More Dubious Defensive Records
October 4th, 2018
“You believe this, Kwon?”
Joe has hammered home how the Bucs are on pace to allow the most points in a season in NFL history. Generally, teams that give up wads of points at the end of the year either have a very rough record or have coaching housecleanings.
Well, the points allowed record is not the only nasty defensive mark the Bucs are in the running for. As Greg Auman of The Athletic points out, touchdowns allowed is another category where the Bucs may make history
Tampa Bay is last in the league in scoring defense, giving up 34.8 points per game. The 139 points they’ve allowed is the most ever for a Bucs team through its first four games, and again, the Bucs are on course to challenge the NFL record. Tampa Bay is on pace to give up 556 points, well more than the record of 533 set by the 1981 Baltimore Colts, who went 2-14.
Most touchdowns allowed in NFL history? That same Colts team has the record with 68; the current Bucs have allowed 18 in four games, putting them on pace for a record 72.
But Auman wasn’t finished. As Joe also noted previously, opposing quarterbacks are completing an appalling 77 percent of their passes against the Bucs’ defense. To put that in perspective, Lovie Smith was fired after the 2015 season, in part, for his defenses getting cooked for a 70 percent completion percentage.
Joe sure hopes Mike Smith can somehow find the pixie dust to repair this defense. We all know how his defense gets lit up like a roman candle on the Fourth of July in domes.
A week from Sunday, hello Atlanta, where the Bucs claimed they couldn’t figure out a way to put Brent Grimes on Julio Jones so poor Ryan Smith became the sacrificial lamb.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:08 pm
I would imagine a lot of defensive statistics would go hand in hand with the points record. The team is hard to watch on that side of the ball currently.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:20 pm
The falcons have a tough game at Pittsburgh this week, might get beat up a bit.
If we could win we could get to 4-2 with a victory over the Browns.
Gotta dream big.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Winston won’t be able to keep up with that pace and jobs will be lost. Does the new regime want to pay Jameis 20mil and go with a FA/draft pick? The cupboard is definitely not bare.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:28 pm
I would love to see Mike Smith utilize our players creatively like seemingly every other DC out there, but I wouldn’t bet two cents that he does. It blows my mind how every other team finds a way to get blitzes home by disguising them, blitzing DBs, etc, but we constantly just sit in a base 4-3, blitz two linebackers that inevitably get picked up, and then watch as our DBs get roasted. The base scheme doesn’t work anymore! Let’s see some creativity! What do we have to lose?
October 4th, 2018 at 3:35 pm
You actually pay for a subscription to The Atlantic? o.O
October 4th, 2018 at 3:38 pm
remember though fitz was on pace for 6500 yards before JW came back in the locker room.
those games were shootouts against 3 off the best offenses in the leage, 2 HOF QB’s and last years SB champions.
The defense showed stones in those 1st 2 games and fought back in game 3.
Then something changed…
October 4th, 2018 at 3:39 pm
Looking at Mike Smiths time as the Falcons Head Coach, he had Brian Vangorder(?) and Mike Nolan as his defensive coordinators. Don’t know much about the first coach but the latter has made a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball. Those Falcons team always had a decent defense, a far cry better than what we have now. Mike Smith has had three years to implement his style and system of defense and has nothing to show for it.
It baffles me.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:45 pm
@Robert
The Chicago game was over before “something changed”
October 4th, 2018 at 3:47 pm
The sad thing about this team is if the Bucs had a poor defense(25th-29th in the NFL) they would almost certainly be a 10+ win team this year, but when you have the worst of all time it would be an amazing accomplishment for any offense to get to 8-8.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:49 pm
They should fire Koetter and promote Smith to interim head coach. Can’t get any worse.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
@rawdog
something changed before the chicago game even started.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:51 pm
I think this game boils down to Jameis keeping up with Atlanta. If Matty Ice can put up big numbers despite his own horrible defense then there should be no reason why Jameis can’t do so as well. This game will be decided by which team can basically outscore what their own defenses give up. Atlanta defense is horrible.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
Jameis should be traded for whatever we can get. Hopefully at least a 6th rounder.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:57 pm
Mike Smith returning to the scene of the crime that was his tenure as a highly flawed HC in ATL, along with BFF Koetter gives me hives. A healthy Matty Ice is gonna light this Bucs D up like July 4.
I don’t think Jameis can keep up.
October 4th, 2018 at 3:58 pm
here’s my new conclusion since we are trying out new QB’s.
I foresee a full blown JW meltdown in the next 2 games. We will lose badly and he will be exposed. From there he’s gone. If he doesn’t get hurt he will be traded, Fitz will start and put up points.
The defense will gell and we will make the playoffs. and have an extra 5th round pick for JW.
write it down
October 4th, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Final Score of the Bucs vs Falcons game
41-38(just depends on who gets the last possession on who wins).
October 4th, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Yep, what changed is Pittsburgh beat this team up and took their lunch money. Carried over to Chicago. Oh well, who cares as long as long as Gerald is having fun.
October 4th, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Lovie had the Bucs as a top 10 defense and the moron lynch mob chased him out of town – had he stuck around one more year the entire history of the team would be different since Dirk would have stayed with the offense for another year and been working with Jameis 1-on-1 for another year. Meanwhile the defense would have had another year under Lovie – and in most cases (Mike Smith excluded) most teams tend to get better as they know the scheme better.
But no, the lynch mob wanted Dirk to do something he’s never done at the NFL level before, and spilt his time he worked with the offense in favor of putting him in charge of a team when he doesn’t have the temperament to be a head coach. Now did we know Dirk was emo in 2015? I don’t think we did, but listening to Licht talk about Dirk, how he never had a one-on-one conversation with him or any conversation with any depth until he was interviewing him for head coach, and it should have been a read flag. Dirk was an awful fit as a HC and had the lynch mob not got Lovie’s head on a pike everything about this team would have been better right now for the simple fact you’d have had Winston at a more advanced state than he is now.
October 4th, 2018 at 4:11 pm
Bucamania – What happened in the Pittsburgh game is that the Bucs had the ball with a chance to win the game and Dirk coached like a coward and punted the ball away, meaning he trusted the defense more than he trusted Fitz to get 10 yards – and that is on a day when Fitz had already passed for over 400 yards. I’m not a Fitz backer, I believed you ride him until he cools down then you put Winston in, but I have no doubt Fitz would have got it done on that drive had the coward, Dirk, not taken the ball out of his hands. Dirk lost the game against the Steelers when he punted from Pitts 36 in the first half – in a game that was clearly going to be a shootout. When you have a coach that is that scared, it rubs off on the entire team.
October 4th, 2018 at 4:18 pm
Hopefully smith snorts the “pixie dust” and it wakes his ass up because he’s otherwise been asleep at the wheel just like fellow buc great Jeremy Stevens.
October 4th, 2018 at 4:41 pm
Outside of a few game hot outstreak in 2016 the Bucs defense under Mike Smith has been horrific.
October 4th, 2018 at 4:46 pm
Rod Munch
The Bucs has less money invested in the secondary and offensive backfield, than any other position
A whole, whole, whole lot less
That’s why they stink so bad at those positions
October 4th, 2018 at 4:58 pm
Lol @Robert are you serious? You’re really suggesting the defense and the rest of the team just decided to play worst because Winston came back. You do know these players are grown men who have to produce on the field to keep their jobs and pay the bills right? I’m baffled at your train of thought right now it’s like your fine with losing and having the worst defense ever just as long as Jameis isn’t the QB. The defense has literally been trash for 3 years straight. I truly can’t tell if you’re just foolish or a super troll.
October 4th, 2018 at 5:02 pm
so we’re worse in the league no matter how you slice it…..
now watch some dumb a$$(defense rules) try to say its the players not the coaches!!!!!
the proof is in the pudding…..look at the facts dumba$$!!!!!!!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
October 4th, 2018 at 5:37 pm
LakeLand – They were paying Doug Martin $7m, most teams don’t have an entire backfield making $7m combined. The offensive backfield stinks because Dirk has been an awful play caller since he left the booth and went to the sideline and had his time divided since all he did was work with the offense.
But on the defensive backfield side of things I agree with you. It’s insane that Licht had put the team in a position to start Chris Conte and possibly Ryan Smith, literally the worst combo of players at their position in the NFL – and not just amongst starters, I mean period. I understand what Licht did this offseason, people do say you build your defense from the line back, so even bad corners can be OK if you have good defensive line play – but that is also a rule from 20 years ago when you could hit the QB and tackle guys without getting a flag. When you tiptoe around sacking the QB and you have terrible DB’s, they get to run wide open while the offense knows they don’t have to keep people in as extra blockers since there’s a 50/50 chance on every sack they’re going to get a 15 yard penalty. Was Sapp and Rice holding up from hitting QBs when they had a free shot? Of course not. The rules have changed the game because the NFL wants to market to women, and as such the old idea of building defenses from the line back isn’t working as well as it has in the past.
But the DL and DBs, they’re also being hindered by the amount of stunts they’re asked to do. Those stunts take time to get to the QB, and that is extra time is put on the DBs, and the DBs stink.
Licht has mangled the defense completely and the only thing that will bail him out is if offense can put up 40 a game, which is unsustainable.
October 4th, 2018 at 6:09 pm
I understand the argument against Licht, but I think we’re missing something. I don’t think Licht has as much control over the coaches as some of you. If you look at his decions he seems to be an aggressive GM. In the Winston vs Mariotta draft he chose the more aggressive QB. He chose two corners in this draft (Stewart and Davis) who are aggressive, heck even moving up for Aguayo was aggressive (obviously didn’t pan out, but definitely aggressive).
When Monken started calling plays the offense turned more aggressive, we need to do the same for the defense. I know Buckner is known for being aggressive…
October 4th, 2018 at 10:03 pm
Tell ya again bucboy, this is American football not English football. When you get a clue about the game, come back and talk with the adults. Until then … get back on the porch and stop trying to run with the big boys..
October 4th, 2018 at 11:12 pm
There is very little actual talent on defense, our last two number 1 picks have been top 15 defense picks and both are probably busts. How can you be that bad at evaluating talent at this level?
October 4th, 2018 at 11:45 pm
All the negative comments about the defense does not change the fact that the players can only do what they are told to do by the coaches, even if it’s wrong. The coaches tell you where to line up and who to cover. I wonder if they (coaches) have ever played football pass college. Put the blame on the coaches that have you putting it on the players. The Buccaneers have some good players that want to win and believe me I say that.
October 4th, 2018 at 11:54 pm
I Obviously can’t say what I wanted because I must have repeated something from a previous comment. How do you tell someone how to comment, sometimes you have to include other comments previously stated. Will you please tell me how this works. I have a lot to say when it comes to the Buccaneers defense.
October 5th, 2018 at 1:54 am
koetter definitely pulled fitzie way too early to make jameis the starter…i have heard whispers through sources that there were locker room issues with the bulk of the players – especially on the defensive side – as they thought jameis should get his job back – and essentially they stopped playing on the field in chicago to prove a point…thus jameis was reinstated to action immediately in the second half…could this be true or is everything in the lockerroom hunkydory ???
October 5th, 2018 at 9:08 am
stop making excuses for the lack of talent on the defense. Licht should be fired. There were glaring needs of cornerbacks, we got two mid round draft pics and expect them to cover good receivers. We also got a overweight can’t take the heat lineman who can’t even get on the field. This team will fail because of this defense.
October 5th, 2018 at 9:14 am
Hold on! First, the Bucs drafted two corners in the second round. Hardly “mid-round.” Second, can you site anyone with the Bucs who said Vita Vea cannot handle the heat? Anyone? First, how would they know, he hadn’t practiced for two months in the dead of summer? Second, Joe actually talks to people with the Bucs both on and off the record. Suits, coaches, players. Joe has yet to hear this from anyone with the Bucs.
So where did it get started? Ah, Warren Sapp posted this on Instagram from his fishing boat off of Hollywood Beach, perhaps? Exactly how many practices has Sapp watched Vea to come to this conclusion (remember Vea hadn’t practiced for roughly two months)?
Yes, it is common that guys from the west coach have a hard time sometimes getting used to the humidity. Guess what, so do guys from the east coach (Chris Godwin for example). Joe has never heard from anyone with a knowledgeable opinion that is the case with Vea.
October 5th, 2018 at 11:05 am
With the bye week this would have been the perfect time to fire Smith & put Dufner as interim DC. By the way, I bet Licht wish he still had Tandy. Another big mistake.