Looking at some of these playoff teams and their defenses... This is why I'm done with Bowles.
I just watched b2b weeks with 2 defenses that aren't very talent and/or hurt totally shut down the Vikings.
I watched them dial up blitzes and play sound coverage. I watched teams with no namers making plays, and the "stars" playing like it.
I don't think the injured Lions and the Rams defense are any more talented than ours and YET their respective coaches are finding ways to keep offenses on their heels - guessing.
Washington's defense is equal or less talented than ours.
Ravens defense turned it around and looked dominant.
Chiefs of course look great with Spagnola.
Bills defense isn't that talented and they shut down the broncos (who carved us up).
Texans defense played elite vs Chargers.
Packers defense held their own vs Philly.
...
So let's face it... Bowles defense vs awful offenses down the stretch masked what we knew. The play calling and scheme don't work. He's been figured out. That isn't going to magically change even if we infuse talent into the defense.
We likely would have done pretty well against Philly. We would have held Barkley in check and Hurts and the pass game did not look great.
we held Washington to 23 points, 16 if you back out the Baker gifted touchdown.
We turned them over on downs twice. The issue was clearly Bowles and the defense not adjusting to their death by a million cuts approach.
EVEN WITH THAT SAID.....we knew this game would be close...or at least Vegas did with the point spread
the score was 17-13, we have the lead in the 4th quarter. Evans just made a miraculous play to extend the drive and concert a third down. Instead of keeping that momentum, we decide to do a jet sweep that if only Baker had Zane Gonzale's OCD, we might have executed it. instead we fumble it away along with the game. To that point, the defense gave up just 3 points and was looking like our typical second half improvement type game.
then on the very next offensive drive, down 20-17, it's 2nd and 1 on the Washington 21 after an impressive Bucky 9 yard run. A designed Baker run? one that failed miserably just the week before? What the fuck were we thinking?
then of course the Graham Barton brain fart snap the very next play also killed it
defense is ass and i'd like to think Bowles didnt forget how to call defense after 40 years of doing it. We knew the defense is not our strength. If someone would have told you, we would hold Washington to 23 points, you most l likely would have thought we would have won this game. No?
What's the conversion if the offense does what they're supposed to do and we're up 24-13 with about 7 minutes to go?
defense is ass and i'd like to think Bowles didnt forget how to call defense after 40 years of doing it. We knew the defense is not our strength. If someone would have told you, we would hold Washington to 23 points, you most l likely would have thought we would have won this game. No?
This on paper looks good but it ignores the fact that they sustained drives and kept the offense off the field. We had what, 7 possessions and no forced punt? Certainly no 3 and outs.
The Baker fumble sucked but still we had just one turnover which is below the league average. And we forced none.
It's not as simple as we gave up 23 = good.
The Defense didn't get off the field sans 2 4th down stops and the the FGs.
What's the conversion if the offense does what they're supposed to do and we're up 24-13 with about 7 minutes to go?
The offense didn't get a ton of opportunities. We scored on 4 of 7 so that's pretty good but not stellar.
I think Coen deserves some criticism too but the reality is Bowles can't get stops... And he can't get KEY stops.
And Bowles chose fgs over 4th down. That decision doesn't come from Coen.
defense is ass and i'd like to think Bowles didnt forget how to call defense after 40 years of doing it. We knew the defense is not our strength. If someone would have told you, we would hold Washington to 23 points, you most l likely would have thought we would have won this game. No?
This on paper looks good but it ignores the fact that they sustained drives and kept the offense off the field. We had what, 7 possessions and no forced punt? Certainly no 3 and outs.
The Baker fumble sucked but still we had just one turnover which is below the league average. And we forced none.
It's not as simple as we gave up 23 = good.
The Defense didn't get off the field sans 2 4th down stops and the the FGs.
What about the offense not staying on the field? There was a 6 play drive with a punt, a 4 play drive with a punt and a 4 play drive with a game changing fumble. What's the matter, it doesn't fit the narrative that Bowles sucks and Coen is the next best thing?
This is Chris Long and I think its the best criticism of Bowles AS A HEAD COACH. . . .even though it not mentioned often
"They were undisciplined down the stretch. There were games they were not ready to play. That Dallas game, they were not ready to play. That New Orleans game, they were not ready to play. They let Washington do exactly what Washington wanted to do. I know what Washington wanted to do; Washington wanted to possess the football and go on long drives and tire [the Bucs] out. And they did it. That shouldn’t be a team that can outphysical you."
I dont know about the down the stretch part, but they had several games that were lost before they started or unexpectedly challenging.
Bowles players love him. That is most often a great thing because they dont quit, but it can also be a bad thing because the players "love" stems from a coach that doesnt hold them accountable.
The Bucs are YOUNG and young teams are inconsistent, but there were games this season where the team clearly was not mentally prapred ot win
defense is ass and i'd like to think Bowles didnt forget how to call defense after 40 years of doing it. We knew the defense is not our strength. If someone would have told you, we would hold Washington to 23 points, you most l likely would have thought we would have won this game. No?
This on paper looks good but it ignores the fact that they sustained drives and kept the offense off the field. We had what, 7 possessions and no forced punt? Certainly no 3 and outs.
The Baker fumble sucked but still we had just one turnover which is below the league average. And we forced none.
It's not as simple as we gave up 23 = good.
The Defense didn't get off the field sans 2 4th down stops and the the FGs.
What about the offense not staying on the field? There was a 6 play drive with a punt, a 4 play drive with a punt and a 4 play drive with a game changing fumble. What's the matter, it doesn't fit the narrative that Bowles sucks and Coen is the next best thing?
I'm pretty sure those three drives are included in scoring in 4/7 drives.
Wouldn't it have been nice if the defense could have forced a punt or two? Maybe that's expecting too much.
defense is ass and i'd like to think Bowles didnt forget how to call defense after 40 years of doing it. We knew the defense is not our strength. If someone would have told you, we would hold Washington to 23 points, you most l likely would have thought we would have won this game. No?
This on paper looks good but it ignores the fact that they sustained drives and kept the offense off the field. We had what, 7 possessions and no forced punt? Certainly no 3 and outs.
The Baker fumble sucked but still we had just one turnover which is below the league average. And we forced none.
It's not as simple as we gave up 23 = good.
The Defense didn't get off the field sans 2 4th down stops and the the FGs.
What about the offense not staying on the field? There was a 6 play drive with a punt, a 4 play drive with a punt and a 4 play drive with a game changing fumble. What's the matter, it doesn't fit the narrative that Bowles sucks and Coen is the next best thing?
I'm pretty sure those three drives are included in scoring in 4/7 drives.
Wouldn't it have been nice if the defense could have forced a punt or two? Maybe that's expecting too much.
Forcing punts doesn't win games. We were up 17-13 in the 4th with the ball. Offense fumbled the game away. You can't get around that fact no matter how hard you try.
defense is ass and i'd like to think Bowles didnt forget how to call defense after 40 years of doing it. We knew the defense is not our strength. If someone would have told you, we would hold Washington to 23 points, you most l likely would have thought we would have won this game. No?
This on paper looks good but it ignores the fact that they sustained drives and kept the offense off the field. We had what, 7 possessions and no forced punt? Certainly no 3 and outs.
The Baker fumble sucked but still we had just one turnover which is below the league average. And we forced none.
It's not as simple as we gave up 23 = good.
The Defense didn't get off the field sans 2 4th down stops and the the FGs.
What about the offense not staying on the field? There was a 6 play drive with a punt, a 4 play drive with a punt and a 4 play drive with a game changing fumble. What's the matter, it doesn't fit the narrative that Bowles sucks and Coen is the next best thing?
I'm pretty sure those three drives are included in scoring in 4/7 drives.
Wouldn't it have been nice if the defense could have forced a punt or two? Maybe that's expecting too much.
Forcing punts doesn't win games. We were up 17-13 in the 4th with the ball. Offense fumbled the game away. You can't get around that fact no matter how hard you try.
yeah.
and to be clear, i am a Coen fan. The individuals losing sleep right now are Baker and Barton.
team lives and died by the offense this year
We averaged damn near 30 points a game. in order for us to win, that was what was needed. Think we all knew that. To expect the defense to magically not be what they were all year - mind you 22.6 points a game, would be foolish, particularly against a playoff team.
and while the defense couldn't get off the field, JC's point right here....we were up in the 4th and the offense fumbled the game away. Defense had us in a position to win.
Even after that...the offense still had a chance and butt fucked back to back plays on a 2nd and 1.
Did not enjoy the play calls on clearly those poorly executed plays but doesn't take away from the year Coen had.
you can try to will Todd Bowles beheading into existence but non biased fans, let's call them non buc fans, look at that game last night and say "Baker can't fumble that ball"
Nobody has managed to acknowledge let alone refute the fact the Washington kept our offense off the field and limited it to 7 possessions.
4 of which we scored on...
But sure forcing 3 and outs doesn't win games
Nobody has managed to acknowledge let alone refute the fact the Washington kept our offense off the field and limited it to 7 possessions.
4 of which we scored on...
But sure forcing 3 and outs doesn't win games
they punted ZERO times. To me, this loss is 100% on the defense. You can’t expect to win a game where you don’t make the team punt even once.
Nobody has managed to acknowledge let alone refute the fact the Washington kept our offense off the field and limited it to 7 possessions.
4 of which we scored on...
But sure forcing 3 and outs doesn't win games
we had just 8 possessions in our first match up. Put up 37 points.
Had just 8 possessions last week against the Saints. Put up 27 points.
are you suggesting 1 less possession is more of a difference than the offense turning into Hellen Keller on the last 2?
Forcing punts doesn't win games
lol
what a weird way to try to make the point that the offense choked too.
You cannot expect to win many games with a defense that cannot get off the field, EVEN one that makes goal line stands to convert TDs to field goals
BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE the offense choked, failed to execute multiple times (on the OC right? coach of the offense) and couldnt get the running game going for a while against the 30th ranked run defense. On the Red Board that means "our offense made a terrible run defense look like the Ravens or Broncos." Right? lol
When it mattered most they fumbled and failed to come away with more than a FG from inside the 10
Both things are true. Its a TEAM sport.
