Tampa Bay Buccaneers Provide Brady 'Great Protection' In Win Over Carolina
A week after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive line allowed three sacks and nine hits on quarterback Tom Brady vs. the New Orleans Saints, head coach Bruce Arians was tasked with a challenge.
What adjustments would Arians make being once again without left guard Ali Marpet, arguably one of the Bucs' best offensive lineman, as he continued to be in concussion protocol?
Last week, the Bucs inserted back-up guard Joe Haeg into the starting lineup in place of Marpet. That didn't work as Haeg, along with tackle Donovan Smith, struggled against the Saints.
This week, Arians made a bold change shifting starting center Ryan Jensen to left guard and moved up back-up center A.Q Shipley to make his first career start.
With Shipley under center, would there be snap issues between him and Brady? What would Arians do then? Fortunately for Arians, the moves upfront paid off. Brady was mostly protected while the Panthers' sole sack on Sunday didn't come until early in the fourth quarter. By then, the game was well within the control of the Bucs as Tampa Bay led 29-17.
“Those two guys, you’re talking about two grizzly, old veterans who are really pro football players," Arians said after the game about Shipley and Jensen. "Got all the confidence in Q [Shipley] and Ryan did a great job being a guard. He loves being a center, but that was a great combination for us this week. I thought they really, really played well.”
Brady racked up 341 yards through the air completing 28-of-39 passes while tossing three touchdowns and rushing for a touchdown of his own. Meanwhile, Bucs' running back Ronald Jones II ran for 192 yards, which is tied for fifth-most single-game rushing yards in franchise history.
Brady gave a shoutout to multiple members of the Bucs' offensive line for their performance in Carolina.
“They did a great job," Brady said after the game. "A.Q. has done a great job since he got to us. He was prepared to go and he’s a tough, hard-nosed guy. Ryan did a great job moving over to guard. Cap [Alex Cappa] hung in there – he always does. He’s as tough as they come. Tristan [Wirfs] is doing an incredible job. And, Donny [Donovan Smith] is doing a great job."
Tampa Bay totaled 544 net yards, the third-most allowed by Carolina in a game in franchise history, and didn't punt once in a game for the first time since 2000.
"We’re getting great protection," Brady said. "They’re doing great in the run game, blocking hard, being really aggressive upfront and it was definitely great to see them play physical today – that’s what we needed.”
And it was the "great protection" that allowed Jones to break free for a 98-yard rushing touchdown with 7:39 left in the third quarter, the longest offensive play in team history.
“You have to thank the big boys upfront for getting that push – make my job look easier, " Jones said about the offensive line. "And the coaching staff, too, for believing in me and keep giving me opportunities. That’s really what it really came down to."
Next week, the Bucs will have a big test against the Los Angeles Rams, a team that recorded six sacks and hit Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson 12 times on Sunday.
For now, however, last week's pitiful performance vs. the Saints is in the past as the Bucs' offensive line moves forward with a renewed confidence in their ability to protect Brady and create holes for Jones in the run attack.
"We can’t look in the rearview mirror – we can only look straight ahead," Arians said. "All week we had great intensity in practice and overcame the early fumble on offense. Again, the first half – I wasn’t that pleased even though it was tied when we came in. Second half I was really pleased with the way we played ball.”
