FAB 4. TANDY HAS EMERGED AS BUCS’ STARTING SAFETY
Safeties Bradley McDougald and Chris Conte have a lot to play for on Sunday against Carolina as Tampa Bay ends its 2016 regular season. Both are unrestricted free agents in 2017, and despite improved play over the course of the second half of the season, neither is a lock to return to the Buccaneers next year.

It’s also a very big game for Keith Tandy, a reserve safety for much of his first four years in Tampa Bay, who has developed into a surprise starter this year. Tandy will have one final opportunity to prove to the Bucs coaches and front office that he is capable of being a playmaking, 16-game starter in Tampa Bay heading into next year.

Bucs S Keith Tandy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Like he did in 2013 in the last year under Greg Schiano when he stepped in for an injured Dashon Goldson and intercepted three passes while forcing a fumble and recovering another, Tandy has made plays when called upon to be a starter. After playing the final four games against Seattle after Conte suffered a serious chest injury, he got his first start of the season the next week at San Diego.

With the game on the line, Tandy’s end zone interception in the waning minutes sealed the victory for the Buccaneers. The following week at home against New Orleans, Tandy recorded four tackles and defended three passes while picking off Drew Brees late in the fourth quarter to clinch another last-minute win.

When Conte returned to action the following week at Dallas, he rotated at safety with McDougald – not Tandy, who played all 74 snaps against the Cowboys and recorded a career-high 14 tackles. McDougald played 66 snaps at Dallas while Conte saw action for eight plays on defense.

In last week’s loss at New Orleans, Tandy once again played all 71 snaps. McDougald played 50, while Conte played 21.

Heading into the 2016 regular season finale it’s clear that Tandy, who has one year left on the two-year deal he signed this past offseason, is atop the Bucs depth chart at safety.

“It’s really my mindset,” Tandy said. “[Greg] Schiano told me I’m one play from starting. You never know. You could be the fourth safety and on the first play of the game they bump heads and all of a sudden you’re in. So my mindset was that I never wanted to come in and embarrass myself. If I get a chance, I’m going to come out and make sure I know what I’m doing, and I’m going to make my play when it’s time for me to make it. You want to go out there and be a difference-maker. So every week I’d come in and just watch film. Doesn’t matter if I’m starting or not starting. The only difference is I watch a lot more of their offense if I’m starting and I won’t watch as much special teams.”

Bucs S Keith Tandy – Photo by: Getty Images

Tandy’s preparation and film study has allowed him to make an instant impact on Tampa Bay’s defense since his insertion into the starting lineup five weeks ago. Despite not playing as many snaps as the other mainstays at safety, Tandy’s two interceptions ties him with McDougald and Conte. He also has a career-high 45 tackles and seven pass breakups on the season, in addition to a fumble recovery.

“Well I think that it’s very obvious that Keith Tandy is a guy that takes the best opportunities and makes the most of them,” Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith said. “That’s what he’s shown the last [few] weeks. Keith has probably got the best football intelligence on our defense. He’s got a really good understanding of how people are trying to attack us. He’s almost like a coach, in terms of the way that he prepares. I’ve been very impressed having conversations with him throughout the year and I’m not a bit surprised when he’s had his opportunity to go out and play, that’s been able to be productive. And it is a very good problem to have because we’ve had some good safety play over the last five or six weeks and it gives us lots of flexibility, in terms of what we want to do.”

Tandy’s preparation led to his critical, fourth-quarter interceptions against San Diego and New Orleans.

“You’ve got to trust your instincts, but you’ve got to do you due diligence,” Tandy said. “Like, you’ve got to say, ‘What do they run out of certain situations and formations?’ One thing I don’t do is I don’t guess. So sometimes you see a formation, and I know what route it might be – that’s not what I do. I anticipate, then say, ‘okay, I got this foot in the ground, so if I see something that tells me it’s that route I’m going to fire my gun and go after my guy.’ It’s not like, ‘Oh, they’re in a bunch formation, they always run this route in a bunch formation, let me go ahead and jump it.’ Because a lot of times you end up running past the route. So you just kind of anticipate what they can run, and by anticipating, I can have my foot lower and be ready to break.”

Bucs S Keith Tandy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s those subtleties that make Tandy a true student of the game and have put him in a surprising position to contend for a starting safety job next year in Tampa Bay. Whether or not Conte and/or McDougald return, the Bucs are expected to draft a safety in April as the team has moved 2016 fourth-round draft pick Ryan Smith from safety to cornerback during the season.

Yet Tandy’s focus is not on making plays to ensure he’ll start in 2017. He’s looking to make plays to ensure the Bucs are victorious one more time in 2016.

“Honestly, when I go out there I’m trying to win games,” Tandy said. “The more I think about winning this play, winning this rep, everything else takes care of itself.”