Rodgers major obstacle Bucs’ defense is byproduct of draft strategy
Dolphins must face cold in Green Bay — plus an elite QB
Miami Dolphins defensive back Bobby McCain has vivid memories of the coldest game he has played in during his career.
It was the Dolphins’ AFC wild-card playoff loss to the Steelers two seasons ago, where the high temperature in Pittsburgh was 16 degrees.
“I’ve never played in a game that cold ever in my life,” McCain said. “I literally had snot bubbles freezing on my nose.”
The Dolphins may not be playing in conditions as cold in Sunday’s game against the Packers (3-4-1) in Green Bay, with temperatures expected to be in the low 30s for the 4:25 p.m. kickoff, but the cold, biting wind at Lambeau Field could affect the Dolphins just as much as the standout quarterback they hope to slow on the other side.
“Our guys know this: we’re going on the road in a place that’s a very difficult place to play with a Hall of Fame quarterback,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said complementing Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.
“I don’t want to piss [New England Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady off, but he’s probably the top guy.”
Rodgers and the Packers (3-4-1) are coming off of road losses against two of the best teams in the NFL this season, in the Los Angeles Rams and Patriots, and will host the Dolphins (5-4) in their first home game in a month.
Miami had its best defensive performance of the season, featuring four sacks and four interceptions, to disrupt New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold in a 13-6 home win last week.
The win helped the Dolphins become one of 13 NFL teams to have a record above .500 at this point in the season.
Gase, who rather fawn over Rodgers’ playing style than game plan for him, knows the Dolphins may not be able to match last week’s statistical output defensively against the Packers. But the Dolphins hope to apply pressure on Rodgers, keep him from scrambling out of the pocket, and keep the Packers’ receiving targets in front of them to keep Rodgers at bay.
“When I see him play, the guy doesn’t make a lot of errors. He looks like he’s playing jayvee football compared to everybody else,” Gase said of Rodgers.
“It’s just unbelievable how effortless he makes the game look. Our guys know that. They know when you play a guy like this, you better bring your A-game. You better make sure that everybody is on the same page. Throw the records out. It doesn’t matter because of who we’re playing.”
Rodgers has completed more than 60 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and just one interception this season.
He has also gradually regained his mobility while playing through a knee injury he suffered in the season opener.
“He’s getting better,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Rodgers. “It’s been better each week. But it’s a big injury — something that I think he’ll be dealing with as we move forward.”
Still, Rodgers is a threat when he is on the move.
And Rodgers has a slew of receivers ready to break their routes and get into space when they know he has escaped the pocket.
Leading receiver Davante Adams (58 catches, seven touchdowns) and former University of Miami great Jimmy Graham (32 catches, two touchdowns) are Green Bay’s leading receiving targets.
Rookies Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown are getting opportunities with Randal Cobb slowed by a hamstring issue in recent weeks.
“You just have to be ready for it,” Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard said.
“He can get out of the pocket. He can do a lot of great things, so you just have to be ready for it, stick on your man and just do your job, [and execute] the game plan that we have for him.”
McCain, like many Dolphins players, is excited to play in Lambeau Field for the team’s first trip to Green Bay since 2010.
And the Dolphins know what a stellar defensive performance against Rodgers could do for their playoff chances this season.
“It’s an exciting opportunity and I can’t wait,” McCain said. “I want to see in person what he’s all about, and I know he’s one of the great ones.”
TAMPA — The Buccaneers may have the worst defense in the NFL, allowing 34.4 points per game, and that’s a pity.
If Tampa Bay was known for anything, it’s defense. All three Bucs players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks — played on that side of the ball.
So how did the Bucs get this bad on defense? Three times they have allowed 30 or more points in the first half this season. Three other times, they yielded 24 points or more before halftime.
Partly, believe it’s by design.
The Bucs (3-5), who host Washington (5-3) today, didn’t intend to be this bad, of course, but they did choose to get on the wave of offense that has taken over the league. Fact is, there’s a lot of teams with bad defenses this season.
The Los Angeles Rams were the only NFL’s only undefeated at 8-0 last Sunday when they traveled to New Orleans last Sunday. A defense that included Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Dante Fowler and Marcus Peters (Aqib Talib is on injured reserve) went out and gave up 45 points to the Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Dome. And nobody noticed. Why? Because offense is king in the NFL.
Defense used to win championships, but it’s hard to make that argument anymore. Not with rules changes that prevent players from hitting defenseless receivers and have shortened the strike zone on quarterbacks to a shoe box.
You have to keep up on the scoreboard with Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes if you want to go to the Super Bowl.
Need proof? The top five defenses in the NFL belong to the Ravens (4-5), Jaguars (3-5), Bills (2-7), Cowboys (3-5) and Bears it or 11-2 (10-3 vs. spread) 88-44-2 (63-64-7 vs. spread)
The Lions are going to miss Golden Tate, and they can’t stop the run, or protect Matthew Stafford, surrendering 10 sacks to the Vikings last Sunday. The Bears’ smothering defense takes charge and sets the tone. not, (5-3). Only one of those teams has a winning record. The top five offenses belong to the Rams (8-1), Bucs (3-5), Chiefs (8-1), Steelers (6-2-1) and Falcons (4-4). Only one of those teams — the Bucs — have a losing record. The No. 7 Saints (7-1) and No. 8 Chargers (6-2) would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
This does not excuse a Bucs defense that is on pace to give up 550 points this season, the most in league history.
But some of this is the result of the Bucs’ decision to draft quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015.
When it comes to draft picks and salary-cap spending, it’s an allocation league. Any team that believes they have a potential franchise quarterback that may one day take them to a Super Bowl is going to build around that player first.
That’s was the plan when the Bucs selected Winston. His draft class included left tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet.
In his first four seasons, general manager Jason Licht drafted two defensive linemen with the Bucs: Noah Spence in the second round in 2016 and defensive tackle Steve Tu’akolovatu in the seventh round in 2017.
And speaking of points, the emphasis led to the Bucs gambling away several draft picks to move up in the second round in 2016 and select kicker Roberto Aguayo.
Somehow, the Bucs believed this was working when they went 9-7 in 2016. It included a five-game win streak that was built on turnovers and the No. 1 third-down defense in the league.
That led to the Bucs making defensive coordinator Mike Smith one of the highest-paid assistants in the NFL and locking him up for at least three more seasons. Smith was fired following the Bucs’ Week 4 loss at Atlanta and replaced by linebackers coach Mark Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht has prioritized offensive players in the Buccaneers’ drafting.
Duffner.
The Bucs spent a lot of resources on rebuilding the defensive line. They signed Eagles defensive linemen Beau Allen and Vinny Curry. They signed Bears defensive tackle Mitch Unrein, who has been on IR since the second week of training camp with a concussion. They traded for Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. They used a first-round pick on Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea, who missed seven weeks when he suffered a calf injury the first day in pads. They claimed defensive end Carl Nassib off waivers from Cleveland.
The Bucs’ offense also has been complicit in putting their defense in bad situations with turnovers, like the interception that set up the Panthers’ first TD Sunday.
To complicate matters, the Bucs lost two experienced players in their secondary when Vernon Hargreaves, a first-round pick from Florida, was lost for the season after the first game with a shoulder injury, and Chris Conte went on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Second-year safety Justin Evans had an interception in Week 3 versus the Steelers but has not played as well as he did as a rookie. Cornerback Brent Grimes didn’t look interested in tackling earlier in the year. Three rookies are playing too significant roles in the secondary.
The only hope, it seems, is for the Bucs’ offense to lead the way as they did in the 48-40 win over the Saints. They also have to hope their defense can get better. It’s a fact it can’t get any worse. But this is the path the Bucs chose; it’s just not working out.