@kermit56 - sorry guys. “Just sign the next Sweat” is why we’re where we are with this position. It’s not an easy position to draft outside of being in the top 10 or 15 draft spot. And it’s a position we can’t just hope works this year in the draft. It is our biggest need and it will make everyone on the defense better.
To your point, Sweat is/was like our Diaby and the Eagles still got Reddick. They led the league in regular season sacks (by quite a bit) and I think post season too. They went to the SB . . but LOST
Two years later THOUGH, without Reddick they are middle of the road in sacks but still go to the Super Bowl. This time they WIN . . with 6 sacks
Football is a tough sport to predict. More pressure is way better than less, especially if it comes form rushing four, but at what cost? That is the ultimate question because there is not one way to win. The Bucs were better and won a Super Bowl with Barrett having 1/2 the number of sacks of the year prior, roughly?
Tons of pressure up the middle, elite MLB play, beat secondary in football, great defensive play caller, and offense that controlled the clock.
@kermit56 - sorry guys. “Just sign the next Sweat” is why we’re where we are with this position. It’s not an easy position to draft outside of being in the top 10 or 15 draft spot. And it’s a position we can’t just hope works this year in the draft. It is our biggest need and it will make everyone on the defense better.
My point was it's better to "Sign the next Sweat" than to overpay for him due to his Super Bowl performance.
@kermit56 - sorry guys. “Just sign the next Sweat” is why we’re where we are with this position. It’s not an easy position to draft outside of being in the top 10 or 15 draft spot. And it’s a position we can’t just hope works this year in the draft. It is our biggest need and it will make everyone on the defense better.
To your point, Sweat is/was like our Diaby and the Eagles still got Reddick. They led the league in regular season sacks (by quite a bit) and I think post season too. They went to the SB . . but LOST
Two years later THOUGH, without Reddick they are middle of the road in sacks but still go to the Super Bowl. This time they WIN . . with 6 sacks
Football is a tough sport to predict. More pressure is way better than less, especially if it comes form rushing four, but at what cost? That is the ultimate question because there is not one way to win. The Bucs were better and won a Super Bowl with Barrett having 1/2 the number of sacks of the year prior, roughly?
(1)Tons of pressure up the middle, (2) elite MLB play, (3) beat secondary in football, great defensive play caller, and (4) offense that controlled the clock.
Just ticking through those, I know your thought on defensive play calling, but think about both the 2020 and 2024 Bucs teams.
1. Both get great "pressure up the middle," the 2020 Bucs often with a double A gap blitz and White
2. The 2020 team had "elite" ILB play when it mattered. LVD was SECOND in PFF passing grade. Nine sacks from the position. 2024 LVD was NINETY-SECOND . .(think about that*) and his counterpart(s) were worse.
3. The 2020 team had a decent secondary, the 2024 secondary was maybe the worst in football
4. Both offenses COULD control the clock,: the Bucs seemed destined to lose when the offense did not
LVD's play regresses badly - 2nd to 92nd - over 2023 and 2024 so it is NOT just the product of bad people around him.
If you go back and watch highlights, particularly, of the Commanders playoff game, you will see plays where the opposing offense is definitely lying in wait for the zone blitzing. The short pass to Eckler is often cited here. IIRC, the RB doesnt move pre-snap (ie they know whats coming). But the key play in that drive is the pass before with Brown beating . . . HAYES . . because Dean is where he always is . . under the blue tent.
Part of that is second game and lots of film, but in the first game we are playing with Dennis at LB and they actually miss two field goals on drives that stalled because of sacks or penalties that they committed under defensive pressure, including zone blitzing
McLaurin is almost invisible in the first game with AWJ. Smith, Dean and McCollum
McLaurin and Brown go off in the second game, particularly AFTER Hayes come son for Dean.
So, some play calling and no depth . . . but hey I guess Aaron Glenn cannot call plays either!
I don't buy the regression angle because LVD, Winfield Jr. Whitehead, Dean, McCollum, Izien all had down years with missed tackles. Izien and Whitehead are better tacklers than they showed in 2024. Winfield Jr and Dean are better in coverage than they showed as well.
This is one of those cases where I would ignore the tape from the 2024 season completely and focus on fundamentals again (eg tackling).
2024 season completely and focus on fundamentals again (eg tackling).
Bowles after bye
""We really went back to basics, fundamentals and technique because we lost a lot of games on fundamentals and technique [in] the first part of the year," Bowles explained. "And it sounds corny or crazy, but we really tried to concentrate on that. We thought we were in every game. But if we just took care of us, and learned how to win in the fourth quarter, and tackle better and block better, and just take better angles all the way around, we thought we could squeeze some games out."
I don't buy the regression angle because LVD, Winfield Jr. Whitehead, Dean, McCollum, Izien all had down years with missed tackles.
Maybe you're not accounting for the way defense works . . in any sport
All defenses work by everyone performing their assigned task.
Once that does not work -- because of weaknesses in individual roles - then a defense starts to collapse on itself because the defender who should do his one role well starts to fail because of trying to do his job AND cover for the failing of another.
So, when you put Hayes in for Dean, especially after Hayes has failed a few times, then Winfield (if he's healthy) is trying to shade his coverage toward Hayes.
LVD attacks a running gap.a little more slowly because he doesn't trust the Britt will succeed in his role. Whitehead, who is the strong safety. gets shifted to FREE safety when Winfield is out . . and he has Hayes on one CB . . IT ALL STARTS TO FALL APART.
This is the reason that Bowles starts playing more ZONE. Its an easier defense. Keep offensive players in front of you, make them dink and dunk all the way down.
But, when the game starts to slip away players go beyond their simple "tackle before the LTG" and start trying to "make a play" by stripping the ball or some other stuff . . . and tackling starts to suffer.
Its a TEAM sport and so a defensive unit is only as good as its WEAKEST link . . especially when there is film for all teams to see. So, when the Falcons expose the weakness every team exploits it unless or until the Bucs stop it.
Zone defense isn't easier it can be harder because you have to recognize what is going on and come up to make the tackle. A good example is the Fangio defensive scheme is a heavy zone scheme but it requires players to understand zone assignments (especially safeties) and to make tackles. In that SB the Eagles were making very good open field tackles and the Chiefs couldn't do much on offense. In fact, the Chiefs were making very good open field tackles too in that game to keep Saquon in check.
Teams have tried to copy the Fangio defensive scheme with mixed results and it is not something so easy to grasp.
Bucs for example under Bowles play complex cover 3 concepts but the problem is when you rely too much on it and not introduce enough m2m to keep teams honest.
Zone defense isn't easier
Generally speaking zone defense is keeping everything in front of the defenders so OF COURSE it is going be the default over man.
yes zone takes skill but as long as their is tackling discipline the play is in front of the defenders and they have eyes on the QB more
@kermit56 - sorry guys. “Just sign the next Sweat” is why we’re where we are with this position. It’s not an easy position to draft outside of being in the top 10 or 15 draft spot. And it’s a position we can’t just hope works this year in the draft. It is our biggest need and it will make everyone on the defense better.
There are pass rushers that are drafted outside of the top 15 all the time. Bucs missed on several from this past draft. Also, the Rams drafted Verse 19 and Fisk at 39.
Either of these players would have helped the Bucs win at least a few more games. If the Bucs were smart they would draft an edge with their first pick and come back and draft an inside pass rushing DT with their 3rd round pick.
I agree with the OP, I'm MOST interested in Myles Garrett - he's a true game wrecker, and if Licht can pull off a trade, I'd be happy. Don't want to overpay for UFA like Sweat and would rather go bargain basement shopping and continue to draft and develop Diaby.
@alldaway - it is difficult beyond 15, but there is more edge depth in these recent drafts than in the past. And all last offseason I said Verse is the best edge in the draft. Go get him. And I loved Fiske as high as a late first. Problem is do you believe Bowles and Licht can draft an edge and develop them? It hasn’t happened yet.
Problem is do you believe Bowles and Licht can draft an edge and develop them?
This is the $6 million question.
That is why you draft players like Verse and Fisk that are not really developmental prospects but known quantities at the collegiate level.
Bucs have drafted exclusively with project players on defense with the exception of Dean and Davis at CB and then Whitehead and Winfield Jr at safety. Kancey and Diabyare kind of more of a known quantity from college than a project players respectively but not as polished coming out like Winfield Jr
. But Hall, JTS, McCollum, White, etc are all project players and took a long time to develop. White never fully developed and JTS developed but his ceiling ended up being low. Similar to Hall and McCollum is the only true project player on defense that developed into a full fledged legit upper level starter.
So if the Bucs focus on collegiate productive sack artists in the draft at edge and interior DL they will solve a big problem for the defense overall.
That is why you draft players like Verse and Fisk that are not really developmental prospects but known quantities at the collegiate level.
Bucs have drafted exclusively with project players on defense with the exception of Dean and Davis at CB and then Whitehead and Winfield Jr at safety. Kancey and Diabyare kind of more of a known quantity from college than a project players respectively but not as polished coming out like Winfield Jr
. But Hall, JTS, McCollum, White, etc are all project players and took a long time to develop. White never fully developed and JTS developed but his ceiling ended up being low. Similar to Hall and McCollum is the only true project player on defense that developed into a full fledged legit upper level starter.
So if the Bucs focus on collegiate productive sack artists in the draft at edge and interior DL they will solve a big problem for the defense overall.
FSU fan?
