fan of moving an elite, All-Pro caliber tackle.
Could've had our bookends for the next decade.
Instead, we're most likely looking at a Mauch/Goedeke right side of the line.
Why would you put quote marks around something I never said? I lumped the guards together, you're the one trying to compare them individually based on which side they play, which is irrelevant.
Marpet was an A and Cappa was a C. Last year I would grade Mason and Leverett as B's. That is a wash.
Why would you put quote marks around something I never said? I lumped the guards together, you're the one trying to compare them individually based on which side they play, which is irrelevant.
Marpet was an A and Cappa was a C. Last year I would grade Mason and Leverett as B's. That is a wash.
You’re right.
I meant to quote the part that said “Marpet wasn’t a huge loss (you mentioned others as well)”.
Even then, you would be wrong.
Marpet was significantly better than Leverett.
Your points about Jensen and Cappa, I agree.
IMO, the bigger problem was passing on a LT that fell to us in the draft. Not a fan of moving an elite, All-Pro caliber tackle.
Yep. All day, yep.
How does an elite All-Pro caliber tackle fall to 27? I gather you are talking about Anton Harrison. A lot of teams passed on him after the Bucs and I find it hard to believe they no could use a left tackle. But it would seem to indicate that the Bucs intended to shift Wirfs all along, because otherwise they'd have to draft a left tackle. I do have questions about how the Bucs seem to be putting a lot of faith that these rookies Mauch and Durham will just step right in and be productive. That's the biggest question mark IMO. Mauch played at North Dakota State, not Georgia or Alabama. How can you expect a quick transition? Mauch didn't lose his front teeth playing football. He lost them playing basketball in 7th grade and they couldn't put in implants right away because he was still growing. Eventually he just decided to go without the front teeth. I'm sure he'll be a good player, but I'm a little dubious about what he can do as a rookie.IMO, the bigger problem was passing on a LT that fell to us in the draft. Not a fan of moving an elite, All-Pro caliber tackle.
Yep. All day, yep.
