“We’re Not Counting On Him Anytime Soon”

October 4th, 2024

SirVocea Dennis down for some time.

Deflating forecast for Bucs inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis. And this coming from Bucs coach Todd Bowles.

Dennis blew up his shoulder last week against the Eagles. The Bucs have yet to be specific on the nature of the injury. For the first time this morning, Bowles spoke about the injury in general terms in his day-after presser.

In short, Dennis is looking at a prolonged absence.

“We’re not counting on him anytime soon,” Bowles said. “His shoulder was kind of messed up this summer. We knew it was kind of a touch-and-go type of thing there.

“So we will see how he comes around and play it week by week.”

Why is this a big thing? Well, Joe saw last night how K.J. Britt simply is not an effective every-down inside linebacker.

Dixie Chicks quarterback Kirk Cousins exposed Britt in pass coverage play after play. Throw in his missed tackles and Britt was an albatross for the defense last night.

The Bucs were thin, razor-thin, at inside linebacker as it was before Dennis’ injury. Before getting hurt, second-year man Dennis, who is a little faster than Britt, flashed regularly with quick moves and jarring tackles.

If Britt really was a decent every-down inside linebacker, you’d rarely see Dennis on the field.

Bowles tried to stick up for Britt today, but we all saw how Britt was exposed. What do you think Derek Carr, Pat Mahomes and Brock Purdy will do to Britt if a one-legged quarterback was slicing him apart?

Joe doesn’t see how the Bucs can avoid bringing in another inside linebacker or perhaps bite the bullet and make a trade. Standing pat and allowing p!ss poor play is nothing less than compliance.

Good luck making the playoffs with a hole like that in the defense.

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24 Responses to ““We’re Not Counting On Him Anytime Soon””

  1. Booger Says:

    Yeah, I figured 2-full months, at a minimum. Maybe, not even until The Playoffs!!!! I would not be surprised.

  2. AlabamaBucsFan Says:

    Hope it is not like Noah Spence. He was never the same after his shoulder injury.

  3. Josh Says:

    I want Britt or Bowles gone today personally. The fact he didn’t play Grier last night after Britt was getting beat like he stole somthing was the last straw for me he needs to admit when the guys he’s coached up just don’t have it or clearly that means he doesn’t have it as a head coach…

  4. A Bucs Fan Says:

    Torn labrum or rotator cuff

  5. gofortheface30 Says:

    Kirk Cousins strength is throwing in to cover 2. What do we do? You got it. Soft Zone. Oh hell yeah, lets just keep playing that zone all day, F IT! LETS GET NUTS. Lets just sit back and continue to let Cousins throw underneath. Giving the ball right back to our dynamic offense is not important. What IS important however is we leave our defense out on the field and gassing them out baby. Who cares about time of possession. Love all you dorks that just love that whole bend but done break philosophy. Bend but dont break is cop out. But anyway, who cares its more fun to see atlanta rack up like 600 yards of offense. Baker couldve thrown for 400 himself but we dont need to get the ball back, Bowles loves to see our guys bend over

  6. Cometowin2 Says:

    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.

  7. Cometowin2 Says:

    Let someone learn from LVD before he leaves!

  8. El HEFE Rick Says:

    You gotta know the defense to be on the field bowels needs to dumb it down for some players that need to be In the game with not so much knowledge on the defense

  9. Dave Pear Says:

    Jason needs to be proactive and tell his subordinate what’s gonna happen.

  10. pewter941 Says:

    Dude is always injured.

  11. Dave Pear Says:

    PS – the Devin White idea looks less crazy today. If he’s not humbled by now, take him to the woodshed before trading for him and tell him how it’s gonna be.

  12. Anon Says:

    Sounds like offseason surgery needed to come back in any legit capacity.

  13. Bucsfan81 Says:

    I agree time to make a move and trade for a LB if it’s Devin White then that is what it is. He knows the defense and he is serviceable until we can get to the draft in April and draft a couple of LB. Especially since I think this is LVD last year.

  14. Beeej Says:

    Devin White was literally the worst linebacker in the NFL last year, no reason to assume he’s any better now

  15. SenileSen Says:

    Don’t see D White resurrecting his career anywhere.

  16. D-Rok Says:

    As for D. White, someone posted that he cannot be traded back to the Bucs for 2 full years (if that poster was correct). Even if he could come back to the Bucs, he would still suck as bad Britt, but he would be a tad faster in sucking.

    We do need some linebackers! Bueller…anyone??? LOL.

  17. stpetebucfan Says:

    “Good luck making the playoffs with a hole like that in the defense.”

    There is always more than one way to patch a hole…if you have the patching material and it doesn’t have to be just another replacement ILB although I concede that would be the best and simplest answer. ILB’s do not grow on trees.

    So how about that 3 deep people were talking about. Winfield is the best player on the D right now when healthy. How about if Kancey gets healthy and plays like he flashed last year. What if Vita’s knee continues to improve? How about diguising defenses and baiting them to test the middle with somebody hiding in the weeds to fill quickly?

    Yeah those are all “what ifs” but that’s life.

  18. CChead Says:

    Just get the shoulder surgery and we will see ya next year.

  19. Hodad Says:

    Dennis won’t even be cleared by next years training camp. How the Bucs counted on Dennis just shows how delusional they are.

  20. Bobby Says:

    Anytime soon, so is that timeline like December? Injuries are killing us this season

  21. Bobby Says:

    Live 45??

  22. adam from ny Says:

    first step:

    diagnose and say what the injury is…

    then you go from there…

    (of course they did that, but are not letting the public know, because it’s bad, so he’s basically out for the year, or at least until the last quarter of the season, or until the playoffs)

    sucks because he was really coming on strong and seemed to be ready to unseat britt

  23. Dave Pear Says:

    He’s better than the fire hydrant we got out there now.

  24. unbelievable Says:

    Defense has gaping holes open in the middle on every single play.

    Britt can’t do it. YaYa shouldn’t be dropping in coverage either.

    And all our starting safeties are injured.

    Time to pick up the phone and trade for either a safety or even better- an ILB.

    At this rate we won’t make the playoffs. Offense has to score on every single drive to stay in the game.