Deeper Training
July 9th, 2019
Imagine how much Jameis Winston, America’s Quarterback, was challenged the last two seasons facing the Mike Smith defense in practices through the spring, summer and fall.
Of course, Joe is being sarcastic. That cottony-soft defense was dysfunctional and weak, and Dirk Koetter sanctioned it.
The point today is the defense was hardly preparing the Bucs offense well for what it would see in real games — against real defenses.
Joe brings this up because it’s an often overlooked element of the 2019 Bucs. Jameis is getting all kinds of different looks in practice — and hopefully he will grow from those experiences throughout training camp.
Ironically, the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator has been talking to his team website, via ProFootballTalk.com, about how much Jets QB Sam Darnold is benefiting from all the fresh looks from new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. As a rookie last year, Darnold’s head coach was new Bucs defensive genius/coordinator Todd Bowles.
The consistent buzz out of New York is that while Bowles’ defense was aggressive there, it doesn’t compare to what Williams is bringing to the table now.
Regardless, Bowles’ Tampa Bay unit will bring all kinds of welcome stimulation, learning and challenge to Jameis following the incompetence of 2018 and 2019, which is just one more reason why Jameis should be able to take a big step forward this season.
July 9th, 2019 at 1:31 pm
Gregg Williams defense works for half a season and then folks catch up with it.
July 9th, 2019 at 1:31 pm
the definition of hampering players development is now called “dirk & smitty”….
the definition of kissing @$$ has been replaced with “@realist”….
GO BUCS!!!!
July 9th, 2019 at 1:32 pm
That may be good for a second year guy but in the fourth year you cant say a guy isn’t succeeding because he hasn’t seen enough different looks. Quarterback knows hell never get hit in practice so there is no real pressure and according to this website the defense will be garbage again so who’s applying any type of pressure that will make a difference.
July 9th, 2019 at 1:34 pm
We’ll see…
Is it a stretch to say that last years D at practice was so bad that it enabled Winston to throw risky passes that he thought he could get away with in games? Probably is a stretch.
As for Gregg Williams, he should have been permanently banned for his tactics.
July 9th, 2019 at 1:43 pm
I admit that I wasn’t that pumped up when Bowles was brought aboard. Most here seem to think he is breath of fresh air and that his past suggests he knows how to turn this listing ship around. I’ll accept that reasoning and the additions to the roster to join the fans thinking that the team is improved and likewise the record will be also. Go Bucs!
July 9th, 2019 at 1:57 pm
Our offense still basically could move the ball on pretty much anyone. We just sucked in red zone.
I mean look at the freaking Redskins game last year. Fitzpatrick had 400 yards passing and we rushed for over 100 yards and we scored 3 freaking points.
How in gods name does that happen lol? The red zone issues have been a Koetter problem forever.
If we’re reading about days the defense is winning that’s a good thing, because I’d imagine they barely won any days last year other than red zone.
July 9th, 2019 at 1:58 pm
There will be a learning curves on both sides of the ball, most visable in the early stages of the season. But I welcome the more attacking style that the new defense and players will bring.
We lost more games due to injury , than any other team. Next man up, doesn’t work well when you don’t have quality backups or starters in the secondary.
July 9th, 2019 at 2:20 pm
I don’t know why I’m still not feeling all that tingly inside.
July 9th, 2019 at 2:25 pm
The first person to notice whether or not our defense (especially pass defense) is Jameis……he should know right away.
July 9th, 2019 at 2:29 pm
Just like the Bucs and Koetter, Bowles was given the HC job with the NYJ. Both are good on their side of the ball. Koetter (offense). Bowles (defense). A good HC (especially a rookie HC) has to be able to at least know how to run some of both sides and have a good staff to not be below five wins. Koetter kept Mike Smith on as DC so he OBVIOUSLY doesn’t know sh!t about the defense. Bowles played and ran defensive coaching throughout his career and was very good at it. BA is known for his spectacular offensive coaching. We have a good coaching squad from coaches with great resumes now.
I’m excited because we have all around good coaches on both sides of the ball (Leftwich is going to be on a tight leash with BA).
First time I’ve felt in a long time I’m excited that the no-brain Glazer babies got Licht to bring BA and Bowles to Tampa.
And you Jameis haters can hate him for his off-field issues, BUT THIS IS HIS FIFTH YEAR COMING INTO THE NFL AT 20 YEARS OLD WITH SCHIANO, LOVIE, AND KOETTER AS HC. NONE LASTED MORE THAN TWO YEARS AT THAT POSITION.
July 9th, 2019 at 2:30 pm
We lost the redskin game because we had 2 INT’s and 2 fumbles lost. We were pretty good at shooting ourselves in that game.A bad snap ,missed field goals, punched ball the redskins recovered in the endzone.
It was a pretty good offensive gameplan, probably the most balanced we had all year. But our players didn’t execute the plays well at critical times. I don ‘t fault Koetter for this loss.
July 9th, 2019 at 2:36 pm
@Jean- Use a smaller finger!
July 9th, 2019 at 3:06 pm
^^ funny
July 9th, 2019 at 3:16 pm
If Jamytrh could have…he would have…
July 9th, 2019 at 3:47 pm
Yes, Gregg Williams is a much more aggressive coach. So aggressive that his defensive ideology is not always fundamentally sound. Williams is the opposite of a Bend But Don’t Break defense. Bill Sheridan had a lot of Williams tendencies but he was even more unfundamentally sound. That’s why that bozo can’t get a job bagging groceries at Walmart.
July 9th, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Soe,
THANKS FOR TRYING. …SCHIANO….AND A NEW COACH EVERY 2 YEARS.
BAUUUWAOHHHH…LOL……CLASSIC!
July 9th, 2019 at 3:55 pm
I think some are forgetting that this is the QB that cannot have a “real” backup QB because jw3 will melt down and fold like a lawn chair!!!!!!!!!!! They are having to handling this guy with kid gloves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#not_my_quarterback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 9th, 2019 at 4:14 pm
The antidote to a heavy blitz team is 3 yard drops/slants, screen plays and draw plays. harder to run draw plays with QB IN shotgun, and I don’t remember screens since Chuck Sims left town.
July 9th, 2019 at 4:14 pm
Soebuc, Winston did not play for Schiano. Was drafted by Lovie in his 2nd year as bucs coach.
July 9th, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Everything we’ve seen to this point has the arrow pointing up for our team, but its been underwear football. Training camp is around the corner. Can’t wait to see who shines.
July 9th, 2019 at 4:25 pm
@Bob
Those problems are consistent for years with Koetter’s offenses though. Top 3 in yardage / 12th in scoring, top 5-10 in yardage, 18th-20th in scoring / etc.
He doesn’t know how to make it easier on the offense once the field is shortened. He’d still run long developing plays that risk turnovers and sacks instead of quick high % plays to push towards the end zone with less risk.
Barely saw any roll outs with the QBs where they are more able to avoid sacks / throw it away which Winston always did well at when given the chance. Barely saw any easy completions to the flat where guys like Howard or Godwin or Hump could have used YAC to try to get in the score. Barely saw quick crossing rub routes for quick slant attempts for quick scores. Stuff like that is what bothered me. Running play action or having long developing routes when the defense knows you only need 10-25 yards is crazy IMO
Also that is where not having a run game really sucks.
July 9th, 2019 at 4:59 pm
Realist gonna look pretty bad if Winston or the team has a great year. Hell if he just continues his end of 2018 season pace over the last 6.5 games we’re looking at
364/566 (64%) 4458 yards 32 TD / 10 INT + 423 rushing yards. That would probably be the best QB season Buc in history.
I like it. No hedging of his bets. He’s all in on the collapse and failure predictions. Taking the safe Vegas and historical road on predicting the Bucs in 2019.
Hope you’re wrong dude.
GO BUCS!
July 9th, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Hey Bob
Washington was playing with an Oline signed off the street, that very week. They manhandled our D, so failure all around.
July 9th, 2019 at 5:39 pm
The defnese stunk under Lovie as well. Hes had four years of dragging an anchor around while STILL setting franchise records.
Only the Bucs would screw up and cut this kid. I really hope he gets tagged next season. I could also see him playing for less to help the team pay other players.
IT WAS ALWAYS COACHING!!!
July 9th, 2019 at 6:03 pm
Hey realist,
When you use 10 exclamation marks in a row, does that mean that you are screaming 10 times louder than an average person?
If so, that is pretty awesome.
July 9th, 2019 at 6:04 pm
What has he played in, like 56 games or so…
I get that going against your own defense in practice is helpful developing rookies and 2nd year qbs… BUT COME ON!
I’m sure not every great qb had a great defense to practice against to credit for their success… Either JW doesn’t grasp the concept of reading defenses, no one is tutoring him at his level to get it or he is as lazy as JaMarcus Russell at watching film (story came out of Raider camp that coaches gave him a blank tape to test him… when he brought the tape back the next day, coaches asked if he studied it and he replied YES!)…
After studying defensive film for 56 weeks he should be WAY better by now if he is ever going to be able to read defenses well…
1 of the reasons I strongly believe this will be a wasted season!
July 9th, 2019 at 6:07 pm
Is that Jamarcus Russel story true? That’s just crazy.
July 9th, 2019 at 6:29 pm
@tye
J Russell only gets second place, 1st place is Sgt win-slow!!!!!! Who was the reason that the Bucs dropped the whole ipad program because all he was doing was watching p0rn on his, even during team meetings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 9th, 2019 at 6:33 pm
Bowles and Arians are simply here picking up free money. I hear they even play dominos while sipping on their Cuban coffee at the BOA in South Tampa off of westshore and Kennedy. Hell, they even took care of all their cronies with the gravy train….25+ coaches is comical. Suh & JPP doing the same thing. New ownership is the only way to break this horrific cycle….couple with a move to Orlando.
July 9th, 2019 at 7:06 pm
Lord C,
The numbers you projected based on 6 games and placing it as the best year team wise, is within reach. Last year, the team had over 5000 yds passing, 36TDs, completion % 64 and change.
So as a team, the number that represents a dramatic improvement is the turnovers. Which is exactly what most people are looking at as an area that must improve.Although, there’s a few that attempt to obfuscate this as a negative. It’s an area that you have identified as most important and it’s been the most difficult to improve. 10 ints in 4 games vs a season is a massive improvement.
The only thing that you missed, imo, and it’s a head scratcher as to why, is sacks? If youre basically looking at stats to support an opinion and a projection that relates to team success, then I think you have to include sacks.
A sack’s value doesn’t diminish even when it comes on a first or second down as opposed to third. Everyone clearly understands the value or negative impact to # of total drives and field position that results from a sack. What I hear nothing about , but it’s equally important, is that taking a sack (statistically ) is a drive killer. Obviously, it has an effect on the opposing teams field position which over time means they start their offensive series in better field position. If you consider field position as it relates to scoring it’s unbelievably important .
July 9th, 2019 at 7:11 pm
Realist,
Do they even make that type, senior citizen interracial burglar orn?
July 9th, 2019 at 7:13 pm
Realist,
Nevermind, I forget it’s Tampa. Of course, they do.
July 9th, 2019 at 7:45 pm
Lord C it is not all on Koetter. The other day Joe had an article on the Dallas pro bowl . corner.I recommend you goback and look at it. I’ll set it up for ya. Its second and 20 ,Jameis forced the ball to a well covered Evans who it appears appears to getting pushed out of bounds. I believe it was Hump standing all alone
on the line of scrimmage. This is the short pass that Jameis overlooked
probably cause he made up his mind that he was gonna throw to Evans. There was a lone safety just watching Hump.
Now if hump had run some kind of route to occupy the safety, then a dump off pass to a back could have been productive. Now that would be an even better
play in my book. Agree with Dewey on the lack of screens since Sims left.
My undestanding of the four verticals is that there should have another receiver in the area vacated by Evans. So I would also fault the play design.
July 9th, 2019 at 7:50 pm
JMARK
The Bucs lost more players due to injury than any other team in the NFL. One reason the defense was so bad is Licht ignored the problems on defense and got bit in the Azz because he had no quality depth on the team.
July 9th, 2019 at 8:40 pm
Lord Cornelius I think Dirk was allergic to the redzone lol
July 9th, 2019 at 9:19 pm
Jameis also had to practice against that laughable Lovie Smith defense
July 10th, 2019 at 8:14 am
I don’t think Winston needs more “stimulation”