Lavonte David says fixing Bucs' run defense is matter of staying in position
Alfred Blue rushed for 139 of the Texans 186 yards against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY SportsAndrew Astleford ESPN1h agoTAMPA, Fla. -- Linebacker Lavonte David considers the fix small for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' big problem against the run Sunday."It's small things, very small things that have to be easily fixed," David said Monday. "And we're going to get it fixed. It's that easy. Most guys understand and realize we can't let that happen anymore. We won't have another game like that again."David and other Bucs defenders better hope so. They failed to limit the Houston Texans' surprisingly effective ground game, which carved up Tampa Bay for 186 yards despite the absence of four-time Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster, who has a groin injury. Alfred Blue, a sixth-round pick in 2014 from LSU, gained 139 yards on 31 carries with one touchdown as Foster's replacement.Blue's only better day in the NFL came against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11 last year, when he had 156 yards on 36 carries."We didn't play the run as well as we needed to at times," Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. "We got a couple guys out of their gap, but we're not getting ready to junk anything. Let's just let everything play out a little bit. We'll be fine on the defensive side of the ball."Before Sunday, the Bucs had fared better against the run this season. They allowed 124 yards in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans and 104 in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.David said the Bucs studied film on Monday to identify the problem against Houston's rushing attack and plot ways to fix it. He even offered some humor about how minor the issue in gap containment appeared to be, saying, "It's real funny when you see it.""We're playing fast, but sometimes, we're getting out of position," David said. "Once we add that playing fast [part], plus get in our position, I think we'll be a lot better."They must be. The Bucs' task won't become easier Sunday, when they host the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Running back Jonathan Stewart and quarterback Cam Newton are both capable of picking up big gains."Once we get that situated -- it's a real easy fix, really, really, very, very easy fix -- it's going to be fixed right away," David said. "That's the thing you can look forward to."Perhaps, or else a big problem from Sunday will grow in size by the week.
