Attack Mode
November 2nd, 2023
Be aggressive.
Earlier this week, Bucs coach Todd Bowles was threw shade at his starting secondary.
Bowles quipped (with Joe paraphrasing) that if a defensive lineman like Will Gholston has more picks than the entire starting defensive back field, there is something wrong there.
It’s not a shock that Bowles considers turnovers paramount to a defense.
Asked how he can get his starting secondary to get more picks, Bowles said the simple answer is to be more aggressive.
“We’ve got to attack the ball,” Bowles said. “We’ve got to see it, number one. Our vision has to expand.
“In man[-to-man], it’s a little tough, but we’ve played a lot of zone, so we should be able to get more breaks on the football. We’ve been working on that all week.”
So the coach of the team that leads the league in turnover ratio is a bit irked there aren’t more. So that has been a focus in practice this week?
Look, Joe thinks Bowles is a helluva defensive coach. But man, it sure sounds like he’s wading in Lovie Smith waters here.
Joe hopes there is equal amount of focus on tackling and sacking the quarterback as there is picks for his secondary.
November 2nd, 2023 at 4:48 am
Right now biggest problem is our OLBs suck and cant get to the QB!
JTS should be replaced by Nelson who is a better player at this point.
Diaby should get more time because Shaq doesn’t have it this season.
November 2nd, 2023 at 4:55 am
Used to love to watch John Lynch tackle. He was incredible IMO at tackling ‘through runners’. You could hear the hit from way up in the stands. He didn’t just stop the runner; he stood them up & drove them backwards. Thus the THUMP. Perfectly legal; each hit was a lesson in how to tackle.
I don’t see that anymore on the Bucs. Far too little gang-tackling in recent games. Also seeing far too many ‘bad angles’ and ‘glancing blows’ that allow almost all runners to gain extra yardage. The exception to that seems to be Lavonte. He doesn’t give up one extra inch. Love that about LVD.
Not convinced though that it’s something you can teach at the NFL-level. These guys were drafted because they were the best at the college-level; they know how to tackle properly. Far too our guys are getting caught out-of-position and behind-the-play. A big part of that (it looks like) is that many are having trouble anticipating blocks & shedding blocks. Part of it is also a ‘size thing’ (Bucs are undersized at a number of positions?). We don’t match up well against the bigger, more physical teams.
November 2nd, 2023 at 4:57 am
The primary issue with Todd is his lack of ability to see past his past
The former S is still living thru his players to his playing days
The fact that we sit at 3-4 losing 4 of the past 5 games and as we look at the upcoming schedule we should be checking off wins against bad teams like Houston, Carolina x2, ATL, NO, INdy – but we can’t
We have Todd and now we will be lucky to split against these teams while San Fran and Jax are going to seal club Todd
I thought he said this was back to basics week, now it’s turnover week?
How about busted coverage week?
Can’t stop a 3rd down week?
Can’t run the ball week?
Can’t see over the line at QB week?
Watching the same mess for two years now????????
November 2nd, 2023 at 5:35 am
Defense Rules, yes sir, Lynch was a “thumper ” .
I remember when he knocked his brother in law,Allred out.
November 2nd, 2023 at 5:41 am
Same old saw. Nothing new. Block, tackle, throw, catch, run, intercept…repeat. We know you practice, but exactly what are you practicing? What we see in a game is pathetic unpreparedness and lack of effort. Does anyone on the Bucs really care if you win or lose?
November 2nd, 2023 at 5:44 am
Joe its about mentality, like Sherman said, “why you playing scared to Dean? ” At the same time, Bowles Coaches scared to, like the Pittsburgh game last year, taking the ball out of Bradys hand, Fear 101, so he is asking to play different than the mode he operates in. Sorry, Todd get your farewell speech ready, you will need it in January. The Glazers never fire a head coach during the season
November 2nd, 2023 at 6:37 am
I’ll never watch another Bowles press conference. He says the same garbage every week and nothing changes. Without doubt the worst HC in the league. That includes the ones that just got fired.
November 2nd, 2023 at 6:55 am
Joe … ‘Bowles quipped that if a defensive lineman like Will Gholston has more picks than a starting defensive back, there is something wrong there.’
Big Will has exactly ONE interception in his 11-year career. That’s not a very high bar.
Bucs have 7 INTs on the season to date: Gholston (1); Shaq (1); White (1); Delaney (2); Izien (2).
Davis has none. Dean has none. Winfield has none. Neal has none. That means that our entire starting Secondary has … none.
Bowles could’ve really stuck the knife in if he’d said instead … ‘It’s sad when a part-time defensive lineman has more INTs than our entire starting Secondary’. And it’d be true. But then again, he’d get skewered for throwing his players under the bus, as usual. Todd needs to learn to be quiet, and just nod when dealing with the media.
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:01 am
Agree BucU. Put a lifeless cardboard cutout of Bowles at the podium and replay last weeks audio. Same blah blah blah. NO fire, no nothing. WTF
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:01 am
Picks are more often than not caused by errant throws. Bad throws more often than not are caused by pressure on the QB or severe wind conditions. So just schedule better for very windy days.
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:04 am
OneTrickPony … I remember reading a writeup about that play that made me laugh. Lynch said in there that he’d screwed up the play & that it wasn’t a very hard hit when he caught up with Allred. Just found the rest of it …
“I walked back to the huddle because I didn’t know anything happened. (Derrick) Brooks, he always kept his mouthpiece in, so it was hard to hear him. ‘C’mon man.’
I said, ‘What?’
He said, ‘You’re not even going to go over and check on him?’
I looked over and there was my brother-in-law and he had signs of a guy who had been knocked out.
‘Oh my gosh. What did I do?’
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:18 am
Get the offense fixed………and the defense will follow.
But we know Lovie ain’t fixing the offense.
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:27 am
Boss Says:
Get the offense fixed………and the defense will follow.
^^^^^^
Exactly. We’ve learned “complimentary football” is how you dominate games. All of the 3 and outs by our offense puts our defense in a bind. If/when the Bucs offense has 2 consecutive 3 and outs, the Bucs defense will give up a score. It’s like clockwork. Improve the offense and the defense will improve.
Unfortunately Boss is also correct …
Lovie ain’t fixing the offense.
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:34 am
Bowles coaches scared. That’s why this will be his last hurrah.
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:55 am
When your blitzes don’t work, you’re screwed……..our DBs play way too far off the receivers….worried too much about the deep ball……and get beat for the 12 yard first downs…..
Attack….yes…..
More importantly, we need to go on attack mode with our offense…..we have little to lose.
November 2nd, 2023 at 8:12 am
Joe, it’s like ground hog day. I seen this movie last year. Bucs offense struggling in 2022. What did Bowels do? Nothing. What is he doing this year? Nothing. That is his MO.
November 2nd, 2023 at 8:26 am
I think Defense Rules nailed it in a comment yesterday. A 13-10 victory is the PERFECT performance in Bowles’ opinion. That is his identity. As long as he’s the HC this team will never consistently score 20+ points.
November 2nd, 2023 at 8:27 am
Charge!!!
To the rear
November 2nd, 2023 at 8:37 am
We lost the Falcons game because Ryan Neal saw and attacked the ball but did not see the receiver until he caught it and ran past him. We just need better d backs. Period.
November 2nd, 2023 at 9:02 am
Once again blaming his players. Most of the time the DBs are so far away they can’t even get a hand on the ball. That’s on the coach.
November 2nd, 2023 at 10:14 am
For those who still believe Bowles is this defensive genius, here’s a tidbit that may sway your decision. The average 2023 NFL D 3rd down success rate is currently 39%, the Bucs are 49.6%, meaning the D cannot stop the opposing O on 3rd downs just shy of 50% of the time. Bowles played in the secondary, why isn’t this fixed, it’s been going on seems like forever?
November 2nd, 2023 at 10:24 am
If he wants them to attack, his scheme has to put them in the right place.
The DBs can’t attack if they have been told to have an eight yard cushion. Most especially you can’t attack on 3rd and 6 with that same 8 yard cushion.
This is a Bowles cleaner problem. He needs to find someone who can line people up in the right places for each play. He gets caught changing hats and both sides suffer.
November 2nd, 2023 at 10:31 am
It’s hard to play defense when you realize if you give up a single field goal , much less a touchdown ,you will probably lose because your impotent offense cannot make it up , so you lose your aggression, play deep , and play scared , knowing that if you give up a score , even though you are one of the least scored on defenses in the league, you will get the blame because the individual whose name cannot be spoken,( “ lay off ********!”), can not be criticized in any way , or benched, ( probably in his contract).
November 2nd, 2023 at 11:45 am
Dean Davis and Neal blow.
November 2nd, 2023 at 12:05 pm
Joe, can ask Bowles why he’s given every OLB snaps except the kid who showed any kind of pass rush during the pre season…Makees Watts. Bowles ran his mouth, along with Wirfs, all pre season about the guy and yet he hasn’t seen the field. Your edge rush is a joke, and you don’t give everyone an opportunity to show something. Why not give him and Diaby a few series out on the edge?
You’re toast anyway as a HC unless something drastic changes. Might as well see what you have in the kid.
November 2nd, 2023 at 12:08 pm
Sorry for the mispel…Markees
November 2nd, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Bowels is a nice guy for sure. Calm demeanour, soft speaking, not rattled. Nice guys finish last.
November 4th, 2023 at 7:43 am
The more Todd talks the more I realize…He shouldn’t.
We have been working on that all week? Geez, it is just a very sad thing if that is a true statement. We had a bye week and were told that the team self scouted.
Now Bowles realizes we have a problem breaking on the ball?
I should be making six figures on the Bucs coaching staff because I could have told Todd this was a problem 2 years ago.
Go Bucs!