This post may not be for everyone. It’s a “rant,” so don’t expect any glitter or positive spins here—just a straightforward discussion of what went wrong in yesterday’s loss to the New England Patriots. This op-ed expresses a negative viewpoint. You can read some positive stories in my “Highlights and Lowlights” article later in the week. My frustration comes from a place of love for this team and a desire to see them perform better. If you’re looking for a rose-colored perspective, this article might not be for you.
Mid-Season Downward Spiral Coming?
Yesterday’s loss was the most disappointing of the season because it was a winnable home game coming off a bye week. We needed this victory, especially with two challenging games against the Bills and Rams on the horizon. With two losses in our last three games, a record of 6-5 could be right around the corner.
Bucs Defense Huddles Up – Photo by: Buccaneers.com
This scenario isn’t unfamiliar for Todd Bowles’ Bucs; we’ve seen 3- and 4-game losing streaks and 1-4 records mid-season. Perhaps this is just who his teams are? It’s tough to maintain top performance for all 17 weeks, especially for a team that isn’t elite enough to afford off days.
But it’s okay. Everything will be fine. Remember, we’re in the NFC South, a division where you can win four titles in four years while being average. The only win by a team in our division this past week came against another team in our division. Who knows… maybe we could be mediocre for the next few years and continue to limp into the playoffs each season? I’m thankful for the NFC South—elsewhere, we might have had to deal with a new Bucs’ head coach and general manager. In this division, we win titles! Hopefully, I’m wrong, and we can snag at least one win in the next two weeks to avoid a 1-4 stretch.
Grizzard vs. Coen
The debate over who is the better offensive coordinator—last year’s Liam Coen or this year’s Josh Grizzard—has been a hot topic all season. Up until now, I’ve held off on making a judgment, hoping the Seahawks game would be the norm rather than the exception. However, after yesterday’s game, I’ve made my decision: right now, I’d choose Coen over Grizzard.
Grizzard isn’t bad, and he’s dealt with more injuries than Coen did last year, but my eyes tell me the story. The first drive yesterday was perfect, featuring seamless play-action passes and run plays. Baker went 3-for-3 and capped the drive with a touchdown to Emeka Egbuka, reminiscent of what we saw from a Coen-led offense last year.
The rest of the game, however, was a struggle. Positive momentum was lacking, with only sporadic good plays. After hearing Baker Mayfield’s postgame comments, I wonder if Baker was speaking to his teammates or his coaches when he said, “we are lacking a killer instinct.” This team has had leads in most games but hasn’t been able to pull away—aside from the Saints game, largely driven by the defense.
Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Buccaneers.com
Grizzard has some effective plays, but they don’t seem to flow together as well as Coen’s did. Coen’s run plays often utilized misdirection decoys, which we finally saw again with some successful jet handoffs. Grizzard’s screens don’t have the same impact or timing as Coen’s. Last year, we had numerous plays where guys were wide open; this year, those moments are too few and far between. Overall, the offense lacks the same rhythm as last year.
We seem to focus more on controlling the clock and extending drives instead of going straight for points when we have a lead. Last year, we often ran away with games early, stringing together back-to-back drives without letting up. This year, we haven’t done that at all, leading to closer games than necessary or falling behind after seemingly outplaying our opponents.
I understand injuries play a role, but in the NFL, there are no excuses. We showed we could perform against the Seahawks with similar injuries (no Evans, no Bucky, a gimpy Godwin, even no Geodeke). Maybe it just takes Grizzard more time to find his groove, but he needs to figure it out quickly because we’re now in the last leg of the season.
The Defense Didn’t Help Themselves Yesterday
I won’t belabor the lack of edge rushers; it’s as tiresome to write about as it is to read. The Bucs seem content with this situation, as they haven’t invested the necessary resources (draft picks or trades) to make a difference.
Yaya Diaby watching the snap – Photo by: Buccaneers.com
Last week, I mentioned in my article, “Bucs Win If/ Patriots Win If” that the Patriots needed to play the numbers game. Bowles tends to roll out his 3-4 personnel on first down, regardless of the offense’s personnel. While we excel at stopping the run on first down, we are as susceptible as any defense in the NFL to passing plays on first downs. Every team should throw on first down against the Bucs, and it works when they do.
I’ll dive deeper into this in my video session this week, but I saw multiple instances where the Patriots utilized 12 and 13 personnel, spreading the formation and forcing us to put Anthony Nelson in an off-linebacker spot pre-snap. They executed play-action, and quarterback Drake Maye repeatedly targeted our dropping OLB’s zone. It’s simple football: if I see five players on the field who aren’t coverage specialists, I’m throwing every time. The Bucs couldn’t stop this from the end of the first quarter to the middle of the third quarter, and it didn’t help that we allowed three 3rd-and-10 conversions during that stretch.
Bowles claimed at halftime that our defense was playing well, stating, “we’ve just given up two big plays.” Well, that’s not good. We ended up giving up four big plays, and allowing 28 points on defense isn’t good enough. It easily could have been another touchdown if not for Tykee Smith’s incredible end-zone interception on another drive.
And lastly, on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line with just seconds left before halftime, we put Antoine Winfield one-on-one with Stephon Diggs? This was another instance of the Patriots’ Offensive Coordinator, Josh McDaniels, outsmarting us with his personnel packages. He knew we would prefer our safeties in over our corners in a one yard to go situation. But covering a receiver in one-on-one coverage is not Winfield’s strength… especially when that receiver is Stephon Diggs. If I got the opportunity, I’d throw that ball to Diggs every time I saw that matchup; he catches it 9 out of 10 times.
Final Word
I love this team and their grit. I understand we’re down multiple players, but are we really going to close up shop and say we couldn’t get past the injuries? There’s still plenty of talent on the field, and our coaching staff needs to tighten things up. Baker needs to step up and show his “killer instinct.” I appreciate his verbal leadership, but it’s time to break out of this three-game slump and set an example.
Visit BuccaneerBlitz.com for more Bucs coverage.
Yup. This Buccaneer team was outplayed and outcoached by Vrabel and his guys in year-one.
