“Not Necessarily A High-Percentage Blitz Guy”
July 6th, 2016
Predictable?
The mystery surrounding what Mike Smith will roll out on defense doesn’t feel like a mystery to one noted NFL film guru.
Greg Cosell, who has spent three decades as a tape junkie for NFL Films, spoke last month about what might be coming from Smith as the Bucs’ new defensive coordinator.
Via Yahoo! Sports, Cosell said he is confident Bucs fans would see four down linemen consistently and”Mike Smith is not necessarily a high-percentage blitz guy.”
This is interesting on several levels. First, Joe has loads of respect for Cosell. Joe sees Cosell attending national NFL events and talking to top personnel people and coaches, and Cosell is very much an anti-stats-nerd guy. He’s about the Xs and Os, and perhaps nobody watches more film of all teams. So if Cosell is confident of what to expect from a Smith defense, then it’s noteworthy.
However, rookie DE Noah Spence has been working in 3-4 defensive sets as a stand-up linebacker. And veteran linebacker Daryl Smith told a national radio audience that Mike Smith has added a ton more to the defense he led in Jacksonville, where the two Smiths were part of the dominant Jaguars defense from 2003 to 2007. Mike Smith himself also has driven home the point that his Bucs defense will be the opposite of predictable.
Of course, nobody really will know a damn thing until the Bucs take the field in Atlanta on Sept. 11. Could it be the Smith is blowing a giant smokescreen to make his defense more mysterious?
Cosell went on to praise newcomer veteran linebacker Daryl Smith as “solid,” and Cosell is a huge Kwon Alexander guy. He also believes Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes “declined” last season with the Dolphins.
July 6th, 2016 at 12:05 pm
If Smith is smart like I hope he is, his defensive scheme has evolved with the game.
July 6th, 2016 at 12:23 pm
Hopefully Mike Smith has something extra special up his sleeve for his former team Atlanta.
July 6th, 2016 at 12:48 pm
I hope we abuse atlanta….ruthless beatdown. Blood, fear, quivering in the fetal position, tears, shaking, nightmares. Destroy them ft
July 6th, 2016 at 1:56 pm
Regardless of whether Grimes performs at a pro bowl level, it
S hard for me to believe that he won’t perform. And Licht has shown no shame in over-paying veterans, we all know by now how much the front office values these “bridge” players. I imagine it would be very hard for Grimes to be considered a bust by the front office at least. However if Bucs fans have this much trouble with GMC… Lol
July 6th, 2016 at 2:03 pm
Just having a defense where corners at least have the option to back pedal & jam WRs sounds great. Our CBs literally said they didn’t back pedal last year at all basically which is insane lol
July 6th, 2016 at 2:54 pm
I hope we don’t constantly blitz vs. Carolina…that is a big mistake…Carolina was one of the best vs. the blitz. Pick and choose your spots, that’s fine….that blueprint to beat them is with a fast spy (which we have in our LB core) and constant pressure with our front four. I will say our secondary is better and theoretically should cover longer if we do decide to blitz….but taking our chances. Also, going man-to-man is a no-no vs. running teams, Joe…as we’ve seen teams like the Packers (with Kaepernick/Wilson/Newton last year on the Pack) get shredded in man-to-man.hopefully we stick to zone.
July 6th, 2016 at 3:01 pm
with QB running teams, I should state above^