Let's Cut The Bullshit

 

There are times, not many but a few times that I see something that I probably should comment on but instead I hold my tongue. One of those times came up last night when I read this article on TampaBay.com. It's about how the Bucs plan on making some changes to get their pass rush going. I don't have a problem with any of the things they are talking about doing (they sounded awfully familiar anyway), but some of the assertions made about WHY they are doing them were somewhat dubious. But I figured hey, no need to make a fuss about it as long as it gets fixed.

Then this morning I read this article over at TBO...

Now I'm going to tread lightly on this one but read that article then read my Bull Rush post from Monday and ask yourself if my suggestions and their suggestions don't sound an awful lot alike. I will just leave it there and let the readers decide for themselves.

But what actually compels me to blog about this isn't the fact that someone may or may not be reading my blog. What compels me to blog about this is that there seems to be a faulty premise being espoused by the Bucs at least publicly and if believe really believes what they are telling reporters then I still don't think the pass rush problems the Buccaneers are having will get fixed.

McCoy has drawn the biggest percentage of double-teams among the defensive front four this season. So Wash said the Bucs will try to move him around more in rush packages.

"We're going to do some more things to give him some freedom,'' Wash said. "Maybe it's not exactly, I wouldn't say sound, or worrying about a quarterback scramble. We're going to make sure he can get where he needs to get to rather than slow him down in the system. What happens is, if he's in the three-technique, the center slides to him. In the odd front, he had two knockdowns.

That's from the tampabay.com column

"And how do you become productive? Well, technique and opportunity have to meet. So we'll have the different combinations, the different use of guys around him, and see if we can find that right combination.'' The previous combinations often resulted in McCoy facing two or even three blockers. That created a lot of opportunities for sacks for other players, but in most cases they failed to capitalize on them.

That's from the TBO column.

Here's the truth, Ive watched every game and I don't think any team has changed their pass protection rules because of McCoy. In fact I'm about as close to being sure of it as you can get next to sitting in the offensive line meeting rooms of the opposing teams. But if you don't know what the opposing team protection scheme is and you keep sending McCoy to the side where the center is already supposed to slide, then yeah I guess he WILL keep getting double teamed.

Let's talk about the Falcons game for a moment. I went back to chart where the center slid when the Matt Ryan was either in the shot gun or it was 3rd and medium to long. There were 25 plays that fit into that category out of the 36 passes Ryan threw. Want to know how many instances there were out of 25 where the center slid in a different direction than where the formation dictated?

3

Three times out of twenty five.

But here's the kicker. Of those three times, Gerald McCoy was still away from the slide twice AND on the third he was lined up as a nose in a three man line.

It is clear that while the Falcons may have been concerned about McCoy's pass rush, they stayed consistent to their protections rules during the game.

And that's true for most teams the Bucs have faced thus far. But the what the problem ACTUALLY is comes back to McCoy being lined up to the center slide even when its predictable. That along with how much we went back to going with a 3-3-5 again after two games where it had been used sparingly.

McCoy lined up 4 times to the slide in a four man line when the Bucs should have known the slide was going that way against the Falcons. That doesn't sound like a high number until you realize that of the 25 clear passing situations the Bucs used a three man line 10 other times. So on the flip side there were 9 times during the game where it was an obvious passing down and McCoy lined up correctly based on the formation and had a one on one pass rush opportunity.

What happens if he gets 5 more bites at the apple? How about 10 more? Think he might be more productive if put in a better position to be so?

But let's be real here for two seconds. Ndamukong Suh is looking like a monster out there with 6.5 sacks already but teams aren't sliding to him on every pass. Are you really going to try to convince everyone that teams are showing more respect to McCoy who doesn't have ANY sacks?

GTFOHWTBS

If the Bucs really think the problem is that McCoy is being double teamed too much then they need to ask themselves why in the hell they aren't telling him to line up away from the center slide on definite passing downs.

I actually went back and watched the first Panthers game last night. And while they weren't consistent in their pass protection according to formation, they WERE consistent in having the center slide to the 1 technique. It just so happened that for that game the Bucs decided to have McCoy at the 1 technique quite a bit. But whether he was there or someone else was, all but one time the center slid to the 1 technique on obvious passing situations.

But, and here's is really the most damning indictment to me, even IF teams were sliding to McCoy all the time instead of following their normal protection rules, that kind of predictability should be something the Bucs have taken advantage of by now. Up above you will see two versions of a simple ass TOM pass rush game with the two defensive tackles. About the only time a TOM game won't work is when the center either sets in the middle and just looks for traffic, or he isn't consistent with where he slides.

If its a fact that the center is sliding to McCoy every time then the easiest thing in the world is to run a TOM game where the defensive tackle opposite McCoy gets penetration to the center's back and shoves him while McCoy takes a quick step up field to set it up then loops around the guard on the opposite side almost assuredly coming unblocked to the quarterback. And the great thing about that particular pass rush game is that it gives McCoy a chance while he is looping to notice if it might be a screen.

But have we run any TOM games so far?

C'mon Son!

So here is my thing, I think Dekoda Watson has a bunch of natural pass rush ability and so does Quincy Black. If the Bucs want to use them as actual defensive ends on passing situations then by all means feel free. But the truth is this, if all they are gonna do is continue to use them in a 3-3-5 alignment then to me it will still be more of a gimmick than a fix. To actually fix what ails the pass rush the Bucs need a left end that can pass rush on all 3 downs and they need to keep McCoy away from the center slide as much as can be predicted. And if in fact teams are sliding to McCoy regardless of where he lines up then after a drive or two that should be sniffed out and taken advantage of.

All this other stuff is just Mickey Mouse bullshit that looks pretty on paper but ain't worth a damn on the field. Get four guys who can pass rush, teach them protections, line up and let them whup people's ass.

That's the formula. Hopefully someone at One Buc starts using it.

Brian Price To Get More Playing Time

Today someone asked Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris during his press conference about Brian Price and if he might be seeing some more playing time this week. His answer was encouraging.

Reporter: Price looked like he flashed against Pittsburgh. Do you envision getting him more snaps over Sims and Roy Miller?

Coach Morris: Yeah I really do. I don't know about over Roy. You know Roy is the starting nosetackle and Price has a role. And Price is kind of that third down rusher. And Price goes in there and spells Roy when you're talking about first and second down because he creates a different kind of element of speed and creates a different kind of mismatch for that center. So if those two guys can get their snaps somewhat more, somewhat equal. Or however the game dictates and however the game plays out, that's where I want to go with Price. But he is one of those young ascending dynamic players that really got his feet wet at the beginning of the season. You know, fought through the injury all off season. You know, starting to get healthy and starting to get back to where he can play numerous amounts of plays. And you know, getting used to this Tampa heat. And all those things are starting to happen. So he's another one of those young exciting players that we like to talk about.

So far this season Price has seen work as both the backup nosetackle in base defense and on third downs when we went to a three man line. But because Roy Miller only plays on first and second down most of the time Price hasn't been needed to spell him that much on base defense. Also we haven't really gone with enough three man line on third and long for him to be able to make a big impact on the games.

The truth is I can't see how either of those situations will change any time soon. So from where I am sitting if the Bucs plan on giving Price more reps it will probably have to come on third downs with a four man line where Kyle Moore has been playing so far. I can't say I'm 100% sure about that but it would absolutely be the right move. No matter what you think of Kyle Moore as our starting left end, you just can not make a serious case that he is a better inside pass rusher than Price. And that means every time we go a four man rush on third and long and Price isn't in there we really aren't giving ourselves the best chance to win.

Now maybe I'm seeing too much into Coach Morris' comments because I WANT that to be what he means. That is a definite possibility. But its only because it makes all the sense in the world to give him more reps doing what he does best, pass rushing.

We will find out Sunday if that is in fact the plan and you can bet that I will be paying close attention...

Great Attitude

I have been saying since the preseason that Greg White is the best and most consistent pass rusher on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster. So far in the regular season he has done nothing but support that assertion. Although he doesn't have a sack on the season, he consistently beats his guy in one on one situations and he gets good rush even on early downs versus play action. Even though he isn't getting sacks if you watch the games you know the opposing quarterbacks are feeling him.

So to see him still be hard on himself for not coming home with the sacks actually makes the defensive lineman in me just break out in a kool aid smile.

"It's very frustrating for me. I'm getting close," White said. "I felt I'm doing more than last year, but I can't get one. I hope it comes in bunches. I hope if I get one in Philly, I get four. I apologize, because I really want to perform better than my stats say."

Coach Raheem Morris could not be happier with White's sentiments, and he said his defensive end has the attitude he hopes every Bucs player shares.

"I'm glad to hear that for two different reasons," Morris said. "Not because I feel like Stylez has been letting the team down. He's been doing the best job of getting pressure. He leads the team in pressures (10) and quarterback hurries, so I'm glad to hear his disappointment in something he's been doing well. ... That definitely lets me know we're going in the right direction with the people and how they think."

That is exactly the attitude every great pass rusher to have. Even when you are doing well and making good moves and getting hits on the quarterbacks, you just can't be satisfied with anything less than getting sacks and big plays and helping your team win. I still think we could be using him inside on third down rather than Jimmy Wilkerson, but either way I think before the year is out Greg will see those sacks come in bunches for him.

On Rushing 4 Versus Blitzing

Anybody following my twitter stream over the last week has seen me rant and rave about two teams, the Miami Hurricanes in college football and the Tennessee Titans, in particular not blitzing enough and only rushing 4 (or less). Now this has probably given people an incorrect impression about my philosophy on playing defense and so I feel the need to address it.

First of all I believe that you have to be able to do both. I don't think any team can possibly only blitz on passing downs any more than I think they can only rush 4 on passing downs. There has to be some balance and it should depend on the situation. Had UM or the Titans been beasting out of a 4 man rush you would have never heard a peep out of me all game. But the fact is they weren't and yet the defensive coordinators for both teams did almost nothing to adjust their game plan. And it wasn't just that they were only rushing 4 time and time again without getting any pressure, its also that they were playing zone behind that and if you give a credible quarterback time in the pocket they will find holes in a zone defense almost every single time.

Last night was particularly frustrating for me watching the Titans on defense in overtime because they literally had no chance to stop the Steelers from marching downt he field for a field goal because their defensive coordinator, Chuck Cecil was so worried about giving up a big play that he refused to dial up a blitz. You HAVE to blitz in that situation if for no other reason than to give the quarterback a different look. As it was the Titans were like a friggin scout team lining up on cards and Big Ben responded accordingly.

Now let me explain something to you. In the biggest game of my career, the NFC Championship game of 1999 when we played the Rams, a blitz lost the game for us. We had a third and long and we were facing Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf and our defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, dialed up a zone blitz. Warner gets the ball off, Ricky Proehl catches it barely coming down in bounds in the endzone and we lose the game after holding this prolific offense, whom nobody had given us a chance against, to no touchdowns nor field goals all day. The truth is it was a helluva play by them by both Warner and Proehl. The truth is also that the call was not executed correctly by one guy. But even now, today, knowing how that play turned out, I would hope our defensive coordinator would call that same blitz.

You can not play football in a way where you just try not to lose. Football karma simply will not allow you to do that I don't care what level you are on. It's why so many teams who go to a prevent defense at the end of a game prematurely end up on the losing end of the deal. Its why so many teams who call the dogs off prematurely on offense end up feeling the agony of defeat. You play to win the game, and blitzing is simply a part of that.

One final note, I realize that people love to repeat conventional wisdom but I just have to correct something. Albert Haynesworth is a bad mofo without a doubt, and I am not just saying that because he is a fellow Tennessee alumni. But the guy's forte is stopping the run. He isn't some big time pass rusher, hell he doesn't really have any moves other than a bull rush. Now he did get something like 8 sacks last year and that's great, but again its not really his deal. I know people will want to say that the Titans didn't get as much pressure out of their 4 man rush because he wasn't there but that simply isn't grounded in reality. He takes up two blockers on running plays and that is a great thing. But every nose tackle or defensive tackle who lines up in the A gap gets double teamed in a 4 man rush unless they are away from the center's slide. Besides that he was never and will never be a guy that teams have to account for on pass rush like say a John Randle or a Warren Sapp. That's just not who he is or ever was. Think I am wrong? Look up his career sack totals. Before the last two years when he had 6 in 2007 and 8 in 2008 his previous high was 3. That may not be what you hear over and over on ESPN but its reality and that is what really matters.

Vlogging The Bucs: Leave Ryan Sims In On 3rd Down

The Filthy Rich Get Even Filthy Richer

You might remember that a few days ago I picked the New England Patriots as my favorite to win it all this year. Well after they traded for elite pass rusher, the Oakland Raiders' Derrick Burgess, I have a feeling more people will jump on that bandwagon.

From Pro Football Talk

After an offseason worth of rumors indicating a deal might happen, the Patriots acquired Derrick Burgess from the Raiders Thursday. (In a sign of the times, they announced it via their Twitter feed.)New England will give up "undisclosed draft considerations" in the move.

Oakland was believed to be looking for two mid-round picks in the deal, but it's unclear if they got them.Burgess is expected to convert to outside linebacker in New England, where the team is in need of a pass rusher.

Make no mistake about it, Burgess had a bad year last year but the guy can rush the passer like nobody's business and he should definitely make an impact for that defense, barring injury.

What The Bucs' Pass Rush Is Missing

Stephen Holder of the St Petersburg Times has a pretty good article about the Buccaneer's need for a "fierce pass rush". Here is an excerpt.

The Bucs have not mustered a steady pass rush in the past several seasons. So now that quarterback pressure is central to their defensive scheme, how do the Bucs inject life into it?

By doing anything and everything.

It's all on the table: blitzes, position changes and ever-changing lineups. The Bucs believe the time has come to get creative and take chances.

If that means linebacker Quincy Black lines up with his hand in the dirt, so be it. If it calls for rookie defensive end Kyle Moore to slide inside and exploit a slow-footed guard, that's okay, too. And if the secondary is asked to hold its ground longer, then that's a price the Bucs are willing to pay.

Part of the challenge is that Tampa Bay is looking for results similar to those produced by its quarterback nemeses of yesteryear but is attempting to get them with unproven commodities such as Jimmy Wilkerson and Gaines Adams.

"They have to do better," coach Raheem Morris said. "When we talk about more pass rush, we're comparing them to Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp, Greg Spires, Booger McFarland. Those guys gave you more.

"Anything you ask (Sapp) to do, he's going to get it. Anything you ask Simeon to do as far as the pass rush, it was going to be dynamic. It was going to be special. (The current) guys are being compared to those guys in their second and third years. It's been unfair for them. But they have to come into their own."

It feels like eons have passed since the Bucs recorded eye-popping sack totals such as the franchise-record 55 in 2000 under Tony Dungy. They have averaged 29 in the past three seasons, but new coordinator Jim Bates is prepared to take chances to ensure the numbers increase.

snip

Beyond the blitz, it's likely the Bucs will use a number of unconventional lineups along the line. Like a pair of basketball coaches, Bates and Morris are looking for mismatches that will take advantage of their players' strengths.

"Those combinations are going to confuse people, hopefully," Morris said. "Maybe I have a chance to get Gaines on a slug right tackle. We may try to exploit it. Or here is a matchup we like with Quincy Black. Let's stay with this package. Once we get to the game, we can dictate who we are going to go at."

This theoretically will make scouting the Bucs more of a challenge. When a guard or tackle can't predict who will line up across from him, he perhaps has a harder time knowing what to expect.

"That lineman has to study everybody because he'll never know who's going to be down there in front of him," Moore said. "We have all kinds of tricks up our sleeves."

Here is the deal, every team in the NFL needs a "fierce passrush". There isn't a Defensive Coordinator in the league that will tell you that they can get away with a mediocre passrush and win very many games. So the premise of the story is kind of meh to me but I give Holder props for the details he includes in the article.

Now I just so happened to have had the priveledge to play on that 2000 defensive line that produced those "eye popping" numbers. And that gives me a unique perspective on what has been missing from the Bucs' pass rush over the last few years. Contrary to popular belief it doesn't just come down to the personnel that left, although that certainly didn't help. To me the difference is that the pass rush moved away from being a coordinated effort and instead turned into a free for all. And unfortunately it looks like it may get worse under Coach Bates.

So what do I mean by "coordinated effort"? Back when I was playing with the Bucs and at least through the rest of Rod Marinelli's tenure, pass rush was about mismatches. Now when most people hear mismatches they think of a one one one situation. But we didnt' confine ourselves to that. For most of my career I played with one of the best defensive lineman ever to strap it on in Warren Sapp. So on most days he was going to have a favorable matchup somewhere along the offensive line. But you have to remember that an offensive line has 5 guys to block our (usually) 4 guys. That means that if they set the protection right (which direction the center blocks)they could, in theory, double team Sapp on every pass play.

Don't get me wrong, the big fella could beat a hell of a lot of double teams all by himself. But why put that onus on him if you didn't have to?

On the flip side of it the other 3 guys ended up with one on one opportunities when Sapp got the double team and when that happen we had to win. But if you only do one on one rushes all game long the offensive lineman can just start cheating their sets. This creates a situation where you could end up with a choice of either taking the scenic route to the Quarterback or trying an inside move and potentially losing contain.

And let me tell you something brother, you did NOT want to have to come back to the huddle if you lost containment and Sapp had a good rush going.

So in our meetings leading up to the game what we would do is identify keys that helped us to know before a snap which way a team was sending their center. We then used that information in several different ways. For one we tried to make sure that Sapp lined up away from the double team. That created a situtation where they either had to keep the protection on as they were coached giving Sapp a one on one or they had to break their rules which could lead to someone going the wrong way. Either choice usually ended up being a bad one for them.

But the other thing we did which the Bucs' haven't done well pretty much since Sapp left, is we incorporaed line games into our game plan based on their protection schemes. If we knew that the center was sliding to Sapp we could call a game where he takes an outside rush and the defensive end to his side comes inside of him. What is usually known as a TEX game was one of the most devastating weapons in our arsenal. When executed correctly it would give Sapp a one on one opportunity with an unsuspecting Offensive Tackle. In general it also succeeded in pushing the pocket back into the quarterback's face.

When we knew a center was going away from a certain side we could also use an EX game where the Defensive End comes inside and blasts the offensive guard and then the Defensive Tackle to that side loops around outside. This game could serve two purposes. Not only was it a way to potentially put immediate pressure in the quarterback's face, it also provided an opportunity to punish the offensive guard. When you think back to the Superbowl win of 2002, one of the enduring images is of Greg Spires flattening the Raiders' right guard on the way to the Quarterback. That ladies and gentleman was an EX game.

What these kinds of games also accomplished was that they closed off the passing/escape lanes for the Quarterback. When you rush one on one all of the time in general you leave at least one gap open which a QB can see the field from and or take off running through.

Now what worries me about Coach Morris' and Coach Bates' approach is that it seems that they are still just looking for one one one match ups. Don't get me wrong, it will be great if Gaines Adams, Greg White or even Quincy Black can be double digit sack guys all on their own but that is not usually how it works in this league. Constantly changing the lineupu just for the sake of match up instead of having a core group that rushes in a coordinated fashion just seems destined to fail from my point of view. You actually help an offense, not hurt it when you rely on one on one rushers. They never have to think about where they want to slide the protection.

Now maybe they will use pass rush games and they just aren't talking about it right now. And I for one wouldn't really expect them to hand a copy out of their game plan to a journalist. Still I one of the things I will be watching very closely is what they do on 3rd and medium or better. If all I see is a bunch of guys dancing to the beat of their own drum early on then I won't have high expectation of they having that "fierce passrush" that they speak of so sorely needing.