“Give Them A Chance To Be The Best Unit”
October 10th, 2011
It’s a persistent argument that started last season when LeGarrette Blount hit the scene, and Joe suspects it will endure through the 2011 season. Are the Bucs really committed to the run?
Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles says, ‘No,’ so he told his radio audience today on WDAE-AM 620 today.
“I’m putting this on [Greg] Olson. They haven’t tried to establish anything. …Give them a chance to be the best unit out there,” Beckles said of the the Bucs running game and the offensive line.
Now Joe has been on the Bucs to pound Blount since he hit the field last year and showed something against the Steelers while Cadillac Williams was struggling to 2 1/2 yards per carry. Yes, the the Bucs have pounded Blount at times, like last Monday against the Colts, but what happened Sunday?
In the Bucs’ first five series, Blount ran the ball nine times for 32 yards. Six of those carries came on first down, out of 10 first-down snaps.
Is that commitment to the run?
Joe would like to see the Bucs pound it a lot more, but it’s hard to say the Bucs didn’t give it to Blount. Simply, for the first time, a team other than the Bucs stopped Blount.
October 10th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Like it or not, the Bucs are going to be a team that is pass first.
That’s not a bad thing. They have a franchise QB. It’s a passing league. All of the best teams are pass first teams.
The bigger problem than Blount is Freeman. He has looked off all year. When he starts hitting people downfield things will open up for Blount. When we have a lead, we’ll be pounding the ball with Blount.
We will, and should, be a team that goes by how Freeman is playing. Not just Blount’s, but the entire team’s fate depends on Freeman working this out.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
I have been thinking about this for a week or so. The lack of an off-season hit Freeman the hardest. As a second year QB what could he have possibly worked on, on his own this off-season? The same things he worked on last off-season, so basically he’s still a second year QB, just now we are seeing the bad side of that second year QB. He’ll straighten out, it will take time, he just needs to get through this rough stretch of play and games, the next 5 weeks or so can be brutal, but if they take the tack it’s “Us against the world” they should be fine, I see them bouncing back, we always play the Saints tough, one game at a time guys, one game at a time.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
When the Bucs are a pass-first team they usually lose. They are not structured that way and it seems like Olson has fooled himself into believing they are something they really are NOT.
The complete lack of an offseason has caused Freeman, who is still in the learning process, to take a step back. Same thing for the young offensive skill position players. It was inevitable and anyone with eyes to see could see this coming a mile away.
This offense will not hit its stride until somewhere around midseason because these early games are essentially this young team’s offseason. Like it or not…that’s the way it is. They are usually finding their bearings and getting into their groove in the spring and summer, but because of the lockout they are forced to accomplish that during the regular season.
Look across the league. Most of the youngest teams who haven’t been together very long are struggling with major inconsistency. The lockout did more damage to the youngest teams than most people realize. It sucks, but the Bucs won’t be able to overcome this any other way than by just playing more football. I expect the second half of the season to be much better than the first because of this.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
As time goes on, I am more and more convinced that Beckles is not nearly as full of football knowledge as he likes to think.
His show with Ron just downright sucks. And he’s treated like he was a good player when he wasn’t.
How can he not see an increase in the running game efforts. Last week alone proves there was an “effort”.
The plain and simple fact is this…the 49ers are excellent against the run. They came in with a perfect gameplan. We were out-played…it happens. It isn’t the end of anything, but rather the beginning of a new growth spurt.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Freeman made a lot of bad decisions as well. I’m glad he did. All this media attention must be getting to his head. Now that he’s been humbled, maybe he’ll get back on top of his decision-making.
I suppose Olson can take some of the blame for this week, as can Raheem and the rest of the team. Even Barber made a couple of rookie mistakes.
But give the 49ers credit…they executed a good gameplan.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
If you didnt see this happening your were not looking, bucs win with running game and the bucs have not been able to stop the run for 5 years, none of this should be a surprise, you saw on sunday who the bucs really are, a team with not enough talent to compete with the upper level teams. San Fran was number one against the run, so that takes Blount out of the game plan, so that puts the pressure on Freeman, You dont have elite talent at wideout and dont have an explosive option to Blount ie sproles, who you good have had, but didnt want to spend the money, so what did you expect to happen!!!!!!!!! More whipping on the way.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
No, that is not commitment to the run. 10 total carries. Ten.
Blount was misused. Again.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
And who the hell calls a fade on 4th and short?
October 10th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Apparently, Greg Olsen can’t get it through his thick skull that Blount getting carries is how we’re going to move the ball and win!! So sick of his terrible playcalling every game
October 10th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Since blount was injured, we cant know how many carries he could have had, also when u get behind team tends to go pass-first to get momentum via a big gain or a score.
i dont think you can judge this team based on this one game, they will bounce back vs the saints!
the main thing this week is getting their confidence back, like our head coach himself said “its mentality before reality, if you dont believe you’re the best why should anyone else?”
October 10th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Guess what steendahl, if blount is hurt and cant play, what are you going to do, you have no weapons, Freeman is a good player, Olsen is an idiot, and cant figure out how to open up the field, but raheem montra is for the next guy to step up, whos turn is to step up. Only scrubs sitting on the bench , so it could get a lot worse before it gets better.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
There were no holes to run through therefor it was pointless to continue to run the ball. Until our OL can play better Blount will continue to be inconsistent.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Blount was not getting it done. If we had ran him 10 times in a row it still would have ended in 3 3-and-outs.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Right now we are one dimensional. A opposing team has to stuff our run and make freeman beat them in the passing game. Last year this was no problem as Freeman could pick apart defenses. This year tho. Something is horribly off with Freeman. Personally i think it is over confidence. All off season long people have praised him like a god. Maybe it has gotten to his head and he is forcing balls into places he should have never thrown em. I almost miss our conservative safe approach we did last year.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Talk about a humbling experience. 0TD’s/2INT’s. Maybe now that he has matched his INT total from all of last season, he will buckle down and start playing SMART football again. Cuz i don’t like this “Brett Favre” gunslinger method he has adopted since last season.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
I have a huge problem with Greg Olson. When we decide to run its obvious even to Stevie Wonder. Why we cant go to a one back basckfield w/ 3 recievers and a tightend to spread out a defense is mind boggling to me. When we decide to run we put 3 tightends and a few Coaches up to the line of scrimmage and we motion a reciever to come help block. You wont get far on average defenses doing that. We saw a little bit of the Offense Im referring to with Indy, and Blount was gashing the defense. Josh can always check into a pass play if they want to stop the run adn vice versa. But there is no way we are going to line up tightend heavy and punch a defense in the mouth, not built for it. If the offense is enemic (and thats been the case as of late) It is Greg’s doing. If the defense is enemic (and that was the case yesterday and against Detroit), and they are not ready to play (as was yesterday) its “Rah’s falt. They have a beast in Blount and I agreee with you Joe, a dead man would use him more…
October 10th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
To my uneducated eye the Olson is still calling the Garcia offense and as with Garcia it works as well as he does on any given down.
October 11th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Guys, Freeman will be fine in time. Remember Matty Ice’s second season? Also, Freeman and co are young with no off season. Like someone else said, look for them to slowly improve as the year goes on.
Now, if Blount and McCoy are out for the Saint’s game, that is reason to worry.