Disgusting Bucs Defense
June 3rd, 2019
Nightmarish
This almost made Joe gag up his oatmeal this morning.
The Bucs were a weird team last year. They had one of the better offenses in the league but had a lousy record. Why?
Pass defense.
There really are no words to properly describe how awful it was. When disgraced former Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith was shown the door, his defense was barreling toward setting several 99-year old NFL records for futility.
So when Joe writes that the defense was the worst in the history of western civilization, that’s not hyperbole — it was fact!
Over at FootballPerspective.com, Chase Stuart decided to put the 2018 Bucs under the microscope. Simply put, Smith’s defense was so terrible, Team Glazer should have locked him in a broom closet as soon as he arrived at the Den of Depression on Sundays.
The 2018 Bucs led the NFL in passing first downs and passing first down percentage for the second straight year. For the most part, passing first down percentage tells the story of how successful a team will be.
Passing first down percentage is defined as passing first downs divided by total team pass attempts (which includes sacks). The Bucs led the NFL at 39.8%, and were followed closely by four 12+ wins teams: the Rams (39.3%), Chiefs (39.2%), Chargers (39.0%), and Saints (39.0%). The bottom 8 teams in passing first down percentage all lost at least 9 games, with the Cardinals (25.0%), Bills (25.4%), Jaguars (27.8%), Jets (28.0%), and Redskins (28.2%) in the bottom five.
Stuart cited three reasons why the Bucs’ brilliant passing offense couldn’t get them over the hump. First was turnovers. Second was a “very bad” run game. Third, third-down defense.
Over a third of opponents’ pass attempts were first downs — over a third! Think about that. Even the most rotten of NFL quarterbacks could move the ball on the Bucs’ sorry-arse defense. It was criminally bad.
This is why Joe said on a recent Ira Kaufman Podcast that the Bucs defense could again be terrible this year and still be an improvement.
There should be a federal investigation launched as to how the hell Smith was allowed to return as defensive coordinator after the 2017 season (which was pretty awful itself). It reeks of racketeering.
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:09 pm
He never should have been hired. I was excited when Dirk got promoted and optimistic. I eas immidiatley dissapointed and haf lowered expectations yhe day he brought smitty on board. FIX THE DEFENSE and you fix the team.
ITS ALWAYS BEEN THE COACHING!!!!
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:16 pm
Stuart cited three reasons why the Bucs’ brilliant passing offense couldn’t get them over the hump. First was turnovers. Second was a “very bad” run game. Third, third-down defense.
——————
Turnovers were the number one reason?
Hmmmm…… that certainly flys in the face of the JW fanboys argument that it was solely the defense and running game.
Granted, Fitzmagic had his share of turnovers but he sucks right?
Our #1 draft pick/savior should be better than that right?
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:17 pm
this is deja vu
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:35 pm
36 TD / 26 INT from the QBs definitely not good enough. Both had a few meltdown games that inflate most those INT #’s but still.
Also had like 3 rushing TD to close to 10 fumbles
2019 is make or break time
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:39 pm
People were patting themselves on the back when in 2017 Smith was resigned for 2018. This was supposed interest from other teams that wanted to sign Smitty as a head coach. He had a hell of an agent, who probably suckered the Bucs with fake interest from these “other teams”. Smitty was happy to collect a nice paycheck and sit up in the box during games. That smell of rotting garbage starts at the top.
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Most Ints by a QB in 2018
1 Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers QB 16
1 Andrew Luck Indianapolis Colts QB 16
3 Case Keenum Denver Broncos QB 15
3 Sam Darnold New York Jets QB 15
5 Josh Rosen Arizona Cardinals QB 14
5 Jameis Winston Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB 14
5 Tom Brady New England Patriots QB 14
5 Baker Mayfield Cleveland Browns QB 14
5 Jared Goff Los Angeles Rams QB 14
I count 3 playoff teams and 2 super bowl teams. Sure it was the turnovers.
Matt Ryan had 7 ints and didn’t come close to the playoffs probably bc his defense was all beat up and hurt. 🤔
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS – not sure why that’s so hard for buc fans to understand, of all teams you’d think buc fans would understand.
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:48 pm
coaching told Winston to throw all those pics and don’t worry about accuracy with the long ball ?
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:50 pm
In Smith’s first year the d was good in 5 of 16 games and media here at JBF and all throughout the city were saying Smith needed to stay
Educated fans who saw his unit play awful in the other 11 games knew better
He was an awful hire from the start and should’ve been fired after year 2 but coaches are more loyal to friends than winning in the nfl
Even Arians is
June 3rd, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Mr. Mike Magoo ( particularly in this picture) …parlayed a lucky 5 game winning streak into a lucrative payday. Happy retirement, fella.
June 3rd, 2019 at 1:08 pm
DB55- 100% correct! DEFENSE wins championships!
It sure does help when you have those other aspects go your way too.
I cringe every time I think about how bad our defense was!
June 3rd, 2019 at 1:10 pm
It reeks of an inept, toothless, backstabbing GM being derelict in his duties.
June 3rd, 2019 at 1:53 pm
Mike Smith should not of been brought back-1st crime then once he was back should of been fired within the first 3 games-wasn’t-2nd crime, then Koetter had to be forced to fire him-3rd crime
Just seeing the picture of this blob brain makes you angry!
June 3rd, 2019 at 2:20 pm
THIS is were Humphries may not be so easily replaced.
June 3rd, 2019 at 2:21 pm
This is why I’m happy that Kwon and GMC are gone. They were the leaders of this nonsense lol
June 3rd, 2019 at 2:28 pm
@DB55
WHen you combine WInston + Fitz 2018 it’s 26 INTs which is almost double most of those other counts.
I agree though that QB was not the problem in 2018 as much as defense was, and that many of those INTs by both QBs came in games we were in deep holes pressing.
In terms of logging reasons we lost games it’s much more on defense the last few years and not even close
June 3rd, 2019 at 2:28 pm
The turnovers were mainly because the defense played so bad, and put the team behind so often, the Bucs had to force the ball downfield to try to stay in the game.
Also while it’s easy to blame Mike Smith for everything, and a lot of it is deserved, Licht expected him to start Chris Conte and had Ryan Smith as the top corner reserve, which was needed when VH3 goes down in game 1. Said it before, but you could have Sapp and Rice on that d-line and if Conte and Smith starting for you, you’re going to be the worst defense in football. The thing is everyone with anything close to a brain knew this going into the season and yet Licht still let it happen.
June 3rd, 2019 at 2:33 pm
LC
Alright fair point now explain to me what happened to Ryan? He had the least ints of any starter in the league. They finished 7-9.
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:17 pm
Lord Cornelius Says:
June 3rd, 2019 at 2:28 pm
@DB55
WHen you combine WInston + Fitz 2018 it’s 26 INTs which is almost double most of those other counts.
I agree though that QB was not the problem in 2018 as much as defense was, and that many of those INTs by both QBs came in games we were in deep holes pressing.
In terms of logging reasons we lost games it’s much more on defense the last few years and not even close.
Strong point. Thanks for keeping it real.
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:23 pm
LC
One more thing. Ben won 66% of his games while JW won 27% of his games. Riddle me that my friend.
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:30 pm
Wow Joe, I was really getting concerned that we’d go a full day without you harping on how bad LAST YEAR’S defense was, how bad the running game was, how bad the coaching was … yada, yada. I feel better now; thankfully you didn’t disappoint.
It’s really not hard to tell how bad LAST YEAR’S defense was. Let’s see …
o #31 in POINTS ALLOWED (464 pts).
o #27 in TOTAL YARDAGE ALLOWED (6134 yds).
o #26 in PASSING YDs ALLOWED (4151 yds).
o #30 in PASSING TDs ALLOWED (34).
o #24 in RUSHING YDs ALLOWED (1983 yds).
o #29 in RUSHING TDs ALLOWED (29).
o Opponents drives: 182
o % of opponents drives ending in an offensive score: 40.7% (HINT: That’s BIG).
o % of opponents drives ending in a turnover: 8.2% (HINT: That’s real LOW)
So yes, the Bucs’ defense LAST YEAR sucked in many, many ways (not the least of which was the low caliber of talent that was on the field in too many position groups … which is maybe why so many of them are gone now, along with all the coaches?). Hmmm, just a thought.
And yet, in several respects, LAST YEAR’S offense didn’t do itself or the team any favors either (more commonly known as ‘shooting oneself in the foot’?). Using the same categories …
o #12 in POINTS SCORED (396 pts).
o #3 in TOTAL YARDAGE GAINED (6648 yds).
o #1 in PASSING YDs GAINED (5125 yds).
o #3 in PASSING TDs (36).
o #29 in RUSHING YDs (1523 yds).
o #23 in RUSHING TDs (11).
o Offensive drives: 184
o % of drives ending in an offensive score: 37.0% (HINT: That’s #17 in the league)
o % of drives ending in a turnover: 8.2% (HINT: That’s #1 in the league).
That’s pretty much the story of LAST YEAR. Our defense couldn’t stop anybody … pass or run defense … and it didn’t force enough turnovers to compensate for its being BAD. Our offense performed like a great marching band, but didn’t have any BALANCE when it came to passing & running the ball. And oh ya, they just happened to be the worst team in the league when it came to giving the ball back to our opponents. Time to talk about 2019 yet?
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:34 pm
DR
So in summary the defense and running game sucked? 🤔
Go ahead and drop the mic bro.
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:38 pm
@DB55
I am pretty much with you – i’m not even disagreeing – just had to make my statistical correction lol*
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:45 pm
LC
I predict Ryan going from 7 to 15 ints. I’m convinced it has more to do with Koetter than anything else but wtfdik
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:48 pm
@Rod … “The turnovers were mainly because the defense played so bad, and put the team behind so often, the Bucs had to force the ball downfield to try to stay in the game.”
You’ve written that before Rod, but I still have trouble buying it. Certainly a great defense that keeps the other team from scoring on them gives the offense more flexibility in terms of offensive opportunities AND play selection. Many of the Bucs’ turnovers happened however because the opposing defenses didn’t respect the Bucs’ run game. And because we often had to keep additional blockers in to help our OLine with pass blocking. Simple math: more pass defenders, fewer receivers is PROBABLY going to result in more turnovers. Add in some marginal play-calling at times (unnecessary risk-taking from lack of patience?) plus 2 QBs who BOTH had a reputation for throwing the ball to the wrong team and VOILA … 2018 lives again.
June 3rd, 2019 at 3:57 pm
DB55 … Yes they did, BUT they weren’t solely responsible for the 5-11 debacle that we affectionately call 2018. Coaching was a big part of it (thus the firing?) as was lack of talent in various position groups (thus this year’s turnover?). But the offense had its issues too DB55. When you’re #1 in turnovers AND #1 in offensive drives that result in turnovers, MAYBE there’s things that need fixing in the offense? Better coaching will fix a lot of that I’m convinced, especially if the Bucs can get their running game on-track AND their OLine improves. This year is made to order for Jameis to shine, but he still has to prove through his PERFORMANCE ON THE FIELD that he’s the franchise QB we’ve been searching for. I’m pulling for him, as I’m sure you are.
June 3rd, 2019 at 4:01 pm
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out. If you watched our games over the last couple of yrs you’d know There so many winnable ones had we just been able to stop somebody. It was past embarrassing. Its kinda funny because so many of you were worried about us having a great offense. And look where thats gotten us.
June 3rd, 2019 at 4:11 pm
DR
Explain Matt Ryan having the lowest ints yet a 7-9 record.
June 3rd, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Offense will be better, especially in the Red Zone. Defense will be average and that will mean 9-7.
June 3rd, 2019 at 4:40 pm
DR
‘And another thing’ lol according to pff mr Andrew Luck had the best passing oline in his division last yr and he still threw 16 ints AND still made the playoffs. I wonder if his defense was ranked #30+
June 3rd, 2019 at 5:19 pm
I don’t see the point in dwelling on last year now. If we had the same coaches? Sure. But everything is different now.
June 3rd, 2019 at 8:00 pm
Bonzie I do agree with you we need to move on and focus on this year . I’m sick of what happened in the pass . I’m tired of hearing about how Jamies is the reason why we suck then when you bring up Rogers who had 35 TDs and just what 7 interceptions and they still didn’t make the playoffs or Matt Ryan the same thing happened to his team then they can’t say nothing. I’m standing behind Jamies cause he is on my team and I think he’s not the real reason why we have been losing but these people are blinded because of what the national media say . They don’t know nothing about football I’m tired of the negative stuff that these trash fans are saying. We need to stand behind our team . And to all yall negative fake fans go cheer for another team so yall can be happy. We don’t need yall to keep bringing up hate for Jamies or our team.
June 3rd, 2019 at 11:44 pm
O’Neil, I don’t always agree with you, but I certainly do here. I’m not one to try to judge real fans from fake fans; I’m more concerned with actual football. However, when guys come on here and blast the players who work the hardest, don’t take plays off, and put in the prep time needed to be good, it makes me wonder if they even watched the games. Or maybe they’re like those Yankee fans who come to the Trop in their Yankee jersey with a Rays shirt on under it and when the Rays kick the Yankees tails, off comes the jersey and they walk out in the Rays shirt. It’s real easy to kick people when they’re down.
It’s beyond me how anyone who watched the games can seriously think 10-22 in two years can be blamed on Jameis, GMC and Kwon.
June 4th, 2019 at 12:14 am
DooshLaRue Says: Turnovers were the number one reason?
Hmmmm…… that certainly flys in the face of the JW fanboys argument that it was solely the defense and running game.
The bad defense meant that we had to play catch-up most of the time. That called for passing in predictable situations. The lack of a running game meant that we had to pass in predictable situations. When the defense knows the team is going to pass turnovers are inevitable.
June 4th, 2019 at 12:15 am
Mike Smith’s defense was so bad, he had to be still on the Falcon’s payroll