Tag: Bucs

5 Buccaneers the Colts must game plan for in Week 14

Colts must game plan for these Bucs in Week 14.

The Colts, currently at 6-6 on the year, are not completely out of the playoff picture after losing four of their last five games. On Sunday, Frank Reich’s squad will travel to Tampa Bay to face off against former Colts interim head coach, Bruce Arians and his Buccaneers currently sitting at 5-7.

While this Bucs roster is full of talent at every position, they have struggled to find a consistent rhythm on both sides of the ball and have lost a lot of games late. Either way this team is not to be underestimated.

Here are five Buccaneers the Colts must gameplan for in order to get their season back on track and keep their postseason hopes alive:

(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)

WR Mike Evans

This is the obvious one. At 6’5″ and weighing 230 pounds, Evans is one of the hardest receivers in the league to cover. His 1,096 receiving yards are currently the third-best in the NFL and his seven touchdowns are currently tied for the fifth-most among receivers.

Stopping Evans will be imperative for the Colts secondary if they want to win this game. Evans is targeted heavily on third down and in the red zone, so it will be important for Matt Eberflus to order double coverage on Evans a majority of snaps.

Look for Pierre Desir and Malik Hooker to provide the coverage on Evans and try to get physical with him at the line of scrimmage.

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Devin White cracks the top 10 in NFL.com’s rookie rankings

See where Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie linebacker Devin White lands on NFL.com’s latest rookie rankings.

The good news just keeps on rolling in for Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, who had his most dominant performance to date in Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

White, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, had an interception on Jacksonville’s opening drive and then scooped up a fumble and took it to the house on the next Jags possession, helping Tampa Bay take a commanding 15-0 lead, which they’d never surrender.

White was viewed by many as a favorite to take home the NFL’s Defensive Rookie Player of the Year Award before the season started, but a sprained knee suffered in Week 2’s win over the Carolina Panther sidelined him for several weeks and saw his odds of winning drop.

Well, people might want to start thinking about White as a viable candidate again based on how he’s looked the past two weeks. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has certainly taken notice, and moved White to No. 8 on his list of rookie rankings.

Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about the former LSU star.

“White has really come alive the past few weeks. He collected 2 sacks against Atlanta in Week 12 and followed that up with an interception against the Jaguars in Week 13.”

White and the Buccaneers we look to make it three-straight wins on Sunday when they welcome the Indianapolis Colts to town. At 5-7, the Bucs have a shot at avoiding their third-straight 5-11 season with a win.

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Ndamukong Suh says there’s no holding back this Bucs team

See what Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had to say on Instagram about this team, which has won two-straight.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on a roll, something fans having been waiting all season to see.

After that brutal five-game road stretch that saw the Bucs go just 1-4, Tampa Bay has gone 3-1 since, including two-straight wins on the road. On Sunday, they took down the in-state rival Jacksonville Jaguars, thanks to a dominant performance by rookie linebacker Devin White and the Bucs defense.

With the 6-6 Indianapolis Colts coming to town in Week 14, the Bucs will look to keep the momentum going and take advantage of an Indy team that’s been decimated by injuries and seen their playoff hopes slip away.

The Bucs know they are hitting their stride, and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh took to Instagram the other day to say as much.

Take a look.

Suh and the Buccaneers’ rush defense ranks second in the league, allowing just 76.3 yards per game. They’ll be tested in Week 14 as the Colts offense ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing, averaging 139.0 yards per game.

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Bruce Arians on benching Ronald Jones: ‘You can’t run the football if you can’t protect the quarterback’

See why head coach Bruce Arians made the decision to bench starting running back Ronald Jones in the second half against the Jaguars.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned an impressive 28-11 win Sunday on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving them their first winning streak of the season.

The story of the day, of course, was the play of rookie linebacker Devin White, who helped the team jump out to an early 15-0 lead in the first quarter. But, one story that shouldn’t be overlooked is the second-half benching of running back Ronald Jones.

Jones, the second-year back out of USC who just last month earned the starting gig, was sent to the bench in the third quarter after failing to pick up a blitz, which resulted in a Jameis Winston sack and fumble.

Jones finished the day with just six carries for 8 yards. But, for those worried that Jones will be riding the bench going forward, head coach Bruce Arians talked about the young back’s strong work ethic, while also pointing out that if he wants to play, he’s got to protect the quarterback.

“[Jones] works his ass off. He’s gonna get better at it. We need him running the football. But you can’t run the football if you can’t protect the quarterback.”

Protection for Winston has been a problem all season long for the Buccaneers. Jones is still young, so hopefully he can use yesterday as a learning experience. If he works as hard as his coach says, I doubt anyone is more frustrated about what happened than Jones.

Tampa Bay returns home in Week 14 to face the Indianapolis Colts. With a win, the Bucs would not only make it three-straight victories, but they’d earn their sixth win of the season, surpassing their win totals from 2017 and 2018, when they finished 5-11 both times.

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Buccaneers move up one spot in latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ big win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 moved them up one spot in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled off the upset in Week 12 by taking down the Atlanta Falcons on the road.

The Falcons were coming off two-straight wins against division foes — the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, respectively — and had outscored their opponents 55-12 in those wins.

But, the Buccaneers managed to find a way to carve up a revamped Falcons defense, and one of the ways they did that was with a bit of trickery. Nose tackle and human behemoth Vita Vea caught his first career touchdown pass from Jameis Winston in the 35-22 win, and as the Buccaneers moved up one spot this week in the latest USA TODAY Power Rankings, the question was asked, why hasn’t Vea been utilized more on offense?

 “The real question, given Bucs’ 20th-ranked ground game, is why hasn’t high school RB Vita Vea been in backfield far more often in 2019?”

Vea and the Buccaneers take to the road again in Week 13, this time staying in-state to take on the 4-7 Jacksonville Jaguars, who are still looking for their first win with quarterback Nick Foles under center.

Surprisingly, the Jags, who were humiliated Sunday by the Tennessee Titans and fell to No. 25 in the power rankings, are favorites over the Bucs at home.

Some extra motivation for Tampa Bay, perhaps?

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Jameis Winston’s 20th interception puts him in a class with Jay Cutler

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston now shares this “honor” with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston certainly has his defenders still, even after last week’s four-interception game against the New Orleans Saints.

It might be hard for those defenders to stand by him after watching him today against the Atlanta Falcons, though. Despite a 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin, Winston threw two interceptions in the first quarter, with the second one eventually leading to a Falcons touchdown.

The two picks give Winston 20 on the season, a new career high. And, those 20 picks in 11 games puts him in a class with former NFL quarterback, and interception aficionado, Jay Cutler.

Take a look.

Winston is the first Buccaneers quarterback since Josh Freeman in 2011 to have 20 or more interceptions on the year. Freeman had 22 in 15 games for the Bucs that year, so Winston could easily break that mark before the year is over — or even today’s game against Atlanta.

It’s time to stop defending Winston. The Buccaneers, and more importantly their fans, deserve a whole lot better.

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A look at O.J. Howard’s route trees in Bruce Arians’ offense vs. Dirk Koetter’s

Take a look at the route trees of Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard in his last two offensive systems.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard has had a rough go of things this season, his first year playing under head coach Bruce Arians.

Howard, who was put on blast by Arians earlier this year for his poor play, caused an interception in last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, juggling the ball against his body and behind his back before it was eventually picked off. For the season, the third-year tight end out of Alabama has just 17 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown.

So, what’s been the issue?

Well, looking at Howard’s route trees in Arians’ offense compared to former coach and current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter’s, it’s clear the two systems are utilizing the tight end very differently.

Take a look.

Arians had this to say about the tight ends of the Arizona Cardinals back in 2015, when he was the team’s head coach: “We pay Larry (Fitzgerald) and those guys too much money to throw it to the tight ends. They’re here to block.”

You would’ve hoped that Arians and Byron Leftwich would’ve seen the potential in Howard and utilized him more in the offense as a pass catcher.

It’ll be interesting to see how the team proceeds with Howard at the end of the season. Remember, the New England Patriots inquired about Howard last month before the trade deadline, but were told no by Tampa Bay.

Maybe they’ll change their tune in the offseason.

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Twitter reacts to Bucs’ brutal loss to Saints

The Bucs were searching for a much-needed victory against the Saints in Sunday’s crucial NFC matchup.

The Bucs were searching for a much-needed victory against the Saints in Sunday’s crucial NFC matchup, but instead, Jameis Winston and company, unfortunately, walked out of Raymond James Stadium with a gut-wrenching 37-17 loss.

Tampa Bay’s first touchdown of the day came from Peyton Barber on a 6-yard touchdown. Jameis Winston’s 48-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Scotty Miller set the Bucs up with first-and-goal from the one-yard line with less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter and Barber was able to put the Buccaneers on the board.

Rookie kicker Matt Gray then added three points to the scoreboard after nailing a 55-yard field goal, making the score 20-10 after the Saints got off to a solid start.

In an effort to stay alive and turn things around, Chris Godwin tried to keep the Bucs’ hopes alive by hauling in their second touchdown of the day and his seventh receiving touchdown of the season, adding another 7 for Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, however, numerous turnovers, multiple mistakes, and some miscommunication, unfortunately, cost Tampa Bay the game. With the loss, the Bucs are sitting at 3-7 this season while the Saints now improve to 8-2.

Here’s a closer look at what Twitter is saying following their loss:

Throwback Thursday: Carl Nassib goes full Michael Scott

Check out this Instagram post from Buccaneers pass rusher Carl Nassib, referencing his love for the TV show “The Office.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping to get pass rusher Carl Nassib back this week in time for Sunday’s Week 11 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Nassib, who has 3.0 sacks on the season, missed last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals with a groin injury. But, he was a limited participant in practice yesterday, which is a positive sign.

In honor of Nassib’s (impending) return, we thought we’d do a throwback to Nassib and his love of “The Office.”

View this post on Instagram

It’s Scarn, Michael Scarn.

A post shared by Carl Nassib (@carlnassib) on

Anytime an athlete references “The Office” you have to pay respect.

For those wondering what Nassib is talking about, I give to you, “Threat Level Almost Midnight.”

Nassib’s return would be a big boost for the Buccaneers. Brees was sacked six times last week again the Atlanta Falcons, so this Bucs defense smells blood in the water.

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Bucs claim Aaron Stinnie off waivers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently in the midst of more roster moves.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially claimed offensive guard Aaron Stinnie off waivers. In the midst of the transaction, the Bucs waived Nate Trewyn to make room on the team’s 53-man roster.

Stinnie joins the Buccaneers after being released from the Titans earlier this week. His stint with the Titans includes seeing action in one game last year and three this year. However, he hasn’t played the last six games.

The 6-foot-2, 312 pound powerhouse made Tennessee’s roster in 2018 after a successful college career at James Madison. He originally joined the league as an undrafted free agent.

According to the Bucs’ official website, Stinnie has experience playing interior line and tackle which should hopefully ignite a spark in the Bucs offensive line.