How do we get to that magic number in 2019?
I’ve been thinking on this. It’s difficult for my Bucs mental model to project this. Here is what I’ve come up with.
1) DB confidence EARLY. This group needs to come up with the nuts in some key situations in the first quarter of the season and have that snowball.
I’m talking big PBUs on 3rd/4th downs in key situations, a Screen snuffed our and stuffed in the same situation, a Pick 6 down around our goal-line to create a 10-14 point swing.
And competing at the catch point over_and_over_and_over.
2) Exact same thing with our Placekicker. Confidence early and often so no ghosts of x, y, and z come creeping into the fold. Not just confidence for the kicker, but to moralize (more importantly, not demoralize) the O and D.
3) LVD, White, Barrett need to stay healthy and play huge. Pressures (particularly against Brees), Stops, Forced Fumbles and Recoveries, and White and LVD need to defend Kamara, McCaffrey et al as well as they can be defended.
Every game needs to feel like these guys have put their stamp on it.
4) Our RG situation cannot be a train wreck. We need something resembling NFL average. The number of times this position (and the position to its left...) lost plays all by itself is utterly unacceptable. You cannot win in the Redzone Tight with one of your OL being as bad as our RG position was last year.
Just don’t lose so many plays. We don’t need play wins. Just not a deluge of play losses (that kill plays outright). NFL average.
5) Jameis has to take that next step. Make the plays with his feet on 2nd and 3rd down and RZT when they’re there. There are going to be Giveaways, but just stay away from the backbreaking, momentum-turning or game-deciding ones. We need the guy from 2016 on 2nd and 3rd down and the guy from 2017 on 1st down.
