There’s more than one way to spark a struggling offense, and that’s what the Bucks have right now. One way is to dial up new plays that haven’t been called yet this year, like the screen pass that gave Rashard White a first down. Maybe there are even more plays that were successful early in the season. Or maybe even a trick play to start an attack.
Alternatively, the offensive coordinator could be more up-tempo and push the pace of the game. The Bucks haven’t pressed that button yet, but it might be time to start thinking about it. This will give them the opportunity to control the pace of the game in their own way and push the limits a little more.
Tampa Bay’s offense ranks 27th in the NFL.in their last three games, Despite both losses, the Bucks averaged just 12 points per game. That wouldn’t work in today’s league. Even Tampa Bay’s highest scoring game, a 26-9 victory over the Saints in Week 4, is a misnomer. Ten of those points came from the Bucs’ defense, which attacked from field position inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. They essentially hit those points.
Bucks need to play faster
Bucks HC Todd Bowles and Bills HC Sean McDermott – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The last time the Bucks really needed to get uptempo was last Thursday night, when they lost 24-10 to the Bills in the fourth quarter. They got the ball with 10:05 left in the final quarter, and although they ended up with a one-point lead, 24-18, it took until 2:40 to end the game. .
The Bucks ran 17 plays and took 7 minutes, 21 seconds to pull within six points. Despite losing by multiple points, there was no sense of urgency. It felt as if the Bucks were just taking a walk in the park, not knowing that if they didn’t hurry, the game would be over.
After a defensive stop late in the game, Tampa Bay got the ball back with 21 seconds left without a timeout. This did not give the Bucs enough time to march down the field, forcing Baker Mayfield to throw a Hail Mary pass, which fell incomplete on the final play of the game.
What could Tampa Bay have taken advantage of there?
More time.
The Bucks needed to score faster and couldn’t do it. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles explained why Tampa Bay didn’t pick up the pace.
“There’s always an idea of how to increase the tempo more,” Bowles said. “But when we increased the tempo of our passes, we had more penalties. They’re happening without tempo. We’ll look at it for a return.”
With a revamped offensive line and young receivers, it’s understandable that there will be some growing pains early in the season. But Tampa Bay has now played seven games. How long would it take to simply line up and fix it and fix the issue so it doesn’t get flagged as a false start?
Not being able to finish the game in a timely manner sounds like a weak excuse. That shouldn’t be a problem for a high school team, much less a professional team.
“If we don’t get some blocks off here and there, we’re going to get penalties here and there,” Bowles said of the offensive struggles. “You have to clean together. You have to click on all cylinders. If you get all the blocks, you get a penalty. When you don’t get a penalty, you don’t get all the blocks here and there. It’s not. Last week was different, this week is different. We’ve got to keep chipping away at it and get better. If we can all click at the same time, that’s for the best.”
What happened to the Bucks’ use of the rollout?
Bucks QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Another element that was missing during this losing streak was a designed quarterback rollout and bootlegging. This was supposed to be the cornerstone of offensive coordinator Dave Canales’ system. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Baker Mayfield continued to play through time and space.
Throwing against the run is one of Mayfield’s strengths, but the Bucs still Not playing. Is it a coincidence that in the past three games, Mayfield has been hit by passes at the line of scrimmage while standing in the pocket? Probably not. Week 6 also reared its ugly head when Mayfield was intercepted after tipping a pass, immediately putting the Lions in scoring position.
Mayfield continues to run, but that’s out of necessity. It was never intended to be a QB run call. If the Bucks want to score more points, they need to get Mayfield into space and away from defenders who are much taller than him.
Mayfield has always been able to throw against the run throughout his career. He came to Tampa and proved that. There are a lot of issues looming over the Bucks’ offense, but how about thinking about what worked?
“Every game is different. They’re not going to be there for us every game,” Bowles said. “We go with what the team gives us. Going into the ballgame, they were rushing with four, so it was good to have him back in the pocket. When he didn’t really send volume, he had time to throw the football – we were okay there. We have to get open on the field and last longer in the backfield. I could see the play coming out of the box, the way he got on the field and got into the game. [that] They were pretty quick on the outside, so we put him a little bit further back. ”
