I Am Sure This Is Just A Coincidence...

Title of the latest Bucs Beat blog post at the St Petersburg Times is entitled:

"OL Demar Dotson getting reps at tight end"

Now I don't take any credit for that because I mean John Gilmore is banged up so it might just be out of necessity. But I will say that this from Offensive Coordinator Greg Olsen sounds awfully familiar:

"We’ve had some issues in protection, really with the tight end position," Olson said. "And we're gonna again this week with John Gilmore being out still trying to find a way there to aid us in protection. We’ve now moved Dotson in some at tight end to help us in that area, help us with our run game and with our protection issues. We're trying to find solutions."

It is what it is...

Bucs Vs Jets Vlog: Tight Ends Killed Us In The Running Game

I said last week that I might do a vlog for this game and so here it is. I am going to tell you what other people won't or can't say, our tight ends are killing us in the running game. That is a personel problem, and a coaching problem. Check out the video and let me know what you think...

A Quick Note On The Bucs Game Today

You have one team with a rookie quarterback that just threw 5 interceptions last week. You have another team with a young quarterback who has been the backup all year. One team decides to run the ball no matter what. Another team decides to line up in shotgun and throw the ball around.

Which team do you think was the Bucs?

The Jets ran the ball 42 times. Let that sink in for a minute.

FORTY TWO MUTHAFUCKIN TIMES

Out of those 42 times they had 2 big runs totally 58 yards. You take those two runs away and they ran the ball 40 times for 117 yards for a 2.9 average. They weren't ripping the our defense with the run. In point of fact for most of the day our defense kicked their ass on the run. And the Jets are ranked number one in rushing offense in the whole NFL. But they didn't give a damn. They knew that it was hot and that their quarterback isn't that good. So they decided they would run the ball, not turn it over, and keep our defense on the field for as much of the game as they could.

The Bucs on the other hand evidently thought they had the second coming of Joe Montana as they decided to start off the game in shotgun and throw the ball with Josh Freeman. The interception to start off the game deep in our own territory evidently did nothing to dissuade them from chunking it all over the field. And that's how they end up throwing the ball 33 times, having Freeman scramble 4 other times and get him sacked 3 other times. Add it all up and their offensive coordinator, Greg Olsen, called at least 40 passes with a rookie quarterback who just threw 5 picks last week and facing the number one pass defense in all of the NFL.

Oh and we ran the ball all of 20 times. I believe I pointed out last week that we passed it twice as much as we ran it that game too.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is not rocket science. If it were there would be a lot fewer coaches in the NFL. When you have a young quarterback and your defense is playing well and ESPECIALLY if you are playing in warm weather, weather that the Jets were unaccustomed to, YOU RUN THE MUTHAFUCKING BALL. And I don't mean run it on first down and then maybe throw it if you don't get much. I mean you commit to running the ball on first and second down and hell maybe even if its 3rd and medium you run it then too. That is what football is all about.

What its not about is selling out your defense and keeping them on the field all got damn day just so you can showcase your new toy to the detriment of the team overall. I don't know how anybody on the offensive staff can even look any of the defensive coaches or players in the face after this game.

Now ultimately this falls on the head coach though. Raheem Morris may not call the offensive plays but he for damn sure hears them in his head phones. Well its time to start vetoing a bunch of this bullshit. I remember when the know nothing assholes in this town on the radio and elsewhere used to knock Coach Dungy because we ran the ball so much and we were "boring" on offense. Well you go back and look at our record in December, especially our home record. We beat teams into submission with our running game in this Florida heat and they didn't want to come down here and see us. I saw defenders for other teams literally quit after trying to tackle Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn for 3 quarters.

That's what wins ball games. All this Mickey Mouse throwing just for the sake of throwing bullshit is how you get beat.

Now maybe nobody on the offensive staff really gives a damn anymore. Maybe for them the games are just glorified practices where they can experiment and wait to get the first pick in the draft. I don't really believe that, but for the people who do I can understand why. What I do know is that they owe the defense a big ass apology for the product they put on the field today. I am sick and tired of watching bad football and what we are doing on offense with our game plan is fucking offensive.

I will say this much, watch the game today wouldn't make me feel any sense of comfort that anybody on the offensive staff has a fucking clue of what they are doing. And that's AFTER the debacle last week. Take that how you will.

Make Up Your Mind

When the season started we were told that the Bucs were going to use all four of their running backs in the run game. Although most people were skeptical they assured us that they would make it work. They pointed to the New York Giants as the model they would go by. On my own I offered that the Bucs were only doing this to justify dropping Earnest Graham to third on the depth chart. The truth was, in my mind, that they didn't want to ask Cadillac Williams or their free agent pick up Derrick Ward to run down on punts and kickoffs. Earnest Graham, being the team first guy he is, would of course do it without complaint. But I wasn't happy about the situation because I thought his play over the last two years warranted him being more than an afterthought. I also didn't think that the carries would ever work out where each guy's talent would be maximized to the fullest. Still I was willing to be open minded about it and see how it all worked out.

Now after four games the Bucs are totally flip flopping on their running back rotation. Instead of using all four guys as they initially said they would, now offensive coordinator Greg Olsen is saying they are going to go with one main guy, Caddy. Now don't get me wrong, Caddy has been playing better than I could have ever imagined he would coming off another knee injury. But I can't for the life of me understand how it makes us a better team to keep D Ward and Graham on the sidelines for the overwhelming majority of the game. Not only will riding Caddy more increase the probabilty that he might get hurt again, it will also probably lead to him being gassed in the fourth quarter, especially during hot home games.

It was unsettling enough to see Coach Raheem Morris fire the offensive coordinator the week before the first regular season game, but to now totally flip the script on the running back rotation can only serve to erode confidence in him and the rest of his coaches even further. The last thing you want to appear to be as a head coach is out of your league and I am not saying that Coach Morris is. But perception tends to be reality when it comes to pro sports and the perception right now isn't good. I hope that the change ends up working out and the offense takes off in the second quarter of the season, but if it doesn't a lot of people are going to be point to this decision as a sign that the new Bucs coaching staff doesn't know what they are doing.

It is what it is.