Defense May Bail Out The Bucs
December 15th, 2022
Bucs breakdown.
Statistically speaking, a guy who has a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame thinks the Bucs’ defense has a chance to bail the team out.
This Joe’s eyeball test thinks this is wishful thinking.
When Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian speaks, Joe listens. Closely. And when he types something Joe pays equal rapt attention.
Polian put together a stats-based analysis of possible playoff teams. The Bucs, despite a 6-7 record, are still atop the dreadful NFC South.
Polian lists a variety of stats he has used throughout his career and continues to do so in how he breaks down teams’ success or lack thereof. Polian explains these stats and his threshold for each to determine a team’s success.
When it comes to the Bucs, he cringes at the offense (good thing he doesn’t pay thousands of dollars to have his senses assaulted like so many season-ticket holders). Typing for The33rdTeam.com, Polian’s defensive numbers for the Bucs suggest the team could do damage in the postseason..
All the offensive numbers are below the win line. Is that really Brady at quarterback? Sadly, it is, but even Brady can’t solve the problems of a below-par offensive line. The defensive numbers point to winning football, though. Perhaps Brady could perform some of his magic down the stretch. For the Buccaneers, the playoffs are an uphill battle.
Well, take away Tom Brady’s magic in recent games (against truly awful teams — the Rams and the slimy Saints) and the Bucs have become such a joke that even Mike Smith is laughing.
The Bucs played a playoff team last week and the Bucs got their collective arses handed to them so badly, it was such a laugher, the 49ers pulled their seventh-round draft pick of a rookie quarterback because the beating was so bad.
Think about that: The 49ers felt so sorry for the Bucs they pulled their Mr. Irrelevent rookie quarterback to stop the bleeding. Not Joe Montana. Not Steve Young. Not even Jimmy GQ. But Mr. Irrelevent!
There are certain signs in a season that tell you a team is toast. San Francisco pulling their seventh-round rookie QB because the game was so out of hand might have been that white flag moment for the Bucs’ 2022 season.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:10 pm
Top of the NFC South is like being the tallest midget.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:11 pm
The defense wont be able to help the bucs anymore either, not with all the injuries to vea, winfield, edwards, dean, smb, jts. We are totally screwed
December 15th, 2022 at 12:22 pm
Defense wins Championships.
Truly, if the Bucs do get hot, they absolutely have a shot in the playoffs. The NFC is WEAK.
If they play like they did against San Fran, they could compete for worst team in the league and dont deserve to be in the dance at all.
Doesn’t seem like the a majority of players are all in this year tho………….
December 15th, 2022 at 12:27 pm
Unfortunately a team can’t overcome a horrible coaching staff no matter if they have some talented players. It’s about game planning and these coaches are terrible with their schemes.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:28 pm
Glazers, does that last paragraph mean anything to you? What an embarrassment you own. You don’t deserve a dime of our money.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
I fear that Amaury has it about right.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:35 pm
I believe we’d have a good chance to win a playoff game…If it is played in Munich. /sarcasm
If I was the GM my focus would be on how to put a competitive team on the field in 2023. For the team to make a deep playoff run this year is above the pay grade of the GM. It will require divine intervention. Miracles DO happen. But I’m not sure whether or not God is interested in football games given everything else going on in the world. 😉
December 15th, 2022 at 12:40 pm
Change in subject, but other than that bomb to Julio in game one against Dallas, has Brady hit a deep ball all year?
I can’t remember a single one, and I’ve watched almost every play.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
Bowles is not a good HC because he does not inspire and bring out the best in players. Poor leader of men. But with that said, I don’t care how good the scheme is when the QB can’t hit the broad side of a barn with passes 20 yards downfield in the face of some pressure. He played like this during his last year for NE…like someone trying to protect themselves for their new team next year.
December 15th, 2022 at 1:29 pm
Defense doesn’t win anymore, you have to score points in the modern NFL. That’s not to say you can’t steal a game with D now and again. The bucs defense has been solid for most of the year. They’ve done their part. If they make the playoffs, they need to get into the 20s you have a chance.
December 15th, 2022 at 1:35 pm
Yeah and Leftwich says they’re winning games and bowles says time to stop talking. Sounds like the coaches have a great plan to right this ship.
December 15th, 2022 at 1:37 pm
Off-topic, but
Leftwich just said in his presser a few moments ago something to the effect of, “It’s a blessing to be 6-7.”
I about fell out of my chair.
December 15th, 2022 at 1:42 pm
Seattle is going to curb stomp the 9ers and their 3rd string QB tonight only making the Bucs look that much worse. Tommy Boy run for your life while you can, the Bucs are back to being the Bucs.
December 15th, 2022 at 1:44 pm
D-Rok, what else would you expect a loser to say? Did you have a language interpreter?
December 15th, 2022 at 1:47 pm
What defense?
The one who lost to Jacoby Brisset led 3 win Cleveland team or the defense that just allowed a third string QB to roll up 35 points (28 in first half)?
Or the defense that lost to PJ Walker led Panthers team?
Or the defense who couldn’t stop the Chiefs again?
You mean the defense missing nearly half of it’s starters?
What defense?
The only thing making the Bucs defense look good is how bad the Bucs offense is…
December 15th, 2022 at 1:54 pm
LOL, NEfan, aint wuzn’t that hard to hear what he be sayin’.
December 15th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
As a matter of fact, I actually enjoy tuning in to BL’s pressers. Comedy gold-mine.
December 15th, 2022 at 2:04 pm
Because I speak jive. (Airplane)
December 15th, 2022 at 2:16 pm
NEfan. 🤦🏻♂️
December 15th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
With the defense now just as beaten and bruised as the offense (maybe worse?) and even when they were healthy couldn’t create turnovers, it’s hard to imagine them bailing out anything. At the very least they show some fire on the field.
The offense looks like they’re in a stupor or half asleep, like their HC. Coincidence? Not likely. No way do any of these guys sleepwalk through a game if someone like Mike Ditka, Bill Parcells, or even Mike Singletary was the coach. Even Belichik who doesn’t scream as much as the others I just named would let them know in no uncertain terms that they’re in his doghouse and you don’t want to be there! Your arse will be benched, traded or cut no matter who you think you are.
Bowles can fire Leftwich. Licht can fire them both. The owners can fire everybody. Sh*t rolls uphill. The buck stops at the top. The players are a reflection of their coaches, sad to say.
December 15th, 2022 at 2:30 pm
Like they bailed us out last week?
December 15th, 2022 at 2:48 pm
Re: the o-line, what happened to our jumbo sets and max protect formations? Using an extra offensive lineman, etc.? We did that quite a lot in 2019 and 2020, and it was very effective, especially for play action.
But we’ve barely done it all this year, and I did not see us bring in an extra lineman even once during the SF game. Not once! Against one the best defenses in the league?!?!?
And then today Moron Leftwich says he knows the offense can score points because they did it last year… WTF?!?!?
He’s so clueless and inept that we need a new word to describe it.
December 15th, 2022 at 4:45 pm
NEfan … Isn’t the Seattle Seahawks, the team you’re bragging is gonna ‘curb stomp the 9ers’, the same team that the Bucs beat 21-16 in Germany? Just asking for a friend NEfan.
Regarding Bowles, I keep remembering how so many fans were adamant about Bowles keeping hands-off the offense. He’s obviously done that, yet now the complaint is that it’s all his fault that the offense sucks. Do some of you not see the contradiction there?
And Joe, Polian obviously isn’t a very big fan of the Bucs’ OLine (as in ‘even Brady can’t solve the problems of a below-par offensive line’). Since you like Polian so much though, can I ASSUME that you agree with his assessment?
December 15th, 2022 at 4:57 pm
The 1999 Bucs defense would have trouble bailing out this dumpster fire.
December 15th, 2022 at 5:27 pm
Yes DR, that team. Watch and see. Pete Carrol isn’t going to let Purdy beat his D.
December 15th, 2022 at 7:01 pm
Joesph Simmons, Brady hit Evans twice on beautifully thrown deep balls…evans dropped one and the team went into the tank right after! And just this sunday night to Evans again and Smith frogged the play by holding penalty, and team went into the tank right after, again!