The Bucs are Breaking Bad

Defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime, 19 - 13. With the loss, the team was denied its second win for the season. From a quick glance, the defense held the opposing team to 13 points in regular time, breaking the trend of high points given up, and so the offense sputtering must be the reason for the loss. Bucs' head coach Lovie Smith and his defenses are known for close games, and this game against the Vikings fits into that mold despite what the offense does.

From a scoring perspective, the defense improved greatly!  Between games 3 - 6, the Bucs' defense had allowed 37.25 points per game.  Allowing the Vikings to only 13 points is a vast improvement.  That fact is a great thing to hang the defense's helmet upon!  So let us look into in depth of drives and see if there is improvement there, which there should be.

Again, improvement here to allow only three drives of 40 + yards.  This performance is how the defense should be like against all of its opponents. And yet, the team lost... again. A famous basketball coach, John Wooden, said something to the effect of, "Don't mistake activity for achievement."  Everything looks good for this game, so is there a pattern here that we are still losing games?

In six losses, the defense has given up the lead three times.  And in those three times, we notice long drives have been given up.  For the New Orleans game, the offense had put the team ahead by 11 points early in the fourth quarter and why I put down two drives. Despite only giving up 13 points against the Minnesota Vikings, the defense still had blown a lead. Maybe the team should work on a two-minute defense because it is probable that the team would have four wins if the defense held.

It is quite possible that Lovie Smith needs another year to properly implement his defense considering how many games the defense had blown leads. That comment, though, does not take into account of getting blown out in two games, where one of those games we set a record of futility by allowing the most points in a half by a home team.

As of today, per ESPN, our defensive passing ranking is 30^th and our defensive rushing ranking is 23^rd.

The Tampa-2 defensive scheme is a lot of "bending, but not breaking", meaning it will allow a lot of yards, but limit scoring.  Presumably, we should be improving on defense considering the defensive FA acquisitions the team had done during the offseason with CB Alterraun Verner, DT Clinton McDonald, DE Michael Johnson, and S Major Wright.  Although only seven games have been played, the pattern suggests that the Bucs' defense has taken a step backwards.

20/20 hindsight, the Bucs' front office truly hurt themselves by not re-signing DE/DT Michael Bennett, who wanted to stay as a Buccaneer.  Many fans wanted Bennett to stay because he was our leading sack artist, but also to lure his brother to Tampa because we needed improvement at tight end.

Offense

After a bye week, there are expectations that the offense would come out blazing.  Instead, we were revealed a dud.

Two long drives...  that is it.  That is also pathetic coming out of a bye week.  The fact that we were still in the game is credit to the defense!  The offense did enough to give the team the lead, but the defense and TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins fates are tied, both heroes and both goats of the game.

Look at all those third and longs.  I have a feeling that the bye week had allowed Lovie to get his hands on our offense as opposed to keeping his hands off. In this game, it was the second highest run play-calling percentage of the year. The Bucs had 28 passing attempts to 23 rushing attempts. Lovie wants to establish a run game.  23 rushing attempts for 66 yards rushing is mediocre. Our strength is in the passing game.

On Drive 11, the touchdown drive, the offense threw 7 times to 2 runs. Those two runs gained only 3 yards: gained 2 yards on 3^rd and 3 as well as gained 1 yard on the following play of 4^th an 1, both in the red zone. A 71 yard drive when we rely on the arm of the quarterback.

The Minnesota game closely resembles that of the St. Louis game.  Both games were difficult to watch and both games we blew the lead. The big question about this game should be how to prevent the offense from being in the position of 3^rd and longs.

Huh... it is simply sad to see that Minnesota is an average run defense and the Bucs' rushing offense could only muster 66 yards.  That offensive line is very deficient.  Just start using more screens and call those plays runs, that is how former OC Jeff Tedford would classify them.

Who is stifling the offense? This offense has shown the propensity to score "a plenty", but coming out of the bye week to score the second fewest points this season does not bode well for the future.

There are just so many things wrong at so many places that I have become numb and indifferent this season.  Although, I did get a chuckle thinking up the term "two-minute defense".