This was a tough loss against the Lions. It wouldn’t be as bad if we had lost to a better team like the Patriots, Steelers or Packers, but we didn’t. The Bucs didn’t lose to better team Sunday, but they were outplayed and above all, outcoached. I was at the game, it was hot as most of you know, and the Buccaneer coaches didn’t capitalize on this Big Home Field Advantage. I thought they would start the game in “No Huddle” and set an up tempo from the start, but no. I normally go back and watch the game, play by play and critique it, but haven’t had that luxury due to the blackout. 1,2,3 Blackouts Suck! I feel that the Bucs should not have lost this game, and that they have the right players on this team, but maybe not all of the right ones on the field. I still love my Bucs, their coaches, and players as a whole. But it is time for a few tweaks to the game plans and the starting line ups.
Where do I start? It was bad. Raheem Morris says they need to start fast. Well we can all agree on that, and for the most part they had a decent start. Aqib Talib had a pick 6 & Sammie Stroughter ran a kick back 80 yards into the red zone. I’d call that a pretty decent start, but they only scored 3 points off that great return, and funny thing was Mo Stovall (former Buc) missed the tackle to spring the return. Déjà-freakin -vu, much like the Atlanta Game last season. It’s still 10 points early in the game and that’s the good news. The Better news is that Mike Williams is still the Real Deal and K2 is clutch if “Superman 5” can get him the Ball. The future is still very bright but….
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The bad news is our “High Paid Veteran Offensive Line” can NOT run block period. Now many of the Pundits MSM are saying they protected Josh Freeman well. Honestly guys, I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it in the Patriots’ game or the Miami Game really either. I am calling out Our coach (whom I admire) and our offensive line, who’s play is downright Offensive. Josh Freeman had pressure on him on 90% of the plays. Josh Junior was pressured as well when Josh Freeman was being tended to. To elaborate on this, I would start by saying LeGarrette Blount ran for 1000 yards behind a mostly back-up offensive line last year. THAT line play was stellar against stiff competition. My first fix would be to sit Jeff Faine and put Jeremy Zuttah at center (major upgrade). Next I would put James Lee back in at right tackle. He struggled at left tackle in the pre-season but Jeremy Trueblood has bad foot work and gets beat all too often. Sit him on the bench. Davin Joseph has a serious pass blocking problem, gets beat repeatedly, and when he does run block well, no one else does, so let’s give Derek Hardman another shot at right guard. He is 6’-6” tall and 300 Lbs. and Ted Larsen has performed much better with these back-up players in the past, so let’s not pull the plug on Mr. Larsen just yet. Donald Penn is a rock and rarely gets beat. He is the backbone of this line. I hope he stays healthy, but Demar Dotson has good quick footwork for a back-up, and let’s use him as a tight end on run plays because he can block better than all the other tight ends put together. I don’t care if they make these changes verbatim, but the current formula is not working and I’ve seen enough to know that it’s time to swallow some pride and mix things up. I wonder how Davin Joseph would perform on the left side. Hmmm, might be an improvement. Josh Freeman without good blocking is ineffective, but so is Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Please coach, fix this. Watch the film, it doesn’t lie.
We have to get LeGarrette Blount in the Game, and I would like to see Mossis Madu activated for Lumpkin in the next game to see what he can really do. The kid has some wheels, and we need some speed in the backfield. LeGarrette Blount’s best play in the pre-season was a short check down over the middle that went for 50+ yards. I like Earnest Graham very much but I refuse to believe that LeGarrette Blount can do any worse than what I saw Sunday. On a couple plays, 3’rd and 4’th down Greg Olson ran the ball right at the heart of the Lion’s defensive line, and Earnest Graham was stuffed. What the heck was he thinking? I’d rather see Josh Freeman run a QB sneak, a bootleg, anything other than right up the gut. We have an awesome quarterback when the offensive line blocks for him and he can and will make plays. On Sunday we had to wait until the 4’th quarter to see that.
There was one official in particular on Sunday that was horrible, possibly blind, or just another Buc Hater. The guy was on the east side line and missed the pass in the end zone when Mike Williams was mauled by the defender with his back to the ball no less. It was a game changer that would have given the Bucs first and goal at the one. A little later in the game I believe it was Preston Parker was running a route down the same sideline, as Josh Freeman passed him the ball, the defender just bodied him out of bounds, stopping the route completely, while the ball was in the air. At the very least it was illegal contact, which he actually called on the Bucs’ defense on another play. There is NO accountability in the NFL when it comes to these officials. How can you be right on top of the play and not make the correct call? It is ridiculous and I’m sure many Buc Fans feel the same as I do, and we are tired of getting jacked by these incompetent officials. It causes an inferior product and 99% of the time the Bucs are on the losing end of these bad calls. It cost them a trip to the playoffs last year in the Detroit game and paved the way for the Packers to make their run to the Super Bowl. Roger Goodell, stop with the Witch Hunts, focus on your job, the product on the field (officiating) and please fix this problem. I will gladly go to work for the NFL as a referee on Sundays to bring some competence to the officiating. There are legions of fans all over this wonderful country that feel the same way. We are fed up and we’re not going to take it anymore.
Well, I have had my “Official” rant for the day, talked about our offensive, offensive line and questionable play calling that has to improve in certain situations. That’s the half of it, and tomorrow I’ll get started on the defense, which in their defense is much easier to defend than the offense.
Quote of the Day:
“We didn’t tackle well today but we made up for it by
not blocking.”
John McKay / USC
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