When Rondé Barber puts on his doctor coat, you know the Bucs’ defensive problems are real. Barber did just that during an extended segment on The Rondé Barber Show on Wednesday as he diagnosed the unit’s problems and offered remedies to improve.

The legendary Hall of Fame cornerback is not pleased with Tampa Bay on that side of the football, acknowledging just how close the team is to entering panic mode. The whole weekly show is always a great watch, but here are the main takeaways about what Barber had to say.

Rondé Barber: “I Don’t Want To Panic, But It’s Accountability Time”

The Bucs are starting to slide, and indications are the 6-4 squad will continue trending downward with the 8-2 Rams next up on Sunday. Los Angeles is the opposite of Tampa Bay right now, hitting a midseason stride with five convincing wins in a row, averaging 29.8 points per game and only allowing 13 points per game during that stretch. It is no surprise that many predict that recent trends will continue.

Even knowing all of this, Rondé Barber is not panicking – yet.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and legendary CB Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The reason I’m okay right now – one – because we’ve been here before,” Barber said. “We’ve done this, right? It seems like four years in a row we’ve done this. We got great leadership, I think. We’ve got Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield Jr., Mike Evans, even though he’s out, and Tristan Wirfs. These are all guys that stabilize a locker room, and if you noticed after the game, all the comments were calm. They weren’t overreactive; they did the galvanizing speeches, Todd [Bowles] and Baker [Mayfield] did that last week. They didn’t feel the need to do it this week, so it feels like they should be in control.”

All is not quiet on the western front heading into Week 12. Concerns have grown louder, not for the leadership, but for the results. Giving up explosive plays on defense and not getting enough on offense is simply not the blueprint for wins.

With the offense in its current state, they are not built to get into shootouts every week. Now more than ever, the defense has to step up and work to fix all of the mistakes that plagued them. Otherwise, this will be the latest chapter of Bowles and the Bucs needing to overcome another losing streak.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little bit concerned [with the] explosive plays,” Barber added. “Our offense isn’t built to be explosive in return, especially without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr., J-Mac, and Bucky [Irving]. Without having them there, we’re not explosive. This organization, this team, coached by Bowles, this is his story now, right? This is how it continues to happen, so it kind of is what it is.

“I don’t want to panic, but I do want to say it’s accountability time. If the Bucs lose more games like this, blown coverages and no pass rush, sloppy stuff, then yes, we’re officially going to enter panic mode. I am going to be sitting on the couch drinking my adult beverages with Whiskey back, I don’t want to get there yet, but we’re probably close.”

Rondé Barber Provides Three Treatment Plans To Help Bucs’ Defense Get Better

Enter Dr. Rondé Barber to provide some remedies for the Bucs’ defense. Although Barber aced his segment, hopefully it is the only time he needs to go all out to give out a three-step treatment plan. In doing so, he brought a voice to many of the frustrations everyone has had about what they have seen. Although the talent is there from a personnel standpoint, too many big plays and blown assignments have occurred with Tampa Bay’s secondary at fault.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“They have to change the coverage menu,” Barber said beginning his critiques of the defense. “There are way too many busts going on right now. You have good players at this point. Jamel Dean being hurt is a problem because he was having a great year. He offered more consistency this year than I have ever seen him have as a Buc. If you have to change to eliminate mental errors, then do it, especially with the young cornerbacks in there.”

If step one is to change the coverage looks and simplify things across the board, step two is changing who the other outside cornerback is opposite Zyon McCollum for the next game. With Benjamin Morrison going through the rookie blues, it is time for him to play less and rely more on Jacob Parrish. This is not the time to throw Morrison into the fire, not against the elite duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Bucs CB Jacob Parrish – Photo by: USA Today

“Tighten up your rotation,” Barber added. “I love Jacob Parrish, man. The guy has been a revelation this year. Not only is he great in pass coverage, he’s great blitzing, he’s great in space tackling. By doing that, you start him at corner. He plays nickel, but I’d start him at corner. Limit B-Mo’s snaps because Benjamin Morrison – I think he’s going to be a good player, but there are a lot of busts happening right now.

“The game almost seems too big for him. There are moments in the game that seem too big. There are some things that he does technically – it’s just me being a corner trying to fix the remedies — he needs to work out. He takes too many steps off the line of scrimmage whether it’s in man coverage, he takes too many steps when transitioning, those things get you when teams start targeting you. Jacob’s just a better player. He’s much more detailed in his work and he’s doing a really good job as a rookie right now. I think he’s the better of the two.”

With that being said, Barber’s last point is about the pass rush. Los Angeles may have just one more sack than Tampa Bay this season (27 sacks to 26 sacks), but what has made them such a better defense in preventing points is the consistent pressure their front seven brings. Todd Bowles’ unit has not in recent weeks and adding to that is recording just one sack over the past two games.

Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

They will take it however it comes, whether from a four-man pass rush or dialing up blitzes. What cannot happen, though, is Bowles placing his pass rushers in spots to get beat in pass coverage.

“Lastly, you have to simplify these pressure looks,” Barber said. “We have really good players on defense, so if selectively blitzing is more effective than always trying to confuse offenses, then blitz, especially on critical downs. How many times do I have to see an edge player, guys wearing number zero [Yaya Diaby] or 98 [Anthony Nelson] running in a flat with a running back or wide receiver because that’s their responsibility? They’re rushers.

“That makes sense to me for this defense when Haason Reddick gets healthy. He’s the guy that can handle those situations; these other guys cannot. They’re just not that type of athlete. I know it’s one of the biggest tenants of Todd Bowles’ defense is to be variable, but you have to be more… normal. Don’t call plays that are going to put players in position to get beat… At some point, you got to let your edge players be edge players.”

There is really not much of a basis to argue against Rondé Barber here. Bowles and his defensive coaches have had to answer questions this week revolving around these topics, and the last thing that should be attempted is the same old, same old.

Allowing 72 points over the past two games and six touchdowns of 25 yards or more should make the defensive play-caller embarrassed because good defenses, the ones Barber played on back in the day, did not give them up at a rate even close to what is going on currently.

“We have to find a way to be better on defense,” Barber said. “It’s frustrating me to no end. I hate unsoundness and I hate giving up big plays. I know Monte Kiffin, God rest his soul, he would be rolling over in his grave right now watching all these big plays happen.”

Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, and all of the Rams’ weapons make it extremely difficult to turn things around this week. If Todd Bowles and the Bucs defense can somehow limit them and find a way to do the improbable, this team could still turn things around and go on a regular season run of their own.