Day 1 Challenge
May 25th, 2020
New Bucs safety Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Rondé Barber is feeling the Gruden-era buzz across the Tampa Bay area, and maybe it’s hitting him even harder because he played golf two weeks ago with The Goat himself, vitamin-peddlin’ Tom Brady.
Barber was talking lots of golf in an official Buccaneers video yesterday, previewing Brady’s golf-for-charity extravaganza with Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson.
But Barber also talked a little football. He was the host and was joined by national sports personality Adam Lefkoe.
Lefkoe astutely noted that the Bucs’ defensive backfield is a weak link and perhaps rookie second-round pick Antoine Winfield Jr. is the fix as the Bucs wait for their younger cornerbacks to blossom.
Barber concurred.
“They’ve missed some pieces in the secondary for the past couple of years, Barber said. “But if Antoine is half the player his dad was, oh my God.”
Lefkoe went on to say you can’t blame Jameis Winston for the Bucs having the 32d-ranked passing defense last season, and he added that Tampa Bay scoring about 30 points a game but finishing as losers also means a finger should be pointed at Todd Bowles’ unit.
Barber nodded in agreement.
So is Winfield up for the challenge of being an instant-impact rookie? That will be very difficult, but maybe he can come on very strong in the second half of the season.
Perhaps the Bucs are good enough to ride out Winfield’s growing pains and emerge without a losing record in the first half of the season for the first time since 2012?
May 25th, 2020 at 8:05 am
There can be no question that our defense cost us some games last year and needs improvement.
The most difficult thing to predict is just how much more does one year’s experience mean to that group of young players……has to mean something.
May 25th, 2020 at 8:07 am
go get adams problem solved
May 25th, 2020 at 8:14 am
whatever, its really easy to sandbag on a defense that seemed to always be on its heels and defending a short field due to america’s bonehead!
May 25th, 2020 at 8:17 am
Just seems that folks forget how Winston’s turnovers put our defense in bad situations too, and the fact that Winston had up and down games. He didn’t actually score 30 points every game. He had many games last season where he scored less than 20 points as well.
May 25th, 2020 at 8:20 am
It should not be an issue, if toilet bowles rolls out the same predictable, limited playbook that he brought to the table last year!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only question is how many backup-QB’s will they play so the sheep can say that they turned the corner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And for those keeping score!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach Smitty 2016-2017 points against avg. 23.5/g
toilet bowles 2019 points against avg. 28.1/g
If toilet bowles pulls off the impossible, and somehow manages to get the points against to 19 , then he would just tie Coach Smitty’s first two years of pts against!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shocking numbers that the local media and sheep choose to ignore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the “no excuse” season of all “no excuse” seasons!!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 25th, 2020 at 8:40 am
His father was simply an outstanding player. What if this kid is a star? How good is this defense then? Time to shoot for the moon Bucs fans, a new era has begun!
May 25th, 2020 at 8:45 am
Arians asked Jameis, “what play are you must confident you can execute of the first play of the game?” Jameis, “I’m really good at starting with an interception. That really helps to pump up the defense!”
May 25th, 2020 at 8:54 am
Realist- Smitty’s defense was SOFT, passive, and quite frankly, sucked out loud! There should be a moratorium on comparing that aberration of a punk defense to anything we saw last year.
Trust the eyes. I don’t care what the stats say. Bowles defense was NIGHT AND DAY more aggressive and fun to watch.
Incidentally, what were those Smitty defenses ranked?! Yeah, I thought so. Not so glorious!
May 25th, 2020 at 8:56 am
Nice, new trimmed down moniker for TB Joe.
I hope it’s not temporary.
May 25th, 2020 at 9:08 am
Maybe a Joe Bucs Fan Poll should be done on yea or neah on these monikers for Brady.
May 25th, 2020 at 9:25 am
You can’t look at the whole year–you have to look at the FIRST half, and the SECOND half. These kids are gonna rule the league for a decade
May 25th, 2020 at 9:40 am
It is so hard to predict NFL success but Winfield sure looks like a star to be. Like his mind set on the field. Sees everything and reacts accordingly – with lightning speed. Probably his dad taught him well – for many years.
May 25th, 2020 at 10:00 am
Winston’s continuous turnovers kept the defense on the field, sometimes on a very short field, and caused the Bucs defense to lead the league in total defensive snaps on the field.
Bet they didn’t mention that little fact
May 25th, 2020 at 10:02 am
“Perhaps the Bucs are good enough to ride out Winfield’s growing pains and emerge without a losing record in the first half of the season for the first time since 2012.”
Wow, stunning fact. Even given a couple of years ago when they started 2-0 with Fitz…
Brady should have an instant impact in this regard!
May 25th, 2020 at 10:07 am
Poor little Joey. Still making excuses for America’s anal wart, the turnover machine, pro bowl alternate, third string scrub, Jamoist Winston. Do they have Uber in New Orleans???
May 25th, 2020 at 10:12 am
The defense improved leaps and bound by the last half of the season. Todd Bowles is complex and for the young guys to pick it up, it takes some time. Sean Murphy-Bunting was recently quoted as being lost in the first half of the season but by second half he was starting to understand Bowles’ philosophy.
I think this second year in Bowles’ system will show improvement. The last four games of last year, the Bucs’ defense looked like a top 10 defense.
May 25th, 2020 at 10:14 am
Realist you are truly a know-nothing, cherry picking moron. 3 years in to coaching his scheme how many points was the defense giving up before they fired Smith’s sorry ass?
Oh? What’s that you say? It was on pace to be the worst defense in NFL history? Shocking.
You continue to make yourself look like a pair of clown shoes Realist. Never change.
May 25th, 2020 at 11:30 am
So with the exception of a tiny brigade of holdouts most people here believe the Defense bears a great deal of responsibility for last year’s record. JW’s pick sixes and turnovers contributed as well.
The debate has largely been around which..D or JW was MORE responsible. It’s no longer important.
We have improved at QB. Our Defense is also improved…both from normal growth of youth as we saw the second half of last year and with Winfield.
We have improved the two biggest areas of need! Are you ready for some football!!!!
May 25th, 2020 at 11:58 am
Aw-how right you are. Realist must be related to Winston!!
May 25th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
The kids in the secondary got up to speed about halfway through the season.
If Winfield gets it quickly the defense will be an asset at last.
It will be even better if Bowles opens his playbook up. I know he has the plays, I hope the young DBs have the brains to make them work. It is easier to make a bump and run guys play zone than a zone guy play bump and run, so it should work.
The Bucs might be one of the most complete teams in the league if Winfield is above average.
May 25th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Backfield will be better this year. We progressively got better in the 2nd half of the season last year… Young unit, Winfield will be a speed demon… I would also love to see Justin Evens make a come back in 2020…
May 25th, 2020 at 1:38 pm
Our defense was bottom 3 the entire time Jameis was here (Exocet a 6 game stretch in 2016).
Bottom 3! For 5 straight years, though they did start to really turn it around the 2nd half last season.
Let’s hope that continues into this year. Otherwise we’re gonna be fk’d. Don’t look now but Brady has almost always a top-10 to top-15 defense every year. Just saying…
May 25th, 2020 at 2:42 pm
Lest we always forget the short field given to opposing defenses by the Greatest Turnover Machine in Bucs’ History. Or losing with his Pick 6’s. Winston cost the team more games than the entire defense. One man, one screw up after another. The King of Suck, Jameis. Only an idiot would discount his constant game losing giveaways and yeah I’m talking to you 😂
May 25th, 2020 at 4:58 pm
when we were on the clock about to steal him in round 2, I was screaming at the TV to draft this kid and my wife is looking at me like I’m nuts. So pumped for this year. Love our draft, love our FA. Lets go!
May 25th, 2020 at 4:58 pm
Unbelievable ,
The Bucs defense was ranked 25, 15, 22, Jameis Winston‘s first 3years.
Last year, between the pick 6’s and turnovers in their own side of the field which lead to points scored The defense would have been in ranked in the 20’s.
That’s 4 of 5 years the Defense was not in the bottom 3.
Obviously, that’s not great defense but it’s a far from the “Winston was a victim of the leagues worst defense, or bottom 3, 5 out of 5 years ” ! He was not.
May 25th, 2020 at 5:17 pm
30 INT gives equals no rest for defense.
May 25th, 2020 at 5:33 pm
He needs to put on some weight. Maybe not bust out of his shell till the end of the year like secondary in 2019. He can play multiple spots and ballhawk. They were gonna get a safety in the second round and gave the choice to Bowels’ and he picked this guy. Very high ceiling he could full fill. Excited.
May 25th, 2020 at 6:03 pm
I completely agree with this but I’m a little more optimistic about the secondary. They have some young safeties and cornerbacks who have consistently gotten better and better over the last two years. Last year was their first year in that defense and by the second half of the year they were much better.
My big concern is pass rush.
The linebackers are great.
DTs are great.
But Shaq and a full season of JPP can’t do it alone.
They need the interior push add another edge rusher to emerge. Mainly to provide consistent pressure. There were way too many times when the pressure would disappear
May 26th, 2020 at 8:00 am
Sign Jason Peters one year 3.5 plus incentives. Trade Smith and his 14.5 mil to the redskins. Use the money and draft picks to trade for Jamal Adams. Adams and Winfield shut down safeties.