Alright everyone, watch me. Are you looking? Okay.
Breathe in; breathe out.
There, don’t we feel better?
So, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t be finishing the 2020 season with a perfect 16-0 record. Yes, even with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Fournette, and anyone else you may have read or heard about ad nauseam all offseason. But, if you really thought the Buccaneers were going to have that kind of success right off the bat, the one you should be disappointed with following the Buccaneers’ 34-23 loss in New Orleans this weekend is yourself.
These things take time.
Yes, there were things that felt like “same old Buccaneers,” but there were plenty of positives, too. What you have to do when assessing Tampa Bay’s overall performance in Week 1 is remember that there was no offseason for these players. A couple of throwing sessions at a local high school turf field does not make up for the lack of OTAs, mini-camps, and preseason games, especially for the first-year players—and yes, that can mean new vets who arrived, too.
You also have to remember that the Buccaneers were playing the Saints, a team that was Super Bowl-caliber three years ago and has only been getting better since. This year, the Saints are not only stacked, but experienced with one another. They were returning their starting quarterback, running back, tight end, top wide receiver, four of their five offensive linemen, and nearly their entire defense. That matters, and I certainly think that showed up on the field and in the scoreboard as they battled the new-look Buccaneers.
But, as much as I would urge everyone to pump the breaks, there were things that need to be addressed and improved. Some are things that you expect to improve gradually and they have time for that to happen. Others sort of feel like urgent fixes if this team wants to get where they hope to be when the new year rolls around.
Since all the talk was about Brady and the offense, let’s stick with that side of the ball and identify some elements that need improvement and the degree and timetable in which they need to be fixed.
Level 1: Just Give It Time
Tom Brady’s Inconsistency
Brady’s final stat line of 23-for-36 with 239 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and two interceptions didn’t look like the 400-yard perfect performance some were hoping to see, but again, if that was your expectation, the root of the problem was your expectations.
Many of Brady’s misses could be argued as exactly what we talked about earlier: a lack of familiarity and snaps with his new receivers. When Brady was in New England, it always seemed like he was working magic with receivers that didn’t have near the success they did with the Patriots elsewhere around the league. A big reason for that is how serious Brady is about getting the timing and rhythm down with his pass-catchers.
Brady’s first interception looked like it was just a miscommunication or missed expectation on the route between him and receiver Mike Evans, and his second interception (which was a pick-6), looked like it wasn’t placed in the right spot. Historically speaking, Brady is pretty accurate when throwing to a spot. So for him to miss that kind of an out route, to me, said more about the lack of timing between him and his receiver running the route, how deep he ran it, etc. There is, of course, the idea that Brady might not have the arm strength to zip quick outs like that anymore, but I’m not ready to go there yet.
I say give all that time. That all looked like Week 1 growing pains to me.
Mike Evans’ Lack of Production
Much to the chagrin of fantasy managers everywhere, Mike Evans’ final stat line against the Saints was one catch for two yards and a touchdown.
Evans suited up and started this game despite being on the injury report (first as doubtful then upgraded to questionable) with a hamstring injury. Even if he was good enough to play—which he clearly was, playing in a large amount of the snaps—anytime you’re just coming off any type of hamstring injury there’s going to be some reservation in your game.
On top of that, Evans was facing off against a player who I think paired with Evans makes for the best WR-CB rivalry in the NFL in Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore locked Evans down all day, and for that you have to give him a hat tip.
You shouldn’t be worried about Evans. He’ll be fine.
Level Two: Some Cause For Concern
RoJo & The Run Game
Despite adding both LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette in the offseason, head coach Bruce Arians continued to reiterate that it was Ronald Jones’ backfield for the Buccaneers. Jones finished the game with 66 yards on 17 carries with a long of 21 yards.
That 3.9 yards per carry average isn’t horrible, but if the Buccaneers want to be as evenly split as they were against the Saints (close to a 23-23 split before the game got out of hand), they’re going to need more than just under four yards per touch from whoever they’re handing the ball off to.
Jones seemed to be running hard, and man, does he look like he’s put on some muscle from this offseason. But he just didn’t have the holes to run through. The Saints were the fifth-best defense in the NFL in DVOA (which stands for Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) in rush defense. They have a strong defensive line, backed by some athletic linebackers who can fly to the ball, and good safeties who can help stack the box. It wasn’t a great first matchup for Jones, but he and the rest of that running group has to be better.
Level 3: Could Hold Them Back
Offensive Tackles, But Mainly Left Tackle
Let’s start on the right side of the offensive line because it’s more positive.
The Buccaneers’ No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tristan Wirfs, made his debut at right tackle against the Saints, and all things considered he held his own. Saints pass-rusher Cameron Jordan whooped up on him good one play, and that’s one people will remember most. But outside of that impact highlight against him, Wirfs was pretty solid. For a guy playing in his first game against that good of a player on that good of a defense, you have to be happy with Wirfs’ first day out.
On the other side of the line…
Donovan Smith has been a punching bag for Buccaneers fans for a long time now. As a second-round pick in 2015, Smith has played in and started 79 out of a possible 80 games over the last five years. Among all those starts, there have been days like the one we just watched, and those days are why many Buccaneers fans wish that stat didn’t exist.
I will say this. I did not focus on Smith every single snap, so there could be some strings of good work in between the bad. But of the bad plays I caught watching live, there were far too many for a team that has deep playoff aspirations.
Smith has often been good enough for a Buccaneers team that hasn’t been. He has been able to be the starter because his up and down play has not been glaring enough compared to other offensive woes to warrant the team making a big change. Now it truly might be. The Buccaneers cannot beat the best teams in this league with that kind of a liability at either of their offensive tackle spots—yes, that means even if Smith flips sides to right tackle. He has to get better. That’s it. That’s the bottom line.
If he doesn’t, it will hold them back all year until they find someone new next season.
At the end of the day, it was Week 1. The Buccaneers didn’t come away with a win, but it really shouldn’t have been expected that they would. Their real season starts next week as they take on a beatable Carolina Panthers team—one that looks like they won’t go down without a fight each week.
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