It Is Time To Be Great
April 21st, 2014
Lavonte David said the defense must get better for the team to get better.
One reason many NFL pundits think the Bucs can be this year’s version of the Chiefs is the team has a defensive core foundations to deliver a quick turnaround. You have Gerald McCoy up front, Lavonte David in the second level and Darrelle Revis in the secondary.
So with that foundation, some NFL types believe the Bucs are not that far away from building a feared defense, if only they can learn how to breathe on opposing quarterbacks.
This was a point of conversation when David joined “The Blitz” Friday, co-hosted by Bruce Murray and Solomon Wilcots, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Solomon Wilcots: The NFC seems to be dominated with teams that have great defenses. Doesn’t seem like [any] team is going to be able to achieve its goals of an NFC title and a Super Bowl without having a great defense. Seattle has that. San Francisco has that. Even within your division, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints with what Rob Ryan has brought to the table. And I see you guys as a team that can fit in that mix. You have makings of all those components. Talk to me about how much you guys are going to have to improve defensively to be one of those teams in the conversation to contend for an NFC title when it is all said and done.
Lavonte David: Our No. 1 goal as a defense is the be the No. 1 defense in the National Football League. The players, we have pretty much taken pride in that. Gerald McCoy, being the leader he is, brought everybody together and said it is time to be a great defense. We have been working at it, getting acclimated with it. Everybody is on board. We have the pieces to be great. We’ve got guys in the secondary, guys at linebacker and a great D-line to be that great defense that we want to be.
[Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said] to be recognized in the National Football League you have to make it to the big dance, the Super Bowl, the playoffs, and teams don’t make it that far without a great defense. He emphasized to us that we have to work at it to be a great defense.
Hopefully, the Bucs have filled their defensive holes, specifically the line, to turn this defense from average with virtually no pass rush, to good with a pass rush.
Joe still wonders if Alterraun Verner can fill the void left by Darrelle Revis. Of course, a push up front always helps the secondary. If Verner can play to his previous Pro Bowl form, Joe believes the secondary will be fine.
The key, as always, starts up front.
April 21st, 2014 at 7:21 am
I’d like us to pick Sammy @ 7 or if he’s not there Evans will be a good pick….but if Watkins isn’t there it would mean that Mack might still be on the board…..It would be very tempting for Lovie & Licht to make that pick at 7….the addition of a player like Mack would complete our defense and with Lovie at coach….I believe we would be dominant!!!
April 21st, 2014 at 8:07 am
TBBF,
Give me one of:
Watkins
Robinson
Mathews
Mack
Lewan
Donald
Evans
April 21st, 2014 at 8:27 am
Another quesion mark on defense will be who will be playing next to Gerald as the 1 technique to draw off the dreaded double team. Even with the additions made this offseason, McCoy remains the most important cog in the defense and it makes me wonder if the new regime is set with keeping He-man Akeem Spence there, despite being ranked as one of the worst d linemen in all of pro football last yr.
April 21st, 2014 at 8:39 am
Gholston, & Johnson + Mc2 (Mc square) will be the perfect formula to bury opposing QBs. Not to mention Foster licking his chops. Our safeties will benefit from proper training to become turnover machines. Verner will be Barber # 2 in the making. This defense will be so good we are going to look foward to our team punting as much as scoring.
This kool-aid has been brought to you by 1 buc fan.
Are we ready for some football?
April 21st, 2014 at 8:46 am
Maybe now that the Rockstar is gone, we can name more than 2 drafted players in 5 years as a “foundation”.
April 21st, 2014 at 9:13 am
Correct Buc_Realist.
Too many wasted drafts!
April 21st, 2014 at 9:37 am
I’m also having some hopes for Banks as well. He started to look better as the year went on.
April 21st, 2014 at 9:57 am
Let’s not get to far ahead of ourselves, it’s going to take a while to be dominant.
But unlike the offense, we do have some very talented pieces to work with on D.
April 21st, 2014 at 10:00 am
@Tampabaybucfan
Per Mack and Evans. Here’s my issue with that. I am wary of taking guys that rose in the draft rankings because someone doing a mock draft decided they were much better than they were originally ranked.
Both of those players benefited from that. I’m not saying they won’t be good. I’m just saying that teams did they research throughout the year and by now teams have been locked into key players because of film and that sort of thing.
So when a player goes from second round to first round in the media mocks, I’m wary. Neither of those two guys were mentioned before they were mocked to go at #7.
That said, I’m a strong disbeliever in the “reaching” theory. To me, if you want a certain player and don’t think he’ll be on the board when you next pick, then take that player sooner.
Some say drafting Carr, for example, at 7 would be a reach. Maybe. But in truth if he were to get picked there and turn out to be very good, the Bucs would be heralded for seeing what others don’t.
If the Seahawks had taken Wilson in the first round, media and fans would have said it was a bad pick immediately afterward. But over the next couple years they would look like geniuses.
So although I’m wary of Mack or Evans being picked so early, I would cautiously consider it. I would have done the research long before now.
April 21st, 2014 at 10:01 am
I guess what I’m saying is that mocks make players hot to the fans, not to the teams.
April 21st, 2014 at 10:03 am
I don’t think we’ll become the best defense in the league in one year, but it is conceivable that we reach the top 10 or slightly better. Provided all these FAs with injury histories stay healthy.
Yeah, that’ll happen. In Tampa…
April 21st, 2014 at 1:33 pm
Bonzai-
Mack has consistently been in the top 10 for a very long time. Mayock said at one point in January or February that he was his #1 defender, before Combine testing, before mocks and leaks and smokescreens. Mack is legit and didn’t come out of nowhere to be ranked top 5-10.
Evans on the other hand was always considered a top 20 guy, but not necessarily a top 7 guy…. considering the wealth of talent at WR, and the fact that Evens isn’t that much better (or any better) that other WRs projected to go later than him, it wouldn’t make sense to take him at #7.
April 21st, 2014 at 3:08 pm
Bonzai- You are one of the people I usually agree with but on this one I don’t think I follow your thoughts. I believe the ‘media’ mocks shake out much like the GM’s board. If you look at early mocks and late ones compare the two, the later ones is usually are closer to what happens on draft day. It’s no like much of the media is far removed from our GMs, take Dom being hired this year for example. Your example, I just think everyone sees the value in Evans who was on most boards as the 2nd best WR and given that big body WR have had a lot of success recently in his league moved up after given some thought.
I could be wrong we will see if Bridgewater goes 1st overall we will know you were right.