Tuesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- Not only was there was no whistle, there should have been no whistle. Of the 70,038 fans who were there, I'd wager not one of them heard a whistle. Anything other take will cause noses to grow.
2. So let me get this straight. The NFL's official explanation was "hey, we weren't cheating. We're just stupid." Right?
3. I realize half of his starting offense is out, but shouldn't an offensive coordinator be able to average nine inches a run? Five straight rushes and they can't get a yard?
4. Not saying the NFC South is weak, but except for the Bucs, the other three teams were 0-3 and were outscored 97-22.
5. Don't rush, Hasaan. You talke your time healing, okay?
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' Monday press conference)
(On if the team is in a position to make a trade before the November 4 trade deadline): "I think the discussion is more of how much do you have to give up to get somebody that you really want? That will be the discussion more or less going forward. We feel like hopefully guys can come back, but at the same time, if there is something out there that is available…Depending on whether you have to rob Peter to pay Paul, we [have] to weigh those options."
(On the Buccaneers ranking in the top five in the NFL in takeaways, and what he would credit that to): "We practice it all the time. They come in bunches. I can’t tell you that there is one thing we do differently that we have not been doing. I have been around when we practiced it daily every day and did everything we could and we got none, and I have been around when we hardly practiced it, and we got a bunch of them. They come in bunches, and the guys start seeing it and they feed off of it and we just have to keep that going."
(On whether WR Chris Godwin Jr., RB Bucky Irving and T Luke Goedeke are in play to return to practice in Week 10 after the Bye Week): "I think that will be discussed at the end of the week. I think those guys will start doing some things this week depending on the progress they make. We will see how practice goes next week if they can get some things done this week. I do not have a timeline on it either, [we] just have to see how they are progressing."
On why the offense has been able to limit their turnovers): "[It is] probably the quarterback understanding where he has to go with the ball, understanding making those decisions, when to throw it away, when to eat it, not putting the ball in danger [and] not putting us in harm's way. Baker [Mayfield] has a good feel on how the game is being played -- not just offensively, but defensively as well -- so he knows when he can take shots and when he does not take shots. I think he has just been doing a good job of taking care of the football."
(On how he feels about the team going into the Bye Week): "I feel good. We played tough, we’re 6-2, we can do a lot of things better, obviously. We [have] to work on fundamentals [and] we [have] to self-scout as coaches. We [have] to make sure we do not forget the fundamental part of it, they [have] to make sure they continue to take care of their bodies. Our confidence is tough, and our confidence is strong, but we have a long way to go. We understand that it is going to be a big second half when we come back, so we [have] to be ready."
Game Balls
Offense: Not much to choose from, but Tez Johnson keeps getting better.
Defense: Anthony Nelson had the game of his life. Heck, he had one of the game's of any Buc defender's lives.
Special team: Chase McLaughlin nailed three half-the-field field goals. For the year, he is eight-for-eight from 50-yards-plus.
Grades
Quarterback: I realize the Bucs were trying to balance out the offense. But when you can't run, it just looks silly. Grade: C.
Running back: It's not good when your lead back has 42 yards. Grade: D.
Offensive line: So in four tries from the one, the Bucs couldn't move the ball across you coffee table? Grade: F.
Defensive line: The Saints rushed for just 48 yards. Grade: B+.
Linebackers: Lavonte David had 10 tackles and Sirvoea Dennis had seven. Grade: B+/
Secondary: The only people who could slow down Antoine Winfield Jr. were the referees. Grade: B.
Power Ratings
Bucs 6-2 Starts
Year Finish Post-season
2025 ??? ???
2022 12-4 Lost wild card
2021 13-4 Divisional
2020 11-5 Super Bowl
1979 10-6 NFC Championship
- Detroit
2. Kansas City
3. Indianapolis
4. Philadelphia
5. New England
---
9. Tampa Bay
Bottom Five
32. Tennessee
31. N.Y. Jets
30. New Orleans
29. N.Y. Giants
28. Cleveland
NFL Five Stars
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami
James Cook, Buffalo
Anthony Nelson, Tampa Bay
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia
5 NFL Flops
Spencer Rattler, New Orleans
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland
Dak Prescott, Dallas
Rookie Receivers
Tetairo McMillen, Carolina 37 512 2
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay 35 562 5
Travis Hunter, Jacksonville 28 298 1
Eric Ayomanor, Tennessee 23 277 2
Matthew Golden, Green Bay 21 253 0
Bucs coaches Winning Percentage
- Bruce Arians. .633
2. Tony Dungy .563
3. Todd Bowles .559
4. Jon Gruden .509
5. Dirk Koetter .396
Bucs Quarterback wins
- Trent Dilfer 38
2. Doug Williams 33
3. Tom Brady 32
4. Jameis Winston 28
5. Brad Johnson 26
6. Baker Mayfield 25
Baker Mayfield Stats
Passing Yards 1919 5
Touchdowns 16 11
Rating 98 12
20-plus. 29 t-2
Comp. Pct. 63.9 23
NFL Stats
Rushing Yards Rashaad White 287 31
Receiving Yards Emeka Egbuka 562 7
Tackles Tykee Smith 27 10
Field goals Chase McLaughlin 17 t-2
Interceptions Jemel Dean 3. t-3