Only Place To Go Is Up
July 27th, 2023
Avoiding long field goals helps.
In the NFL, you’ve got to have a little luck.
And while scrolling through Warren Sharp’s 2023 Football Preview, Joe yesterday wrote about how Sharp thinks the Bucs’ luck with injuries is due to bounce in the positive category for a change.
Well, Sharp has other areas where he thinks the Bucs could bounce back: fumbles and field goals.
Fumble and field goal luck positive regression are also likely as the Bucs had -4.3 net fumbles recovered, the third-worst in the NFL, and finished with a net -2.9 field goals. Regardless of the starting quarterback in 2023, the red zone offense should also improve. The Bucs slipped from second-best to bottom 10, dropping from a 66.2% touchdown efficiency to 52%.
Well, one reason field goals were a negative last year was that Bucs coach Todd Bowles expected his kicker, Ryan Succop, who didn’t have a strong leg, to kick long field goals. It was ugly.
Succop inside the 40, where the vast majority of NFL field goals are attempted, was fantastic. Past the 40 into the 50s, not so much.
Basically, Succop was asked to do what he wasn’t good at doing. That’s just not smart ball.
It will also help if the Bucs offense doesn’t grind down to a halt inside the 40 this season. That’s one way to avoid long field goal attempts.
July 27th, 2023 at 12:19 am
We need Bowles to make better decisions.
July 27th, 2023 at 12:41 am
I would think an improved running game would also contribute to an improvement in all the above mentioned areas.
I still have concerns with Rachaad protecting the football tho.
July 27th, 2023 at 12:45 am
Fred Bowles did make a better decision he got a kicker who could make a much longer field goalS
July 27th, 2023 at 2:07 am
up is not the only place to go….down is also a very distinct possibility for bowles
July 27th, 2023 at 2:40 am
More Rah Rah…
Yay!
Go Bucs!
July 27th, 2023 at 4:19 am
I guess @Garro is here for the negative posts only?
What a miserable existence.
I agree that the running game will help both categories.
When the field compresses, you have a harder time with downfield passes.
They actually had better running lanes because teams knew we would pass.
We also hired the coach who came from a team with 0 fumbles lost.
Whats crazy is I think this might be the 3rd time there is a competition between these 2 kickers.
July 27th, 2023 at 6:40 am
Mayfield’s diminutive stature won’t help the net fumbles recovered stat.
July 27th, 2023 at 10:39 am
I have zero confidence in Todd Bowles’ in game decisions……in particular on time management and offense…..he needs to cede decisions to Canales.
July 27th, 2023 at 11:16 am
I hope that the energy can keep the Bucs from sinking into a funk like last season.
We will find out because the first hurtle might be on the QB pick. The Bowles cleaner is going to go with any experience he can find and that is Baker.
I think Canales might be able to see the same kind of upside that I do and want to have Trask give it a go.
July 27th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
It bugs me that a team needs a kicker who can make field goals from 50+ yards. That, to me, is a team that not only couldn’t make good yards but is so unconfident in their abilities to “go for it” on 4th down. I thought it stunk to get rid of Succop ONLY due to our team’s deficiency on 3rd and 4th downs and Bowles’ game planning. I am still chaffed about it. Succop was the most reliable kicker I think we have ever had.