The Buccaneers came off their bye week looking to break a two game losing streak. That didn’t happen as the Buccaneers fell to 2-5 after a 27-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Arians Speaks
The team has struggled in several departments this season. Penalties, blown assignments, miscommunications, turnovers, rinse and repeat. So it was a bit of an eye opener when Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians made this statement…
“Jameis didn’t throw one dam interception that was his fault. His receivers let him down today… You can write what you want. Not one of those interceptions was his fault, and that’s a dam shame.”
Write What You Want
Pretty bold statement to say the least. But ok, I’ll bite or as Arians said “write what you want.”
The Buccaneers are a bad team, do you know why I say that? Because you are what your record says you are, and that is 2-5.
Yes the offensive line has holes in it big enough to drive a truck through. Absolutely the defensive backs allow way to many receptions and yards. Yes the receivers have dropped balls, ran the wrong routes and some have even quit on their routes. But lets keep it real, Jameis Winston is turning the ball over at a rapid rate, historic in many ways.
Quote Unpacked
Now, lets dive deeper into this quote by Arians. We get what you’re saying coach, we see the drops, the push offs, hell we saw Breshad Perriman quit on several routes Sunday. But what about the game against the Panthers in London? Was that on the receivers too? I mean Perriman wasn’t even on the same continent. What about the season opener against San Francisco? Not Winston’s fault on any of those either?
Who’s To Blame
Bruce Arians was brought in to be the quarterback whisperer, the guy that would fix Jameis Winston! Pretty sure throwing an entire unit under the bus isn’t the best way to fix one player. Yet, that’s exactly what you did. Do the receivers share some of the blame for the teams record? Absolutely! Do the receivers hold all of the blame for Sunday’s loss to the Titans? Absolutely not!
Then what or who is to blame? Good question, not sure you’re going to like the answer though. If you have this much faith in your quarterback then why once the team is in the redzone does it seem like you take the ball out of his hands? Calling two plays for Dare Ogunbowale, a 3rd string running back that wouldn’t make most teams rosters. You have a bevy of tall receivers playing against significantly shorter defenders but they aren’t targeted. Is that the receivers fault too?
Summary
This game and the teams record falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff and playcalling. Several times in late game situations this coaching staff has made some head-scratching decisions. Remember moving the rookie kicker back intentionally only for him to miss the kick? Remember calling two timeouts in a row? Is that all on the receivers too? Accountability is what you preached from day one, time for a look in the mirror coach. As for the turnovers, well they fall on the quarterback, that’s just the way it goes! Winston knows that, we know that. The question remains, are you comfortable pointing your finger at everything and everyone else or will you hold him accountable? Before you do, I’d suggest taking a look in the mirror. Oh and maybe whisper more to Winston.
Source: buccaneers.com
Photo credit: Trevor Sikkema
