Defense Coming Together, Too
October 2nd, 2014
Akeem Spence explained the spike in sacks was largely thanks to solid secondary play
A lot has been made of the Bucs offense the past week and that, with Mike Glennon at the helm, the long-awaited “Dunkaneers” finally showed up. Whether that was because of Glennon remains to be seen.
Well, anther thing that finally showed up Sunday was the long-awaited pass rush. The Bucs got Ben Roethlisberger on the ground five times. For long-suffering Bucs fans, that felt like two month’s worth of sacks.
Joe got a chance to talk to defensive tackle Akeem Spence yesterday. Now Lovie says if the Bucs don’t get a pass rush, then his defense will crumble. But it was actually the effort of the secondary that led to the sacks, Spence said.
“That was great because our rush and our coverage worked together,” Spence said of the five sacks. “The guys in the back end gave us time, gave us enough time that we got there and got Ben on the ground and got off the field. We did everything we needed to do. We disrupted Ben and his timing on routes. That is how the defense goes.
Spence isn’t just babbling football-speak here. Film guru Andy Benoit of theMMQB.com studied the Bucs-Steelers film and detailed one such sack that was directly due to solid secondary play.
#Bucs Film: Verner excellent jump on hot route lane to create Solomon sack (Big Ben had to pull it down on 3-step).
— Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit) October 2, 2014
Joe thinks this is great. Not only did the Bucs offense show signs of life, so too did the defense, the entire Bucs defense.
Now if only the Bucs can somehow convince themselves opposing tight ends do not have typhoid, then we’re getting somewhere.
To hear more from Spence, click the arrow below. Audio player courtesy of Joe’s friends at WDAE-AM 620.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:27 am
I’m a little surprised at how low your threshold is for hailing the Dunkaneers offense as having “showed up”. That would imply a lot of passes thrown with great precision to places where only our Dunkaneers could go up and make plays to get ’em … And .. Though this win was impressive on some fronts, I sure wouldn’t characterize it as having been any great example of all that.
On the defense, the 2nd half of this game was definitely a lot more reassuring … The first two games made backup QBs look like gold jacket material, and made me realize how much the perceived strength of the Tampa 2 came from the likes of Barber & Lynch in the defensive backfield.
Should be an interesting Sunday; the D-line may be coming on, but those DBs will surely be tested.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:37 am
What would be best for this defense to return to glory is for Goodell to resign, retire, transfer, be assassinated… Something! (Didn’t mean the last part) and hire someone who has the balls to let the game return to some resemblance of a contact sport. Protect against head hunters but still let it be known that receivers coming across the middle do so at their own risk. How the hell can a receiver be considered defenseless while he is scoring on you? Fantasy football driven, IMO.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:42 am
Derrick Brooks did a great job, once again, keeping things in perspective and offered some really good insight on the am station yesterday evening. He called all of the defensive struggles that they’ve had this season before the season started and he was able to point out the good points and the signs of improvement from the Pittsburgh game. If you can sit through the dope on the other side of the conversation it’s definitely worth downloading the podcast
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:49 am
Espo:
Please tell me you really don’t believe it’s Goodell changing the game.
If you want old school football back, then go tell the thousands of former players suing the NFL to drop their lawsuits.
The NFL is changing it’s rules now to protect against future lawsuits. It’s that simple.
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:04 am
“Verner excellent jump on hot route lane to create Solomon sack (Big Ben had to pull it down on 3-step).”
Verner is not known as the most athletic DB in the league. Obviously any NFL DB is incredibly gifted, but some more than others, Verner is one who gets by on his smarts and his football instincts.
Just as you can’t teach speed or arm strength in a QB you can’t really teach smarts. Some guys can put in the same amount of film study but come away empty. Others are simply that much more brighter than their competition. That’s Verner. That was Ronde Barber who has set the standard for an athlete using his smarts to get the most out of his athletic skills.
Smart players ARE an advantage! That’s why I’m getting sucked onto the MGM bandwagon. I still need to see the rest of the season. But MG8 is just another athlete who has used above average smarts to compensate for physical deficiencies, his lack of mobility.
He has reasonable arm strength and accuracy, and he has the additional gift of being smart and a quick study. He knows the offense, he can read a field, he’s not a guy who just locks in on one receiver, and since he’s not a runner he’s not looking to quickly bail. He has shown patience in the pocket and the requisite courage. He has stood tall and taken his lumps when the OL failed
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:43 am
I do believe he’s a huge part of it. Do you not? Have players sign waivers. Have better insurance for life. I’m dumbing it down but for a billion dollar industry I’m sure it can be done. Besides, as I stated the head shots should still be illegal. I believe most players would take the risk. Do you honestly believe all those players suing didn’t realize that getting pummeled for a living might have lasting effects? If that’s the case then maybe the drain bamage started before they started playing.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:11 am
Espo, I have always seen this as an ”assumption of risk” sort of thing, & wonder why the suits have prevailed. Jockeys don’t sue racetracks when they fall off a horse & break their necks (or do their estates, when the riders die, which is more common that folks may think). Boxers don’t sue opponents or promoters when they are pounded into Parkinson’s disease, or killed (which also is more common than one might imagine).
Of course, the NFL is the only business in the country that is held responsible by the media, the politicians, & a segment of the fan-base for their employees’ actions when not at work, too.
Want to find a dangerous job, look into commercial fishing. But people still eat halibut & crab legs.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:29 am
@MikeJ,
You’ve got it wrong. The NFL is being sued because it is alleged that they knew the long term ramifications of head trauma, yet did nothing about it. They “allegedly” covered up their findings. I don’t think you understand how bad the NFL was just a few short years ago. Players who had no business being on the field were literally forced out there by their team (many had their jobs threatened if they refused). So if you want to be accurate, there are plenty of companies around the world that have been sued over covering up dangers in the workplace.
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:03 am
Lovie coaching and preparation starting to show. He said they would be the most informed team in the league.
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:05 am
@Espo if you’re playing and suffered like they have, you telling us you wouldn’t sue? You’d just sit there and do nothing?
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:52 am
Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that these lawsuits are driving the rule changes. When a player from this era sues down the road the NFL will be able to say and point to all of the current safety measures in place to avoid paying billions of dollars in damages. It’s a simple case of CYA. Not a personal thing for Goodell.
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:54 am
andres, he would just sit there and drool.
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:01 am
I already sit and drool. That’s besides the point.