Football Outsiders put a stat article out recently that covers production with pressure, without pressure, and the differential: link
Bucs, Defensive Plays
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Rank: 1st
Plays: 745 plays
For reference, 2nd overall was New Orleans with 688 def plays. Tampa had 57 more defensive plays than New Orleans! The 32nd, or lowest defensive plays, belongs to the LA Chargers with 532 defensive plays, or 213 fewer defensive plays than the Bucs' defense!
I have stated the Bucs have had more chances
Bucs, With Pressure
1st = least yds allowed; 32nd = most yds allowed
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Pressure Rate: 32.9%
Pressure Rate rank: 7th
Yds w/ Pressure: 2.7 yards
Yds w/ Pressure rank: 3rd
(1st = least yds allowed; 32nd = most yds allowed)
DVOA w/ Pressure: -85.1% (negative number here is good!)
DVOA w/ Pressure rank: 3rd
Bucs, Without Pressure
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Yds w/o Pressure: 8.0 yards
Yds w/0 Pressure rank: 21st
(1st = least yards allowed; 32nd = most yards allowed)
DVOA w/o Pressure: 40.5% (pos # here is bad!)
DVOA w/o Pressure rank: 20th
Bucs, Differential
1st = narrowest difference; 32nd = widest difference
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Yds differential: 5.2 yards
Yds differential ranking: 29th <-- BAD
DVOA Diff: -125.6% (DVOA w/ Press - DVOA w/o Press)
DVOA Diff Rank: 31st <-- BAD
That differential ranking is disheartening as it reveals without our pass rush the defense give sucks. Without pressure, then we're reliant upon the porous secondary to do its job, but it's allowed 8.0 yards per non-pressured play. Yikes!
We're an imbalanced defense, but we should already know this. This is the reason why I was harping on grabbing a top end coverage Safety in the draft. If we're happy with our young CBs in Davis and Dean (which we are), then they need support via better talented safeties. GM Licht drafted a Safety Antoine Winfield Jr in the 2nd round, who will probably be our S1 (Safety #1). But is that enough to help greatly improve our passing defense without pressure?
It's that or we also need to create more pressure in passing situations. Our down linemen corps need to produce more to help mask our secondary deficiencies until our secondary figures out how to play better defense.
