Given this information, what do the Buccaneers need to do in order to leave the Big Easy with a win?
BUCS ON OFFENSE
Winston has to take what the defense is giving him. I know, it’s cliché, but man is it true. However, he needs to figure out what they’re giving him before he receives the snap.
A late read and later delivery can and will derail Winston’s day, and everyone else’s along with him.
New Orleans didn’t really disguise a whole lot. Not saying they won’t, but it isn’t part of their primary mind set. They’re pretty much going out and hitting people. They’re going to hit the offensive line, the running backs, receivers, and if possible – the quarterback.
Winston has to have faith in his eyes. Cutler progressed to Parker’s comeback, but didn’t throw it until he saw the front of his jersey. If Winston trusts his receivers to make their breaks, then the ball will be there when they turn around, and with good outside ball placement should prove to be a positive play.
We’ve seen the Buccaneers quarterback have some issues throughout these first three years with timing, proper reads, and placement. All of these things will be taken advantage of by Crawley, Lattimore and every Saints defender if they have the chance.
One way to combat this, is not throwing. On the first drive of the game when the Dolphins moved into position to throw the poorly executed fade to Thomas, Ajayi had multiple runs of five yards or more. These came when linebackers fell into coverage at the snap due to Cutler’s ability to exploit early reads for quick completions.
STRATEGY: Emphasis on pre-snap reads without getting overly committed to a single route. Believe what your eyes show you. Commit to the run early.
Next: Mid-Season Draft Preview
BUCS ON DEFENSE
Man up, and play disciplined has to be the mantra for the Buccaneers defense. The Saints play sideline to sideline as a way to tire out your defense. This means long drives will kill you.
When Mark Ingram punched in his touchdown against the Lions at the end of the drive I diagrammed earlier, the defensive line got completely plowed into the end zone ahead of the running back.
There was no fight left in them, and the Saints offensive line looked like they were pushing a practice sled.
Such is the cost of battling Brees and his guys for too long. Disciplined gap coverage and contain defense is the answer, along with solid tackling.
The Bucs are well aware of Ingram, but if they lose contain on Kamara like Detroit did, then it’s going to be just as long of an afternoon.
New Orleans’ offense relies on you beating yourself. The opportunities to stop them will be there. The Saints have no burners other than Ginn. Ensure you have single high safety coverage on him, and the rest are susceptible to man coverage.
This allows for free rushers and blitz packages from time to time, without risking leaving a hole in soft zone coverage. Of course, man means less room for error, but these are professionals.
Furthermore, the zone coverage schemes allow Brees and his offense to manipulate the balance of strength on any given play, while man coverage allows defenders to follow their assignments right into the flow of the action.
STRATEGY: Challenge the corners to play man. Get aggressive off the line, and keep disciplined contain on the edges of run plays.
This is a little bit of what I saw. What have you seen from either team you think could have an impact on today’s action? Let me know in one of the many ways listed below!
Comment, find me on Facebook, Twitter, or email me at walkingtheplankpodcast@gmail.com to discuss this or anything else Buccaneers related.