Bucs Defense Could Look Different This Fall
March 23rd, 2024
More blitzing?
Joe thought this was pretty cool from Lavonte David on Friday.
The draft hasn’t arrived and already you can see the Bucs defense will be different. No more Devin White, though did the team really miss him in December and January?
Jordan Whitehead returns. Carlton Davis does not. It is fair to think the Bucs may even play more zone defense this fall.
So on Friday when Bucs linebacker legend David was asked if he was going to blitz more, he lit up.
David throughout the press conference looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. That’s not a knock at all. He is just uncomfortable being the center of attention. Of anything.
So when David was asked about blitzing, for the first time, David looked excited, engaged, ready to strap on a helmet.
“I would love that!” David said with gleaming eyes and a wide smile.
But, with his long-time defensive coordinator and current head coach Todd Bowles just a few feet away, David quickly pointed out that’s not his call.
“It’s [not] up to me.”
David, instead, seemed to indicate the defense won’t change this fall, even with different personnel in the back two levels.
“Whatever we do right, we stick with it,” David said. “That’s one thing I do respect about Coach Bowles and that I really like – he finds what is working for guys to make things comfortable for guys, and whatever is working and makes you comfortable, he’s going to do it.
“Since the first day, he has said he has an open-door policy and if you have a problem with it or whatever it may be, you come and talk to him. It’s been like that ever since.
“That’s why he’s a respected guy across the locker room – a lot of guys love to play for him.”
David made it sound like the defense will not be all that different.
Oh, and the only other time David looked excited and seemed stoked to be the center of attention Friday? When a reporter mentioned to him that Whitehead had returned.
Every forced fumble of Lavonte’s career 🤯🔥
Watch more plays like this on NFL+ 🎥 pic.twitter.com/cELraJYXeh
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 22, 2024
March 23rd, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Great player, great man. Hope he plays a few more years at least.
March 23rd, 2024 at 5:47 pm
It wouldnt take alot of tweaking to make this a great defense.
I think both starters and depth are improved in the Secondary.
We have some real potential at LBer.
We have Vita Vea and Kancey(still worry about his size).
We just need a couple of those pass rushin’ guys.
Voila’
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:18 pm
You got me curious Joe.
The title: ‘Bucs Defense Could Look Different This Fall’.
Joe: ‘The way David explained, it doesn’t sound as if the defense will be all that different.’
Putting the 2 of them together, I’m ASSUMING that our defense will ‘look different’ because of some new starters, but that it won’t really play all that differently.
I like LVD’s line that goes ‘Whatever we do right, we stick with it’ But he could’ve added ‘… until the other team catches on’. But we won’t go there.
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:29 pm
Please!!! Not more zone!!
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:29 pm
Will someone please explain to me the reason JTS is still on this team? He’s dead weight. He plays like a rookie n lost kid. I’ve watched the tape on him n he’s years away from football intelligence. I gave up on him after his bonehead play against the Bengals in 2022. He batted down an underhand pass thrown to him by JBurrows that he could’ve intercepted for an easy pick six. Also, often times, he seems to get lost n confused on the location of the ball carrier. He is so easy to block n never applies pressure. JTS is a clone of OJHoward/Jaelon Darden.
I’d take Markee Watts over him any day.
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Wow! That compilation is great. The dude has a knack for knocking the ball loose. Love the player, love the man. Seem like this team is made of really good people.
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:31 pm
I wonder if we’ll see some playtime from SirVocea Dennis. I thought he looked good coming out of college. He’ll be an interesting one to watch in preseason.
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:39 pm
Maybe with a seasoned OC Bowles can do what he does best…scheme awesome defense…the sky’s the limit for our new look bucs
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:48 pm
PLAYMAKER!
Career Forced Fumbles:
Luke Kuechly – 7
Bobby Wagner – 6
Brian Urlacher (HOF) – 11
LaVonte David – 28
Don’t try and tell me that LD54 doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame just because he got overlooked for at least a half dozen Pro Bowls….
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:49 pm
And no pass rush either!!
March 23rd, 2024 at 6:55 pm
Here’s another good one….
Career Tackles for Loss:
Luke Kuechly – 75
Bobby Wagner – 89
Brian Urlacher (HOF) – 138
LaVonte David – 160
March 23rd, 2024 at 7:13 pm
Joe – you’ve got it backwards. I expect to see much more man/press. Bowles was quoted last year as saying they could not play press as much as he would like because some of the players could not. Since the departure of Neal, replaced with Whitehead, that situation is resolved. We’ll see much more aggressive pass coverage this season
March 23rd, 2024 at 7:26 pm
I’m sure Bowles will probably be able to use Antoine in some other ways now since Whitehead is gonna be back there with him again. Gonna be much better with Whitehead back there for sure over Neal.
March 23rd, 2024 at 7:27 pm
Regardless of where the Bucs draft an edge, history says they will be 4 to 6.5 sack guys. So get that guy with a third(diaby) or fourth (Nelson) rather than a first (jts) or second (hall). Use the first and second on positions we do a better job of evaluating.
March 23rd, 2024 at 7:34 pm
Awesome stats….his #’s blow the great Brian Urlacher out the water….except for the 3 Brady years the bucs get no respect
March 23rd, 2024 at 7:46 pm
OK – One more…
Career Solo tackles:
Luke Kuechly – 690
Bobby Wagner – 996
Brian Urlacher (HOF) – 1046
LaVonte David – 1035
March 23rd, 2024 at 8:09 pm
The defense will look different next season. Diva and the milk carton at safety were huge liabilities in pass defense. Whitehead and Winfield are direct extensions of Bowles will, and Lavonte wont have to be bothered with carrying the load of two.
March 23rd, 2024 at 9:01 pm
Dear Devin White – that is what tackling looks like!
March 23rd, 2024 at 9:39 pm
Will someone please explain to me the reason JTS is still on this team?
“Investiture,” as Ira would say.
March 23rd, 2024 at 9:41 pm
Here is why Joe is thinking more zone: The Bucs were playing more zone last year (the results weren’t great). And who did the Bucs get rid of? Their best man cover corner, a guy who didn’t play zone well.
March 23rd, 2024 at 9:43 pm
He might be the only guy in the rookie class who didn’t come close to living up to the hype. Had a decent worthless preseason game, blew a hamstring and entered the witness protection program.
The guy vanished.
March 23rd, 2024 at 10:09 pm
“The guy vanished”
Sir Dennis will be a good NFL Linebacker. Might take another year or 2 for him to develop – but whenever Lavonte is ready to hang it up, Dennis will be ready to step in. And he will not disappoint. You’ll see Joe…
March 23rd, 2024 at 10:10 pm
Great video!
I am honored to have watched evert David game.
March 24th, 2024 at 1:09 am
It better look different. Against even modest QBs, Bowels can’t stop the pass at all.
If Bowels insists on playing his zone bust schemes and not ensuring that the defenders know all the scenarios, variants, and choices in Todd’s calculus 4 defense, he’ll be running a lawn equipment business in 2025.
March 24th, 2024 at 4:33 am
Excellent replay video, best moments. Love it and am so happy to be reminded of Lavonte’s energy. In agreement, this season the defense will be different and even better.
March 24th, 2024 at 4:52 am
Dave, After watching the run to the Superbowl , Bowles defense absolutely shut down some really good passing attacks including the chiefs. What’s missing is some ball hawks in the secondary and an effective pass rush. We went from 3
pretty good safeties to one stud safety the last couple of years. At OLB we need
to have two players that can stop the run as well as the pass. We haven’t had
since JPP”s injury.
We have also struggled at times on offense to take advantage of defensive turnovers on offense the last couple of years.
March 24th, 2024 at 6:49 am
All NFL teams base defense on 1st down’s is zone. All NFL teams play some zone defense on 2nd and 3rd downs. I never get the calls to play all press defense by some Buccaneers fans.
I guess fans only notice when zone does not work but never give it credit when it does work.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
While I do agree JOE that Davis wasn’t good in zone then why make him play it in the first place. I also would say Dean isn’t great at zone either. Both were above average at man to man. The stats say that in man coverage they graded out towards the top. So why not play to your guys strengths. Kinda like we run the ball. It’s not our strength passing is and we saw a few games where we passed more and we lit it up. Bowles is a great D coach. We don’t win that SB without him eating Bree’s , Rodgers and mahomie for snacks but his decision making is sus sometimes
March 24th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
Geno711…well said.
March 25th, 2024 at 7:38 am
I think we’ll play more man. Zion’s physical abilities are far superior to Carlton’s. Whitehead over everyone we had at SS as well.