Formation Frequency Reveals Critical Receiver Need
April 23rd, 2022
Hands-on with offense?
Now here is a dynamic we won’t understand until the season begins.
How much will new Bucs coach Todd Bowles keep his mitts off the offense? Bowles has hinted he’ll spend time in offensive meetings and will make adjustments. This frightens Joe because there is no need to tinker with one of the best offenses in football. Why?
Joe confesses to being triggered earlier this week hearing ESPN personality and former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland state clearly state on local radio (without citing a source) that stud Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin will not return until after Thanksgiving.
Yeah, last year the Bucs dealt with headcase Antonio Brown missing a lot of time and losing Godwin for the final three games plus the playoffs. Rob Gronkowski picked up a lot of the slack. But who knows if he returns?
Joe is comfortable leaning on Breshad Perriman, the immortal Cyril Grayson, inconsistent Tyler Johnson and former Bucco Bruce Arians doghouse tenant Scotty Miller — for a few games. But 10 or 12? No, Joe is not comfortable with that at all.
(Joe isn’t comfortable with Jaelon Darden, either.)
According to football handicapper and stat head Warren Sharp, only two teams last year ran more three-wide sets than the Bucs, even with all missed time of Godwin and Grown. That did not stop offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich (Arians) from using three-wide sets.
Will Bowles allow Leftwich to continue that?
This is why Joe is starting to lean toward hoping the Bucs draft a wide receiver at No. 27. If Gronk doesn’t return and Godwin is out until after folks stuff their gullets with turkey, fixings and booze, that is quite a few games for Tom Brady to bank on Mike Evans and Russell Gage and a collection of castaways and hangers-on.
teams with most pass sets of 3+ WRs last yr:
1. BUF – 646
2. LAR – 607
3. TB – 595
4. PIT – 588
5. KC – 584
6. CIN – 560teams with fewest pass sets of 3+ WRs:
27. NE – 407
28. CLE – 358
29. NO – 351
30. SF – 347
31. MIA – 261
32. ATL – 237— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 22, 2022
April 23rd, 2022 at 8:11 am
Toney from the giants is being shopped. Maybe throw a 2nd rounder to them and see if he can jump in?
April 23rd, 2022 at 8:17 am
Agree if gronk doesnt return
But he will return
April 23rd, 2022 at 8:26 am
Other than Atlanta the bottom tier had shatty QB’s. Why did Licht pay so much to Godwin if he was missing 1/2 the season and not knowing if he will comeback 100%? The offense scored over 30 pts a game because the had to, Bowles should probably more attention to 3rd down defense where he is SUPPOSED to be the expert.
April 23rd, 2022 at 8:36 am
Licht should be hell bent on picking a receiver early. If Olave is gone I’m fine with Dotson if all of the first round worthy edge rushers and corners are gone, but we gotta have a receiver within the first three rounds. Godwin is great when healthy, but fragile (Chris is a good kid, but missing significant time three years running means you are fragile) and cannot be relied upon. After Gage we have no starting caliber receivers on the roster. Hell, let’s trade for a receiver, I don’t care, but it’s dismal once you get passed third string. Weapons for Brady!
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:12 am
BA tried to make Miller something he’s not. He’s a take the top off guy. When it didn’t work out he basically benched Miller. Poorly played by BA IMO.
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:18 am
BPA – IDL, Edge, CB, WR or Zion Johnson…
We also need a TE, RB, LB and maybe another S.
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:20 am
In reality you players dictate the formation and play calls. If we had 2 Rob gronks we would probably line up in 12 more often. I believe that the strength of the wide receivers led to the 3 wide formations.
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:31 am
Defensive end needs to be upgraded in free agency and not through the draft.
We are in a win now mode and edge rushers do not produce immediately unless they are something extremely rare like LT when they are rookies.
Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney are both free agents who are still available.
Suh also needs to be resigned.
Jason Licht needs to go to work on the cap to get veteran DE help and Suh.
If the Bucs do that, then they can focus on BPA in the draft, and if a WR like Olave or Watson comes available, then you take them without any hesitation because the reality of the matter is, Chris Godwin is injury prone.
Because Godwin is injury prone, his body has shown that he does not have the best structural integrity for the NFL and because of that history his risk of reinjury on a surgically repaired knee is very high.
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:38 am
Using a premium draft pick to address a 10 game need is the epitome of shortsided thinking. Evans, Gage and Godwin are all locked up for the next three years. This would be Matt Millen territory!!
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:42 am
Miller spent 7 games on IR in 2021, what “doghouse are you even talking about Joe??? More imaginary beef, cmon bro
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:42 am
Do not waste your first round pick on a #4 WR. That player may play 25-30% of the time, which is about 10 plays a game and maybe he gets thrown to 2-3 times a game.
If you’re concerned Godwin will not be back and our current depth is not sufficient, then the Bucs need a 1 year rent a player — not a wasted 1st rd draft pick. Pick a WR on day 3 if you need a WR and get rid of some our WRs.
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:44 am
10-15 plays a game
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:48 am
Alec Pierce out of Cincinnati 6’3 211, 4.41 40.5 vertical, he moves like a faster Kupp, hopefully he’s still at 60
April 23rd, 2022 at 9:59 am
Outside of Pittsburg, those are the 5 best teams in football.
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:00 am
#4 on whose board yours?
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:04 am
Well said @ Leighroy!
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:10 am
Lost Joe. No fifth or sixth round pick. They’ll trade back before they take a WR at 27.
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:12 am
You’ve gotta be sh!ting me. Does that say MIA at 31?
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:13 am
Not the no 27 pick. Starting wr can be had in the 3rd or 4th this year. Too much talent in the trenches this year to pass on a big ugly in the 1st
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:16 am
WR round 1
April 23rd, 2022 at 10:46 am
You can get a good receiver in the 3rd round. You draft a receiver in the first round he should be a day one starter. I guess when Godwin comes back he will be second string?
April 23rd, 2022 at 11:25 am
To think they traded up for Darden what a waste.
April 23rd, 2022 at 11:28 am
I Truly Believe Darden is going to be fine he was a small body wise an School wise WR last year was his adjustment year it’s not his fault he was throw to the wolves before he was ready now he’s had time to adjust to speed of NFL an put on some much needed Muscle an Weight I think JD1 will be a sleeper to watch for I think he will learn how an when to use his agility let these young men develop not everyone is NFL ready he was 4th round draft pick
April 23rd, 2022 at 11:32 am
If Coach Bowles comes into Byron Leftwich’s office and says, “hey, run the ball more, the Rams and Saints keeping beating us because we’re not playing physical enough!” I would have zero problem with that.
Besides, a 45-year-old quarterback shouldn’t be throwing for 5,000 yards.
April 23rd, 2022 at 11:58 am
Brady needs 5500 passing yards to reach 90000 just saying. Thats about 325 yards a game say 125 rushing yards 450 total offense thats about right.
April 23rd, 2022 at 12:04 pm
SIGN DEEBO!! GRAB HIM…GRAB FLOWERS AND HIGHTOWER GET RID IF DRAFT PICKS! BRADY WONT BE AROUND LONG !! UNFINISHED BUISSNESS LFGO
April 23rd, 2022 at 12:29 pm
Chris mentioned it earlier, I wouldn’t be against picking up K.T if he can be had for a decent deal. Maybe a 2nd next year, and a 4th the year after? Offer up our 1 this year for their 2nd to sweeten the deal? He’s explosive with the ball, might even be able to take over return duties from Darden, and it wouldn’t hurt to have him on the roster to help make a potential transition to Trask more comfortable.
April 23rd, 2022 at 1:05 pm
Simmons, maybe you should explain to Brady just how many yards a forty five year old QB is allowed to throw.
I’m sure he’s all ears and taking notes.
April 23rd, 2022 at 1:57 pm
Jarvis Landry?
April 23rd, 2022 at 1:59 pm
The vast majority of those teams ran a ton of three wide, because they couldn’t run the football to save their souls. The bucs can run, and with a vast upgrade at right tackle, should run more. Remember all the talk last off season, about the bucs running a two TE offense? It never happened. With the Godwin injury, and lack of talented WR depth, it makes perfect sense to run a two TE offense this year. This of course is contingent on Gronk returning, which isn’t a forgone conclusion by any means.
April 23rd, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Sorry right guard, not tackle
April 23rd, 2022 at 2:35 pm
But if you draft a WR at 27 youre getting a guy who probably thinks he can be a #1 WR in the league. And then your going to ask him to be a bench player once Chris gets back? I dont like that dynamic one bit.
Not to mention we got bounced last year because we were manhandled in the trenches on both sides of the ball by the Rams. Not sure how any sane Buc fan can ignore this.
If this team is truely all in then drafting a guy who will be a backup in January is completely assinine.
I do agree we could use a better 4th option over Perriman but if the only way we can find somebody is with our best pick thats an organizational failure.
April 23rd, 2022 at 2:52 pm
Belle Glade you idea makes a lot of sense but it seems the Bucs have went another direction……Its a bit too late to commit big dollars to a pass rusher and still be able to resign Suh and Gronk.
If they were going to prioritize signing an Edge they woulda/shoulda signed somebody with the money they had given to Gage or maybe Logan Ryan. Had that been their move WR at 27 makes a lot better sense.
As it stands the Bucs have done a decent job filling all the position groups. Except for DL/Edge where they havent done anything whatsoever. It seems obvisous that they have been planning to add to the front 7 in the draft. Or they just plan to bring back the same guys which is what they did last year and it blew up in our face……Seems highly highly doubtful they have the same plan this year with an already aging group now a year older……….and a group that was a complete non factor in the playoffs.
April 23rd, 2022 at 2:59 pm
JimmyJack is right, drafting a wr makes little sense. Couple that argument, with the fact that Brady doesn’t work well with rookies. The bucs need to draft a DT, a DB, and a guard in the first three rounds. The later rounds should be focused on improving a wretched special teams. If you come outta this draft, with two contributing players, it’s a job well done
April 23rd, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Just resigned AB already. It was Arians who fired AB on the sidelines, it wasn’t AB who quit on the team. It’s really important that people actually understand the order of events.
Basically I’d just ask Brady, do you want that nutjob back. If Brady says yes, you do what he says.
April 23rd, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Sorry Rod, sadly that train has sailed. While I’m 50/50 on the whole AB BA thing, he can’t be depended on. He even threw TB12 under the bus, his most ardent supporter. I expect the bucs to land one of these four guys, Landry, Samuel, Metcalf or AJ brown.
April 23rd, 2022 at 3:45 pm
Absolutely not. Tyler Johnson and Miller are your 6 & 7th receivers at this point. That’s pretty darn good for depth.
I think they do drive the receiver or, sign another when the waiver wire starts but no way do I use a first round pick.
Plus I do not think Godwin is gone that long
April 23rd, 2022 at 3:51 pm
Draft one in the late rounds, there are only a few nationally known receivers that run really good routes, so 27 is not going to be one of them.
Find a hard nosed receiver and let him up his game because he is going to play with Brady.
O-line and D-line need the early rounds.
April 23rd, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Your not getting a top tier WR at 27. The top 6 WR’s will be gone before we pick. The 7th wide receiver on the board who should be available is Christian Watson but 27 is to high for him. Second round receiving options could be TE Trey McBride who would give you good receiving depth behind Gronk or maybe WR Alec Pierce from Cincinnati.
April 24th, 2022 at 3:46 pm
Sorry, but anything higher than a 4th round pick for Toney would be highway robbery for the Giants. I honestly doubt they’ll even get that much, though Toney on paper might be a great fit, problems aside. The Bucs really need a quality slot receiver.