“Historic” Defensive Effort
February 19th, 2021
Bucs DC Todd Bowles.
Joe has heard so many Bucs-related stories from so many sources since the Bucs won the Super Bowl, Joe cannot recall where or who said the following.
We can slap the back of Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles all day long for devising maybe the perfect defense to stop the unstoppable Kansas City Chiefs’ offense. But without the players to carry out that defense, it doesn’t matter.
And the Bucs’ defenders played as well as Bowles smartly hatched and unleashed his plan on Pat Mahomes and Friends.
That’s what Derrik Klassen of Football Outsiders types. He broke down the defense against the Chiefs using video clips and stats.
We can suggest a number of factors, both in terms of scheme and execution, as the reason the Bucs came out on top. The pass rush was dominant all game long and with very few added blitzers, which is uncharacteristic of a Todd Bowles-led defense. Tampa Bay’s cornerbacks played tough, effective press coverage all game. Bowles, in contrast to his typical approach, turned to a ton of two-deep coverages to put a hard cap on Kansas City’s vertical game. It was a master class from both the coaches and players.
In particular, Klassen gave major props to the Bucs’ pass rush (duh), the play of insider linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David, and safety Antoine Winfield.
Joe will add that Bowles himself noted on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week that a major key to the Bucs defense was playing with a lead, which allowed Tampa Bay to focus a lot less on run support.
Just think, Bucs fans: This was the first game a Mahomes-led Chiefs offense did not score a touchdown since Mahomes became quarterback.
That’s just insane.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:05 am
It was an awesome performance, a thing of beauty.
Great job Coach Bowles!
Great job D!
Let’s keep it rolling.
Go Bucs!
February 19th, 2021 at 9:08 am
It is incomplete and incorrect to say the defense won it. I am hearing arguments from the anti-TB12 crowd that this was the case. Bad logic. If the offense is turning over and not converting, the defense does not get off the field. Yes, the defense played great, but it was a team effort.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:10 am
How sweet it is to be able to say our coaches outcoached the opposition.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:12 am
Now our scouts must continue to outscout the opposition too.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:15 am
6th rd,
Where are you gleaning that info?
I don’t see it here.
Joe even mentioned playing with a lead.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:15 am
Total team effort! That’s why they must avoid the “break up the Bucs” bullseye that’s coming….get everyone back!
February 19th, 2021 at 9:16 am
6throundpick – something similar happened to the Falcons in the SB with the Pats. The Falcons defense played great most of the game but eventually got gassed. You cannot sustain the defense indefinitely, you need a good offense to stay on the field and sustain drives to keep the defense rested and fresh for the duration of the game.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:21 am
Joe, in regards to what you said about Fitzpatrick in Morning Cup of Joe this am
“This guy is the ultimate career loser. ”
Do you Realize how much MORE money he has made than you by playing a Game he loves??????????
REALLY BAD Take Joe.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:30 am
You want someone to build a roster to make a player(s) money or to win games?
Fitz’s ability to swindle teams benefits who exactly outside of his immediate family and his agent? May want to rethink your stance.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:31 am
It was absolutely a team effort…..from start to finish….
Our defense played it’s best game of the year in the most important game.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:40 am
Dude has a Harvard degree and has made over $30 Million playing a game.
T Total Winner at Life!!!!
There is no other way to cut it
February 19th, 2021 at 9:44 am
Cool. Then he can go hang with the other Ivy Leagues while Joe’s more worried about building a team that wins football games.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:45 am
@6throundpick … “Yes, the defense played great, but it was a team effort.”
No question that our SB win was a TEAM effort. I think the key to that is playing awesome COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL. That’s so much more than just creating turnovers and capitalizing on them. The offense & the defense need to feed off of each other all game long. Like Joe wrote in reference to his Todd Bowles conversation … “a major key to the Bucs defense was playing with a lead, which allowed Tampa Bay to focus a lot less on run support”.
COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL at its finest.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:52 am
great job by TB and the whole defense. Especially the DB’s imo
the pass rush was great, but as he said…they were playing with a big lead, that let’s them hunt.
February 19th, 2021 at 9:56 am
Defense played best game of year.
Defense played best game in the biggest game of their lives
Thank Bowles and the Gravediggers
I think i may be getting a devin white jersey soon
I like the black jersey (not normal colors) they got out there but worried it looks to much like falcons and people will think roddy white at first 😂
February 19th, 2021 at 10:01 am
Joe
Career loser? 😂 I think some dolphins players would disagree who are not on the Tua train just yet. Not sure you saw that but its out there
They wanted fitz playing at end of year…over tua
And just fyi. He has the exact same winning percentage as your idol which is right at 39-40 percent
So why is your idol not given the same title
Just curious…honest question that may not make the final cut
February 19th, 2021 at 10:06 am
Fitz is Josh McCown with a beard. Loser.
February 19th, 2021 at 10:10 am
Cool. Then he can go hang with the other Ivy Leagues while Joe’s more worried about building a team that wins football games.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Duh. Of course you are more worried about building a team that wins football games
It is not Fitz’ fault that desperate teams are willing to throw spit at the wall and keep signing him.
I would venture to say that 99% of the commentors here would Love to have his life.
February 19th, 2021 at 10:11 am
So to be clear Joe……….You are calling him a “loser” because of his record as a QB right? That is fair.
To call him a loser in life is just dumb.
February 19th, 2021 at 10:20 am
Joe
So just want to get response into archives
How would describe johnny and jameis?
Johnny football record as starter. 2-6. Won 25% of his games
Jameis football record as starter. 28-53. Won 40% of his games
Fitzpatrick football rec as stsrter. 59-86-1. Won 40.7% of his games
😂
February 19th, 2021 at 10:24 am
Joe really doesn’t care if players win or lose in the after-football life so long as they don’t commit crimes.
February 19th, 2021 at 10:44 am
A great game plan.
February 19th, 2021 at 10:47 am
I’ll help you out with the obvious answer to the question that you already know since Joe won’t, both Johnny football, what an ironic nickname now, and JW are both career losers. It must pain someone to say that.
February 19th, 2021 at 10:49 am
And unlike Fitz, both are fairly close to career losers in life too if past ed deeds have anything to do with it.
February 19th, 2021 at 11:11 am
@Joes … “Fitz’s ability to swindle teams benefits who exactly outside of his immediate family and his agent? May want to rethink your stance.”
At the risk of being called a ‘moron’ again Joe, just can’t let that pass. ‘Swindle’ is a damning word in my vocabulary (ie, ‘Thou shall not steal’).
Fitz didn’t ‘swindle’ anyone. His career record of 59-86-1 is far from glorious, but he was with some pretty bad teams … INCLUDING BBB (Bucs Before Brady). Fitz’s career problem is that he was CONTINUALLY with BAAAD teams. Look at 2017 when the Bucs went 4-12 as an example. With Winston at the helm they went 3-10. With Fitz as starting QB, they went 2-1. Same year, same team, different results.
Fitz was paid $3 mil that year on a 1-year contract. Winston made roughly $10 mil (average) that year on his ROOKIE contract. Can’t see how the QB who won 67% of his starts that year with us ‘swindled’ anyone. NFL football IMO is a TEAM SPORT. Even great QBs like Brady need a great TEAM around them to win championships.
February 19th, 2021 at 11:18 am
OK, how about “conned?”
Fitz is a career loser. Well-documented and time-tested.
If anyone thinks otherwise, you may want to find another hobby outside of trying to follow football. Perhaps knitting?
Any coach or GM who thinks they can win with Fitz needs to have their office cleaned out and go teach high school PE.
What next? That Mike Smith was a football savant developing cornerbacks?
February 19th, 2021 at 11:48 am
So what you’re saying is we paid one career loser 10 million versus another career loser 3 million. Who swindled who?
February 19th, 2021 at 11:53 am
The line on Fitz has always been the same story. A streaky, journeyman QB, with a cannon for an arm, who can come off the bench and absolutely light up a defense for 4-5 touchdowns… only to follow up the next week with 4-5 interceptions.
He’s fools gold for any organization looking to build around him. A rich, career loser as a starter, but he seems like a cool guy and a good locker room presence.
He is also probably one of the best backup QB’s out there, IMO.
February 19th, 2021 at 12:11 pm
@Joe … “OK, how about “conned?”
Nope, no better. Somehow I don’t think that Fitz begged the Bucs to sign him.
February 19th, 2021 at 12:19 pm
@Joe … “If anyone thinks otherwise, you may want to find another hobby outside of trying to follow football. Perhaps knitting?”
The ‘arguing at the extremes’ tactic is humorous. Seems to me that I saw a president do that for a whole 4 years with poor results in the end. And thanks for the ‘knitting’ tip. It sounds so much easier than some of the dumb things I’ve managed to get into in my life.
February 19th, 2021 at 1:15 pm
* first time mahomes led offense hasnt scored a touchdown since he was in high school
February 19th, 2021 at 1:19 pm
How yall go from talking about defense to quarterback ?? Lol lol 😁😆😅. The quarterback position is the only position yall care about . Without our defense playing the way they played last year we wouldn’t have won nothing . Brady had nothing to with defense he doesn’t play defense . I guess he was the defensive coach as well . Lol lol lol 😁😆🤣 you that’s my hold point with some of yall about the team . If you give any other player credit for us winning yall get mad lol lol . Defense wins championship !!!
February 19th, 2021 at 2:42 pm
Jameis Winston plays defense though 🤯🤷🏽♂️.
February 19th, 2021 at 2:54 pm
Oneilbucs, strictly to piss you off!
February 19th, 2021 at 3:41 pm
SufferingSince76 Lol lol 😄😁 No bro that ain’t me man it’s just I’m going to always defend the Bucs as a team . A lot of yall on this sound just like Skip Bayless on undisputed. He sit their every day disrespecting the bucs team in the past and even now . He call us the suckneers and he even said that he don’t care about the bucs as team and to me that’s disrespecting Lavonta David , Carlton Davies and other bucs that been here . David is a hall of fame linebacker that gets no credit . I’m not going to for get about the defense or Rojo . Just like they treat the Patriots defense in the past . Just like we gave credit to the hold team back in 2002 I will do the same thing this year . I will never put one player over the team like yall do with Brady . Ain’t no team winning a championship without a good defense and a running game regardless who the quarterback is and that’s a proven fact !!@
February 19th, 2021 at 6:56 pm
Just for the record, I never said Brady was the only reason the Bucs won. And very few others have, either.