In the past two years, the Bucs have failed to be dynamic offensively, despite having some standout players.
While there are various things that could be blamed—coaching, the offensive coordinator, the players, or even bad luck—it was the Bucs’ defense that generally kept the team competitive.
Yesterday, Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs emphasized that it’s time for the offense to step up. Noting the injuries plaguing the Bucs defense after just one game, Wirfs believes the offense needs to make a significant contribution to support the defense.
“I think so,” Wirfs said when asked if the offense needs to score heavily to compensate for the defense in Detroit.
“We need to follow the next-man-up mentality, but we also have to do our part.
“The defense has kept us in many games before, so now it’s our turn to lift the load off them. We need to stay on the field as long as possible, sustain drives, give the defense breaks when needed, and finish drives with touchdowns to relieve some pressure on them.
“We know they’ll bring their best game, and we have to do the same. We need to be aggressive and effective.”
Joe had initially thought that with so many key defenders potentially out—up to five starters—and Detroit’s strong offense, the Bucs might need to score at least 35 points to have a chance.
However, Wirfs believes the Bucs should focus on a ground-and-pound strategy. By holding onto the ball and keeping the defense off the field, the best way to help a depleted defense is to keep it on the sidelines. This approach involves executing long, clock-consuming drives that should ideally result in touchdowns rather than field goals.
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