FAB 2. Breaking Down The Bucs’ Penalties

The good news is that Tampa Bay leads the league in run defense again this year, allowing just 58.4 yards per game after holding Chicago to just 35 yards on 14 carries (2.5 avg.) last Thursday night in a tough, 20-19 loss.

The bad news is that the Bucs lead the league in penalties again this year, averaging 8.4 infractions for 82 yards per game after drawing 11 flags for 109 yards. Tampa Bay led the NFL with 134 penalties for 1,111 yards in 2019.

Bucs HC Bruce Arians – Photo by: Getty Images

After the game Bucs head coach Bruce Arians spoke the truth about his undisciplined team’s penchant for beating itself with too many penalties.

“You’re not going to beat anybody with [11] penalties or however many we had,” Arians said.

After the Bucs had several days off following the loss to the Bears, Arians was asked if the team had addressed Tampa Bay’s continuing penalty issues.

“We address it every single day since we got back here whenever we got here,” Arians said.

The Bucs are really, really good at getting penalized. I mean Tampa Bay could teach a masterclass on how to beat itself with penalties. If there was a separate Pro Bowl just for penalized players, the Bucs would have several starters – unfortunately.

Let’s take a look at the Bucs’ penalty problems in 2020 and the leading culprits.

Bucs’ Penalties In 2020

Week 1 at New Orleans: 9 for 103 yards
Week 2 vs. Carolina: 5 for 37 yards
Week 3 at Denver: 9 for 71 yards
Week 4 vs. Los Angeles: 8 for 90 yards
Week 5 at Chicago: 11 for 109 yards

Tampa Bay had 10 games with eight or more penalties last year, and the Bucs only had four games with 90 or more penalty yards in 2019, including just one game over 100 yards (104 vs. the Colts). This year, the Bucs have already had four games with eight or more penalties and three with 90 penalty yards or more.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If you are looking for any kind of improvement from a year ago, the Bucs had four games with double-digit penalties in 2019, including three with 12 infractions. Tampa Bay has just one game with double-digit penalties, which was at Chicago where the team amassed 109 penalty yards – the most in Arians’ 21 games as head coach of the Bucs.

Last year the Bucs split their penalties evenly between the offense and defense with each side of the ball being penalized 59 times. The offense had 428 penalty yards while the defense had 547 penalty yards – more because of defensive pass interference calls.

This year it’s the offense leading the way with 23 infractions for 200 yards and only 19 penalties for 210 yards for the defense. Left tackle Donovan Smith leads the way with seven penalties for 45 yards, including four holding penalties and three false starts. Only six of those flags counted however, as Smith had one holding penalty offset by a personal foul on Chicago edge rusher Khalil Mack.

Cornerback Carlton Davis leads the Bucs with three interceptions this year, but also in penalty yards to the tune of 87 yards on six penalties. Wide receiver and team captain Mike Evans has four penalties for 45 yards, tied with rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs, who has four penalties for 30 yards. After that, center Ryan Jensen and outside linebacker Shaq Barrett have three penalties apiece for 35 and 25 yards, respectively.

Bucs LT Donovan Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The problem for Tampa Bay is that the players that are committing these penalties are the $14.5 million left tackle, the $10 million center, the franchise wide receiver and team captain, the team’s Pro Bowl pass rusher, the top cover corner and leading interceptor, in addition to the Bucs’ first-round pick. In other words, it’s not like Tampa Bay can afford to bench any of these players to teach them a lesson.

Smith was flagged eight times last year, including five holding calls, but three of those penalties were declined. So his six accepted penalties in 2020 through five games has already seen him surpass last year’s total, and it’s the timing of Smith’s penalties that have really hurt the Bucs this season, according to The Athletic’s Greg Auman.

The five “stalled drives” (as calculated by NFL) due to penalties by Bucs tackle Donovan Smith are the most of any player in the league. Only other player with more than three is Seahawks guard Damien Lewis (4).

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 12, 2020

Donovan Smith leads the Bucs with five stalled drives as a result of penalties. Again, that’s more than 11 NFL teams have as a whole this year. Tristan Wirfs and Mike Evans are next on the Bucs with two each. https://t.co/zrkm86sT4y

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 12, 2020

Those are some damning statistics for a left tackle in his sixth year, especially since Smith is in his final year of guaranteed money. Smith’s $14.25 million in 2021 is not guaranteed and there is no salary cap hit if the Bucs trade or release him next year.

As of right now, the Bucs are not happy with Smith’s penchant for untimely penalties, and if he wants to continue to be Tom Brady’s blindside protector next year he’ll need to seriously turn his game around. Tampa Bay has an intriguing option in Wirfs, who played some left tackle in college, already on the roster as a possible replacement for Smith if he continues to falter.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Getty Images

Smith got a dirty look from Brady after he was sacked by Mack, who beat Smith with an inside move, on first-and-goal from the Chicago 16-yard line in the fourth quarter. That set up second-and-17 at the Bears’ 23-yard line and three plays later, the Bucs had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from the Chicago 7-yard line to take a 19-17 lead in a game the team would lose 20-19.

Brady was also upset after Jensen drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after an 11-yard catch by Jaydon Mickens on first-and-30 late in the third quarter. Instead of it being second-and-19 it became second-and-34 and the Bucs punted three plays later. Brady was visibly upset with Jensen on the sidelines and screamed at his center, which Arians didn’t have a problem with.

“I don’t have any problem with it,” Arians said. “At least I don’t have to go back there and cuss them out – they’ve already gotten an earful by the time I get over there. Tom’s got to be Tom. I’m not going to ask him to be somebody different. He does a good job of patting them on the back, too. He might explode, but he’s going to go down there, pat them on the back and get them going.”

As much as the personal fouls and the holding calls bother Arians, it’s the ones that happen before the play starts that trouble him the most.

“Pre-snap penalties are the ones that bug me more,” Arians said.

Of course the Bucs are tied for the league lead in pre-snap penalties with Philadelphia – both teams have 15 – or an average of three per game. And of course Smith is tied for the team lead with three.

It won’t matter that Tampa Bay signed Brady this offseason if this team can’t stop beating itself with penalties.

“As far as accountability, I’m always getting on the guys – myself included – if I have a penalty in practice or in the game because they’re detrimental,” Evans said. “Turnovers and penalties are the biggest reasons why teams lose in this league. It’s not about the talent. If we can just eliminate beating ourselves – we’re tough [and] we have a really talented roster, one of the most talented rosters in the league. We just definitely have to clean up on some of those things and be better at that.”