Shaq Barrett Was A Huge Part Of The Turnaround
October 2nd, 2022
One of NFL’s best.
If Bucs fans are still in a fog from last night, grab a cup of coffee.
Joe could argue the best acquisition on defense that transformed the Bucs from The Lost Decade joke of a team into a Super Bowl champion was the signing of Shaq Barrett.
Todd Bowles came in as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator in 2019 and told Bucco Bruce Arians and AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht that he thought he could do something with Shaq as a part-time pass rusher.
No one had any idea what was coming. Hell, Shaq even played in the fourth preseason game that season year alongside future Amazon truck drivers and mattress movers. But Shaq turned into a monster, setting a Bucs’ franchise record in his first season racking up 19.5 sacks in 2019.
Since, Shaq has been one of the best, most consistent pass rushers in the game, leading the NFL in strip sacks and ranking second in quarterback pressures and fourth in sacks.
That’s top-shelf stuff.
And who can forget the 2020 NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl? Shaq went wild in back-to-back games against two of the very best quarterbacks in the game, drama queen Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes.
Do the Bucs win either of those games without Shaq?
Two years before Shaq arrived, the pass rush was so grotesquely abysmal, Joe is still surprised a Glazer didn’t go full-blown Bobby Knight and throw a suite chair onto the field.
That began to change when Licht swindled former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman by grabbing Jason Pierre-Paul for a third-round pick. JPP got 12 1/2 sacks in his first year with the Bucs. Then Shaq arrived the next season and once JPP returned to the lineup after breaking his neck, the Bucs had a real pass rush for the first time in years.
Pound for pound it’s hard to think of a better investment the Bucs have made when they got Shaq for relatively cheap money on a one-year deal.
That’s what you call a return on your investment.
October 2nd, 2022 at 9:39 am
Love me some Shaq Barrett and a good dude too. Still love it when he told the Chiefs’ scrub offensive tackle he’d have to take a train home to KC after the SB because the team wouldn’t let him on the plane, he sucked so bad!
October 2nd, 2022 at 9:46 am
Hope we hear his name tonight. I don’t recall hearing vs GB.
October 2nd, 2022 at 9:50 am
And JPP
October 2nd, 2022 at 10:18 am
Goatfarmer thanks for reminding me. That was some epic snack talk lol
October 2nd, 2022 at 10:35 am
Super Bowl MVP, period.
October 2nd, 2022 at 11:21 am
Shaq has been huge for the Bucs. Him chasing Patty around and causing those faces he was making being completely lost was epic.
My only issue are the games the Bucs have needed him to change a game or dominate like Watt he just can’t go to that next level.
October 2nd, 2022 at 11:46 am
Watching London game. Vikings will never be in a NFC championship game with Cousins. Hoping Vikings hang on to beat Saints.
October 2nd, 2022 at 11:49 am
Looks like Shaq is in better shape, this year. Pushing away from the dinner table a little earlier?
Wife was feeding him too good, last year?
October 2nd, 2022 at 1:12 pm
To me started with JPP… first Buc to reach 10 sacks since Rice and tough against the run being DE in a 4-3. Then came BA, Shaq and boom.
October 2nd, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Shaq’s interview after the Super Bowl win always makes me laugh. Glad he’s a Bucs.
October 2nd, 2022 at 1:56 pm
People are sleeping on the fact that most if not almost all of this production frpm Shaq was with a healthy JPP BEASTING on the other side.
Shaq is great and I love the guy. But, we need JTS or someone to create havoc on the other side in order to free Shaq up from extra blocking help and then we’ll be getting to the QB more frequently from the edge.
October 2nd, 2022 at 2:56 pm
Well guys, JPP is not here this year and dude has 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 forced fumble and 10 solo tackles. Still great stuff.
October 2nd, 2022 at 3:14 pm
If the referees hadn’t gotten him for offside so many times when he perfectly timed the snap count over the last few years, he very well could be number 2 in sacks since 2019. Watch the tape, in slow mo, you’ll see.
October 2nd, 2022 at 11:00 pm
Who cares. Defense is getting bitch slapped all over the field against KC. Embarrassing once again on national TV.
October 3rd, 2022 at 12:00 am
He played like a turnip against the Chiefs. No pride and no heart.