Lack of commitment continues to haunt the Bucs

by Buc Wild on Oct 19, 2009 10:00 AM EDT in News Comment 14 comments

Over the last 7 years, the Bucshave been like a bad stereotype of a guy in a chick flick. The one that won't commit. This seems to be more a habitual problem that has managed to infest just about every facet of the organization. As fans we've seen coaches come and go, general managers come and go, and certainly players that have had a quick cup of coffee with the Bucs. Stability seems to be something that pushes an organization forwards. That doesn't mean you stand pat with bad players, coaches and systems, but more you make a commitment to finding those people that will fit what you want to do as a team and then you press onward.

We all know the lack of commitment to quarterbacks over the last few years. Now, whether you agreed with it or not at the time, we can all recall the Gruden era that featured a new quarterback every 8 games, or so it seemed. We are now in the "Life after Gruden" stage and the Bucs still seem unable to commit to a quarterback. We saw the battle in the preseason between Leftwich and McCown, with the job ultimately going to Leftwich. After 3 games, the reins were handed over to Johnson, and if you go withpopular opinion, it seems that in three weeks against Green Bay we will have yet another starting quarterback in Freeman. If that happens, that will be five different quarterbacks who started a game in the last 11 games dating back to last year and not including preseason. It's tough to develop consistency with a changing of the guard every few games. To this day, the inability to develop a quarterback or commit to one hangs over the franchise.

The other area that has suffered due to lack of commitment is the run game. This effects both the offense and defense. On Sunday, the Bucs were in the game and still managed only 17 run attempts compared to 24 dropbacks. I harped on it last week and will say it again here, a young quarterback and a solid stable of backs should be erring on the side of the run. Don't ask the young guy to do too much. Let the running backs set the tempo and stick with it. The Bucs saw first hand what a commitment to the run can do to a team as the Panthers just slammed the ball at us on the ground in the 4th quarter.

The offensive philosophy has been disrupted withtwo offensive coordinators before the season was even a week old. We saddled up with Jags in the offseason and then sent him packing before the season started. Whether it was the hiring or firing of Jags, a wrong decision was made. These are the missteps you don't see in the elite organizations.

I don't advocate sticking with bad processes over the long haul just to say you had consistency. Instead, the right processes from the top down need to be practiced and adhered to. Our coaching searches the last two times we needed a head coach were a joke and stunk of bad processes. Getting spurned by Parcells and eventually forking over picks and cash for Grudenended our embarrassment. This time with Morris, there really was no coaching search. The procedures have to be set in place. There seemed to be no accountability for the Glazer's and the coachign search and that has manifested itself on down. Grudenhad no accountability with developing a quarterback. Morris didn't seem to be held accountable for the Jags debacle and Olsen seems to be avoiding any heat despite our lack of commitment to the run game.

It really boils down to a simple theory. Good processes will yield results over the long term. This doesn't mean that by doing things the right way that we turn into a powerhouse and go 16-0, but it will establish and set up the organization in the long run. Results will always vary game to game and year to year, but when the groundwork is in place, and you have accountability, good processes and smart people all working together, the results will follow.

Please forgive the off the cuff column this morning but this is a bigger issue than I thought. We used to be able to pin these issues on Gruden and his system, but with him being canned and a new regime at the helm, why do these issues still exist?

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Gruden had his faults...

But I’d argue he went 9-7 with a team that has equal or in fact worse talent than this one. You listen to Duemig and the like and they make it seem like we released a bunch of hot shot probowlers. How many of Ike, Warrick, Brooks, Galloway, June, Garcia are even EMPLOYED? It isn’t like the Bucs were the only team that thought those players were washed up.

Then factor in that the offensive line has had another year to mature as well as all the additions on offense and you can make a strong case this team is equal in talent as last year.

Of course that talent still stinks.

Point is Gruden was a pretty darn good coach. Horrible talent evaluator. But the guy won with pretty crappy players. Very few coaches can do that.

Now we have a crappy coach with crappy talent which equals 0-16.

What really sucks is we drafted Freeman. This means the next 2-3 years are lost. Once Rah and Dom are fired we will be able to move beyond Freeman…which will be in 2 to 3 years. I mean anyone who watched college football knows Freeman blows. Yeah ya’ll will say he had no talent at KState. However look at the good QBs in the pro’s from so so schools. Brees, Rivers, Eli, Big Ben, etc. They all made their crappy college team MUCH BETTER than they typically were.

Take a peak at KState. They were better before Freeman, and now are sitting at the top of the Big 12 North w/o Freeman. Coincidence?

Can we get robots for umpires and a computer to make in game strategy decisions? I'm sick of inconsistently bad umpiring and Joe's pitiful in game management. Oh and Navi (and BJ) need some PED's. BenZo, Bartlett, and Pena do not.

by matthan on Oct 19, 2009 10:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Eli and Rivers had some pretty talented players around them, for the record.

by Suttree on Oct 19, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

K State had a WR go in the top 3 rounds in both 2007 and 2008...

And I wouldn’t say Eli or Rivers had any more talent than those squads currently have.

Eli did not have one skill position player to be drafted during his time at Ole Miss. Couple of linemen though. Rivers had Cotchery go in the 4th round.

So according to the draft Freeman had better skill guys than either of those teams. And according to the draft KState was as talented if not more talented than NCState. Ole Miss during Eli’s time was a bit more talented than both….but the SEC West is slightly more difficult than the Big 12 North, which may be the weakest division in college football the past few years.

I’m not one to pin all W/L on one player, and I most certainly wouldn’t expect KState to compete nationally. However finishing 4th and then 5th the past two years in the Big 12 North is definitely not a good thing for a QB. The Big 12 N was fairly pitiful the past few years.

by matthan on Oct 19, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, to clarify, I completely agree with you that Freeman sucked in college.

I’m cringing over some of the bad decisions Josh Johnson has made, but Josh Freeman made even worse decisions on a more regular basis at the college level. No matter how physically talented he is, that’s not a good recipe for success in the NFL.

Rivers had Colmer get drafted, who would have been an excellent NFL tackle if he didn’t have a degenerative nerve disease. TA McClendon did not get drafted, but he was an excellent running back, despite the penchant for fumbles.

I guess my point is judging a quarterback by his team’s success isn’t a fulproof strategy for analyzing a quaterback. Jay Cutler’s Vanderbilt teams, though better than Vandy teams of the past, did not do particularly well, but his play surpassed that.

by Suttree on Oct 19, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

One thing you didn't consider

Was us not having Kiffin anymore. If Gruden was still here without Kiffin, would we still be on track to another 9-7 season?

Also another thing is, we’re in this shape now because of Gruden’s regime. He wasn’t bringing in the young talent to eventually phase in as well as fixing key position, but instead would just bring in random veterans to patchwork the team. We went down 4 games last year because our Dline was getting handled by the end of the year, which is a sign of lack of talent there and depth. Our established defense that had a habit of being top 5 and top 10 was getting beat on the ground and through the air.

by NewLogic on Oct 19, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In 6 games,

You waiting for a coach, GM, and QB who hasnt played a down, to leave because thats when the Bucs will improve.
I just never understood that line of thinking. I think its safe to say, everyone on this site does not know football to the level of the tiniest assistant on the St. Louis Rams.
I prefer to cheer on the Bucs, and the choices they make, and hope for the best. If they turn out, awesome, if not, its not the first and it wont be the last.

Besides, what are my options? Call the Bucs and tell them what to do?
Why not give these guys some time. Then, call a duck a duck, once it quacks.

Besides, while those veterans cut were not worth resigning, last year, they were still playing football with skill and intellect, maybe not with as much physical as mental, but were better than a lot of what we have this year only because what we have this year is starting from ground zero.
If I had to choose a Derrick Brooks, Id take 2002 Brooks, not 2008, nor 1995.

If anyone can get production out of Gaines Adams, it will be Rod Marinelli. Good Luck Gaines and thank you Bucs for restoring my confidence that there is accountability.

by Niko Houllis on Oct 19, 2009 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Everyone on this site includes me by the way....

That was not a knock on people who come to this site, but instead, just a statement that, we are not NFL coaches, we do not know as much as they do, or we would be doing it.

I say this before someone takes that the wrong way as me calling someone stupid. I am not.

If anyone can get production out of Gaines Adams, it will be Rod Marinelli. Good Luck Gaines and thank you Bucs for restoring my confidence that there is accountability.

by Niko Houllis on Oct 19, 2009 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Man, you aren't kidding Buc Wild

The lack of committment to the run is infuriating. I don’t think Olsen really knows what he’s doing in there. Most of the plays the guy calls just leave me scratching my head. If it weren’t for the pick six and KR TD we would have been blown out in that game.

On a side note; I’m all for letting Stroughter keep returning the ball for the rest of the season. He looked spectacular. I think Smith must have let the pro bowl thing go to his head. He just doesn’t seem to have it this year. Plus, he has Raheem Morris telling his how awesome he is in practice every day. What a joke.

by LeeCaz on Oct 19, 2009 1:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Read my piece on Pro Bwol returners

So much turnover year to year in personnel that repeat performances don’t happen much.

www.bucem.com - SBNation's source for all things Buccaneer

by Buc Wild on Oct 19, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

heres something i just posted to another article..take a look and tell me who would be your starter.

The QB position is one that I’ve been argueing since BEFORE we ever drafted Freeman. Josh Johnson is by far the better QB, and he shouldve been starting since Day 1. Over Lefty, over Mccown, OVER FREEMAN. Heres why…

Let’s take a blast from the past look at their numbers.

QB #1. Josh Freeman [Kansas over 3 yrs]

Pass Yrds- 8,178 on 1,151 Attempts.
Completion Pct- 51.9, 63.3, and 58.6
Sacked- 57 times
Pass Tds- 44
Ints-34
Rush Tds-20
Rush Yrds-343 [2 yrs ended with NEGATIVE YRDS might I add with 50+ attempts]

Now…

QB#2. Josh Johnson [SDSU over 3 yrs]

Pass Yrds- 9,177 on 1,005 Attempts.
Completion Pct- 70.7, 66.3, 68.3
Sacked- 5 [TOTAL, ALL 3 YEARS]
Pass Tds- 108
Ints- 15
Rush Tds- 17
Rush Yrds- 1,739

Now to the NFL [ we are gonna compare Pre-season since Freeman hasn’t played yet]

QB #1. Freeman [1st Round Pick]

completed 21-47 passes, Pass Tds-1, Ints-3, Sacked 3 times. Had QB ratings of 32.9, 91.5, 46.4, and 37.3

Rushes- 8, Rush Yrds- 85 , Tds- 1

QB#2. Josh Johnson [5th Round Pick]

completed 17-30 passes, Pass Tds- 1, Ints- 1, Sacked- once with QB ratings of 64.6, 65.6 and 81.8 [didnt get to play Miami]

Rushes-6, Rush Yrds- 86, Rush Tds- 1

Im sorry….but going back to College Johnson DOMINATED Freeman in EVERY catagory. AND even in Pre-season when he was 4th String he was MORE efficient [completion pct], More consistant [Qb Rating] and only turned over the ball ONCE opposed to Freemans 3.

Freemans a bust. Also, i bet you didn’t know that our beloved Doug Williams [thats right] TOLD Gruden to draft JJ because he would be the QB of the future. The only reason his draft stock fell was due to a bad day at the combine. [it happens]

Im sorry but inputing Freeman would give this team LESS chance to win considering just pure mechanics and decision making. Not only that but then you got a WHOLE NEW Qb with a different style that you have to draw up a game plan for. So not only are you putting more pressure on a ROOKIE QB but you are then putting pressure on the ENTIRE OFFENSIVE to adjust for a THIRD TIME IN ONE SEASON to another new QB. ANY CHANCE OF WINNING [in my opinion] would be lost for the season. Seriously, what do you expect Freeman to do that Josh Johnson CANT? or HASN’T done?

But hey, if he proves me wrong…I’ll be happy to change my opinion.

by Luckydabney7 on Oct 19, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's tough to compare college stats because of variance in systems and opponents.

I don’t think anyone here (at least I wont) will say Freeman was superior to JJ. Freeman made mistakes in the preseason that you expect from rookies. I’m not gonna be too hard on him yet.

You also have the old regime/new regime. Raheem/Dominik were here when JJ was drafted, but they wanted “their” guy. After all, thats what they will be judged on.

But that’s good info and it certainly will be a good debate over the next few weeks.

www.bucem.com - SBNation's source for all things Buccaneer

by Buc Wild on Oct 19, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that's where you're getting confused Luckydabney

Josh Johnson didn’t go to SDSU (San Diego State) he went to the University of San Diego. Two WAY different schools and competition levels.

Plus I don’t think you can call Freeman a bust before he has even taken one NFL regular season snap. That is pushing the limits of being a negative nancy, even for me. Trust me, my level of optimism is about as low as a real “fan” can possibly get at this point, but I’m definitely not going to write Freeman off yet. I didn’t want him, but now we are stuck with him and I hope he succeeds.

by LeeCaz on Oct 19, 2009 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs