This is going to bother Joe for a while.

Liam Coen (Todd Bowles?) needs a chat with Nick Saban

After watching the Bucs offense derail a crucial win last night, Joe thought of Nick Saban.

One could argue that Saban, the former Alabama and LSU coach, was the greatest college football coach in history. Bill Belicheat said Saban, a close friend, was the best assistant coach he ever had.

After Joe saw the Bucs’ offensive gimmick in crunch time, he immediately thought of a story Saban often told about the most important thing he ever learned as a football coach. It came when he was a 15-year-old quarterback.

His high school team participated in the West Virginia state playoffs. A late touchdown landed them on fourth down deep in the opponent’s territory. Time-out.

Saban went to the sideline to talk to his coach. Saban had playing responsibility. Even back then he was smart about football. Saban asked his coach what he should call.

Here is Saban’s recollection of what his coach told him:

“‘You have the fastest guy in the state playing left center,'” Saban’s coach told him. “‘You have a three-time all-state player playing split end. Make sure one of these two guys gets the ball. And I really don’t care what you call the piece.’

“This is the first coaching lesson I ever learned. When you get into critical situations in the game, don’t think about moves, think about the players.”

The play Saban called was a fake to the left halfback and a corner pass to the split end. Landing. Saban’s team wins.

Last night the Bucs tried “plays” when they needed them, not players.

The Bucs have a Hall of Fame receiver in Mike Evans. They have a Pro Bowl receiver in Chris Godwin who appears to be having a career year. When the Bucs just needed a first down to secure the win, they got really stupid.

First descent: Hand the ball off to one of the NFL’s worst running backs in the last 37 games. Oh, but he had a good run last night. Whoop-te-do! Loss of three.

Second descent: Bucky Irving runs to left for seven. In order. But wait, a holding penalty for rookie center Graham Barton. Now it’s 11:23 p.m.

Second down redux: The pass goes to White, resulting in a loss of two. Third and 25.

Third descent: Irving left for a yard.

Fourth down: Punt.

If the Bucs had just ordered Baker Mayfield to throw three knees instead, they might have still had a chance at a 55-yard field goal. But with one of the worst rushing games in the league and a chance to cap off the game with two outstanding receivers having great nights, they chose the poor run game to win it.

Craziness! This is as bad as Dave Canales calling three runs up the middle.

This was a critical situation. Joe can’t remember if it was first or second down, but Evans was all alone behind the defense. He could have gone in for a touchdown. But instead, do you prefer the guys who make up one of the worst rushing offenses in the league? WHY???

Joe is absolutely speechless.

Yes, it was the crime

Joe outraged half, maybe more, of the Bucs fan base. Yes, Joe blames the offense. Here’s why.

Even though Todd Bowles’ defense almost completely collapsed last night, the Bucs still had the lead with one second left. Still had the lead when the offense was within field goal range on two possessions late in the fourth quarter.

On the last possession, with only one first down, the game is over. With either possession of the ball or just a field goal, the game is over. Despite the terrible defense.

The Bucs’ offense, which was completely elusive in the first half, only made two field goals in the entire second half. Two field goals. If you settle for field goals and the other team scores touchdowns left and right, it becomes a simple calculation. You won’t win.

Was the defense bad? Light up! But you know, on two of Atlanta’s last three fourth-quarter possessions, the Bucs’ defense got off the field unscathed – but the offense couldn’t take advantage.

Shame on Liam Coen or Todd Bowles (or whoever sits high up in the dugout) who had the Bucs’ offense firing on all cylinders. That might just cost the Bucs a playoff spot.

Joe won’t kill the rookies

The Bucs have some good rookies. But tonight the Bucs’ inexperience of the rookies was clearly evident on their faces.

Joe isn’t saying that the two terrible mistakes the Bucs made on offense were entirely due to the inexperience of the rookies. But you can’t convince Joe that wasn’t the case either.

Joe generally gives newbies a pass. Newbies play like newbies because they are newbies. Rarely does a team have a rookie so good that he plays like a seasoned veteran.

On the Bucs’ second-to-last possession, it appeared as if the Bucs would put the finishing touches on the game with a touchdown or a field goal when rookie running back Bucky Irving fumbled at the Atlanta 25 with 2:50 left – on a first down. Run for a 7-yard gain.

While this may have cost the Bucs their lives in the long run, it didn’t kill them in the short run. On the Dixie Chicks’ ensuing possession, old man Lavonte David had a choice. Phew.

On the Bucs’ final possession, Irving had a seven-yard lead when the Bucs were hit with a fatal penalty. Rookie center Graham Barton was arrested for holding.

It turned out to be the dagger.

Did the Bucs only lose because two rookies made big mistakes? Joe can’t go there. But Joe also can’t deny that it was rookies, not veterans, who made these terrible mistakes.

Bucs beat Bucs.

509 points

Memo to national NFL pundits: Time to put the Todd Bowles-is-a-defensive-guru to bed. Forever.

Is Bowles a good defensive coach? Not really. Oh, he has great moments. Special moments. The Eagles game a week ago is an example of Bowles’ ability to develop and execute a top-notch defensive game plan.

Bowles’ plan to defeat the mighty Chiefs in the 2020 Super Bowl will go down as one of the greatest defensive feats of all time.

But damn, really good defensive coaches don’t let quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins ​​make a throw with one back leg 509 meters. Joe is almost fed up with Bowles’ indifference to sacks from edge rushers and pass rushers in the Bucs draft and is turning them into Alterraun Verners.

Here are the stats for the Bucs’ starting edge rushers last night: YaYa Diaby had two quarterback hits and no sacks. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had one quarterback hit and no sacks. Kirk Cousins ​​​​dropped back to pass 62 times and it’s not like he’s mobile.

Do you think if the Bucs had a pair of decent edge rushers, Cousins ​​would have scalded their defense by 509 yards?

Name a draft edge rusher that Bowles developed. There is a good reason why the answer is “none.” Joe thinks Bowles screws up these guys by constantly letting them fall behind in pass coverage instead of using them solely for the reason they were selected: rushing the passer.

Joe saw Chris Braswell try to guard Kyle Pitts on a Pitts reception at least once. Don’t you think offensive coordinators need to wipe the drool off their microphones when they see a discrepancy like this?

Do you really think JTS and Braswell were selected in the first and second rounds, respectively, to be the next Jamel Dean?

If Bowles had used his edge rushers as edge rushers rather than EJ Biggers clones, Kirk Cousins ​​might not have been able to eat two Varsity hot dogs before throwing most of his passes on Thursday night.

Joe doesn’t want to hear about injuries. Other NFL teams have less defensive talent than the Bucs did Thursday night.

Joe checked on the Stinking Panthers. They have garbage for talent. You don’t have a Vita Vea. They don’t have Lavonte David. And hell, Joe would claim they don’t have Zyon McCollum, but the most passing yards Carolina has allowed this year is 276.

Bowles’ defense only had one game in which it gave up fewer passing yards than the Stinking Panthers’ worst game of the year.

All types of defenses have injuries like the Bucs and they don’t lay down for 509 yards!

Bowles on Thursday joined the likes of the Bucs’ rotten 21st-century defensive coordinators/head coaches who championed opposing quarterbacks: Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith and Mike Smith.

Ladies and gentlemen, please extend a warm welcome to the club’s newest member, Todd Bowles.

Joe is tired of people saying Bowles is the modern version of Dick LeBeau.

The Bowles defense has become too inconsistent for Joe’s liking. In addition, Bowles apparently doesn’t value an edge rush and simply can’t place Joe Bowles in the hierarchy of defensive gurus.

Not after last night’s debacle.

The football gods will be angry

One reason Joe is so upset about the Bucs’ loss last night is because the Bucs were given so many gifts to win the game. Now the football gods were probably upset because the Bucs ripped up their presents and threw them behind the trailer down by the river.

Here were the gifts:

* Logan Hall: Not one sack – which is a gift in itself – but two sacks from Hall. Two! And the Bucs threw them away.

* Younghoe Koo: The strong Atlanta kicker missed three field goals. His first missed shot was punished with a penalty and the subsequent re-kick was also missed. Later, Tavierre Thomas blocked one of his field goals.

* Baker Mayfield had a perfect, threadbare pass to Sterling Shepard for a four-yard touchdown. If this pass was 15 cm long in both directions, it is incomplete or picked.

Each of these gifts was wiped out as the offense faltered late in the game (twice). If you anger the football gods by destroying their generosity, evil is likely to happen to you.