The Maddening (Non) Pass Rush
October 22nd, 2014
With the exception of Gerald McCoy, the Bucs have swung and missed so often on pass rushers since Chucky was jettisoned, Joe thinks he is watching a Rays game.
Joe just cannot remember a Tampa Bay team that for five years running has spent so many draft picks and so many zero-filled checks from Team Glazer in an effort to pump up its pass rush.
Yet the Bucs are probably worse off now than they were when Raheem Morris took over.
Draft pick after draft pick after draft pick and the only strong pass rusher is Gerald McCoy, who is taken out of each game because opponents chuckle when they see what the Bucs offer after GMC.
Even good guy Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com noticed what seems like a generation of Bucs fans wanting a pass rush.
Head coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier presumably spent the team’s bye week figuring out ways to help players become more comfortable in the “Tampa-Two” system installed during the offseason upon their hiring. The pass rush, which is a problem in Tampa Bay that predates Smith, remains an ongoing issue as well. Five of the Bucs’ paltry nine sacks came in one game — a 27-24 upset of Pittsburgh in Week 4. Tampa Bay is en route to a sixth consecutive season ranked 23rd or lower in sack totals despite having three head coaches during that span (Smith, Greg Schiano and Raheem Morris) with defensive backgrounds.
Joe just doesn’t know how a team can do any more. It is almost getting to the point of George Costanza of Seinfeld, where the Bucs simply give up figuring if they try nothing, it can’t be much worse than the effort they have exhausted since Chucky was jettisoned.
Of course, it didn’t help matters when the Bucs let Michael Bennett walk away for no good reason a year ago.
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:27 am
The formula is simple…. double or triple on McCoy and dont even worry about the rest of our line. Its really ugly. Id like to see something new from the defensive scheme. Something besides this stagnant straight forward pass rush that Frazier keeps throwing out there.
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:16 am
Calling a few blitzes every once in a while would help!
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:19 am
The lack of pass rushers as well as lack of overall roster depth has Mark Dominiks DNA all over it. Dominik aka Rockstar may go down as one of the worst GM’s this franchise has ever had. His drafts from 2009-2013 were overall pitifull. Bust after bust after bust. It will take a while to pull out of this assuming we don’t continue with Dominiks horrific pattern of draft busts.
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:29 am
I know, it is depressing all the flat performances. Just back a few years there was talk about how good of an offensive line the Bucs were building, I bought into that thinking. The same can be said for the defensive line improvement going forward. Somebody threw a damn monkey wrench into the plans and it looks like we’re back to square one in building both sides of the line. It will be a welcome sight for a glimmer of cohesion and effectiveness from the team as a whole.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:01 am
They suck but the offense and Glennon can’t stay on the field. So let’s bash them also I know Glennons your boy but 20 yards in the first quarter. That’s garbage.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:06 am
Is Defensive Line Coach Joe Cullen the problem? In 3 years at Jacksonville, their team rated at or near the bottom of the league in sacks, and the one year at Cleveland they dropped from 11th in sacks to 16th.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:20 am
Dominik and co tried to be anti-cyclic. “The Plan” was to bring in a big fat O-Line and powerrun the ball down the throats. On defense Dom was mainly focused on tall players, they wanted to just oversize the opposition.
Now, the O-Line has been reset with a different type of player. Not that it has worked yet, but the plan has been changed and it will take a while to reap benefits of a new plan.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:25 am
Lets face it, over the years the Bucs just plain suck when it comes to the draft. How in the world do you pass on Kuechly & draft Barren. I also think if Lovie doesn,t get fired all his defensive coaches should, along with the offensive line coach.
October 22nd, 2014 at 11:03 am
Why does all the articles have “except for Mccoy” not just here, but around the internet. Did anyone watch Monday Night Football, did anyone notice how JJ Watt plays? Do you think he was doubled teamed?
October 22nd, 2014 at 11:30 am
Michael Sam just became available! I mean 4 sacks in the pre-season, built for the 4-3 defense, at the very least add him to our practice squad and see if he fits the defense. We essentially can’t be ANY worse with regards to our pass rush so lets go see if the Rams who’ve been great at finding pass rushers saw something worth taking another look at.
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:02 pm
More stunts!
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:31 pm
Matthew …who’s Michael Sam I never heard of him?
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:35 pm
Here’s a thought. Play a heavy nickel base package with 3 safeties. Let the MLB and WLB help blitz and cover run gaps and play a Cover 3 with your safeties. We’re full of strong safties anyway. Might as well narrow their coverage zones and man them up on the opponents TE’s when appropriate. Right??
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:37 pm
Forget it @Matthew. The bucs would never sign Sam. But they might take him out for dinner just to scare another team into a trade. 🙂
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Witty as usual Buc1987. Please enlighten us with more of your rapier like anti-gay corny tired joke commentary. Is he a “tight end”, or maybe you’ll go with your 9 year old boy routine “ew gross he does things with men’s bottoms, poop comes from there” waka-waka. If you’d like to discuss the Sam’s pass rush ability or the lack of the Buc’s pass rush; like adults that would be a welcome change. The kid played high level football in the toughest division in college football. He showed some potential in the preseason on a team known for spotting DL talent, several good pass rushers ” Micheal Bennett, Cameron Wake, Jared Allen, Greg hardy” to name a few were undrafted or late round picks who took a few years to develop into legit pass rushers. Could Sam be a career “practice squader” very possible, but for a team dearth of pass rushing talent taking a practice squad flyer or even a roster slot chance on a 1st year kid with “potential” isn’t a crazy idea. Unless you are inclined to get hung up on stuff not related to football, than I can’t do anything for you as that’s a personal problem.
October 22nd, 2014 at 1:33 pm
What a refreshing change, a couple of people posting fresh ideas, concepts and thoughts.
Whatever coverage package they choose to go with, it should start with excluding both Fletcher and Foster. Neither one of these guys could cover a senior citizen on a cane.
I agree with you Matthew, would like to see the Bucs give Sams a look. What would it hurt. They should also have brought in Richie Incognito who would be signed for very little.
Personally, I don’t give a damn who Sams sleeps with or if Incognito teased a 350 pound man into quitting.
I doubt, if these two additions got the Bucs up to a 500 record, nobody else would either.
Everyone of course except for Buc1987, who would still be upset with the Bucs because even Sams would turn him down when he asked him out for a date.
I can even here Sams now after Buc1987 begged him to go out with him.
“Dude, I’m gay, not desperate.”
October 22nd, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Time to draft a big safety (remember Urlacher) and put him in as a sam linebacker. As long as he can fill the gaps, he’d be a natural in getting back in pass coverage for the Tampa 2 defense.
October 22nd, 2014 at 4:45 pm
Absolutely, BeartheBuc. I posted much the same thing after the ravens game. If Baron is such a big hitter, move mason and Fletcher out of the Mike LB slot, at least on passing downs. That way, if the opponent tries to run a draw, we have someone stout in the middle who supposedly isn’t afraid to mix it up.
Then slide a CB in the safety slot who has better coverage skills than Baron.
Pour over ice, shake vigorously and serve cold.
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:12 pm
Hey Matthew!
I would agree with you, except the way Sam entered into the League, and then after being drafted by the Rams, Sam and his boyfriend immediately signed on with the “Oprah Network” to do a reality television show, unbeknownst to the Ram organization. Had Sam come into the NFL as a player and downplayed his sexuality, I think he would be on an NFL Team today. That wasn’t the case. Sam came into the League as “The First Gay NFL Player” and cherished the role. The whole “not showering with the other players” was also a distraction, and it was shortly after that, despite Sam’s mediocre performance with the Rams in pre-season, that he was shown the door.
No thank you…..The Bucs need no distractions, and Sam is nothing less than a “Distraction”.
Hey BucFan37; you summed up my feelings exactly!