Fix What? Second half showed Bucs are a sign of things to come

If the second half of last week’s game is a sign of things to come, we Buc Fans are in good shape. The offense spread the field and got away from those bunched formations which enabled the Vikings to put 8-10 men in the box. Low and behold the run game opened up, which opened up the passing game, and all of a sudden The “Freemean Machine” found its rhythm. It was a thing of beauty and big props to Coach Morris for pulling off that onside kick. Sean Payton would have been proud, and Jon Gruden would have flipped at the mere thought of pulling a stunt like that. This is why I love Raheem’s team, because there is no shortage of excitement, and if you suffer from high blood pressure, double your meds before you watch the Bucs. Still there are a few things that we, en mi casa, weren’t thrilled about, but boy what an awesome win. Stats are for losers, right? Right? Well….. When I went back and watched the game, a couple things really jumped out at me.

The first thing was Quincy Black. I know he injured his ankle in the first series of the second half, but once he left the field, the defense played better and better. I counted 8 – 10 missed tackles by Quincy alone in the first half, depending on one’s definition of a “missed tackle”. There were at least another 8-10 plays where he was maintaining his gap so well that he made little if any effort to make a play on the ball. I would say it was his worst game since he came to Tampa. That is unfortunate because I like him and when he plays well, he plays very well. Raheem has been on Geno Hayes for a while now about consistency, but Quincy Black has that problem too. When you look at him, you see a 6’-2” 240 Lb. specimen of a man. The guy is ripped from head to toe and has excellent speed, maybe the fastest on the team, but when I watched the game again I saw something scary. He was getting blocked and pushed around by receivers that were much smaller. When he was double teamed or faced a tight end, the problem was magnified. Many of us faulted Barrett Ruud for his inability to shed blocks, but Quincy Black is worse. When I watched further, I saw how he over-runs plays and misses ball carriers. I think the real clincher was when Donovan McNabb scrambled up the left sideline for a first down, it was Quincy Black that donated the extra 7 yards to him. Quincy was in pursuit, forcing his blocker right to the edge, cutting off the run, and at the last second, stopped and pushed the blocker out, which forced Quincy in and Donovan ran right past them both. All Quincy had to do was keep motoring right on to the sideline and the play would have stopped about 5 yards short of a first down, on 3’rd and a boatload. So Quincy Black is injured, I wish him well, but I also hope Dakota Watson takes his job permanently and pushes him back to special teamer. I also hope Quincy watches the film from the Minnesota game 3 times each day until he gets another shot. And don’t forget we still have Adam Hayward waiting in the wings and ready to step up when called. He’s a thumper.

The second thing that jumped out at me, extremely obvious, was that the Bucs’ offensive line was outstanding from the first snap until the last snap. I think it was a big plus putting Jeremy Zuttah in the lineup as many of us diehards asked for. I also think that sometimes it’s just finding that winning combination, where some players perform better with certain players next to them than with others. It’s just another postulate of mine but chemistry is a proven science with proper experimentation. I’ll have to ask the resident rocket scientist about this one, because I’m just a carpenter, running my mouth. Even in the first half, the offensive line didn’t break down. Sure Donald Penn threw the early cut block on Jared Allen that lead to a sack, but Josh Freeman knew it was coming and he didn’t get rid of the ball. It wasn’t Donald’s fault and kudos to Jared Allen for staying on his feet. He is a great defensive end that had an average day, thanks to Mr. Penn. They all did a great job and I only saw one other play where both Jeremy Trueblood and Donald Penn both got beat together which lead to a Freeman hit, but Josh managed to get rid of the ball. I was down on these guys last week, but in my eyes they were a different line this past week. I was wrong for now and I hope this is a sign of things to come. I personally don’t think the Falcons have a great defensive line, other than John Abraham. The Bucs should be able to keep the “Blount Train” going and the “Freemean Machine” rolling. LeGarrette Blount has to keep his head up, eyes open and find the holes or open running lanes, because they’re there. There was one play in the first half that he ran into a linemen’s back, and if he would have just bounced it outside he could have had one of his 50 yard signature runs. Whatever the case, I think we are in for a real treat this Sunday, and the Bucs have to be sick of losing to the Falcons. Fans, I would not want to miss this game. I think Atlanta’s winning streak comes to an end, and I win 20 Bucs(pun intended) from Josh the Falcon’s fan.

Bucs 27 – Falcons 24

“Son, you’ve got a good engine, but your hands
aren’t on the steering wheel.”
Bobby Bowden / Florida State