Bucs at Colts Film Analysis

[Grahamburn]

I'll get some gifs up about our run game (again, their success was due to light box) success; the short answer is utterly dominant OL play + some fantastic calls by Leftwich in key moments + LF forcing some missed tackles and getting YAC. So basically everyone involved in the run game did their job.

I'll take a look at what happened with Mike and Chris. Some of that is because we were protecting the LG position for sure; ball out quick, less people out in routes to hurt the double teams that Mike sees often.

In my opinion, Brady does not like the bad that goes with Mike Evans game. Go or not with that.

The doink INT last week and then early 3rd down where Mike didn’t get his head around has to sour Tom some.

Seems like a lot of “Tom’s” negative plays continue to happen when he targets Evans.

[Xandtar]

Looking at the stats pages at NFL.com, I see that Tom Brady is 9 yards behind Carr for yards thrown this season, on track for a 5500+ yard season... yet later under receivers, out of 25 guys, ranked by number of catches this season, Godwin is the only one in the list and he's only gotten 800 yards, or less than 25% of Tom's production. All the other guys who are not top-25 receivers have combined for about 2600 yards. Mike Evan's 50 catches and just under 700 yards puts him, barely, on the top 25 in yards. But that's still 1900 yards this year thrown to everyone else who didn't make the receivers list. That's tremendous, a tribute to our depth that's stepped up when game 1 starters went down.

So to anyone who still thinks Tom Brady is sub-par, having a less-than-perfect season, please name one quarterback who has thrown for more yards to his #3 to #12 options this season. Beat 1900 yards to "the JAGs" that defenses can't regularly double team in the secondary. That's partly a tribute to those guys doing the job they were paid to do but its also a tribute to the old vet who sees the whole field with every play, and if Evans isn't open, choosing one of the JAGs to throw to instead. Oh and despite it all, Evans is still on track for another 1000 yard season. But it's his job to get open.

[King Bootz]

Looking at the stats pages at NFL.com, I see that Tom Brady is 9 yards behind Carr for yards thrown this season, on track for a 5500+ yard season... yet later under receivers, out of 25 guys, ranked by number of catches this season, Godwin is the only one in the list and he's only gotten 800 yards, or less than 25% of Tom's production. All the other guys who are not top-25 receivers have combined for about 2600 yards. Mike Evan's 50 catches and just under 700 yards puts him, barely, on the top 25 in yards. But that's still 1900 yards this year thrown to everyone else who didn't make the receivers list. That's tremendous, a tribute to our depth that's stepped up when game 1 starters went down.

So to anyone who still thinks Tom Brady is sub-par, having a less-than-perfect season, please name one quarterback who has thrown for more yards to his #3 to #12 options this season. Beat 1900 yards to "the JAGs" that defenses can't regularly double team in the secondary. That's partly a tribute to those guys doing the job they were paid to do but its also a tribute to the old vet who sees the whole field with every play, and if Evans isn't open, choosing one of the JAGs to throw to instead. Oh and despite it all, Evans is still on track for another 1000 yard season. But it's his job to get open.

[Xandtar]

Steve Harvey could go to NFL.com too and see the stats for himself. Almost 2/3 of Patrick Mahomes' yards are going to just two very very good receivers, which I suppose means he doesn't have to target everyone else so much. But defenses who can stop those two guys stop his team. That's not the case with the Bucs. And a chunk of that is due to Brady finding the right guy. And that's something that hopefully a REAL expert like Nobody can analyze a lot better than a casual scrub like me.

[King Bootz]

I would say that the offensive lines probably won their respective match-ups and the running backs were good enough to capitalize.

I disagree to the extent the Bucs Oline played pretty well imo given the circumstances (3rd string LG playing his first NFL game vs an ALL PRO DT in Buckner).

Unlike the Colts, the Bucs were able to run the ball with consistency most of that game. They also did a better job protecting Brady than the Colts Oline did with Wentz, who was sacked 3 times and hit 7 others.

Taylor had 8 carries and 25yds before that final drive with 10min left in the game where the Bucs had gone with a lighter front on defense that allowed JT to rip off 8 carries for 58yds.

So I'd say the Bucs Oline played a better and more complete game despite using a 3rd string player. The Bucs defensive front certainly had the better day when compared to the Colts defensive front.

In all fairness, you could make that same case for LF. He came into the Bucs final drive with 14 carries for 53 yards before busting out 3 good runs totalling 47 yards.

I wouldn't discredit either team/offense though. TOP was equal. 10 was the largest lead on either side so it was a close game. Both Olines did very well from what I saw and the numbers back that up. The difference was 5 turnovers to 2 which contributed to the 7 point win.

[Backside]

From the horses mouth

[Cheb]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

Agreed.

I have been about as vocal of a Donovan Smith critic as there has been, and allow me to eat some crow about it. Dude has really turned his game up to another level since Brady got here. He still has the occasional flub, but is far better in both phases, including far more consistency down-to-down.

While I was skeptical about his resigning at the time, I'm glad he's doing what he's doing now. He's quietly one of the better linemen on the team this year, and far craftier at that.

[MJW]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

Agreed.

I have been about as vocal of a Donovan Smith critic as there has been, and allow me to eat some crow about it. Dude has really turned his game up to another level since Brady got here. He still has the occasional flub, but is far better in both phases, including far more consistency down-to-down.

While I was skeptical about his resigning at the time, I'm glad he's doing what he's doing now. He's quietly one of the better linemen on the team this year, and far craftier at that.

He's become a good left tackle. I never thought I'd say that.

Much like the man who drafted him, the first few years were brutal. They both got better at their jobs. It's nice when it works out that way. Credit Smith for improving. Credit Licht for not giving up on him.

[The Outsider]

Crazy that Licht has been our GM for 7 years now.

[The Outsider]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

Agreed.

I have been about as vocal of a Donovan Smith critic as there has been, and allow me to eat some crow about it. Dude has really turned his game up to another level since Brady got here. He still has the occasional flub, but is far better in both phases, including far more consistency down-to-down.

While I was skeptical about his resigning at the time, I'm glad he's doing what he's doing now. He's quietly one of the better linemen on the team this year, and far craftier at that.

Pretty much this. I wasn't a big fan at all but I'm more than happy to say that I was wrong.

[Dread]

It's amazing how much better an Olinemen seems to play when he goes from having a QB who holds onto the ball because he can't/won't make a quick decision and deliver the ball (Jameis Winston) vs a QB like Brady who makes quicks decisions and almost always gets the ball out early.

Alot less pressures, QB hits, and sacks given up. Which means the Oline is graded well even though it's the same players and coaches (sans Wirfs) as 2019 with Jamiss.

Smith is certainly playing better than he did in 2019, just saying the QB matters in our perception of their play. Smith cutting down on penalties and the occasional lapse where he'd take a play off (consistency as Cheb stated) are where I see the most improvement. Jamiss just used to take some sacks, hits that he didn't need if he had more pocket presence and quicker decision making is all. Those stats reflect poorly on the Oline.

Losing in the 4th qtr consistently and being in pass only mode doesn't help the Oline grade either

[Dread]

I disagree to the extent the Bucs Oline played pretty well imo given the circumstances (3rd string LG playing his first NFL game vs an ALL PRO DT in Buckner).

Unlike the Colts, the Bucs were able to run the ball with consistency most of that game. They also did a better job protecting Brady than the Colts Oline did with Wentz, who was sacked 3 times and hit 7 others.

Taylor had 8 carries and 25yds before that final drive with 10min left in the game where the Bucs had gone with a lighter front on defense that allowed JT to rip off 8 carries for 58yds.

So I'd say the Bucs Oline played a better and more complete game despite using a 3rd string player. The Bucs defensive front certainly had the better day when compared to the Colts defensive front.

In all fairness, you could make that same case for LF. He came into the Bucs final drive with 14 carries for 53 yards before busting out 3 good runs totalling 47 yards.

I wouldn't discredit either team/offense though. TOP was equal. 10 was the largest lead on either side so it was a close game. Both Olines did very well from what I saw and the numbers back that up. The difference was 5 turnovers to 2 which contributed to the 7 point win.

I'm speaking to 'run efficiency' on a per rush basis rather than looking at the box score when I talk about success running the ball.

LF was able to consistently get 4+ yds (or a 1st down/TD) which keeps the offense on schedule and allows you to go back to the run as opposed to shorter runs or worse TFLs that put you behind the chains.

So when we talk about rushing success I look at how efficient we are.

YPC is great an all, but if a RB pops two 50yd runs but is held to 20yds total on his 20 other carries then he'll end up with a 100yd day and decent YPC average but that offense didn't run efficiently and were put in alot of 2nd and 3rd & long situations.

[Grahamburn]

Great insight from Reich. Sad he has to explain to people what an RPO is.

[King Bootz]

In all fairness, you could make that same case for LF. He came into the Bucs final drive with 14 carries for 53 yards before busting out 3 good runs totalling 47 yards.

I wouldn't discredit either team/offense though. TOP was equal. 10 was the largest lead on either side so it was a close game. Both Olines did very well from what I saw and the numbers back that up. The difference was 5 turnovers to 2 which contributed to the 7 point win.

I'm speaking to 'run efficiency' on a per rush basis rather than looking at the box score when I talk about success running the ball.

LF was able to consistently get 4+ yds (or a 1st down/TD) which keeps the offense on schedule and allows you to go back to the run as opposed to shorter runs or worse TFLs that put you behind the chains.

So when we talk about rushing success I look at how efficient we are.

YPC is great an all, but if a RB pops two 50yd runs but is held to 20yds total on his 20 other carries then he'll end up with a 100yd day and decent YPC average but that offense didn't run efficiently and were put in alot of 2nd and 3rd & long situations.

You just explained LF in this game. Again, 14 runs resulted in 53 yards(3.8ypc) before 3 runs resulted in 47 yards(15.7ypc). You're saying he was consistently getting 4+ yards yet before that drive he averaged under that amount. He and Taylor were no different in that game with the exception of the TDs. I'm more impressed with the number of carries to be honest. We haven't shown that type of commitment to running the football much but when we do it's a winning formula.

[MJW]

YPC is great an all, but if a RB pops two 50yd runs but is held to 20yds total on his 20 other carries then he'll end up with a 100yd day and decent YPC average but that offense didn't run efficiently and were put in alot of 2nd and 3rd & long situations.

I call this the Barry Sanders.
Barry was magic.
Barry was a huge part of the reason the Lions ever won any games.
Barry was also a huge part of the reason the Lions lost a lot of those games.

Sanders certainly had his games where he was ripping off chunks of yardage nearly every time he touched the ball. But there were TONS of games where his dancing and juking would put the Lions offense in 3rd and 13 drive after drive. I can't count the number of times he'd have 19 carries for 32 yards or something, and then he'd rip off an 80 yarder. He'd finish with 20-112 and a TD, and the Lions would lose 35-7.

It's why, ultimately, Barry would likely not be in my Top Ten backs if I was building a roster.

[ATrain]

[Nobody]

One thing that I've noticed is absolutely happening across the span of this first 2/3 of the NFL season...

Defensive Backs are not getting called for Illegal Contact with any kind of regularity or consistency.

This is happening across the league and you're seeing the fallout on (a) all the downfield passing games and (b) all the QBs in those systems who rely upon downfield throws.

Now I'm not saying this is intentional (eg the NFL has mandated from on high to relax Illegal Contact officiating to help throttle back the increasingly accelerating offensive explosion of the last decade - particularly the latter end), but something appears to have happened because its all over the tape across the league.

It could just be a good ole case of peer contagion like when The Raiders led the league for like a decade or whatever in penalties (which is nearing a statistical impossibility for something like that to just happen emergently) where there was clearly a case of cultural positive feedback loops within league officiating unintentionally conspiring to make a deranged outcome a real thing ("I mean everyone knows the Raiders are an undisciplined team...just look at all the penalties we're throwing against them! Throw more!").

Whatever is happening, its showing up on tape and its shown up against us multiple times this year. The clear Illegal Contact against Scotty Miller which led to a Pick is pretty exemplary:

CB playing Off Bail > losing outside leverage and is about to get beat vertically as well > hip flip forced > intentional contact into the receiver to prevent both the outside leverage loss and the vertical separation that was about to happen (enough contact to actually completely shut down Miller's route and propel the DB into the catch window). And this happened like 30-40 yards downfield.

This is the most quintessential Illegal Contact call possible but the refs didn't even think of pulling the flag out.

This sort of thing (not exactly, but the relevant hallmarks - leverage or attachment lost or about to be lost beyond 5 yards > DB initiates contact - particularly from Off Coverage where it is most blatant - to prevent lost leverage/stay attached) is all over the NFL tape of the big time downfield passing games/QBs.

Maybe this is what the NFL wanted? Unclear. They haven't commented on it. But offenses are now being forced to adjust to all the shell coverage + Illegal contact they're seeing.

Its basically the return of the old school Buc 2 Zone defense (minus the blowing the receiver up at the catch point)!

[Nobody]

YPC is great an all, but if a RB pops two 50yd runs but is held to 20yds total on his 20 other carries then he'll end up with a 100yd day and decent YPC average but that offense didn't run efficiently and were put in alot of 2nd and 3rd & long situations.

I call this the Barry Sanders.
Barry was magic.
Barry was a huge part of the reason the Lions ever won any games.
Barry was also a huge part of the reason the Lions lost a lot of those games.

Sanders certainly had his games where he was ripping off chunks of yardage nearly every time he touched the ball. But there were TONS of games where his dancing and juking would put the Lions offense in 3rd and 13 drive after drive. I can't count the number of times he'd have 19 carries for 32 yards or something, and then he'd rip off an 80 yarder. He'd finish with 20-112 and a TD, and the Lions would lose 35-7.

It's why, ultimately, Barry would likely not be in my Top Ten backs if I was building a roster.

Yup. Efficiency is absolutely the most important part of the running game (we've been progressively learning how this, not gross yardage or YPC, most deeply correlates to offensive success).

Its doubly so in the modern NFL where everything is about keeping the passing game on the field to score points.

[Buc2]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

The Brady Effect?

[Nobody]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

The Brady Effect?

That is absolutely a not-insignificant chunk of it.

Getting the ball out much more quickly (and consistently so) despite pushing the ball down the field is an Offensive Tackles best friend. That has the knock-on effects of:

* Helping his confidence broadly.

* Extending his gas tank (rationing it was one of his big problems) by proxy.

Then you just have the belief factor of "if I do my job, we can win the Superbowl." No small thing.

Regardless, his play in all phases has improved. He's climbing, finding, and finishing in space better. He's blowing people up on double teams. He's getting across the face of his man and sealing on Outside Zone. He's pulling and leading better.

He just looks like a much better, much more consistent version of himself. His loose and/or gas-tank rationing reps haven't disappeared entirely, but they've decreased hugely.


Tape still hasn't dropped FYI.

[Dread]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

The Brady Effect?

For sure. But mostly the effect of having a smart veteran QB who knows he has to get the ball out quick. Winston was none of that.

The Bucs Oline was much better than they were given credit for in 2019, the reason they got shit on was b/c Dumbo Winston had a terrible habit of holding onto the ball too long.

Fans/commentators see QB sacks, hits, and hurries and immediately blame the Oline.

[Buc2]

One thing that I've noticed is absolutely happening across the span of this first 2/3 of the NFL season...

Defensive Backs are not getting called for Illegal Contact with any kind of regularity or consistency.

This is happening across the league and you're seeing the fallout on (a) all the downfield passing games and (b) all the QBs in those systems who rely upon downfield throws.

Now I'm not saying this is intentional (eg the NFL has mandated from on high to relax Illegal Contact officiating to help throttle back the increasingly accelerating offensive explosion of the last decade - particularly the latter end), but something appears to have happened because its all over the tape across the league.

It could just be a good ole case of peer contagion like when The Raiders led the league for like a decade or whatever in penalties (which is nearing a statistical impossibility for something like that to just happen emergently) where there was clearly a case of cultural positive feedback loops within league officiating unintentionally conspiring to make a deranged outcome a real thing ("I mean everyone knows the Raiders are an undisciplined team...just look at all the penalties we're throwing against them! Throw more!").

Whatever is happening, its showing up on tape and its shown up against us multiple times this year. The clear Illegal Contact against Scotty Miller which led to a Pick is pretty exemplary:

CB playing Off Bail > losing outside leverage and is about to get beat vertically as well > hip flip forced > intentional contact into the receiver to prevent both the outside leverage loss and the vertical separation that was about to happen (enough contact to actually completely shut down Miller's route and propel the DB into the catch window). And this happened like 30-40 yards downfield.

This is the most quintessential Illegal Contact call possible but the refs didn't even think of pulling the flag out.

This sort of thing (not exactly, but the relevant hallmarks - leverage or attachment lost or about to be lost beyond 5 yards > DB initiates contact - particularly from Off Coverage where it is most blatant - to prevent lost leverage/stay attached) is all over the NFL tape of the big time downfield passing games/QBs.

Maybe this is what the NFL wanted? Unclear. They haven't commented on it. But offenses are now being forced to adjust to all the shell coverage + Illegal contact they're seeing.

Its basically the return of the old school Buc 2 Zone defense (minus the blowing the receiver up at the catch point)!

I noticed in the replay of that Brady to Miller INT that Brady immediately was in the face of an official. No doubt he was pointing out the illegal contact. To no avail, of course. Anyway, interesting point and something that bears watching over the rest of the season.

[Buc2]

The Brady Effect?

For sure. But mostly the effect of having a smart veteran QB who knows he has to get the ball out quick. Winston was none of that.

The Bucs Oline was much better than they were given credit for in 2019, the reason they got shit on was b/c Dumbo Winston had a terrible habit of holding onto the ball too long.

Fans/commentators see QB sacks, hits, and hurries and immediately blame the Oline.

Obviously, the coaches could see that, whereas most fans could not. Hence, no major changes in the OL other than drafting Wirfs high.

[Dread]

For sure. But mostly the effect of having a smart veteran QB who knows he has to get the ball out quick. Winston was none of that.

The Bucs Oline was much better than they were given credit for in 2019, the reason they got shit on was b/c Dumbo Winston had a terrible habit of holding onto the ball too long.

Fans/commentators see QB sacks, hits, and hurries and immediately blame the Oline.

Obviously, the coaches could see that, whereas most fans could not. Hence, no major changes in the OL other than drafting Wirfs high.

Yup, Dotson was done (always a horrendous run blocker) and that right side of the like was terrible to the point we couldn't run the ball in that direction.

Cappa has developed nicely and Wirfs gave us a powerful RT so that now we can run power to the right side.

[King Bootz]

I would devote a days effort to breaking down DSmith’s seriously excellent play this year just to make up for all the rancor his play has caused over the prior years.

But I don’t have the interest (nor the time)! Suffice to say, if this is who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, he needs to remain a Buc for the duration (stunning to type that out).

The Brady Effect?

Short, sweet version sure.

But the tape, for those that can analyze it, will show that he's putting in work. His technology has gotten so much better, although he'll never be Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas. He also seems to have gotten a bit quicker. He's not perfect. Still stays flat footed at times and unbalanced. But his game has improved a ton.

[Backside]

Run game feels like the biggest key for the team heading into the stretch run.

[MJW]

Run game feels like the biggest key for the team heading into the stretch run.

Offensive Run Game, Defensive Pass Rush.

[Buc2]

The Brady Effect?

Short, sweet version sure.

But the tape, for those that can analyze it, will show that he's putting in work. His technology has gotten so much better, although he'll never be Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas. He also seems to have gotten a bit quicker. He's not perfect. Still stays flat footed at times and unbalanced. But his game has improved a ton.

When I say Brady Effect I mostly meant that as a motivational effect. It's no secret that Brady's work ethic and NFL success get guys excited and motivated to play their best. I don't think Smith was immune to that effect. If that helped him decide to work harder at becoming a better LT (and I think it did) then that's awesome. What it means is he always had that in him and it just took a motivational QB to get it out of him. That's not a slam on Smith. Success breeds success.

[Buc2]

Run game feels like the biggest key for the team heading into the stretch run.

...a ridiculously diverse run scheme the likes of which I have not seen from a Bruce Arians offense before.

Maybe that's because it's now a Byron Leftwich offense now. Credit where it's due. Leftwich is not just calling plays, he's running this offense.

[King Bootz]

Short, sweet version sure.

But the tape, for those that can analyze it, will show that he's putting in work. His technology has gotten so much better, although he'll never be Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas. He also seems to have gotten a bit quicker. He's not perfect. Still stays flat footed at times and unbalanced. But his game has improved a ton.

When I say Brady Effect I mostly meant that as a motivational effect. It's no secret that Brady's work ethic and NFL success get guys excited and motivated to play their best. I don't think Smith was immune to that effect. If that helped him decide to work harder at becoming a better LT (and I think it did) then that's awesome. What it means is he always had that in him and it just took a motivational QB to get it out of him. That's not a slam on Smith. Success breeds success.

I mean if you want to look at it as a motivational effect, no quarrel with me. I don't necessarily believe it translates much into improving as a player. I think what shouldn't be ignored is that Donovan Smith has been here since 2015 and when the opportunity presented itself to move on after 2018, we signed him to a lucrative extension.

OBP has always been bigger Donovan Smith fans than the Bucs fanbase has. That counts for something. It's not as if he was ever even pushed for his job. That IMO would've been an even bigger motivational factor than Brady.

[Buc2]

When I say Brady Effect I mostly meant that as a motivational effect. It's no secret that Brady's work ethic and NFL success get guys excited and motivated to play their best. I don't think Smith was immune to that effect. If that helped him decide to work harder at becoming a better LT (and I think it did) then that's awesome. What it means is he always had that in him and it just took a motivational QB to get it out of him. That's not a slam on Smith. Success breeds success.

I mean if you want to look at it as a motivational effect, no quarrel with me. I don't necessarily believe it translates much into improving as a player. I think what shouldn't be ignored is that Donovan Smith has been here since 2015 and when the opportunity presented itself to move on after 2018, we signed him to a lucrative extension.

OBP has always been bigger Donovan Smith fans than the Bucs fanbase has. That counts for something. It's not as if he was ever even pushed for his job. That IMO would've been an even bigger motivational factor than Brady.

As I've acknowledged in my posts in this thread about Smith as well.

[Nobody]

Alright, tape dropped.

Here are two examples of what happened on the late TD drive where they ran it down our throats to tie it.

chrome-capture (11).gif

We're light box overall 7.5 (we'll give Edwards late show as an Overhang defender) vs 7. Play-side they're 4 (with the pull) vs 3.5 (if we include Edwards as Overhang).

They go Power O Weak w/ Pin and Pull RG + C (rather than backside Guard). LVD's great fit forces a cutback (he and Vea are A's and LVD reads it well here as Vea is sealed by Nelson down into LVD's A, which is now fit-by-proxy, so he comes down hard to support Vea's lost A...great job by LVD here). If he is late in that fit, its a huge frontside run because White is late in reading the pin and pull so his play-side B fit is late; the Center takes him out of the play and blows it open.

However, Nacho is backside B and JPP is backside C. Both of those guys lose their fits badly. Its just an incredible read by Taylor here and great feet to get all the way to the backside, plant, get north, break JPP's ankle tackle and get a bunch of yards after contact.


Light box + multiple missed run fits + yards after contact.

[CannonFire]

In all fairness, you could make that same case for LF. He came into the Bucs final drive with 14 carries for 53 yards before busting out 3 good runs totalling 47 yards.

I wouldn't discredit either team/offense though. TOP was equal. 10 was the largest lead on either side so it was a close game. Both Olines did very well from what I saw and the numbers back that up. The difference was 5 turnovers to 2 which contributed to the 7 point win.

I'm speaking to 'run efficiency' on a per rush basis rather than looking at the box score when I talk about success running the ball.

LF was able to consistently get 4+ yds (or a 1st down/TD) which keeps the offense on schedule and allows you to go back to the run as opposed to shorter runs or worse TFLs that put you behind the chains.

So when we talk about rushing success I look at how efficient we are.

YPC is great an all, but if a RB pops two 50yd runs but is held to 20yds total on his 20 other carries then he'll end up with a 100yd day and decent YPC average but that offense didn't run efficiently and were put in alot of 2nd and 3rd & long situations.

You could even include Jones in on that to bolster the running game efficiency. He had 7 carries for 37 yards... his carries were for 7 yards, -3, 11, 5, 8, 8, & 1 (TD).

[Nobody]

The other long run on that drive is more of the same.

Light box (7.5 giving Whitehead Overhang vs their 8 including Jet) + Slant and Scrape failing + slow/poor run fit + good read and run by RB.

chrome-capture (13).gif

They run kind of a Duo + Counter set-dressing (w/ the Jet leading rather than pulling backside players) to give White and Whitehead something extra to process. Gholston is Slanting hard from Strong C to Strong B and White is replacing him. That doesn't work. They both lose. Gholston is washed down hard inside w/ the combo block and White is late scraping off of him to C and the TE climbs to White after initial combo and seals him inside away from his fit. So Strong B and C are blown open (relatively speaking).

15 yard gash.

This was pretty much the story of this drive (although not every play loss was light box).

[Nobody]

On our end in subsequent drive.

Light box (6.5 vs 6.5 w/ short motion and overhang) and Dsmith gets away with a Hold here. This was a HUGE missed call. This would have made it 1st and 25ish rather than 2nd and 4. This was the go-ahead score and it was helped by a big assist from the refs missing the Holding call on DSmith here. I mean, we'll never know if we could have gotten out of a 1st and 25 hole (we have plenty before so its not the biggest ask in the world...but its a hell of a lot worse than 2nd and 4.

Anyway...

chrome-capture (17).gif

Draw play. Jensen gives Leverett no help before he climbs here at all. You've got to give Leverett some kind of minor chip (just a hand on a shoulder pad) before the climb. We're lucky that Leverett made this work (really, really great job/effort by Leverett to (a) keep working and (b) not Hold here) + Fournette with a great job of escaping.

Fournette then gets yards after contact upfield.

Net = Ref badly missed call, Leverett and Fournette make up for Jensen's lack of chip before climb, Fournette does work at the 2nd level.

Here I am with all of this DSmith praise and he pulls a "DSmith Special" that he got lucky wasn't called.