Yes, I’m zeroing in on the defense. Nothing else in this post. While I acknowledge there are other issues—like Baker’s performance, special teams blunders, or RB usage—the defense is the most pressing problem. Right now, every other aspect of our team feels the pressure to be perfect because our defense is falling short.
Who’s to Blame?
Coach Todd Bowles is the architect of this defense and, as head coach, he’s under scrutiny for a reason—his defensive prowess. Unfortunately, his impressive displays of game planning have become few and far between. The idea that offenses are exploiting the middle of the field isn’t new; it’s always been a vulnerability in Bowles’ scheme. Top offenses have frequently targeted this area the past few seasons.
Bowles is known for his blitz packages, but as a coach myself, I’ve seen a tendency among those who struggle to counter offensive strategies to rely heavily on blitzing. “Nothing’s working… lets blitz!” I feel Bowles does this to some extent at the NFL level. His coverage schemes feel outdated, particularly regarding his linebackers. They don’t disrupt routes; instead, they simply drop into their assigned zones without challenging/forcing players off their routes. Our corners are all soft in coverage due to scheme. We don’t play man well, because Bowles doesn’t play man enough. And he showed how important it was to him by trading our best man-to-man defender… Carlton Davis. There’s no secret as to what he wants to do… Blitz and play soft zone behind it.
I suspect he communicates to Jason Licht that if they need to sacrifice talent at certain positions, it will be at edge and corner. Bowles seems to believe he can mask these deficiencies through his blitz and coverage schemes. This allows him to utilize creative blitz packages while simplifying the role for corners, minimizing their responsibilities. They don’t need to be special. “Just do as I say.” He appears more inclined to invest in defensive tackles and safeties, which deviates from conventional defensive strategies.
Furthermore, Bowles struggles with in-game adjustments. He either comes prepared with a strong game plan, which doesn’t happen nearly as much as it used to, or finds his team getting overwhelmed; there’s rarely a middle ground. It’s uncommon for him to make timely adjustments that prevent opposing offenses from racking up points before it puts in on the offense to make a pretty major comeback.
Jason Licht shares some responsibility as well. While we’re not facing significant injury issues, we do have depth problems. Missing only two Day 1 starters—Dean and nickel corner Tykee Smith—yesterday highlighted our lack of depth at all of our positions. I’ve been vocal about my concerns regarding our corner and edge talent all offseason, and the lack of depth extends to both starters and backups.
The edge position has been a concern for me since JPP left. We haven’t adequately replaced talent at the Edge position for three years, which is baffling. The edge position is arguably the most critical on defense, as it impacts the effectiveness of every other position. Our current options—Yaya, JTS, Braswell, and Nelson—simply aren’t cutting it. NO EXCUSE. I’ve maintained that Yaya is a tough player but isn’t someone you can rely on for consistent pressure. He struggles against tackles setting up in pass pro on passing situations. I said JTS was a bad draft pick the day we selected him. He was a 3rd or 4th round talent. Braswell is a rookie with limited upside. None of these players are difference-makers, which is why we’re struggling to generate pressure with our front four.
Conclusion: We’ve allowed 30+ points in four consecutive games. If we hadn’t brought Cohen in to run this offense, we might be sitting at 2-6 right now. I’m not interested in hearing that this was meant to be a rebuilding year or that we’re still paying past players. Bowles and Licht didn’t enter this season with that mindset. They expected playoffs and contending. You can’t do that with this type of coaching and talent. This is the kind of performance that gets coaches fired. If Bowles can’t adapt as a defensive coordinator to keep opposing offenses under 30 points per game, then it’s time for a change. This is his primary responsibility to the team.
Man o man was I waiting for a rant thread. First off all, you’re spot on all of it. Light deserves a good part of the blame. What pisses me off the most is hearing how much they value their draft capital, yet still cannot draft a legit pass rusher to save their lives. Then you see KC whose defense has been ballin go out & spend a 6th rounder for Josh Uche.
It’s time for Bowles to go sooner rather than later. His defensive scheme is outdated and he’s a terrible evaluator of talent (same can be said of Licht to an extent). As I mentioned in the offseason, the Bucs were acting as if they just came off a Super Bowl run when they were only concerned with resigning their guys. To go into the season with AWJ, Whitehead, & a bunch of undrafted guys at Saftey. Then combo it with Lavonte, Bum ass Britt & a bunch of undrafted guys at LB is criminal!!! The only solution we get is “they have to play better, we have to coach better” lol.
One last thing that’s being overlooked is Baker’s ints. I’ve been hearing a lot of excuses about it not being that bad. When those ints result in TD for the other team it’s BAD. But because he leads the league in TDs he gets a pass??? If Baker had these type of turnovers last season, there would be folks calling for Trask & a lot of folks would’ve been against resigning Baker long term. That hero ball shit has got to go.
@bucswin31 - thanks bucswin31! Good point about how Licht values his draft capital. We haven’t been bad enough to get a high enough pick to draft the edge talent needed. And he keeps reaching… JTS and Braswell, instead of taking other positions.
And they also over-valued the talent we had on defense from last season. But it still comes down to coaching. Plugging guys in shouldn’t be so difficult.
Plugging former starters/up & coming/second-chancer’s - shouldn’t be a problem…
Practice squad vets & JAG’s and putting too much on beginning-to-fade stars, would seem a bit harder.
2021 #32 overall pick JTS has 1 sack
2022 #33 overall pick Logan Hall has 3 sacks
2023 #19 overall pick Calijah Kancey has 1 sack
2023 #82 overall pick Yaya Diaby has 2 sacks
2024 #57 overall pick Chris Braswell has 0.5 sacks
5 premium picks have combined for 7.5 sacks.
Those draft picks not being good is killing this defense. All those guys log ton o snaps sans Braswell and the production is non-existent. And then add Devin White to this list who is no longer on the team.2021 #32 overall pick JTS has 1 sack
2022 #33 overall pick Logan Hall has 3 sacks
2023 #19 overall pick Calijah Kancey has 1 sack
2023 #82 overall pick Yaya Diaby has 2 sacks
2024 #57 overall pick Chris Braswell has 0.5 sacks
5 premium picks have combined for 7.5 sacks.
Price of playoff’s is lower round draft picks - I don’t remember what options were available verses our picks - but consistently picking at or near the bottom 1/3 of the draft in every round penalizes success.
The offset would be buying FA’s to offset the draft penalty - but we’ve been jacked up on the cap during that period - so the impact is worse.
Itvaint so much coaching, but saying Bowles is a fantastic coach - but all the more reason that he has to be provided guys he can work with, and he hasn’t.
2021 #32 overall pick JTS has 1 sack
2022 #33 overall pick Logan Hall has 3 sacks
2023 #19 overall pick Calijah Kancey has 1 sack
2023 #82 overall pick Yaya Diaby has 2 sacks
2024 #57 overall pick Chris Braswell has 0.5 sacks
5 premium picks have combined for 7.5 sacks.
"win now" stretch picks
Too early to say anything about the others.
Kancey is obviously good but also might be an injury guy
if Diaby had someone like Barrett opposite him he'd be tearing it up
NOT SURE THAT LIST IS THAT BIG OF A DEAL THOUGH, at least not yet.
Last year the Bucs are probably top 1/2 or 1/3 of the league in sacks with largely the same people and 46 sacks. They have 21 sacks now? Just like last year, about 2.5 per game so they would end up i the low 40s to m id 40s.If you take out Barrett and White from last year thats about 9, so not that far off. Biggs will deny it (lol) but Britt is drop off from White. Braswell not Barrett, obviously. Kancey had 4 or 5 last year, but hes been injured. I dont think Braswell is Diaby but didnt it take Diaby until later in the season to get his sacks?
Not great but similar to last season
agree with the general premise though
part of the price for the SB
Well, it’s hard to refute a coach… I get that you don’t like Bowles as HC, not a lot of people were calling for Bowles ouster as DC? Carlton Davis’ was apparently the only corner that had trade value, and the way his availability became an issue, not a lot of folks here felt it was a problem at the time, Bryce Hall getting injured exposed a problem that was already brewing with our “best man corner”…except he’s had trouble staying in the field.Yes, I’m zeroing in on the defense. Nothing else in this post. While I acknowledge there are other issues—like Baker’s performance, special teams blunders, or RB usage—the defense is the most pressing problem. Right now, every other aspect of our team feels the pressure to be perfect because our defense is falling short.
Who’s to Blame?
Coach Todd Bowles is the architect of this defense and, as head coach, he’s under scrutiny for a reason—his defensive prowess. Unfortunately, his impressive displays of game planning have become few and far between. The idea that offenses are exploiting the middle of the field isn’t new; it’s always been a vulnerability in Bowles’ scheme. Top offenses have frequently targeted this area the past few seasons.
Bowles is known for his blitz packages, but as a coach myself, I’ve seen a tendency among those who struggle to counter offensive strategies to rely heavily on blitzing. “Nothing’s working… lets blitz!” I feel Bowles does this to some extent at the NFL level. His coverage schemes feel outdated, particularly regarding his linebackers. They don’t disrupt routes; instead, they simply drop into their assigned zones without challenging/forcing players off their routes. Our corners are all soft in coverage due to scheme. We don’t play man well, because Bowles doesn’t play man enough. And he showed how important it was to him by trading our best man-to-man defender… Carlton Davis. There’s no secret as to what he wants to do… Blitz and play soft zone behind it.
I suspect he communicates to Jason Licht that if they need to sacrifice talent at certain positions, it will be at edge and corner. Bowles seems to believe he can mask these deficiencies through his blitz and coverage schemes. This allows him to utilize creative blitz packages while simplifying the role for corners, minimizing their responsibilities. They don’t need to be special. “Just do as I say.” He appears more inclined to invest in defensive tackles and safeties, which deviates from conventional defensive strategies.
Furthermore, Bowles struggles with in-game adjustments. He either comes prepared with a strong game plan, which doesn’t happen nearly as much as it used to, or finds his team getting overwhelmed; there’s rarely a middle ground. It’s uncommon for him to make timely adjustments that prevent opposing offenses from racking up points before it puts in on the offense to make a pretty major comeback.
Jason Licht shares some responsibility as well. While we’re not facing significant injury issues, we do have depth problems. Missing only two Day 1 starters—Dean and nickel corner Tykee Smith—yesterday highlighted our lack of depth at all of our positions. I’ve been vocal about my concerns regarding our corner and edge talent all offseason, and the lack of depth extends to both starters and backups.
The edge position has been a concern for me since JPP left. We haven’t adequately replaced talent at the Edge position for three years, which is baffling. The edge position is arguably the most critical on defense, as it impacts the effectiveness of every other position. Our current options—Yaya, JTS, Braswell, and Nelson—simply aren’t cutting it. NO EXCUSE. I’ve maintained that Yaya is a tough player but isn’t someone you can rely on for consistent pressure. He struggles against tackles setting up in pass pro on passing situations. I said JTS was a bad draft pick the day we selected him. He was a 3rd or 4th round talent. Braswell is a rookie with limited upside. None of these players are difference-makers, which is why we’re struggling to generate pressure with our front four.
Conclusion: We’ve allowed 30+ points in four consecutive games. If we hadn’t brought Cohen in to run this offense, we might be sitting at 2-6 right now. I’m not interested in hearing that this was meant to be a rebuilding year or that we’re still paying past players. Bowles and Licht didn’t enter this season with that mindset. They expected playoffs and contending. You can’t do that with this type of coaching and talent. This is the kind of performance that gets coaches fired. If Bowles can’t adapt as a defensive coordinator to keep opposing offenses under 30 points per game, then it’s time for a change. This is his primary responsibility to the team.
The problem is we haven’t had the ability to bolster both sides of the ball, the top draft resource this year went to Barton, no one would change that now, but I had CB high on my list. Tykee was a great pick, but he’s now injured. As was mentioned by one of the pundits on JBF, who knew SirVocea Dennis was the key to the defense? Yet, he was our only cover ILB, there’s a lot of injury-related holes on defense.
I don’t deny Bowles has made mistakes. He’s earned the ire of Bucs fans, but it’s my belief it’s more about Licht’s inability, or refusal, to pay more attention to key areas of the defense in FA, and injury-depletion of the same.
I agree with you that if we hadn’t upgraded the offense the losses would be worse, I just don’t think you can get a NFL coach to be effective with the giant holes on this defense with practice squad fill-ins & rookies.
The folks frustrated with this lack of a defense have every right to be frustrated, but I don’t know if everyone is assigning blame to the right folks. Whether we like to hear it or not, Licht has tied Bowles hands. That’s probably due to future consideration of cap space. It’s a struggle that I don’t think is going to be resolved by a coaching change.
I’m not interested in hearing that this was meant to be a rebuilding year or that we’re still paying past players. Bowles and Licht didn’t enter this season with that mindset.
I think their actions say they did, especially compared to the last run up
If you want an easy contrast look at the Lions. That is a team arguably doing bad deals because they are ACTUALLY on the cusp
They expected playoffs and contending.
By their words, for sure.
(anyway, this is why I posted that it would be great to know the truth, even well after the season)
In order:
Bowles scheme
LB play being abysmal, old, and lacking talent
Edge rushers being ass
Bowles d-line rotation
Winfield regression
Lack of depth
Expecting Dean to play 10 games
Turnovers on offense/lack of turnovers on defense
In order:
Bowles scheme
LB play being abysmal, old, and lacking talent
Edge rushers being ass
Bowles d-line rotation
Winfield regression and Whitehead not living up to coverage expectations
Lack of depth
Expecting Dean to play 10 games
Turnovers on offense/lack of turnovers on defense
agree with all of that and only add the part in BOLD
On the "[e]dge rushers being ass part, agreed too.
This offseason they prioritized O-line over edge rush, taking Barton, and almost every edge rusher discussed positively on this board is either gone before Barton or certainly before we then take Braswell. No trades or FAs as alternatives.
In addition, their existing stable of edge rushers are a backup depth guy (nelson) and a guy who was moved inside and a bust . .. all products of the Brady-era Super Bowl team ie need picks. W are still dealing with the cost of that MASSIVE SUCCESS during the Brady are, cap and players.
Most true singular impact edge rushers are premium picks. Take the Lions (a team that is actually going all-in), Hutchinson and Davenport are top 15 ish 1st round picks. Those guys are both injured and the NEWS is filled with stories about who they will trade for to replace them. They may or may not actually trade, but the news is filled with those stories because they are viewed as a legit "all-in" contender. The Bucs, not so much.
This is a FRONT OFFICE that knows how to bring in outside edge rushers.
They traded DRAFT picks for an eccentric JPP and it really worked out great. They got Barrett on a one year nothing deal (when he had never had more than a handful of sacks in a season?) and boy did that work out.
They know how to go get them . . . . and yet they did NOT.
