Defense First
February 14th, 2020
Talkin’ defense.
If Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians is stressed out over what the Bucs will do at quarterback, he apparently did a good job hiding it yesterday.
On Thursday, Jenna Laine of ESPN caught up with Arians at a coaching academy in Tampa. Arians was apparently tight-lipped about quarterbacks but seemed concerned about his defense, or at least keeping his defense intact.
“Oh, yeah. To me, it’s the whole defense,” Arians said after speaking at the NFL Coaches Academy. “You can’t get ’em all, but … those young guys grew. We can’t let that go. I don’t care who’s my quarterback. We’ve gotta have a defense.”
And the defense played damn good toward the end of the season.
Of course, the Bucs have three big free agents on defense, Shaq Barrett, Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul. Keeping those or finding their replacements if they do leave will be critical.
Joe has written before it’s not far-fetched to assume the Bucs could lose one of those three in free agency.
Joe is guessing of those three, the most irreplaceable would be Shaq.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:03 am
There really should be no reason why we can’t keep all three……with the only exception of a Suh retirement and I that were going to happen…..it would have already.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:08 am
“I don’t care whose my quarterback”
Thats actually pretty harsh and im not a jameis excuse maker
Arians should be careful Ndog doesnt come for him in the middle of the night
February 14th, 2020 at 8:10 am
Unless Suh signs for cheap then let him walk. Shaq and JPP are the ones we need to re-sign ASAP.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:13 am
Because he knows It wins championships, and 30 INTs don’t.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:13 am
While everyone seems to be divided about the QB, and a little on the RB, at least we all agree on keeping the defense intact. I would bet that Buc players are just as divided, and that does not bode well for the locker room, or the cohesion on the field. We need to get rid of whomever/whatever might make the team play their best on the field in 2020.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:31 am
Suh is the only one that matters jpp is one childish choice away from AGAIN missing half the season and without suh barrett is average at best… you can gurantee that the glazers licht and the senile washed up arians are going to screw things up for a decade more… they will make the wrong choices. Hopefully jameis goes to pats and hoists the Lombardi in Tampa…. that is far more likely than this irrelevant small market franchise contending
February 14th, 2020 at 8:31 am
Nassib needs to stay too…Load up on the Defense and bring back the Bucs signature of dominate defense. Plug in any QB that reduces turnovers and this team will be set!
February 14th, 2020 at 8:31 am
I agree 2000% with BA…Priority should be defense, then OL then QB and last
a decent running game.
We just can´t pay everybody…..I would sign JPP and Shaq…both or none….
February 14th, 2020 at 8:38 am
Remember delusional bucfan just like when cancer93 received his pay day and commenced to retire on active duty while going on an unprecedented basement title streak. the same is most like to happen to barret… he’s saying all the right things to get the delusional feelings first ignorant bucfan to fall for him just like cancer93 and whamo he will disappear just like cancer93…. every player and coach who gets paid in Tampa lays down and plays dead after thier payday…. obviously lvd and cancer93 basement title streak is in jeopardy with the new crop of early retirees the glazers are courting to pay….
February 14th, 2020 at 8:40 am
This is spot on. We have to keep it intact and build depth. That means salary cap considerations at QB…but more importantly…..
it means we need a QB that doesn’t turn the ball over and demoralize the defense.
later crabby. can’t wait to see who he chooses, hell I might even renew my dish subscription if they make a change at QB and enjoy watching!
February 14th, 2020 at 8:41 am
why is my comment awaiting moderation?
February 14th, 2020 at 8:42 am
Bruce Blahak Says:
February 14th, 2020 at 8:31 am
Nassib needs to stay too…Load up on the Defense and bring back the Bucs signature of dominate defense
Bucs were one year wonders nothingmore….. that dominate defense led by sapp and the laughable underachieving has beens won 2 playoff games outside of the fluke championship season…. sorry ma’am but 2 playoff wins is not dominant. the bucs were never contenders just a bunch of popular backups riding sapps coattails
February 14th, 2020 at 8:52 am
Joe, you did the research yourself. JPP is better at beating double teams, where Shaq was ineffective against them. Sign JPP 1st and then Shaq.
Jason is better in the locker room as well.
Once they are both signed offer Suh $14M guaranteed for two years. He’ll stay.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:54 am
Arians has been successful with most of the QB’s that he’s had. He probably wouldn’t be scared to go into next season with Gabbert and a rookie 2nd or 3rd rounder, so long as the defense from the 2nd half of the season is still there.
February 14th, 2020 at 8:54 am
It’s interesting that three captains on last years team may not return to the team (Dare, JW and Nassib).
February 14th, 2020 at 8:55 am
You delusional fools clinging to the failed past need reminding daily that highly ranked defense lost just as many games 10 to 7 as it won 10 to 7…. you laughable losers call 500 football with no chance in the postseason glory years and complain nonstop when national media tells the truth about this small market irrelevant franchise…. Tampa is known for losing and embarrassing themselves not for defense….the facts are the facts and your pathetic feelings cant rewrite history… one year wonders nothing more
February 14th, 2020 at 8:58 am
How long will it take, for the sheep to “realize” that back of the season run, was from playing three back-up QB’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 14th, 2020 at 9:04 am
“The most irreplaceable player would be Shaq”
It’s not a good way to look at it, Joe.
If Bucs lose any of the starters on DLine, they won’t be as good, unless they get lucky in free agency or draft. And why would you let one leave in free agency for another free agent? They’re already playing great together. You’re just increasing your risk of falling off.
Suh, Barrett, JPP and Nassib ALL need to be re- signed and so do Allen and Nunes- Roches- but I could live with losing a backup if they draft a stud DLineman
And any dropoff in DLine is going to affect secondary.
Arians is right – devote most of cap resources to D.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:04 am
BA knows which side his bread is buttered on … the DEFENSIVE side. His first 3 years in Arizona his defense averaged a #6 ranking in POINTS ALLOWED and his record was 34-14. His last 2 years there his defense averaged a #16 ranking and he almost broke even at 15-16-1. Without a strong defense, even if they win in the regular season, team’s don’t seem to go far in the playoffs.
BA knows what our defense can be IF we keep the band together. Re-signing JPP & Shaq is a no-brainer, but we NEED that strong interior beast (like Suh) to set them free. Suh’s just as valuable as either of them IMO, and I hope that BA & JL don’t fully appreciate his value the way that TB does. Feel pretty much the same about Carl Nassib. PAY ALL FOUR OF THEM, reward them with multi-year contracts, and be grateful if they stay.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:09 am
Glad to hear from BA he is steady in his approach.
El Pessimisto, we get it, a tiny mouse is a great big scary thing in your life. Go tell your Mother about it and learn to lay off the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In BA I Trust!
February 14th, 2020 at 9:10 am
Need to also keep Nassib.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:12 am
Arians: ” I don’t care who’s my quarterback….” Pick me, pick me!
Right, because he’s the DB whisperer.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:14 am
Sign SHAQ & JPP at the same time in the same room….lol…
If suh walks, draft kinlaw or brown….r.davis from bama looks good…rotate gholston inside….we should be able to make up his production with numbers….
GO BUCS
February 14th, 2020 at 9:20 am
@Realist … “How long will it take, for the sheep to “realize” that back of the season run, was from playing three back-up QB’s”.
Guess I don’t understand Realist why you insist on bad-mouthing how the Bucs’ defense matured in the second half of last season. Our record in those 8 games was 5-3 and could have been 7-1 if not for a few ‘bad breaks’ in the last 2 games. Our defense gave up 197 points in those 8 games (24.6 PPG), despite 23 turnovers by our own offense in those games. That’s like 3 TOs/game average, and includes 4 Pick-6s (take those away and our defense gave up an average of 21.1 PPG in that stretch). Oh and forgot to mention that our defense scored FOUR TDs of their own off of takeaways in those 8 games, plus added another 11 takeaways that our offense feasted on.
So yes, this defense has a lot to hold their heads high about after the way that they finished. And oh BTW, Bucs played against 3 backup QBs in the first 3 games also.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:32 am
All of the D-line FA guys and quality backups should be top priority.
The Bucs do still need another quality safety. Only two in the draft, so get one early.
After the D-line is set they can start drawing lots on Jameis. No matter what you think of him, he is gamble.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:33 am
2 playoff wins in 6 years was laughable not legendary which was why the ignorant one dimensional clown dungy was fired… the clown wasted more hall of fame players during his career than any other coach in history… the clown would have never won a championship if was not for facing bad character lovie Smith the only coach more ignorant than the clown….
February 14th, 2020 at 9:41 am
“I don’t care who’s my quarterback.” is a party line any head coach would make, unless of course he’s not totally bent on bringing back the status quo and in fact could be going the other way.
Many dimwits here want to pay Winston mult-year, $25-30M each, some even talk about using a tag. Those comments are shear stupidity and based soley on man-crush.
Winston would fetch about $11M (pretty good scratch) as someone’s top backup. Frankly, that is his realistic long term role. He could be a late off-season signing for a team whose starter goes down and they are desparate. Maybe $18M if they think they can still contend. No one is going to pay him franchise QB money, or even mid or top tier starting QB money with his on and off-field question marks. Look, he doesn’t exactly have people lining up to sell their products. Why does anything think he will ever be the face of anyone’s franchise.
Enjoy free agency Jameis L. Winston. Go talk to teams. Demand your money. Sit back and watch the Bucs sign a veteran (be it someone they really want to start or not). And then get cold feet just before draft night and come running back with your fire sale price tag. $18-20M. Bridge quarterback for the Bucs is the very best deal you will get.
There is always the CFL I support. Maybe even the XFL. Naw, better go back to that hopes for $11M backup. See ya.
February 14th, 2020 at 9:46 am
The bottom line is the Bucs KNOW will have a starting QB this year for about $24M. So they are poised to spend away in free agency. Bucs fans should be elated about this fact, not only because they have tens of millions to spend for the D alone, but also because they actually good players like Shaq that WANT to come back, and other skill players they want to bring back. We haven’t always seen that. This is a rare time for the Bucs, where, with the exception of the QB position, it’s nice to go shopping in our own store.
February 14th, 2020 at 10:00 am
Tmax you are insufferable
February 14th, 2020 at 10:03 am
I see it as Arians doing his best to hedge his bets…
He seems to be holding out hope that when door #2 is revealed it will be a QB of his choice…
One that offers him the best success in 2020..
But Just in case he is forced to be stuck with JW then he knows the only way to win with that Cat is to build the greatest defense you can to stop the other team from scoring on every turnover JW causes…
When building your team has to hinge on the deficiency of the most crucial position on the team, your in a no win situation!
February 14th, 2020 at 10:06 am
Dude has won a lot of games with a lot of different quarterbacks, unlike say Josh McDaniels
February 14th, 2020 at 10:15 am
the fans Says:
February 14th, 2020 at 10:00 am
Tmax you are insufferable
Maybe but I am right
February 14th, 2020 at 10:20 am
That was pretty funny Bird!
February 14th, 2020 at 10:20 am
The Bucs need to get some youth on the defensive line as well. I think they will go defensive line in the draft, because JPP is 31, Suh is older, and Shaq may be a 1 year wonder. I expect 10-12 sacks this season from him. My concern is this team saying “we’re good on defense” after a good stretch…like 2016. Continue to build depth on the line, because injuries do happen.
February 14th, 2020 at 10:36 am
Due to Winston’s turnovers, the Bucs defense lead the league in total defensive snaps on the field.
Arians knows that if Winston remains the QB next season, his defense better be damn good.
Keep the defense together get a cheaper QB that doesn’t continually turn the ball over and cost your team games.
As Jerry Jones posted above – Defense wins championships. 30 interceptions does not.
February 14th, 2020 at 10:39 am
Gotta have a solid, stingy defense when your QB gives the ball away like Halloween candy.
For those JayMiss lovers out there who are fawning all over Mr. I’m Ballin’, check your sheets, all Lasik did was get you great pics of America’s Turnover Machine in his new RayBans.
In other words, get over it. I know I will after his first Pick -6.
Peace, out.
February 14th, 2020 at 11:26 am
@Robert…at 8:41am post….
Because these people that run this site, feel that the ” H E double hockey stick”…should be in their screening junk on this here site. Makes no sense.
But you used it in your previous post. Just tweak it next time a bit.
February 14th, 2020 at 11:41 am
Suh was very important and played well, but it was the re-insertion of JPP that made this pass rush go. Suddenly, Shaq came alive again even though it was apparent to me that our best pass rusher was JPP. He went around, over, and through OTs to bring down the QB. Shaq may get most of the buzz, but JPP was the MVP. When he came back, the defense started humming.
gOut of the three, Suh is by far the easiest and cheapest to replace. He’s not much of a pass rusher at this point in his career and far cheaper alternatives can be found to come in and clog up running lanes and occupy blockers. Let Suh go, bring back Shaq and JPP. Simple. Nassib may be too good to afford. If he sticks around, he can still play OLB and DE and get starter reps on a rotational basis. He does the dirty work and his motor is top notch. If he can be had for an affordable amount, he should be brought back.
February 14th, 2020 at 12:02 pm
I was 100% for Winston until the last play of 2019 against Atlanta. That done me in. Bucs had a chance to be in the playoffs and Winston blew it. Time for him to go somewhere else. Shame that we can’t find a QB like Patrick Mahomes that has
wanted to be a star QB. Mchomes is working this off season to be even better next year.
February 14th, 2020 at 12:21 pm
I’m OK with all of this. I trust BA more than any coach we’ve had here recently (not that it was a high bar that was set lol).
Between Schiano / Lovie / Dirk & Smitty he’s the only one that has overseen a staff that has developed any players that we’ve drafted (i.e. various secondary players / RB / O-line / WR & LB – basically everyone besides OJ Howard. Even Donvaon Smith had one of his better years). The draft picks we had before were pretty much successful or bad right out of the gate but didn’t change much after that.
Hell if anything we saw regression (Spence / Hargreaves / Justin Evans / etc).
And I almost think they are kind of wanting to see what Winston’s value is on the market compared to other QBs. WHo would even sign Winston to a huge $$ deal? The only team I can think of is maybe Chicago.
February 14th, 2020 at 1:21 pm
In BA I trust!
February 14th, 2020 at 1:40 pm
“I don’t care who’s my quarterback. We’ve gotta have a defense.”
Bye bye jaboo….need your $$ to bring that D back….oh yeah, LOVE IT!
WHOOP THERE IT IS!
February 15th, 2020 at 10:57 am
Don’t forget Nassib. IMO I think he needs to be signed as much as Suh. I think age is a big factor.
February 15th, 2020 at 12:35 pm
Thank you Bruce. its what I ben screaming on this website for Years!!..Get back to the Defense which was the direct cause of us winning a superbowl in the 1st place. its hard to argue against a great Defense. Look what happened to us this past yr. In the games we won? We played stellar Defense. DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS…!!