Game overview:
The Bucs played their 1st-team for the first time this season, both sides of the ball, and they dominated the Dolphins B/C-team backups...which was a mismatch from the jump but also what you want to see your 1st-team do in the preseason – go and destroy in the mismatch.
The Bucs played an energized, ‘great’ (for the preseason) game here. The 1st-team offense was tight. The 1st-team defense was on-and-off suffocating. The 2nd/3rd-team defense was a menace, as they’ve been all preseason. A great showing for the Bucs...who we can’t write off for winning the NFC South again.
After this game, after thinking about it more...the NFC South should be a Falcons-Bucs battle at the top, and a Panthers dead-ass last situation...leaving the Saints for 3rd. So, I placed a bet on two outcomes on DraftKings, on the EXACT order of finish in the division...
Equal amounts bet on (not a heavy bet because injury to Baker is a slight risk here to the whole theory):
ATL1st/TB 2nd/NO 3rd/CAR 4th at +500
TB1st/ATL 2nd/NO 3rd/CAR 4th at +950
A nice profit% overall if either result hits.
Scouting Notes from the game:
-- The absolute perfect scenario occurred with Rachaad White (4-16-1, 1-17-0/1) in this game/event. I don’t know if I could’ve scripted it better.
Here’s the bullet point facts from the Bucs first offensive series, the only series the 1st-team played on...
*Rachaad never came out/Bucky Irving never came in...that is huge...the Bucs coaches didn’t try to make a Bucky statement here. BIG....YUUGE deal for Rachaad, and impact to our love-o-meter for him. It’s not ‘over’ now, the Bucky threat is still lingering/available to Tampa at the first sign of trouble and they throw a tantrum -- but this first battle of the war...big win for Rachaad.
*Rachaad took the first three plays as carries...up the middle and off tackle, he shifted around within the holes the way the coaches would want him to.
*Rachaad was further allowed to roll here because the offensive line was pretty terrific...the best-looking Bucs O-Line play that I can recall in years. A huge liability, especially run-game-wise for the past 2-3 years...but now there’s hope.
Rachaad’s supposed runner ‘inefficiency’ can be laid at the feet of the O-Line and play calling the past two years. Tom Brady’s rough 2022 finale season can be traced back to their terrible O-Line. Analysts bring up the O-Line to explain Brady’s struggle...but for Rachaad, it’s considered a Rachaad problem. Simple football minds get one analytic number/metric from PFF or wherever and they just take it as gospel, like ‘run efficiency’, because they have no idea what they are looking at watching/scouting tape (highlights) and they don’t put in the time to deeply study all aspects of every team, every season...so they don’t do the laborious work and rather ‘cheat’ (so they think) by getting/latching onto a smart-looking metric and parroting it to sound like savvy football analysts.
THEY ate it last year on Rachaad...they’re on their way to eating it again this year.
And what about ME in the great Rachaad debate? https://youtu.be/OKKSBHlxRdg?si=aHii2CL9WJ9pj2pM
*The first of its kind, that I can recall (being facetious, but not really), the Bucs actually setup on purpose a quasi-screen/fare pass specifically for Rachaad happened here...the fifth play of the game, the fourth touch for Rachaad in 5 plays...it was simple/great and Rachaad took the pass and looked like he was shot out of a cannon after the catch. This is the best/quickest I’ve seen Rachaad work. Tampa should throw that pass 8x a game, minimum.
*The Bucs opening TD drive was 8 plays...6 of them involving Rachaad: 5 runs, 1 catch, 1 TD.
*Todd Bowles even complimented Rachaad his latest presser...which you have to have a Bowles-to-human reality translator to understand it was a big deal for Bowles to give a mild compliment and not take a shot, as he is want to do on everything...he;s one of the guys who is afraid to compliment or you might get complacent...and/or is just a miserable jackass. Either way, complimenting Rachaad for running pretty well, and then highlighting his pass-catch-and-run great play, and then saying that Rachaad gets better as he goes with more touches...DING-DING-DING. Finally, Bowles is on the Rachaad train!
Call of the dogs. The Rachaad fear/alert is off the table, for now. Go about your Rachaad FF-commerce freely. As we were for the past year+ minus the last two weeks of worry.
You wouldn’t think watching a football player work one drive against an opponents B/C defense would make you feel so damn good, but all the hours of football labor...all the sticking my scouting neck on the line...all the online hate for my controversial scouting calls...and then all the Bucky love from the coaches and disrespect to Rachaad from them – to then see this happen soothed my soul.
And if you could get a camera to see inside my head today, this is what you’d see playing on a loop with me in the shiny robe (crank it up and have some fun, those of you possessing Rachaad! It’s our day today!!!): https://youtu.be/ZVaJH8pWnWk?si=_lMxbTZu_x74e_qM
I think I know what I’m going to dress up as for Halloween this year...
-- Bucs ‘other’ RBs report...
One series for Rachaad, then he dropped the mic and was gone for the rest of the game with the entire 1st-team joining him.
Bucky Irving (6-26-0, 1-5-0/1) entered after Rachaad, and worked a few series by himself...the clear #2 RB...the Chase Edmonds act 2.0...an OK enough backup RB. Not a threat to Rachaad...it’s so clear and obvious once you get to see them on the same field together. Hopefully, the numbskull Tampa RB coach sees it the same way and doesn’t try to push Bucky at any sign of distress...as his heart and mind wants to.
Sean Tucker (7-20-0, 1-27-0/1) came in as the 3rd RB...and it’s how you know this coaching staff cannot be trusted – because Tucker looks so good this preseason, exponentially better than the Buckster...but he’s running 3rd-team. Imagine the embarrassment of the coaching staff pleading to take Bucky all 1st-quarter 2024, glowing about Bucky post-draft, passing up on Braelon Allen to draft Bucky...only to discover 4 months later he is not as good as the Sean Tucker they had in house already.
The drafting of Bucky Irving has stupidity ripples that will go down in history – or it will for me, I won’t let them forget.
Sean Tucker is going to be the threat to take some touches from Rachaad eventually, but it’s OK -- they need someone to be a plausible couple of touch guy as the #2. But Tucker might be so good with it he cuts in a little deeper...but that’s far down the road, nothing to even worry about now.
I can think all that about Tuck, and then I see Tucker on the kickoff defense team...and I know that this staff has to bury Tucker to make sure it doesn’t make the Buckonomics call look worse than it is already.
-- Bucs WR report...
Rookie Jalen McMillan (1-28-0/1) made a nice leaping catch on a bomb thrown by Baker. McMillan started and then left with the 1st-team...the obvious starter as an outside receiver for Tampa. Not likely a high impact for FF 2024.
The guy that is catching my eye, and the team and observers are smitten with is UDFA WR Kameron Johnson (3-12-0/5, 2-13-0) out of little Barton College. They are getting Johnson targets and jet sweeps...they’re into this guy. It will be interesting to see if he makes the roster or goes onto the practice squad. He’s raw but talented and looks good physically.
-- OK...and Miami played in this game too...just so you know, after non-stop Bucs talk.
Miami played their deeper backups, which included starting Jeff Wilson (4-0-0).
Playing after and with Wilson, players who got carries in this game in that stretch: WR Malik Washington and FB Zander Horvath. I think WR Je’Quan Burton lined up in the backfield once as well.
AND THEN, after all that...Jaylen Wright (7-36-0, 4-41-0/6) got into the game, in like the 2nd-quarter and never touched the ball for several snaps but then finally did...and Wright worked most of the rest of the game down to the scrubs into the late 4th-quarter.
What?
Why?
That type of treatment tells me that Wright is in some kind of doghouse. And I have yet to confirm that he is, but that’s what this appeared to be. If it was just Wright getting extra work in this game because he’s a rookie (with draft status), I’d think he would have been in the game ahead of Jeff Wilson, no matter how much veteran respect you wanna give Wilson. And then if it was just ‘Wilson respect’ as to why Wright was in behind him -- then Wright would’ve worked a few series or a quarter or so and come out...not worked down to the bitter end.
Aside from this odd appearance/usage, I gotta say something about Wright and discuss my speculation on what happened, etc. I will do that in the SUBSCRIBER EXTRA NOTE version of this report.
-- Miami rookie WR Malik Washington (1-7-0/1, 1-40-0) continues to make splashy plays in the preseason. Whether it’s the return game or jet sweeps or in the passing game – Washington has shown he belongs. He’s still just a #4 WR, at best, to start the season...but if OBJ faceplants, Washington should ascend to the starting lineup.
For 2024, Washington will likely only matter if one of Hill/Waddle goes down.
-- One of the best-looking things of the preseason has been the Bucs defense...from the starters down to the 2nd/3rd-team. Tampa has waves of defensive talent, especially on the frontline. In this game, the defensive talent and aggression was again on display again. Every game this preseason, the Bucs defense has been energized and aggressive.
This TB defense faces two rookie QBs in their first 3 games this season...Daniels, then Goff, then Nix...both rookie matchups at home. Could be a somewhat hot start for this defense...AND the Detroit game is a bit of a revenge game for them from the playoffs last season.
-- IDP Report...
Miami rookie Chop Robinson (1 tackle) is not starting. He doesn’t look like he’s ready yet...and didn’t look too menacing on the snaps I was watching him go against the 2nd/3rd-team of Tampa. I just don’t see ‘it’ with him.
I do continue to like what I see from TB 2nd-year UDFA DT C.J. Brewer (2 tackles, 1 sack)...he is a menace up the middle whether he is facing 2rd/3rd-team or if he gets a glimpse against 1st-team guys.
