Behind Enemy Lines - Bucs Edition

[biglebowski]

move your little show to the smack thread.

 

My apologies. This just looked like a smack thread.

[gettlemanjack]

at LB, the Bucs only keep 5 on their roster:

SLB Casillas - PFF rates "average." Split time at SLB with Dakota Watson last yr (Watson signed with Jags for 3-year, $6.25 million). Before that, Casillas was backup for Saints. Currently on a 1-year, $1.4 million contract with Bucs

MLB Foster - returning starter, PFF rates "poor" as a starter. In 2011, signed a four-year, $2.8 million contact with Bucs (makes $754,686 this season then his contact is up). Rotoworld: "In the Bucs' new Tampa-2 defense, the middle linebacker has to excel in coverage. Foster has struggled with that ever since being the 84th pick in the 2011 draft. He graded out in the bottom half of Pro Football Focus' inside linebacker rankings this past season." (note: with the Bears, Lovie Smith had Brian Urlacher, who was a safety in college)

WLB David - beast

backup MLB Fletcher - Bucs signed to 1 yr, $2 million. Rotoworld: "will likely focus on special teams in Tampa Bay."

backup OLB Lansanah - spent three seasons in the now-defunct United Football League while his day job was counseling problem children at Alternative Rehabilitation Communities, a Harrisburg facility for children with criminal backgrounds. Bucs are paying him $570,000 this season then his contact is up

[Jimmy]

In response to one of their threads on Pewter Report that the Bucs need to dominate the Panthers, that winning isn't enough...one of their fans puts it into perspective.

 

 

 

We should not only win but "dominate" one of the best defenses in football and Cam Newton?  Oh boy ...

 

Is a Win Good Enough

Edited September 5, 2014 by Jimmy

[camycamcan]

Panthers fans taking over Tampa like Atlanta last year.

I've been in Tampa three days. Have seen at least ten panthers jerseys and only one Bucs jersey. Lol.

Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

i sat behind our bench last year and this game I will be it was filled with panthers it was crazy how much there was

[gettlemanjack]

Bucs MLB Foster - returning starter, PFF rates "poor" as a starter. In 2011, signed a four-year, $2.8 million contact with Bucs (makes $754,686 this season then his contact is up). Rotoworld: "In the Bucs' new Tampa-2 defense, the middle linebacker has to excel in coverage. Foster has struggled with that ever since being the 84th pick in the 2011 draft. He graded out in the bottom half of Pro Football Focus' inside linebacker rankings this past season." (note: with the Bears, Lovie Smith had Brian Urlacher, who was a safety in college)

this is your classic Tampa 2. If it's a run, the defenders stick to their gap assignments and rely on getting to the ball carrier fast and sure tackling. If it's a pass, the D relies only on a 4 man rush with no blitzing, and all three LBs drop into zone coverage, with the middle linebacker back-pedaling back as a 3rd safety

Lovie Smith helped run the Tampa 2 as linebackers coach in Tampa from 1996-2000 under DC Monte Kiffin. Lovie then continued running the Tampa 2 at Chicago, where he had 7x Pro Bowl Lance Briggs at WLB and 8x Pro Bowl Brian Urlacher at MLB

The Tampa 2 is a "bend but don't break" scheme particularly effective at limiting big plays. It forces offenses to be patient and to settle for short gains and time consuming drives

Kiffin:

"You're not going to shock people when you throw out the Tampa 2: 'Oh, my gosh. How do we attack this?' Because that's all they've been doing for quite a few years now," said Dallas assistant coach Monte Kiffin"

Note there is no guarantee Lovie Smith sticks with his Tampa 2, as this MMQB article from Week 4 of last season points out that even coaches that traditionally run the Cover 2 are starting to run it less and less in today's NFL

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/09/25/bears-lions-preview-cover-2-endangered-species/

"More and more, Marinelli and (Lovie) Smith drifted away from Cover 2 over the past two season seasons, and (new Bears DC Mel) Tucker, a longtime Cover 2 acolyte, has only continued that trend. The Lions, another classic Cover 2 team, are also trending away from the scheme...so far this season, the godfather of the Tampa 2 himself, Monte Kiffin, has played Cover 2 on just 24.2% of his opponents’ pass attempts."

Note however, that a lot of those Cover 2 guys had crappy defenses once they got away from the Cover 2 (Bears last year, Cowboys last year, etc. Same could happen in Tampa this year)

[PntherPryd]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/05/bucs-offering-free-tickets-to-loyal-season-ticket-owners/

 

 

There is no local "corporation" buying up the seats.  The bucs are eating it.  This season is a last chance gasp at becoming relevant again and they need butts in the seats.

 

This is more than their superbowl, this is about keeping the team in Tampa.

 

The ownership is buying in so props to them and I think it says a lot about how much damage has been done there that they have to give away tickets to fill the stadium.  If their fanbase doesn't realize what is going on then they deserve to lose the team to London.

 

 

 

[Jeremy Igo]

A trip to London once a year?

 

 

sign me up.

[Squirrel]

A trip to London once a year?

 

 

sign me up.

 

Imagine all the Blokes trying to talk smack.  lol

[pantherclaw]

for the Bucs, DE Gholston and DE Bowers are both out and they were supposed to help out as depth at DT as "the Bucs have only three defensive tackles on roster."

So the Bucs only have seven DL available for the game:

DE Clayborn (PFF rates him "poor" as a starter. ESPN: "last year he was unspectacular with 5.5 sacks.")

DE Johnson - (3.5 sacks in 15 starts last season. CBS: "Johnson is a gamble for the Bucs...In order for the defense to be successful, Johnson definitely has to double his sack total from last season. Anything short of seven sacks would be seen as a disappointing season")

DE Solomon - 0 sacks, 1 tackle for his whole NFL career

DE Means - entering 2nd season, zero sacks, zero tackles in the NFL

DT McCoy - beast, will get double and triple teamed

DT McDonald - PFF rates "good" as a starter - 5.5 sacks for the Seahawks last year as the 2nd-deep DT in the rotation

DT Spence - PFF rates "poor" as a starter. 1 sack in 14 starts last year

I smell a lot of blitzes, which isn't the strength of the tampa 2 defense that lovie is suppose to be bringing back to tampa.

Thus should actually be a pretty.giod game for our offense to start off with. Not saying the offense plays lighrs out, but they won't need to.

Edited September 5, 2014 by pantherclaw

[Guest LavonteDavid]

I smell a lot of blitzes, which isn't the strength of the tampa 2 defense that lovie is suppose to be bringing back to tampa.

Thus should actually be a pretty.giod game for our offense to start off with. Not saying the offense plays lighrs out, but they won't need to.

 

I'm gonna be the spy on Cam all Sunday. Oh, whoops. I was supposed to keep that under wraps!

 

In related news, I walked around practice all day yesterday, pointing towards where the Offense was practicing and doing my Admiral Ackbar impression, "It's a tarp!". The guys loved it.

 

Oh, I'm probably going to break the fibulas of Jon Stewart and Greg Olsen on Sunday. Apologizing in advance.

[Jeremy Igo]

Oh look, someone signed up as a player. Never seen that.

[TheRumGone]

I'm gonna be the spy on Cam all Sunday. Oh, whoops. I was supposed to keep that under wraps!

In related news, I walked around practice all day yesterday, pointing towards where the Offense was practicing and doing my Admiral Ackbar impression, "It's a tarp!". The guys loved it.

Oh, I'm probably going to break the fibulas of Jon Stewart and Greg Olsen on Sunday. Apologizing in advance.

Hey lavonte, what happened at the end of that jets game last year?

[Guest LavonteDavid]

Oh look, someone signed up as a player. Never seen that.

Oh, then you must be new to football forums. Welcome to being a fan of the NFL! Did you jump on the bandwagon right after Cam was drafted, or this past offseason?

[Guest LavonteDavid]

Hey lavonte, what happened at the end of that jets game last year?

 

Yeah, that one was on me. Bad play, bad decision. All I got out of last year was my first All-Pro designation. How many of those does Luke have now?