One Issue With The Defense
August 11th, 2014
Bucs defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier seems confident with his defensive charges.
Yes, you know Joe pondered through the summer just how the Bucs were going to put together a decent offensive line; Joe wasn’t totally sold this line could get the job done. As we all saw Friday night, Joe’s fears were legitimate.
The one area that didn’t worry Joe was the defense. The Bucs already had one of the better defenses in takeaways and, with Lovie Smith’s defense, he would get the best out of stud tackle Gerald McCoy and find a way to get to quarterbacks.
So far, though obviously early, Joe was on the mark again.
Yesterday was SiriusXM NFL Radio day at One Buc Palace. The channel, as is their custom, drops in on every NFL training camp and devotes an entire show to that team. Yesterday was the Bucs’ show, filled with interviews from Bucs players and coaches and front office types.
Bucs defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier had his turn at the mic in front of co-hosts Booger McFarland and Zig Fracassi. As for as his defensive troops, so far so good, said Frazier, with one exception.
“I thought it went well with the ones,” Frazier said. “Those guys had a couple of three-and-outs and didn’t give up anything during the time they were out there. On the downside, we didn’t come away with any takeaways. That’s something Lovie’s in defense you want to see. That was the most disappointing thing.
“You want to see just some improvement over the course of the preseason and peak a little bit as you get close to the opening game. I like some of the things we are seeing. We do have some pieces. We just have to bring it together.”
Frazier went a bit deeper into his and Lovie’s philosophy on defense after a question from McFarland. The league has turned pass-happy. It’s a quarterback-driven league. Only the Flat Earth Society believes otherwise. So, McFarland asked, are the Bucs gearing more towards stopping the pass first or the run?
“We still talk about stopping the run; we still talk about run-fits,” Frazier said. “It’s hard to have a good defense if you allow a team to run the ball and pass the ball. Teams still have a semblance of a run game.”
The best thing a defense can do is make a team one dimensional, which means predictable. Frazier hit on a key point. If a defense cannot stop the run, they are screwed, it’s that simple. An opponent will just play keep-away and grind the clock out.
It’s good to know Frazier, thus far, doesn’t see many if any major concerns with his defense. Just the way Joe figured it would be months ago.
August 11th, 2014 at 12:20 pm
The Defense looks good…..all the pieces are in place along with some depth….and it is young.
Imagine the Offense if in next year’s draft our top 3 picks are Olnemen……add one more FA to that and we are ready to rock.
We won a Superbowl without an “elite” QB with a great defense and good offense….that’s what we should have….but not for another year.
August 11th, 2014 at 12:44 pm
I wouldn’t get all giddy about the defense, yet……those were the Jacksonville Jaguars you were stopping last Friday and last time I checked, they would fall into the “crappy” team category.
Yes, the defense should be very solid but the question begs: How will they perform if they have to spend 75% of the game on the field because the offense doesn’t work?
August 11th, 2014 at 12:56 pm
NOT BUYING the “not for another year” idea. Can you or anyone name more than 1 or two O-linemen from the 2002 squad?? My point, there weren’t any “names” along the O line then either, but there was good enough coaching along with guys who recognized it was time to step up and in Anthony Collin’s own words “Be a man.” GMC and David along with the rest of the entire starting defense aren’t Sapp and Brooks rookies coming into a league that hadn’t copy-catted the Tampa 2 to death to the point that EVERY defensive player in the league already knows it’s basics. If this virtually same starting line-up that made Schiano’s build from the back and let the d line play ring around the qb scheme work to the point that they were in the top 10 in takeaways, NO REASON they shouldn’t be able to make this DEFENSE that plays to all their strengths work ALOT sooner. Mccown CAN BE the next Brad Johnson/Rich Gannon/Kurt Warner etc, but not while lying injured on his back. If Mccown had been playing behind the Jags o line Thursday night (whose coaching staff obviously don’t have Lovie’s held over Chicago belief system of recruiting and playing chicken sh!t o linemen) this wouldn’t even be being talked about right now.
August 11th, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Joe says “So far, though obviously early, Joe was on the mark again”
You crack me up Joe..I’ll give you this one, but you obviously have a very loose definition of “again”…lol
August 11th, 2014 at 1:03 pm
bffl….I was thinking the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!
90% chance we draft manziel…… lol
This does make me feel better about the offensive lines chances knowing joe thinks their all beer truck drivers. nothing like some adversity to bring guys together.
August 11th, 2014 at 1:46 pm
Joe, a blind and senile old man with a 3 legged dog guiding him around would’ve had concerns about the o-line. Might as well claim accuracy about the earth being round while you’re at it. 🙂
August 11th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
Joe loves taking credit for what the entire world knows.
August 11th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
Joe: “Doc, my shoulder is killing me!”
Doctor: “What have you been doing that’s different?”
Joe: “Nothing ‘different’, but I just got through patting myself on the back extra hard.”
Doctor: “Joe, Joe, Joe. Patting yourself on the back is like buying a beer, on a Friday afternoon, and saying, “I deserve this.”. If you truly ‘deserved’ it, one of the 7 BILLION people, on earth, would have bought it FOR you.”
;^)