Coaching Up The Gang Of 5
October 1st, 2019
“The Sage”
BY IRA KAUFMAN
JoeBucsFan.com columnist
Presented By
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Coach ’em up and let’s see what happens.
That was the mantra for Bruce Arians when he took this job and the results through the first quarter of the season are quite encouraging.
Young players who had struggled to establish themselves at the pro level are flourishing, led by the Class of 2018.
After a second consecutive 5-11 finish triggered a coaching change, players like Vita Vea, Ronald Jones, Carlton Davis, Alex Cappa and Jordan Whitehead welcomed a fresh start. Concerns were creeping in that Jason Licht’s Gang of 5 final draft class under Dirk Koetter’s watch was a big, fat nothing burger.
Not anymore.
The Bucs are one game out of first place in the NFC South heading to New Orleans and the 2018 draft class is leading the way.
Vita Vea
Yes, coaching matters.
Vea wasn’t drafted to be the second coming of Warren Sapp. But while his pass-rush skills are modest, he is a huge factor behind the NFL’s stingiest run defense.
Opponents are averaging only 59 yards per game on the ground and 2.9 yards per carry — tops in the league on both counts. Vea and Ndamukong Suh have proven to be an imposing tandem inside on early downs, giving Shaq Barrett countless opportunities to showcase his startling pass-rush skills.
If Hollywood ever undertakes a third version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” it would be wise to start with Ronald Jones. He is running like a man possessed after a rookie season that could charitably be described as disappointing.
Is that really Ronald Jones?
Jones currently ranks as the No. 17 rusher in the league with 234 yards and his 4.7 average is a vast improvement over last year’s 1.9 mark. How good has Jones been? The only back in the NFL with more yards on fewer carries is Saquon Barkley.
Small Steps, Big Steps
Davis showed some promise as a rookie cornerback. He has the length and aggressiveness to develop into a dependable defender and he currently ranks second on the team with 22 tackles. While he remains a work in progress, Davis is improving under the tutelage of cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross.
What can we say about Mr. Cappa, except well done, young man? He couldn’t beat out Caleb Benenoch at right guard last fall, which didn’t say much for Cappa’s initial transition from Division II Humboldt State to the pros. One year later, he’s been a terror in the trenches.
Just ask Aaron Donald, the NFL’s premier defensive tackle. With some help from center Ryan Jensen, Cappa neutralized Donald on Sunday, frustrating the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
After the game, Donald was asked whether the Rams put Winston under enough pressure.
“No, I know I didn’t,” Donald said. “I just have to try and find ways to free myself up, but I still have to watch the film and see what happened.”
What happened was Alex Cappa.
Whitehead just notched his first NFL interception, setting the tone for an opportunistic defense against Jared Goff. He has won a starting safety job through better technique and film study.
If you consider Jones a starter at this point, and it’s reasonable to do so, that makes five starters from the 2018 draft class. Credit goes to the players for their diligence and a new coaching staff intent on putting these young pups in position to succeed.
Does coaching matter?
Asked and answered.
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October 1st, 2019 at 2:35 pm
I know the Joe’s hate the PFF tribe, and I’ve soured on them certainly, but here’s an interesting tidbit. They have Chris Godwin as their highest “graded” wide reciever and Rojo as their highest “graded” runningback as of right now.
October 1st, 2019 at 2:47 pm
Jason Licht gets a lot of hate, but his drafts and free agent signings are looking much better.
Some interesting Buc stats:
Jamies is #5 in the NFL in total yardage and is number #1 in the NFL over the past three weeks in passer ratings(week one was not a good one for him obviously).
Bucs are #1 in rush defense, but #31 in pass defense.
Godwin is #3 in receiving yards, while Mike Evans is #6.
Bucs are #8 in passing & #15 in rushing
Bucs are 4th in scoring offense
Bucs are #7 in turnover margin
and of course Shaq Barrett is #1 in sacks
October 1st, 2019 at 2:54 pm
You were doing fine until you invoked their “grades.” They are worthless in Joe’s eyes. Their stats are OK. Have zero use for their “grades.”
October 1st, 2019 at 2:55 pm
The day we hired BA was the day I knew we were gonna be alot better. Look at us today!!! This is our year
October 1st, 2019 at 2:56 pm
And the saints can’t stand a chance with these Bucs
October 1st, 2019 at 2:58 pm
Supporting Ocala stats:
Bucs thru 4 games.
1st in rushing defense for both total yards and average per attempt.
7th in passing completion percentage, 5th in interceptions, 10th in sacks, 9th in passer rating against.
Last year 24th in rush yards allowed, 25th in rush yards average against, Last in completion percentage, 26th in interceptions, 19th in sacks, last in passer rating.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:01 pm
Not sure if Davis has improved or not. The secondary looked very solid against the Panthers / 49ers and very suspect vs the Giants & Rams. Although with the Giants game it was just 2 blown plays that made up almost 1/2 of Daniel Jones passing stats. Part of the risk/reward nature of this defense.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:03 pm
FYI, the game is on NFL Network right now.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:08 pm
We are still getting better stack up the wins boys
October 1st, 2019 at 3:08 pm
Great article Ira! But please! And I mean this- keep picking the Bucs to lose. I consider it bad luck when you pick them to win, and good luck when you pick them to lose, going all the way back to the SuperBowl and yes I know the Nick Pugliese story. Doesn’t matter.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Let´s finish the season to make this kind of statements…..7 days ago 99% of Bucs fans, includinge me, Joe, and Ira were pretty pissed off with game plan, with secondary with the kicker, with Arians, with Leftwich with Bowles and with GM.
So, c´mmon now, just chill and wait…..Patience……
October 1st, 2019 at 3:23 pm
I wouldn’t say the saints don’t stand a chance. Its still going to be a tough game imo.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:29 pm
Vita Vea is a force!
October 1st, 2019 at 3:35 pm
Given how well the Saints defense stymied the Cowboys Sunday night, I think this week will be a true test of how well the Bucs coaching staff does in game planning. If the Oline can handle the Saints pass rush like they did against the Rams, and the D can shut down Kamara like they have Barkley, McCaffrey, and Gurley, I will truly be ready to jump on the bandwagon.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:35 pm
The Bucs are giving up too many points still. I hope that the number of points given up trends down over the next three quarters of the season. Still we are 2-2 first quarter (just like last year)
October 1st, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Troll #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! will not like this article.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:50 pm
@PSLBob – agreed. The Saints D shut down the cowboys completely, and their offense has been looking deadly all season.
This is going to be an incredibly tough game, but Brees being out definitely helps our defense immensely. Offense needs to be aggressive and smart. Let’s hope Jameis continues his play from the last 3 weeks.
October 1st, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Last year’s draft is definitely starting to look like an excellent one. Like Lord, I don’t know that Davis is special at all though. They got absolutely torched last week in the secondary. The Carolina game seemed to be more the fact that Cam couldn’t throw most passes within 5 yards of his receivers. Jones was a rookie QB in his first state and was able to march up and down the field with ease.
October 1st, 2019 at 4:13 pm
Agree with others that maybe this negativity thing is a net positive lol.
I sure as h3ll went into the Rams game with absolutely no expectations. I need to re condition my mind to thinking we’re going to get destroyed in New Orleans.
October 1st, 2019 at 4:30 pm
WOW!!! This coaching staff sure has revealed a LOT about the difference poor development can have on good talent.
October 1st, 2019 at 4:41 pm
BetterBucFan……I think you post just prooved why PFF grades suck out loud. And no offense to RoJo because he is certainly good but they are considering him the best RB in football? Straight up nonsense.
Thanks for providing further proof why anybody using them grades for anthing should be totally disregarded.
October 1st, 2019 at 4:55 pm
Thrilled with all that was mentioned in Joe’s lead in.
So my expectations going forward have been reset a bit from where they were after the humiliating Giants game.
But I haven’t whiplashed to crazy optimism….yet. LMAO
Seriously what are our expectations for New Orleans? Like everyone I hope for a win but that’s not necessary to keep me on the bandwagon. I just want to see the Bucs showup!
If the Bucs play well but still lose…I’m OK. I just don’t want to see any more choke jobs. As has been pointed out the Saints are one of the top 4-5 teams in the league right now. We can beat them but it won’t be easy even if we play our best.
If we play our best and the Saints “beat” us I’ll move quickly past the disappointment. If OTOH we LOSE the game…that will upset me.
October 1st, 2019 at 4:59 pm
“No. 17 rusher in the league with 234 yards and his 4.7 average”
Give him those two runs called back by penalty and it would be 308 yards with 5.9 yard average. He would be 4th leading RB in Average yards per carry.
October 1st, 2019 at 5:05 pm
If the Bucs win this year that means Licht is not a dumbass after all.
October 1st, 2019 at 5:07 pm
Hopefully some of these corners just need some more time in the oven…. also not high in any of them.. but even for these 2nd year guys you can almost conifer it year 1.5… corners can take a while to develop… a couple of them don’t test bad physically. ..
October 1st, 2019 at 5:08 pm
“If the Bucs win this year that means Licht is not a dumbass after all.”
“You are what your record says you are”, Bill Parcells “The Big Tuna”
October 1st, 2019 at 5:09 pm
It’s obvious the Bucs are selling out to stop the run. What does that mean? Well other areas are going to be weaker. The middle of the field, deep passes are almost always going to be one on one. Same philosophy as our beloved Bucs of the Super Bowl and playoff years only a completely different way of doing things. Stop the run make the other team one dimensional. The old Bucs D would make you dink and dunk it down the field, but had deep coverage with the cover two. Our current D is daring you to throw it deep even though it is usually single coverage or with little safety help.
October 1st, 2019 at 5:13 pm
Ghost……5.9 sounds good but it looks generic compared to Henderson’s numpers from last year. Quit trying to lipstick the 🐖. If RoJo can’t hit that 9 ypc bar that Henderson set we are wasting our time.
October 1st, 2019 at 5:17 pm
For the fans who love blue collar you’re going to love the trenches this year. Dog fights every week….I love it! Secondary will be on an island every week let’s hope they have survivor instincts. Channel your inner pit bull guys in the secondary because the ball IS coming your way!
October 1st, 2019 at 5:25 pm
Hank Rearden Says:
October 1st, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Troll #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! will not like this article.
YES This should be his new nickname so I can call him out without getting my posts deleted. Don’t know why Joe protects him so much
October 1st, 2019 at 5:27 pm
Great Article Ira. I enjoyed the perspective as usual. Now get John Lynch in the HOF! 🙂
October 1st, 2019 at 5:42 pm
@jimmyjack I could be happy with 6 YPC and the Bucs would be successful.
Nobody ever expected anyone to put up Darrell Henderson numbers except DH.
October 1st, 2019 at 6:13 pm
Caleb Benenoch cut by the Patriots. heh
October 1st, 2019 at 6:33 pm
Judging by Ronald Jones performance thus far, it is quiet clear that Dirk Koetter and his staff was indifferent towards Jones. Koetter decided that if Ronald Jones struggles then so be it, next man up. Some players, no matter what rounds their drafted sometimes need more attention than others, in Ronald Jones’s case he needed to be taught the fundamentals of playing the running back position in the NFL.
October 1st, 2019 at 6:41 pm
I remember hearing from you fans were only optimistic because of the coaching staff and this site didnt think that was enough to affect change.
You all spent more time in the offseason giving fans a reason to be worried more than reason to be optimistic
October 1st, 2019 at 7:03 pm
Kgh4life: I don’t know how you can be ‘indifferent’ on a high 2nd round pick but if they were then they don’t deserve a job.
October 1st, 2019 at 7:27 pm
Okay, I admittedly launched the twitter feed dedicated to countering all the negativity in here. But I have to say, Joe isn’t giving me much fodder to slam this site post-win. So I’m giving credit where credit is due…it’s been a pleasure reading these posts of late. Great stuff.
That said, BucEmUp should feel proud because he earned our first award D BagCOMMENTER OF THE WEEK! A hearty congratulations!!!
October 1st, 2019 at 7:46 pm
Lets not forget to go Vote….#3 is up for the FEDEX Air/Ground award.
October 1st, 2019 at 8:02 pm
Thank you AZBucs.
I just went and voted for him
October 1st, 2019 at 8:31 pm
Todd that’s OK you still have plenty of negative dwelling commenters around these parts…….Oh wait……Most of them seem to have vanished. I guess their interest in Our team hinges on their own opinions being proved right.
October 1st, 2019 at 8:55 pm
Can u imagine being such a pthetic “fan” that realist!!!!!!!! Pittstain and bucbandit are absolutely silent when they actually win which inspires zero complaints about the people they bash. And are literally waiting for the team or Winston to fail so they can spread their pathetic lifestyle
October 1st, 2019 at 9:54 pm
It’s weird how quite Bucnut, Pittshore and the rest of the negative Nancys have been since Sunday.
October 1st, 2019 at 10:29 pm
Kudos on the Invasion of the Body Snatchers pic, Ira. One of my all time favorite flicks.
October 1st, 2019 at 10:32 pm
Rojo & Cappa becoming productive is huge for the 2018 draft class……I was never worried about Vea……the jury is still out for Carlton Davis and it is not looking too good for MJ Stewart……we can add Justin Watson and that class looks really good…..and we can’t forget about Whitehead……this could end up being one of the best Buc drafts.
Much too soon to tell with this year’s class…..you have to give rookies a chance to develop at least a year.
October 1st, 2019 at 10:36 pm
Realist is right, 2019 is proving what the real fans know. It was coaching all along. How can you call yourself a fan and want your team to lose so you could be right.
October 2nd, 2019 at 12:28 am
Something you omitted was the resurgence of Will Goldston. He is playing a solid tackle. The added beef and the switch to a tackle works for him. Just another missused player… thank God Smitty is gone!!
October 2nd, 2019 at 4:59 am
Frankly, I think we need to lay off the GM. I’m going to just watch and cheer the team on. If they win that’s great. If they don’t they don’t. It’s a tough league.
October 2nd, 2019 at 7:22 am
Great article.
October 2nd, 2019 at 9:16 am
I haven’t got off the Bucs fan wagon since 1979 when I found out there was a NFL team 75 miles south west of me. I have attended plenty of home games including the first one played at RJS. Bucs played the Bears and Bucs won. This game is going to be a true competition. That has always been the case between these two teams. Sean Payton cheats, and I hope BA and staff have talked to the players about it. Tony Dungy recognized it and quietly warned his players. Bucs have played against 2 teams for years—the opponent and zebs.