Will Bucs Protection Be Up To The Problem Of Chargers Offense? | Pewter Report

The Chargers don’t put many factors on the scoreboard, however they put on down opposing defenses all through the sport and drive them to match physicality. Will the Bucs’ protection be ready for a heavyweight boxing match?

It’s a problem not like any the unit has had lately and all through the season.

Exterior of some early-season matchups towards offensive juggernauts just like the Commanders, Lions, and Eagles, this shall be a unique model of matchup co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers took the time to interrupt down extensively this week.

Bucs Co-DC Kacy Rodgers: “It’s No Secret What You’re Getting”

All through his NFL teaching profession, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has constructed his groups with an identification to pound the rock. Throughout his time with the 49ers from 2011-2014, his groups completed within the high ten in each speeding makes an attempt and speeding yards. Throughout these 4 years, he relied on Frank Gore closely, trusting him to run the ball a mean of 268 instances a season.

Though the league has trended extra pass-heavy within the ten years that Harbaugh largely spent main the Michigan Wolverines, the Los Angeles offense has turned again the clock to counting on a ground-and-pound mentality. Anchored by offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt together with 285-pound blocking tight finish Tucker Fisk and 296-pound fullback/defensive sort out Scott Matlock, they’re all about beating groups by establishing the run and controlling the time of possession.

Chargers RB Gus Edwards – Photograph by: USA At present

“Well, you know they’re going to want to run the ball and they’re hard-headed about running the ball and it’s going to be tough, hard nose, and they [aren’t] going to turn it over,” Bucs co-defensive Kacy Rodgers mentioned. “It’s no secret what you’re getting because they have a 290-pound fullback so that’s kind of telling you what you’re about to get. That’s where you battle it right there.”

For a lot of the season, they battled with the elusive J.Okay. Dobbins main the Chargers’ backfield. Dobbins put up spectacular numbers with 158 carries for 766 speeding yards and eight touchdowns. After he went down with a knee harm which has put him on injured reserve, veteran Gus Edwards has taken over the reins.

Whereas Edwards has but to expertise the identical success, Rodgers just isn’t anticipating them to deviate from a gameplan that has “carried” them by the 12 months.

“The thing is, what they do offensively is they kind of pull and trap and do all that stuff,”  Rodgers mentioned of how the Chargers arrange their run sport. “They want to get downhill, so it poses some problems because it creates some matchup disadvantages for us. That’ll be the chess match right there.”

What About Chargers QB Justin Herbert?

Chargers QB Justin Herbert and WR Ladd McConkey – Photograph by: USA At present

For the reason that final time the Bucs and Chargers confronted one another in 2020, Justin Herbert has developed as an NFL quarterback. Whereas Herbert has the prototypical measurement (6-foot-6, 236 kilos) and powerful arm to be a gunslinger, he’s now not requested to be on a weekly foundation. He has thrown simply half of the landing passes Baker Mayfield has (28 to 14) whereas averaging simply 212.6 passing yards per sport.

That could be a far cry from when Herbert threw for five,014 passing yards and 38 touchdowns in 2021. He has since grow to be an environment friendly quarterback, throwing only one interception. Nonetheless, he’s somebody who can beat a staff together with his arm when he must.

“You’re still talking about arguably a top-ten quarterback across anybody’s board in the league,” Kacy Rodgers mentioned. “[He] has all [the] arm power, athletic, can run, could make all of the throws, however the best way they make the most of him of their system – they’re shopping for into the tradition change [of] operating the ball, then when everyone cuts off the run, they’re throwing over their head. That’s precisely what they’re doing.

“[Ladd] McConkey is having a heck of a year, but you know, if you watch the routes he’s getting, everybody is getting sucked up trying to stop [the run] and he’s fast and elusive and making a lot of plays. It’s all what you see, from the way they’re utilizing the quarterback is kind of into the culture that they want. We all know he can throw it 40 times a game if need be but that’s just not the way they play.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and co-DC Kacy Rodgers – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

For the Bucs’ protection, that implies that they must be affected person and play disciplined soccer. They can not ship the home and anticipate Herbert to not throw it excessive to considered one of his extensive receivers, nor can they sit again in protection and permit the Chargers to string collectively lengthy offensive drives. It is going to imply discovering a stability and making changes as the sport goes on.

It is going to be a problem making an attempt to do that lacking some key personnel, particularly within the secondary with out safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead. The unit is aware of the recipe for achievement, and that can imply overcoming the challenges and taking on the sport by profitable the takeover battle towards an environment friendly offense.

“[It’s] like more pressure because if you look at them as a team as a whole, if we run the ball, play good defense, and don’t turn it over – well that’s a recipe for winning games and that’s what they do,” Rodgers mentioned. “So our deal is No. 1 try to disrupt them, [No.] 2. try to create turnovers from a team that doesn’t turn it over. You have a multitude of challenges right there.”