FAB 2. Carl Nasty Is A Huge Addition To Bucs Defense

Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has become one of general manager Jason Licht’s biggest steals when it comes to personnel acquisitions during his tenure in Tampa Bay. Licht absolutely fleeced New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman when he stole JPP, who leads the Bucs with 10.5 sacks, for a third-round pick.

But after trading for Pierre-Paul, signing defensive end Vinny Curry and defensive tackles Beau Allen and Mitch Unrein, and spending a first-round pick on defensive tackle Vita Vea in the offseason, Licht wasn’t done rebuilding the Bucs’ defensive line – or thieving.

Bucs DE Carl Nassib – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht also stole defensive end Carl Nassib, Cleveland’s former third-round pick out of Penn State and Hard Knocks star, off the waiver wire before the start of the season. Licht could have doubled down on Noah Spence, his second-round pick in 2016, but he had a very disappointing preseason with just half a sack, and Licht knew he needed another edge rusher in case Spence didn’t come around.

Enter the 6-foot-7, 275-pound Nassib, who quickly supplanted Spence on the game day roster in Week 1 at New Orleans just days after arriving in Tampa Bay. Nassib made an immediate impact, nearly sacking Drew Brees in his Bucs debut.

“We liked him coming out of college,” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. “We did a lot of work on Carl coming out of college. If it would’ve been the right opportunity, we might’ve picked him coming right out of college. He’s a smart guy. He didn’t play a perfect game [in New Orleans]. It’s tough to come in – no matter what position you play – it’s tough to come in and play missing the majority of training camp. Carl’s got length. He’s got good power. He’s a similar player to Will Gholston in that respect. Those are the things we liked about him. We’ve got to get him up to speed and he’ll be able to be a part of that rotation.”

Nassib is a quick learner and took advantage of more snaps once Curry went down with a high ankle sprain against Atlanta. He got his first start of the season against Cleveland, his former team, the following week and had his first two sacks as a Buccaneer along with a brilliant pass breakup downfield in coverage.

Pierre-Paul has been instrumental in helping the Bucs go from a team that had a league-low 22 sacks last year to one that is on pace for 42 this year. The Bucs haven’t had 40 sacks or more since the 2004 season.

Bucs DEs Carl Nassib & Jason Pierre-Paul – Photo by: Mary Holt/PR

But little did Licht know that he would be able to find two new pass-rushing forces at defensive ends in 2018. The other defensive end was supposed to be Spence or Curry, who was a salary cap casualty in Philadelphia, but a high ankle sprain against Atlanta in Week 6 has caused him to miss time and limited him to 1.5 sacks.

Instead, it’s been Nassib, who is earning the nickname Carl Nasty this season for his relentless pursuit of the quarterback and his ability to wreak havoc, that is the bookend for Pierre-Paul.

“He’s growing, he’s learning, he’s catching on,” Pierre-Paul said. “I got more years than him in this league, but at the end of the day, he’s playing well and really starting to get the hang of it. Right now he’s one of the most important pieces to the defense. Just being out there, bringing a lot of energy. His stride to the ball and his work ethic – he’s just trying to win games. That’s it. He’s doing great.”

In New York two weeks ago, Nassib and Pierre-Paul split a sack, and the two have been working well in Curry’s absence with both defensive ends recording 5.5 sacks during a six-game span like bookends.

“It’s very important, you need to have two guys ideally,” Pierre-Paul said. “He’s in that role, he’s still learning, I think Coach Buck (Brentson Buckner) does a great job of teaching him. I think as you’re in this league and time goes by and the years go by, you just learn a lot of stuff. You get smarter. I just think that’s what he’s doing. He’s learning and understanding how to play football. He’s out there flying around, having fun.”

Nassib has relished playing opposite Pierre-Paul as the two have combined for 10 sacks over the last six games.

Bucs DEs Carl Nassib and Jason Pierre-Paul – Photo by: Mary Holt/PR

“It excites me,” Nassib said. “I look at him and I want to compete against him. I want to be as good as him. He just really makes me want to up my game because of how much of a stellar player he is. He’s a great teammate. The guy barely comes off the field. He plays hard every single snap, so what I try to do is be productive every single time on the field because that’s his M.O.”

Curry suffered a high ankle sprain against Atlanta which caused him to miss two games before returning to action

“That’s my guy,” Curry said. “Carl is a good dude and a hard worker. He’s a dude you want in the foxhole with you. He’s got a motor on him and that’s what makes him special.

“Competition brings out the best in all of us. He’s a quick learner. He asks a lot of questions, but that motor is something. He’s a one of a kind person, too. He might be one of the funniest dudes on the team. Carl is the man.”

If the Bucs are going to make any sort of run at the end of the season, they’ll need Carl Nasty and JPP to continue to get after the quarterback, especially Carolina’s Cam Newton, whom Tampa Bay will face on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

“I think everything starts with JPP and Nassib,” Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. “Those two, from a disruption standpoint, and then Gerald (McCoy) is still a handful when he gets singled inside. Teams haven’t been able to focus quite as much on Gerald, but I think the penetration of Carl and just the overall doggedness of JPP, who just won’t quit, I think that’s pushed the entire group to bigger heights.”

Bucs DE Carl Nassib – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Nassib totaled 5.5 sacks in his first two seasons in the league with Cleveland, and has matched that already this year in Tampa Bay. He’s always been a late bloomer, not starting a game in high school and then having to walk on at Penn State where he recorded only two sacks in his first three years before exploding on the scene for the Nittany Lions as a senior with 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, which led the nation. Nassib won the 2015 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, the Ronnie Lott Trophy, the Ted Hendricks Award and the Vince Lombardi Award in addition to being an All-American.

“Carl was a special player coming out of college with his length,” Buckner said. “Carl is physical and he plays hard. You can’t coach effort. Now he’s learning and understanding the game. He’s a young guy. It was a blessing to get a guy like that on the waiver wire with length and who came from a great program like Penn State. I just plugged him in to see how fast he could develop.”

It’s one thing to have a one great edge rusher, but to have two bookends that can feed off each other and make lives miserable is something every NFL team longs for.

“They’re like the Odd Couple because they are always arguing,” Buckner said. “They play well together. They’re both long and they press the pocket. They understand what the other one can and can’t do. They just take advantage of it. Carl knows that JPP is going to get a lot of attention and his production is going to come early. And JPP knows that once Carl gets production it’s going to be to time for him. It’s a great back and forth thing when they feed off each other.”

Bucs DEs Jason Pierre-Paul and Carl Nassib – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Nassib’s determination and production has transformed him into Carl Nasty this season. It took 13 years for Pierre-Paul to break the Curse of Simeon Rice and become the franchise’s first double-digit sacker since Rice last did it in 2004, but if Nassib can collect 4.5 sacks over the last five games – which isn’t out of the question – JPP might not be the Bucs’ only double-digit sacker this season.

“You always want to improve, and statistics aren’t everything, it’s all about wins and losses for me,” Nassib said. “I think that they can rely on me to do my job every time. I hate messing up, I hate making mistakes, things like that. Just being accountable is something that I’ve always tried to be. I’m just trying to help my team every single chance that I can. If that results in nice stats then that’s great, and if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to win games.”