Defending The Indefensible
November 28th, 2022
When you lose in overtime to a miserable football team after choking away a fourth-quarter lead, every bad play gets magnified.
That brings Joe to the screenshot above. Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett was scrambling for the first-down marker on first day midway through the first quarter. Buccaneers savior linebacker was in hot pursuit and Brown was a half-step from going out of bounds with his body fully facing the sidelines.
In flew White swinging his right arm (from south to north) to try and punch out the ball from Brissett. The ball only was going to go out of bounds, but still White gave it a try.
The result was White hitting Brissett out of bounds and the refs throwing a no-brainer, 15-yard penalty on White and the Bucs. That moved the Browns from midfield to the Bucs’ 35 yard line.
Cleveland gained just two yards on their next three plays and then booted a 51 yard field goal. Who knew that was the ballgame?
“I think it was a petty, tic-tac call,” White said after the game, via @JennaLaineESPN Twitter video. “I swiped at the ball and, like he fell on the tarp; he was running out of bounds. … And the end of the day that’s just playing.”
White went on to say when you see a player running with the ball loose, then you have to go for it, and you have to be careful of quarterbacks turning up field. White repeated of his play, “There was nothing bad about it.”
Ultimately, White said he’s still responsible for handing the Browns three points.
Joe thinks the replay video tells the story. White made the wrong call and his swipe at the ball wasn’t going to send the ball anywhere but out of bounds.
November 28th, 2022 at 10:48 am
It was a Stupid play. “That’s all there is to it.”
Also I have never been a Donovan Smith hater but I was hating yesterday in the 4th quarter!
November 28th, 2022 at 10:48 am
Normally I am defending buc players and coaches but I have reached the point now where I am done with Todd Bowles as head coach of this team. Sure we may still win and he will do good things like how these things go but my approach is reasoned and not just an aftermath of yesterday where I felt the same but decided to wait a day until emailing. I was done with Jameis Winston in London 2019 and realized he would never be good or good enough (and look how right that became with the buccaneers and now new orleans). We lost the game yesterday all because of Todd Bowles. I know the reasons have been discussed by many outlets so far but during the game I was like these will all cost us. These are them in order of how they occurred and the reasons he is to blame and why we need to move on for a new general of this team:
1) Not challenging the Mike Evans catch end of the first half. I believe we had three timeouts and either way this should have been a booth review but I saw a quick replay and it looked close. Maybe it wasn’t but we had nothing to lose with still plenty of time left and enough timeouts to get down the field. Just call it so they can take a look. The risk was worth the reward there. Not the biggest blunder but take the chance.
2) Not going for it on fourth and two. I agree not kicking the field goal there since it was too far away and knowing Succop and range. However, go get the first down. They needed to drive the field either way even if we turn it over. We could have put the game away with a two possession lead. Unbelievable. I knew that would bite us in the ass.
3) When the browns had 4th and 9 before the game tying touchdown I said call a freaking timeout because if they score we will have more time. I know they could have still gotten a first down but everyone in the stadium knew they were at the twelve yard line and were not going to throw for the sticks at the three yard line. It was touchdown in the endzone or bust. Even if they did throw and just get a first down and not a TD who cares they may have scored with no time left but still worth it to give us a chance. And we still could have called timeouts so we had more time left. We wasted at least 30-35 seconds with that and lo and behold they scored. I don’t know what he was thinking and why this isn’t being talked about more. I was flabbergasted and immediately when I scored I swore and said well we blew it with the timeouts.
4) Not calling a timeout after the rachaad white screen play (which btw with 30 seconds to go in the game what kind of call is that?). Throw it down the field. This team only wants to attack when it is necessary and clearly obvious. We had three timeouts left!!! One there to reset and if we get the next play like we did we have way may more time for a couple outs and one last timeout and a quick spike (given we would have gone shorter passes anyways) and had a chance for the game winning FG. We all knew if this got to overtime we would lose. Our defense was gassed because of the inept offense and the stupid low-percentage deep shots (just like when we were struggling in 2020). Lo and behold of course we cant score on two possessions and then we run of out gas in overtime.
The defense has been great this year but we do just enough to keep us in the game but no game changing plays. We had great sacks at the end and you thought that would seal it but instead we do the classic run on first down. Try a low percentage deep shot on second down and then have third and long and miss it. It always happens like this. Can we not do quick out passes to get 4-6 yards or something on first down, then run get a first down and keep going? Obviously we don’t see what coaches see but we gave that game away.
The problem with the buccaneers is our head coach hires are always just so random and bungled and the Glazers make up their decision right away. What nobody talks about is that if they fire bowles and/or Leftwich, Arians will be pissed. And it causes all this awkwardness because of the way this hiring went down. We are in a lose-lose situation. It feels bad to think to fire this guy after 1 season but I just don’t see anything different that he does that can help us win games. Not to mention never talking to brady. We need a head coach who is involved in all facets of the game and providing input but moreso aware of time management and the clock. I am just so annoyed at how this happened and Brady isn’t stupid. He realizes this but hasn’t said anything but Belichick would not have pulled those kinds of stunts (especially the whole timeouts). To end the first half and especially second half with timeouts remaining to me is a cardinal sin.
November 28th, 2022 at 10:53 am
Dumb play but the dumv coaching was way worse than this. Silly to focus on this.
November 28th, 2022 at 10:53 am
Every time a team has a bad streak going. They break against us. “The browns are 0-5 when the score an opening drive TD”. They march down and score a TD on us. Based on this season. I knew we were in trouble.
November 28th, 2022 at 10:56 am
I was fine with effort. White was flying all over the field yesterday. If he lets up, then you get Warren Sapp doing a stupid analysis.
November 28th, 2022 at 10:56 am
Just one of way too many stupid plays or decisions by both players and coaches. From here on out, management is responsible for the play on the field. A move should have been made already and after yesterdays bs, it needed to be done when they landed in Tampa.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:01 am
Yes it was a another bad play by White and this shows that one of the most dynamic players we have on defense is either not being coached or not listening to coaching and either way this is the fault of the coach. If the player can’t get smart he has to be disciplined and we have yet to see that–this is Bowles responsibility. Mostly though Todd Bowles, Leftwich and Brady all could of called a time out in late 4th quarter on the last drive.
We lost because they DIDN’T CALL THE TIMEOUT in regulation!!!! We needed 1 or 2 more plays but after the Rachad white run, the clock ran down at least 10-15 seconds for no reason but stupidity!
November 28th, 2022 at 11:12 am
white is dumb
November 28th, 2022 at 11:12 am
I didn’t watch the game because I am in the Atlanta broadcast area but it sounds like a continuation of the same theme all season. A real head scratcher as to how the Bucs can be losing with all their talent.
Honest question, what would the Bucs have done differently if they were actively trying to throw the game? I don’t really want to go there but there sure have been some curious games in the NFL this season and maybe it’s no coincidence with the betting.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:15 am
[That’s not cool. — Joe]
November 28th, 2022 at 11:16 am
I would rather him try than not try.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:17 am
All this talk about winning the division….I’m not convinced……we are losing games to teams we should beat easily….
Yesterday was 100% on the coaches not the players….including White…..he had 13 tackles….
This was a disaster from a coaching standpoint during the game…..terrible decisions throughout…..
November 28th, 2022 at 11:18 am
Captain Oblivious, the team isn’t tanking. You can’t change the culture 8f you 5ank, and they wouldn’t have won at all if they were tanking.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:19 am
The Smith hands to the face was much worse after the great shuffle pass on 3rd down to negate the first down. That was the game.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:27 am
That was a bonehead play by White, he literally shoved Brisett on the back about 2 yards out of bounds, albeit gently. But White played mostly great yesterday and if he continues to play like this we will field a formidable defense week in and week out. Not much to complain about with this play. Unfortunately because our offense is so putrid, our defense has to realize that there is no room for even the smallest mistake. It is unfair, but it is what it is.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:27 am
Do not resign this guy, too much ego not enough brains.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:38 am
While I agree that coaching was horrific, you cannot blame the entire loss on just one thing.
Neither TB nor BL overthrew open WRs in this game. Nor did they commit stupid penalties that benefitted the Browns (see above). Why does Darden fair-catch a ball with the nearest defender in another zipcode?! Special teams, not-so-special?! Tackling, does TB tackle?! There were some plays that just should not have been.
No, I would argue that this is a TOTAL team failure from top to bottom.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:47 am
This, people is what grandstander players cost you… 1 great play 1 stupid play.
November 28th, 2022 at 11:57 am
O hell naw …this is our linebacker …one of the best in the game, it was just last week or so that you people were ragging on him for loafing… now he try’s to make a effort play and you still ragging…Devin ask for a trade man, these fans are trash!
November 28th, 2022 at 12:06 pm
Get real Sloppy Joe. You’re gonna highlight this play with 5:04 left in the first quarter smh….
Question, would you still rather have Josh Allen(Jags) over White? Asking because you criticize him for being drafted #5 and I’m guessing you don’t feel he’s lived up to that pick? Your guy was Josh Allen, would you rather have him?
November 28th, 2022 at 12:12 pm
Either Devin white is playing like an all pro linebacker.
or he is painfully average, loafing and blowing DUMB 15 yard penalties.
Not even the types of questionable penalties just blatantly dumb wasn’t thinking 15 yard penalties.
November 28th, 2022 at 12:14 pm
Turbo honestly he hasn’t.
The only thing he has going for him that makes him worth it at all was he was crucial to the super bowl run.
November 28th, 2022 at 12:15 pm
Every play gets magnified-
This one gets magnified by me:
4th qtr 2min left, Browns 2nd down and 4 on Bucs 40 with Bucs leading 17-10.
JTS gets blocked 5 yards out of the play and Chubb runs 28 yards to set up tying TD.
November 28th, 2022 at 12:19 pm
Ok. He’s stupid. He’s shown us again and again. He’s the Jameis Winston of linebackers. They need to let him walk after this year. It would be a huge mistake to sign him to a huge deal. But they will. Licht falls in love with attitude and “want-to”. He did it with JW. He did it with DW.
November 28th, 2022 at 1:26 pm
Typical for his generation that they are never wrong or admit that they are cowards
November 28th, 2022 at 1:29 pm
It was dumb, and for White to not say as much after the game shows that he just doesn’t get it. There seems to be a lot of that, such as:
1) Who had contain on the reverse on Cleveland’s first TD? Have some of these guys played football before? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.
2) What’s Darden doing calling for a fair catch with nobody near him?
3) Smith’s hands to the face, although he probably should’ve been given help more with Myles Garrett.
4) Too many coaching errors to mention all of them. Yes Goatfarmer, you’re right, I was wrong for defending this garbage.
November 28th, 2022 at 1:53 pm
I said it before here it is again. The Bucs coaches coach the game amd the players play the game both not to lose. They don’t coach or play to win. I know they aren’t trying to lose buy there is a difference between it
November 28th, 2022 at 3:19 pm
Fire the Coach,he is horrible leader.We need a guy who will show some emotion. Get this guys motivated.
November 28th, 2022 at 4:50 pm
It was the shove that drew the penalty not the swipe. C’mon white you’re the greatest LB in the game remember? We didn’t say it you did. Fire the cannons! Oops I mean coaches!
November 28th, 2022 at 5:30 pm
Lavonte David had a similar play years ago against Geno Smith I think it was, who looked like he was running out of bounds but then got 3 or 4 cheap yards at the end because David played like a good sport and let up, only to be cheated. Jets got a first down, and it cost the Bucs the game.
I don’t blame White.
November 28th, 2022 at 6:01 pm
Who had contain on the reverse on Cleveland’s first TD? Have some of these guys played football before? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.
The guy zipped right past a dumbfounded JTS.
November 28th, 2022 at 7:27 pm
These guys are what we have ….I’ll roll with them, we will be ready come this week end !!!
November 29th, 2022 at 6:50 pm
An imaginative reverse for a TD on Browns first score. Can you recall even one imaginative play called in the entire game by BL? Their receivers get separation…our guys are blanketed in coverage. Who should be scheming plays to get our guys in the open..BL of course! Who left our fastest receiver (Scotty) on the bench most of the game…BL. Who put Brate in most of the game and had Otton with no targets…zero! Why BL of course. Can you imagine what Andy Reid or Sean Payton could do with our receiving core?
December 1st, 2022 at 10:13 am
“Left field Leftwich” time is running out. He’s hanging around due to WOK stupidity of the Glaser family, NFL, and “No balls Boles”.