Harsh Words For Greg Schiano’s Defense

October 29th, 2013

There are no shortage of gripes Bucs fans direct at embattled Bucs commander Greg Schiano and his reeling Bucs, now in a 12-of-13 loss tailspin.

One area of scorn is the Bucs defense. No sacks to speak of. Lousy pass defense. The list goes on. One of the perplexing things about the defense is its sloppy play at times. This, despite Schiano being such a disciplinarian.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus apparently has seen enough of the Bucs. He tears into Schiano’s defense in a no-holds barred piece.

The hallmark of this Bucs team under Schiano seems to be naive and ill-disciplined play. Only the Jets have surrendered more penalties than the Bucs this season and no team has coughed up more penalty yards. But I’m not talking just about penalties when I say ill-discipline. It can manifest itself in other, simpler ways, and we saw a good example of it last night for Carolina’s first touchdown.

The Bucs sold out against the run, buying completely into Carolina’s heavy-formation and abandoning almost all coverage responsibilities entirely leading to one of the easiest scores the Panthers will ever see. As if to compound the error the Panthers ran the same play later in the game on back to back plays – both times it was successful with the Bucs failing to even learn from their mistakes, even the biggest and most glaring.

Failing to learn from mistakes? Joe has a tough time swallowing this. Schiano was hired, in part, because of his teaching prowess. This is supposed to be a trademark of his, yet it’s failed miserably.

When the Bucs select their next head coach for 2014, the failure of Schiano will be remembered for how a disciplinarian’s team played so undisciplined.

30 Responses to “Harsh Words For Greg Schiano’s Defense”

  1. K_bassuka Says:

    It’s hard to teach when you know little about what you suppose to teach about…

    Fire Schiano….

  2. BirdDoggers Says:

    This speaks to the lack of adjustments, bad game planning and overall bad coaching. After seven games and seven losses, you would think an NFL head coach could evaluate the problems and make changes to in an effort to get better results. Schiano is either too stubborn to change or doesn’t understand how.

  3. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Dictatorial leaders hold a meeting:

    “Hey guys…what sort of changes do you think we should make? “Well coach, what do you suggest?,….”Here’s what I think guys.” “Wow coach that’s just what we were thinking….lets do it”!!!

  4. MTM Says:

    “Schiano was hired, in part, because of his teaching prowess”.
    Not really. Schiano was hired by a piss poor GM grasping at straws looking for a coach to replace the main target which was apparently Chip Kelly. Glazers rid of Dominick/Schiano and replace with a knowledgeable GM who will put the right coach in place.
    Glazers stop playing games with the fans and fire this ass clown coach & GM. This would at least show you have some tiny little bit of interest in YOUR team or is it dodge ball season and you are too absorbed with MAN U to realize whats going on.

  5. crazy Says:

    Until they figure out how to get enough front 4 pressure they’re gonna keep doing it. Without blitzing linebackers they don’t disrupt offensive plays at all. Being over-aggressive will keep creating gaping holes and defensive “mis-communication” breakdowns.

  6. Buc1987 Says:

    Inept. The man is incapable of fixing the problems. What was it he said early on? “we have a formula that’s proven to work and we’re going to keep with it.”

    Sure that might work at the college level with inferior competition coming at your team each week. Not in the NFL though. These coaches are better than that Greg. They will unlock your “formula” like a hot knife threw butter and have done so. Yet he refused to change his “proven formula”. The Bucs slightly improved their secondary in the offseason so Dom DID do his job. Most of us thought that, that was the problem last season. We also thought that a 2nd year under this offense and all of this would translate into wins.

    Atleast I did anyways.

    I overlooked how new this coach was to the NFL and forgot about all his coaching mistakes that he made last season during games. Well I didn’t forget. I just thought he had game film and would correct those mistakes in the off-season. Learn from his mistakes.

    BUT no “we have a formula that’s proven to work and we’re going to keep with it.” That’s why our team is 0-7 and headed for 0-16. Sure penalties have killed chances of a Bucs win a few times this season, but the coach can’t adjust during the games when it happens.

  7. Adam L. Says:

    I’m sorry, Joe.

    This is getting really redundant.

    It’s just horror story following horror analysis and we’re not even halfway through a season. I’m actually numb from it and really don’t give a flying crap anymore.

    I really think they’ll get the Obamacare website fixed before the Bucs get a win.

  8. Buc1987 Says:

    MTM…good point about the Glazers. Some fans have yet to figure that out yet. They think that, they are such good business men and know how to put fans in the seats. I say the Glazers formula for that is bringing in big name FA’s to get the fans excited about the upcoming season. Who gives a crap about the coach, no one ever pays attention to who’s coaching the team?

    All most fans see is the stars on the team. That sells tickets. Damn it, it does not matter how much talent you have on your team if the coaching sucks, the team will NOT win. Did Dungy not teach them that? Surely they must know that after Dungy-Gruden.

  9. zam Says:

    If he were a good teacher, they’d still have Freeman and Blount on the team.

    We keep saying 12 of 13, but that 1 win was against an Atlanta team with nothing to play for. So really, as I see it, they’ve lost 12 straight games.

  10. givemeball Says:

    Joe, now I know why you don’t want Schiano be fired Mid-season because you wouldn’t have anything to write about..Schiano bashing article # 3 today it’s only noon. Wow!!

  11. Patrick Says:

    Isn’t your success judged by your win loss record? If you look at our record since 2009 when Dominik took over, we’ve gone nowhere except to watching the post season from home in January!

  12. Tony Says:

    We get to see how damaged a goods Michael Bennett was on Sunday.

    Another great move the Glazers are still paying for.

  13. Oil Derrick Brooks Says:

    The Teflon Dom: 24-47, no playoff appearances. His franchise QB didn’t even last his rookie contract.

  14. Joseph Mamma Says:

    We have a defensive minded head coach who doesn’t know much about defense it seems. Hey at least he is a people person

  15. SteveK Says:

    To blame this all on Schiano is naive, silly, and choicefully overlooked by the press.

    Dominick has assembled this Clown Factory, and he should not be given a pass any longer.

    I’d take Bruce Allen and Chucky back, right now.

  16. MTM Says:

    If the head coach has to be talked into playing Revis in man coverage doesn’t that say something about him and the defensive coordinator.

    Its hard to fathom how Schiano got this far up the coaching ladder. I guess when the GM interviewing for potential coaches is himself a bullsh*t artist that’s what you get.

  17. Patrick Says:

    Chucky yes.

    Bruce Allen NO.

  18. GM and Schiano are FLESH EATING DISEASES Says:

    How does a team go from number one against the rush to a complete butts i can tell you…….you Rock Star GM broke something in free agent releases and signings…i am so glad you guy suck Bennet and Miller have what they wanted and so do Buc Fans
    You get a guy like Revis pay all the cap $$$ and then you put him zone coverage…..you guys are a joke Schiano is out of there

  19. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    I think it’s understandable and justifiable to fire Dominik. However, I don’t know if it is truly the right decision. I think that depends on who is really calling the shots at One Buc Place. If Dominik is only responsible to bring in the players, and not make the ultimate decisions on who makes it and who is cut, then I think he’s done a pretty good job. Whose decision was it to let Bennett walk? Who has the power? I don’t know the answer to those questions, and neither does anyone on this site. Now if Dominik has the power but chooses not to exercise that power, then that’s probably even worse, and he should be fired. Of course in my opinion his biggest fault was hiring Schiano in the first place. That is, assuming he actually was the one who did so. I don’t know how much of a hand the Glazers had in that hire, but I would suspect not too much.

    There is talent on this team. We may be short in a couple areas, but most teams are. Even the best teams in the NFL have shortcomings. We have enough talent to win a bunch of games, but we aren’t. Aside from Lavonte David, every single player on this team has regressed. That’s pretty hard to do, but we’ve somehow pulled it off. I believe that is a result of coaching, because I don’t believe that it is possible for an entire team to regress at the same time on their own. It takes a special kind of crappy coaching to accomplish that.

  20. Eric Says:

    When have these guys proven, on the football field, that they are talented?

    I see just the opposite on Sundays.

  21. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    @Eric,

    They’ve all proven it, just most NOT under Greg Schiano. If you really look at it, they have all noticeably regressed, have they not? Was Penn not a good LT as early as last year? Where has Mason Foster been as the year progressed? What’s happened to Banks? We have proven guys on this team who look like 40 year olds out there. They’re not that old. Perhaps he really does wear the guys out. Perhaps the schemes really are that terrible. Perhaps the playcalling is that miserable. But I don’t for one second believe that all of a sudden these guys forgot how to play football. We’re not talking about a bunch of over the hill pro bowlers. We are talking about a bunch of pro bowlers that should be in the prime of their careers.

  22. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    I’ll grant Schiano some injury excuses, but what coach hasn’t had injuries. But at the same time, he is the one that (allegedly) pushed Mike Williams to play with a bum hamstring. He’s the one that ran Doug Martin into the ground. He’s the one that rushed to get Nicks back on the field.

  23. Eric Says:

    @hawaiian,

    Well I guess I look at it that they have proven they are talented enough to lose, and lose big.

    They haven’t proven they are talented enough to win. Lots of weaknesses on that team which are exploited on a weekly basis.

    I don’t think a good coach and GM would look at that squad and stand pat. I do agree it is hard to evaluate with Schiano running things.

    It’s not a tweak situation, it’s a rebuild.

  24. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    In no way do I think we should stand pat. Even if we were a super bowl contender, I wouldn’t think that. I do, however, think that the holes that we have are fairly easy to fill with the exception of QB, which we will probably have our choice of whatever one we want.

    I do believe that most coaches would be excited about the existing talent on this team. I don’t think we are that far away from being a contender, but like you said, it’s hard to say with this lunatic at coach. So in that regard, I do think it’s a tweek situation.

    I know you want Dominik gone. You are well within reason to want that. If it happens, he has not been treated unfairly. Bottom line, 5 years and no playoffs, and one of the worst coaching hires humanly possible. I just question how much of the personnel decision are his versus Schiano’s. I do not know the answer to that question, and neither do you.

  25. Eric Says:

    Remember one thing Hawaiian, the Chiefs didn’t just hire Andy Reed they also got Dorsey from Green Bay as their General Manager.

    Those two made many changes to the Chiefs roster and it has worked because both GM and Coach know pro football.

    Do you think if we had a guy like Dorsey the last five years we would be in this mess?

  26. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    @Eric,

    Probably not. But aside from QB, they didn’t make very many changes at all. Changes are made by every team every year. I’d say few teams added two players as good as Revis and Goldson. Why we got rid of Bennett is beyond me, and whoever did make that decision is a moron.

    Would you say KC had a complete rebuild? I wouldn’t. But they went from being blown out by a Schiano team to 8-0. We’re not that far away. But if it takes us getting rid of Dominik to get us there, I’ll help pack up his belongings.

  27. Eric Says:

    Actually Hawaiian, in addition to Smith the chiefs signed seven free agents now referred to as the “magnificent seven” in KC for the contributions they have made to the Chiefs start this year.

    That’s the kinda thing we need, along with a coach on the Reed level.

    Just don’t think the rock can pull it together.

  28. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    @Eric,

    First of all, Dorsey is a first time general manager. I guarantee you that you weren’t banging the drum for him, and I can just about guarantee you that if they did hire him, you would have freaked out. Perhaps they hit a home run, or perhaps the coach is making him look great. Probably a little bit of both.

    Let me ask you this: if we had Andy Reid, do you believe we would be winning games right now? Do you think we would have more than 2 offensive TD’s in the second half of our games? Would he make better game managing decisions? Would we have as many personal fouls, false starts, and holding penalties? I would venture so far as to say no. Better yet, what if we had Gruden? Would we have a better DC that Bill Sheridan if we had Gruden? Would we perhaps have less Rutgers coaches on staff, and more NFL guys? I would say so.

    I don’t really care if we fire Dominik or keep Dominik at this point. I don’t think he’s been a great GM, but I do think he’s acquired an awful lot of talent. You’d be a fool to believe we’d be anywhere near 0-7 with Gruden, Reid, Lovie, Mickey Mouse,etc. Are we championship material? Not without a QB. But we are miles and miles better talent-wise than the Jags and other bottom feeders. Too bad our record says differently.

  29. Eric Says:

    I agree Chucky’ or Reed could have the team 4-3 or better now.

    And that’s incongruent with my no talent position.

    Maybe I just don’t like that Dominik Weasel……:)

  30. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    @Eric,

    Yeah, that just may be possible. But if getting rid of Schiano means getting rid of Dominik, I’m all for it. I have never disliked a coach anywhere near as much as I do Schiano. At least Raheem seemed to be a good guy and had some funny quotes. I mean, the “take off your underwear and put your face on people” line has to go down as one of the best lines these ears have ever heard.