Peter King: Jamel Dean Now An “Influencer”
September 19th, 2022
Defender of the week.
From a sort of starter to now a defender of the week and an influencer, Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean has had a helluva couple of weeks.
In his must-read weekly column on NBC Sports, “Football in America,” elf-rattled, green-lawns-frowning, soggy-socks-wearing, Daylight-Savings-Time-scared, crossword-puzzle-puzzled, Elon-Musk-peeved, Barstool-Sports-triggered, almond-milk-sipping, hot-dog-eating-contest-protesting, mock-draft-scowling, L.L.-Bean-wearing, tennis fans’ advocate, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike-Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California-train-romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal-picture-taking, video-game-playing, Taylor-Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft-beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training, Budweiser-tolerant, baseball-scorecard-keeping, pasta-feasting, vomit-dodging scrooge, Kay-Adams-following, Coors-Light-souring, pineapple-upside-down-cake-eating social activist and NFL insider of NBC Sports fame, Peter King has now knighted Dean an “influencer” and also the top defender of the week.
But no, King didn’t mean Dean is an Instagram influencer where you see Dean posing topless on at Clearwater Beach holding up a can of shaving cream. King, though, believes Dean influences wins as he did yesterday in picking off America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, twice in a 20-10 win.
Cornerback Jamel Dean, in Tampa’s bitterly fought 20-10 win in New Orleans, changed the game. While the Bucs get up to speed offensively — no sideline Tablet is safe until the Bucs start averaging more than the 19.5 points a game they’ve put up in the first two weeks — they’ll have to survive with a defense that’s started red-hot. Sunday’s hero was Dean, the fourth-year corner whose two fourth-quarter interceptions led to 10 Tampa Bay points and broke open a 3-3 game.
This was a slugfest, as usual, between two teams that hate each other the way the Steelers used to hate the Ravens back in the day. “Oh my God,” Dean said from the Bucs’ locker room, “this is always a heavyweight fight.” It really was a fight in the fourth quarter, when three plays before Dean’s first pick, Tom Brady started jawing with Saints corner Marshon Lattimore, shoving ensued, and Bucs receiver Mike Evans flew into the fray and blasted Lattimore.
This move in the offseason by Bucs coach Todd Bowles to give Dean the full-time cornerback gig, sign Logan Ryan and flip Antoine Winfield to slot corner/safety which allows Mike Edwards to get more snaps seems to have been a brilliant move on several levels.
Those adjustments by Bowles seems to have turned the Bucs from an OK/good defense to a choking, stomp-on-your-neck defense that makes opponents cry for mercy (or a first down).
Joe is absolutely stoked over how good this defense is playing.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:49 am
Me too Joe! Now if we could only field some of our reg O linemen and receiver’s.
September 19th, 2022 at 10:54 am
Green Bay running backs are very physical.
I expect Bowles to continue to play the nickel defense he has in the 1st two games including about 50% of the plays on 1st down.
Can this new 1st down defensive formation hold up against a more physical run game that Green Bay has compared to New Orleans and Dallas. We will see.
The good news is the week after, KC does not have a physical run game and I think that our new defense will line up very well against them.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:01 am
Hey Joe. Would love to see an article this week on how Vea’s snap totals are looking compared to previous years. Seems like there hasn’t been much of a change for the big guy, but maybe I haven’t been paying enough attention.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:05 am
Thank god they’re playing Dean instead of SMB.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:06 am
We’re already in Aaron Rodgers head, check out his postgame presser from yesterday. 3-0
September 19th, 2022 at 11:09 am
Tarheel Buc
Vea had 43 defensive snaps which was 63% plus another 6 special team snaps which was 23% this week.
Last week, he had 42 defensive snaps which was 61% plus another 8 special team snaps which was 33%.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:22 am
Tarheel Buc … According to the stats on Pro Football Reference, Vea is doing somewhat better this year. He played 42-out-of-69 defensive snaps (61%) against Dallas, and 43 out-of-68 def snaps (63%) against New Orleans. He played 2,072-out-of-4,187 def snaps in his first 4 years … 49.5% … so he definitely ahead of that pace right now. Hopefully he stays healthy & gets to play in his 2nd Super Bowl this year.
Still looking for him & Hicks to kick it up a notch in the interior. Vea’s been doing quite well IMO (1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits, 3 tackle), but Hicks seems to be still getting adjusted it looks like (0 sacks, 0 TFL, 1 QB Hit, 5 tackles); he played 59 out-of-137 def snaps in the 2 games (43.1%). Hope his injury yesterday is nothing significant.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:22 am
Coaching chess , coaches at all levels in every team sport are constantly reimagining players and positions trying to find the perfect fit, and even then they begin reimagining 😀
September 19th, 2022 at 11:26 am
Been touting this defense all year……with all the attention paid to losing Gronk……injuries to the oline and WR corps…..the focus has almost totally been on th offense.
The defense is stout….but has slipped a bit in the run stopping…..but made up for it in the secondary…
It looks like DBs are in position on every play and are playing tighter….
The pass rush is more than adequate and it needs to be vs Rodgers & Mahomes.
September 19th, 2022 at 11:30 am
I can now have a good rest of the day because Peter SJW King gave his approval. Economy tanked with a border crisis, but it’s all good as long as there aren’t anymore big meanie tweets right Petey? Did Peter wear two masks and use a gallon of hand sanitizer when writing that article?
September 19th, 2022 at 11:33 am
Massive improvement from 2021. Back up the truck and get ready for a big payday in 2023!
September 19th, 2022 at 11:34 am
Good to know. Joe aims to please. 🙂
September 19th, 2022 at 11:41 am
Stay humble young man
Follow Bowles and keep growing you got the talent
Cash checks later
It’s just Dean
35
Go Bucs
September 19th, 2022 at 12:58 pm
Best corner on roster
September 19th, 2022 at 2:08 pm
Did Joe really need Peter King to write this article? Isn’t this the same Peter King who picked the Saints to win the NFC South this year?
Sing the praises of Jamel Dean, Joe! Leave Peter King out of it.
September 19th, 2022 at 2:40 pm
Agree about the re-tooled secondary. They seem poised to keep getting turnovers and look to be better overall in pass defense.
The only downside I’ve seen so far is we’ve lost a little bit of weight / toughness back there. It has showed up slightly in the run game. We no longer have Whitehead the enforcer breaking bones…
September 19th, 2022 at 2:58 pm
Howard would happily go for eternity without ever reading another word from PK
September 19th, 2022 at 2:58 pm
That said, Jamal Dean is a gravedigger
September 19th, 2022 at 2:59 pm
Peter King’s prediction was blown out the water when the Bucs stomped on the aints necks. He’s wrong more often than not on picking playoff contenders.
September 19th, 2022 at 3:39 pm
Does Joe plan to take up a critical tone with Saint Peter King as he did a commenter earlier today? The Ravens and Steelers rivalry of hate and disgust just like Bucs and Saints!
Just tugging at the shirt sleeve a bit, Joe…it is funny, to Owl anyway, how this comparison escalated up the credibility ladder 🙂
September 19th, 2022 at 3:43 pm
Joe does not agree with this at all and explained in another comment. Not sure what you want Joe to do, lie to people?
September 19th, 2022 at 4:09 pm
Most CB’s take time to develop. Confidence is a huge part of their progression. I hope JD sticks around for years.
September 19th, 2022 at 6:51 pm
What a difference a healthy secondary, Dean starting, and the 3 safety look has been so far!!! The Bucs need more great defense output next week. GB has got a good RB tandem-!! The Bucs will focus on stopping the run even more so next Sunday. LFG!!
September 19th, 2022 at 6:54 pm
Ya gotta love the fire and precision that our D-fense is playing with this year!
September 19th, 2022 at 7:22 pm
@Geno. I’d venture to say that Dallas’s duo and o-line is much better than GB. I see our run defense improving after yesterdays performance. Coaches will coach and accountability will be met.