Buccaneers Week Two Takeaways

The sky is falling for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are now 0-2 after dropping their home opener to the dreadful Cleveland Browns. It feels like the season is slipping away.

Obviously, there is a lot to talk about. What went wrong for the Bucs and if there is any sign of hope. With no fluff or delay, here are my Buccaneers week two takeaways.

Baker Has Been Bad

If you are looking to assign blame for the early season struggles, my finger first goes to the quarterback. It’s hard to express how bad Baker Mayfield has been to start the year, In week one he threw the ball well, but turned it over. Yesterday, he looked like a jittery rookie who was in over his head.

And it’s not just that Mayfield couldn’t hit a pass down the field yesterday. More than anything, it’s the mental aspect of his game. It’s not hyperbole to say that Mayfield looked mentally broken yesterday.

The interception he threw was terrible; trying to float a throw to a covered wide receiver into a tight window that he really had no chance of completing. He also threw a pass into triple coverage that Ted Hurst had to swat away to prevent another interception. Turnovers have always been an issue for Mayfield, but right now it’s all risk and no reward.

What was even worse is the way that Mayfield has navigated the pocket. Too often he has bailed from a clean pocket. When he has escaped pressure, he is not finding the open receiver. For a guy who has made a living outside of structure, he has done a really bad job with that so far this year.

The Zac Robinson Thing

I want to be clear, there have been things so far from Zac Robinson that I have really liked. Some of these run concepts look great and the running game overall has thrived so far this year. Even some of the sequencing has been pretty good.

However, what drives me crazy so far is that he goes back to the well too many times. Too many screens. He has success with a run, he runs it three more times. Teams are too smart not to adjust and they have picked up on his repetitive play calling quickly. 

I haven’t jumped into the game film yet to really see the scheme of the offense. There’s a realistic chance that there are things open in the passing game and the quarterback just can’t see it. But the repetitive play calling is something that falls squarely on the shoulders of Robinson.

An Offensive Line Issue

I think the offensive line has received more criticism than they deserve so far this year. There have been times that the quarterback has made them look bad when they have done their job. Pressures as a stat does not reflect how well the offensive line has played.

However, one man has stood out as a problem. Ben Bredeson has not looked good to start the year. He has been beaten several times and there have been miscommunications that seem to typically involve him.

An offensive line has to work as a unit. One weak link can really hurt the whole group. Right now, Bredeson is that weak link. 

Benjamin Morrison

Benjamin Morrison has been forced into early action this season and he has answered the call in a big way. His coverage has looked good and somewhat surprisingly, he has looked like a very physical and strong tackler (although he did let one tackle get away yesterday for a chunk gain).

Overall, Morrison continued to impress yesterday. He is looking like the second round pick and future starter that the Bucs drafted him to be. The needle is definitely pointing up for him right now. 

Bain’s Rookie Struggles

After making no impact in week one, I thought Rueben Bain took a step forward yesterday. His run defense was better and he got in the backfield a few times. Obviously not a breakout performance that lights up the box score, but progress. 

Right now, it looks like the game is still moving too fast for him. There are times when it looks like he is peaking in the backfield and other times where it looks uncertain of things. He isn’t to the point where things are clicking mentally yet. More reps will continue to help with that.

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