“I’m Not Going To Tell You That”
September 2nd, 2022
Major mysteries in the Bucs secondary.
Joe was intrigued by two comments coming out of One Buc Palace in the last couple of days.
The first was a non-comment, Bucs safety Mike Edwards was asked in the locker room what kept him from being a full-time player until now. Edwards replied, “I can’t really say that much.”
Then safety/cornerback Logan Ryan appeared on the Buccaneers’ Below The Surface feature at Buccaneers.com and talked about his role this season as the sage veteran of the Tampa Bay secondary.
Talking about his impact for the 2022 Bucs, Ryan wouldn’t reveal what position he’s going to play.
“I’m not going to tell you that,” he said. “I’m preparing at a lot of them. But it can change, whether that be a fourth-quarter closer or a guy that can get the juices going earlier in the game.”
Throw in Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. working a lot at nickel cornerback in training camp, and it’s clear the Bucs are gearing up to surprise quarterbacks as best they can in the first month of the season. They’ll face four veteran in Weeks 1 through 4: Dak Prescott, Jameis Winston, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
What a beautiful sight it is too see the Bucs with all this depth and versatility, and they’re healthy.
Throw in real competition at cornerback for the first time in years and Joe views the defense as underrated.
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:04 am
Imagine having enough depth to actually rotate guys and keep them fresh? I think the defense is going to be high energy and making things happen!
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:12 am
I imagine every day Mike. Especially rotating certain guys on the DL too.
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:14 am
Man let’s have all of them playing a different position every snap. That will really confuse the quarterbacks! Until they see their guy running Cooper Kupp wide open down the field and lob it up there for him.
It would be nice for guys to learn a position including knowing their assignments at that position before learning another one.
Naa. Todd, you go man! Show everyone what a genius you are with all your dazzling complex schemes.
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:29 am
Hey Joe, it would have been nice to write something about Logan Ryan getting resigned since you got shocked so much that he was cut.
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:34 am
We will know soon in Dallas The pre season hype don’t mean nothin’ not a thing.
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:37 am
Logan Ryan is a tackling machine, but how is his coverage? I thought he allowed over a 100 passer rating last year… I understand his value as a leader and great communicator, but is anyone concerned about his coverage skills?
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:46 am
I think they do something similar to what how they utilized 3 safeties a lot in the SB win over KC. I think they are gonna do something surprising too though. Lots of stunts and games on the DLine and between the Interior DT’s on defense. I remember Bowles did something so unique to him and crazy that day and blitzed on LESS than 10% of the snaps 🤯 they still got 29 pressures that game (27 w/ just a 4man rush). We OMLY used 6 DB’s on the field EIGHT that entire season….I think we employ that more too.
I think we’ll use that unique “Cover 7 Poach” formation Bowles pulled out in the SB too….which is something you don’t see often and think he’s gonna show these 4 Veteran QB’s in the first 4 weeks unique stuff like this. Almost treat these first 4 weeks versus these great QB’s and Ted like it’s the Playoffs and use whatever we can and throw in some wrinkles or the unexpected.
Also the year we won the SB and when SMB played the slot that year, he was the 8th highest ranking blitzer from the Nickel that year. I definitely know why he wanted to move Winfield Jr. down there more this year….because he’s a heckuva blitzer and he’s gonna blitz from that slot a lot at some points this year.
I very much agree w/ you tho Joe and think it’s gonna be surprising. Not SB surprising where you completely change everything you do (i.e. a lot of blitzing, pressures w/ 5 men & single high safety looks – which we barely did any of that, that game – we ran 2 high, sometimes 3 high safety looks, brought 4man pressures almost always and blitzed FAR less than we EVER have).
This whole off-season w/ the Bucs has seemed like one constant surprise though, so at least I’ll already be well prepared. What an off-season and can’t wait for the season to start. Go Bucs!
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:51 am
So underrated!
I keep screaming that at the top of my lungs for anyone who will listen.
The D wins us the Super Bowl this year.
Book it!
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:51 am
I’ve been beating the defense’s drum for months…….all of our young backs are healthy and have another year’s experience……
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:53 am
I didn’t realize they resigned Logan Ryan? … Why did that whole thing even go down what was the point?
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:53 am
….also, if you remember Todd Bowles’ post-Super Bowl PC, he stated when asked about Mahoney running so much, he replied he was of course overly happy w/ the performance, but there were times when Mahomes got out of the pocket because, “we were too SLOW on the interior” to catch or contain him as much as they could’ve/should’ve.
Bruce said before the Draft this year, “we need more speed on the Interior D-Line”
That’s been a constant theme of both of theirs for 2 years now. Why they liked Logan Hall this year I’m sure too. Just an interesting observation and repeated theme of theirs the last few years of where they could improve. I think we are gonna see some different stuff this year. 3 safeties on the field at a time a whole bunch though.
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:56 am
#8,
Suh?
Have you moved on? LOL.
September 2nd, 2022 at 11:07 am
Aw, come on 🎱, just say it. We’re just ribbing you man. I will not, but Joe might be sad if you stop.
September 2nd, 2022 at 11:15 am
Good. Don’t say anything. The world doesn’t need yo know everything that is going on with this team.
I hope Bowles and the rest of his coaching staff and the players don’t give the media a single sound bite or stich of information. Loose lips sink ships. I don’t want to know where Ryan Jensen’s knee is at right now. I don’t want to know who’s playing where and in what coverage. I don’t want to know where Chris Godwin or Russell Gage are in recovery. Not a word should be said to anybody about anything before week one.
This is a new team with a bunch of new pieces with which the rest of the league doesn’t know how it will be put together for the first part of this season. Leave it that way. Last year the roster was identical and the book was out. Every year there should be some reinventing.
September 2nd, 2022 at 11:36 am
Don’t trust Bowles pass defense scheme so they have to show me before I believe in this defense
September 2nd, 2022 at 11:43 am
With four versatile safeties and three good corners, we are in fat city.
September 2nd, 2022 at 11:54 am
@PewterWarrior
Todd Bowles, nor his scheme hinges on your level of trust in it lol
September 2nd, 2022 at 12:01 pm
Edwards and Ryan are channeling their inner Brady:
“We aint telling you sh!t.”
September 2nd, 2022 at 12:03 pm
DBs. CATCH THE BALL!!!!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2022 at 12:35 pm
Gotbbucs with another strong comment. Totally agree.
Thank you Joes for all that you do. Love this site, and enjoy this Bucs community of mostly great fans and thoughts. You other guys know who you are (doom and gloom).
September 2nd, 2022 at 12:49 pm
I think that our defense is overrated, but we’ll get our answer soon enough.
September 2nd, 2022 at 1:15 pm
D-Rok … I’m with #8. Predicted long before preseason started that Suh would end up being a Buc this season, but not necessarily in training camp. Still believe that for the most part (nothing’s ever 100% for sure in the NFL). IF our interior DLine doesn’t produce or if one of the dawgs gets banged up for any period of time, and IF Suh hasn’t signed with someone else, Bucs will find a way to get him in uniform. This is OUR YEAR, and all options will be on the table all year long.
September 2nd, 2022 at 1:28 pm
NEAL is the X factor i believe. Todd Bowles is cooking up something real nice for us! Nevertheless the front seven is the anchor and key factor to the success of the defense… STOP THE RUN AND PRESSURE THE QB is the name of the game, dbs play downhill and create some turnovers
September 2nd, 2022 at 1:56 pm
Agreed on Suh, DR and 8. The longer Suh remains unsigned the better our chances of getting him at some point, if needed, this season.
September 2nd, 2022 at 3:08 pm
Suh at LG let’s go
September 2nd, 2022 at 3:32 pm
As long as Shaq-a-sack gets some help, the secondary will be fine. With Suh and the ghost of JPP being gone, Nassib and JTS need to step up.
I love our DBs, but they are not world-beaters off the line, unless they get away with some holding.
September 2nd, 2022 at 4:41 pm
Suh may have his own reasons why he’s not on the team. Did anyone ever think of that? He has no interviews that I can find so no one has even asked him, publically.
September 2nd, 2022 at 5:57 pm
I feel the same Joe. Our defense is underrated and over looked in part cause of our offense. I’m ok with people sleeping on our D as long as the D steps up big this year
September 2nd, 2022 at 7:23 pm
LFG!!!!
September 2nd, 2022 at 7:50 pm
Likely underrated because most teams are going to focus on slowing TB12 and the offense down. They invested in enhancing the secondary and the line play, one of them are likely to be successful. I feel like Bowles wants to make his mark on this team early, and that will be improved, and even more aggressive play on defense, because he has The Goat. 54, 45, and the nickel are likely in the mix to blitz on every down. Would not be surprised if these guys caught fire and made some noise this season.
September 3rd, 2022 at 7:54 am
One thing that got me excited in the third preseason game was how fast LVD looked. Only a few series but flashes of him covering the field should remind everyone how important he is to the D. Lots of talk about JTS, CB’s, safeties, etc. but if LVD is back and healthy that’s huge.