This position group earned massive praise from Bucs HC Todd Bowles
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-0 after beating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 by a 23-20 score inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Bucs are dealing with a lot of change across the roster, especially on the offensive line. However, it didn't hinder them against the Falcons, leading head coach Todd Bowles to praise the trenches after the game. The Buccaneers switched up their offensive line and moved quite a few players out of position, and it ended up going well for the
"I thought [Ben] Bredesen did a very good job at center, especially controlling where the blitzes go and the pickups and everything like that. Michael Jordan played well at guard, as well. So, they played tough and they battled. You know, for those guys moving around, playing their first game at different positions, I thought they did a good job. Going forward, we'll see."
Bucs O-Line strong without Tristan Wirfs
The Bucs were concerned on the offensive line with All-Pro Tristan Wirfs expected to sit out for a few games. This led to the team moving Graham Barton to tackle from center and inserting Ben Bredeson into the anchor of the offensive line.
Bowles explained how the Bucs came to that conclusion with this specific offensive line rotation.
"Well, when we gave [Graham Barton] a couple reps out there [at tackle], at first it was we were doing it out of emergency. [We were] like, 'Hey, he looks pretty good out there.' Then Ben [Bredeson] looked pretty good at center and then we just started messing with it a little bit. The more we saw it, the more it started coming into focus," Bowles said.
"When I first asked [Barton] to do it, I just said in case of emergency, so he took a few reps here and there. Then it got to kind of be kind of an emergency and he started looking better and better and he was firing off the ball in the running game. I was like, 'Hey, we might be more physical with Graham [Barton] at tackle and Ben [Bredeson] at center and with [Michael] Jordan at guard because he had a good preseason. Nobody really wanted to say it, but it was like, 'Hey, we probably need to do this.' Then it kind of came into fruition."
While the Bucs had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line, they were able to keep Baker Mayfield well protected. He was only sacked once against the Falcons for an eight-yard loss.
Tampa Bay also ran for 101 yards on the ground, so the offensive line should be happy about that aspect as well.
In order for things to continue to improve, the Bucs have to continue adapting to their new surroundings and a tougher Houston Texans front seven ready to attack them in Week 2.
Dan Campbell 'Picked the Wrong Dude' to Lead Lions' Offense, Stephen A. Smith Says
The Detroit Lions were thoroughly outclassed on the road against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field Sunday, losing 27-13 in a game that showed the Lions are beatable in a tightly packed NFC North Division after years of resounding success with Dan Campbell steering the ship as the team's head coach.
The Lions' loss included an outstanding diving catch from rookie Isaac Teslaa in the left corner of the end zone after the game was out of reach, but few offensive highlights while the game was still close.
On Monday, ESPN pundit Steven A. Smith spoke about Campbell and the Lions' rough outing in Green Bay, during which he shared his true feelings on Campbell's hiring of John Morton as offensive coordinator after Ben Johnson skipped town to the coach the Chicago Bears.
Smith Not a Fan of John Morton Hire After Green Bay Game
The Lions had 246 total yards on Sunday, twenty less than coach Matt LaFleur's Packers.
The Packers' fierce defensive trio of Lukas Van Ness, Davonte Wyatt, and Rashan Gary made life miserable for the Lions' thin offensive line while Micah Parsons bullied Lions All-Pro starting right tackle Penei Sewell in a way that Lions fans haven't seen aside from practice clips against teammate Aidan Hutchinson.
Smith called out the Lions on ESPN's 'First Take' show saying that fans should keep their eyes on head coach Dan Campbell.
"Here's where it really gets tricky," Smith said. "I think he's done an outstanding job, he was a candidate for Coach of the Year, he's done an outstanding job since he's been the head coach.
"But you had Aaron Glenn who was your offensive coordinator, who's now the head coach of the Jets, and you had Ben Johnson as your offensive coordinator who's now the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Smith brought up New York Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand as someone the Lions could have hired instead of current coordinator John Morton after Smith was impressed by Engstrand's offense's performance Sunday against the Steelers.
"He lost two tremendous coordinators," host Molly Qerim said about Campbell, to which Smith replied, "But he picked the wrong dude it appears (to replace Johnson), at least after Week 1."
Lions Welcome Bears Next Sunday
The Detroit Lions are preparing to welcome Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears to town next Sunday at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
The game will mark a chance for the Lions to show their former offensive coordinator that the team's offense is still one of the NFC's best.
The Lions' offensive line depth and experience have strongly diminished since the retirement of Frank Ragnow this offseason which could be a storyline to watch as Johnson's team heads to Detroit later this week.
The Smith comments came as Detroit made an $83 million Jameson Williams decision before Week 1.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs made NFL history during the Lions' Week 1 loss to the Packers.
Smith's name has officially been added to a list of Detroit Lions doubters heading into Week 2 of the season.
Detroit will look too show what Morton can do in the play-calling department next week against a defense that likely won't put anywhere near the same type of heat and pressure on quarterback Jared Goff that the Packers did on Sunday.
