**Opinion Editorial**

Many Fans Brag About Bucs Offensive Ranking In 2018.

This offseason I have read and heard “how great our offense was last year,” over and over. “The Offense is fine, we need Defense.”-“We Were top 3 in the NFL last year in Offense, We need Defensive help,” and on and on, it goes. Makes me absolutely on the verge of losing my mind, but I digress.

Let me explain where I’m coming from on this:

Passing Yardage Rankings Mean Nothing.

The biggest thing that is wrong with thinking the Bucs were the cat’s meow on offense, especially passing offense in 2018. Is that the high rankings are for total offensive yardage, passing yards per game, etc.. Where the Rubber hits the road for Offensive stats, is scoring. Scoring is all that really matters. You can throw for 500 yards in a game, and still get the snot beaten out of you 27-10.

Scoring Stats Are All That Matter.

Opposing teams after seeing the Bucs were all about throw, throw, and throw some more. Let us do just that. That is, until we hit the Red Zone. Then, they dropped the hammer. The Bucs were 19th best in Red Zone passing TDs with just 15 TD’s. While the Chiefs and Mahomes were 1st with 35 TD’s passing in the Zone. Indy and the Joy Luck Club were second with 33. Those are playoff teams, and those stats in the Red Zone are a huge reason why.

Red Zone Scoring, The True Tell All Stats.

You can sling it silly all over the field, but if you can’t score at the end of those drives, In the Red Zone? Then the yardage you racked up, means absolutely nothing, zip, nada! Which is why the Bucs “high ranking” in offense last year is completely hollow. Impressive to look at, and pull out in a discussion with other fans. Its true measure is pure bologna. 5 wins and no shot at the playoffs is what being a great team in passing yardage will get you. If you are 3rd in the league in Offensive scoring per game, you are in the playoffs virtually every single time. Even with the Defensive implosion last year had the Offense been better in the Red Zone, we could have easily won 3 or more games than we did.

Can Arians Get The Offensive Line To Play Better than 2018?

I’m confident that Bruce Almighty, Leftwich, and the staff can get more out of the offense than the last regime. Hard to imagine us getting a whole lot better with no changes to the Line, but we shall see shortly if the Line can play to a higher level than last year. They surely will have to for The Bucs to become any kind of success this season. So don’t drink the Kool-Aid folks, not just yet anyway. Jameis is surely counting on them being a lot better. He’s gulping the Kool-Aid, He’s got to believe in that line. That Line is one of the biggest factors in his success or failure.

Reminds me of my favorite Quote from John McKay. When asked post-game after a stinging loss in the early years, “What do you think of your team’s Execution?” McKay replied, “I’m all for it!” Priceless.

A quick look at the Undrafted Free Agents that the Bucs have brought in. Keep in mind these players have been brought in for mostly depth, especially on the Defensive Line, where the Bucs are thin.

OFFENSE:

1. Quarterback: Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State- A recruit, and product of current Gator Coach, Dan Mullen. He struggled with accuracy at State, and cannot throw the deep ball very well. On the plus side, he is a gifted runner out of the position. Throwing for 6,207 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 30 INTs. While rushing for 3,607 yards, and 46 touchdowns. He’s going to have to use his running ability as a change of pace Wildcat QB, or some variation of it to land a spot on the Active, or Practice Squad roster. Good luck.

2. Running Back: Bruce Anderson, North Dakota State- He comes from one of the strongest programs in the Nation, and easily could have been drafted late, but as it sometimes works out, he was not. He has many positives in his skills bag. As a two year starter, he rushed for 2,140 yards, and 21 touchdowns, toss in another 500 yards, and 6 TD’s receiving. On the downside, he struggles in decision making at times. If he can do anything on special teams, he stands a fair chance of joining the stable.

3. Wide Receiver: DaMarkus Lodge, Ole Miss- This is a player that could pay off big for the Bucs. The most polished receiver of the three-headed receiving monster at Ole Miss, that included D.K. Metcalf, and A.J. Brown. His full potential probably isn’t as good as his star teammates, but he’s no slouch at the position. He could have easily been drafted late day two. If he can be consistent in catching balls, he stands a good chance of catching on in Tampa.

4. Wide Receiver: Anthony Johnson, Buffalo- Another player that was expected to be drafted. He has an athletic 6’02”, 207 LB frame, but lacks a bit of the athleticism you would hope would come with it. He does have good hands and will make the catch in traffic, so all is not lost.

5. Wide Receiver: Contrelle Simpson, Richmond- A smaller sized player at 5’10” 185 lbs. Coming from a small school that was a sub .500 team. Simpson had already graduated and bolted school early. Chances are slim that he makes the team in any fashion.

6. Tight End: Isaiah Searight, Fordham- More of a Blocker than a receiver, He doesn’t make the tough catches that a Pro is expected to make. If he makes the roster, It will be for depth or special teams.

7. Center: Nathan Trewyn, Wisconsin Whitewater- Another small college player, but with a big upside. Could end up being a good player, if the Bucs can make room for him. He was ignored by most teams, but could be a find.

DEFENSE

8. Defensive End: Kahzin Daniels, Charleston- A player who is partially blind. Daniels overcame his disability at a smaller school. Recording 33 1/2 sacks in his 4-year college career, 8 1/2 this past year. A feel good player that just might catch on with the Bucs. 6’2″ 1/2, 244 LB’s, running a 4.81 in the 40 at the combine. He may just have what it takes to catch on to an NFL roster.

9. Safety: Lukas Denis, Boston College- A starter the last two seasons at BC, his 40 time of 4.64 at the combine, disappointed. He did make 7 INT’s his Senior year, 9 total for his career, so he is a gamer, and has a good chance of making the roster. It’s a crowded DB area for the Bucs, so this should be fun to watch.

10. Linebacker: Judah Davis, Clemson- The son of former Bucs player Jeff Davis. A rotational, and situational player at Clemson. Davis numbers are not eye-catching by any means. He was a member of two Championship teams, so I guess the Bucs saw him as worth a look. His chances are not that great of making the team, but it is a chance nonetheless.

11. Cornerback: Jalen Allison, North Dakota State- This guy is going to have a hard time just finding room to stand in this overcrowded rookie class of DB’s, don’t hold your breath. He has some skills, speed is one of them, he also has 8 INTs plus 1 forced fumble, during his 4-year college career, but as I already mentioned, the competition is going to be fierce.

12. Defensive Line: Dare Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt- Adding weight, and switching from Linebacker to Line, Dare impressed at Vandy and has a good chance of making the Bucs roster. Needing depth at the D-Line doesn’t hurt, but the Vandy player had great play on the SEC team. Registering 13 1/2 tackles for a loss and 6 1/2 sacks his Junior year, the Bucs hope he can have the same success here. Look for a strong camp from this Lineman. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in Heart and should add valuable depth.

13. Defensive Line: Anthony Johnson, Florida International- Another player that could add needed depth to the Line. This past Season, Anthony was named All CUSA Honorable Mention. Over the last two seasons, he tallied, 15 tackles for a loss, and 10 sacks while batting down 5 balls. Obviously not a player that is going to unseat a starter this year, but certainly a player that can give a breather to a starter, look for Johnson to catch on and add important depth.

SUMMARY

While these Undrafted Free Agents won’t be putting fear into the Starters, A few of them, particularly the DL players should have a good chance of making the cut, and or the practice squad. IMO the Bucs have brought in a few diamonds from the rough. Time will tell if these gems will shine.

*Opinion Editorial*

Two completely opposite personalities

I have a hard time understanding how it is that Tony Dungy is so beloved, while at the same time, Jon Gruden is so detested by so many fans. I’m sure some of it comes from the fact that, at face value, Tony Dungy is easier to take. He comes off as more of a gentle soul, easy-going, laid back, a players coach, etc., while Jon Gruden makes those Chucky faces and is a more “in your face” emotional type of guy — he’s a bit harder to stomach.

Dungy builds a “Defense for the Ages”

It is a fact that Dungy came to Tampa at just the right time; future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks had just arrived, as well as John Lynch. During Dungy and Rich McKay’s watch, many more pieces to the puzzle were added, especially to the defense. Tony Dungy originated his Tampa 2 Defense here with Monte Kiffin; a variation of the defense: he played in as a Steeler. A Super Bowl foundation was poured on the defensive of the ball.

Dungy’s Achilles Heel

There was only one problem, and it was a huge one. As good as Tony Dungy was with his defense, he was that bad with his offense. The Bucs were going to the playoffs basically on the backs of their defense. Once there, the Bucs’ inept offense got them sent home with their tails tucked between their legs every time — twice to the hated Eagles in the Wild Card game and an ever painful loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship game in ’99. Tony Dungy was told he needed a new OC because Mike Shula’s offense “just wasn’t getting it done.” Enter Les Steckel with the same results. 

The following year he hired Clyde Christensen with the same results.

The Bucs’ ownership was tired of the offensive woes and felt Dungy was too conservative, and so were his OCs. So in their eyes, it was time for a change. A secret agreement was made between the Bucs and Bill Parcells to replace Tony; alas, it was not to be. As word leaked out by the Tampa Bay Times two days before what would be Dungy’s last game — the playoff loss to the Eagles — the backlash from NFL coaches was that Parcells had undercut Dungy, and he backed out of the deal. The outcry paved the way for the mega-deal for Gruden, struck with Al Davis. (Two first-round and two second-round picks, plus 8 million). It was arguably worth every Draft pick and every penny!

Jon Gruden arrives in Tampa with high expectations

Jon Gruden came in, and during his first season, made some changes to the roster — Between 8-10 different players were now starting. Gruden brought in players like Joe Jurevicius, Keenan McCardell, Ken Dilger, and Michael Pittman. The defense even had a couple of new faces from the year before as well. Jon Gruden instituted a variation of his West Coast Offense with Brad Johnson at the helm. Monte Kiffin made sure that the defense didn’t skip a beat, and with the new and improved Bucs offense, the team went on to upset the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. The Buccaneers would advance to the big show and absolutely destroy Jon Gruden’s former team, the Raiders, in Super Bowl XXVII.

It seems that Jon Gruden didn’t win with Tony Dungy’s players, but he won with some of Dungy’s players and a bunch of new players he brought in of his own. It took both coaches to put together the team that the 2002 Buccaneers became. But make no mistake about it; Tony Dungy couldn’t get to the Super Bowl on his own. Jon Gruden came to Tampa and got it done with the addition of necessary offensive talent. Many fans blame Jon Gruden for breaking up that Super Bowl team in the following years. The fact of it all is, over time, teams change, it’s a business, and players move. It’s time for the fans to get over it — and recognize the biggest and best thing that the Bucs have ever done: Won a Super Bowl. 

The Bucs and the fans are frothing at the mouth right now to get back to one. Isn’t it so Buccaneer that the only coach to actually lead the team to the promised land — and the franchise’s most winningest coach — gets so little respect and admiration from the fans? If he were standing in front of me now, I would kiss him on the mouth, hug him, pat him on the shoulder and tell him, “Thank you, Jon! You’re my hero!” He deserves better from the fans. He brought the Buccaneers a Lombardi Trophy!

Red Zone touchdown efficiency may well be the most important stats/rank of an offense, that there is. Let’s face it, the only reason an offense exists is to score Touchdowns. Everything else comes about because the attempt to score the touchdown, fell short. Using this understanding, and our common sense, one would think that the ones responsible for the makeup of our team’s offense would hold this stat/rank a whole lot higher than they do.

Bucs Red Zone Rankings. The following are the Bucs Red Zone Touchdown rankings since 2003:

Starting from that year and ending with the 2018 ranking the Bucs ranked 9th, 16th, 16th, 24th, 24th, 30th, 11th, 17th, 19th, 8th, 24th, 17th, 22nd, 20th, 24th, and 15th. 16-years Bucs Fans, and we have only cracked the top ten twice. That was in 2003, a year after the Super Bowl when we ranked 9th, and 2012, we ranked 8th! Not one time did we crack the top 7.

Consistently good teams Red Zone Rankings:

Just to get an idea where teams that are considered winning teams, during that same span finished in the “Touchdown Zone”, those Patriots that we love to hate, finished in the top ten 12 times out of 16-years, and in the top 5, 8 times! The Packers have had 10 top ten rankings, and 6 top 5! What about a team from our own Division? The Saints have had 13 top ten rankings, and 7 top 5! I’ll repeat the Bucs rankings again. Two top 10, and zero top 5! I cannot claim to know what exactly the fans reading this will think, but I can tell you, to me, these stats are very telling. They are an indication of the other team’s offensive ability in relation to winning. It is also very telling about our own Offensive inability to win games. Of course, throwing INT’s and fumbling doesn’t help the ranking a bit. Some of those errors are Offensive Line related as well.

Red Zone Importance, And The O-Line:

Okay, obviously you have to have a better than average QB to rank highly so often. Pats, Packers, and Saints all have had studs at the position. You cannot overlook the part that the Offensive Line plays in Red Zone prowess, though. The run is a big part of the ranking. The line plays an even bigger part in that aspect. My whole point is that if the O-Line is so essential in scoring touchdowns, Red Zone play, and beyond; Why doesn’t our team draft like it? Why not give Winston the best protection that could be had? It only makes sense to have a line that can effectively, and consistently open holes for our Running Backs. Not a group of below average to average guys making great money that are at best, just okay.

Draft Day Decisions:

Of course, this is my opinion, based on results, rankings, and watching games, I have wondered why Jason Licht and Bruce Arians don’t feel this way. Maybe 2019 will show us why they were not worried about drafting high for the Offensive Line. Maybe they have the answers for making this team a winner, and making the playoffs, with basically the same line others could only barely break .500 with the one year.

2019 Will Answer Many Questions:

One thing’s for sure, this coming season will reveal so much. It will determine the direction of our team for the future, and surely tell if the O-Line is up to snuff. They call Arians the QB whisperer, something tells me he will need to be the QB SCREAMER before 2019 is in the books.

Offensive Line in the NFL, at least among most fans, is the ‘Red Headed Step Child’ of positions. It’s not flashy, or sexy. You don’t see Left Tackles as the go-to guy, on a Double Reverse play, and no Centers leaping into the air snagging a back corner bullet, falling to the turf with two sets of toes line side, for the double-overtime conference-clinching win. Okay, yes, it’s dramatic, but so is the difference between reality, and the way a good percentage of fans, and apparently the Front Office value those Trench Hogs.

The Bucs rankings in the Red zone since 2015, are 22nd, 20th, 24th, and 15. The best was obviously last year, with a rank of 15. When you don’t have the line to enforce your will upon the enemy, to be able to run it when you want or must, then you cannot become as good as your skill position players, should allow you to be. You will always fall short and only rely on potential. What good is potential if it can never become it’s very best?

Why this GM hasn’t done more to draft a more dominant lineman, I don’t know. Obviously, he likes what we have already, and judging from the fact that no O-Linemen were drafted on day two of the draft, even with an extra pick we received from the Rams. He did not pull the trigger. I understand the Devin White pick. With Kwon gone we needed him. I can see him now drafting a lineman in rounds 4-7, and I wonder, what is the point? There is no point unless you luck out and just draft a guy nobody saw coming and then he goes off. In these rounds, you typically are drafting depth and developmental players. The difference makers are already off the board. In 2018, and now the 2019 draft, during the first three rounds, the Bucs have drafted 5 DB’s, and just 1 developmental Offensive Lineman. I think that says it all.

Only when our Offensive Line players are on par with our skill position players, will the Bucs be able to take that next leap and become an elite team that can put a run together multiple seasons with playoff appearances. To do that, you must draft exceptional talent for the line. Disappointingly, the Front Office hasn’t seen it that way.