Bucs Have To Find Another Inside Linebacker
October 4th, 2024
Overmatched.
Two things Joe had an epiphany about last night watching the Bucs choke away a critical NFC South win.
First, Todd Bowles is not an elite defensive coach. He’s had some exceptional game plans. But his defenses are just too wildly inconsistent.
In the 104-year history of the NFL, there have been 25 times, including last night against the Bucs, when a quarterback threw for 500 or more yards in a game. Three of those times (two with the Bucs) a Bowles’ defense has been victimized.
It happened to Bowles when he was an interim coach/assistant head coach/secondary assistant with the Dolphins in 2011, when Tom Brady torched the Dolphins for 517 yards.
In 2019, Jared Goff rang up Bowles’ Bucs defense for 517 yards. And there was last night’s stain courtesy of Kirk Cousins.
So 12 percent of all 500-yard passing games in NFL history have come against a Bowles defense or a Bowles secondary. This doesn’t happen to superior defensive coaches.
The other thing Joe is now convinced of is the Bucs must find a replacement for K.J. Britt at linebacker if the team is serious about making a postseason run.
SirVocea Dennis will miss a minimum of four games with a bad shoulder after he was placed on injured reserve this week. Who knows when he can return?
Britt last night was simply terrible. He’s too slow to defend the pass. Time and time again, Britt was the target of Dixie Chicks offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, creating mismatches against the less-than-speedy linebacker.
In the run game, Britt misses too many tackles. He really was an albatross against Atlanta.
Britt has been trending down for weeks.
Joe likes Britt. He’s got a great attitude. And for folks who are into cars, he has a motor (people crowed about Adrian Clayborn for possessing the same attribute). Britt is just not an NFL starting linebacker. He’s become a massive liability.
Joe doesn’t know who the Bucs could target in a trade. And there likely isn’t a linebacker walking the streets who could replace him.
But to Joe it is clear: Defenses are going to target Britt game after game unless the Bucs replace him with someone slightly competent.
Joe has seen commenters on this here site suggest the Bucs could get Devin White back from the Eagles for a bucket of used footballs. That’s likely true. But do the Bucs want to bring White’s attitude back into the locker room?
A return of White seems far-fetched, unless White has been so humbled that he has finally seen the light.
Joe wouldn’t bet on that.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:02 am
This is the reason we lost and what I commented on before the game. The loss of SVD and having KJ on the field for 100% of the snaps cost the Bucs the game
October 4th, 2024 at 10:03 am
Britt can’t play just too slow, no one is out there either
October 4th, 2024 at 10:05 am
Well with how bad things are looking and I can’t believe I am saying this cause I couldn’t stand white last year but maybe we do try to deal for him. Give them a 7th round pick for him. I mean we won’t have to worry about the guy being slow that is for sure. White coverage ability well isn’t the greatest but he is fast and he can blitz.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:07 am
Agree 100% Joe, I think that Britt is decent against the run, and really a major liability on coverage…… He is always out of position, and that make safetys and LVD always be on edge of being out of position too.
I like the kid, because of his attitude, but if you want to be a playoff team, you need to make an upgrade in that position……
Bad tackling, conservative/ scared play calling at the end of the game, was the main reason we lost yesterday, some is on the coach, some is on the players….
Better recover from this, 10 days ahead to bring back some players, and be ready for the saints, because is a major game……
October 4th, 2024 at 10:10 am
Keanu Neal for third downs, at least.
Britt was a major part of Falcons game plan.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:14 am
We better see this coming week. Cj, goedke and anyone who’s been sitting out for 3 weeks. It’s over. Get off the bench. You gotta perform. I still can’t believe this mfer sits out from a walk through calf injury 4 weeks. This team has a conditioning problem. I’ve said it for years. We are soft and prone to injuries. Idc what someone tries to say about ” we have one of the best staffs” no the fck you don’t. No the literal fck you don’t. You get pushed around on both sides of the ball and you’re soft. It all starts in the training room
October 4th, 2024 at 10:14 am
100%
Saying it for a year… They are extremely thin at ILB. Dennis seems promising, but we’re not even sure about him yet. Britt is a great back up and good at situational stuff for running only. They torched the center of the field because of him.
Need Kancey & Winfield back desperately
October 4th, 2024 at 10:17 am
Until we get another inside linebacker our season is at jeopardy Britt is an old beat up car that shouldn’t be driven we need a realiable car that can at least get us back and fourth lol
October 4th, 2024 at 10:22 am
Grier would have been better he’s super fast but Todd Bowles is too proud to admit when one of his projects doesn’t pan out…
October 4th, 2024 at 10:26 am
Time for sivoccia to fill out his new hire packet and get him orientated because k.j. is the ghost of Devin white.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:27 am
My personal opinion here… I would like to see White back… I get it he’s got haters he had a weird funk and yes we let him go. However, We also let one of my favorites Whitehead go to little bit different situation because he played well with Jets he just wanted to come home but I have to think White has definitely been humbled by the eagles. May not be a bad idea to at least have a meeting with him prior to trading for him to see where his head space is etc.
That’s just my two cents he cant be any worse than Britt. Britt is a practice squad guy at best imo.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:27 am
I knew when we didn’t win the toss in ot we was going down
October 4th, 2024 at 10:27 am
We had 2 chances to put that game away and didn’t.
Buckys Fumble then after Buckys fumble we got the David pick got back down in FG range and Barton got a hold and backed us out of FG range, granted it should of been offsetting penalties for the blatant facemask on Bucky . Next play we run that dumb screen to the left and if Baker would have seen Evans he was wide arse open it would have sealed it. To many dinged up guys , we just couldn’t finish. Still gonna have 10 or 11 wins
October 4th, 2024 at 10:28 am
We could see that Britt is a liability in coverage last year too, especially in the playoff loss at Detroit.
The biggest issue is Bowles and the infamous soft zone bent but dont break defense. When you can rush with 4 and be effective it works sometimes but we can see from last year when we rush with only 4 we cant consistently pressure the QB. So when the plan does not work you need to do something different but we see time and time again that coach Bowles refuses to change and make adjustments during the game.
When you give up over 500 yds with Detroit
When you give up over 350 yds with Denver
When you give up almost 600 yds with Atlanta and 509 yds to Cousins who cant really move and we ve seen from the previous 4 games that he is playing in one leg
Then something is NOT WORKING you have to make changes
Yes you will win some games but you cant go far.
If you bent for 500 yds passing from Cousins it does not matter if you break because you will lose.
Things will not change becaise we have seen this too many times over the years.
Go Bucs
October 4th, 2024 at 10:29 am
Also to Joe’s point…. We should of hired a defensive coordinator. I don’t think Bowles is special either. Either be HC or a DC don’t do both (its not working anyways)
October 4th, 2024 at 10:30 am
@Josh you’re right!
October 4th, 2024 at 10:32 am
This is ridiculous lol we need to go find one? I thought Jason Licht was doing his job so well? What the hell is the point of preseason for some of these guys? No other linebackers could get a single snap until Dennis went down? The run game sucks, Tucker can’t get in on the offense at all? There’s no pass rush so the only way Watts gets on the field is when Yaya goes down? It’s all a lie and there really was no depth no competition because the guys they get us all excited about rot on bench for Todd Bowles
October 4th, 2024 at 10:33 am
I think tampa has pride issues they would never beg for white back trust me k.j. can get scored on 100 times they won’t do it. I mean he is the only the most injured healthy man in Philly history.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:35 am
Aren’t somewhat competent inside LBs found everywhere like RBs? We really can’t find someone on the street or elsewhere in the building that won’t single handedly ruin an entire season?
October 4th, 2024 at 10:36 am
One player does not win football games. You win as a team and lose as a team .Im not saying Britt isn’t a liability in pass coverage,but again Dennis had been playing for him on 3rd downs but he got put on IR from Eagles game. When you have as many injuries as we have it limits your ability to call certain defensive plays.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:36 am
I would take Mark barron back to play lb lol…we wasnt smart enough to move him there
October 4th, 2024 at 10:37 am
If Britt is still starting against the Saints I would not be surprised. Turtle Todd’s other bad trait besides playing not to lose is being stubborn and very slow to make changes. recall how long it took him to pull Ryan Neal from games last year. It reminds me of how Dirk Koetter would not launch Mike Smith until he probably got a call from the Glazers after Smitty mailed it in one too many times. It might take a similar call to make Turtle Todd swallow his pride and bench Neal. Accountability starts with Bowles and that includes admitting to mistakes and correcting them. Last night he did neither.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:40 am
Some of ya’ll acting like Devin White could cover…newsflash, HE COULDN’T. He could only blitz. And as a run stopper, he was worse than Britt. Sure, he could get to plays Britt couldn’t, but White finds ways to get blocked and moved off the ball, he takes false steps and gets himself out of position. He probably isn’t much of an upgrade over Britt.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:42 am
I questioned not drafting an inside linebacker this year for two reasons. Extremely thin depth there and, unless we knew Lavonte will play beyond this season, his replacement is not on this roster. Thanks Diva White. Perish the thought of bringing that head case back. Dennis isn’t the future either unfortunately. He simply can’t find the field from the tub. No durability = no availability. The Bucs gambled and lost on that. Combine that with drafting pass rushers to play defensive back and you get what we saw last night and, against Denver. It’s about time for Licht to call Bowles out on what are we trying to do here defensively? That defensive approach defies logic. There were time zones between their receivers and our defenders. 100% inexcusable.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:44 am
“Bowles is too proud to admit when one of his projects doesn’t pan out”.
Great summation. The old adage “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while it continues to be unsuccessful” can also apply to this coaches refusal to bench specific players who are specifically the weakest link of the defense.
Individually Jamel Dean and KJ Britt have been the 2 players who have consistently shown to opposing quarterbacks that their area of the field can be attacked as a safety zone to defeat a Todd Bowles defense.
That is the case and Bowles has to do something about it because last night’s gigantic yardage and time of possession destroyed this defense. There is no way a defense can be on the field 2/3 of the game keeping a potentially high powered offense on the bench.
Joe is so solid on his take about Todd Bowles, his defenses have weaknesses that are personel not scheme. As head coach it’s his job to go to Licht and get the right players for what job his players need to do correctly. Dean can’t cover athletic/quick guys and Britt is a hole in a damn that continues to burst and enlarge every week.
And then there is JTS…………
October 4th, 2024 at 10:45 am
Now if you want to say Bowles throwing that challenge flag , when they already threw the flag for intentional grounding was the dumbest thing you have seen I would absolutely agree. Bowles you do know Denver recovered the ball for positive yards right? Why the Challenge flag what a waste of a timeout. Will a reporter please ask him what was he thinking when he threw that challenge flag
October 4th, 2024 at 10:48 am
Bowles’ scared, conservative mindset will always have him’trystubt the devil he knows’ because it’s safer. Britt is clearly not working, yet Bowles won’t put in Grier or Vi due to his constant fear things can get worse.
It’s a wonder he’s made it this far in his career with such a cowardly, take-no-chances frame of mind
October 4th, 2024 at 10:52 am
No vita vea actually recovered if it was a fumble. Yes by letter or the rule it was intentional grounding. Calling it a pass I’d a stretch but arm came forward and that’s the rule
October 4th, 2024 at 10:53 am
It seems the main challenge this team faces is an inability to recognize when a player is merely average. There seems to be a belief that the coaching staff can improve every player more than they can. Last night’s game highlighted this issue, particularly with K.J. Britt, who struggled significantly. If we could combine his mental awareness with Devin White’s physicality, we’d have a player of Ray Lewis’s caliber. Unfortunately, Britt’s speed is a concern, and White had difficulties with reading coverage assignments.
I believe it’s time to start Grier and assess his ability to back up Sirvocca Dennis. If he doesn’t meet expectations, we should consider acquiring a pass rusher and a new inside linebacker before the trade deadline. Additionally, a cornerback to replace Jamal Dean, who has been inconsistent, (afraid to get burnt) would be beneficial. It seems there are too many defensive gaps this year for us to compete effectively on a weekly basis. Even when we get Star players back I question if Kancey, Winfield, and SirVocca Dennis will be enough to shore up the porous defense.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:56 am
Bowles defensive game management lost that game. For as bad as the defense was, the offense in the 4th q was just terrible. Bowles doesnt call the plays, but he manages the game. If he wants to see a different plan of attack other than running it than its on him. Its on him to call timeouts to see what defense the falcons are in after the falcons called TO to give Coen more time to be creative/ talk to offense to get a good play to seal the win. This falls on Bowles. To Joe’s point, the D got off the field in the 4th late in game. They didnt do anything on offense bc they were way to careful.in the Falcons own end. This is Bowles mentality to a T and its ugly rear showed. The falcons had 3 or 4 4th down tries. Yet the Bucs refuse to pass it in falcons territory to win the game. Cmon Bowles!!!
October 4th, 2024 at 11:00 am
Hi,The Bucs moved on from Devin for a reason. It is clear the reason they moved on is still there as Devin is having the same issues. No, in my opinion can’tmove back on this one.
Yes, we need a middlelinebacker and yes the rest of the offensive cordinators know , where the weakness is. Even Gruden on his u tube show, said going to the middle of the field was the answer for ATl due to Britt’s weakness in coverage. Atl did exactly as Gruden said they should and likely would.
However, as bad as Britt was, this game was winable until the offense gave it away. No ,I won’t blame Bucky either, yes huge when the fumble occurred ,but they recovered from that.
No the blame lies with the offensive plays calls at the end, the defense’s game plan and the offense’s execution. The offense poor play showed it’s ugly face at the start of the second half, you could see it from the first drive, they let up, it continued and got worse at the end.
Yes, a lot of blame for this one.
However, yes the Bucs desperately need a middlelinebacker, not named Devin White who can cover, if Bowles is intent on remaining with the same defensive skeme. It only works if you get pressure with sacs consistently. Counsins simply had way to much time to often and often was playing pitch and catch with receivers..
October 4th, 2024 at 11:02 am
Assuming Winfield comes back next game, we’d be better off swapping out Izien for Britt
October 4th, 2024 at 11:09 am
Bring in Kalen Deloach!!
October 4th, 2024 at 11:09 am
What, no Todd Bowles confidence poll today?
October 4th, 2024 at 11:13 am
KJ is just as bad as Devin White, if not worse. Todd Bowles defense is outdated.. his zone defense is terrible. Cousins threw for 509.. imagine Patrick Mahomes ? If Andy Reid lets him, he’ll have over 700 yards passing.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:15 am
Where’s JJ Russell when we need him?
Can’t believe I just said that.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:18 am
Mentioned this last week in the Injury Post about Dennis. This game would be the determining factor in Britt’s future role. He’s a somewhat solid tackler but he’s a huge athletic liability in coverage and he consistently shows poor tackling techniques running sideline to sideline. I was so excited to see Dennis show case his talents against the birds. But his only real negative is his lack of health. Not sure where we go from here but there are some trade candidates available. As for the pass rush, Vea and Hall are the two primary pass rushers? Diaby is playing way too high and hasn’t show much ability to bend or showcase any other skillset. The man is strong for sure but he’s definitely missing a golden opportunity. He went against a man with one good leg last for for 12+ snaps with no wins.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:18 am
No we need a new coach, one who knows talent when he sees it. #44 was bowling over people but u let White run up the middle another year of stupidly
October 4th, 2024 at 11:19 am
One player? How about looking for more players that can get to a QB and put him on the ground. Replace a player that can’t get on the field to begin with. You give immobile QB’s a clean pockets and 10 minutes to throw from. Luck is only going to carry this team so far. 30 points should have won this game. Offense should not have to score 45 points or more every game to win.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:19 am
You posters have pointed out and warned us about Britt’s inadequacies since he took over the starting job from DW. He’s a MASSIVE liability in coverage. Get’s beat almost every time if not every time he drops back. Does Bowles scheme things a little differently knowing ( i assume Bowles knows) Britt is spectacularly slow? Of course he doesn’t. Has Bowles ever changed schemes mid game before? I honestly don’t know. Is he capable of doing so? This man has failed too many times to just say oh they had a bad game. There’s a stark pattern here it seems.
All I know is it was atrocious and super embarrassing. Nobody will be held accountable. They’ll just keep waving people thru the train wreck. Nothing to see here.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:21 am
Britt and Dean are liabilities on this defense.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:21 am
If this is what next man up looks like we in bigger trouble then I thought.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:23 am
Hahahaha you really think the Eagles will trade White to us for a 7th rounder knowing the shape or lack thereof our linebackers are in? Dream on dream weavers. White sucks too but would be an upgrade over britt. Why not change britt to an outside linebacker and just let him rush the passer. Oh wait, Bowles will still find a way to have him in coverage. Hahahahahahahaha I pitty the fools who stayed up late and watched the game. Some things never change and the Bucs will forever lose to rookie QB’s, former coaches so on and so forth. You like that????????
October 4th, 2024 at 11:28 am
Hassan Reddick please, everytime I mention this Joe censors me??? Go Bucs!
October 4th, 2024 at 11:29 am
All these fans asking for Devin White are too emotional and not thinking clearly. Devin White cannot pass cover. Period. It would have been the same exact result whether Britt or White was there last night. Bucs need a LBer or to give Antonio Grier Jr. a shot.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:29 am
I will also say this.
Dean is cooked.
Between him and Britt, NO is just gonna follow the game plan of Denver and now Atlanta. First pass comes his way underneath. EVERY GAME. Deans first step is ALWAYS backwards.
He is so FAR off coverage that he has slipped at least 5 times that I have seen.
Bowles keeps saying and thinking that he will play better, but you HAVE to actually TELL him to play closer for that to happen.
Until the NFL can fix a great game tied 30-30 and the first drive scores a TD to WIN, they will ALWAYS be inferior to college in that regard.
Both teams should get a possession PERIOD.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Jason Licht had all off-season to address the problem
October 4th, 2024 at 11:34 am
A Bucs fan is right like everyone here is saying Britt is too slow how can it be that obvious to us fans but not to Todd Bowles or Jason Licht??
October 4th, 2024 at 11:34 am
WHITE
NFL rules prohibit a team from signing a FA and then trading him back to his original team within two years of the signing.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:37 am
BillyBucco
Jamel Dean prefers man coverage, Joe posted an article I believe in 2023 were Dean stated it’s more of his strength, now I’m not saying he’ll be better because who knows with Dean. But he can’t get any worse than he is right now.. worth a shot.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:38 am
If you are going to play a soft zone and the Bucs did 95% of the time last night, you must have a very good pass rush. The Bucs do not have that. The proof is in the numbers; Cousins, of all people, threw the ball 58 times for 509 yards and 4 TDs. The Bucs are not even going to the playoffs until this is fixed.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:46 am
He looked like a stiff out there.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:47 am
Look at Bowles record it tells the tale. He wins about half the games.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:49 am
Can we drop Jts into coverage ? I feel like he would be better than Britt
October 4th, 2024 at 11:50 am
@BomTrady – But they did. They had 30 pressures and 4 sacks! It was the injuries to LBer and to a lesser extent safety that doomed the Bucs. You can squarely place the blame of this loss on Todd Bowles shoulders because he played KJ Britt the whole game.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:51 am
I completely agree with Joe. Britt had ONE good play and then nothing but penalties (2). He reminds me of Darden, and he should be cut.
Trying to run out the clock when the Falcons had 3 timeouts left was ridiculous. We should have at least TRIED once for a first down.
Devin White got benched pretty quickly when the Eagles saw him play. We sure don’t want him back, IMO.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:52 am
Let’s see. Bucs can’t put pressure on the QB. He could have ordered food delivered while waiting for a Buc defender to fall down. Bucs defensive secondary might be the worst in the NFL. Guys go on the injury report and never are heard from again. Hangnail, thats 2 games on the bench. How Baker, Evans and Godwin did not go the sideline and cuss out the OC for that bizarre play calling at the end is beyond me. This is a team with an offense capable of winning games if someone would lock Bowles in a locker at halftime. Buc fans should be pissed off and the Glazer’s have to decide if they can continue to be satisfied with this mediocre team.
October 4th, 2024 at 11:56 am
the time is now
throw a draft pick at a team and bring in best available LB
Get out there and find someone
We are a playoff caliber team, Don’t waste another game
October 4th, 2024 at 12:05 pm
Firing a coach mid-season with a winning record seems asinine honestly but in my opinion he cost us a super bowl with Brady playing this same crappy soft defense already. He made Bo Nix look like the next Patrick Mahomes and this was his chance to prove to the world He can win in prime time. I personally have seen enough and hope and pray I’m wrong but his conservative play calling will cost us again this year in the playoffs mark my words. I hope I get served some humble crow pie and he wins the super bowl but I just don’t see it.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:15 pm
We need a high draft pick at ILB. 3rd round sounds good. Still need another OL and DL with the first two picks. Really like Dennis but he’s injury prone till proves otherwise. Britt is too slow and cannot cover. We need someone at ILB that can lock down a TE.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:15 pm
I get the snap reaction to want Devin back but there’s a reason he was benched for Britt and why he can’t start on the Eagles. He’s not good and never was outside of a quick playoff run. He’s every bit the liability Britt is now and more. He’s not an NFL caliber player.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
BillyBucco … ‘Until the NFL can fix a great game tied 30-30 and the first drive scores a TD to WIN, they will ALWAYS be inferior to college in that regard. Both teams should get a possession PERIOD.’
Agree 100% Billy. Depending on which analysis you choose to believe, the team winning the coin toss has anyplace from a 56% chance to 61% chance of winning the game. I would expect that if both got a possession, that’d bring each team pretty close to a 50% chance of winning.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
Take out Britt. Play Izien there when AW comes back. Iziwn can play virtually anywhere.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:18 pm
Izien
October 4th, 2024 at 12:23 pm
Britt
Dean
C. Izian
Tykee Smith
Pass Rush
= Liabilities.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:26 pm
Listened to Kirk on the Dan Patrick Show this morning saying the reason he threw the game winning route was cause he saw the “corner playing soft coverage”…..his exact words
Pathetic, if us fans can see that playing corners 10-15 yards off every play is a problem why cant the “guru” figure it out?
October 4th, 2024 at 12:32 pm
It’s not the X’ and O’s the problem is the Jimmy’s and Joe’s. They need guys that can stay healthy.
October 4th, 2024 at 12:37 pm
Fans hollowering for white back when he was just as bad in coverage made as many missed tackles could he blitz better sure but he would miss those sacks too. They sure do need someone better at middle linebacker but white isn’t it, it is litterly the same outcome but faster lol go bucs
October 4th, 2024 at 1:03 pm
They need either a new HC or DC. Same coaching mistakes being made.He needs to learn how to use his Timeouts to help HIS Defense. On 3 separate occasions in the 4th he should’ve called timeout. He didn’t and they scored in all 3.
October 4th, 2024 at 1:07 pm
SirVocea may have a torn rotator cuff, frozen shoulder. And that could be quite awhile, depending on rehab, surgery. The Bucs need to find a solid linebacker. Devin White didn’t want to be here and he isn’t coming back.
October 4th, 2024 at 1:12 pm
I mean Devin White is at least a known commodity and surely realizes he’s made a giant mistake. It wouldn’t hurt to kick the tires on a trade. 7th rounder might do it?
October 4th, 2024 at 1:27 pm
If Devin White wasnt a locker room “cancer”….im sure theyd let him back in a minute, but he’s a known culture killer
October 4th, 2024 at 1:49 pm
Devin white
October 4th, 2024 at 2:07 pm
What I have noticed with Bowles is that if anyone one secondary is injured we play a ton of zone. Correct me I’m wrong but communication with a new piece in the defense is more important in zone coverage. What happened to next man up. Put your helmet on and man that guy across from you up.
October 4th, 2024 at 2:16 pm
Todd bowles is not a head coach.. players love them but he misses all the little stuff that a good coach would know. You saw Sean Payton come in here and out coach him in every aspect including getting the win. We will need incredible luck to win the Super Bowl with Todd as Ihad coach he just makes those small mistakes that add up or doesn’t know
October 4th, 2024 at 2:27 pm
The Bucs won’t go get White because doing so would be admitting they screwed up in letting him go – even though they didn’t since the cost to keep him was too high. However, makes no difference, teams will always rather fail than to admit a mistake, and this is the case here.
As for White’s attitude, during the Eagles game, when David sacked Hurts and caused him to lose a fumble, White reposted that play on Twitter. Remember, White is on the Eagles, so that’s sort of a no-no. I think White has a very very fragile ego – and the idea the Bucs would give up something to want him back, would be a huge boost for him.
Also, if you got White back, and he was a problem, you just cut him. People act like the word ‘conditional’, that would surely be applied to any pick, doesn’t exist. I literally don’t think it would take more than a 7th rounder, probably years from now, to get White, and you have a plug-in-play ILB who can go in immediately be a huge upgrade to the defense, and he’s on a fairly cheap one-year deal.
But hey, you can’t have everything and the Bucs already addressed their biggest issue, and that’s at punter. Even if the 2nd punter on the roster has literally been worse, much worse, in his two games, allowing a 2 point conversion return, having a low average, and kicking a punt into the endzone when you needed to pin the Falcons deep. But punter, yeah, punter.
October 4th, 2024 at 2:43 pm
Devin White burned his bridge. He crapped all over the Bucs last year. It would be awful for the organization to target him again.
October 4th, 2024 at 3:25 pm
I wasn’t a fan of trying to use free agency to shore up our weak links because I’ve been so high on the “culture” and worried it would be affected BUT NOW I say get busy!
We have too much talent and potential, especially on offense, to squander NOW.
October 4th, 2024 at 3:36 pm
The 49rs just signed a LB off someones’ (Fins?) practice squad. If a well run team like the 49rs we we can too. Wake up Licht, they are out there. BTW, try to get a new DB, edge rusher, OL and maybe a better punter.
October 4th, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Only they didn’t make a mistake when they cut white he was just as much as a liability in coverage.Did fans forget he sucks in coverage or all those quarterbacks side stepping only to have white sail pass them with his on fire and make the pass? Yeah but go and sign him back to the roster to fix a hole with the same hole Lol wild go bucs
October 4th, 2024 at 4:08 pm
Grier can’t possibly be worse then Britt. When you preform that badly, and don’t pay with your job, you’re showing a lack of accountability. But hey, Bowles doesn’t hold himself accountable. If he did he’d fire his DC him!
October 4th, 2024 at 7:42 pm
I think picking up someone off the street or in a trade is unlikely unless they are already familiar with Bowles defense. The only one I’m aware of is Devin White. I can’t imagine the Bucs would give him another chance but stranger things have happened.
October 4th, 2024 at 10:45 pm
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe there is a path back for Devin White to the Bucs as a win-win. First of all there’s Lavante David who was like a big brother, that he didn’t want to disappoint . He just became a jerk ! If he’s willing to take some tough coaching and redeem his career even on a “prove it” deal, there’s no doubt that he has a ton of raw talent,!. I just always thought that the Bucs should have made him a very narrow “specialist,” He’s bad/ undisciplined at pass defense; he gets pancaked by O-lineman coming downhill on run plays can’t get off the blocks; but he is athletic and fast, and the one thing that he can do is Blitz, rush the passer, even blow up run plays, just be disruptive and collapse the pocket. Von Miller made a career of this and I thought the Bucs at one point might make it official, whether you call it lb or D line, I just would have made him a defensive end. All he has to do is maintain the edge and bring pressure! He was a monster during our Super Bowl run, chasing Patrick Mahomes sideline to sideline! Maybe he can come home to the Bucs if he’s truly motivated to resurrect his career. Maybe. Talk to Lavante and see what he thinks?
October 4th, 2024 at 11:47 pm
Honestly guys, underdogs are praised during the come up and baked when the heat is on. This is still a team game and nobody shifted on Britt last year when he made it easy for the organization to cut White or even early this season when we we’re fully healthy. As Bucs fans we’ve seen our defense let us down countless times and last night I’d give the L to the offense overall.
October 5th, 2024 at 8:47 am
Can’t beat up Bowles for all the injuries on this team. If anything, they need new trainers or something to help keep these guys healthy. Its been a trend year-over-year. Britt was always a situational LB and backup, not a starter. Stop or minimize the injuries and problem solved.
October 5th, 2024 at 1:28 pm
Soo why not, Get Live 45. Cheap, a re-birth, knows the system. Could be a huge help right now…GO BUCS!!!