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FAB 1. Sapp Not Sold On The Bucs

The Buccaneers signed Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time!

Tampa Bay traded for Gronk, a future Hall of Fame tight end!

Cue the 2020 playoffs and end the dozen-year postseason drought, right?

Wrong, according to Bucs legend Warren Sapp.

I caught up with the Hall of Famer, Bucs Ring of Honor member and Super Bowl XXXVII champion this week to get his thoughts on the 2020 Buccaneers, and he wasn’t sold on this team winning 10 games and making the playoffs.

“We have to play defense,” Sapp said. “A new quarterback doesn’t fix that. You want to sell it as ‘he won’t turn it over and there won’t be pick-sixes.’ Yeah, it was all Jameis’ fault. I got it. Just watch. There was nothing wrong with our receiving corps and we had a 5,000-yard passer. He just needed to not throw as many picks. But I played with Dilfer, so …”

“Hey, we’re still under the assumption that we have two tackles that can block, right? Here’s what I’m trying to tell you all. We get the sexy quarterback and all of the [expletive] deficiencies on our team are suddenly fixed. No, they’re not. We haven’t even addressed them. We brought back [expletive] [Ndamukong] Suh and we could have spent some money on a left tackle. What am I missing here? We’re going to put out a quarterback, who is the [fourth]-most sacked quarterback with over 500 sacks on him – only Ben Roethlisberger [among active quarterbacks] has more, and we hardly addressed the offensive line.”

Okay, so Sapp isn’t sold on left tackle Donovan Smith, nor is he sold on Suh after last year’s 7-9 finish, which was slightly better than back-to-back 5-11 records in 2017-18. The Bucs did draft Tristan Wirfs in the first round this year, but is he going to upgrade the right tackle position as a rookie?

For Sapp, it’s all about Tampa Bay’s defense.

“When the Buccaneers have two defensive tackles that want to have more damn sacks than touchdowns … we’re in the same position we’ve been in. We’re going to score 37 points and we’ve got to hold on and hope they don’t score 40. That’s what I’ve been watching the last couple of years. People are going to tell me that Tom Brady isn’t going to throw as many pick-sixes, but it doesn’t matter. He still has to go score because they (the Bucs’ opponents) are going to score on us. I don’t know what Bucs defense you’ve been watching the last few years, but that ain’t defense to me.”

Bucs DTs Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Sapp shortchanged the combined sack total of Suh and nose tackle Vita Vea, whom he’s never been fond of, from last year. Suh and Vea each had 2.5 sacks and totaled five, while they had three touchdowns between them. Suh had two on fumble returns, while Vea had a touchdown catch at Atlanta while lining up as a fullback.

But the QB Killa’s point is that more production is needed from Suh and Vea, especially when it comes to the team’s pass rush. Hey, Sapp is still a defensive tackle at heart.

“Until our defensive tackles become something to be dealt with we’re nowhere,” Sapp said. “Because that’s where your defense has to be strong in the National Football League. That’s where they create the hole – right down the middle. You can’t patrol it and hit people under the chin and wake them up [anymore]. That’s wide open and I don’t see us defending it.”

Pro Football Focus recently named Vea, the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, as the 17th best interior defensive lineman in the league. Vea has a long way to go before he’s in the class of Los Angeles’ Aaron Donald, Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward or Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett – all of whom recorded at least 7.5 sacks last year.

“The defensive tackles need to step up,” Sapp said. “I will not rest until our defensive tackles come to play. They have to come to play. There’s no other way – both of them. [Vea] was the 12th pick in the draft. Shit, I remember another 12th pick in the draft at defensive tackle (Sapp) and he was pretty good. But I’ve always said that no one could work out in California and then come to Florida and dominate.”

Sapp, a Florida native, played his entire football career in the state – from high school in Apopka, Fla., to Miami for college and Tampa Bay once he hit the NFL in 1995.

Bucs DT Warren Sapp – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I’m going to tell you something that nobody thinks about,” Sapp said. “How many 1:00 p.m. games did I have when we got good and we went to Raymond James Stadium? None. We were on at 4:00 p.m. and at night. We were the late game for the national audience. We never got that 1:00 p.m. game! I would have broke some NFL guards if they would have come down here, coming out of halftime in the third quarter at 3:00 p.m. down here in Florida in the heat of the day. I was going to break your neck and your quarterback’s neck because you were going to throw up! You ain’t used to this heat! The hottest part of the day is at 3:00 p.m. in Florida. That’s the third quarter and I would have been on their ass in that second half. We got too good too fast. They would have puked down here – Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago, Green Bay. They would have puked on their own hands. I watched Penn State do this down here in Miami. I watched Virginia Tech do this down in Miami.

“Down here in Florida in the middle of the heat and [Suh and Vea] aren’t doing nothing in the second half. They are whipped in the second half. That’s when you are supposed to roll them and throw their (Tampa Bay’s opponents) asses out of Raymond James Stadium because they can’t stand the heat. I was in it every day. This is what I trained in. You can’t do it when you come from Washington or Oregon. Where does [Vea] train? Washington. Where does he play? Here. Neither one is equipped for the heat down here. And you can see it in the second half of games. They ain’t going across the line of scrimmage at all.”

Sapp doesn’t put a lot of stock in the fact that Vea and Suh are a force against the run and helped Tampa Bay achieve the league’s number one rushing defense last year, limiting opponents to just 73.8 yards per game on the ground and allowing just 2.9 yards per carry.

“Don’t try to tell me about the lowest run defense,” Sapp barked. “Who the hell would run against them if you could just throw it everywhere? If you are dropping back and there’s no pressure from the middle on your quarterback – and all you have to do is watch Shaq [Barrett] and JPP (Jason Pierre-Paul), and I can put a tight end on him and chip on the other one. Don’t talk about the top run defense when I can throw it all around the yard for 350 yards. Why the hell do I want to run it? I’m scoring 30 by throwing it. I’ll score 15-20 by running it. You’re crazy. I’m throwing it.”

I remind Sapp that the Bucs’ pass rush did just fine last year without a bunch from Vea and Suh. In fact, Tampa Bay’s 47 sacks were the second-highest in team history and Barrett’s 19.5 sacks led the NFL.

Bucs NT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Shaq had 19.5 and another 8.5 from JPP – that’s damn near 30 from those two,” Sapp said. “Where did the other 17 or so come from – linebackers? Your D-tackles had (five) together. So they had (five) sacks and three touchdowns between them? That’s not winning football. You’ve got to have 15 sacks between them. Someone has to go off for eight and the other one seven.

“[Teams] are not even considering running the ball against us. They are throwing it every down and these two sit there and bounce off offensive linemen with straight extensions just looking. What are they doing? The quarterback is dropping back five yards. You have to go up and get him! We need to get some inside pressure with our two good ends – no, a great end and a better-than-average end in JPP. We have two premier ends in this league, and they have nothing up the middle to push the pocket. They need to turn the hump, get in the pocket and go get the quarterback.”

I told Sapp that even if the Bucs’ interior pass rush from Suh and Vea doesn’t get better this season then defensive coordinator Todd Bowles plans on blitzing inside linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David more in 2020. Last year, White had 2.5 sacks while David had one.

“Now you blitz the middle and I throw it to the running back in the flat, and now nobody gets the check and there’s nobody in coverage,” Sapp said. “Drew Brees choked us with that back out of the backfield shit last year, didn’t he? Killed us. That’s how they do it. That’s what Sean Payton does – if you want to blitz, you’ve got to pick up the back, and we don’t do it that well.”

New Orleans Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara caught 16 passes for 89 yards in two games last year against Tampa Bay. Saints tight end Jared Cook had six catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns against the Bucs in 2019.

“We can’t cover a back out of the backfield on a wheel route, and we can’t cover a tight end. I don’t get it. Shaq is rushing his ass off, but they didn’t even want to pay the man? They wanted him to take the franchise tag? Come on, man! There is no incentive for me to work for you if you are paying Suh all that money and he ain’t doing nothing for you.”

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Okay, we get it. Sapp doesn’t care too much for Suh or Vea.

But what about Brady?

I asked Sapp what he likes about Tampa Bay’s new six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, who is fresh off a 20-year career in New England.

“I like everything – the way he walks, talks and smells,” Sapp said. “I have never been close to him except for a couple of times, but you watch his body of work, and then you watch him call the center and ask him how much he sweats down his butt. That’s the attention to detail that I want on the offensive side of the ball. We’ve never been driven by an offensive guy before except Jameis, and we saw what that was about – eating W’s.

“But Tom is not that kind of dude that is going to be out front like that. I don’t see it. I’ve seen him do the fist pump on the sideline, but I’ve yet to see him grab some dude by the facemask – on offense or defense. It’s not his style. I’ve never seen him grab a player and tell him to get his shit together. Usually that’s Belichick doing that. There is nobody in Tampa with that kind of personality and that kind of voice except for JPP and that ain’t Jay’s style either. He’s gotten more vocal because he’s had to. That’s something you have to grow into, and now Tom is going to have to. It’s going to be a change for Tom and it’s going to be interesting to watch.”

Sapp said that the Bucs offense wasn’t the problem last year outside of too many turnovers from Winston. If Tampa Bay is going to get to the playoffs in 2020 it’s going to have to come up with more plays on defense. The Bucs had just 12 interceptions last year, and will field one of the youngest secondaries in the league in 2020. When Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl in 2002 the defense had a franchise-record 31 INTs.

“Tom doesn’t like pressure in his face at all, and the one thing you are going to do is put that O-line in a one-on-one situation,” Sapp said. “I love Mike Evans. Just drops a couple balls every now and then, but he’s a really good receiver. I love the [Chris] Godwin kid. Let’s just build them up and get them strong, because we’re going to need to score 35 [to win]. I promise you, and I don’t like that.

“The game that defines today’s NFL for me was the 54-51 game where Kansas City played the Rams. Aaron Donald had four sacks in that game. If I got four sacks on your quarterback that means I hit him 10-12 times. He wouldn’t make it to the fourth quarter. The only quarterback I’ve sacked three times and he’s made it to the fourth quarter is Brett Favre. Everybody else – they are gone! When does the assault on the quarterback stop? It doesn’t. You assault him until he’s gone! I watched this kid (Jared Goff) put up 54 points, and it didn’t look like 54 was going to be enough, but [the Rams defense] made a play. You have to make a play on defense in the NFL. Who’s got the ball last and do I have a chance to kick a field goal to beat you or do I need a touchdown? Defense does not win championships anymore. It gives you a chance, and your quarterback – that’s why we count [quarterbacks’] fourth quarter comebacks and overtime wins. I have no idea how many sack-fumbles I have to seal a game, but I know I got some.”

Bucs DC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Sapp makes it clear that he doesn’t lack faith in defensive coordinator Todd Bowles or his 3-4 blitzing scheme. He’s just concerned about the lack of sack production from Vea and Suh, the coverage ability of the young secondary and he isn’t quite sold on middle linebacker Devin White, last year’s fifth overall pick.

“I love Todd Bowles’ system,” Sapp said. “Todd Bowles puts people in position to be held accountable to make plays. There’s nothing like that where it’s in front of you, you know what is being asked of you, and now you have to go out and perform. Man, I wish Todd Bowles would’ve given me a five-man front where I could get some one-on-ones! Everybody has a one-on-one when you put five on the line.”

Is Sapp right to pick on Suh and Vea and hold them responsible for part of the Bucs’ shortcomings on defense? Do defensive tackles still matter in a pass-happy NFL these days?

To Sapp they do, and the fact that last year’s Super Bowl participants, Kansas City and San Francisco, had dominant defensive tackles in the 49ers’ Arik Armstead (10 sacks) and DeForest Buckner (7.5 sacks) and the Chiefs’ Jones is worth noting.

“Pass rushers are premium,” Sapp said. “You get the sack king (Barrett) locked up with the franchise tag and then you get his partner (Pierre-Paul) that was chasing the shit out of them at the end of the season. Now we need the push up the middle. Push the pocket up the middle and stop looking at the quarterback and trying to bat balls. JPP has always been a freak of an athlete – and I mean a freak of an athlete. If he’s healthy he’ll do 12-15 sacks all year long. That’s the kind of guy he is and the NFL allows you to rush the passer now. Nobody runs the ball anymore like they used to. But other than Shaq and him, what’s up the middle? That’s what scares me.

Bucs DT Ndamukong Suh and OLB Shaq Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Man, I’m just watching from franchise – I built it from the ground up – that a damn near 50-year old quarterback … wait, I won’t do that to Tom … a 43-year old with a broke down tight end that didn’t want to play anymore fixing to come to Florida in the blazing hot sun and carry the team that has two defensive tackles that have more touchdowns than sacks. Okay. I’m waiting to see that. I thought I taught you all football better than this, but I see it’s that old saying of ‘We just need a couple of guys to finish this thing off.’ Really? You’re thinking playoffs, right? They’re going to need to win 10 or 11 games to get into the playoffs because they are going to be second to the Saints [in the NFC South]. I don’t see it.”

Hey, Bucs defense – especially Vea and Suh – are you ready to change Sapp’s mind and accept the challenge?

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