Closing the Book on the Cleveland Game
by MNeilson on Sep 18, 2010 12:01 PM EDT
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PrintI finished (late) reviewing the game against Cleveland. I took an immense amount of notes and accidentally deleted them all. I was just going to post them for you to read through, but this may be better... I am just going to post several key takeaways from that game in no particular order. Feel free to take issue with all or none of these, but they were pretty accurate observations.
- Barrett Ruud had an excellent game. The stat-line will show that he had a descent amount of tackles and a forced fumble...but he filled holes nicely all day long. That fumble was a result of him plugging a hole and putting his facemask on the ball. Textbook. He had nice lateral movement and was average in the pass game.
-Carnell Williams is a stud at picking up blitzes. Because Cleveland runs a 3-4, you see a variety of blitz packages. Williams did his homework was able to see where blitzes were coming from and at the very least get a sizeable chip on the rusher.
- Tanard Jackson was terrible against the pass, but excellent in run support. He made countless of tackles at the LOS or behind the LOS. He did, however, take terrible angles on receivers and went for the ball before the tackle twice.
- EJ Biggers was awful against the run but incredibly solid against the pass. He had a tremendous 4th quarter which sealed a game for him in which he was able to stick to receivers and disrupt routes. Biggers couldn't get off a block or make a tackle when called to. He was one of two players who essentially gave up the Peyton Hillis TD.
- Kyle Moore was bad. Very little to no penetration, useless against the run.
- Josh Freeman has great vision. When it comes to running the ball.
- Josh Freeman lacks patience. He went to his first option countless amount of times and stared down receivers.
- Jeremy Trueblood made a couple nice plays, but the bad ones he made negated it all. When will he be upgraded?
- Davin Joesph was no better. That side of the line was embarassing. As good as Joesph is, he didn't show it this game. Miscommunicated several times with Trueblood. Hard to tell who it was on, but got Freeman crushed on a few plays.
-Jeff Faine. I'm a big Faine fan. Always have been. I got to watch him play against my high-school Varsity team when I was a freshman. He's very good at directing the line. He's not good at blocking oversized DT's. BucWild talks about our line being grossly overrated. Faine is a key example of that. The perception is that he is an elite C. Truth is, he's average.
- Graham has a terrible day statistically. That fumble was inexcusable. However on all of his runs, he stood no chance. I was constantly notating that he was hit behind the LOS and struggled not to lose yards. It happened to Williams a lot as well so it's hard to tell if it was the playcalling or just a lack of repitions that kept him from looking productive. He did a good job of lead blocking and picking up blitzes as well.
- Mike Williams is a stud.
- Connor Barth is good.
- The punter, while his yardage is nothing to write home about, was key to keeping Cribbs quiet. Plenty of air underneath the ball.
- The coverage teams are still the best in the league. I am confident that you could put 12 men on the other side of the ball and we'd still be good. Bisaccia should be lauded and highly sought after in this league. Best in the NFL at his job. Return teams are consistently good and coverage teams are spectacular. This is a result of coaching, as most special teams have equal talent.
- Stroughter got open a few times, but Freeman struggled to find him.
- Kellen Winslow can't block. At all. Awful display of blocking the entire game. I guess that's not how he makes his millions though. That's what Gilmore is for.
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Dear BW,
BucWild talks about our line being grossly overrated.
How overrated is grossly overrated? Is it top 10-15 at least?
Also, Anyone notice how Penn played?
Honestly ain't I insane I think that's the way I gotta be
Ain't I so so supafly boy ain't nobody hot as me.
Not sure overrated is the term he would use.
I could be mis-characterizing. They just aren’t given any blame. The perception of the line is that they are solid. They aren’t. Their run-blocking is bad. The pass-pro is slightly above average. At best they are in the Top 15. Probably closer to 20-22 though.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
And i agree,
Run blocking is horrible, but when you have Trueblood and his numerous number of holds on this team. How can it get better?
Honestly ain't I insane I think that's the way I gotta be
Ain't I so so supafly boy ain't nobody hot as me.
I can agree with that
It’s only one game this season, but it’s been a problem for several seasons on end now. Seems we’re constantly talking about how good this line will be, but it never gets to that point.
I don't think they sniff the top 15 in run blocking. Pass pro they are alright, but everything else is average at best.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
Well done, UNFNOLE
Very informative.
I didn’t look at Kyle Moore much, but was he that bad? I do seem to recall him not being on the field a lot with all the 3-man lines we had going on and being substituted out for Crowder a couple times.
As for Freeman staring down receivers – I think he’s doing this less than he used to do. You saw him look elsewhere at the beginning of a play to come back to another receiver several times. I find it hard to see the difference between looking off a safety and going through progressions, though, and it’s especially hard because you don’t know the playcall. Stroughter could be open but he may be the third read in the progression and Freeman’s waiting for his other reads to develop. Stuff like that makes it hard, for me at least, to see what the QB is doing mentally. I’ll repeat what I’ve said several times though: I don’t think I saw him make any stupid throws – only bad throws. That’s a vast improvement over last year.
Crowder was in quite a bit.
For a reason.
Not sure how often Moore was in. Didn’t chart it or anything. However, I had his name in my notes more than 2 times. All negative.
I honestly didn’t see him looking around much. As I mentioned, he went to his first option quite a bit. Even on some good throws he made, his eyes never leave (see the TD pass to Spurlock).
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
I rewatched a couple of Freeman's plays
I think you’re right – he does still stare down receiver. Now that in and of itself didn’t lead to any problems sunday, but against a better and more experienced secondary (they had two rookies in) that may be a bigger problem. The Panthers game will be a really good test in that respect.
I did see him look around a bit, but I don’t think he got much beyond his 2nd option at any point, and indeed he did often stick to his first option. Now that isn’t really a bad thing if the throw’s there, but it’d be a problem if he keeps doing that when the throw isn’t there.
He's got such a strong arm so I think he can compensate for some of the staring down by getting the ball in so quickly.
However, I guarantee it will cause some INT’s this season.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
Faine is certainly not paid like an average center.
I am certainly no offensive line expert, but I would think Faine is above average. He was a first round draft pick and a Pro Bowl alternate in 2007. Has he regressed or has he always been average in your opinion?
"Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example." ~ Mark Twain
Hard to tell.
I didn’t study him when he was in Cleveland. I think he’s paid highly because of his leadership on the line. He holds the group together. I’m not saying he is bad by an means. I just don’t think he is as good as the perception of him. We certainly saw the drop off last year when he wasn’t in the game. So on that level he is FAR better than a replacement. Top 5 though? Probably not. He’s a great snapper (for what that’s worth), has tremendous footwork (which is hard to find) and has incredible smarts. His actual blocking skills though aren’t that great.
This is the first game in a while I have fully broken down. The rest is all observations I have made. I could just be calling Faine out on a bad game. Who knows?
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
Did you see last year when Faine was injured?
NIGHTMARES.
Honestly ain't I insane I think that's the way I gotta be
Ain't I so so supafly boy ain't nobody hot as me.
He gets beat far more often than the 2nd highest paid player at a position should.
He is good, but I don’t think he’s a top 5 center. I don’t know if it’s size, or that his linemates bring him down.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
UNFNOLE, your about as objective as I am, give me a break
Youve hated on Josh freeman from the beginning, and all anyone needs to do is search for all of your articles (there arnt that many folks, dont worry it wont take a long time) and read your comments on #5. You tried to compare him to a seasoned veteran after his first loss ( You didnt say a word the week after his first win) and its been a joke ever since.
Real Bucs fans root for their QB, especially when he shows as much as Josh Freeman has shown us so far in one season.
www.bucstop.com the one stop for Bucs multimedia content
If you want to post here, then you'll do it without taking shots at anyone on this site, regardless of whether they are a writer, commenter, Freeman fan, Freeman hater, Morris lover or Morris hater.
You don’t seem to grasp that this is a blog in which fans can have any perspective. They don’t have to blow rainbows up everyone’s butt like you do. If UNF wants to hate on Freeman, let him do it. If he’s wrong, we’ll all be glad to throw it in his face. If he’s right, he’ll be crowing from the rooftops. Either way, its his right as a fan to agree/disagree with decisions, plays and players. Real Bucs fans can be anything they want. Some are objective, some are subjective. Some want to see nothing but good, others see nothing but bad. They are still a fan either way.
Maybe having balance on this site is what it needs. To have a functioning discussion, we need different takes. Thats the only way people learn, grow, and understand something. If everyone toes the same line, you get no opinion outside your own, you are never challenged and you end up thinking you’re right all the time simply because you refuse to hear anyone else’s side.
Real Bucs fans also dont tout how long they’ve been a fan, dont put down people who werent around in “aught 4” to see the first game, start infighting amongst fans, and dismiss any opinion that doesnt agree with their own.
I stand by UNFNole’s analysis. If you want to tell me Freeman played a great game, I’d disagree. Is he making progress? You betcha. Does he still make some awful throws? Yes, and these can’t be pinned on the WR. He’s a work in progress. He will make some terrific plays and at times he makes us wonder what on Earth he is doing.
If you continue to come here to stir the pot, take shots at anyone/anything related to the site, or just become a general nuisance, we’ll continue this little dance. If you want to be part of a community here, then act like it. This isn’t for Care Bear Bucs fans who drink warm sunshine and frolic in the grass all day, its a place for people to share their opinions, whether right or wrong. If you want to intelligently debate those opinions, be my guest. If you want to force everyone to drink the kool-aid, it won’t happen. People have brains and can think for themselves.
Everyone else, go about your business. Mike took the time to throw his thoughts down on the game. The least we can do is respect the article written and not allow the conversation to get diverted.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
by Buc Wild on Sep 18, 2010 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I....um....I....heh.... rec.
Cannons... fire them.
Bucs Nation - SBNation's home for discussion of all things regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Real Buc fans root for their QB?
They do? All the time? Free of criticism, opinion, free thinking, or evaluation? Lol, ok.
I have a bridge for sale if you’re interested. On Florida Avenue. Nice architecture. Call me.
Cannons... fire them.
Bucs Nation - SBNation's home for discussion of all things regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Do you have anything specific that you disagree with about Freeman
or are you just generalizing my position on him? I like Freeman. I am just quick to point out his flaws SINCE HE IS OUR QUARTERBACK. I have never once said they will doom his career or that he isn’t the future. It’s all coachable. In fact, I have said he has a longer learning curve than most because of the down-right awful coaching he received at KSU. He has developed quickly and really took this offseason to get better. However, at this point, it’s all completely unverifiable.
I have never compared him to a seasoned vet. My stance last year was, consistently, that he was not good if you are going to judge him on his production. He didn’t give us the best chance to win last year. That is well documented. I gave him a ton of praise this week, agreeing with Sander that he didn’t make any bad decisions. I gave him credit for taking the sack of the terrible call that was the 4th and 1 play at the end of the game. I left room for judgeship based on his thumb. I credited him, in this article, for being amazing at seeing opportunities to run. However, not everything he does is good. He DOES stare down receivers and he DOES have a hard time making it through his progressions. However, if you are just here to vent your personal vendetta against me (for some unknown reason), than I understand you not bringing any facts to the discussion.
I also suppose that the Bucs have lost about 90% of their fan-base for criticizing Freeman, since that is your definition of a fan.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
Loved that you pointed out Caddy and his blitz pickups
His receiving and blocking skills were awful when he came into the league. It looks like he’s worked hard at those two areas and has improved drastically.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
I've never actually paid much attention to his blocking skills.
They’ve never stood out to me; good or bad. However I was impressed when I broke down the game film.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
I don't understand how Ruud gets so much love for well below average play.
Unfortunately he’s the best we have, but he’s not that good.
If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well this isn't to bad, I don't have a left arm anymore but at least nobody will ever ask me if I'm left-handed or right-handed" but most of us would say something more along the lines of "Aaaaaa! My arm! My arm!" DANIEL HANDLER (as Lemony Snicket)
No he wasn't.
If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well this isn't to bad, I don't have a left arm anymore but at least nobody will ever ask me if I'm left-handed or right-handed" but most of us would say something more along the lines of "Aaaaaa! My arm! My arm!" DANIEL HANDLER (as Lemony Snicket)
first tackle was a 12 yard gain for the other team, there's one
Second tackle was a 4 yard gain, was second man there to hit a player that was falling out of bounds, but he got credit for the tackle. Third was a 3 yard gain, not bad. Fourth was a 5 yard gain and a first down. Those are just his tackles in the first half, then I stopped taking notes. But he was always out of position, chasing the play, not getting past the oline when he tried (lots of hand slapping), and gave up too many yards.
If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well this isn't to bad, I don't have a left arm anymore but at least nobody will ever ask me if I'm left-handed or right-handed" but most of us would say something more along the lines of "Aaaaaa! My arm! My arm!" DANIEL HANDLER (as Lemony Snicket)
You're too results-oriented
You’re looking at the result of the play, instead of looking at how the play happened and why it resulted in those gains. If you want to talk about his tackles, here’s what I saw on the tackles he made according to the playbook.
On his first tackle, that’s a draw play while we’re blitzing that everyone bites on. Ruud has to beat a guard to make the play and he does, but he could’ve gotten there earlier as the draw pulled him out of position.
On the 4-yard gain you’re wrong. First off, Geno shoots his gap too soon instead of following the play, taking himself out. Then Sean Jones misses a tackle and Biggers gets a very weak hit in that only makes Hillis stumble before Ruud gets there to stonewall him – without that hit he gets at least another 4 yards. That wasn’t Ruud’s gap or his responsibility, but there was absolutely nothing he could’ve done better on that play. To say he shouldn’t have gotten credit for the tackle is completely off base to me.
His next tackle was a 2-yard gain on a pile, that didn’t really affect anything.
Next tackle was on Hillis’ first fumble after the recovery on a pile. Not relevant at all and I have no idea how he got credit for the tackle there. He shot forward and filled his gap on this play, though.
Next tackle: perimeter run by Cribbs where he’s the guy to push Cribbs out of bounds, kind of. Didn’t really impact the play, never was in position to impact the play, but that wasn’t his responsibility within the scheme either.
Next tackle: gets in his gap, hits Hillis after 1 yard, stonewalls him and forces a fumble. Easily his best play of the game.
Next tackle: runs down the seam with the tight end, short pass complete to Stuckey, he goes forward and gets in on a 2-man tackle. Solid play, nothing special, nothing bad.
Last tackle: Stays in zone coverage in the middle, sees the pass to Hillis on the sideline, gets over quickly and pushes him out of bounds.
There’s only one play there where he messed up (probably): the first tackle.
Here’s what else I saw: on the plays where he didn’t get a tackle he was filling his gap quickly and forcing the play to another gap. The times he was ‘chasing the play’ he was chasing that play because he was making a play other people were supposed to be making.
by Sander on Sep 18, 2010 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
who bother explaining Rudd
half the people on this website seem to think that if Rudd doesn’t make all are tackles and 7 INTs then he had a crap game cause apperently its Barrets job to make up for everytime someone on the D blows their assignment
by ShiftyShayne on Sep 18, 2010 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
No, even if he made every single tackle
People would still complain because he can’t tackle everyone in the first two yards. Even if it wasn’t his responsibility or he was in coverage on the other side of the field.
by bucs24fan on Sep 18, 2010 1:55 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
So your criticizing him for pursuing and not doing other peoples jobs, but mopping up?
I have never seen Ruud make a hit and go backwards. I have rarely seen him make an arm tackle. If you want to tell me he’s out of position than you clearly don’t understand defenses. He recognizes plays quickly and gets there. You are listening too much to Tampa sports talk.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
When did I criticize Ruud?
I love Ruud. I was talking about what everyone else says about him.
by bucs24fan on Sep 18, 2010 3:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sorry. Didn't read the comment closely and thought Bucnut was still commenting.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
Isn't the MLB generally...
the one that calls the defensive adjustments? That usually applies to a conventional 4-3, but I guess I am unsure of that positions responsibilities specific to the Tampa 2 defense.
by Cracker Ball on Sep 18, 2010 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions
It depends on what kind of adjustments. Typically the FS will call out DB adjustments
The MLB can make “audibles” but this rarely happens in the NFL. Typically players know how to adjust when the offense adjusts. You won’t see people all turning to the MLB too often when an offensive audible is called.
Does this answer your question?
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
As it pertains to Tampa 2 - yes.
I do know that Mike Singletary was clearly the defensive signal caller when he played with the Bears so I suppose the scheme determines the person responsible.
by Cracker Ball on Sep 18, 2010 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Possibly. If anyone is going to do it, it would be the MLB.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." ~ Jack Tatum
Singletary was THE MAN...
so he may have been give the extra responsibility, considering his abilities and intelligence.
by Cracker Ball on Sep 18, 2010 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Ruud does that for us
Raheem has commented a number of times on how Ruud gets them into different calls on the field, and that he does a great job with that. I don’t know how common it is, but you’ll see it every once in a while – double tapping the helmet to get back to a base defense is the most common one I think.
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