Bucs New (Old) Defense excels, falls short in final seconds; 20-17

by Niko Houllis on Nov 29, 2009 4:35 PM EST Comment 30 comments

Chris Redman woke up this morning expecting to watch Matt Ryan lead the Falcons to a 6-5 mark over an easy Tampa Bay team. Instead, Redman led the rally himself with a fantastic 2:00 drive that overcame an inspired, and productive Tampa Bay defense that turned the play calling over to Head Coach Raheem Morris. Going back to the famous Tampa Two, the Bucs pressured the Falcons all game long, including initial pressure that knocked Matt Ryan from the game in the first quarter. All told, the Bucs dropped the quarterback 6 times, equaling their best mark of the year set vs the Packers in Tampa.

Josh Freeman had a solid game going 19 of 28 for 238 yards and 2 TDs without a turnover. But Redman was equally as efficient going 23 of 41 for 243 yards and also 2 scores. But the Bucs effort was mostly on the defensive side, holding the Falcons to under 300 total yards, and a season best 75 total net rushing yards.

In the end, Connor Barth missed the goalposts by a foot or two on a FG attempt that would have given the Bucs 20 points that Atlanta could have only tied the game with. Instead, the Falcons scored on 4th down, sending the Bucs to 1-10, their worst record since the 1976 0-14 season.

Next week, the Bucs host the N Y Jets, who may be without Rookie sensation Mark Sanchez who was injured today.

Bucs / Falcons game stats

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Overall, I am happy with the offense & deffensive play..

That last play was covered nicely, just a great throw & catch. I can see a lot of good things coming. Especially if next year we can get a DC willing to keep the Tampa 2 in TAMPA and a good draft. At this point with the change back to Tampa 2 I think we could still use a DT, a safety, & 1 more CB on the Defensive side. And a quality wideout to help with the offense.

by RuudAwakening on Nov 29, 2009 4:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

who will morris fire now? to busy chest bumping players and coachs in all these loses.

you would think he would use some of that energy to coach some of these guys. wait he cant coach.we coulda, shoulda, woulda huh.lol this team would excel fast under a good coach.i,m glad for morris tho cause he chose freeman and it looks like that was a great call. freeman looks really good and with some time he will be a good qb.

by magicman775 on Nov 29, 2009 5:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

So taking over the defense and having them hold the Falcons to 75 rushing yards WHILE the defense racks up 6 sacks from blitzes, coverages, and from the Dline itself is not coaching? Our team as a whole sparked in a way that we have not the whole year. If you didn’t know we were 1-9, you would of thought we were contending for a playoff spot. If the team continues to play like that, with good additions from the draft, we very well may be in the spot next year. But yea, he definitely can’t coach.

And he should fire Dirk. We simply are done with him.

by NewLogic on Nov 29, 2009 5:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jon grudens fist pumping "boom boom boom"s..

Won us a superbowl. Now your just reaching for excuses.

Viva la Bucco Bruce 1976-1996 (reincarnated 2009)

by Niko Houllis on Nov 29, 2009 7:41 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

This is silly

If you see no improvement in this game you were not watching. Coulda Woulda Shoulda? When do you see Morris make excuses? If anything, I have been impressed with how he has handled himself and every decision he has made. He has come right out and taken responsibility for everything that has happened this year. The only disillusions I see are youre expectations. Youre crazy if you saw this year going much differently. If anything you should be happy with how well Raheem has made changes on the fly. Yea some decisions in the beginning werent the best, but he has fixed or addressed every single one and we are a better team for it. Look at our 4 games since Freeman has started: took 2 possible playoff teams to the wire, beat another possible playoff team, and got blown out by the best team in the league. Offense has looked respectable since the switch to Freeman, and if today is any indication the D is headed in the same direction with Raheem at the helm.

by BJ the Bossman on Nov 29, 2009 10:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent points ......

Im a little surprised at the amount of Morris supporters coming out of the woodwork today, and very happy over it…

I have seen far more positives than negatives.

Are there mistakes made by Morris Dominik? Yes.
But are they correctable, and do the things you GET with Morris outweigh the learning curve he is experiencing? I say also YES>

Viva la Bucco Bruce 1976-1996 (reincarnated 2009)

by Niko Houllis on Nov 30, 2009 3:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I have supported him from the begining, and I was also one of those crazy people that thought we would be good right away. This game hurt becasue it was so close, the close game adds emoiions. I did see allot of posatives, even the fake punt was nice to see. If it worked everyone would be saying that it was genious. When you are 9-1 it is time to gamble.

by McBuc on Nov 30, 2009 1:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I normally have a lot of hate for Morris.

I am impressed with his defensive playcalling. Nothing else, but I think he would be a great defensive coordinator. I wish we put him in that position before we gave him the HC job.

Bucs: Raheem will become relevant when his actions speak louder than his words. Gators: National Champions! Magic: Stop getting injured!

by chiefs_55 on Nov 29, 2009 6:24 PM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

I think that is Joel and Bros faults though, not Morris.

Bucs: Raheem will become relevant when his actions speak louder than his words. Gators: National Champions! Magic: Stop getting injured!

by chiefs_55 on Nov 29, 2009 6:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

I am terribly disappointed

Your team has let down the saints fans we were thinking we could win the div. tomorrow night with a win against the pats.
Ya’ll had them dirty bird bastards from atlanta and you let them off the hook who will your coach blame this week

by simone219 on Nov 29, 2009 7:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Bye Saints Fan

I wish we had drew brees

Why do you kill threads????

by Some other guy who does not care on Nov 29, 2009 10:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Please..

Josh Freeman will be playing for 8 years past when Brees is done.

Viva la Bucco Bruce 1976-1996 (reincarnated 2009)

by Niko Houllis on Nov 30, 2009 3:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know. I'd take Brees right now in a heartbeat over Freeman

That’s not so much a knock on Freeman, it’s jsut Brees is that good. I’d take a guaranteed top 4 QB in the NFL for 8-10 years over a “maybe” QB in Freeman. For the record, Freeman has outperformed expectations, but to turn away a guaranteed top guy for a maybe? I can’t do it. Same with Peyton.

Signature space available for rent - Got to pay the bills somehow

by Buc Wild on Nov 30, 2009 8:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Connor Barth

should be our punter also ;)
Stovall played great in Clayton’s place, and Stroughter is reliable.
I think the fake-punt call was a dumb call. We have a good leg in Connor Barth for the long field goal.

by rjblitz02 on Nov 29, 2009 7:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

holy cow

Hey stop with the wimpering please at least we were freakin competive!! Geez the defense looked very solid and obviously we needed to go bak to the tampa 2. The offensive play calling was horrible but if we convert on more plays then we won’t be having this conversation. As far as the fake punt goes…if we complete it we would be talking about how a genious coach Rah is but it didn’t work out and now he’s a moron?? C’mon did you guys really expect anything different. As far as i can see we are playing to see progression and developing young talent. AS LONG AS WE ARE COMPETITIVE then i’m happy!

by bucsfan4life on Nov 29, 2009 7:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thank you.....

Its pretty bad when we start judging coaches and players on a Game to Game basis, but now were going quarter to quarter.
In the Second Quarter everyone was tickled how well the offense looked.

Atlanta players get paid too!
And I dont want to hear about a backup QB! Redman is a veteran QB with more playing experience than Matt Ryan. This years matt ryan is not like last years. In some ways we probably would have won the game if Ryan played. Redman was very protective with the ball, something Ryan has not been lately.
And besides, it was OUR PRESSURE that knocked him out of the game!!

Viva la Bucco Bruce 1976-1996 (reincarnated 2009)

by Niko Houllis on Nov 29, 2009 9:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

THIS!!!

by RuudAwakening on Nov 30, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bucs played a fine game on the road.

Morris and Freeman have the team going well.

by WarWolf on Nov 29, 2009 7:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Happy with the offence? Are you kidding me? Josh thru 2 passes to Briant and scored. Did the coaches see that? Atlanta had fill in corners and on third and long Olson calls a 2 yard pass. This guy’s trying to lose! What happened to streching the D? Running the ball when they stack the box! Olson should have been replaced as well!

by turbo33 on Nov 29, 2009 10:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

That's the Only

problem- Olsen’s playcalling is outright horrible.

Why do you kill threads????

by Some other guy who does not care on Nov 29, 2009 10:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's a good thing

we locked him up for next season then huh?

"Three or four plane crashes and we're in the playoffs" - John McKay

by LeeCaz on Nov 30, 2009 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd rather us be competitive and possibly win 1 or 2 down the stretch.

Plus, I really don’t want to lose out on the Suh-Stakes!

Good Guys Don't use the reply button

by stanleygoober on Nov 29, 2009 10:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Don't know why I'm frustrated, but I am.

I guess it’s because it’s a game we should have won. Chris Redman is not a good quarterback.

Also, we still called at least 7 more pass plays than we did run. Most people have justified this all season long by saying we have been down. That excuse is out the window now. It’s clearly Olsens MO at this point. I don’t agree with it at all. I don’t agree with splitting carries 10 – 10. It’s not enough for running backs to get in any sort of rhythm. It’s unbalanced and is negatively effecting our offensive production.

Say what you want about keeping Olsen. Obviously he’s staying. Does consistency for a quarterback outweigh intelligent play calling and schemes?

"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"

by UNFNOLE on Nov 30, 2009 12:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I too disagree with the unbalanced attack...but here is something to think about....

We had enough carries so the average is a legit one. 2.8 Yards per carry is not something you want to hang your hat on as an offense. I can promise you we would have been calling for his head saying " Why not let Freeman air it out more, hes doing well".
Also, Im thinking the whole Jags to Olsen OC thing has the playbook in disarray.
I wont bet the house on it, But Id bet a lot that next year the play calling is a little better.
We have to become better blockers up front.
Speaking of which, our whole rushing attack was based on a Zone, which is now defunct. That can help the situation.

Ultimately, these are Morris/Dominiks responsibilities….lessons Im sure they have learned.
Id like to think we have found our OC and DC now…

Viva la Bucco Bruce 1976-1996 (reincarnated 2009)

by Niko Houllis on Nov 30, 2009 4:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

It seems we are a more balanced team on offense then we have been in a long time. It’s just seems that after awhile we go with whats “working” and more often then not, especially with a rookie QB, that will be the passing game since defenses would rather have Freeman try to beat them. This all may change next year when everything improves, from the playbook to the blocking to the Freeman’s development along with his chemistry with his receivers.

by NewLogic on Nov 30, 2009 4:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Raheem should be the defensive coordinator next year. I just hope he doesn’t continue on as head coach. I hate the fact that we locked up Olsen without even exploring our options. I’m not saying they have to go out and offer Charlie Weis the world, but they could have at least seen what was out there.

"Three or four plane crashes and we're in the playoffs" - John McKay

by LeeCaz on Nov 30, 2009 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

On Olsen

I don’t doubt that him sticking around should benefit Freeman, but I also think it’s more to help out Morris and Dominik. They can’t afford more turnover with Bates and Jags already getting the heave ho, so Olsen is the winner of the stick around sweepstakse.

I echoed your comments above. We were in this game all day, and while the final numbers panned out to be reasonable (though I still dont know why they fall in favor of the pass) the manner in which we called these plays has to become a bigger issue at some point. We were successful when we mixed the run and pass. That opens up play action pass, we were in shorter conversion distances, it allowed us to use almost all of the playbook.

When we went pass heavy, the threat of the run wasnt there, therefore no PA pass was available and the Falcons shut us down. When we went run heavy in the 4th, we had no real passing threat as it was obvious we were trying to sit on the lead. Mix it up Olsen.

The two calls that kill me, and I mentioned both in the game thread before they happened so its not results based analysis was the fake punt and long field goal. The fake punt was garbage. We had a backup QB and backup RB that we had been stopping. Kick it deep, make them go the distance. The long FG at the end was another questionable call. Is a 51 yard field goal makeable? Sure is. But the Falcons needed a TD no matter how you slice it (made or missed FG). Punt it, make them go an extra 20-35 yards with a back up QB and RB. We handed them a short field with 1 TO (I believe). They still had to convert, but we made it easier on them. Plus the two timeouts we called (not good decisions) and the failure to put pressure on Redman (we got conservative) and double Gonzo who was the primary target for Redman.

Signature space available for rent - Got to pay the bills somehow

by Buc Wild on Nov 30, 2009 8:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

The field goal was a bad call. What’s his chance of making it from there 60%? I would have been happier had they just tried to convert the first down, at least then we would have won the game outright. A punt was definitely the right play there.

As far as the defensive play calling goes, I loved what Raheem did the first 58 minutes, and hated what he did the last two. I must say I was proud of our guys for standing strong and stopping them SIX!! times in a row before giving up the TD to White, but the fact of the matter is that they shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place.

It was a tough loss. It really put into perspective how bad we are. We couldn’t beat a Matt Ryan-less Michael Turner-less Atlanta team that looked absolutely horrible for most of that game. As for what Niko said above about Chris Redman being better suited to beat the Bucs than Matt Ryan, I must respectfully disagree (vehemently). Redman is a journeyman joke of a QB. If he were better than Ryan, than he would have been starting the game. The only reason I don’t rip Redman further is because he was a football God in my home state of Kentucky when I was growing up, and I can’t rip one of my former idols to much.

Now, I do think we have some positives to take away from this game, most notably that Antonio Bryant finally earned his weekly paycheck this season. The difference between the two gap and the one gap was phenomenol. Their running backs didn’t beat us once to the outside that I saw.

I’m through complaining about Olson. We are stuck with him. I think he is bad at his job and that’s that. There is no use getting all ticked off about the situation like I was last week. Maybe he will prove me wrong, but if he doesn’t I will be the one sitting back and telling everyone I told ya so.

"Three or four plane crashes and we're in the playoffs" - John McKay

by LeeCaz on Nov 30, 2009 2:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We didn’t looked as bad as you think we did. Our defense was aggressive and our offense made plays. We held their run game to 75 yds, which Turner was a part of before went out, got to the QB to where we knocked out Ryan, and Freeman went 20-29 for 250 yds. We were the superior looking team up until that final drive when we had to put in our 5th string CB due to injuries. You know, the guy gave that final drive away with that penalty as well as the TD. Also didn’t he that Dirk was giving them short punts which is slow poison in a close game like that.

Good thing he’s done for the year.

by NewLogic on Nov 30, 2009 2:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Freeman is looking like a solid QB for the future

Good luck against the Jesters next week. Ironically enough, I’m surprised you guys aren’t favored. Tampa’s a much better team (now) than Carolina, and they managed to keep the Jets game close, even with 4 turnovers. This ought ta be the easiest game of the season. Good Luck!

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by Farorefox on Nov 30, 2009 1:33 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

To me

I don’t give a dam about NY JETS game all I care is getting Carolina, new Orleans, and Atlanta, one more time. I just can’t wait to see Tampa get their hands on Carolina at their field, and them dam saints for putting that much points on us at our field man that must of feel shame lossing at home, and just can’t wait for Tampa to repay them back at their field, and last but not least them Atlanta u may get away once but u won’t get away twice.

Can’t wait to see what the buc’s have in mind in the offseason…..

IF U AIN'T A BUC GET THE BUC OUT OF HERE

by WE GOING TO THE SHIP on Nov 30, 2009 3:31 AM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs