Game Review - Week 1

Ugh. OK, I'm done. Just kidding. Unlike the extensive game reviews I used to do at the old site, these will be a little more general rating the Offense, Defense, Special Teams, and Coaching. And what a lovely game to start out with. So here we go:

Offense: F

I think it's pretty obvious that this unit, as a whole, deserves a failing grade for its obvious lack of ability to put any points on the board. What was clear was that the offense never really attacked the Ravens defense, and never bothered to try to establish the run. But the real failures come from the lack of protection without maximum protection sets, and the failure for targets to get open more than 2 or 3 yards down field for most of the game. The offensive line, with two starters out, had all kinds of difficulty containing defenders in the middle of the line. When pressure wasn't getting to Simms, there were only 1 or 2 threats running routes with blanket coverage. The fact that the Ravens could put pressure on 1 TE sets with just 4 guys, says something.

The offensive line is clearly the big problem. Yes, Simms had batted balls, but trying to get him to change his mechanics is like asking him to start throwing with his right arm. The simple fact is that the offensive line is simply too passive in its pass pro. They need to take a step back then fire into the defenders. Stop letting those guys push you back without a lot of resistance. And when they stand there ready to put their hands up at the count of 3, knock 'em on their rears or hit them so hard in the gut that they stop putting their hands up. Overall, this unit's combined effort stunk.

Defense: C

This unit would get a higher grade if they had done two things: 1) not let the Ravens eat 10 minutes and score a TD on the opening drive, and 2) get at least one turnover. Neither happened, and it meant the Bucs were in deep trouble from the get go. A turnover in the game, especially in the first half, would have been huge and might have changed the outcome. A few sacks might have helped too. For the most part, though, the Defense shut the Ravens down, forcing a lot of punts. So I can't get too down on them.

One thing I did notice was a lack of fire from the defense. Brooks missed tackles. The DL failed to really apply any constant pressure. The DB's were playing soft a lot. It was a flat defense and they seemed to set the tone that the offense would gladly pick up and run with. Need a better effort against the Falcons; a much better effort.

Special Teams: B-

Overall, I thought the Special Teams did well. There weren't any field goal attempts, nor extra points, so Bryant can only be rated on his kick off (yes, the one), which was solid, but not spectacular. Bidwell punted well, as usual. Jones did alright on punt returns. And Pittman regularly got the Bucs to around the 30 yard line or beyond after each Ravens' kick off. That was a big improvement over the other returners from the last couple of years.

Better yardage, or breaking a return for a TD, would have been nice, but this unit played well enough to give the Bucs every chance they needed to try to win this game.

Coaching: F

I rarely give this coaching staff such a low grade, but this game deserved it. From not having the team fired up for this game, to being unprepared for what the Ravens were bringing on both sides of the ball, it was ugly all around. The defense was passive, and allowed too much room for a solid but not fear inducing set of Ravens' receivers. I thought Monte's plan was just too much of a "don't lose it" type of plan as opposed to the "take it to 'em and win" plan.

Gruden's offensive coaching was probably the worst I have seen from him. While I understand his reasoning for coming out with the three straight passes, I thought they were simply uncalled for, especially when your defense was just on the field for 10 minutes. The least they could have done was run three times, and use a couple of minutes of clock time. Needless to say, when you play an elite defense like the Ravens, you must, at all cost, stay committed to the running game, no matter what. If you don't, you become dog food. Our defense specializes in this. Gruden should know better. Hopefully he'll stop falling back on the max protect sets, which don't work that well anyways, and start spreading defenses out and attacking them. Being passive is for losers. The one drive where the offense opened it up a little, Simms led the team right down and had a shot at a TD, except the play calling went to snit again. Where was an Alstott run with 3rd and three from the 5? Get that first down and have 4 more cracks!

Overall the Team gets a D for this game. Let's hope that the coaching staff stops acting like their team can't win, and starts using its weapons on both sides of the ball. Stop backing off receivers on D, and start spreading defenses with 3 and 4 wides with a TE and back. I think we'll see more of that style against the Falcons, at least I hope so.