The New Fearsome Foursome?
November 18th, 2014
Jacquies Smith puts pressure on Robert Griffin III. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
One cool thing about the Bucs’ win over the Redskins was how much the Bucs pounded quarterback Robert Griffin III. And like the old school Bucs during the glory years, getting into the heads of quarterbacks leads to so many good things from the entire team.
Gary Shelton was having flashbacks to the Super Bowl run, as well. The veteran Tampa Bay sports columnist, who wrote his farewell column recently for the Tampa Bay Times, is starting a new chapter of his professional career, his own website dedicated to local sports views, his sports views, GarySheltonSports.com.
In a column, Shelton wrote how a good pass rush and a victory are not accidents. Often, they go hand in hand.
Take the Tampa Bay Bucs and there now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t pass rush. On the days it clicks, the Bucs are a decent team with a chance of getting better. On the days it does not, it is time to watch cornerbacks burn. You can only hold your head in both hands. …
If nothing else, Sunday afternoon should have reminded all of us how much we miss those days when the pass rush came at opposing quarterbacks like a thoroughbred race.Yeah, you can blame this on the Redskins’ offensive line if you want. Or you can believe that Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, Jacquies Smith and T.J. Fatinkun are the new Fearsome Foursome.
Six times, the Bucs sacked Robert Griffin III. The rest of the day, they hounded him, and they pressured him, and they knocked him to the turf. Because of it, winning turned out to be a walk in the park. The truth of it is that it started with the pass rush. Just like in the old days.
This is why Lovie preaches, begs, pleads with his players to get to the quarterback. This is why Lovie spent a lot of Team Glazer shekels to get Michael Johnson and Clinton McDonald. Lovie knows full well quarterbacks can’t produce much if they are flat on their back or running for their lives.
Was it fun to watch Sunday? Sure was. Joe can’t get too excited, though. This was the Redskins. If the Bucs can pound bratty Jay Cutler into the cold hard turf of Solider Field this weekend, then Joe will have reason to start getting geeked.
November 18th, 2014 at 6:34 am
It was great to see – but its hard to get too excited considering how terrible our pass rush has been this year.
If the Bucs DLine has now turned a switch on and can get consistent pressure as well as help plug running lanes to stop the rush for the remaining games this season – then I will be very excited. But we haven’t seen that all year save for the Redskins game and parts of the Pittsburgh game – so I remain unconvinced. As our lines go – so go our Defense and Offense. It all starts up front. C’mon Cullen and Warhop – coach those under-talented big boys up to respectability. Help is on the way in the draft – in the meantime – lets see some results up front consistently for a change.
November 18th, 2014 at 7:09 am
Haaaa!!
November 18th, 2014 at 7:55 am
It was nice to see the Bucs hitting RG-ME. Hopefully this will continue but it’s going to be very cold in Chicago this weekend so we will see.
November 18th, 2014 at 8:07 am
Less Michael Johnson was a good star. Playing against a shot, finished QB also helps.
November 18th, 2014 at 8:23 am
I’d be happy if we saved it all up for Cammy Faye in Charlotte……beat that smile off his face….
November 18th, 2014 at 8:23 am
The sorry Skins came at the right time because we were on a crash course with 1-15.
String a couple more wins together and we’ll be right back to last years 4-12 record! In the HC’s own words, “a bad football
November 18th, 2014 at 8:24 am
you can blame this on the Redskins’ offensive line if you want. Or you can believe that Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, Jacquies Smith and T.J. Fatinkun are the new Fearsome Foursome.
I’ll go with blaming their offensive line for $1000 Alex.
November 18th, 2014 at 8:59 am
Ya losing your starting LT and another position on the line (can’t remember which position it was) is gonna make it seem like we actually had a pass rush.. Chicago isn’t the real test either.. The rest of the season is the real test to see what we have in these streetwalkers (Smith and Fatinkun)…
November 18th, 2014 at 9:07 am
Grabbed this quote off of PFT since Joe doesn’t have an article about it (yet)
Danny Lansanah talking about film of Charles Tillman:
“It’s about all 11 guys swarming to the ball. Guys were out there having fun and playing Buc ball. The whole season we’ve been talking about [takeaways], but now we’re starting to buy into it. He showed us that video and guys took it to themselves to make it happen.’’
Umm it took the team till week 10 to believe in getting takeaways?!?!? WTF
Idk if I’m reading too much into this quote but that to me screams the players were tuning Lovie and his gospel out… 10 games into his first season that is bad right there…
November 18th, 2014 at 9:51 am
Even with great pass rush there were several plays to be made for the Skins’ offense. We were lucky that those plays did not get made. Its almost as if the football gods along with RGIII wanted us to win. We missed Verner badly last Sunday and we’ll be glad to have him back next game against the twin towers of Chicago.
November 18th, 2014 at 9:55 am
J.Smith looks like a keeper. Credited with 2 sacks, but he actually forced a couple more, at least. Had a great game. Hustles and good effort…
November 18th, 2014 at 9:55 am
And so is there a “lifetime” Defensive end in the upcoming draft. Say we could get a newer version of Simeon Rice? Of course a player that talented goes in the first round.
So is it Jameis or a world class D lineman who can really get after the QB? This D line may not be that far away?
November 18th, 2014 at 10:45 am
It wasn’t Lovie, but RGIII who begged, pleaded, n literally gave our defense the sacks. Let’s not put the cart before the horse based on this one game vs eight other under performance games by the defense. Now, r the Bucs willing n able to perform the same against the likes of Cutler, Dalton,Stafford Newton, ARodgers, n Saints, as they did against the Redskins? I wanna c ARodgers disrupted n especially Newton sacked who tends to make a mockery of our defense. He was out hurt during our first game with the Panthers this year the two games last year he taunted n teased with our defense.
November 18th, 2014 at 10:46 am
Like the commercial
“everybody knows that”
have Lovie tell us what we didn’t know
November 18th, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong but leslie has been blitzing a heck of a lot more in the last two games. The first play of the game was a blitz (lvd) which led to the int. My man LVD actually f’ed up (for once) missed rg3 which led to the pick. Furthermore, leslie has been sending foster n LVD thru the A gap to create pressure. Last week the blitz was pick up well but the skins didn’t pick up the blitz as well as the Falcons.
Am I wrong? This doesn’t look like the T2 I know. Looks more like schiano’s def than father Dungy.
November 18th, 2014 at 1:04 pm
@DB55
Even when #54 FUKS up something good still comes out of it. He did miss the sack on the first play. But if he gets that sack then we don’t get that INT. You know you have to be good when $hit like this happens on your errors. LOL
November 18th, 2014 at 1:28 pm
Bunch of sorry ass fans we have!!! We beat a team with a better record than us, that has a dangerous receiving core and let’s face it a quarterback better than ours and you say oh it’s just the redskins like saying of it was just the Steelers….. Pathetic closet fans and you know damn well you were cheering Sunday. You want your team to be relevant and for a week they were but they still can’t get credit
November 18th, 2014 at 2:38 pm
Buc4lyfe, I feel your pain. Have said the same thing many times about many of the people who pose as fans out here and post.
Very few offer anything constructive or base anything they write on fact.
Sure the Skins were missing a starting OL. Big deal. We threw our OL together at the last minute before the first game if the year.
We lost a starting DL at the beginning of the year and two others starting on the line have been hobbled with nagging injuries throughout the year. I’ll see your one missing OL and raise you a groin pull, broken hand and a high ankle sprain.
Oh year, your forgot those didn’t you. Just like children, it is easier to complain and whine like roving critics.
I to hope the Bucs wipe that stupid smile off Newton’s face this year. I think he has finally put that stupid Superman move away because he sure hasn’t looked like Superman this year.
If the Bucs play Newton the same way they played RG, they should see success.
Like RG, he has trouble reading defenses when he is locked in the pocket. He relies more on athletic ability to break the pocket and find a one on one matchup when coverage breaks down.