Poor Pass Rush
June 6th, 2024
Pass rush please — please!
Sometimes, Joe just gets so damn frustrated because Joe seems to get more p!ssed off about a lack of an edge rush than the Bucs do.
Joe would move heaven and earth to find a top-shelf, double-digit edge rusher. If that meant going out and spending Team Glazer loot on a quality free agent and drafting two in the same offseason, then so be it.
There is no other position more important on defense. Without a pass rush, a defense is just p!ssing in the wind.
At times, Joe gets the sense the Bucs sweat more about a damn guard then they do a pass rush. So irritating.
Well, maybe there is some reason behind the madness. Tej Seth of the Thomas Dimitroff-run stats outfit Sumer Sports broke down the Bucs’ pass rush, such as it was in the regular season. And it seems when the Bucs rush just three or less, or rush five or more, the Bucs are pretty good. Top-10 good in terms of sack percentage.
When the Bucs rush four, or they send six (or more), it’s sad.
Joe finds it beyond weird that when Bowles rushes three players or less, the Bucs can get a pass rush. But they can’t when they rush six or more.
Do the Bucs only rush three when there is an empty backfield and that’s why they can generate some heat?
Joe really has no idea why the Bucs don’t prioritize the most important player on a defense. Chris Braswell may turn into that guy but he’s a rookie. YaYa Diaby may turn into that guy but Joe would like to know why his numbers dropped after he became a starter.
If Diaby and/or Braswell work out, the Bucs could have a dangerous defense.
June 6th, 2024 at 3:55 am
The Bucs used 1st Round picks on JTS and Kancey, 2nd Rounders on Logan Hall and Braswell, 3rd on Diaby. They’re not ignoring the pass rush, they just swung and missed on JTS and Hall, from what we’ve seen so far.
June 6th, 2024 at 4:22 am
@joe in MI – exactly right. Just haven’t found the right guys and not for lack of trying. Spending big $$$ on FA’s is an even bigger crap shoot. And don’t care about the pretty chart – there was nothing good about the pass rush last season. Watch the games!
June 6th, 2024 at 5:18 am
Hassan Riddick is not showing up for workouts wants a big new deal. That’s the Philly garbage Joe was screaming for. We have some new young talent hard at work trying to get better.
June 6th, 2024 at 5:40 am
Pass rush is my favorite part about football. I was hoping the Bucs could trade for a JPP-type pass rusher this offseason, but that didn’t happen.
June 6th, 2024 at 6:03 am
Don’t understand their prioritization either. Agree with Joe in Michigan too. I think many of us were hoping for a JPP type pass rusher. It could all be a disguise like you said and we will all be pleasantly surprised. Go Bucs!
June 6th, 2024 at 6:30 am
Michigan Joe good points. Bucs spent valuable draft capitol on addressing the need. They’ve just failed so far.
June 6th, 2024 at 6:34 am
Joe … ‘Do the Bucs only rush three when there is an empty backfield and that’s why they can get heat on a quarterback?’
Exactly Joe. It’s an interesting analysis, but without explaining his criteria it’s pretty much worthless. For instance, assume that it was based on just pass plays, but he didn’t specify. Were RPOs included where the QB had to eat the ball instead of pass it? Not to mention that Expected Points Allowed (EPA) is a very subjective criteria.
Bottom line nonetheless is that our pass rush needs work. But so did our OLine obviously. Todd Bowles’ Bucs defenses have been extremely consistent in terms of Points Allowed over the past 4 seasons. Sacks have remained very consistent also, but pressures have really dropped off. HOPEFULLY Diaby & Braswell can change that starting this year.
June 6th, 2024 at 7:16 am
A pass rush built on “if” and “hope” usually doesn’t succeed. Maybe Davis got shipped to Detroit because it really doesn’t matter who your corners are without a pass rush, the secondary is hung out to dry.
June 6th, 2024 at 7:33 am
I largely agree with Joe about needing a better pass rush, I’m just not sure that it HAS to come from the edge. Warren Sapp, Aaron Donald immediately come to mind. Having said that Sapp had our wonderful spaceman Simeon out on the edge, and if you go back to another great DT Merlin Olson he had Deacon Jones on the outside. Bottom line it’s a TEAM effort not just the edge. But that is admittedly nitpicking, again I agree with Joe’s basic thesis.
But I’m a guy who wants to see results not stats. Results start with WINS!!! Everything else is just window dressing.
Wins start with TEAM stats not INDIVIDUALS. I always love D.R.s pointing us to the more important stats. How many points does the D give up each game.
I do not care how the D get er done as long as they prevent the other team from scoring points. From there it’s all on the offense to win the game.
I mean I know we’ve all seen a LOT of rule changes protecting QB’s, officiating etc…but as far as I know the game is still decided by which team creates a difference on the scoreboard whether is 3-0 or 30-27. Just stop the other team from scoring!!!
June 6th, 2024 at 7:39 am
Really? Tell me more…again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again, etc, etc, etc.
June 6th, 2024 at 7:43 am
Lets get Wirfs and Godwin done 1st and then worry about a DE/OLB
June 6th, 2024 at 7:56 am
I watched Deacon Jones kick an extra point for the Redskins, that was near 50 years ago, still remember it (and the head slap, his favorite tool)
June 6th, 2024 at 8:10 am
“At times, Joe gets the sense the Bucs sweat more about a damn guard then they do a pass rush.” – Joe
In today’s NFL, offense is more important than defense. The NFL is all about scoring points. Just the way it is.
We all care about average points scored at then end of the season.
June 6th, 2024 at 8:39 am
Pressure percentages are sad regardless of what they do.
That’s the more key stat IMO
June 6th, 2024 at 8:48 am
The Bucs are obviously not worried about it the very least. They are content with what they have already have in house and with allowing them to develop. Accept it. Move on. Get over it. It’s over. NEXT..
June 6th, 2024 at 10:17 am
Beej … ‘I watched Deacon Jones kick an extra point for the Redskins, that was near 50 years ago, still remember it’.
And I remember Texans’ RB Dare Ogunbowale kick a FG in last season’s game that was ultimately the difference in the ballgame. It’s a Bucs’ life.
June 6th, 2024 at 11:34 am
Todd changes up the calls so much, moves players around to different positions so much, it’s similar to the cover 3 bust phenomenon by the defensive backfield. Guys aren’t sure who is blitzing where, or if they’re supposed to drop in coverage or not. Looks to me a lot of times like they’re just plodding into the blockers and/or telegraphing the blitzes so they’re obvious.
Maybe with more skilled pass rushers , that changes. But maybe if the genius would just try to be in regular MENSA rather than show everyone else up, it could be better.
Hire a full time defensive coordinator, and simplify. Not radically, maybe take 20% of the options, variants and derivatives out. Let your premier athletes do the playing by accentuating their strengths.
Play football. Stop doing Laplace Transforms.
June 6th, 2024 at 12:22 pm
it’s because six rushers is too obvious. bowles is predictable. he hardly ever threatens six and rushes four, which is often when four works out fine. five is his sweet spot because quarterbacks sometimes get the wrong read and run out of time. but with six, they just throw underneath to the obvious wide open spot, which is usually 2 yards past the first down marker 🙂 success with three might be a direct result of interior pressure, which we’re pretty good at. semi educated guess?
June 6th, 2024 at 1:20 pm
Pretty easy to figure.
We rush 3 that means 7 in coverage. QB has more time- but our secondary is eliminating targets. QB holds the ball longer gets sacked.
6 rushers. Our 6 rushers suck. QB has time to find his target.
5 is peculiar though
June 6th, 2024 at 4:31 pm
I love watching the Quarterback go down for sure. Didn’t we all know that picking in the back of rounds leaves the later pickers in a kind of scraping the bottom of the top talent. The Bucs did some really good stuff with what they brought in. Look at our new wr room!! Sterling is good but is he just collecting a check?? With a little faith this time, Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
June 6th, 2024 at 7:35 pm
I think you gotta let go off the whole “Diaby falling off after becoming a starter” thing… because he was also a rookie. And unpolished, 3rd round pick hitting the rookie wall halfway or so through the seasons isn’t that weird to me.
June 6th, 2024 at 9:40 pm
Beej
I had forgotten about Deacon’s kick. You must be as old as me and D.R. if your memory goes that far back. Weren’t we watching the “Fearsome Foursome” while we were in high school.
Deacon Jones was most famous for his head slap. He’d simply haul off with an open hand, thus legal at the time, and ring an OL’s bell with a wicked slap to the earhole. Of course to the chagrin of many who comment here, that kind of violence was outlawed long ago and it’s been a long time but I think the “Deacon” was singularly responsible for getting the “head slap” outlawed.
June 6th, 2024 at 11:20 pm
I’m with you Joe but you don’t reach for a pass rusher in the first round. The Bucs already did that with pretty boy JTS and we saw how that is working out. Both JTS and Logan Hall have been complete flops which points directly to why we have a weak pass rush. All of this crap about JTS being a Swiss army knife is just that, crap.
June 7th, 2024 at 1:49 am
Joe While I agree with most of what you posted here.
Bowles has been doing it with smoke and mirrors with our pass rush for the last two year if not more.
I feel like we have addressed the pass rush multiple times. Missed with JTS, Gill, Ramirez (so far). Nelson has been better than most realize, just not a sack machine. Watts and Diaby flashed big time last year. Same as you Joe Diaby disappeared late last season (rookie wall?) Did Watts piss Bowles off?
Braswell? Who knows Edge rushers in the draft are a crap shoot. With Todd who know when/if he will play.
Free agent hits of mega proportions in Shaq and JPP. With those two gone, it leaves us in dire straights if none of our guys can step up.
Go Bucs!
June 7th, 2024 at 2:06 am
Speaking of kicks….One of my all time favorite Bucs, and classic over acheiver… George Yarno. He wasn’t expected to make the Bucs roster but stuck in Tampa Bay for 8 years. Kicked a PAT when McKay fired the kicker mid game against Detroit in 1983. Strait ahead kicker. I think that was the last one of those I ever saw.
Go Bucs!
June 8th, 2024 at 11:31 am
I think this is Bowles last year coaching regardless win or lose and the new coach is going to want his own quarterback. Has they’re been any talk of a contract extension for Bowles?
June 8th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Oneiltard trying a different form of maroonity.
If Todd actually evolves and wins 12 games, the traded one thinks he’s done in Tampa.
Jason and the team love the QB that the traded one hates, regardless of Todd.
I would like to see Jason have unrestricted access to hire a new head cos h if Todd maintains his historical trend of losing record as the head coach. A new QB would only happen if Baker suddenly turns into Dilfer.
June 8th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
*Tarded one