Tag: Lovie Smith

Stay the Course Out of Houston

The Buccaneers’ loss to the Texans on Sunday falls on Tampa’s offense. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing.

There’s no question the Bucs were sloppy in nearly every phase of the game. Kicker Kyle Brindza left seven easy points on the field with three missed field goals and extra point. The receiving corps dropped numerous catchable balls, particularly Mike Evans. Once again, missed tackles and soft coverage plagued the defense.

Despite their miscues, the defense actually played a strong game. Until the fourth quarter, they allowed only seven points, one field goal attempt, and four third-down conversions.

They matched that in the fourth quarter, but that’s going to happen when the offense only possesses the ball for 18 minutes prior.

The Bucs’ only touchdown came from a short field courtesy of a Kwon Alexander interception. Their performance almost conjured the Bucs teams of the ‘90s that relied on the defense to make it as easy as possible for the offense to score.

Obviously, Lovie Smith’s defense is not those great defenses that carried the Bucs into the playoffs. The pass rush was again nonexistent and dumb penalties in the secondary kept a few Houston drives alive.

There’s no question the defense has a long way to go before they look like Lovie’s Bears defenses, much less the Bucs Super Bowl defense. But, it’s also clear that it’s the offense that has a longer way to go.

Believe it or not, that’s okay.

The Bucs are starting three rookies and two second-year players on offense. They have a new offensive coordinator and yet another reconfigured offensive line. There isn’t a piece of the Bucs offense that isn’t a work in progress.

While the Bucs’ four dropped passes were the big story of the day, the whole pass offense was out of sync. Blame cannot be placed on the offensive line for a change as it held JJ Watt and the Houston defensive line without a sack and only seven pressures per Pro Football Focus.

Winston often had room to throw, throwing 29 of 36 snaps without pressure according to PFF. Still, Winston was woefully inaccurate, completing only 17 of those 36 passes.

He often missed open receivers in favor of a returning but rusty Mike Evans. His three drops killed a few drives, and Winston’s lone interception came trying to force the ball to Evans.

Obviously Evans should play a big part of the pass offense, but he was as much a hindrance as help on Sunday.

Doug Martin’s renaissance continues to be squandered by poor blocking up front. He breaks far too many tackles just trying to get back to the line of scrimmage than a quality running back deserves.

Charles Sims fulfilled his Tedford-ian destiny against Houston, flashing that “speed in space” so ballyhooed last year with his nifty 32-yard touchdown run. Sims could be the cure to the Bucs’ storied woes with screen plays.

The offense had numerous opportunities to put the game away. What they were missing was seasoning. Chemistry between Winston and receivers, along the offensive line and in the backfield.

Chemistry takes time and patience. The Bucs loss to Houston proved they need all three.

Redemption in the Big Easy

The Buccaneers responded to a horrible loss with an ugly, gutsy win over division rival New Orleans.

It was exactly what they needed.

A dominant win simply wasn’t going to happen. There are just too many issues on this team, from an abundance of inexperience from the rookies to the declining skills of some its veterans.

Even with the win, Lovie Smith and his staff did not acquit themselves of the terrible job they did to prepare their team for this season. Smith still has a ways to go before he proves that he’s turned this team around.

Still, Sunday’s win was a big one, full of revelations and new concerns.

The Bucs defense provided a taste of what it could be. The defensive line was disruptive, particularly defensive end Jacquies Smith and as usual Gerald McCoy. Smith, now the NFL’s leader in sacks, was a game-changer, notching three sacks and forcing two fumbles.

The win belongs to Smith and the defense. While the offense certainly played its part, they squandered numerous opportunities harvested by the defense and cultivated new challenges with its ineptitude.

The two late fumbles by Jameis Winston and Doug Martin along with some conservative play-calling kept the Saints in the game much later than they deserved. Only great plays by Johnthan Banks, Will Gholston and Chris Conte kept the game out of reach.

The Bucs’ rookie quarterback played a much better and more even game. Calling himself “a game manager” on Monday per the Tampa Bay Times‘ Rick Stroud, Winston’s play sometimes indicated otherwise. His 54-yard completion to Louis Murphy and pinpoint touchdown to Vincent Jackson were nothing short of spectacular.

Aside from the fumble, Martin looked like a true-blue bellcow running back. While the Saints defense clamped down on the run and frequently found their way into the backfield, Martin added 58 yards after contact according to Pro Football Focus.

The offensive line remained inconsistent. Donovan Smith gave up the sack that led to Winston’s fumble. Run blocking was in and out, often leaving Martin and Charles Sims to fend for themselves.

There’s no question the offense still has work to do. The encouraging takeaway from Sunday’s game is the play of the defense and it’s ability to make plays and hold onto a win.

Sound and Fury

The Buccaneers started the 2015 season firing the cannons… directly into their own ship.

There are several words that could be used to describe the Bucs’ following the 42-17 rout they suffered at the hands of Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans. Humiliating, pathetic, infuriating all come to mind when recalling how easily the other top quarterback of this year’s draft stomped the team that passed on him.

The one word that may not immediately manifest is inevitable. Hope and optimism permeate freely among NFL teams and their fanbases before a season begins, but reality usually comes crashing through their dreams of January and reminds them how bad their teams really are.

The Bucs were not going to be good this year. They have a rookie quarterback in an offense playing under its fifth offensive coordinator in five years. Their offensive line is either too old or too green. Their defensive ends and safeties would likely not start on most other teams.

Some of these issues are likely to improve over the course of the season. Dirk Koetter is a seasoned offensive coordinator known to produce even with limited talent on the field. Jameis Winston is a very talented passer who needs time to adjust to the NFL, and his offensive line should improve as it continues to gel.

None of these issues are all that troubling. They’re not even the reasons why the Bucs were repeatedly roundhouse-kicked in Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.

The real problem is Lovie Smith.

Smith is almost exclusively a defensive coach. He built his reputation on it in Chicago. While his offenses were consistently inconsistent, his defense was an immutable monolith rising out of Soldier Field for nearly a decade.

Whatever Smith did to build his temple to defensive consistency in Chicago was apparently lost when he came to Tampa Bay. It took Smith a year to get his defense working in Chicago. A year and a game into his tenure with the Bucs, Smith made no apparent progress.

Yes, there are some talent deficiencies, particularly in the secondary defensive ends, but not enough to allow four touchdowns in one half.

The confusion on defense leapt off the screen. Otherwise smart and dependable players like linebacker Lavonte David were lost in the confusion wrought by the Titans’ superior planning and execution.

Does this one game mark the end of the Bucs’ season? No, but expectations should be tempered. If Lovie Smith couldn’t prepare his team in three months, how are they going to look each week?