Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Helped Dig Its Own Grave – JoeBucsFan.com
Runaround quarterback.
If Marcus Mariota was an NFL quarterback and never some gimmicky, misplaced spread-option quarterback, the Bucs might need been in a world of damage yesterday.
The actual fact Atlanta coach Artie Smith doesn’t belief Mariota to throw the ball — think about, a head coach of an NFL staff whose depth of quarterbacks is so p!ss poor that he has to begin a man that may’t throw — helped the Bucs win the sport as a lot as one of many worst calls Joe has ever seen, a phantom roughing-the-passer flag on Grady Jarrett.
It was the fourth quarter. The Bucs protection was gassed. Atlanta took over at their very own 30 following a Bucs punt with 9:49 left, trailing 21-7.
The Dixie Chicks ran the ball. And ran the ball. And ran the ball. All of the whereas the clock ticked, ticked, ticked. Of the 12 performs within the scoring drive that pulled the sport inside six at 21-15, Atlanta ran the ball 7 occasions.
Solely towards the tip of that drive did Artie Smith roll the cube and have Mariota put the ball within the air. Of the ultimate 4 performs in that drive, three have been passes.
That drive ate up 5 treasured minutes.
“It’s form of unprecedented,” Bucs linebacker Devin White stated of the Dixie Chicks’ allergy to letting Mariota air it out. “They don’t care in the event that they’re down 20, 21, 30, they’re going to run the ball as a result of that’s what their strengths are.
“I imply, it’s exhausting to imagine it, it’s exhausting to maintain pondering that they’re down they usually’re going to run the ball, however they’re. You simply bought to just accept the actual fact and bow up and be gritty for 4 quarters.”
So yeah, the Bucs dodged a serious bullet with a serious blown name when Jarrett was flagged for roughing Brady. However the Bucs could have caught the most important break when Smith determined Mariota was his best choice at quarterback.
Principally, Mariota is a small ahead pretending to be quarterback. And that’s excellent news for the Bucs, and was nice information yesterday.