Defense Played to Their Strengths

After losing two in a row in which his defense struggled to make stops consistently and were giving up a bunch of yards via the passing game, Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith said enough is enough. Smith finally got back to a more aggressive style of defense in which they had success against the Panthers and 49ers respectively. He ask his corners to play more press man coverage allowing the safeties to play more in the middle of the field and closer to the line of scrimmage which suits their strengths more effectively. Then bringing pressure from your front seven with linebacker blitzes along with corner blitzes were very effective as it allowed this defense to play downhill which is how they should be utilized every week.

Mike Smith was trying to compensate for the lack of pass rush by trying to mix up his coverages and pre-snap looks which ended up just causing miscommunication on the field. After the Atlanta game, the coaching staff got together and realize that this defense needs to be more aggressive and allow the players to play fast and downhill. Coach Koetter wanted them to be suffocating and after the Bears game he thought they were just that via Buccaneers.com.

That was great to see because so many of the things that the coaching staff identified and [Defensive Coordinator] Mike Smith and his staff worked into the game plan, to see the players carry it out like that, to see them playing fast, playing downhill and getting after the ball, really tightening up the coverage, the pass rush, hitting the quarterback, disrupting the quarterback. Fun to see, fun to see those guys have that kind of success.”

 “Across the board, the entire defense that we felt like we needed to – yeah, we needed to tighten up. The word we used was suffocating, we needed to be more suffocating with our coverage and I’ve got some really good film clips to show them on Wednesday of them doing that.”

With Kansas City being the next opponent, the Bucs defense needs to bring the same approach they did last week and bring the pressure on the Qb. Chiefs offense is an west coast style as they run a lot of route combinations and quick passes. The Bucs defense needs to continue to play press man coverage and allow their linebackers to play downhill and attack. Make Alex Smith throw it deep and play the short routes and likely their will be chances for interceptions.

Jameis Took Over in The 2nd Half.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Bucs got the ball to start the second half leading 17-10 and were looking to get things going on offense to take control of the game. The Bucs didn't start great as they were facing 3rd and long and on the brink of going 3 and out which would have given more momentum to the Bears. Instead, Bucs Qb Jameis Winston decided to take over and make probably the play of the year via NFL.com.

Jameis Winston is out here playing backyard football against the Bearspic.twitter.com/ApFNgYAJcR

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 13, 2016

After that play, Winston was outstanding as he delivered a strike to Freddie Martino for his second touchdown putting the Bucs up 24-10. Winston put all his skills on display in this game as he was throwing guys open with anticipation and accuracy. Coach Koetter felt it was Winston's best game of the season via buccaneers.com.

Dirk Koetter on Jameis Winston having a great game Sunday: He showed toughness, mobility, arm strength, ability to see the whole field.

— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) November 14, 2016

Winston continues to get better with time, and he is starting show signs of being that complete Qb that the Bucs need him to be. If Winston can keep playing like this, the Bucs should be in every game going forward this season.

Bucs Finally Win at Ray-Jay!

This must be a joke or something but did the Bucs actually win an home game yesterday against the Chicago Bears? The answer is yes, the Bucs got an much needed victory at Ray-Jay defeating the Bears by the score of 36-10. The defense came to play as they played an more aggressive style which caused trouble for the Bears offense throughout the game. The Bucs defense forced 4 turnovers including a pick 6 by S Chris Conte which got the Bucs ahead early and they didn't look back from there.

The front seven was doing a good job with their pressures causing Bears Qb Jay Cutler to hurried his throws which lead to 2 interceptions and an redzone fumble. Bucs rookie DE Noah Spence was probably the best player on the defense yesterday as he was consistently getting into the backfield and had an huge strip sack to start the second quarter. It was great pursuit by Spence as he came all the way around from the other side of the field and got Cutler from behind. Here is the play below via @DLineVids.

#Buckeyes/#Colonels alum Noah Spence of the #Bucs @nspence94 doesn't quit pursuing QB. Ends up with a sack/fumble💰 pic.twitter.com/WWWHdgVYXr

— DLineVids (@DLineVids) November 13, 2016

The Defense wasn't perfect as they did allow some yards in the run game and the only Bears touchdown was on a hail mary at the end of the first half which just can't happen. Overall it was good day for the defense as they had 4 takeaways, 4 sacks and only allowed 10 points. However, here is the best stat via Scott Smith of Fox.

#Bucs held the #Bears to 68 yards in the 2nd half... and 56 of that came on Chicago's final garbage time possession... so... really... 12yds

— Scott Smith (@ScottSmithTV) November 13, 2016

That is good to see and hopefully the defense can stay healthy the rest of the season and build on this performance and continue to improve. Now to the offense which had a very slow start to this game as they couldn't get anything going in the first quarter. The offensive line was struggling as there were two rookies playing due to injuries and both tackles were struggling to block their man. The Bears defense did a good job of taking the run game away and keeping Mike Evans in check.

The good news for the Bucs offense was that Jameis Winston played outstanding as he spread the ball around to 9 different players going 23-33 for 312 yards and 2 tds. With Evans being heavily guarded, Winston targeted TE Cameron Brate who had a big day with 7 receptions for 84 yards and 1 td. The offense controlled the clock and found ways to move the chains and pulled away in the second half. Running Back Doug Martin made his return and found the endzone which was good to see. Martin's presence is huge for this offense and hopefully he can get on a roll here to finish the season strong. It was a much needed win for this team and now are 4-5 as they now go back on the road to take on the 7-2 Kansas City Chiefs.

Mike Evans is Savage

The bucs 6'5 monster WR Mike Evans is stone cold. He not only is leading the league in Touch downs but is supremely confident in himself and his abilities. When asked today if he felt like he didn't have concussion and why he was on concussion protocol he gave a straight forward answer.

No, I didn't have a concussion, but its up to them (the bucs) but I know I didn't have a concussion.

Later he was asked if he appreciated the fact that the bucs put him in the protocol.

Yeah I appreciate it but I just know my body and I didn't have a concussion. 

The Man has a goal to be the best and he knows what he has to do to be it. Evans is a true number 1 receiver and truly is breaking out this year more than his prior first 2. Half way through the season and he already has 55 catches 745 yards and 8 TDs. He knows he can always get better and even mentioned a couple areas where he feels he can improve on.

Route running, blocking, everything. Fatigue, I get tired too fast, I just got to get better.

Evans has his eyes set on the same goal as Winston and thats winning games. He even mentioned to reporters how he's ready for a playoff push. He no doubt is a winner and is one of the guys on this team that will push others to a higher level so that we do win games. If his second half of the season looks anything like his first the bucs are looking at the best season from a Buccaneer wide receiver ever.

Bucs Need to Finish Strong

The Bucs have lost the last two games dropping their record to 3-5 and are now a long shot to make the playoffs. Despite the last two games, the Bucs need to focus on finishing strong over these last eight games. This team has struggled over the last several seasons to finish out seasons on a high note and that must change this season. The Bucs are facing a tough stretch to finish the season but 4 to 5 more wins is still possible with this current roster.

It looks like running back Doug Martin is finally going to return to action possibly this Sunday vs the Bears which would be huge for this team. With Martin back, the Bucs could get back to being balance on offense, winning time of possession, and allowing the defense to be rested throughout the game. This current team needs to get back to those things which is and should be the identity of this team. Enforcing that identity over these last eight games is going to be critical not only to finish strong this year but going forward as well.

It's important for this team to learn how to win in November and December because that is what winning teams do. Winston, Martin, and Evans makes the offense more dangerous and now just need the defense to find what works for them and stick with it. If this team can get seven to eight wins I would say that is pretty good for what has happen during this season. The time is now to start building confidence throughout this roster and for them to learn how to win in the final two months of the season. Only one way to do that and that is finishing strong to close it out.

How many more wins for the Bucs this season? Feel free to comment below!

Bucs remaining schedule:

Nov 13th      Bears          1pm
Nov 20th @ Cheifs          1pm
Nov 27th      Seahawks   4pm
Dec  4th   @ Chargers     4pm
Dec  11th      Saints         1pm
Dec  18th @ Cowboys     1pm
Dec  24th @ Saints          1pm
Jan    1th       Panthers    1pm

Bucs Are Not Ready For Primetime

These last two weeks have shown that the Bucs are just not ready for prime time and as of right now they are just not there yet as a football team. Going into the season, we believe the team was talented enough to make a run at winning 9 maybe 10 games this year but we didn't foresee this many injuries to key players. In addition to the injuries, with an new coaching staff in place especially on the defensive side of the ball there has been growing pains along with communication errors and at times questionable playcalling. Plus with a first year head coach there are mistakes that are going to be made which has happen in multiple games this season.

This team still needs time to grow together and still needs to add multiple pieces on both sides of the ball through free agency and mainly the draft. Consistency with the coaching staff would help as the constant change with the coaching staff has created high roster turnover rate which hurts an team from attaining any kind of consistency on the field. This team is still heading in the right direction as they have key pieces in place especially at Qb with Jameis Winston who is still learning how to be consistent in this league. Gm Jason Licht needs to find more playmakers for the offense to help young Jameis out along with keeping most of the current group in place. Same can be said with the defense which could use some more pieces up front on the defensive line along with more playmakers in the secondary.

The Bucs are getting closer but are still not ready to contend for a playoff spot as they need more time to grow and mature as a football team. The team also needs to look into getting a better training staff as the amount of injuries this season has been ridiculous. The loss of Doug Martin has really hurt this team as he is critical piece to the Bucs success. Hopefully he can return this week against the Bears as it's important for this team to finish the season strong with at least 4 to 5 more wins which would be an successful season for this current group.

Continuity Is A Must!

So many fans have their own opinions and some are so erratic that it makes you wonder what they are thinking. The most recent talk amongst bucs fans seems that since the bucs have lost another game at home then some drastic change needs to be made with one of the long time buccaneers because they aren't getting it done. The two buccaneer names that are being thrown around are Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David. Fans want to trade away possibly our two best players for a group of lesser players, thinking that it will make our team better.

Lets think about this... Why the hell would we do that? Both McCoy and David have signed long term deals to stay here not only because of the money but because they want to be a part of the turnaround of the buccaneers. You don't get rid of the guys who have been here the longest and have seen the bad and are set on being great again. Both players are still playing at high levels and I would even say at pro bowl levels.

This makes me think about the rays and how if only they would have kept there championship run team together what they could have been? Now the bucs are keeping their players here and not letting them get away and fans find a way to say its bad again. Fans need to calm down and see those two as answers to the problem not the problem itself. The defense is learning a total new defense and there is going to be communication breakdowns. Yes, I agree that we still need an influx of defensive talent but there are plenty of pieces already in place and the future looks bright if we keep everyone together. Let the team learn this defense and become a unit.

This team is still very young and its leaders on both sides of the ball are only 22 (Winston, Alexander). The more they can play together and build chemistry the better they will get.