Bucs Are Bad Attacking Runners

November 13th, 2024

Bad yards allowed before contact.

There is room to improve within the Bucs defense.

While the pass defense has been atrocious, the run defense? Well, the Bucs can be better. But they are not terrible.

For total yards, the Bucs are the 14th-best run defense, having allowed 1,252 through 10 games.

When it comes to yards per game, the Bucs give up 125 yards each week. That’s ranks No. 16 in the NFL.

When it comes to yards per carry, the Bucs are awful, tied for fourth-worst allowing 4.8 yards a clip.

It seems, just based on the stats from @Doug_Analytics, that the Bucs don’t attack the ball carrier very quickly. The Bucs allow an average of 2.2 yards before contact. Only the Giants and the slimy Saints are worse. Joe isn’t sure if the front-seven is getting blown out by blockers or they are slow to react or what.

The slimy Saints canned their defensive-minded head coach. The Giants don’t seem ready to run their offensive-minded coach.

With yards after contact, or YAC, the Bucs aren’t anything to brag about, either. But it’s not as bad as yards allowed before contact.

Joe isn’t sure what to say here. If your head coach is a defensive-minded coach and the defense is bad, and his specialty is stopping the run and the run defense is lacking (despite having three first-round picks and a borderline Hall of Famer in your front-seven), well, that’s not a good look.

10 Responses to “Bucs Are Bad Attacking Runners”

  1. Lt. Dan Says:

    “There is room to improve with the Bucs defense.” hahaha! And this just in, “ice cream is cold”

  2. Bucben1961 Says:

    “There is room to improve within the Bucs defense”… insightful

  3. BallHawk75 Says:

    Lt. Dan that was perfect!

    When asked about his terrible defense Bowels was quoted saying:

    “Let me be clear, I’m from the middle class. I believe in the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the fan base. I believe in an opportunity defense that gives runners and receivers a chance to succeed.”

    If Bowels created a pharmaceutical drug, it would be named SwissCheeseDee.

    Recognition of the problem is the first step to correcting it.

  4. heyjude Says:

    Probably why we really haven’t heard Todd brag much about defense this season.

  5. JimBobBuc Says:

    Evidently Doug Analytics doesn’t know how to make a scatter plot (the axis is inverted) so I’m not sure about the data behind this plot.

    The Bucs are bad with yards before contact at 2.1, similar to the Lions but much worse than the best, Miami at 0.6

    Yards after contact, at 2.7 we are similar to the Steelers and Chiefs, but behind the Ravens at 2.3

    Sure the run defense is not up to the typical Bucs standard, but I think the pass defense is the real issue.

  6. Hodad Says:

    Joe’s not sure if the front 7 is getting blown off the ball, or are they to slow to react? Joe, I’m sure it’s both!!

  7. VOT Says:

    We are not playing enough size in our DL – you can’t have a 280 DT in a 3 man line and expect to stop the run consistently

    Or with Hall as a starter

    I’d rather play Gaines/Vea/ Gholston as my starting DL and get them the majority of snaps

    Let Kancey free lance, play OLB, DE, stand between Vea and Gaines in a wide set

    Get creative with what you have, JTS and Hall were huge misses in draft capital – we get almost nothing from either unless they are left unblocked

  8. Defense Rules Says:

    Joe … ‘Joe isn’t sure if the front-seven is getting blown out by blockers or they are slow to react or what.’

    I vote for D … All of the Above.

  9. Bucswin? Says:

    Why run against us when passing is so easy?

  10. DavidBigBucsFan99 Says:

    The Bucs defense has steadily gotten worse since he took over this defense. I know the players have to make the plays but it’s obvious they’re not being coached properly either. It’s not surprising when the HC is nose blind to the stench of his own defensive scheme