Bucs Beat.......... Mack could fit into Lovie’s D 
Khalil Mack appears to be a natural fit in a 3-4 scheme, but with 4-3 teams such as the Bucs being forced more and more by passing offenses to play in sub packages and formations, the Buffalo linebacker could fit with them as well. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By Roy Cummings | Tribune Staff Published: February 22, 2014INDIANAPOLIS — This is the time of year when mock drafts are all the rage and more than a few have been published that have no doubt left Buccaneers fans scratching their heads in confusion.Though a dominant pass rusher is clearly the Bucs greatest need, the suggestion that they would fill that need by drafting Buffalo outside linebacker Khalil Mack seems to make little sense.With Lavonte David emerging as one of the league’s best weakside linebackers and coach Lovie Smith planning to employ a 4-3 scheme that makes limited use of the strongside backer, Mack doesn’t seem like a fit for the Bucs.Mack, though, is not your average outside linebacker.Though the 6-foot-3, 248-pounder out of Fort Pierce has been groomed in a 3-4 scheme and is considered a prototypical 3-4 backer, he could also fit as not just 4-3 backer but maybe even a 4-3 end.“He’s a productive, explosive, fast-twitch pass rusher, one of those guys that can fit any scheme,’’ Bucs GM Jason Licht said. “He has speed along with power, not just one or the other, and so he’s a very interesting guy.’’As several mock drafts have suggested, Mack is of great interest to the Bucs. It’s his versatility that makes him so, but the NFL’s ever-growing penchant for passing the ball adds to their interest. With traditional 4-3 defensive teams such as the Bucs being forced more and more by passing offenses to play in sub packages and formations, Mack could fit with them as 4-3 backer, too.“I think the important thing is that if you are drafting him as a 4 3 team you have to make sure that in nickel and sub situations, you’re freeing him up to go get the quarterback,’’ said NFL network game and draft analyst Mike Mayock.“And in today’s NFL, because of the versatility in defenses, I think that’s fine. Four-three teams are doing all kind of different things in sub packages. That’s why I just kind of call (players like Mack) edge guys now.’’The Bucs could use one of those edge guys. They could probably use two or three. Though they surpassed the 30-sack mark for the first time since 2007 last year, coach Lovie Smith says the Bucs have a dearth of edge rush talent.“We want to be able to rush four guys and get pressure,’’ Smith said. “That’s what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were built on and that hasn’t changed. So we have to have a double-digit sack guy on the outside, and right now we don’t have that right now.’’Smith isn’t alone in his thinking.“I think first and foremost, they do need an edge guy,’’ Mayock said when asked what he thought the Bucs needs were in this draft. “That’s why, if [Khalil] Mack is sitting there, he would be of interest to me.“After (South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon) Clowney, I think (Mack) is the most gifted edge (rusher) in this class. And I think regardless of your scheme, you need to draft those kind of guys and play them.’’On the lookoutThe Bucs have needs that stretch beyond the defensive line, of course. With the exception of safety and running back, there is a need to address virtually every position on the field. Mayock believes that after defensive end, two stand out above the rest.“One or two of (the best) offensive tackles should be there for the Bucs when they pick, too, and I think they also need a new age tight end,’’ Mayock said. “If they (keep the seventh overall pick) and gave their quarterback another weapon, I’d be all for that.’’ Change of paceLicht has spent the last six years, first in New England and then in Arizona, building defenses that run a 3-4 scheme. Now he’s building one that will run a 4-3 scheme. That presents a bit of a challenge, he said, but not as great a one as some may think.“You have to re-program yourself a little bit in the types of players you look for at linebacker, for example, but really what it comes down to is you’ve got to find good football players,’’ Licht said. “Good people and good leaders, of course, but just good football players. That’s what we want.’’ [email protected](813) 259-7979Twitter: @RcummingsTBO
Lovie Smith has a pretty good history in selecting and then coaching up LB's. If Mack or Barr are indeed the selection then I'm in.
I think this is a smokescreen by Licht. He knows we wont pick him but we could add pressure to other teams who covit him that pick after us. Therefore we can potentially force someone to move infront of us and select him, or deter another team (such as the falcons) from thinking they can trade back and still get him.
I think this is a smokescreen by Licht. He knows we wont pick him but we could add pressure to other teams who covit him that pick after us. Therefore we can potentially force someone to move infront of us and select him, or deter another team (such as the falcons) from thinking they can trade back and still get him.
Yeah we seem to have the right needs for being at the top of this draft. I like our chances of really strengthening some weak areas.
Lovie Smith has a pretty good history in selecting and then coaching up LB's. If Mack or Barr are indeed the selection then I'm in.
Really?Who?The top LBs that he's coached were all already on the team (Brooks, Urlacher & Briggs) or free agents like Hardy, I can't think of a single LBer drafted by a Lovie coached team that ended up as anything more than average at best.Seems like most of the good ones were either already good or were destined to be great.I like the guy but sometimes he gets far more credit than reality dictates he should.
If it comes down to Mack or Barr, I will take Mack all day long. In our scheme, he would have to be a very versatile player. I can see him playing LB on early down but used as a blitzer is some cases and a DE in passing downs.
I find this thread title to be highly inappropriate, graphic, and physically unlikely.
Middle linebacker.
Middle linebacker.
That would be a horrible waste of his pass-rushing abilities.
Middle linebacker.
That would be a horrible waste of his pass-rushing abilities.
He's not a DE and we don't play 3-4.
As a defensive end I fear he may be more Patrick Chukwurah, than Elvis Dumervil. As a linebacker? He is aces.
Middle linebacker.
That would be a horrible waste of his pass-rushing abilities.
He's not a DE and we don't play 3-4.
He's a lot closer to being a DE than he is a MLB. Mind you, that should not be taken as my necessarily endorsing the idea of playing him at DE. Trying to fit him in at MLB though seems like a complete case of trying to jam a square peg into a round hole.
I think Barr's tape is a lot more impressive. Mack gets hyped for doing well vs. Ohio State, but don't mention that he did nothing in the Baylor game. Barr has the height to be a DE if he can put on 10 pounds.
I mean Foster, Mack, David is a pretty decent LB core...
Hey guys, remember this is Lovie smith running our team now. It really would not be hard to use him right. In our base 4-3 he would be our Sam and in nickel or dime he would drop down to a stand-up DE. Unlike, gunny Gregg, Lovie could probably use him right. If Lovie is sold, I am in and think how dominate our defense could be. I think Mayock has him rated as the top player in the draft.
