TAMPA — There’s a little bit of Vince Lombardi in Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith in that Smith doesn’t much care if the opposition knows what he’s up to on the football field.
Certainly, it’s that way on defense. But it’s that way on offense a lot of times, too. Take the Bucs 38-31 victory Sunday against the Jaguars for example.
The Bucs really didn’t try to disguise their intentions. They spent most of the day lining up in two-back sets that screamed run to an opponent using mostly eight-man defensive fronts designed to stop the run.
And, yet, the Bucs succeeded in moving the ball on the ground, their running backs carrying 36 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns against a Jaguars defense that entered the game ranked fourth in the 32-team league against the run.