Like most I dont think you can a ever have enough pass rush, but this is SR's (snarky?) response to a mailbag question about the "GLARING" weakness at pass rush:
ANSWER: Is the pass rush still a glaring issue? Or is it on the way to being solved? I don’t know what game you were watching, but I saw six sacks on Sunday against a very good 49ers team, and three of them came on third down. Two of those sacks ended drives with 49ers field goals, two of them drives with punts, one ended a drive with a failed fourth down conversion and the other ended a drive with an eventual interception.
Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby led the Bucs with two against the 49ers, inside linebacker Lavonte David had one, cornerback Jamel Dean even had one, defensive tackles Vita Vea and Elijah Roberts split a sack, as did outside linebacker Haason Reddick and defensive tackle C.J. Brewer. The sack by Dean was his first in the NFL.
A week ago, things looked a little bleak. Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t record a single sack against Sam Darnold in Seattle. Now, the Bucs are tied with the Colts and Chargers with 16 sacks. Only five NFL teams have more, led by the Broncos, which have a team-high 30. Diaby leads Tampa Bay with three sacks, followed by Vea and David with 2.5 apiece. A total of 11 Buccaneers have at least half a sack. That’s how a Todd Bowles usually performs with blitzing defensive backs getting in on the sack action.
Would it be great if this team had a true stud pass rusher or two like Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul in 2020, or Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp in 2002 who helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowls LV and XXXVII, respectively? Of course. But let’s see how the next few weeks play out first before the NFL trade deadline on November 4. Maybe Roberts keeps ascending as a rookie interior pass rusher. Perhaps Diaby makes strides toward becoming a double-digit sacker.
Let’s see if Sunday’s pass rush was a sign of things to come in Tampa Bay or if it was just a blip on the radar. Because after a season-high six sacks against San Francisco, the pass rush is not a glaring issue right now. We’ll see how the defense fares against the Lions and Saints over the next two weeks.