Bucs Players Speak Out On Defense and Raheem

[YReceiver14]

Bump.

Great/depressing read.

[Skull and Bones]

it's interesting to hear actual players think we should go with a 3-4.  kind of disputes all the posters here that say it can't or shouldn't be done.

[ufojoe]

it's interesting to hear actual players think we should go with a 3-4.  kind of disputes all the posters here that say it can't or shouldn't be done.

Houston put an end to that debate this year.

[CBWx2]

I wonder if these guys were saying it last year though.

our defense wasn't any good back then either

The Buccaneers were ranked 7th overall in fewest points given up a season ago. I'd say that's pretty good.

[UMiamiBucFan]

I don't know have any idea who this player is, but he seems more like part of the problem than part of the solution.

I don't think it's a "player." It's players...

The solution begins with a new DC or new HC.

Well then, looks like we have a lot of cutting to do.

[Skull and Bones]

 we played a bunch of crappy offenses last year.  our pass defense was solid but there was no pass rush and the run defense was bottom tier.  nobody in their right mind would have confused it for one of the better ones in the NFL.

[chace1986]

if we did try to do this 3-4 thing the way described does that reduce the priority to draft a LB early in 2012?

I don't think so.  Hayes and Black need to be replaced regardless of the scheme.

Agreed. We wouldnt necessarily need 2 or 3 dominant LBs...but we would need all LBs to be pretty solid...that is something that Hayes and Black aren't even close to.

[CBWx2]

we played a bunch of crappy offenses last year.  our pass defense was solid but there was no pass rush and the run defense was bottom tier.  nobody in their right mind would have confused it for one of the better ones in the NFL.

Well by the same logic, this season, we've played 7 games against top 10 offenses, 10 games against top 15 offenses. Would have been 11 had Culter and Forte not gotten injured after we played them. So perhaps if we were only as good as we were because we played crappy offenses last year, we're only as bad as we are now because we've played very good ones.

[ufojoe]

we played a bunch of crappy offenses last year.  our pass defense was solid but there was no pass rush and the run defense was bottom tier.  nobody in their right mind would have confused it for one of the better ones in the NFL.

Well by the same logic, this season, we've played 7 games against top 10 offenses, 10 games against top 15 offenses. Would have been 11 had Culter and Forte not gotten injured after we played them. So perhaps if we were only as good as we were because we played crappy offenses last year, we're only as bad as we are now because we've played very good ones.

Yeah, Jacksonville was a very good offense.

[Skull and Bones]

even crappy offensive teams like Jacksonville are blowing us out.

[tatmanfish]

if we did try to do this 3-4 thing the way described does that reduce the priority to draft a LB early in 2012?

I don't think so.  Hayes and Black need to be replaced regardless of the scheme.

yes....100%. I think Hayes is young enough he gets a chance to stick around, but at best hed be in a competition to start because so far hes hasnt shown he can be a starter despite his occasion flashes. Black is a lost cause period. Tackling and angles that bad all year long arent going to improve no matter what system.

I think the Idea of having Bennett and Bowers as OLBs is a bad idea as well. At least 1 OLB in a 3-4 has to be able to cover. Another thing about the 3-4 is you need solid coverage, or a ridiculous front 7 to have success in most cases. If Barber and Talib are gone, the Bucs dont have the CBs to run any system and they wouldnt have the LBs to help out in coverage.

Going to a 3-4 would take some serious drafting or FA signing on the defensive side of the ball. otherwise its going to be a couple more years before it gets built to respectability. That also mean one side of the ball is likely going to get neglected while trying to fill holes for a scheme that this team is lacking.

[CBWx2]

No arguments here, but if that were a matter of scheme, then why were we able to keep good offenses like Green Bay, New Orleans, and Atlanta reigned in during our games against them? It's not the scheme, it's the players. The scheme was working against Jacksonville until the players crapped their pants and gave up. Not making an argument for or against Morris being fired here. Just speaking logically.

[dbucfan]

It isn't scheme.  Good play gets good results - and the opposite is also true.

[Biggs3535]

No arguments here, but if that were a matter of scheme, then why were we able to keep good offenses like Green Bay, New Orleans, and Atlanta reigned in during our games against them? It's not the scheme, it's the players. The scheme was working against Jacksonville until the players crapped their pants and gave up. Not making an argument for or against Morris being fired here. Just speaking logically.

Just like player performances, schemes and gameplans are changed weekly.  A couple of those schemes/gameplans worked.  Most didn't.

[JavaRay]