What really sucks to me about this week's loss is that in many respects, I feel like the Bucs are getting better on many albeit not all fronts. This is not about firing Lovie or not firing Lovie. It's just my take.Offense: the line is still a work in progress, but it sure is better than last year and I'd say it's the best since our winning streak back in 2012. No one here can be mistaken for John Hannah, but they're doing their job up to now and the depth is better than I expected. Winston is playing well, and though I'd personally love to know the status of how the back ups are doing and doing with each other, we should all be pleased with the growth we've seen. The receivers need some depth but our starters are good, and ASJ is a major asset when healthy. Finally, Martin and Sims are a strength of this team.Special Teams: there's no excuse for not being ready for an onside kick when most kick-offs are not returned anyway, but one play doesn't a season make. Barth has the kicking on very solid ground, and Shrum has been doing a good job too in my opinion. Mentioned this in another thread, but I love how he punts to put a spiral on his deep punts but kicks it to spin backwards when aiming for leaving it inside the 20. Coverage teams are solid. And vs. Washington, we came within a whisker of blocking two punts. As for Rainey, he's doing all we could ask of him on the whole. In other words, we don't have any real disadvantage to anyone in this category.In two aspects of the game, I think we are better.Defense: something is going on between Frazier and Smith, and I hope we can learn what it is. Cook and Reynolds have to know something...whether they can speak about it or not is another matter. The defensive line needs some help, even as they have been better vs. the run. We need defensive ends. Howard Jones is not as good as his splash plays suggest. He picked up the fumble but he didn't get the sack, and vs. the Jags he wasn't picked up on the sack. I'm satisfied with the talent at the linebacker. However, we are not disciplined, and as I mention elsewhere, the Skins' opened up Pandora's Box for us by exposing a previously closed weakness vs. getting sucked up on the play fake and roll out. In the end, it comes down to the secondary. We've no continuity, with people coming in and out. Jennings deserved to be inactive. Verner wasn't a world beater but he's the second best we have. Banks needs to step up. The safeties are biting on fakes and leaving the middle open, which is precisely where our corners are letting them go with no obstruction at all. And it's not helping that our pass rush is very inconsistent.I don't know if it's players or if it's scheme, but need one and need to is a cornerback and at least a solid defensive end. Second, can we get a decent drop for linebackers and at least try to obstruct the receiver on his route? Maybe I'm off base, but something is going on again between coaches becauese it seems players are caught between two philosophies on how to play or the coverage people aren't being coached to play things properly. This isn't a fire or keep Lovie and I hope it won't turn into this type of thread. We need some help. We need some maturity. Looking at the team, however, Smith and the draft/scouts do have us improved albeit we will be a 6 win team or so at present. The future has the potential to be bright though. Outside the coach... cuz that's going to play out as it does... regarding talent of the players themselves, do you agree or disagree we have more talent. I think we do.
