For a second straight week, the Tampa Bay Vipers were great on defense and pretty unwatchable everywhere else.
Offensively, the team couldn’t consistently string together drives, and it just seemed like head coach Marc Trestman was still trying to figure out what the hell this Vipers offense can do (as was everyone else watching the game). But, there were some positives.
Let’s break it down into categories.
The Good
The Vipers’ defense, the Vipers’ defense, and the Vipers’ defense. That’s about it. Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville (who is my new favorite member of the Vipers’ organization) did a great job of making Seattle Dragons quarterback Brandon Silvers’ life difficult, with two sacks and four quarterback hits. The Dragons only had 82 passing yards, and the commentators even questioned if Silvers would remain under center with his subpar play (of course, the next play he threw a 68-yard pass to Keenan Reynolds.) The Vipers’ defense has allowed a total of 24 points in the past two games (not counting the points that came following the plethora of Viper turnovers committed in these two weeks), and yet, they’re 0-2.
The Ugly
The Vipers offense. Good gracious, and I thought Aaron Murray was bad. I guess that’s why this Taylor Cornelius guy is the backup, eh? He had two picks (new challenge; can a Tampa Bay quarterback actually go a game without throwing multiple interceptions?), and the red zone offense was terrible again. The team had a chance to finally score that ever-elusive first offensive touchdown, yet were thwarted despite having first and goal inside the one, with two run attempts that went nowhere, followed by an off-target pass by Cornelius intended for a wide open running back, Jacques Patrick. Sure, it went off of Patrick’s hands, but the throw was behind Patrick, and that would have been a tough catch for a wide receiver, much less a running back. All in all, the offense looked awful. Trestman showed that same lack of creativity, and the offense looked bland—even when the explosive Quinton Flowers was on the field. Flowers threw a horrendous pick-six in his own end zone on a botched attempt at a screen play. It was genuinely one of the most frustrating games of football I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been watching the Bucs since the Josh Freeman days (which may not seem like a long time, but when it’s been over a decade since the last playoff appearance, it feels a lot longer.)
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The Uglier
Special teams play. From the botched snap on the 20-yard field goal attempt (insert obligatory Tony Romo joke here), to the lack of return game accentuated by the perpetual inability of the returners to even field a punt or kick, all the way to that head-scratching kickoff that failed to even reach the 20 yard-line, resulting in tremendous field position for the Dragons. And yet, the Dragons didn’t score on that drive (shoutout to the defense). But back to how bad the special teams was. I mean, I can understand a struggling offense. They were playing with a backup quarterback on the road, and Seattle is an especially tough place to play for visiting teams. But special teams mistakes? Continuous ones? I can’t vouch for that. It was really becoming a joke, and one that started to not be funny anymore.
Hopefully the Vipers can turn it around in their home-opener next Saturday at 2 p.m. against the Houston Roughnecks.
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This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2020.