5 Thoughts
- I read where some people think that, despite his 300-yard game and three touchdowns,Tom Brady was "off" against the Panthers. Really? I think the problem is that, with Brady, we've come to expect perfection. He overthrows a deep receiver, and we want to remind everyone that we know how old he is. Just relax, people. He's not perfect; just pretty darned good.
2. Now in charge of keeping the Bucs down...Jameis Winston. He's done it before. My old line on Winston is this: "If you love him, he's worse than you think. And if you hate him, he's better."
3. Vita Vea has convinced people he's pretty good just by being injured.
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4. If the Bucs lose another prime time game, I say we move all of their games to 8 a.m. from here on out.
5. He seems like a really nice guy, but I'm tired of seeing too much of Ryan Succop.
5 Comments
(From Bruce Arians' Day-After Press Conference)
(On adjusting the team's schedule to prepare for a prime time game): “We’ve got to try something because we’ve had really, really poor starts in night ballgames. We’re going to try practicing at that game time [on] Friday and Saturday night [and] do some more stuff, actually, Monday morning than we’ve been doing. We’ve got to try something, so luckily we have an indoor facility and we can work at night. We’re going to do that and hopefully get a better result to start a ballgame at night.”
(On what he saw inRonald Jones II that made him confident in Jones’ ability): “He’s so young. When he got here he was so, so young and didn’t really have that much background, but he had tremendous talent. His ability to cut, make people miss [and] break tackles was outstanding. It was just a matter of maturing as a back, slowing down [and] letting the game come to you instead of forcing everything. I was really, really proud of him because when he had the miscue in New York, it really put him in the tank because he thought he let the team down. We talked a lot about that – ‘One play doesn’t change games.’ When he came to the sideline it was all encouragement and I really liked the way he bounced back and had a hell of a ballgame.”
(On what concerns him about the Rams' defense): “The players. The players haven’t changed much [but] the scheme is totally different. You’ve still got [Michael] Brockers, Aaron Donald and all those guys. [Leonard] Floyd is playing [well] for them [and] Jalen [Ramsey] is a big addition to the secondary. They’re pretty much a zone-coverage team with Jalen playing some man-to-man in zone principles. He gives them flexibility to do a lot of different things defensively. They have a lot of five-man pressures and they’re very tough to block.”
(On if he thinks the Bucs can compete against any team when Brady is protected): “Yeah, and I think a huge part of that is the running game. When we establish the run – and it doesn’t have to be a 200-yard running game – the establishment of the run and the play-action keeps him clean in the pocket. Any defensive lineman when he has two things to think about is not going to tee off like he does when it’s just putting your ears back on third down or pass rush the entire time. When his uniform is clean we have a great shot.”
(On why the Bucs were able to use Mike Evans more effectively): “When he was out wide there was a lot of single coverage and we were able to get him one-on-one. [I] would have liked to see him catch a couple more balls, actually. He was not double-covered the whole time. Then, when he was inside, he got open [and] we got him the ball a few times. Tom [Brady] just spread it around beautifully in this ballgame. Again, you’re going to have more targets when you have 80 snaps on offense. When you get 80 snaps, everybody should have a shot at getting the ball in their hands.”
Game Balls
Offense: Tom Brady played well, and A.Q. Shipley pitched in on the offensive line. But the star of the day was running back Ronald Jones II, who had 192 yards.
Defense: Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack, an interception and two quarterback hits. He's still ticking.
Special teams: The easy thing would be to give it to Succop, but what about that tackle on a fake punt by Justin Watson. A hidden gem of a play.
Grades
Quarterback: For a franchise that hasn't had very many decent quarterbacks, fans sure can nit-pick Tom Brady, can't they. Grade: A-.
Running back: After paying no mind to the run the week before ,the Bucs rude for 210 yards against the Panthers. Grade. A.
Offensive line: Ali Marpet is the best player, but the team didn't miss him Sunday. Grade: A-.
Wide receivers: Brady spread the ball well between Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. A solid day. Grade: A.
Defensive line: The Saints averaged 4.1 yards a carry. That's too much. Grade: C.
Linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White had six tackles each. Grade: B+.
Secondary: Teddy Bridgewater hit his first 12 passes, guy overall, the Bucs survived. Grade: B.
Kicking: Despite a blocked PAT, Succop continues to be straight and true. Grade. A-.
Ex-Buc of the Week
Jameis Winston of the Saints wasn't great, but he didn't throw any touchdowns to the other team, either.
Most Yards Rushing (Bucs)
1. Doug Martin (11/4/12 at OAK) 251
2. Doug Martin (11/22/15 at PHI) 235
3. James Wilder (11/6/83 at MIN) 219
4. Warrick Dunn (12/3/00 vs. DAL) 210
5t. Ronald Jones II (11/15/20 at CAR) 192
5t. Errict Rhett (12/4/94 vs. WAS) 192
NFL Stats
Passing Yards Tom Brady 4
Rushing Yards Ronald Jones II 3
Receptions Mike Evans 29
Tackles Devin White 5
Sacks Jason Pierre-Paul 7
5 Candidates for Team MVP
- Tom Brady
2. Lavonte David
3. Vita Vea
4. Ali Marpet
5. Carlton Davis III
5 More Thoughts
- I know the Bucs just invested in Antonio Brown, but I think the only way they can afford to ignore his bike-throwing accusations is if it turns out to be Lance Armstrong's bike.
2. Have the Bucs' considered wearing miner's helmets for night games?
3. Ronald Jones needs 270 yards for 1,000. Personally, I bet the under.
4. Tom Brady has not been good throwing the deep ball. Which means one thing: He isn't playing against the Bucs' secondary.
5. Nice thought: The Bus haven't been 7-3 since 2010. Disturbing thought: They missed the playoffs that year.