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November 6th, 2019
Bruce Arians talks empty trade block.
The Bucs, if you haven’t read, have a godawful pass defense.
Only the Raiders allow more air yards per game than the Bucs. And only the Raiders and Cardinals have given up more touchdowns through the air.
The Bucs are fourth-worst in giving up passing first downs.
No matter how you slice it, the Bucs’ pass defense is rotten to the core.
So today when Bucco Bruce Arians spoke before the local pen and mic club, and the subject of the Bucs’ secondary came up, Joe asked Arians if the organization was in any discussions with other teams to acquire a veteran starter before the trade deadline to help, or if the team was simply planned to sink or swim with the troops it had.
Arians seemed to indicate only slow defensive backs were on the trade block.
And no, he didn’t deny the Bucs were shopping (though Joe has no idea if the Bucs put feelers out or not).
“There really wasn’t one available,” Arians said of shopping for defensive backs. “Who was it? There was nobody out there that can still play fast enough to play.”
Now we know defensive backs were moved before the trade deadline. Minkah Fitzpatrick could have been had for a first-round pick. The Steelers grabbed him in September.
Marcus Peters was traded to the Crows for a fifth-round pick in mid-October, after the Bucs beat the Rams. Yes, Peters is a knucklehead, which is why he came so cheap. A talented knucklehead.
Aqib Talib, a former Bucs’ first-round pick, was also dealt by the Rams for a fifth-round pick. To be fair, Talib is on the injured reserve list.
Fitzpatrick is an elite safety and he sure didn’t look slow to Joe when Joe watched Fitzpatrick take over for the Steelers in an upset win over the Colts last weekend.
Peters started on a defense earlier this calendar year that shut down Tom Brady in a Super Bowl. When he had a pick-six against America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, back in October, he didn’t appear to be pulling a piano on his shoulders.
This Bucs team is actually forming into a decent outfit, with the exception of the secondary which is absolutely dragging this team down.
One could argue this rotten secondary has cost the Bucs at least two wins and maybe a chance at a wild card run.
Joe isn’t sure what is more appalling, the fact the secondary is so bad it may cost the Bucs a playoff run or cost people at One Buc Palace their jobs, or that the Bucs were not aggressive like the Steelers and Crows and stood on the sidelines and watched while teams with visions and goals of the playoffs decided to do something about their secondaries.
OK, maybe Fitzpatrick and Peters are too slow for Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. So those quick defensive backs the Bucs have, how are they doing?
November 6th, 2019 at 5:41 pm
I kinda felt the same way. Once Fitz and Peters were gone there wasn’t much to go after. Were we gonna try the Talib experiment again? Simply not enough out there to spend draft picks on.
I have a feeling that BA is gonna stay on for another yr. Even though they extended him I am not so sure about Licht if our Secondary doesn’t improve the second half of the season
November 6th, 2019 at 5:44 pm
This Bucs team is actually forming into a decent outfit, with the exception of the secondary which is absolutely dragging this team down.
really joe…. really…. cancer93 must be threatening your credentials again….. this team has far more issues than just a secondary…. overrated / fragile tight ends, ZERO OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, RB are garbage, LB’s are ok but nothing special. Barrett is a rental no way any competent agent lets him resign here. damn joe you have officially lowered your standards to bonzi level….
November 6th, 2019 at 5:46 pm
this franchise is subpar at every level from owners to janitors….
November 6th, 2019 at 5:50 pm
Well, those dudes you mentioned are already long gone, so do you want the Bucs to draft a first round or second round DB? Or do you want them to pick up some free agents?
I still hope we spend our top 2 draft picks stacking the trenches, and also find 1 or 2 veteran DBs (definitely a CB, maybe a FS).
November 6th, 2019 at 5:53 pm
And I’d prefer we don’t invest a first round pick on a QB until our trenches are totally wrecking people.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:11 pm
Enough with the BS Arians. What do you & Licht think the fans are stupid? The only stupid ones were the Glazer’s for hiring you two.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:13 pm
Face it Peters is a knucklehead, and you don’t want him around your young corners. Fitz is good, but we can’t trade away 1st Rd picks, we may very well need that to select a franchise quarterback. Throw in the fact that we likely can’t afford to sign any of them, and that’s how you end up making no moves.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:14 pm
You guys are funny, apparently you didnt watch what Godwin and Evans did to Peter’s, you dont give up a 1st for a safety if your the bucs that would be extremely stupid seeing as he cant play safety and both corner positions at the same time. You went young in the draft at corner and safety so live with it licht, no giving up draft capital some other gm could be using to fix your mess.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:22 pm
I could see the case for trying to get a Minkah Fitzpatrick. But I also remember him saying he wanted out of Miami or something because he didn’t like the way they used him. That kinda tells me that you gotta consider how your gonna use him in you defense and you better have a system he fits into or it will cause problems. Plus you gotta surrender a first rounder so it’s a lot to think about and if you get it wrong it just sets the team further back.
As far as Marcus Peters goes I think it’s a ridiculous idea. Hes a free agent so you trading for 8 games. That trade makes sense if you wanna make a title run. Getting a long-term solution for the secondary should be the goal. An eight game patch only gets in the way of that IMO. I think it’s a awful idea and a awful fit for this team.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:29 pm
We are already this far into this thing with the kids in the secondary. Let these guys develop and it will click for them soon enough. Ronde Barber….John Lynch….Brian Kelly…etc. All young guys that we were ready to run out of here in a hurry. Hell I remember articles wondering if Lynch made the right choice choosing football over baseball. A more recent example, look at Bradley McDougal…couldn’t run him out of here fast enough. Only to see him develop as a solid NFL safety with the Seahawks now.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:38 pm
I thought the DBs turned a corner last week, they were playing against the possible MVP QB of this year.
I would like to say the same about our QB turning a corner. He played a decent first half, but I have seen that show before.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:07 pm
FREE OUR TEAM SO THEY CAN WIN NEXT YEAR———–FIRE LICHT TODAY—-SO THAT WE CAN ALL HOPE FOR A BRIGHTER BUC FUTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 6th, 2019 at 7:11 pm
I wonder if BA will win another game this season or will he have the same record I did back in 85, 2-14.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:26 pm
2nd GM , 4th coach blah blah blah blah… Team lacks talent Due to poor drafting and personnel decisions…. The same idiots will be in charged next off-season They did nothing to upgrade this OL. Will be this way for 10 more years it is the 80s to 95 all over again.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:30 pm
they’re almost all rookies
November 6th, 2019 at 7:44 pm
Jalen Ramsey was available…..
November 6th, 2019 at 7:44 pm
You can’t convince me there wasn’t a option on the trade market that wouldn’t be better than VH3. I think someone off the street would be better, IMO. A Robert McLain-type like from a few years ago.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:50 pm
If the Bucs were even 3-3 with potential they would have made a move. Even a blind man could see it wasn’t happening this year so why invest money and draft picks. If you can’t beat the Giants at home you’re not ready to start picking up free agents like they are the missing piece to the puzzle. This is like the thousand piece puzzle where you start getting close only to realize so many pieces are lost and can’t be found.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:52 pm
That turnover last game was the deciding factor. Even though it was one there were a couple that should’ve been turnovers. Especially the missed INT for a TD. He throws a lot of deep balls, and a lot are circus catches by our great receivers, but even so for every good play Jameis has he has too many terrible plays as well. It’s feast or famine for Jameis. We have a very young secondary that is struggling and the only way to protect them is to protect the ball on offense. The mistakes on offense his hurting our defense. Exposes them to quicker fatigue and causes mental breakdowns. Remember also, we have that rookie wall coming up. You know, the unknown beyond the 10 game college schedule.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:59 pm
@Joe … “One could argue this rotten secondary has cost the Bucs at least two wins and maybe a chance at a wild card run.”
Do you REALLY want to play that card Joe? One could also argue that Jameis & the offense has cost us at least 3 games (SF, Panthers, Titans) just because of turnovers (15 in just those 3 games). Others could easily argue that our offensive coaches have cost us as many as 4 games (Giants, Panthers, Titans, Seahawks) through bad play-calling & poor clock management. And it’d be a piece of cake to argue that Jason Lichtweight has cost us 6 games because he did absolutely nothing back in free agency to at least beef up our OLine & Secondary with a couple of quality veterans.
But ya, let’s blame our youthful, inexperienced Secondary for making us miss out on a wildcard slot by the halfway point in the season. And by all means, let’s not mention that the combined record for the 6 teams who beat us is 33-18. Or that the 2 teams we beat have a 10-6 record, bringing the combined record for these 1st half teams to 43-24. And please don’t mention that only 2 of these first 8 games were at home. Or that we lost BOTH of them.
But ya, playoffs here we come, if not for our P-Poor Secondary of course. And all we’d have to have done was beat out the 6-3 Vikings or the 7-2 Seahawks for that WC spot. No sweat Joe, we can still catch them the way our offense is playing. Oh if it just wasn’t for that horrific Secondary of ours we’d be shoo-ins.
November 6th, 2019 at 8:20 pm
“The Bucs have to sign the top cornerback in free agency on 2020
our draft is for the Oline/Dline
our new FA shut down corner will be grossly overpaid…so be it
*We will also need to sign a 2nd tier corner”
The Kobe Faker
November 6th, 2019 at 8:25 pm
Jean Fatite
You mean to tell me that extra possession is gassing our defense? I beg to differ and not even close. I get it what your saying but can someone in this secondary outside a rookie have some football integrity? I mean it’s their dream to become NFL players? In the age of stats are King do you want to be out there more? How good is Keuchly if he not on the field?
I played defense and your gassed the first play but you have the will and still make tackles for your team at any cost.
November 6th, 2019 at 8:35 pm
Jean do you even watch the games. Donovan Smith hit Jameis elbow as he was throwing- stop with your BS
November 6th, 2019 at 8:54 pm
he tapped his elbow and he dropped it from his tiny hands ,,,there’s a reason he leads the NFL with fumbles for the last 4.5 seasons
November 6th, 2019 at 9:15 pm
Its not about there physical ability. Its about how slow they are to diagnose plays and recognize route concepts. Slow to pick up the system. Relying on rookies prety much for the whole secoundary was dumb. Stop using picks on corners that arent 1st round grade. Sometimes it takes 2 to 3 yrs to develope for mid round picks. VH3 is a bust if you consider wherw he was drafted. Get a number 1 Corner all ready. 2020 has a good cb selection. Debo from Stanford. Hall from Virginia or Fulton LSU and JeffreyOkuda Ohio. This should of been the draft to get corners. Last draft. You know 2019 was DL deep. Why do crap back wards?
November 6th, 2019 at 9:28 pm
I would start Dean over VH3. We know VH3 should walk next year. He wants to get paid. And might price his self out of here like Kwon did. We need to know if Dean can be the guy next year. Or do they need to use are first for a elite cb prospect. Witch they should. They got plenty of back ups developing. I like JeffreyOkuda from ohio. Dude has elite speed and footwork. He likes to hit too. He reminds me of Denzial Ward when he came out. He probably be gone by the time we pick anyways.
November 6th, 2019 at 9:43 pm
This team, even with one guy in the secondary for a 1st rounder is not going to compete for anything but a toilet bowl flush finish. I wouldn’t give up a 1st. Maybe a 5th. Otherwise you mortgage your future to finish 4 and 12 instead of 2 and 14.
The time to give up a 1st round pick is when you have a deep and talented team with one missing piece. The Bucs need offensive line help, two or three guys. The Bucs need a complete secondary with 4 corners and 3 safeties.
We need an entire draft and as many premium picks as we can possibly get. The best teams build through the draft and develop their young players with something called coaching which is something not seen in these parts in eons. I saw it on a milk carton.
Such teams then complete their team when they need to fulfill a specific need that will help them win a division, get home field advantage and then win the Super Bowl.
November 6th, 2019 at 10:00 pm
We are 4th in points per game. We need a defence that can stop the pass.
November 6th, 2019 at 10:26 pm
Protecting his dumba** buddy #lichtmyb**ls who invested so much into this putrid secondary even before BA got here.
How many more chances does this idiot GM need?
#goongetouttahere
November 6th, 2019 at 10:27 pm
Oh c’mon Joseph. Makes no sense to waste money and future pick(s) on a veteran DB at this stage of the season. Season is over. Was over at trade deadline. You don’t pick up a veteran with a losing record and the season over. You preserve what leverage you have for the draft. Trades have more value on and or leading up to draft day. And besides it takes two to Tango. What veteran worth their salt would come here and why would you want a veteran who is willing to come here?
November 6th, 2019 at 10:37 pm
If our defense only gives up 14 pts a game we have a winning record. Idc how good your offense is. Defense wins championships. Doesn’t matter who you put under center of this team. Tom Brady Lamar Jackson Montana nobody is going 2 win with this defense
November 6th, 2019 at 10:52 pm
Not advocating doing that because it is impossible. The trade deadline was in October.
November 7th, 2019 at 12:48 am
Our MLB is faster than our #1 CB.
Devin White flew past VHIII to make that tackle of Carson.
Our MLB is faster than our starting CB!
Let that sink in.
What has teacherman been saying since 2009?
Only draft cornerbacks that run a sun 4.4.
What have the genius GM’s done?
Banks- 4.6
VHIII- 4.5
MJ Stewart- 4.56
Carlton Davis- 4.55
Ryan Smith- 4.45
At least Jamal Dean runs a 4.3. But his reflexes seem slow.
Ronde ran a 4.6. But he was a genius. His reflexes were lightning quick.
We suck bc we keep drafting SLOW cornerbacks!
I called for 4.3 Donte Jackson. We drafted 4.56 MJ Stewart!
November 7th, 2019 at 12:49 am
“this franchise is subpar at every level from owners to janitors”
-tmaxcon
Is trolling like this allowed on here?
I’ve been a pass member since I moved here in 2011 and my reps have always been very good to me. This has been my go-to site for Bucs news, and sometimes the comments get me thinking differently. But way too often I see comments like this one that convince me the “fans” only goal is to get a weird thrill from needlessly over-stirring the pot and seeing how annoyed people get.
Doesn’t tmaxcon live in Colorado?? What does he know about the normal people or “janitors” at one buc place?
Unfortunately, too many real fans take the bait and maybe I am one of them right now.
Joe, aren’t the comments supposed to relate to the news article? If I wanted to read random opinions on the Bucs, I would go to a Bucs forum or chat room, if those still exist…
November 7th, 2019 at 4:01 pm
This brings back a key point. The biggest weakness on this team is, and has been for years, the owners.
Everybody is taking sides on whether Winston will be signed or sold. If I were him, I would look at what’s happened to Rivers, Dalton and other QBs stuck with terrible regimes, and go somewhere else.
I’d like to see what Jameis can do with a really good oline and offensive scheme/coaching.