No, Really, The Bucs Got 400+ Yards Of Offense Again

October 20, 2008 at 10:54am by Scott

Congratulations to Jeff Garcia for an outstanding game, especially the first half. He was decisive, precise and creative with his throws. And congratulations to Jon Gruden for sticking with the running game in the second half even though 14 points isn’t a huge lead and Seattle had committed to stopping the run. The Seahawk defense was completely gassed by the fourth quarter because of this strategy. He’ll probably be passed over for Coach of the Week again, but he’s called some excellent games these last two weeks.

I hate to say this, but Earnest Graham was wide open in the flat on the play where Ike Hilliard got creamed. I guess Hilliard was the first or second read and Graham was the safety valve, but Graham would have easily scored.

That intentional grounding penalty seemed like bullshit to me. Garcia was under a lot of duress when he threw that ball and it’s certainly conceivable that he was trying to get it to Brian Clark.

The Wildcat? Really? That seemed unnecessary. I’d think you’d bust something like that out when you’re behind and need a spark.

Graham started out at fullback and actually looked better than Jameel Cook. Not that Cook was bad; far from it. But Graham seems to take extra pleasure in laying dudes out.

The Buccaneer receivers had an awesome day; even better than the plays that were made. I counted three times when Buccaneer receivers were wide open for what could have been huge gains and potentially touchdowns. For whatever reason, Garcia didn’t see them or decided not to pull the trigger on them. But they ran crisp routes and got separation, something they weren’t doing a few weeks ago.

Antonio Bryant may not have the elite speed that Joey Galloway has, but I think he’s more willing to put his body on the line to catch a ball. It just seems like he tries harder.

Just like that Mormon chick I briefly dated in high school, the offensive line was impenetrable. The only sack came when Garcia dropped the ball. They were excellent all night in pass protection and good enough in run-blocking. The best measure of the play of the offensive line last night is the time of possession: 41:41.

Special note should be made of their blitz protection. Seattle tried several different blitz variations to get to Garcia, but none of them worked.

At this point in the season, I can’t think of a more complete set of tight ends in the league. Jerramy Stevens was a matchup problem down the seam and actually had a good day blocking in the perimeter. Alex Smith continues to come up with tough catches and John Gilmore does it all. I can’t believe some fans actually wanted to trade for Tony Gonzalez.

Gaines Adams got his hands on yet another ball. It’s beyond luck at this point; he just has excellent instincts. What is the record for a defensive end with passes defensed and interceptions?

Here’s the bad news for defense: No sacks and a couple really big runs. Julius Jones and Maurice Morris both made some nice moves, but they could have been brought down for much fewer yards than they got. There were some plays when guys just didn’t look like they wanted to tackle. And this is the third straight game without a sack. They’re getting pressure, but aren’t closing the deal. I guess as long as opposing quarterbacks are forced into bad throws it’s fine, but a good quarterback with time in the pocket will be able to pick apart the Buc secondary if this continues.

Have all of Aqib Talib’s interceptions come off of deflections now? That speaks well of his speed and his hands. Maybe lining him up at wide receiver once in a while isn’t a bad idea. They talked about it during training camp and then again last week, but nothing came of it. If he can show that he can run a couple routes like they’re drawn up, it would be that much more that opposing defenses would have to plan for.

I never would have guessed that a 47-yard Matt Bryant field goal attempt would fall short. It was absolutely dead center between the uprights, but short. The snap was high, but Josh Bidwell got it down. I’m assuming it was just a fluke.

Have I said fuck Dexter Jackson lately? Sometimes I get busy and forget. Fuck Dexter Jackson with a rain stick. How can you not at least try Michael Bennett for this role? Or Micheal Spurlock… he’s right on the practice squad! At this point, does anyone really think Jackson wouldn’t clear waivers? And would it be such a bad thing if he didn’t?

What’s up with the punt and kick coverage teams? Is Maurice Stovall such a good gunner that the whole unit falls apart when he’s hurt? Justin Forsett and Josh Wilson made them look ridiculous. All ten Seahawk points can be attributed to shitty special teams.

I could swear I saw Jeremiah Trotter on the sidelines. If it was him, I’m hoping he was just there to give Mike Alstott some props and not because he’s being worked out or something. I realize Matt McCoy is gone and they’re down a linebacker, but there have to better and younger and healthier guys out there than Trotter.

Does Cris Collinsworth get some kind of special bonus if Davin Joseph makes the Pro Bowl? Don’t get me wrong; I love the fact that someone with national presence is gushing over the Buccaneer offensive line, but damn, it sounds like Collinsworth is pushing for a job as Joseph’s agent.

The score was certainly not indicative of how well the Bucs performed. The Seahawks had 176 yards of total offense compared to 407 by the Bucs. That’s domination. And Gruden could have been more aggressive in the second half and really rubbed Seattle’s nose in it. But Gruden and Mike Holmgren are friends and the last thing he wants to do is embarrass his mentor in his final year of coaching.

I get notes from time to time after games that I continue to point out flaws even though the Bucs win convincingly. If you remember “five dash two“, you know why. The Bucs are playing well, but they can never let up. This team still has holes: run-blocking, pass-rush, special teams… they can all be exploited by anyone on the schedule. In theory the Bucs have some cupcake games coming up: Kansas City, Detroit and Oakland come to mind right away. But look what the Rams have done in the last couple weeks. Or the Falcons or the Browns. They’re all winning games that they have no business even being competitive in. That’s why I refuse to get comfortable. The biggest compliment I can give is that I no longer view a third and long as a hopeless situation. It’s a great feeling to know that a punt isn’t a foregone conclusion when first down doesn’t work out exactly as planned. But to think that we’ve got the 1967 Packers or the 1985 Bears or some other “Greatest of All-Time” team here with virtually no weaknesses is silly and dangerous. So, Go Bucs! Right back to the film room to start studying up for the Cowboys!