Official 2022 Tompa Bay Gronkaneers Thread

[Deus Irae]

After defeating the Saints 17-16 on Monday, the Buccaneers have elected to make a change at returner.

Tampa Bay has waived 2021 fourth-round pick Jaelon Darden, the team announced on Tuesday.

Darden was averaging 10.6 yards per punt return and 22.3 yards per kick return in 2022. He had a 25-yard kick return on Monday night along with a pair of punt returns for 20 yards.

Darden, however, was not playing much on offense. He hadn’t recorded a snap on the unit since the Week Seven loss to the Panthers. in 21 games, he’d recorded just eight catches for 69 yards — with two receptions for 26 yards coming in 2022.

Buccaneers waive Jaelon Darden - ProFootballTalk

 

[Deus Irae]

The Bucs have also released two players from the practice squad in tackle Dylan Cook and corner Ryan Smith. They're expected to bring back safety Nolan Turner on the practice squad, who was cut Monday and cleared waivers.

 

[Deus Irae]

Bucs had listed receiver Scotty Miller as the top backup on punt returners, so he could be taking over for Darden. Rachaad White had handled kickoff returns earlier this season, so could return in that role as well.

There's a good chance Jaelon Darden is claimed off waivers Wednesday -- 2021 fourth-round pick from North Texas was leading the NFL in total punt returns and punt return yardage. Limited impact on offense -- in two years, just eight catches for 69 yards, two rushes for 23.

 

[carmelo15]

I was thinking if Brady comes back

without Payton
49ers
Raiders
Titans

with Payton
Saints
Colts
Lions
Vikings

You can add the Jets to that without Payton list

 

[venecol]

I'm critical of the players too. O-line sucks but it's riddled with injuries. Running backs have been bad at their primary responsibility... running. WRs have been inconsistent. Evans is weirdly having a bad season. Look, Brady sucked last night until he pulled off one of the greatest regular season comebacks of his entire career. Defense hasn't executed in a couple of critical late game situations.

But hell, Bowles is a bum. And Pats fans are blaming Patricia for applicable issues... like this mickie mouse he's put together and his play-calling. He's also the coach of the o-line. He deserves some blame. Belichick more because ultimately he's responsible for Patricia being in that position and he put together the roster.

I'll add this too, even good coaches find ways to lose. See Belichick in SB 51 as example 1a.

I don't know man, it just seems that with a hand full of exceptions, very few games are easy to predict anymore. There are so many things that can go wrong: a muffed punt, a dropped pass, a hold or dpi, a sack or int. The defenses are getting way more athletic. Scoring is down. Parity is up. It's getting harder to win, period. You can blame it on the coaching all you want, but if you're being 100% honest then you would have to admit that BB was the real reason for the dynasty.

Maybe grinding out wins out of these low scoring games will prepare them better. Who knows.

 

[XLIX]

It sure seems to me that teams with a less than 1% chance of winning end up winning more than 1% of the time.

 

[crawhammer]

You can blame it on the coaching all you want, but if you're being 100% honest then you would have to admit that BB was the real reason for the dynasty.

Patriots Dynasty credit:

55% Brady
15% Belichick
6% Law
6% Edelman
5% Gronk
4% McGinest
4% Vinatieri
5% Other

 

[Deus Irae]

One more time: Bucs aren't bad at setting up third downs. Their average yards to gain is 6.5 this season, seventh-lowest out of 32 NFL teams. They rank 20th in third-down conversion rate, but not because they need more yards than most teams do.

 

[venecol]

Patriots Dynasty credit:

55% Brady
15% Belichick
6% Law
6% Edelman
5% Gronk
4% McGinest
4% Vinatieri
5% Other

So Bowles is only 15% responsible for the Bucs 6-6 record. Got it.

 

[Guts]

I don't know man, it just seems that with a hand full of exceptions, very few games are easy to predict anymore. There are so many things that can go wrong: a muffed punt, a dropped pass, a hold or dpi, a sack or int. The defenses are getting way more athletic. Scoring is down. Parity is up. It's getting harder to win, period. You can blame it on the coaching all you want, but if you're being 100% honest then you would have to admit that BB was the real reason for the dynasty.

Maybe grinding out wins out of these low scoring games will prepare them better. Who knows.

It's a players game.
Ultimately they have to execute on the field.
So win or lose they should get majority the credit or blame in my opinion

 

[Nehalem]

So Bowles is only 15% responsible for the Bucs 6-6 record. Got it.

I believe the concept is WAR. BB is a positive WAR coach. Bowles is a negative WAR coach.

 

[gobesmug]

I don't know man, it just seems that with a hand full of exceptions, very few games are easy to predict anymore. There are so many things that can go wrong: a muffed punt, a dropped pass, a hold or dpi, a sack or int. The defenses are getting way more athletic. Scoring is down. Parity is up. It's getting harder to win, period. You can blame it on the coaching all you want, but if you're being 100% honest then you would have to admit that BB was the real reason for the dynasty.

Maybe grinding out wins out of these low scoring games will prepare them better. Who knows.

It takes both coaching and players to win. Players are more important but that doesn't mean good coaching isn't also important.

Bruce Arians was a good HC, that's all this season has proven.

 

[venecol]

I believe the concept is WAR. BB is a positive WAR coach. Bowles is a negative WAR coach.

Not anymore.

 

[Tottie]

So Bowles is only 15% responsible for the Bucs 6-6 record. Got it.

There's a basic competency level required to not hurt the players. He doesn't meet it. On the other side you can't be brilliant and will players to win championships and you certainly can't be responsible for a dynasty. Most good coaches fall into a general baseline and then there's the garbage that hurt the team.

 

[1960Pats]

Is Brady now the 4th quarter comeback leader or is Peyton still ahead of him?

EDIT: He is! He passed Peyton last night.

Brady actually passed PEDton a while back due to his much better playoff record for 4QC's (9-2). The mediots were just getting in their last PEDton plug before Brady took away his regular season 4QC's too.
PEDton does still hold the record for one and done playoffs and that won't be caught by anyone. So he has that.

 

[1960Pats]

It takes both coaching and players to win. Players are more important but that doesn't mean good coaching isn't also important.

Bruce Arians was a good HC, that's all this season has proven.

This season has proven that Bowles is a bad HC and that Arians is better. It also proves that poor coaching can lose games, like Bowles did last year with his defensive call at the end of the Rams playoff game.

For some reason coaches are being treated the same as cooks these days, like they're geniuses for putting together things the way they've been done forever.

If I had my choice of an elite player or an elite HC I'm taking the player every time, especially at QB but at other positions also. We see average coaches win all the time but never without good to great players.

Coaches don't win games. Players do. Coaches can only lose them.

 

[1960Pats]

They should go no huddle every other drive to keep the defenses off balance but it won't happen. The 'head coach' has said he's worried about tiring out the defense. He's worried about TB12 throwing INTs with the game on the line so he won't use timeouts. He's so worried about making sure his side of the ball looks decent that he's hurting the already bad offense. The play sequencing and calling is bad on top of it. They are a bad team and the defense is mediocre. Once they play a real QB this team has about 0% chance.

Bowls is worried about TB12 throwing a pic with the game on the line? Has Brady ever done that in 23 years. Oh wait, I think he did it once in Denver 17 years ago. Okay, it's time to flush.

 

[VectorPrime]

Bowls is worried about TB12 throwing a pic with the game on the line? Has Brady ever done that in 23 years. Oh wait, I think he did it once in Denver 17 years ago. Okay, it's time to flush.

2006 AFCCG but that's after the defense had a giant meltdown, the face guarding, and Reche Caldwell. Also there was like 30 seconds left down a touchdown.

 

[1960Pats]

I mean there is quite obviously something systematically wrong with the Bucs right now where their offense literally cant do anything until Brady seems to just go "f.uck it" and directs everything himself. Which is fantastic for late game situations but you can't do that all game every game, he needs an actual OC. And if the issue isn't the OC, or the HC, then what is it? Is it Brady himself then? Well then obviously he won't want to stay because he must just hate everyone there or something.

I mean I'm a Brady homer and proudly so. So don't be shocked that I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one. Something around him isn't right, and maybe it's the entire organization fat and happy after the last two years and Brady knows they just aren't really invested. Hell if I know.

If Tom Brady needs an actual OC where does that leave Mac Jones, who doesn't have one? Maybe that's the reason Jones is struggling.

 

[1960Pats]

You can add the Jets to that without Payton list

Brady hates the Jets.