Tuesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- At this rate, Desmond Watson and Vita Vea will become the Bucs' healthiest receivers.
2. A lot of runway left, but yeah, I buy Baker Mayfield being in the MVP lead at this point. And yes, it surprises me to say it. But through six games, who has been more important?
3. YaYa Diaby had two sacks? Can you call him the Fearsome Onesome?
4. It seems to me that blaming the training staff for injuries in a violent game is like blaming the pharmacist for my headache.
5. Does gauze count against the salary cap? And shouldn’t Johnson and Johnson (Cam and Tez) get an endorsement?
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' Monday press conference)
(On if there are any injury updates, specifically for wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Mike Evans): “’Mek’ (Emeka Egbuka) is going to get an MRI tomorrow, so we’ll find out more then. We will hope to see Mike or Zyon [McCollum] and [Benjamin] Morrison do something this week, and then we’ll see how much they do to determine if they can play and what they can do.”
(On the continued ‘next man up’ mentality as the team pushes through injuries): “I don’t think we look at it as wide receivers six and seven and guards four and five and all that stuff. I think we look at it as guys made this team for a reason. When somebody goes down, somebody has got to step up and has a job to do. It’s up to them to do it, but it’s also up to the coaches to know exactly what they can do well and how they fit in the scheme, and to work it that way and give them the best chance possible to succeed.”
(On limiting San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey on Sunday, particularly from the perspective of LB SirVocea Dennis): “’Voss’ (SirVocea Dennis) did a great job. Our number one thing we had on our list to stop was the YAC (yards after catch) yards by [No.] 23 (Christian McCaffrey), because he can catch the ball and he can hurt you in so many ways. We knew he was going to catch the checkdowns, but we needed to have him bracketed inside and out. I thought those guys did a great job limiting the yards per catch.”
(On if he ever senses whether or not he is coaching a special team and if he has that feeling about this year’s team): “I have a gut feeling off the field that it’s a special team, but football is week to week and you’ve got to go out and prove that, and that’s one week after another week after another week. You can feel as good as you want and this league will bring you down and make you feel terrible. You can feel terrible and they can bring you up to feel great. That gut feeling has not hit me since I’ve been coaching. But, week to week, you have a confidence of trusting your guys and knowing they can go out there and do a good job as long as everybody is on the same page.”
(On what the team saw in WR Tez Johnson during the draft process that enabled them to think he could find success in the NFL): “[General Manager] Jason [Licht] came down and asked me to watch this kid and told me to take a peek at him. I know he really liked him, and when we like somebody, we go down and ask the other one to take a look at it. I took a look at this guy, and he was not just a small guy. He was a true receiver – he could run routes, he can catch the ball, he could return punts, he competed in the blocking game. I said, ‘He might not be bad.’ Then he was hanging around at a time where we could grab him, and we grabbed him.”
Game Balls
Offense: Of course Baker Mayfield was the key ingredient to winning, but let's celebrate the Johnson boys, Cam and Tez, for their contributions.
Defense: Jamel Dean had an interception and a sack. Not bad for someone the fans wanted to run off.
Special teams: Riley Dixon has taken a lot of criticism this year, but on Sunday, he averaged 55 yards a punt and nailed three inside the 20.
Grades
Offense: People have come to believe that Baker Mayfield will be perfect. And they're not far off. Grade: A.
Running back: Rachaad White runs hard, and he has a feel for the end zone. Grade: B.
Offensive line: Guards keep getting broken, but the Bucs gave up just one sack. Grade: B.
Wide receiver: The receiver room looks like intensive care, but receivers keep making plays. Grade: A.
Defensive line: Christian McCaffery was held in check and the Bucs got six sacks. Grade: A.
Linebackers: Eventually, Lavonte David is going to make a play. Grade: B.
Secondary: Way too much yardage, but the interceptions helped the Bucs win. Grade: D.
Power Rankings
- Indianapolis
2. Tampa Bay
3. Green Bay
4. Pittsburgh
5. Detroit
Bottom Five
32. N.Y. Jets
31. Cleveland
30. Tennessee
29. New Orleans
28. Cincinnati
NFL Five Stars
(For the week)
- Baker Mayfield
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Rico Dowdle
4. Drake Maye
5. Bijan Robinson
Five NFL FLops
(For the week)
- Justin Fields
2. Cooper Rush
3. Javonte Williams
4. Travis Etienne
5. Michael Pittman
Top MVP Candidates
- Baker Mayfield
2. Josh Allen
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Jonathan Taylor
5. Puka Nacua
Bucs coaches by Wins
- Jon Gruden 57
2. Tony Dungy 55
3. John McKay 44
4. Todd Bowles 32
5. Bruce Arians 31
Bucs Quarterback Ratings
(Career, Bucs only)
Baker Mayfield 101.8
Tom Brady 98.1
Jeff Garcia 92.2
Jameis Winston 86.4
Brian Griese 84.1
Mayfield's NFL Stats
Passing Yards 1539 4
Touchdowns 12 3
Rating * 108.5 5
First downs 67 T-9
Quarterback rushing 158 8
- Minimum 100 passes
NFL Stats
Category Player Stat Rank
Rushing Yds Bucky Irving 237 27
Receiving Yds Emeke Egbuka 469 4
Tackles Tykee Smith 45 30
Interceptions Jamel dean 2. t-5
Field Goals Chase McLaughlin 13 4
Rookie Receivers
Emeke Egbuka 27 469 5
Tetairoa McMillan. 27 380 2
Travis Hunter 20 197 0
Elic Ayomanor 17 196 2
Matthew Golden 14 212 0