FAB 4. Bucs – 49ers Game Notes

If time permits in my schedule, I plan on adding some notes about the previous week’s Bucs game from my film study during the week into each week’s SR’s Fab 5 column. I’m not going to spend a lot of time rehashing the obvious. Instead, I’ll try to dig deeper and offer some insight you may have missed when watching the game and tie it into the up-coming match-up.

Here are my thoughts from re-watching the Bucs – 49ers game.

• Bucs defensive end Carl “Nasty” Nassib got things started on the second defensive snap when he sacked Nick Mullens and forced a fumble on first down. That set the tone right away.

“Carl Nasty, I like it!” said Bucs defensive Vinny Curry when I asked about Nassib. “Carl is playing on fire right now. With me going down with my ankle, he stepped up big time. He has great momentum and he’s playing great. I love to see that from young guys. As an older guy, all I can do is encourage him. You’ve got to love it.”

Then defensive coordinator Mark Duffner brought linebacker Devante Bond on a blitz (see video above) and had a clean hit on Mullens to force an incompletion on second down. Then Curry came from on a stunt and nailed Mullens to force another incompletion and a punt. Unlike defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who didn’t blitz second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky once in the first half of a 48-10 beatdown in Chicago, Duffner wasted no time in getting after Mullens, a rookie.

Mullens entered the game completing 70 percent of his passes and hadn’t been sacked in two starts. By the end of the game he completed just over 50 percent of his passes and was sacked four times.

• Nassib wasn’t done after his first sack. He affected the game in all four quarters. He got another QB hit on second series and had another tackle for loss. Nassib set the edge with penetration for Vea’s tackle for loss near the end of the first half.

Bucs DE Carl Nassib – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Even though he had two sacks and a pass breakup against Cleveland, his former team, I thought Nassib played just as well against the 49ers that he did against the Browns. The best part about Nassib is that he is continuing to improve and has a high ceiling. And he’s still on his rookie contract in 2019.

• Just an observation, but Tampa Bay’s offensive linemen rarely put their opponents on the ground, and that bothers me. They are taught to be stand-up technicians rather than maulers, and I’m not a fan of the scheme or the philosophy. That’s why Ryan Jensen hasn’t been as effective this year in Tampa Bay as he was last year in Baltimore.

Don’t get me wrong. I think Jensen has had a decent first year with the Bucs. What I like about his game – and what you need to appreciate – is that he is the one that is constantly running downfield looking for work. He’s the one that’s running downfield looking to push the pile or block someone else. Why no other Bucs offensive lineman does is beyond me, and that’s on offensive line coach George Warhop. Remember, Jensen’s hustle down the field at New York nearly resulted in him scoring a touchdown against the Giants – only to have teammate Mike Evans jump on Jameis Winston’s fumble in the end zone first.

Bucs C Ryan Jensen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Did you see Cleveland tight end David Njoku’s touchdown catch on Sunday at Cincinnati? He tried to dive at the 2-yard line, but failed to make it in. Yet two Browns offensive linemen were racing downfield and pushed Njoku – and the two Bengals defenders that were trying to stop him – into the end zone for the score. Why don’t the Bucs offensive linemen do that? Why am I always watching Bucs games or watching the tape saying, “Push the pile!” when Peyton Barber is trying to finish off a run for a first down and there aren’t any Tampa Bay offensive linemen there to push him for an extra yard?

Barring a big winning streak at the end of the season, the Bucs could very well wind up changing coaches at the end of the year, and Warhop will be among those who will be purged. If Dirk Koetter stays on I think it’s time for a change on the O-line. I’d like to see what a new offensive line coach could do for young linemen like Jensen, Ali Marpet, Donovan Smith, Caleb Benenoch Alex Cappa. Speaking of Cappa, he’s not any better than Benenoch is right now – especially in pass protection.

By the way, the Bucs do so much better pulling and man blocking rather than their zone runs. Yet, Warhop, who is the run-game coordinator, keeps putting in tosses and zone runs into the game plan that don’t appear to be as effective as the man blocking schemes.

• Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston needs to learn that he only has to make a handful of big plays in a game rather than nine or 10 plays. In the past, Winston has pushed the envelope, and while making a handful of spectacular plays he would greedy and want a few more – rather than settling for just six or seven.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Against San Francisco, Winston only made seven big plays – and that was enough because he didn’t turn the ball over. He hit Mike Evans for a 42-yard pass in the first quarter and then rolled out to find Cameron Brate open in the end zone a few plays later with a great throw. Right before the end of the first quarter, Winston eluded two sack attempts and hit Jacquizz Rodgers on a short pass to convert a third-and-5. Then on third-and-8, Winston stayed poised in the pocket and hit Evans with a 13-yard pass to convert the first down.

Winston also had a 15-yard scramble on first down when protection broke down in the second quarter, and in the third quarter he rolled to his right and threw a 34-yard pass to Evans. In the fourth quarter, Winston scrambled to his right, looked left and found a wide-open Adam Humphries and delivered a perfect strike. Humphries did the rest and raced 28 yards for a touchdown.

Winston’s only one risky throw came on a third down when he was trying to hit Evans in the red zone. Otherwise he took what the defense gave him, played turnover-free football and led the Bucs to a victory with seven big plays. He needs to do more of that going forward.

Bucs SS Jordan Whitehead – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Bucs rookie strong safety Jordan Whitehead is really developing as a player and had his best game so far. Whitehead had a career-high 10 tackles – all solo stops – in the 49ers game, and has eight tackles or more in three of the last four games.

Even more important, Whitehead did a fantastic job of covering tight end George Kittle, who came into the game with 50 catches for 750 yards. Whittle was held to six catches for 48 yards with a long of just 12 yards.

“I think officially they had him for 10 solo, one assisted,” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. “He was, when they were checking it down there at the end, Jordan was like getting all like they were completing balls. I was going when he came off I said, ‘Hey man just look at it this way, you’re upping your tackle total. They’re throwing six-yard routes down three scores and you’re just going and tackling them. You’re padding your stats.’ I thought Jordan played well overall. You know, we played a lot of man coverage, especially in the first half when we were in base defense against their 21 personnel. Jordan, not only was he down in the box as a run player – he was the primary guy covering Kittle and I thought he really stayed close to Kittle for the most part. At least three times that I can remember when they were running those against the grain boots, he was right there.”

Whitehead did a great job of breaking up a pass for Kittle before halftime, but more importantly, he also prevented quite a few completions. Whitehead also broke up two passes in a very, very encouraging performance, as he’ll be poised to match up against Panthers Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen.

• The most impressive thing about Vita Vea’s game was his sack when he executed a stunt with JPP and looped into the B gap and was rocked by Joe Staley, but showed great balance – his balance has improved as the season has gone on – to pursue Mullens and take him down. The big fella has impressive agility.

• New kicker Cairo Santos splits the uprights, doesn’t he? Through two games, Santos hasn’t missed a kick yet – and it hasn’t been close. There haven’t been any kicks that have veered right or left like they did with former kicker Chandler Catanzaro.

Santos has made all eight of his extra points, including five at New York and three against San Francisco, in addition to his first two field goals as a Buccaneer, connecting from 41 and 39 yards. Santos’ kicks actually have me feeling somewhat confident that Bucs general manager Jason Licht might have actually found a consistent kicker – finally.