Communication Breakdown

October 3rd, 2012

There are few better sources to tap into than former Bucs defensive lineman Steve White. The dude really knows how to explain Xs and Os so Joe Six Pack can absorb the information. And he’s been doing it this season with the new “All-22” coaches film available to fans on NFL.com.

White also brings to light what is good — and bad — about about the All-22 film. The bad thing? The film doesn’t tell the whole story.

For those who do not know about “All-22” is, it is game film with angles — end zone and overhead — that include all 22 players on the screen (hence, All-22, get it?) and you can see how plays develop and/or fall apart. It’s a great feature that gets fans about as close to a coach’s room this side of One Buc Palace.

Now there were two massive breakdowns with the Bucs defense on Washington’s final drive, and White, using many screencaps from the All-22, tries to explain what went wrong for the Bucs.

Here’s the thing, no matter who is at fault on either of these plays this just can’t happen during the two minute drill. It CAN’T!

I don’t know how much the Bucs practice two minute drill during the week but the only blitzes you run during such a critical time of the game are the ones the players have shown you they know in their sleep. There is no excuse for this happening not once, but twice, at the end of the game.

What White essentially outlines with images and commentary is that unless a viewer knows exactly what play was called — and no one outside of One Buc Palace likely will ever know — a finger can’t be pointed at a specific player for blowing coverage or blowing an assignment.

While All-22 is great, it often will mislead an untrained eye and not answer many assignment questions. One can see a failed play for the defense but many times no one off the field will ever know the full story.

6 Responses to “Communication Breakdown”

  1. Jbrooks8604 Says:

    My biggest issue wi all of this is the constant sending of Ronde, our slowest db, to blitz from so far back. A lot of times he isn’t close to the los and as many times as Blitzin Bill has sent him on a blitz this season I can’t remember him ever getting close to pressuring the qb. I have never seen a d coordinator blitz corners and safeties as much as Blitzin Bill and it is killing this defense.

    We are getting torched through the air because we are blitzing our secondary personnel every other play and it’s baffling. Never seen anything like it before and I’m starting to see why. How about we lay off of blitzing safeties and corners and let the d line try to get pressure with linebacker help like everyone else in the league does.

    An occasional db blitz is nice, it surprises to offense and usually hits fast. Our opponents know is coming because we do it every other play and it’s usually the slower Ronde coming from 5 yards off the los

  2. Jbrooks8604 Says:

    This high risk no reward style of defense isn’t working for us. I don’t see why we can’t rely on our linebackers to blitz and help the d line get pressure. Why continue to blitz our corners and safeties when it isn’t helping us get pressure at all? I just don’t get it. Again I can’t recall ever seeing a team blitz their secondary as much as we are this year.

  3. Jbrooks8604 Says:

    I mean we are sitting here discussing how Michael Bennet, a power rushing d end, is a liability in coverage and how one of the slower and smallest defensive players in Ronde isn’t getting pressure on the qb. Doesn’t it seem that this defensive game plan is working against our personnel? Shouldnt we primarily be allowing our safeties and corners to focus on covering receivers and let our d line focus on pressuring the qb with line backers doing both? And it isn’t a few plays a game either. I’m seeing this same thing throughout the game. Ronde coming from the safety position at the snap and not getting to the qb before he hits a wide open receiver. I just don’t get it.

  4. Theodore Says:

    I always imagined the Knebworth Festival to be a lot bigger.

  5. MR.T Says:

    What’s the rock video got to do with this post?

  6. PewterC Says:

    Well said JBrooks! It’s a shame that a team has to not only overcome their opponents, but also the inept coaching strategies forced upon them.

    These coaches are arrogant, stubborn, outlandish, ABNORMALLY KOOKY in their approach to obtaining wins!