Run Right!
December 18th, 2018
Left tackle Donovan Smith
Remember that key 3rd-and-1 run against the Ravens on Sunday that was blown up through a gap between Caleb Benenoch and Ryan Jensen?
A cynical Bucs fan might say, ‘What the heck are the Bucs running right for when Benenoch isn’t very good?’
Well, according to NFL.com offensive line data, the Bucs are among the very best in the NFL when it comes to not having negative runs when running right or up the middle.
The Bucs are ninth-best in the NFL at avoiding negative runs when running up the gut, and they’re 11th-best when running right. But when the Bucs run left, well, they have 18 negative runs, tied for second-most in the league.
So don’t blame Todd Monken for calling Peyton Barber to run right on that key play.
For those wondering, the Bucs had just 12 negative runs while running left last season, fifth-best in the NFL. On the right side, they were fourth-best. They were middle-of-the-pack up the gut.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:12 pm
This is truly surprising.I suspect this surprises Joe & most everyone else…..many of these TFL are on Rojo…..I believe that defenses key on Rojo KNOWING he will get the ball when he is in. Why do they know? Because we are predictable.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:13 pm
Why he doesn’t let Jameis do a RPO in those scenarios is beyond me, put the ball in your best players hands at the most important time in the games. That’s right haters, he is the best player on this team!!!!!!
December 18th, 2018 at 1:17 pm
6-10 is only stat that counts
December 18th, 2018 at 1:21 pm
No way Joe your way off base. This team accomplishs absolutely nothing against stacked boxes. They simply cannot run in the redzone and have no chance to pick up 3rd&1.
You can take those stats you got and burn them when we are in short yardage situations.
Now gather some new stats and they will show you our running game is completely useless in these situations. Monken absolutely made the wrong call. But I’ll blame Dirk. After 3 years of getting stoned on 3rd & 1 he should know better and guide his OC accordingly.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:22 pm
O yes, how I love the 2 or 3 yards every single run up the gut.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:25 pm
Yea okay And Rachel Watson spent the night with both Joes last night
#ChildPlease
December 18th, 2018 at 1:28 pm
jjBuc…..You will also notice that we tryed to cram the ball down the Ravens throat in 2 of our redzone trips.
Of course the run didn’t work giving Winston only 1 try for the endzone.
If there’s a confidence level that we can cram it in then I’m OK with trying it. But we never have and can’t run the ball with any success there. Another example of taking g the ball away from your playmakers.
And I don’t harp on play-calling often but the Ravens game looked like awful play-calling IMO.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:31 pm
JPP, LVD and Mike Evans are all Top 10 players at their positions. If he was healthy this year OJ Howard would belong in this category.
Jameis Winston is somewhere around 16-20th best QB so he certainly isn’t best player on team.
There are multiple rookie and younger QBs better than Jameis that would be an upgrade:
Trubisky, Goff, Watson, Wentz, Darnold, Jackson, Mayfield, Allen come to mind.
Winston is in the Tannehill, Bortles, Dalton, Keenan level. Better than a backup but too up and down and you can’t count on him to play big in the most important games.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:34 pm
If this team signs Smith long term, he will be even worse.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:34 pm
This is something for the next regime to figure out
December 18th, 2018 at 1:42 pm
Talk about stats having no meaning. Tell me when the chips are down. And you need a yard, you will choose Benenoch side over Marpet side???? Give me a break…
December 18th, 2018 at 1:48 pm
screw that. play action and go for the endzone then go for it on 4th.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:48 pm
Joe, you need to elaborate on that.
Let’s be clear here, the reason the Bucs are abismal at running left is because the BACKSIDE is destroying the rush, which is the space where the right guard/right tackle occupy. Benenoch gets flat out embarrassed and he isn’t holding up his block so that doesn’t happen.
I saw this happen SEVERAL times 2 weeks ago when they would try & run left.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:50 pm
@ JimmyJack
It wasn’t just the Ravens game we tried to run in the red zone…..it is every game and it never works……we constantly leave JW with only one shot and it is always when the opposing defense knows we have to throw
I’d like to see some short passes on 1st & 10 and if that doesn’t work…..again on 2nd and 10……forget the run, it hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t work!!!
December 18th, 2018 at 1:51 pm
I really think The Bucs offense has became predictable when was the last time they ran a screen or slant. the Bucs great defense was good for so long because they change or adjusted it often. as many has said Koetter is a good OC but not a good HC not as of yet. Also the Glazers got to do a better job with hiring HCs they are slowly becoming the Cleveland Brown south.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:57 pm
@tbbf 100%
….
So we were better at avoiding negative runs last year with Doug Martin, huh?
Weird, I’ve been told over and over he was the entire reason our run game has struggled for years.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:58 pm
all i can do is laugh…..
we havent been able to run the ball since 2015!!!!
#ADIOSDIRK!!!…GO BUCS!!!
December 18th, 2018 at 1:59 pm
@ed
“There are multiple rookie and younger QBs better than Jameis that would be an upgrade:
Trubisky, Goff, Watson, Wentz, Darnold, Jackson, Mayfield, Allen come to mind.”
WRONG sir. Right now, the only one of these I would give you is Watson, and maybe, maybe Tree-biscuit . But your post was just ignorant. I mean Lamar Jackson, really, the high school QB who can barely throw?? Did you not watch this past game? They were running a wishbone offense BRUH?! Come on! Even you don’t believe that garbage you wrote.
The JW haters are unreal. I swear all that hate is blinding ya’ll. Do better next time and do some research!
December 18th, 2018 at 2:04 pm
TBBF I know.
I used to cry about it all the time but after all the years I figure Dirk either doesn’t know how or care to fix it. It would also be a easy argument to say that our inability to run for short yardage has cost us as many games as place kicking.
This is why we had problems closing out a few wins this year also.
The stat above is worthless to me because when we NEED to run right, left, middle whatever…..we fail.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:05 pm
I don’t think we run enough in general to climb the list of this particular stat. But looking, hey, we’re middle of the pack in number of runs called; 2nd from last in average per run.
So the O-line and RBs are doing great not failing, but they’re not succeeding either?
December 18th, 2018 at 2:10 pm
Since this is a running topic and most everyone here is for running off Dork Klueless Koetter , I read a very interesting story this morning.
The Glazers are known for NOT firing their HC or GM during the season. Well Last night / yesterday they fired the GM of their Soccer franchise and they still have games to be played..
Why not pull the trigger now?
December 18th, 2018 at 2:16 pm
Manchester United just fired their manager. Koetter is next.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:30 pm
“There are multiple rookie and younger QBs better than Jameis that would be an upgrade:
Trubisky, Goff, Watson, Wentz, Darnold, Jackson, Mayfield, Allen come to mind.”
Not in this offense and not with this coaching staff. We’ve got a one dimensional pass heavy offense with a coach that has finally beaten his QB down and neutered him to the point that he’s now just a game manager type that offense ain’t so high flying. Really the scheme itself doesn’t work because the only time receivers are getting open is when it all breaks down and Jameis is scrambling. This is an offense that was completely unprepared 2 weeks ago when the saints started playing man coverage. That’s bad coaching. Dirk had no answers.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:38 pm
1.8 yards straight up the gut on 1st and 10 isn’t losing yards!
Anywho the Bucs has been running successfully in the first half until the Ravens made halftime adjustments and shut down the running game – mainly by just running the ball themselves and not giving the ball back to the Bucs.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:43 pm
Been telling ya for years Winston isn’t Koetter QB. Koetter drafted Blane Gabbrett of all people and has spent the last three years trying to turn Jameis into Blane and Matty choker Ryan.
It’s like giving your kid the keys to the lambo when all he knows is how to drive a corolla. Won’t take long for him to crash and burn.
December 18th, 2018 at 2:46 pm
unbelievable- Haha, too funny! Those pesky little stats!
December 18th, 2018 at 3:12 pm
Well ya caught me. Typed exact comment above lol… colour me shocked. Fair question though… should I not be a cynical fan at this point?
December 18th, 2018 at 3:25 pm
Print this article and show it to the ref spotting the ball next game…
December 18th, 2018 at 3:35 pm
Hahahahahah. Get of the numbers Joe. You wanna here an official number I know about. Every time Dirk and Monken stack the box for important short yardage, the defense stacks the box because they know these guys are gonna do that. Very rarely get the short yardage needed.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:39 pm
But I also think it’s stupid to put Ali at LG. I guess they’re doing it because that’s the position that a guard should get paid $55 million. He could be so much better at his original RG.
December 18th, 2018 at 3:39 pm
The problem is DK wanted a “bad ass team” and that’s what he has a “bad ass team”, you can’t will an offensive line, you have to have talent, some nasty and most of all a coach who can coach technique. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but we have had a good offensive line once in ten years, because we had Logan Mankins to show these guys.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:06 pm
@Joe … “Bucs are among the very best in the NFL when it comes to NOT having negative runs when running right or up the middle.”
The key word in that statement is NOT. So if you never gain a yard (get back to the line of scrimmage) but NEVER take a loss you’d LEAD THE LEAGUE in this particular stat. I have trouble believing anyone would even bother keeping stats like that Joe.
Bucfan 1988 nailed it BTW. Run plays near the middle very often get blown up because the BACKSIDE doesn’t block effectively.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:11 pm
And that means if you have those specific stats, your team sucks.
December 18th, 2018 at 4:47 pm
^^ lol, that’s pretty funny
December 18th, 2018 at 4:52 pm
Of all the useless stats this one is right up. What matters? This team sucks period at running the ball, left side right side doesn’t matter. All this stat says is they have fewer negative run but it’s not like they are getting chunks plays either they have fewer negatives. Meaningless article but thanks anyway…. the pointless offseason articles have already started not your fault the bucs give you nothing to talk about though just keep making chicken salad from chicken sh!t
December 18th, 2018 at 8:48 pm
Who woulda thought that running away from one of the worst LT’s in the league would be better than expecting him to block?
As long as D. Smith is this teams LT, they will not make the playoffs.