Unprepared, unawares, and undisciplined traits equate to an unhappy beginning

(All stats, not derived by me, can be found at ESPN.com.)

9. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense is 9^th overall in points allowed average with 17.0.

27. The Bucs’ scoring output at 15.5 point per game is the 27^th best in the league. The scoring output is a collective of scoring from both the offense and defense. Take away the pick six by LB Mason Foster and the offensive output is only at 12.0.

44. Actually, it’s 43.9%. That’s the percentage ratio of total penalty yards to total offense with respect to yards. We know that penalties are ghastly and they also affected our outcomes. But we do not really know just how abysmal the penalties affect our game outside from our own eyes as we see it as it cost us a touchdown or a turnover. Those do exist, but on the whole 43.9% of our offense is negated by penalties. It is almost as if we are taking two steps forward and one step back, literally.

The Buccaneers, from players to coaches, need to start learning from previous mistakes. This includes being conservative. Although the last game was only the second game of the season, this is actually game #18 for Schiano and company. Lining up incorrectly, not accounting for all the possible receivers, avoid situations of hitting defenseless receivers as well as getting the correct personnel on the field in an appropriate time happens to be all fundamental attributes obviously not implemented nor executed well on game time. I hate to sound like a cliché, but practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.

Since this is the eighteenth game, let us compare our last two games to last year’s 16 games. On Bucsnation, we like to reflect where we have been to help predict where we might go.

Offense

Our offense is falling faster than Alan Garner, leader of the wolf pack, going down from a Mike Tyson punch after urinating in Tyson’s pool. The positive notion here is that when FB Lorig returned, so did the Pro Bowler in RB Doug Martin resurfaced along with 144 yards rushing on 29 attempts, or 5.0 yards per carry. Unfortunately, it all became much ado about nothing as the offense was only able to put up only seven points and put up another notch in the loss column.

Defense

The defense put up an epic effort against one of the most prolific passers in the NFL, Drew Brees. They also locked down on TE Jimmy Graham in the second half after Graham had a career first half in yards, I believe was 160 yards. In the second half, Graham was targeted five times and only caught one pass for 15 yards. One of those targets was intercepted by LB Foster and returned for a touchdown. As you can tell from the chart, the defense has improved immensely!

In two games, we have nine sacks as well as a pick six! We are allowing a full touchdown less in scoring. Unfortunately, the defense could have done better and secured both losses for wins. In the second game versus the Saints, TE Graham caught a pass uncontested for a touchdown as the Bucs’ defense were scrambling at the line of scrimmage. Take away that touchdown and the rest of us would not care about what happened at the end of the game. That is a huge problem that many fans may have forgotten as we only focus in on the last minutes of the game. Despite the lack of offense, the defense should have secured this game on their side of the ball, including the task of preventing the Saints offense from scoring on their last drive.

It sounds crazy, but I recall many people clamoring if the defense was just a bit better, then we win games. Or have you heard this one, “Who needs a TE in this offense? We don’t use them!” Our offense is decaying between the two weeks in scoring points. The defense has been amazing and the Bucs are still losing. I know defense wins championships, but with this offense it seems impossible. And with the penalties we accrue, the chance at a championship, let alone a winning season, now seems improbable. We cannot learn from our mistakes and that is what impedes this team, our own stupidity.

I heard this phrase from a friend and I would like to share it with you to conclude this article,

“When you are dead, you don’t know that you are dead. It is difficult only for the others.

It is the same when you are stupid.”