2017 Buccaneers: What the Bears showed us in Week 1
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open their 2017 regular season at home against the Chicago Bears.
Due to Hurricane Irma, the match-up between the Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins has been moved to Week 11. This has not only given Tampa Bay a Week 1 bye week, it also moved their season opener to their home opener.
We already know what the dominant storyline will be when Chicago visits the Bucs on September 17th: The return of quarterback Mike Glennon.
While the current Bears starter stages his first invasion of his former home, Dirk Koetter’s team will be making their first impression on the season.
Here’s three things the Bucs should have noticed from Chicago’s first week of action.
1. Mike Glennon isn’t going to give them anything
Since Glennon’s return is the big storyline, let’s start there.
While the former Buccaneers quarterback didn’t get the win in his first start in Chicago, he played admirably and set his team up to win.
Glennon completed 65% of his passes against the Falcons defense, but this isn’t the most important stat. Zero interceptions is what I’m looking at.
Not only did he not throw a single one, there really weren’t any which should have been picked-off either.
Most of his throws were smart ones, and the tight ones were in a position where his guy could at least fight off the defender if needed.
If the Bucs defense is going to grab some turnovers, they’re either going to have to outsmart their former backup, or get a fumble out of one of his ball carriers.
2. Tarik Cohen is an impact player
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Cohen’s preseason showed me enough to spend a late-round fantasy draft pick on him and stash him.
After Week 1, it’s clear my instincts were right as the rookie amassed 104-yards from scrimmage with one score.
He also returned three punts with a long of 17-yards.
In his first regular season game as an NFL professional, Cohen recorded a long play from scrimmage longer than any play the Buccaneers recorded in all of 2016.
The smaller back has quick feet, and speed to go with them. His burst in the open field is a threat, and with players like Kwon Alexander who will sometimes over pursue their targets, his impact could be felt in a very real way.
Smart angles and solid tackling will be Mike Smith’s message of the week against this rookie, and it’s a huge one.
3. The Bears pass rush is no joke
Matt Ryan only got sacked twice, but it wasn’t because Chicago’s defense wasn’t getting in there.
At the time of writing this, the official hit numbers haven’t come out yet either. Suffice to say though, Ryan wasn’t feeling as cool as his nickname would lead you to believe in Soldiers Field this week.
The Falcons have a better offensive line on paper than Tampa does. So, this has to be a bit worrisome.
Akiem Hicks recently extended with the Bears, and he celebrated by landing both sacks on Ryan.
Running back Jacquizz Rodgers began his 2016 season with Chicago before being released, so he’s at least a bit familiar with these rushers.
His ability to pick-up blitzes and withstand some hard hits from the linebackers will be something to watch in Week 2.
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These are some of my initial thoughts following the completion of the Bears’ Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
What did you see Bucs fans? Who do you think showed they’re a player to be reckoned with when Chicago visits Tampa Bay?
Stay tuned for an in-depth look at the Bears later in the week.
In the meantime, comment, find me on Facebook, Twitter, or email me at walkingtheplankpodcast@gmail.com to discuss this or anything Buccaneers related.