Buccaneers: An offensive concern heading into the season
As good as the Buccaneers offense is, there is one concern that has not been alleviated yet.
The Buccaneers have an offense that is going to be exciting, and it began to show itself in the preseason. The passing offense is ranked 10th in the league through three preseason games. Jameis Winston has completed over 68% of his passes. The decisions he has made have been mostly solid. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have both gone over 100 yards in the preseason. O.J. Howard has begun to find a role and Cameron Brate posted six catches of his own. The passing offense is ready for week one.
So you would think it’s all systems go, right? Winston has the offense flying and the defense has given up just over 13 points per game. It’s the preseason but those are still solid numbers. If we are in the top ten in passing offense and allowing 13 points per game the Bucs will be pretty good. Happy times, right? Not completely. There is still one concern coming out of the first three preseason games.
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The running game has been non-existent. They are ranked 16th in the league through the three preseason games, but that is not indicative of how it has looked.
Doug Martin has flashed his old self, especially during week 2 of the preseason. He has put in 11 carries for 43 yards, a 3.9 yard average and a touchdown. Charles Sims has averaged 5.8 yards per carry but if you take his 13 yard run out his numbers come back down to four yards per carry.
That has been the story for the running backs expected to make an impact. Russell Hansborough has run the ball five times for 26 yards. He has a 27 yard run to his credit, so without that his numbers are pretty terrible. Without the long runs by Sims and Hansborough, the team yards per carry average drops from 3.7 to 3.3. That isn’t going to cut it.
What is the biggest worry when it comes to Jameis Winston? Aside from praying he never gets hurt, the biggest concern is his decision-making. When he feels like the team needs him, he has had the tendency to try and force plays, and that is when he gets in trouble. The throw in the game against the Jaguars is one of the more recent examples.
The best way to keep this from happening is to have an effective running game. If they can keep Winston out of a lot of third and long situations, he will have an easier time with things. He will stay calm and make the smart read. If it is third and short he won’t feel the need to force the ball down the field when it’s not there. This offense doesn’t just want an effective running game it needs one.
Next: Reactions and observations, game three
It hasn’t been all on the running backs. The offensive line has been less than stellar in the running attack. The backs need lanes to run through, as basic as that sounds. But nobody has been good and it needs to get fixed. If teams force the Bucs to beat them on the ground they had better be able to.