5 Thoughts
- Yes, the Bucs should be serious about cornerback Richard Sherman. Sure, Sherman is controversial, but I remember interviewing him before a Super Bowl. I was prepared to find an egomaniac on the loose. Instead, I found a bright, thoughtful cornerback who could play the darned game. Through two games, the Bucs are allowing a rating of 113.3. Frankly, the Bucs could use the help.
2. If Mike Edwards doesn't get a commercial out of Sunday's game, he needs a new agent.
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3. For Ronald Jones II, the key word is "shrink." Either he sees one, or his playing time will continue to do so.
4.Any time the Bucs' pass rush wants to return to "fearsome," it's okay.
5. Just wondering: Have Bucs' fans always been this disappointed with a 2-0 start as they came off a 23-point win?
5 Comments
(From Bruce Arians Day-After Press Conference)
(On if the reason the Bucs are giving up more passing yards is because of lack of a rush:) "No, I think it's just the hundred-and-some passes we've had thrown against us because they're not running the football anymore. It's one of those things. I thought our front four played really, really well. We got a lot of pressure, tipped a lot of balls. We got three interceptions, two of them off tipped balls. I think it's just the volume of passes that we're seeing. We kept them in front of us for the most part. [We] missed a couple tackles – that was disturbing to me on a really tough tackling [opponent]. Cordarrelle Patterson is a game-breaking type of guy. We've got to tackle a little bit better but, no, those numbers, I think for 100 and whatever passes we've seen now in a couple weeks, yeah, we're going to give up some yards."
(On if running back Leonard Fournette is a better blocker than Ronald Jones): Yeah, it speaks for itself. ‘Ro’, that's his guy (on a sack). He's got to get out of those types of situations. I thought he ran hard and protected the ball but, again, you can't have those mental errors. This is his third year, man. It shouldn't be a problem and at times it is. It's just attention to detail, like missing that blitz. He is a great runner. [He] caught the ball well. I would have liked to have seen him run for the first down. His mind is fine, it's just his play isn't as good as it should be."
(On if he's concerned about the pass rush): "They’re winning a bunch. Vita [Vea] is killing his guys, it's just he's knocking them into the quarterback and not sacking them. I think we're getting a ton of pressure. We knocked Dak [Prescott] down a bunch of times. Knocking them down sometimes is as good as sacking them. They feel it, too, but yeah, I'd like to see some more sacks."
(On the energy that defensive end Rakeem Nunez-Roches brings to the defense): "He brings it every single day, all day long. That's one thing about ‘Nacho’ – he ain't going to shut up in practice, either. He's bringing it all day long and that's what I love about him. He's talking on the sideline – he's always got that energy and he's not going to let anyone get down."
(On the Bucs not playing well in the middle of games): "Oh, we talked a lot about it again today, because we're playing at a very, very high level and then we're playing a very, very low level at times and we've got to get rid of that. It's going to come back to bite us sooner or later. We can't go straight down the field and score, go straight down the field…'Uh, penalty, sack, fumble,' when it should have been 14 to nothing, or at least 10 to nothing. So yeah, we talk about those things all the time and it's just got to show up in games."
Game Balls
Offense: Maybe it should be called "Tom Brady's weekly award." Really, who else are you going to give it to than a guy who had five touchdown passes?
Defense: Mike Edwards will remember this day a long time. Two pick-sixes to close out a game is fairly strong.
Special teams: Bradley Pinion is off to a whale of a start. Sunday, he averaged 47.6 yards per punt and pinned two inside the 20.
Grades
Quarterback: Don't you find those times when Brady throws a poor pass simply staggering? That's how good he is. Grade: A.
Offensive line: The line was better in the run and protected Brady. Grade: B+/
Running backs: Can someone fix Ronald Jones before his season gets off track? Grade: C.
Defensive line: There simply have to be more sacks. Grade: C.
Secondary; Edwards was a star, but Matt Ryan threw for 300 yards. Grade: C+.
Kicking: Ryan Succop missed an extra point, but it was at a time he could afford to. Grade: B+.
Brady's Hot Start
TDs 12 1st
Yards 655 5th
Rating 113.3 7th
1st Downs 36 1st
20 yards+ passes 12 T- 1st
1-2 Touchdown Combinations, NFL History
(Regular season)
1. Peyton Manning & Marvin Harrison 112
2. Philip Rivers & Antonio Gates 89
3. Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski 88
4. Steve Young & Jerry Rice 85
5. Dan Marino & Mark Clayton 79