Bruce Arians Was Looking For “Another High-2-Shell, Run-The-Ball, Check-It-Down game.”

December 7th, 2021

Drooling

Joe thinks it’s a safe bet to predict what Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is going to do Sunday at The Licht House.

Play 2-high safeties against the Bucs and their offense seems to lose a gear or two. Play man-to-man and it’s like throwing gas on a fire.

Frazier is a smart coordinator and Bucco Bruce Arians even called him one of the greatest in the game this week.

Tonight, Arians spoke on his radio show (an official Buccaneers production) and happily shared how the Falcons played into the Bucs’ hopes and dreams on Sunday.

“We thought maybe we’d get another high-2-shell, run-the-ball, check-it-down game,” Arians said.

“And we got some shots down the field. They challenged us a little bit more and it was great to see. And I thought we responded extremely well.”

Indeed it was a beautiful thing, and very much what Bucs fans envisioned of a healthy Tampa Bay offense. Too many weapons to cover successfully. And when teams dare to man-cover receivers, then the Bucs strike hard and fast.

With the Bills down their stud No. 1 cornerback, Tre’Davious White, Joe certainly expects Frazier to serve up plenty of 2-high safety looks and double teams for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

24 Responses to “Bruce Arians Was Looking For “Another High-2-Shell, Run-The-Ball, Check-It-Down game.””

  1. EA Says:

    I’ll take Brady to Fournette all day, I have them both in my league and playoffs start this coming week.

  2. Mort Says:

    Not worried about the offense. More concerned about covering Diggs 1 on 1. CD is a good corner, but hopefully this isn’t Todd Bowled tbh I king he can one on one him like he did with Tyreek Hill. Game was over after one quarter Because of that.

  3. Medicated Pete Says:

    We’ll get the Bills best effort. Make Josh Allen uncomfortable and he makes mistakes. Pass Rush is the key

    Our offense will be fine

  4. Jerry Says:

    Never been really worried about the offense. Lead the league in passing yards and total touchdowns.

    It’s the defense, especially on 3rd downs, that has our chance of repeating in serious jeopardy. At times they just can’t seem to get off the field. And it’s not just 3rd and shorts they are giving up. They even get a big sack or tackle for loss on 1st and 2nd down, and then the very next play give up 3rd and long.. Championship teams do not do that.

  5. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    Both the Colts and the Patriots beat the Bills by running the ball down their throats! New England only passed TWICE in the entire game!
    The Bills IMHO are not as good as advertised.
    We have beaten 2 teams that have beaten them, the Colts and the Patriots. The Bills have lost 2 in a row, and after Sunday, it will be 3 in a row.
    To be honest, I was much more worried about the Colts than I am about the Bills.
    And, about Leslie Frazier ?
    LOL, he was run out of Minnesota, and they were glad to see him go.
    Not scared of him at all.

  6. SlyPirate Says:

    I noticed the Pats got a lot of push up the middle and the LBs came free on blitzes.

    The Bucs could be a nightmare with VV, Suh, and company.

  7. Francisco Guzman Says:

    All these games at this point are must win. No margin for error trying to get a top 2 seed.

  8. Swampbuc Says:

    Time for TJ, Scotty and BP to shine. And of course Gronky.

  9. alton d green Says:

    I don’t usually beg but Todd PLEASE double Diggs. One would think he learned his lesson after Tyreek scorched us for 200 yds in the 1st qtr. It was as though Bowles was taking a nap in the tent

  10. Defense Rules Says:

    Turnovers seem to play a big part in the Bills wins vs losses (as they do with most teams?). Bills sport a Turnover Differential of PLUS-9 (17 giveaways vs 26 takeaways) but they’ve been very up-and-down in that area.

    In their first 6 games, Bills went 4-2. They only gave the ball away 5 times, but had 16 takeaways. Very impressive. Interestingly they lost the only game (Steelers) that they lost the Turnover Battle 1-0. The other game they lost (Titans), they tied the Turnover Battle 1-1.

    In their last 6 games though Bills went 3-3. They gave the ball away 12 times, and had only 10 takeaways (and 5 of those were against the Jets). IOW, their ball security leaves something to be desired. Would love to see the Bucs control the game by winning both the Turnover Battle and the TOP Battle.

  11. BuucccNASTY Says:

    Sounds like some open lanes and another big game for Rob

  12. Buc4evr Says:

    The key will be our Defense controlling the RPO and keeping Allen contained. Hopefully our LBs can stop his outside runs.

  13. Lesko_Brandon Says:

    I’m concerned about our offense and defense. It feels like Brady struggles against Mcdermont’s defense eversince 2017. I believed the Brady/Belichick Patriot era only beat the Bills was due to the Patriots solid defense back then. Going forward, the Buvs defense is not as solid as the Patriots defense. So I’m kind of like….. nervous! Nonetheless, GO BUCS !

  14. kgh4life Says:

    @alton d green
    Covering Diggs with two DBs would be the right thing to do, that’s what Belicheck would have done. Knowing how stubborn Todd Bowles is i doubt he does that, he loves sticking to his scheme.

  15. PassingThru Says:

    It’s what I’ve been saying since the WFT loss; teams will be defending the Bucs with a high Cover 2 shell. For those who don’t follow football outside of the Bucs, this type of defense isn’t unique to teams facing Tampa Bay. Teams throughout the NFL have been deploying high Cover 2 shells whenever they face quality QBs.

    High Cover 2 shells take away “biscuit” football, but they are vulnerable to dink and dunk passing plays and a quality running game. It is imperative that the Bucs practice short to intermediate level routes until they have it down solid.

    The combo of Brady, Gronk, and the return of AB will make dink and dunk nearly unstoppable when facing high Cover 2 shells.

  16. PassingThru Says:

    The wind and bad coaching decisions neutralized Buffalo’s offense. We should be so lucky.

  17. captivajim Says:

    bills are a passing team & they will attack our secondary.. Pass rush needs to also contain Allen—he’s a big part of Bills running game who is big and strong..

    I expect Fournette & Rojo to have big game.. Gronk will make them change coverage from time to time.. Our O line is dam good–so TB12 will have time

    Bucs Win at Home !!!!

  18. adam from ny Says:

    lol at leslie frazier…remember him in minnesota…he’s ok at best

  19. Bob in valrico Says:

    There are holes in this type of cover two defense. Exploit the intermediate zone. use sideline and crossing routes in the 8 to 12 yard range. Even a deep sideline route could be occupy the safety and open up the middle of the field.

  20. Bob in valrico Says:

    Also watched Nagy and Trubiskie slice up our version of cover two by flooding the zone with three receivers and forcing defender to pick their poison.

  21. Listnfrmafar Says:

    First off, why would the Bill’s go two deep safeties if they suck at run defense? In Monday nights game I read Bill’s got into a nickle D like 6 times in that game, now that’s stupid D. Chris, I can’t remember Pat’s ever struggling against McDermott. Agree have to get after Josh Allen, in Mondays gave when under pressure he tends to take his eyes off the receivers. He is a very dangerous runner so he needs to be contained. I bet they attack JPP’s side all game if Allen decides to run. If they play cover 2, Bucs should run it up their arses like Pat’s and Indy did.

  22. Hodad Says:

    The Bills D took a physical pounding against the Pats, and now after a short week have to travel to Tampa. I’d pick up where the Pats left off, and come out running the ball. They don’t have a physical front four, but we have a very strong O line, lean on them. When the body blows add up, take the knock out shot to the head.

  23. kyle Says:

    we have all seen this defense play this year.. we are definitely going to give up plays.. im thinking shootout similar to bucs n.e. game

  24. Reach87 Says:

    I’m not sure Frazier is a bum (as some suggest) based on stats versus talent. He’s doing a good job. Also not sure we’ll see a whole lot of a cover 2 shell. If I were the bills I’d man ‘‘em up with a single high favoring Evans or whoever is split opposite. I’d stack the box with the extra safety and zone blitz on 2nd and 3rd down. If they do that Bucs could be challenged, especially if they play proper technique consistently. We should still win, as our line is cohesive and consistent. Not sure Bills stand a chance with a cover 2 shell as long as we don’t beat ourselves. Go Bucs!