The Bucs have made improvements everywhere on their roster heading into this season. Areas in which we’ve seen immediate impacts have included the defensive side of the ball and how they are attacking. By nature, this group ran by head coach Todd Bowles has always been an aggressor due to his play calling style. But in the past, there were times when the Bucs had a need for speed in order to keep up with Bowles’ demands. This time, they just have speed.

Early on in training camp, the Bucs defense has looked faster. Whether it’s been staying up with receivers and knocking the ball away for a pass breakup or chasing after the quarterback on the pass rush, the Bucs look ready for the task at hand.

Why do they look so ready to go? Everyone has committed to playing their part by getting in shape weeks and months ago to hit the ground running.

“This is probably the most in shape that we’ve come in in about three or four years,” Bowles had said after the team’s first camp practice.

Bucs Can Attack From All Angles

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay does have a new addition at outside linebacker with Chris Braswell, who is off to good start, but where we’ve seen the real speed flourish is with the Bucs relying on a younger group in the secondary.

“We have some guys, especially our younger guys,” All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said. “I feel like they fit well in our system and I feel like we did get faster, we got smarter, and I feel like we have playmakers all over.”

One of the ways they plan to improve was by drafting safety Tykee Smith in the third round. His role isn’t defined yet, though there’s a good chance Smith will start at nickel corner or at least be involved in packages that could potentially see him, Winfield and Jordan Whitehead all on the field at the same time to get the most out of their abilities.

“He’s smart, he’s cerebral,” Winfield said of Smith. “He knows his stuff. He plays physical. He plays hard and he has a great mentality towards the game which I love.”

An Even Faster And Better Zyon McCollum

Another piece of the puzzle and what that might be on a similar level of importance as Winfield and Whitehead re-uniting is third-year corner Zyon McCollum taking yet another step forward. It’s early, but McCollum isn’t allowing an inch of space to any receivers in coverage.

“Zyon is a heck of a player, he’s probably one of our top three athletes,” Bowles said of McCollum. “He’s got vertical, he’s got lateral movement, he’s got speed and he’s got awareness. He understands the game now. He’s playing with a lot of confidence.

In Thursday’s practice, McCollum got pass breakups covering Mike Evans one-on-one on back-to-back plays in the end zone. Evans is a future Hall of Famer, so it’s not just your regular incompletion.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles And CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

“Zyon, that’s my guy, you know, Galveston, [Texas], that’s my guy,” Evans said of McCollum. “We’ve been getting a lot of work his first three years now, and he’s improving and improving.”

The confidence level continues to grow exponentially for McCollum. He knows everything about his role on the defense, so he’s gone from trying to figure out what he needs to do versus studying the routes his opponent is going to run or understanding where his help is going to be from a linebacker or safety.

McCollum is so fast that he knows exactly how quick or slow he needs to go. He’s essentially trying to goad the quarterback into believing the receiver he is covering is open, but really, it’s just an opportunity to strike and pounce on the play.

“I don’t have to cover everybody at super speed, so I can be really patient,” McCollum said. “When somebody gives me a release, I don’t have to be on top. I don’t have to be in a dominant position. I can kind of just play with them a little bit because I know that they can’t separate from me. So, it just allows me to be more comfortable, backpedal a little bit slower, anticipate breaks a little bit more, and so just use my speed in that way.”

Turnovers have been preached heavily by the Bucs coaching staff. McCollum has yet to get one, but the odds are that he’ll have a couple by the end of the season.