Bucs at Saints: Most Disappointing Players In Week 2

There isn’t too much to complain about in the Bucs’ 20-10 win against the Saints in New Orleans. The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Saints in the regular season and improved the Bucs’ record to 2-0. Tampa Bay also took a 1-0 lead in the NFC South, while New Orleans fell to 1-1 in the division.

We may be nit-picking a little bit, but here are the most disappointing Bucs players – and a coach – from Week 2:

WR Scotty Miller

With Chris Godwin and Julio Jones out, Miller had to step and make some plays for quarterback Tom Brady. After a 23-yard catch to start the game, Miller had two big drops in the third quarter. Both would have been tough catches, especially the first. But Miller is an NFL receiver. He had to haul in the second one, which would have converted a third down and gotten the Bucs into Saints territory.

He finished the day with just three catches for 34 yards, despite being targeted eight times by Brady. That was the most targets of any Bucs receiver against the Saints on Sunday.

Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich

The Saints defense deserves credit. No other team gives Tampa Bay’s offense more problems than Dennis Allen’s defense. Having said that, Leftwich’s play-calling left a lot to be desired throughout the day. The Bucs offense only generated 13 points and racked up just 260 yards in New Orleans. Once again Tampa Bay struggled mightily on third down, converting just 5-of-17 (29.1%). That’s the second week in a row third down has been a problem.

Bucs OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Leftwich predictably ran the ball on first down and the results weren’t always good. Outside of Tom Brady’s kneel down on first down, the Bucs ran the ball 17 times on first down for 57 yards and threw the ball just six times on first down. That’s not to say that it wasn’t effective. The Bucs averaged 3.4 yards per carry.

But one has to wonder if the passing game might have opened up a little more had Leftwich called for more than six pass plays on first down. The predictability caused the Saints to be ready to stop the run too many times on first down.

Leftwich’s decision to go with a heavy personnel group in third-and-short situations wasn’t wise, as the team rarely converted. That caused the Saints to crowd the box and stymie the Bucs’ ground game.

Where was the creativity to spread the field and lighten the box? Yes, Tampa Bay’s offense is banged up right now, but that can’t be an excuse. Leftwich has to help the offense out even more with creative play-calls when it’s not at 100 percent from a health standpoint.

Also, the fourth-and-1 run call was atrocious. To pull left guard Luke Goedeke laterally only invited penetration up the middle, which was exactly what happened when Leonard Fournette was hit in the backfield. If ever there was a time for a QB sneak or a dive straight up the middle, that was it, as Tampa Bay failed to convert the fourth-and-1 deep inside Saints territory.

RB Rachaad White

After lining up in the slot, White dropped his first target from Brady in the second quarter. That led to a third-and-8 situation. The Bucs were stopped on fourth-and-1 two plays later. White was also targeted again in the passing game, but finished without a catch.

He ran the ball just twice on offense, finishing with just one yard. After a 2-yard gain, White lost two yards on his next snap and didn’t receive another carry.

TE Ko Kieft

After a great debut as a lead blocker in Dallas, Kieft struggled with some of his assignments in the run game at New Orleans and wasn’t as impressive. He also dropped his first NFL pass when he was hit by a Saints defender in the fourth quarter.

DT Akiem Hicks

Hicks was double-teamed often at the point of attack as the Saints attacked the left side of the Bucs offensive line. Hicks had a chance to make a tackle on Taysom Hill’s 13-yard run into the red zone on New Orleans’ opening drive, but Hill ran through his arm tackle attempt.

Hicks later injured his foot in the second quarter and did not return. He did finish the game with three tackles, but appeared to give up some ground in the running game in the first half.