Good Team Win

The Bucs got an much needed victory last night beating the Carolina Panthers on a last second field goal by Roberto Aguayo by a score of 17 to 14 final. One of our keys to the game was protecting the football and the offense did just that which helped them win the game. The Bucs offense was a little conservative last night but they were physical and ran the football with purpose as spot starter Jacquizz Rodgers had over 100 yards rushing. I personally liked that coach Koetter started the game with 6 straight runs as he wanted the offense to set the tone for the game and how it was going to be played. The Bucs needed a game like this as every unit made big plays and it was a great team win.

Huge credit for last night's win has to go to the defense though as they forced three turnovers and showed tons of fight throughout the game. This was without most of their starting defensive line as the Bucs started two rookies up front and still managed to get stops and force turnovers. It wasn't perfect but to be without their best player in Gerald McCoy, and to play the way they did have to give big kudos to the defensive coaching staff and the whole defensive line group. Our two playmakers in the secondary made big time plays especially Brent Grimes who made one hell of a play to prevent a go-ahead touchdown for the Panthers.

Finally our special teams made some big plays as well in which they recover a fumble, our punter was outstanding, and our kicker Roberto Aguayo made a big kick to win the game. Most importantly, the Bucs are 2-0 in the division and 2-3 overall as this was an huge win for this team. Hopefully this win will start an winning streak and this team can gather some momentum.

State Of The Bucs 1-3

    
Realbucstalk has added to their team, here is an article written by our newest member Douglas O'Connor,  you can follow him on twitter as well: @Ren_Daxt

The pieces are in place for the Buccaneers to become a perennial playoff team.  Though young the Bucs have top tier NFL talent throughout their organization. General Manager, Jason Licht, who understands player contracts and how to work the draft. Experienced coordinators on both sides of the ball and Pro Bowlers dot the roster at key positions. Then why is Tampa Bay 1-3 and in danger of falling 3 games out of first place just after passing the quarter pole of the season? There are many reasons for the disappointing start but all can fall under the umbrella of growing pains. 

     I will start at the top. Jason Licht has proven to understand the draft process and find ways to get the players he covets. His free agent acquisitions however have largely been busts his first two years. This off seasons signings is a mixed bag, mostly to to injuries but all in all his best group yet. Buc fans hope Jason has figured out the difference between contract year performers and solid contributors.  

     Coaches: One of Head Coach Dirk Koetter's biggest worries about becoming the big man on campus was his ability to manage the clock late in games. So much so he assigned Assistant Wide Receivers Coach Andrew Weidinger as a Game Management Coach to help him in such occasions. Fast forward to week 3 against the Rams. The Bucs were driving for the winning touchdown with under 2 minutes to go when coach Koetter didn't call a time out hoping to catch a tired Rams with a winning TD pass. Weidinger was telling Koetter to call a time out but he ignored the plea and took the shot into the end zone. The pass was overthrown and over 40 seconds had ticked off the clock. Fans can debate if that was the way to go or not, but the fact of the matter is that the Buccaneers ran out of time before they ran out of downs and lost the game.

     Offense: This analysis, as it always will, begins and ends with number 3 Jameis Winston. Having a young quarterback lead your team and the phrase, growing pains, being thrown around is about as common as Doug Martins name showing up on the injury report. I can't tell fans anything about Jameis that they don't already know but here is my two cents anyway. Jameis is putting his football team in bad situations by making bad decisions with the football. There is no 10 point play in football. Sometimes a sack is better than forcing the ball into a tight window. Going 3 and out and punting isn't the end of the world. Take what the defense gives you and move the chains. All fans love his competitive nature but when two defensive linemen are hanging off of you, it's time to take the sack and get'em on the next play.

     Defense: Not surprisingly the defense is going through the biggest pains. Having to learn a new scheme and language is no small task, but NFL teams do it every year and aren't last in the league in points given up. Which the Bucs are. Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith has stated that it takes four weeks to learn his defense, react on the field instead of thinking. He has also talked about how Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald, the Bucs starting safeties that have been in fans cross hairs, are communicating much better. Well coach it's week 5, time to show how much the guys on your side of the ball have grown in your system.

     Special Teams: To be perfectly honest I really don't even want to do this one. Did you hear that the Buccaneers traded up back into the second round and selected a kicker and said kicker is struggling on his extra points as well as field goal attempts? Yay, so did everyone else in the NFL fandom kingdom. Look Roberto Aguayo is going to be the Bucs kicker this year and next year no matter what happens. It is what it is and I totally understand the frustration. When points are at stake almost every time you touch the ball going through growing pains can be soul crushing for the invested fan. Bright side, the punter is really good.

Tonight Can be The Turning Point

Losing has been the common thread for this team the past three weeks and the biggest culprit has been themselves. Turnovers and mental breakdowns have cost this team the last two weeks which is a big reason they are 1-3. Injuries are another factor as the Bucs depth has been tested and will be tonight as several key starters won't play. Excuses can't be made as every team has injuries and this team has to overcome them. Tonight is about getting this season back on track and getting to 2-3 before the bye.

It's a big division game against the Panthers who are also 1-3 and are hurting as they are without some key players including starting Qb Cam Newton. A win tonight would send the Bucs to 2-0 in the division and put the Panthers behind the eight ball. Bucs need to come out with urgency and play smart football by protecting the football and avoiding mental errors. Jameis Winston needs to let the game come to him and take what the defense is giving him, and know it's okay to punt and play defense. He needs to get the ball to his playmakers in Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, and Cam Brate and allow them to make plays on the ball.

Bucs need to bring their best football tonight as Carolina is going to bring it because they are in the same boat as the Bucs. Expect the Bucs defense to improve as they have shown signs of breaking out, they just need to put it all together. Stop the run and don't allow the big play are keys tonight for the defense. They need to create 3rd and long situations as well by winning on first and second down more, that way they can create more pressure on the Qb.  As for the offense, there is one key and that is protect the football as turnovers have killed this team so far. If the Bucs want to have a chance to turn this season around, they have to win tonight or else it will be time to start looking at the upcoming draft. Let's get an winning streak going for once, go Bucs!

Panthers Secondary is Wounded

The Panthers secondary was a know weakness coming into this season after losing Josh Norman and Charles Tillman. This past week Falcons Wr Julio Jones had a monster game against the Panthers, racking up 300 yards in receiving. James Bradbury who is a rookie corner got injured will not play Monday, and this morning the Panthers cut another corner via Steve Reed.

BREAKING: Panthers have cut CB Bene Benwikere and promoted Zack Sanchez from the practice squad.

— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) October 7, 2016

So the Panthers secondary is not looking to be in great shape as they will be playing two rookie corners this week against the Bucs Wr Mike Evans. Expect the Bucs offense to move their receivers around to create mismatches and let Jameis attack them all over the field. Bucs need to use timing routes against them as it seem that is what gives the Panthers secondary the most trouble. Vincent Jackson, Adam Humphries, and Russell Shepard need to step up and be precise for Jameis. Game plan should be to get the ball out quick and with timing allowing some yards after the catch opportunities.

Big Division Game

Yes the last three weeks have been tough as losing sucks, but it's in the past now and this team is 1-3. The good news is the Bucs have an huge division game against the NFC champions in the Carolina Panthers who by the way are 1-3 as well. Both teams are dealing with injuries, inconsistent play, and are looking to jump start their season. Coach Koetter says this game is double important because it's a division game and a chance to be 2-0 in the NFC south via buccaneers.com.

“Exactly like Week One. We would be the only undefeated team in the division if we could get the victory and also having two road wins in the division would be huge. Right now, Atlanta has jumped out, they won at New Orleans and then they beat Carolina. Of course we got the win there, so Atlanta is 2-1 in the division, the rest of the teams are sitting there at 1-3. There’s a long way left, there’s a lot of division games coming up, but a chance for us to be 2-0, it’s like a double win, we talked about it in the meeting this morning.”

Bucs need to bring their best on Monday night as a win would be huge for this team, giving them much needed confidence going into the bye week. Bucs have lost the last 6 meetings vs the Panthers which should be plenty of motivation for this team to come out ready to play their best on Monday night football. No better time than now to put together your best game and get a huge road division win and possibly changing the outlook of the season.

Bucs Have to Win First Down

One area that has been an issue for the Bucs on both sides of the ball has been winning on first down. Bucs have to do a better job of being more efficient on first down to set them up in more favorable situations. If you are winning first down on both sides of the ball, your team is going to be successful most of the time. The Bucs defense has been winning first down at times but it needs to be more consistent so they can get opposing offenses into third down situations so this can happen more.

William Gholston is really improving with every game. He is a monster against the run but shows he can also get the edge here. pic.twitter.com/OeP0oBJJbX

— realbucstalk (@realbucstalk) October 4, 2016

This play was on second down but it allowed the defense to play in 3rd and long which allows the front four get after the qb and they almost got another sack on that following play. So forcing more passing situations will help the defense but they have to do better on first and second down. However, this post is more about the offense as they have been very ineffective on first down, and it must improve or else the offense will continue their inconsistent ways. Here is coach Koetter on the lack of production on first down via buccaneers.com.

“We talk about efficient plays, efficient plays on first down that’ll be four yards or more. When we say, ‘Staying ahead of the chains,’ we did a horrible job and I think somebody in here asked me, on the one good drive that we had, we had a lot of second-and-nines, but we did well on second-and-long. But the longer the down and distance, the more your percentages go down, if you’re playing percentage football. Whether we were running it or we were throwing it, we were not good enough on first down. We call those ‘run downs,’ first-and-10s and second-and-one-to-six and we’ve got to be more efficient.” 

It's all about execution and guys right now are not doing their job good enough and that's got to change this Monday. Short passing and variation of runs needs to come alive again in this offense as it something that is missing right now. Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden used to use the short passing game very well as an extension of the running game which is something the Bucs need to get going. Runs of 3 to 4 yards needs to be more consistent, but passes of 4 to 6 yards needs to be more regular as well. Overall, the Bucs have to start winning first down if they want to start winning games.

Run Game Needs to Help Jameis

The Bucs running game has struggled so far to say the least as they have missed Doug Martin's impact but their execution as an unit has been subpar. If the offense wants to get going and more importantly help Jameis play better, the ground game needs to be a focal point and must be an effective weapon for the team. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken spoke with the media today and shared his thoughts on the running game and how they can help Jameis more via buccaneers.com.

“We’ve hit it earlier, we’ve got to be able to run the ball better. We’ve got to be more precise in the way we run routes and come open quicker and I’m sure there’s some of those things he can be better at. So collectively, we’ve got to do a better job of that. Like you said, nothing’s good when you get your quarterback hit that often, but we’re ready to move on, we’re ready for the Panthers on Monday night and we’re expecting their best and they’re certainly going to get ours.”

Monken went on to say that Bucs need to do a better job of playing to their running backs strengths more and making it easier on them as well via buccaneers.com.

“I think that, again our sample size is really small, in terms of this year. I know over time – Charles is a very versatile player, he really is and a good football player. And we try to do a number of things with him and we expect him to continue to improve. We’ve got to do some things that schematically favors the things he can do and we’ve got to do some things probably better that take advantage of ‘Quizz’s’ talent.” 

Being more efficient in the ground game is going to help Jameis be more comfortable but also give him more opportunities to make plays down the field. This offense has to stay committed to the run game though and try to maintain balance throughout the game. Bucs should be averaging 30 rushing attempts a game regardless of how effective it is because it will keep the defense on their toes. Plus running the ball wears an opposing defense down which helps slow down the pass rush of the other team. Monday night, the Bucs need to run the ball with purpose and stay committed to it for the whole game.