What Would Mike Smith Do?
November 28th, 2017
Curious minds want to know.
It hit Joe like a ton of bricks.
Sunday night while typing… and typing… and typing… the Sunday Night Football game was on in the background of Joe’s downtown Atlanta hotel. At one point Al Michaels’ voice caught Joe’s attention when he was speaking of the brilliance of Antonio Brown, the gifted Steelers receiver.
And there on the screen were Brown’s numbers, showing him ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in a variety of receiving stats. And Michaels added that Brown puts up these numbers “despite being double-teamed every week.”
Well, Joe thought to himself, the only receiver that may be better than Julio Jones is Brown. And, as Michaels pointed out, every foe double-teams him.
But based on Sunday’s play at Atlanta, the Bucs might not even double-up on Antonio Brown. So Joe thought to himself after hearing Michaels, “Well, it’s obvious the Steelers don’t play the Bucs.”
As we all know, earlier on Sunday, Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith demonstrated he thought Jones was an Ebola virus carrier. So Smith, in looking out for his players, didn’t want to expose more than one player to Jones. So the Bucs defensive coordinator decided mostly to put second-year defensive back Ryan Smith out on an island with Jones.
That would be the same Ryan Smith who had a grand total of five starts at corner in his NFL career.
Whoops.
November 28th, 2017 at 1:11 pm
Jones has had an “off” year by his standards. Nothing heals slumping player like playing a Mike Smith defense. At least he smiles a lot.
November 28th, 2017 at 1:15 pm
i def believe it was more jones was single covered than he had a breakout game teams all year have doubled him and he didnt produce so that tells me if we would have been playing brown instead of jones brown may have had the best single game for a WR in NFL history especially being single covered by a 2nd year player with minimal starts smh what the hell was smithy thinking yesterday?
November 28th, 2017 at 1:37 pm
Joe
Idk if you listened to grimes interview on Bucs total access but he shared some interesting tidbits about players and their motivations and preferences like playing on one side of the field vs the other or matching up with the number 1 receiver etc.
He also discussed what motivates certain players saying that most are motivated to play for the guy next to them, their families and that some are just here for the paycheck. His words not mine.
I thought it said a lot about why the Bucs defense has struggled for so long and about the power struggle in TB of the choir boys vs the thugs. But wtf do I know.
November 28th, 2017 at 1:37 pm
im tired of teams/players having a career/historic day on us and having this staff embarrassing this city/team…..
last year it was case keenum and the raiders….
this year it was case keenum again along with the Cards…and Bills….Julio….
I guess hundley is the next to have a career day….GO BUCS!!!
November 28th, 2017 at 1:52 pm
ATL vs MINN this week
xavier rhodes will shutdown JJ for under 60 yards…non factor
November 28th, 2017 at 1:54 pm
What?! Be real, the guy needs to go. How much more evidence do we need?!
“Afraid to expose his players”?!!!!! SMGDH!
November 28th, 2017 at 2:03 pm
What I didn’t get is why we did have Jones doubled in the first few drives with Smith and Evans……At that point Evans was all over the field making plays. Why the heck was an adjustment made there? Meanwhile we let the Falcons tear us up on the edge with the run attack and don’t adjust to that?
One of the worst defensively called games under Mike Smith.
November 28th, 2017 at 2:17 pm
The Pats are the bar. Anything short is mediocrity. There’s a reason you don’t see skill players hanging 250 yards on the Pats. You want fans to show up and to turn on the TV, put out a product like the Pats.
Love how Fitzy gets two wins and moves the ball like clockwork against ATL and now will take a back seat to Mr. 3-and-out himself.
GO BUCS!!!
November 28th, 2017 at 2:27 pm
Not sure where you guys get this narrative that fitz is somehow better than Winston. Can anyone provide any facts to substantiate these claims? Or are we just going off of the extraordinary football knowledge possessed by TB Buc fans?
November 28th, 2017 at 2:32 pm
Mohamed Sanu caught 8 of 9 targeted passes as well.
November 28th, 2017 at 2:36 pm
I was done with smith in arz, dirk too. Still neither one is making adjustments from week to week. Nor game planning for the foe. Bad bad coaching. Adios
November 28th, 2017 at 2:58 pm
I will say this of Fitzy DB55, he looks calmer in the pocket. Other than that, he’s nothing spectacular. He’s perfect for that role, just good enough.
It still comes down to play-calling.
November 28th, 2017 at 3:08 pm
99.97.etc. , JW 3 and out…..ouch. lol
November 28th, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Lovie Smith often referenced “sticking to the plan” when discussing his firing from the Bucs….however he never provided much depth to that statement. It makes me wonder if the coaches/gm/etc have confidentiality agreements with the owners and if some of what we are seeing is game planning to simply better position this team for the next coach.
November 28th, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Reading way too much into it. Lovie just didn’t like dealing with the fourth estate. Not sure any coach likes it but most do their job. Lovie had zero interest in explaining anything he did with any detail. But when given the chance, he sure loved to scold people like children to cop an attitude about how high and mighty he was.
November 28th, 2017 at 3:18 pm
KOBE FAKER running to MIKE SMITH defense…#WHATWEAPONS$SMITTY
What did Jacksonville do after they used the #5 pick for jalen Ramsey? What did they do after they signed Malik Jackson and drafted frowler with the #3 pick?
They signed AJ bouye and cal cambell
what would our record be with AJ bouye and cal cambell on our defense? yes probably the same as jacksonville jags 7-4 and better
its all about talent….than coaching
“The Buc Realist, You reading these Kobe teachings?”
Kobe Faker
November 28th, 2017 at 4:56 pm
JimmyJack Says:
November 28th, 2017 at 2:03 pm
What I didn’t get is why we did have Jones doubled in the first few drives with Smith and Evans……At that point Evans was all over the field making plays.
simple….the falcons stacked Julio….they put him in the slot….they motioned him….they put trips to the left and him on the right…..you, “real coach” type stuff….
on the other hand, we witnessed smitty do “real dumb” type of stuff….GO BUCS!!!