Plays At The Goal Line

November 23rd, 2019

Personnel groupings.

This seems to be a mystery for a lot of folks but to Joe it is common sense.

In an article this week on ESPN.com, Jenna Laine had a detailed look at Bucs troubles and in particular, she cited offensive issues.

To be exact, one element Laine studied was playcalling at the goal line.

The Bucs’ best playcaller (Arians) isn’t the one calling plays, and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich made some questionable decisions. When the Bucs went to their hurry-up offense on first-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 3:47 to go, twice they handed the ball to Dare Ogunbowale, who had just five carries all season up until this point. They went up the middle twice for no gain. Why wasn’t Peyton Barber, their short-yardage back, or Jones in the game at that point?

“[The two-minute drill] is not either one of their forte,” Arians said, although Barber caught the game-winning touchdown on third-and-goal against the Arizona Cardinals last week with 1:47 to go, demonstrating he can be trusted in that situation.

At no point in that series did they attempt a quarterback sneak, despite Winston being 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. That might have been a function of his injured ankle, but that doesn’t mean he had to leap over the goal line. Heck, they could have trotted out 347-pound defensive tackle Vita Vea, as they did the previous week, and had him serve as a lead blocker or had him carry the ball. Instead, on third-and-goal, the Bucs lined up in shotgun, which puts the quarterback 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and Winston was intercepted on a fade route to Evans.

To Joe it is simple as can be why the Bucs don’t use America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, running the ball up Ryan Jensen’s rear end.

Jameis is terribly sloppy with the ball in short-yardage situations. So the reason the Bucs don’t use him there is that the coaches don’t trust him to take care of the ball.

68 Responses to “Plays At The Goal Line”

  1. J Says:

    More and more firepower used to show JW just ain’t the guy.

  2. Sport Says:

    Another reason why signing him to a long term deal is dicey.

    Sucks things aren’t working out for him here. He’ll be a great backup for someone next year. JW is at his best in the film room, wowing with his knowledge.

    On the field, mixed bag and untrustworthy.

    In BA I Trust!

  3. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    The bottom line is that the Bucs don’t execute……it doesn’t matter what the play call is or who the player…..
    Any RB on the team should be able to get a yard on two tries…..and then Jameis throws an interception on 3rd down…
    Matt Gay didn’t execute….we lost….it wasn’t the play call…..

    We don’t block well…

    I will say we could fool everybody by passing on 1st down in the red zone and in particular on that play…..but do you trust Jameis?

    Also, we seem to have some confusion getting the plays in….we have burned several unnecessary time outs…….It may be BA & Lefwitch communication issues.

    WE DON’T EXECUTE…..

  4. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Do I need to say it again?…….WE DON’T EXECUTE…..and when the non-execution causes the play to fail then it leaves the play call in question…..if we executed, then no reason to question.

  5. MadMax Says:

    Alright, im convinced we need to trade up for Chase Young….(franchise JW)

    He’s going around 2 or 3….what will it cost us? Our 1st and 2nd this year and 1st next year? Do it!!!!!!!!!

  6. MadMax Says:

    Bottom line, we paid for Arians and got this Leftwich who needs to go, and if Arians doesnt like it, he can go too!!!!

  7. bucs4ya Says:

    This entire season has been strange. BA not calling the plays, Rojo not being named the starter for a while, lack of use of the tight ends, not getting a Vet CB and cutting VHG after the trade deadline. They may not have wanted to say it but those that know football and watch this team closely knew this was a rebuilding and evaluation year all the way. I don’t think Jameis is going anywhere and that’s the reason BL has play calling duties. BA wanted to see if BL could handle it and what better way to find out then to give him the duties in a rebuilding year. The secondary has been getting baptized under fire to get them ready for next year.
    Maybe this is all just wishful thinking on my part but I think there’s too much experience on this staff for that not to be the case

  8. David Says:

    In today’s wide-open offenses, Most of the top teams- San Fran New England Baltimore Saints Packers Bills – play defense.

    Tampa NEEDS to draft Chase Young DE.

    Then get Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence next year

  9. Nptbuc Says:

    I’ve been saying that hold be used as a running back in those situations. He is a load and half foo every to get on the ground, he is quick and he has played the position ( in HS) so he knows how to protect the ball. I guess they won’t experiment with that because someone may accuse them of thinking out of the box? Much safer to run DareO or Barber up the middle because we have so much success with that huh? We have no one who has been proven capable of picking up a yard when needed so why change. One of many reasons that fans are getting tired of this vanilla team.

  10. Nptbuc Says:

    Vea NOT hold! Damn auto correct.

  11. Ndog Says:

    Fun fact Jameis has never fumbled on a QB sneak. In addition where are the plays where he has been “terribly sloppy” with the ball in short yardage situations. I’m not defending Jameis here I just want some examples cause I can’t think of literally any? To make a statement like that you better be pretty sure it’s accurate and I’m not so sure it is. Please enlighten us all with some examples.

  12. bucnole Says:

    at the end of the day. . . the pay calling and player groupings just sux. . . we hav an OC that is learning on the job

  13. JimmyJack Says:

    I gotta call this nitpicking at this point. Joe you just wrote a article the other day about our red zone efficiency so don’t forget that. And while we have a good ranking in red zone let’s also remember how abysmal we were in September.

    Overall we have shown vast improvement in that area and Dare has been part of it with two TDs of his own(not bad production on onlybe7 carries)I’m sorry but nobody comained when Dare was used near the goalline and got in. Only criticizing it now when it doesn’t work seems a bit two Faced.

  14. JimmyJack Says:

    NDog…….I do remember one occasion when Winston went to stretch the ball over the plane of the goalline and for no good reason it just slipped right out of his hands like it was a bar of soap.

    Going back a couple years on that one and can’t remember no more details. Heck it may have even been a preseason game. Remember them doing a review to see if the ball crossed before it just slipped out.

    There’s one for ya…….Who else got one?

  15. Tye Says:

    Since Arians is suppose to be the great QB maven, chalk Winston up as being uncoachable and dump him, get Jacob Eason or Jake Fromm, bring in a vet (Philip Rivers, Nick Foles, Alex Smith, ?) And use the draft and free agency to turn winston investment into bolstering o-line and pass rushers…
    Teams go from worst to 1st but not with erratic QBs.. they need someone who practices Ball security!

  16. Defense Rules Says:

    Excuse #447: Coaches don’t trust Jameis to take care of the ball near the goal line. So instead of a handoff or 1-yard QB sneak, they line him up 7 yards deep so he can throw an INT. Makes perfect sense.

  17. Ndog Says:

    JimmyJack we need more than that sir, game, year, team anything other than yeah it happened one time?

  18. Season Is Over Says:

    Why does Winston always lose the real game in the first half?

  19. Defense Rules Says:

    TBBF … I agree with you about EXECUTION, but a well-executed bad play-call can fail just as well. Having the right play called for the defense they’re facing (with options of course), having the best personnel package in there for that particular play, AND having that package execute the play to near-perfection is all required.

    It often looks to me like all it takes is for one of those three to go awry and the play fails. Example: going for a deep bomb when you’re behind 27-17 in the 4th quarter with over 5 minutes to go facing 4th-and-10 seems like a low percentage playcall to me (and yes it happened in the Saints game, the pass was intercepted for a Pick-6 & the game was over at that point). COULD we have won? I doubt it, BUT it’d be nice to at least have a fighting chance.

    The playcalls leading up to that 4th-and-10 were just as important though IMO. We had a 1st-and-10 on the TAM-33 so we go deep pass … incomplete. Follow that with 2 short passes to Cam Brate … both incomplete. After the 4th-and-10 Pick-6, Jameis throws 7 straight passes to move us to the Saints’ 1-yard line. He was 1-for-3 on deep passes (for a total of 20 yards), and 2-for-4 on short passes for 34 yards. (Saints helped us with 20 yards in penalties on that drive). With 3:47 to go at the 1-yard line, we wasted 1 minute with 2 failed rushes and 1 short pass that was intercepted. Two INTs in the span of about 2.5 minutes sealed the deal obviously.

    The bottom line is that the whole thing is just frustrating. Losing sucks, but losing when you play poorly and continually shoot yourself in the foot really sucks.

  20. Jean Lafitte Says:

    The ball gets dislodged from tiny hands too easy.

  21. Ndog Says:

    Again Jean examples please of him being “terribly sloppy” with the ball in short yardage situations?

    This is the kind of stuff that drives me crazy. People, in this case the writer of this article, can just make stuff up and it becomes true even though there is no evidence of what is being said. So again some examples please, if some are found then the theory is good if not it’s just more made-up garbage.

  22. Jean Lafitte Says:

    rumblin’, stumblin’, fumblin’

  23. Ndog Says:

    Like usual Jean you are completely useless, providing zero value.

    This entire article is a prime example of piss poor journalism.

  24. DooshLaRue Says:

    Ndog Says:
    November 23rd, 2019 at 4:44 pm
    JimmyJack we need more than that sir, game, year, team anything other than yeah it happened one time?
    _________

    No ndipsh!t, WE don’t need more than that.
    Only you, the ultimate Nuthugger, needs more than that.

    Anyone who watches the games knows without a doubt JayMiss is a joke.

  25. Buc believer Says:

    YAWN….. Real tired of the Bucs being the Bucs

  26. Ndog Says:

    Actually when you make a statement you actually have to provide facts to validate it or it is nothing more than an opinion. Which is all this is but that is what you guys like to do, spin opinion as fact. And please by all means keep making up cute names for me, it doesn’t make you more correct. In fact it just further illustrates how you actually nothing of any value to add.

  27. JimmyJack Says:

    NDog give me a break. I don’t have to provide facts after I specifically told you I got no details since it was years ago. You’re just being a ass to hound me for facts after I clearly told you I had none.

    If you don’t believe what I said cause my recollection is faded, fine, that’s fair. But don’t be a ass about it and mock what I said. Just tell me you don’t believe me and move on. Sheesh

  28. Terry Says:

    Give the ball to Ve’s on short and goal

  29. Terry Says:

    Vea

  30. Ndog Says:

    Actually no JimmyJack you don’t have to provide anything cause you didn’t make the claim the author of this article did. They are the one that put out this unprofessional article, unless they can provide validation.

  31. Dapostman Says:

    So they don’t trust Winston to QB sneak at the GL but they trust him enough to pass on a very tight field at the GL? This is what I don’t trust,

    An experienced coach who calls two timeouts in a row.
    A coach who takes a penalty to back up a kicker on a FG try on purpose.
    A coach who challenges an OPI which rarely get overturned yet doesn’t challenge a 4th down spot.
    A coach who doesn’t play a young CB coming off a good game.

    I’m so over Larry, Curly and Moe calling the shots. Too bad Jim Harbaugh wasn’t available. Maybe next time.

  32. Dom>Licht Says:

    Fire Dork Fire Smitty IT IS ALL COACHING!! Got the QB whisper… LOL and the largest coaching staff in the league…. Licht sucks … players suck… blow this thing up we can win 3-5 games a year with JOE at QB! NFL please bring back the black outs !!! And Only Pay the teams TV money if the have A good enough team to meet the blackout rules!!!! That will prevent the glazers from not giving an F!!!

  33. Jean Lafitte Says:

    The losing is so infectious our fans are becoming rabid towards each other. Makes me wonder if that’s how things feel out here, how are things in the locker room? Can Arians get these guys to put together a game plan that utilizes their strengths? Their strength’s are specifically Evans, Godwin, Jones, Brate, Barber …keep the chains movin’. Let’s give the studs more playing time. Let’s use the rest as decoys. I’m positive that Joe would agree. No more Perriman, Miller, and Dare.

  34. Dom>Licht Says:

    This site is becoming as bad as the play on the field.

  35. unbelievable Says:

    ndog is pretty much correct, though there was definitely that one time that jimmyjack mentioned. (I don’t remember which game / season, but it happened).

    Other than that, you are correct, he has never fumbled on a short yardage play like that. No idea what J0e is talking about.

    Winstons fumbles all happen while he’s in the pocket, NOT when he’s running with the ball.

    And this isn’t something new to the Arians regime. Koetter also never called a QB sneak, despite Winston being surprisingly deceptive and strong when he runs.

  36. JimmyJack Says:

    Sounds good to me Ndog. Only reason I did say that was your postade me try to remember and I couldn’t think of any other plays except that one……Which like I said may of even been a preseason game.

    And at the end I asked if anyone else remembered any. All us being hard core fans could easily recall a few plays if there had been some……but I’ve seen no responses yet. And you know what folks around hear love to call out Winston’s flaws so I’m guessing you are righter the Joe on this one.

  37. Tye Says:

    Jean, if you pay close attention to these post, it is obvious it is mainly Bucs fans vs Jameis fans…

    Bucs fans don’t care who It is or what position they play, if you suck and are a detriment to this team, they will call you out.. no favoritism no pulling punches.. Bucs fans want to win and enjoy the season and are passionate about getting there…

    Jameis fans just want to keep Jameis no matter how many loses stack up.. they would rather lose with Winston than to win with anyone else… It is a form of idol worship.. they can’t see any fault he has.. to him is is the greatest of all time and they will argue it to the bitter end…

    In these post anyway, the Jameis fans are 3-4 against most others as I can tell and they may be the same guy using different screen names or buddies that hang out..

    Most that I know are getting ready to see JW hit the pavement and hope to never hear of him again!

  38. Hoops Says:

    It’s crazy to me that Leftwich isn’t putting Brate in when they’re down at the goal line and red zone. 9 times out of 10 he’s not in there. Why? Who knows. You think the OC would be smart enough to get him in there. I think his propensity for tds would be reason enough.

  39. DB55 Says:

    Quick question, outside of Godwin last week has anyone made a play after the catch or on a run?

  40. Bculaw Says:

    I am a big JW supporter, but I’m to the point that I don’t care who we have at QB. We need to ditch the 4 vertical scheme and install something that puts less strain on the O-line and QB. Protecting forb5 and 7 step drops so our QB can Chuck it 20 yards down field into tight windows is not a recipe for consistency, IMO. Spread the field. Throw some slants and drags. Lean on the RB as a pass catcher. Find a QB that can be efficient distributing the ball. And for heaven’s sake find some CBs and Safeties that can freaking cover!!!!

    I honestly think the pieces are in place on offense (even with Winston), but we make things SO hard with this scheme.

  41. Bird Says:

    Joe burrows is gsrbage

  42. Ndog Says:

    Anyone watching this Oregon game? First quarter and Herbert already has 3 points inaccurate throws with a extremely clean pocket.

  43. Ndog Says:

    Delay of game on Herbert.

  44. JP_09 Says:

    He also has 0 turnovers to and his team still in the game in the first quarter….

    There’s no way you can justify paying Winston 30 million a year and still be able to fix the other holes on the team.

    Bucs problems

    1-secondary
    2-Winston
    3-OL (still rank mid pack in the NFL)
    4-DL (pass rushers)

    The secondary at least still has the excuse of being young.

    I’d take my chances in grooming a new QB while bolstering the rest of the roster with the money saved from not retaining Winston.

  45. Ndog Says:

    Oregon has a great running game

  46. Ndog Says:

    It’s not hard to not have TOs when you have all day to throw and your team runs the ball or throws the ball sideways 70% of the time.

  47. Gooberton Says:

    This season has proved that i was previously just a Sheep.

  48. JP_09 Says:

    It’s also not hard to realize the opposing teams #1 CB (Sherman) is matched up against you RB (Barber, who also is suspect as a receiver) so pre-snap read tells you don’t throw the ball that way but here we are in year 5 still unable to make pre-snap reads.

    Yes I know Barber ran a horrible route but that’s why you make the PRE-SNAP read and don’t throw the f-nig ball his way.

    What’s your excuse for those continuous decisions?

  49. Ndog Says:

    My take is the player should run the correct route.

    By the way another inaccurate throw with a clean pocket from Herbert.

  50. Ndog Says:

    3rd and 19 they don’t even get Herbert a chance to throw the ball downfield. They don’t seem to have much faith on him. Hmmmm

  51. Ndog Says:

    Man just watching these college games just reconfirms how outdated and non-creative our offense is.

  52. JP_09 Says:

    So when you have Evans, Godwin and Howard or Brate on the field your still going to blame the player who should’ve been the 4th read. This happens all the damn time he can’t make the pre snap reads necessary to be successful but you go ahead and pay the man 30 million and keep b$tching about the rest of the team

  53. JP_09 Says:

    I do agree with the outdated offense though, definitely need a reliable quick receiver who can run drags and continually get separation across the middle

  54. Ndog Says:

    This Darby WR from ASU is the guy I want from this game. Man he has already caught a bomb and then took a short pass and took it 49 yards.

  55. Ndog Says:

    Bro the read is the read, the real question is why does this team make so many mistakes. Wrong routes all the time, false starts, dropped passes, blown coverages, bad snaps, poor decisions on throws, it’s all of them bro but again why, just why?

  56. JimmyJack Says:

    DB55…..To answer you question, yes. Howard and RoJo on a few screens made some plays & RoJo made a few plays after the catch on a couple flat routes against Arizona.

  57. JimmyJack Says:

    Anybody watching the fight tonight? This Wilder dude is exciting. Gotta have to plan around seeing his next big bout. He gonna shred this guy tonight.

  58. Ndog Says:

    Another inaccurate throw by Herbert with great protection. And that was after a deep shot on a throw he should never have thrown.

  59. Ndog Says:

    Two balls in a row by Herbert that should have been picked.

  60. Ndog Says:

    Herbert held the ball FOREVER and took a sack on 3rd and 7.

  61. Ndog Says:

    Herbert just threw a HORRIBLE pick.

  62. Ndog Says:

    This Darby man now he’s a player!!!

  63. Ndog Says:

    Herbert just threw ANOTHER HORRIBLE pick.

  64. MadMax Says:

    Yeah Ndog, im down on Herbert too….If we could land Darby somehow, man…huge upgrade for our 3rd WR!

  65. Ndog Says:

    Jalen Hurts just threw a 96 yard pick 6.

  66. Ndog Says:

    Herbert TD throw on a huge busted coverage.

  67. ElBajito43 Says:

    NDog u Suck Cock

  68. Pryda...Sec147 Says:

    you Control the line of scrimmage you win. We need to build the trenches!! Oh ya Jameis is getting extended