Enough Of This Substandard Defense
November 9th, 2010
There are fewer hardcore Bucs fans who wear their emotions on their sleeves than Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WDAE-AM 620. In short, Justin is frustrated.
After watching the Falcons run up 17 points without much effort in the first half Sunday, Justins’ fed up with the Charmin Bucs defense and believes Bucs general manager Mark Dominik should have one goal and one goal only in the offseason:
In writing his weekly “What I Learned About The Bucs” column, Pawlowski believes Dominik should only draft defenders in the first two days of next April’s draft.
1. I learned the Bucs must go all defense at the beginning of the upcoming draft. I’m not going to harp on the lack of competition this defense has faced in regards to opposing quarterbacks this year. I also won’t harp on the poor showings against those terrible quarterbacks. However, when the Bucs have faced decent quarterbacks (Brees & Ryan) this year, they have been torched on the stat sheet and on the scoreboard. The Falcons exploited the Bucs needs on Sunday at linebacker, defensive end, and possibly safety. There are always good players at each of those positions to draft in the first 4 rounds of every draft. The Bucs seem to have their nucleus set on offense, now it’s time to give the fans back their dominating defense.
Right now Joe believes no later than the second round Dominik needs an inside linebacker, a glass-eating brute. In short, Joe wants a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, a guy raised in a broken home who didn’t have two nickels to rub together. An angry, bitter young man with a thin skin on a mission, bitter with the world, hates people and loathes human beings wearing the wrong colors, even more so, motivated to turn the NFL upside down.
November 9th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
what if we pick 2 DE in first 2 rounders AND try to move Quincy Black as MLB, i guess that would help us A LOT!!
November 9th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Wouldnt mind seein a lot of defensive picks, but i would also like to see a goos OL draft pick as well, i think it will have to depend on where the prospects fall and what position we have on the draft board
November 9th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Joe I couldnt agree more on what is needed at LB .. But there is a slight problem .. Take a quick look at ILB prospects for 2011 and it is troubling .. Brandon Spikes would probably be the 1st ILB off the board this year ..
I am no expert but Quincy Black seems to lack instincts and I am not so sure we should give him a big contract .. and then move him to ILB when we have no idea where it would go ..
Maybe there are a few OLB prospects this year who could play ILB in our D .. Travis Lewis of OU is the only prospect I can think of .. But he wont be available when we are picking at #32 in April.
November 9th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
The Tampa 2 is dependent on a pass rush, plain and simple. Just as Olson’s offense don’t work right w/o a running game, neither does our defense work w/o pass rushers who can also stuff the run. The injury to Price is unfortunate because we really don’t know what we have in him, and if he will be the same player when he returns. A stud defensive end instantly makes our inside guys better, and I think Tampa will address that need, as well as linebacker/cornerback/safety in this next draft.
November 9th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
we miss T JACK
November 9th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
I’ve been saying this for months – 1st two picks, DE’s. You would be amazed at how much better we would be and how much better it makes the players behind them. Good LB’s become great LB’s and good DB’s become great DB’s. NFL games are won in the trenches – OL and DL.
FIX THE DL – draft 2 DE’s!
November 9th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
@ aldo i kinda like the idea of puttin black at MLB. if this were the preseason seeing what he could do there would be nice. maybe just switch him and Ruud. cant do it in the middle of the season tho
November 9th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
I agree with the need to draft defense, I just hope we avoid drafting defensive linemen since we can not evaluate talent very well for defensive linemen coming out of college. LB’s and DB’s we seem to do ok with in the draft though.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Dont’a Hightower.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I have posted several times over the last month; here and at other websites:
Rounds 1-3 NEED to be 2 DEs and a run stuffing, emotional leader at MLB.
Rounds 4-6 need to include O-Line and a Safety.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
I’ve been calling for a thumper oin this defense since last season ended. When Ruud was first drafted, he looked like he might actually fill that position, as he was making splash plays left and right in the preseason. I guess that was clearly a case of above average (not great or good) talent (Ruud) taking advantage against mediocre or below average talent (whatever scrubs the other team marched out in those particular games).
I think Ruud is not resigned next year, and he’ll go off and sign a decent deal with some team hard up for LBs and Defensive Leadership, and they’ll find Ruud is a nice LB, and clearly not leadership material.
I think Hayward will be the stop-gap, until whoever we draft is up to spead with how this defense works and can make a regular impact on Sundays during the regular season. Hayward can lay the wood a little better the Ruud, but may get caught out of position from time to time.
IF, and that is a huge IF, the Patriots decide to give up on Brandon Spikes, look the Bucs to do just about whatever they can to pick him up.
November 9th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
We need to draft LBs and DE’s as well as sign them in Free Agnecy. Let the pre-season play out who makes the team… as in our current players vs the free agents… the rookies get to stay for depth or a starting role if they earn it.
Think not JUST the draft, do both, draft and sign Free Agents… the current players need to fend off the Rookies and the Free Agents.
November 9th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Joe wrote, “An angry, bitter young man with a thin skin on a mission, bitter with the world, hates people and loathes human beings wearing the wrong colors,…”
Hey Joe are you advocating the Bucs draft Radio Mushmouth?
November 9th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
This offense is a big play RB away from being truly frightening…..probably going to be some kids like that available in rd 2 and 3 as there usually are, but I agree. D needs major upgrades. Would love a nasty MLB in rd 1
November 9th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Either Ray Lewis or my ex wife ought to suffice.
November 9th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Joe here,
@eric — Hoping she’s got a real mean streak versus being 6-4, 250.
November 9th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Ex-wife, ex-con, or…..hell even an ex-parrot, WHATEVER IT TAKES!!! We need one desperately!
November 9th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
david harris (nyj) paul poslusny (buf) lamar woodley (pit) clint session (ind) one of these guys wont get resigned we need to get one of them..
November 9th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Meybe give Dakota Watson a few reps inside, he’s bigger than Quarles was, plus he has the same kinda speed. Saw him make a slobberknocker tackle last week. What have we got ta lose . .?
November 9th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Derf- lmao!
November 9th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
I don’t get all these articles with people proclaiming we need better pass rushers and a few bigger meaner LBs….like it’s news. Everyone has already known Ruud is soft and our DEs blow since last season.
They can’t do everything at once. In their first two offseasons they grabbed two DTs to start the rebuilding process on defense, and they’ve rebuilt the offense into a great, young exciting group.
I’m sure they realize next year is gonna be all about the defense. With Larsen and Lee playing pretty good the last few weeks, and Dotson and Compass coming back next year, O-line isn’t as big of a glaring need as it was just a few eeks ago. We still need upgrades there, it’s just not as glaring of a hole.
I’ll be surprised if our first three picks aren’t defense, but they seem to have thier own list of prospects and stick to it, taking the BPA. I’m not worried. Just as we are getting to watch these young exciting guys grow together on offense and become a real dynamic threat, next year we will get to watch the same thing on defense. Can’t wait to see it.
DEs
Robert Quinn – NC Tarheels
Jeremy Beal – Oklamhoma *
Sam Acho – Texas
Ryan Kerrigan – Purdue
Broderick Binns – Iowa Hawkeyes
LBs
Akeem Ayers – UCLA Bruins
Kelvin Sheppard – LSU
Von Miller – Texas A&M
Nate Irving – North Carlonia
Mark Herzlich – Boston
Josh Bynes – Auburn Tigers
Dont’a Hightower – Alabama
Mason Foster – Washington
Casey Matthews – Oregon *
Chris Galippo – USC
Chris Carter – Fresno State
Obi Ezah – Michigan
Travis Lewis – Oklahoma
Mario Harvey – Marshall
Doug Hogue – Syracuse
November 9th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Teflon Don:
LOVE Poz but he suffers from Jermaine Phillips Disease. Not good for a MLB.
November 9th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/423538-pittsburgh-steelers-10-reasons-lamarr-woodley-deserves-an-extension
I have been banging the Lamarr Woodley drum in the “monster” thread. At the risk of beating a dead horse I will continue to say the Bucs NEED to throw Albert Haynesworth type money at this guy in an attempt to steal him away from the Steelers. He is EXACTLY what would fix the Bucs defense. Read the linked article. Best pass rushing LB, maybe best run suffer also AND not a liability in pass coverage.
November 9th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
throw Haynesworth money around? This IS the Bucs you’re talking about. The Glazers aren’t about to spend THAT amount of money on the team, nevertheless a single player.
November 9th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
They tried to spend it on Albert Haynesworth. The Glazers will spend that kind of money for a guy in his prime who is the best at his position. Woodley fits that bill. Just because they didn’t rush out to sign Kyle Vanden Bosch or Julius Peppers doesn’t mean they won’t pull out the stops for a 26 year old guy who fits the youth movement.