All-Twenty Tuesday: Bucs’ D Under Duffner

There are a handful of film topics I had to work with. I could have chosen to highlight the Bucs’ poor run blocking against Cleveland, going back and seeing how it has been a continuing problem this season. I could have looked at Jameis Winston’s turnovers and sacks and seen if better decisions could have been made.

But I was critical enough of them during the game, during the podcast and even during the first part of this article.

They won, and they deserve some praise for that. That’s why instead I’m highlighting one of the best defensive performances of the season, the first under interim defensive coordinator Mark Duffner.

This game just had a different tone to it on the defensive side. I’m sure Duffner had something to do with that, but I can’t pin-point exactly what it was since I wasn’t in the thick of it.

It could have been the fact that they called less coverage variations, as a whole, and were able to give guys less to think about, allowing them to just play faster with instincts. It could have been the fact that Duffner was calling the defense from the field and was able to connect with his guys between series. Or maybe it was the defensive calls themselves.

It was likely a combination of all three of those things and more, but to that last point, check out the play above. That’s a slot corner blitz on second down – the second play of the game. I can’t recall the Bucs ever dialing up blitzes that early in the series or the game under former defensive coordinator Mike Smith.

Right off the bat things were different, in that regard.

On the Bucs’ first sack of the game, they went to a formation that has been reliable for them for pressure in 2018.

It was that exotic look with two down linemen and the rest of the players rushing the pocket coming from stand-up, unconventional spots. This has been able to confuse offensive lines with regularity this season, and early in that game, as shown above, it continued its success.

Making things uncomfortable and chaotic for offensive lines means good things happen for the pass rush.

Who knew?

It would be criminal of me not to highlight the day of one Carl Nassib.

Nassib tried to down-play the importance of this game to him, as a former member of the Cleveland Browns, but his stat-line and game tape sure didn’t show a player who didn’t have a little extra motivation in him for that one.

I did a Cover 3 on Nassib when he first came to the Buccaneers and in his film I saw a player with a high motor who I thought would be a nice rotational piece as a guy to come in and give a ton of energy on a few plays and then sub out.

I didn’t see stuff like the clip above.

On Sunday, Nassib was violent off the snap out of his stance and just as violent with his hands in pass rush. Cleveland’s offensive line couldn’t handle him.

Even on his second sack, it wasn’t a clean sack of a move, but Nassib kept leverage, got full arm extension and was able to spin off his guy at the perfect time to run right into Mayfield trying to escape. And look at Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea get the assist by squeezing Mayfield’s escape route with power and strength.

Like I said, I saw a high-motor player from Nassib in his tape before Tampa, but his Bucs games are clearly the best games of his career already.

What a find for Jason Licht.

It is such a shame that Kwon Alexander got hurt on this play, because it will honestly go down as one of the best defensive plays of the season.

On 4th-and-2, with 26 seconds left before the half, Bucs linebacker Lavonte David went from an inside blitz to pursuit of the quarterback, and gave so much effort on the play he not only caught up to Mayfield, but chopped the ball right out from him, which knocked it backwards and out of bounds before the first down marker.

Bucs ball.

Unbelievable.

The reason I said David’s play will be “one of” the best defensive plays and not “the best” defensive play is because likely the best defensive pay of the season came later in the game when the Bucs stood Mayfield up on the goal line on fourth down.

I don’t think you all realize just how hard that is to stand the team up on the half-yard line, especially when it is a quarterback sneak. On such a play, you have to get immediate, overwhelming push from the nose tackle that is in the direction of the run, you have to have a linebacker flying in right after and over him, and you have to have an immediate close by the edge player to grab and stop the ball carrier after all the blocks are accounted for.

And that’s exactly what happened.

This Cover 3 was a little different. It wasn’t as much me pointing out schemes or technique, and honestly, that’s because the Bucs didn’t do anything that they haven’t done at least a few times already this season. They were more aggressive with a little more man coverage, but it was the way they played coverage and the way they rushed the passer that was different this week.

Tampa Bay played inspired football on defense. Holding the Browns to just 3-of-14 third down conversions and 0-of-2 on fourth down is proof of that.

The Bucs defenders played with heart and focus all around. They looked much less confused and hesitant on the back end, and that made for more confident, instinctual play.

That resulted in the win.

Let’s hope this is the norm under Duffner.