What can we expect going forward from the Bucs?
The Bucs have been a mixed bag so far this season and going forward it is kind of hard to project what this Jekyll and Hyde team will do.
Offensively the Bucs took a big step back in their 48-10 loss to Chicago. The red hot passing game grew stone cold as nothing was working for the Bucs. Defensively it just got worse and worse as the afternoon went along.
What can we expect from this offense now that Jameis Winston is back under center? Look for more of the dink and dunk game like we saw to open the second half with Winston at QB in Chicago. Let’s face it, Winston does not have the consistency nor has he ever had that on the long throws downfield With his receivers. That is something Fitzpatrick developed with his receivers very quickly. The downfield throws were going to be a threat.
You will see more sacks as Winston hangs on to the ball trying to make a play. The flip side of that is Winston also has that ability to make something out of nothing. So you have to take the good with the bad with Winston.
I Think Winston trys to force the ball in spots when he should just throw it away, so look for the Interceptions to go up.
The running game will continue to be mediocre. You won’t be able to count on Wilson, Barber or Jones to get those tough yards. Part of the problem is the Bucs very seldom deploy 2 backs in the backfiled with different skill sets.
How about a Barber, Wilson combo, or a Barber, Jones combo. Heck even give Jacquizz Rodgers more of an opportunity. His touches have been very limited so far this season.
Defensively Who knows. It’s a crapshoot. This defense has done nothing to show the fans that they can play good defense for a quarter or even a half.
The Bucs are 26th is sacks with 8 this season, 4 of those by Jason Pierre-Paul. Beau Allen did not practice today and he will be doubtful for the game against the Falcons.
Vita Vea needs to get more playing time and be an impact player. You can’t let your first round pick sit on the bench when he is healthy, he needs to play.
Noah Spence is really struggling. There is something funny going on with Spence. You can’t get a straight answer from Koetter or from the DL coach Brenston Buckner on what the problem is. But Spence is in the dog house.
What can you say about the DB’s? When your best DB Brent Grimes is benched in Chicago because he is percieved to be not playing with heart, desire and hustle that’s not a good thing.
Ryan Smith replaced Grimes and the explanation was that they wanted to get Smith some work while at the same time saying that the effort from Grimes wasn’t there.
The Bucs are playing three rookies in the defensive backfield but MIke Smith is no rookie coach and he needs to come up with a better scheme to put these guys in position to make plays.
The Bucs are on pace to have the worst defense ever in the history of the NFL. They are in pace to give up 559 points this season, that is 35 points a game. Hard to believe that the 76-77 Buccaneers who went 2-26 had a better defense than this team.
Two years ago after the bye, the Bucs defense got it together and went on a winning streak that almost propelled them into the playoffs as they finished with a 9-7 record.
Last year after the bye there was no improvement as the Bucs went 5-11 and were a major disappointment.
I think we will some improvement as the season goes along. The rookie DB’s will get better with more experience, The DL chemistry should get better as they play more together.
Kendall Beckwith is eligible to be back for the game against the Browns on 10-21, and that will be a boost to the defense and the linebackers.
I still the Bucs going 6-6 the rest of the way. If the defense exceeds my expectations a 7-5 record is possible, but still no playoff berth And that could be the end of the Dirk Koetter era in Tampa.
