The Hidden Folly Of Turnovers
December 19th, 2014
Yes, turnovers can kill a team. They can also help a team, if the team doesn’t need help scoring.
The last two Bucs coaches, commander Greg Schiano and current leader Lovie Smith, preached the Gospel of tunnovers. Lovie, in particular, seems obsessed with them.
Turnovers were a topic for Packers coach Mike McCarthy today in his final press conference before the Bucs host the Packers at the Den of Depression on Sunday,, based on the Twitters of the Packers official feed and Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
McCarthy on turnovers: It’s always a focus when you play against Lovie’s (Smith) teams. They do a good job taking the ball away. #GBvsTB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 19, 2014
MM: I think last week was the last time we lost the turnover battle in a long time — Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) December 19, 2014
Yes, coughing up the football is never a good thing. Just because it is Christmastime doesn’t mean a football team could or should play Santa Claus. But putting so, so, so much focus on turnovers, to Joe, is time misspent.
Oh, and when opponents know you are focusing so much on turnovers, they focus just as much on ball security.
Look, turnovers are nice, but they are left to chance. Just because you want to force turnovers doesn’t mean it will happen. Why do some coaches put so much emphasis into an element of the game that is left to happenstance?
The Bucs, despite the daily preaching of Lovie, are No. 30 in takeaways. Last year the Bucs were fourth. How did that turn out? Getting takeaways is nice, but if your offense is a step above a toy tractor, it’s not going to make much of a difference.
Rather than working hard of making flukes happen, Joe wishes the team would concentrate much more on snap counts, avoiding delay of game whistles, knowing what play to run/audible to start the second half, and making sure offensive assistants can count to 12.
Those things, teams very much can control.
December 19th, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Really, instead of a comedy of repeated errors, try getting one aspect of a successful team in gear.
December 19th, 2014 at 3:43 pm
Teams comfortable with scheme will create more turnovers, because in a sense they have time and thought cycles to spare during a play. So it’s not totally chance.
But you are right. And it shows a habit Lovie has of focusing on a single area and not worrying about being insufficient in other areas.
Lo and behold there isn’t a magic bullet, you have to work hard on everything.
December 19th, 2014 at 3:46 pm
I think so too joe, teams depending to much on turnovers is hoping to win with luck or being lucky that the other team makes mistakes, turnovers are nice but just take them when you get a chance.. Lets build some decent offense= OC, QB, upgrade the Oline, I would think in that order..
December 19th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
Obsessing over turnovers can have a negative effect i.e. we turned the ball over so we’re going to lose or we haven’t gotten a turnover therefore we can’t possibly win now. Turnovers are great but don’t think they are the only way to win. Score some points!
December 19th, 2014 at 3:53 pm
Just another Stat that shows Greg Schanio was a better coach.
Can’t wait until someone leaks the story that Lovie Smith is purposly trying to lose to get a high draft pick and then have people sue.
December 19th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
This game has all the makings of the Ravens game earlier this season. If the Bucs stay within 20 I’d be surprised.
December 19th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
I am convinced now that Joe posts stories centrally revolving around alcove just to stir the usual number of trolls up to post their normal allotment of irrational rants and ravings.
Of course these clowns always bite down hard on the hook.
Maybe if McCown would sit in on those meetings where Lovie talks about how much turnovers hurt the team, he’d stop coughing up the ball as regularly as Robert 9 posts irrational rants.
I would venture to say McCown is responsible for 70 percent of the Bucs turnovers this year.
December 19th, 2014 at 4:07 pm
On offense, focus on getting the ball on the end zone. On defense focus on keeping the ball behind the 40 yard line. You get wins that way.
December 19th, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Joe said, “Look, turnovers are nice, but they are left to chance.”
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Not always. Lot’s of picks are the result of studying QB’s tendencies. Remember when Troy Aikman pointed out Freeman would always looking to the left side of the field before throwing there?
Agree with you on fumbles though. Gotta bite that football dontcha know!
December 19th, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Well Josh McCown has had so far this year 12 interceptions and 9 fumbles of which at least 4 have been lost.
I think we would need two defenses to just stay even with his ball mishandling. I think it puts him in a class of his own and this is why Lovie insists that he is a winner, it is just the wrong win. Poor Lovie.
December 19th, 2014 at 5:22 pm
return team has fumbled7 times this year, Eric Page only fumbled twice all year. Replacing players is more important than turnovers. Herron and Patton together = Eric Page good job lovie. Thigpen tearing it up for Buffalo. ST coach and Lovie stink on ice!
December 19th, 2014 at 5:51 pm
Lightning, have to agree with you. I expect a blowout. And if it gets us a franchise QB, I am good with that
December 19th, 2014 at 7:03 pm
who knew Michael Johnson would make Adrian claiborne an offseason priority to resign, people hate that guy but he got 7 sacks as a rookie and 5 or 6 last year despite the two that were taken away from him for roughing the passer…
December 19th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
24-3 @ halftime and the Packers put up historical yards against Lovie’s so-called improved defense…
December 20th, 2014 at 12:09 am
Bucs4lyfe, I might be inclined to agree with you. Claiborne had 7.5 sacks his rooki4 year when he played on his normal right side. He was injured four or vive games into his second season and was then moved to the left side where he was also, for some strange reason know only to Schiano, he was asked to cover backs coming out of the backfield.
No one in the past three years has matched Claiborne’s rookie sack total. I was never in love with him because of his physical handicap and have often derided the decision to draft him No. 1, but I have never doubted his hustle or heart for the game.
I now long for him to be on the right side instead of the lazy heartless Michael Johnson who looks like he can’t wait to retire from the game with his guaranteed money.