“Our Unquestioned Leader Since The Spring”
July 19th, 2024
Todd Bowles standing in front of K.J. Britt and Vita Vea.
Whose Bucs defense is this?
It belongs to K.J. Britt.
“K.J. has been our unquestioned leader since the spring,” head coach Todd Bowles said on The Sick Podcast — Pirate Parlay this week. “He’s very vocal. He has natural leadership qualities. He’s a very good football player.
“He doesn’t have the athletic ability Lavonte [David] has, but not many people do. That does not mean he cannot play football. He’s a heck of a football player. He’s a natural leader. He’s a very good thumper and he’s a very good communicator. So the communication on the field helps us a great deal. He’s kind of my eyes and ears out there. The more he knows, the more he communicates, the better we’ll be.”
Powerful words from Bowles. So it seems Britt is the new conscience of the defense. David, of course, is still around. And gone is attorney/linebacker Devin White, who acted like the leader of the defense and was lauded for that role for years.
Will Britt’s Day 1 leadership matter on that side of the ball? Joe and fans are about to find out.
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July 19th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
Found out this offseason Britt is a Que Dog, and it kind of explains his coach-like demeanor and the maturity that comes across in interviews.
July 19th, 2024 at 1:08 pm
Last weekend without football!
July 19th, 2024 at 1:24 pm
Feels very Shelton Quarles-esque. That’s a good thing. Hope he works out. This defense will be set for a few years, once we can draft LVD’s replacement. Not many gaps on offense either. Licht is an amazing GM.
July 19th, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Super encouraging to hear!
July 19th, 2024 at 2:08 pm
Britt was slept on because of injuries in college and a few as a pro. He’s a “solid” LB.
Sly beat me to the Quarles comparison, but yeah, I’d take that!
July 19th, 2024 at 2:34 pm
Erving Randle type…… with a touch of Hardy
July 19th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
I took a bunch of shots by people in the chat when I wrote this post. Lots of people claiming he was a bust and wasted draft pick. Someone said I didn’t know anything about football if I thought Britt was a good pick. Not any positive comments about him on this thread or any that I could find back then.
Stanglassman Says:
August 21st, 2021 at 8:12 pm
If KJ Britt was a step faster he would have gone in first two days of the draft.
Remember Britt ran his 4.7 forty on a bad hamstring. It took almost a year to be fully healthy. Fans said he would never be a Starter because he was too slow.
Stanglassman Says:
June 24th, 2021 at 12:24 pm
Alabama.
I would agree with you on Britt’s ceiling if 4.75 was the time everyone expected and wasn’t just due to injury. No one thought he was a 4.4 guy but 4.6 was expected. I think too many Bucs fans have given up on this guy just because his forty time. Props to the Bucs scouts and staff for digging deeper and getting him in the 5th.
July 19th, 2024 at 2:40 pm
Wow, Bowles words were powerful about K.J. He is being really vocal lately.
Hodad – I think the first preseason game is Thursday Aug. 1st at 7 or 8 p.m. Bears vs Texans. Hall of Fame game. For some reason, I thought it fell on a Saturday too.
July 19th, 2024 at 2:43 pm
Quarles is nicely hidden as one of our coaches. 🙂
July 19th, 2024 at 2:47 pm
Well, not exactly a coach. He is the director of Football operations–front office.
July 19th, 2024 at 2:49 pm
I hope Britt can somehow figure out how to pick up a full step, because he plays a full step too slow, which is why he fell to the 5th round. The guy has great instincts, but I’ve seen plenty of players over the years that are really smart – but they just aren’t quick enough to make the play.
Not being a dick about it either, saying, literally, I hope he spent the summer all on agility and speed training. If he can get to only being a half-step too slow, with his football IQ, he might just be OK. But if he’s still a full step too slow, it’s going to be rough to watch as teams figure that out and just scheme him out of the game.
July 19th, 2024 at 3:26 pm
Crickett Baker Says:
Quarles is nicely hidden as one of our coaches. 🙂
^^^^^
How did I not know this? He’s an exec. Wow! He’s been with the Bucs for 27 year!!!
JOE: Give Quarles a fist bump from the JoeBucsFans tribe. Tell him we still talk about and appreciate him.
July 19th, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Did Bowles get a psychology degree? He’s sounding like Canales with all that positive talk. I wonder what he’s saying behind the scenes to JTS and Hall?
July 19th, 2024 at 4:08 pm
Diva was the one calling the plays when Todd called for Cover Zero Receivers blitz on the fateful blowing of the comeback against the Rams. No one knew what to do. Maybe he was more culpable for the busts and confusions than previously thought.
Good riddance.
July 19th, 2024 at 5:04 pm
Uh Oh Plan 9 may b in trouble. He was Bowles ‘observer’.
July 19th, 2024 at 5:32 pm
He’s got that Takeo Spikes Neck.
I expect great things from him this year.
July 19th, 2024 at 6:32 pm
Britt might be a step slower than White. But Whites first step was often in the wrong direction.
July 19th, 2024 at 6:51 pm
Interesting article! KJ will have to play well to be a leader for long, however. Devin White could tell him. I think he will play well but he’s less proven than Zyon McCollum.
July 19th, 2024 at 6:52 pm
Irish – so true!
July 19th, 2024 at 7:57 pm
IMHO, KJ has better football IQ than DW has but less speed. I’ll take the IQ every time. Let’s.not forget about SVD too. With DW gone , SVD should get more playing time this season.
July 19th, 2024 at 10:55 pm
I like him a lot. He’s a great run stuffer, tackle to tackle. I just worry about his speed beyond that. Hopefully his intelligence and quickness at reading a play will help that.
Other than wondering if the pass rush will finally be consistent, LB depth is my biggest concern on the defense. If LVD is injured for extended period time, could be a major problem.
July 19th, 2024 at 11:39 pm
KJ’s IQ will be an asset, but I don’t discount people will turn on him if he’s expected to be in coverage and he doesn’t match up with TEs. But, we never really had that to begin with, so I’ll take the guy who just brings his lunch pail and is committed to his teammates any day over flashes of athleticism. DW had one exceptional playoff run. I appreciate what he gave us when he wanted to play on an elite level. But, you can’t expect to get paid when you only play elite when you feel like it. Also, offenses figured out if the OL can get their hands on him, he gets easily locked up and taken out of plays because DW never bothered to counter those moves.
So, KJ has to be utilized correctly and play to his strengths. My only concern with the LBs is injury. Who do we have that can step in?
July 20th, 2024 at 7:53 am
Long time fan of Britt. Was excellent at Auburn, smart, tough, good leader. And he hits people.
July 20th, 2024 at 9:43 am
Quarrels was faster.
July 20th, 2024 at 4:17 pm
Britt is at least adequate. I don’t think SVD is quite ready just yet. Russel seems adequate. I hope LVD holds up. First game is on the 1st? Must be the HOF game. The Buss start the 10th against the Bengals I don’t watch much non-Buc preseason.
July 20th, 2024 at 4:23 pm
I wonder if DeLoach catches on?
July 21st, 2024 at 3:14 am
The..5th round 2021 run stopping lb back up pick pic is the unquestioned leader of the defense. Ok.