Coming After Reggie White
September 3rd, 2020
Chance at history
Shaq Barrett has a chance to do what no man has done in 32 years.
And if he does it, Shaq will become an even more insanely wealthy man and a fixture in the NFL history books.
Joe’s talking about leading the NFL in sacks for two consecutive seasons. Shaq notched 19 1/2 last season to lead the league. The last guy to have back-to-back sacks titles was Hall of Famer Reggie White (1987 & 1988). Mark Gastineau did it before that (’83 & ’84), and it wasn’t an official stat prior to that.
But Shaq doing it this season would be more impressive than White or Gastineau. In those days, you didn’t get flagged for sacks that would be personal fouls today.
This week, Jason Pierre-Paul talked about how much he’s learning from Shaq by studying and watching his moves. Rob Gronkowski, without being prompted, also gushed about Shaq and singled him out for greatness against the run and the pass.
Shaq spoke this afternoon about how he’s “practicing a lot harder” this year and already has been studying Saints tackles for two weeks and crafting his plans.
Man, Joe has to wonder whether Shaq could be better this season at 27 years old. Think about that concept for a minute!
But keep in mind that the Bucs defense had more passes attempted against it than any defense last season, by a good margin, so don’t count on Shaq getting more chances to get after quarterbacks. But if he’s more effective, maybe he can duplicate what he accomplished last season and score himself $20 million a year.
September 3rd, 2020 at 12:42 pm
No way to quantify it but I suspect the GOAT factor is helping to motivate just about everyone on the roster. Great atmosphere.
September 3rd, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Pablo thanks SAG Barrett is going to get his long-term deal this year
September 3rd, 2020 at 12:58 pm
In a perfect world, our offense will ring the scoreboard up so high that the opposing team will be forced to pass.
Given our ridiculous offensive lineup, this is not a stretch…
Hopefully this comes to fruition, and gives Shaq ample opportunities to rush the passer.
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:00 pm
And Shaq is as personable and magnifying as Reggie White. Just watching him speak in interviews makes you want to cheer for him.
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:05 pm
If we just made sacks an unofficial stat again, Shaq would be a lot cheaper to keep.
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:07 pm
The entire defensive unit could very well become a huge class of Hall of Famers when it is all said and done. All starts with Suh folks. You see huge results when Suh anchors your attacks. Most of you like a powerful defensive attack well, it starts with him. If he is missing the results will be drastically different.
GO BUCS!!!
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:13 pm
If the Bucs score 30 points a game, he’s gonna get plenty of chances to stack the sacks.
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:18 pm
Brady strokes out in the first half cos he’s an old fart, then what?
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:24 pm
Our run defense was the best in the league last year. Only one RB broke 100 yards against us. Teams are already making plans to throw more when they play us. It is going to be a fun year.
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:34 pm
Bingo! Can’t run against the Bucs so you damn well better throw it. With our offensive firepower, opponents should be chucking it a lot to try and catch up – because we sure as well won’t be spotting them points or great field position!
September 3rd, 2020 at 1:59 pm
The Minister of Defense!! That man was something else. He’d throw around 300+lb men with one arm like they were little kids.
If Shaq can have 12-15 sacks that’s gonna be a big year with a big contract. The key will be JPP and his health and the dominance of Suh and Vita. I think they all play into Shaq being double teamed or one on one. Either way I still think he has a big contract deserving year.
September 3rd, 2020 at 2:33 pm
I dont even know if Shaq will lead the team in stats. I expect he and JPP to battle for that honor all year……And that’s in no way a knock on Shaq.
September 3rd, 2020 at 2:52 pm
Haven’t heard it yet, but just think. But if we can score 30 plus points a game, that would put other teams in passing situations to keep up or catch up. That means prime hunting grounds for our pass rushers to feed. That could set the table for Shaq and the others.
September 3rd, 2020 at 3:17 pm
If Shaq comes close to what he did last year, he’ll have earned one of those mega contracts. It’s so nice to have not just one, but two legit pass rushers. 😊
September 3rd, 2020 at 3:26 pm
lol Rod
September 3rd, 2020 at 4:06 pm
LOL, we had so many passes attempted against us because it was so hard to Run on us last year. Suh and Vea are like running into a brick wall.
September 3rd, 2020 at 4:51 pm
How quickly has this guy become a fan favorite?
Get 20 big fella!
September 3rd, 2020 at 5:59 pm
Did You Know?
Shaq was undrafted out of Colorado State. He only had four sacks in the four years prior to joining the Bucs.
There had to have been zero tape on this guy. How/why did Licht’s Staff even think to bring him in as a FA?
Amazing talent scout, dumb luck, or a little of both?
September 4th, 2020 at 1:23 am
Give Light and his staff credit when credits due. It is their job to put the coaches at an advantage regarding the talent pool that abounds in the NFL, practice squads, CFL, ete., etc. For the most part they have done their respective jobs. Are you perfect in your job? I’m sure if the Bucs go the distance and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Tampa there will still be the “Negative Nancies” running their clock suckers about what the GM & associated staff members should have done and how they could of done so much better “only if”…………….If you are a true Bucs Fan then sit back and watch the fireworks for once with a bit of pinache….. We’ve earned it. Go Bucs 2020!