Puppy Patrol
May 28th, 2020
Could it be Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has high standards or is it simply that Bowles wants to keep his younger defenders grounded?
In a Zoom video chat with the local pen and mic club, Bowles was reminded he referred to his young defensive backs last year as “puppies.” Bowles smiled.
When asked if his puppies have advanced to dog years, Bowles didn’t bite.
“Physically they have grown,” Bowles said. “Mentally they are still puppies. But they played what we called last year and they played it well.
“They understand what we are doing on defense. This year they have to graduate mentally to understand what the offenses are trying to do to them to get a better grasp of the game that way.”
Joe is just going to guess, and take a little liberty here, Bowls wants to see how his young players adjust. Two of his 2019 rookie corners, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean, started a grand total of 15 games between them last season.
Opposing offensive coordinators had scant game tape on those two. Now, they’ll have a full offseason to scheme for them, along with linebacker Devin White. So it seems Bowles is holding out on calling his second-year defenders dogs. Bowles might just be waiting to see how the three adapt to the expected adjustments offenses will have waiting for them.
How well the second-year starters prepare and adjust should be very telling. Until the offense gets smoothed out (perhaps as many as five new starters in key positions), the Bucs defense just may have to carry the Bucs the first couple of weeks of the season.
May 28th, 2020 at 4:13 pm
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 28th, 2020 at 4:37 pm
Wow, so you are saying Coach Smith is a better coach than Coach Bowles, hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That says a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stats are for losers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 28th, 2020 at 4:42 pm
I think Todd expects to take his defense to the next level of complexity. He will have more plays and and a few more variations of sets previously in place. He will attempt to get them to collectively read offenses better also.
Todd will treat them as puppies until they demonstrates maturity on the field.
We as fans tend to forget what a chess match NFL football really is because the game moves so fast.
I hope he and his staff have been adaptable enough to deal with the limitations imposed by the pandemic in the way they are trying to teach the guys during this off season. It’s a new world to a significant degree.
May 28th, 2020 at 4:48 pm
We have all been hearing now for the past couple of months about Brady, the recievers and the offensive line.
But I think the real key to next season’s success is how well the young secondary plays, plus has White improved dropping back into pass coverage ?
May 28th, 2020 at 6:25 pm
Dude your an idiot and I dont even have to mention your name….everyone knows.with a comment like that.
May 28th, 2020 at 7:05 pm
El Buco Realisto Says:
“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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
.
.
First, Bowles was clear last year that his young DBs were having trouble with some of the zone coverage that he wanted to deploy. Still puppies.
Second, we used to get our butts kicked by backup quarterbacks, so maybe you should acknowledge at least that improvement.
May 28th, 2020 at 8:24 pm
Bowles needed to find out if any of his DBs could get up to NFL speed. It took half of the season, but they got there.
This year they will disguise their coverage some. How much depends on if they can get there. I think they will.
That will make it easier for the D-line and he will be able to sneak a few blitzes in. The fake blitzes will still look the same.
If Winfield catches on quickly, it will be close to a good defense.
May 28th, 2020 at 8:37 pm
Get Jamal Adams.
May 28th, 2020 at 8:53 pm
Judge the second half perfromance of the defense last season and they were performing very well.Davis, bunting and dean are going to be top five this year.Mike Smith gave enough room.in coverage to park a jumbo passenger jet common sense stuff.
May 29th, 2020 at 5:34 am
2019 – 2 pick 6’s in first game, Devin White injured 2nd game, Gay blew a fg 3rd game
Bucs coulda, shoulda, woulda been 4-0 to start 2019.
Bowles is part of the solution, not the problem
May 29th, 2020 at 5:35 am
Realist(o) is just butt-hurt because he’s been dead wrong about Smitty since the beginning. What he doesn’t tell you “in the first two years” is that those defenses were ranked 22nd and 32nd in passing yards allowed those same years. AND, they were some of the softest defenses this area has EVER seen. It should also be noted that he conveniently leaves out 2018 when they were ranked 31st in the same category (points allowed) under guess who?
Yep, ‘ol Smitty!
May 29th, 2020 at 8:09 am
By the way, how did the defense perform after they released their former #1 Defensive Back VHIII?
May 29th, 2020 at 9:15 am
Yea. Lets get Adams & give an IOU.
May 30th, 2020 at 1:42 pm
@Bucsfanman – 100%
Unrealistico also fails to mention how many of those PPG were from pick-6s and of super short fields after turnovers.
Anyone who was paying attention saw that the defense at the end of the year was completely different from the beginning. Now we just have to hope that continues, and isn’t a fluke like Mike Smiths 7 games in 2016 where his defense actually played decently (the only time during his 3 year tenure)