Bucs season a major disappointment so far
The Bucs are at the mid-point of the 2017 season, and to say the season has been a disappointment would be the understatement of the year.
If you thought the Bucs would be 2-6 and in the midst of a five game losing streak raise your hand. At best I thought the Bucs would be 5-3 at this point on their way to a 10 win season. So far, the Bucs have beat the Bears 29-7 on opening day, and a very bad Giants team 25-22. The team has underacheived in every way and in all phases of the game. Underacheiving and disappointing are tow words that would describe the season so far.
On offense, Jameis Winston’s injury has affected his play and as a result the Bucs offense has basically ground to a halt. With Winston healthy the Bucs offense has the potential to be very good.
The play-calling has been questionable at times. Clock management issues have surfaced in at least two games. The OL Line has taken a step back since the season started and has a knack for penalties at the most crietical points in the game.
Doug Martin missed the first three games of the season serving a suspension, but since jis return has not even been close to the Doug Martin we were expecting to see.
On the road The Bucs offense has failed to show except for a 30-27 loss in Buffalo. The offense has started slowly in almost every road game and has not been able to come back and play well from behind. Yes I know the Bucs were down 31-0 in Arizona and made a nice comeback with Ryan Fitzpatrick after Winston hurt his shoulder. Arizona playing soft defensively had a lot to do with the Bucs scoring 31 Points.
On defense the list of disappointments are endless. The lack of a pass rush and the ability to pressure the QB has been a real problem. The Bucs have had injuries I’ll give you that. Noah Spence is out for the season. Chris Baker has missed some time. But every other team has had injuries as well. You have back-ups for a reason. They need to step in and make plays when their number is called.
The play of the DB’s has not been good. Vernon Hargraves has been the most disappointing player in the secondary. And probably the most disappointing player on defense this season. All off-season we heard how Hargraves was going to be more aggressive and be more physical. I haven’t seen any of that out of Hargraves. He has played much better moving to the inside but still has a lot of work to do. You have to wonder if Brent Grimes career is coming to a close. It seems the little nagging injuries are starting to take their toll. Grimes has missed more games than he has played in this season and lets face it, he is the only member of the secondary that opposing teams respect. When he is not in the lineup, the Bucs do not have any one in the defensive backfield that you would consider a shutdown DB.
The special teams play has been any thing but special. The Bucs are on their third kicker since training camp as former Buc Pat Murray is back for another round. Nick Folk who cost the Bucs the win against New England was a huge disappointment and is still looking for work. Bernard Reedy has been just OK in the return game when given the opportunity.
Dirk Koetter has seemed to have lost his way with the team. At times he seems emotionless as he can’t believe what he is seeing on the field. Mike Smith has seen his defense take a step back this season in what was supposed to be a strength of this team. In his weekly press briefings Smith has alluded to the fact the the Bucs didn't tackle well, were out of their lanes, not lined correctly, not in the proper coverage etc. How do you expect to win any games if you can’t execute the basics? We are halfway through the season and tackling is still an issue?
The play of the LB’s has been very good this season. Kendall Beckwith has been a very good addition to David and Alexander, and with the improved play of Davonte Bond, this position could be a strength of this team for a few years.
On a positive note, the biggest surprise on the team has been the play of rookie Kendall Beckwith. Beckwith has been thrown into some tough situations because of injuries to Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David and has played very well.
Last year the Bucs were 3-5 at the halfway point, had the bye week and and then went 7-1 the rest of the way just missing the playoff. Does this team have a run like that in them this year? We are about to find out starting Sunday against the Jets.
