Incredible Consistency For Bucs’ Offensive Line
October 24th, 2023
Answering the bell.
For those who growl so much about the Bucs’ offensive line they wake up in the morning with their faces in a pool of their own drool, look away. This isn’t for you. Joe’s trying to save you aggravation.
The Bucs entered the weekend’s NFL slate leading the league in fewest sacks allowed. In a passing league, this is damn impressive to Joe.
This inconvenient truth also suggests the Bucs aren’t nearly as heinous up front as the loud crowd wants you to believe. There also may be another hidden attribute for the Bucs’ front line that might even be a strong suit down the road this fall.
Joe remembers a year or two ago, former Jets director of player personnel and former Bucs scout Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio spoke about the hidden secret of a good offensive line.
Fans will often hear NFL people say a line needs consistency in personnel to grow together and bond and become one as a unit, not five guys doing a job.
Kirwan said a telling statistic of a good offensive line come December is a line that has avoided injuries and has stuck together. Based on this, the Bucs may be growing something special.
Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis, by way of the advanced stats outfit TruMedia, listed each team’s offensive line and the percentage of snaps the five starters have been on the field together.
Only one team’s starting five offensive linemen have been on the field for 100 percent of their snaps through Sunday’s games. That would be your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Just based on what NFL people have told Joe and what Joe has learned while listening, the fact the Bucs are having such good luck with injuries to the line and have played together so much, this may pay off in January.
The trick is, will the Bucs be in contention for the playoffs? If they don’t start winning games very quickly, they may not.
Offensive Line continuity per TruMedia…
Each team's most frequently used OL combo through Week 7 and the rate of snaps and yards per play with those groups.
Only 13 teams have had the same group on the field for 50%+ of snaps.
Giants have been in OL hell. pic.twitter.com/wEQK5rsU7a
— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) October 23, 2023
October 24th, 2023 at 4:03 am
Cue the O-line injuries.
Are players more durable than others or are injuries freak accidents that just happen?
October 24th, 2023 at 4:18 am
Hope you didn’t just jinx it, Joe.
October 24th, 2023 at 4:38 am
Good interesting info thanks, however Buc’s still don’t have and need desperately an RB1!
October 24th, 2023 at 4:44 am
Can the Buc’s trade for Barkley from the Giants already?
October 24th, 2023 at 5:37 am
Consistently inconsistent in the run game. Run stats conveniently left out of this article. Running is supposed to be core to the identity.
So with all this great pass blocking mumbo jumbo presented then Baker leads the NFL in passing, right? Oh wait he’s still not top 18. What good is this consistency doing?
No bucs coach bangs the podium each week declaring they want to be consistently mediocre in the passing game, which is all this article demonstrates.
October 24th, 2023 at 5:55 am
And Chicago is second in the league at 7.16 yds/play? Wtf
October 24th, 2023 at 5:57 am
Well technically we lost big red but that was before the season but still just as big of a lost this season. Luke has been a great surprise at right tackle
October 24th, 2023 at 6:18 am
Need 2 guards and a center
October 24th, 2023 at 6:21 am
“Only one team’s starting five offensive linemen have been on the field for 100 percent of their snaps through Sunday’s games. That would be your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”…and yet we’re the most inconsistent in the NFL at running the football. Maybe we need an injury or two (joking).
October 24th, 2023 at 6:59 am
HC Grover, you are 100% right.
Continuity if incompetency is not impressive, Joe. They are awful.
October 24th, 2023 at 7:05 am
A couple of holding calls….multiple false starts……no run blocking…..they are good at preventing sacks….two of the 3 sacks vs Falcons were definitely coverage sacks.
October 24th, 2023 at 7:31 am
“ The Bucs entered the weekend’s NFL slate leading the league in fewest sacks allowed. In a passing league, this is damn impressive to Joe. This inconvenient truth also suggests the Bucs aren’t nearly as heinous up front as the loud crowd wants you to believe they are.”
Pretty sure everyone thinks our offensive line is extremely bad in run blocking, not pass blocking Joe, but if willfully ignoring that helps you write more articles about getting a new running back then do you boo boo
October 24th, 2023 at 7:36 am
Besides the center getting man handled every play
October 24th, 2023 at 8:11 am
Using stats to try to prove what the fans see every week isn’t true. What is true is the last place rushing and the horrible play by this O line. Just watch the tape – they are simply putrid. One player simply does not deserve to be in the NFL. Oh and the scoring is horrible because Baker can’t even set up to throw. How about all the brain fart penalties? O line is pure garbage and they aren’t even mad enough about it to fight back. Losers….
October 24th, 2023 at 8:42 am
Well we know this is complete BS. Baker saves his own self and of course who gets the credit? What do you know the line only gives up a sack if he goes down or it is a coverage sack.
October 24th, 2023 at 9:09 am
I just had an idea. Why don’t we put Stinnie at right guard since Mauch does not seem to be ready.
Mauch did play tight end at one point in college why don’t we make him a blocking tight end to help with run plays.
October 24th, 2023 at 9:11 am
As for Baker I really don’t see him as a good pocket passer because with his height and the arm angle that he throws at he has far too many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. He needs to be used like Drew Brees or Russell Wilson with a lot of rollouts. However I think defenses have keyed in on this. I have noticed that often when he rolls out there is often a defender quite wide of our tackle almost ready for him so that he can’t create a proper platform to throw.
I am assuming we will lose to Buffalo. I think at that point it would be worth giving Kyle Trask a chance to show what he has because our playoff chances at 3 and 4 are not very good
October 24th, 2023 at 9:44 am
Our O line is completely one dimensional: pass blocking and that’s it. Wirfs can run block but he cannot do it alone. Interior O line gets zero push, tight ends cannot block. Not even your beloved Walter Payton would be able to crack 4 yard per carry with this line.
October 24th, 2023 at 10:13 am
Canabuc they are going to ride or die with Baker. We won’t see Trask until the season is pretty much lost barring injury.
October 24th, 2023 at 11:07 am
Baker was 25 of 42 for 271 yards, a touchdown and a pic. That’s not great but it’s not horrible either
October 24th, 2023 at 11:37 am
100% of the snaps
0% ability to run block
It’s too bad that health doesn’t equal good blocking, huh?
October 24th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Consistency? Joe are you losing it?