Todd Bowles Finds Inside Linebacker Help
November 6th, 2024
Linebacker J.J. Russell.
Hardcore Bucs fans have been monitoring the woes of Tampa Bay’s pass defense, especially in the middle of the field.
Heck, even Bill Belicheat moaned about them on a hot mic this week.
Lots of focus has been on the troubles of inside linebacker K.J. Britt in pass coverage. He got exposed weeks ago after team MVP SirVocea Dennis messed up his shoulder, and the issues continued for Britt.
Todd Bowles had said Britt was playing a lot in pass coverage because he was the best option without Dennis and other guys weren’t ready.
Well, it sounds like the Bucs may have found a fix without shopping for one on the trade market.
Veteran backup J.J. Russell played 31 snaps at inside linebacker on Monday and largely split time with Britt while Lavonte David played the entire game.
On his Buccaneers Radio Network show, Bowles said he liked what Russell delivered.
“J.J. has become, in practice, a very good zone-awareness guy and especially in the passing game,” Bowles said. “So we started using him some [against the Chiefs] and he played very well.”
This intrigues Joe because Russell has been with the team since the spring of 2022 as an undrafted free agent. Is he just starting to develop in pass coverage?
Russell has played pretty well in very limited time — he made one start last year — but now it sounds like Russell finally got another chance and it worked out.
Bowles went on to praise Britt for playing “downhill” against the run when he was in Monday’s game. That is Britt’s forté.
Joe assumes Russell will get another load of snaps against the 49ers on Sunday at The Licht House. Maybe, just maybe, he’s the answer to stopping some of the bleeding in the middle of the Bucs’ pass defense.
November 6th, 2024 at 8:56 pm
Good to see Bowles getting some of the guys like JJ in the game. If Bowles and Licht won’t pick up veterans then these young guys need to be evaluated in real games before the draft. We need to get some tape on Vi Jones and Antonio Grier Jr too. It seems like Grier has some pass defense potential as he had 3 pick sixes in college and a pick this preseason.
November 6th, 2024 at 9:08 pm
If they stop letting TEs and receivers run by then without even looking their way that might help some. Who says you have to stand in one spot inside your zone staring at the qb waiting to react to his throw? Closing off some easy slant patterns would help as well. Maybe keeping an eye on the rb in the flat would help I don’t know, I’m an armchair coach
November 6th, 2024 at 9:20 pm
The scheme is flawed. For this Bucs defense to be solid they need two elite ILBs, which is not realistic. The Bucs would have to pay top dollar for two ILBs next season, which they can’t do.
November 6th, 2024 at 9:24 pm
Hmmm, now if the Bucs were to move to a 4-3 defense (use it more than they do now), then JJ might find a home opposite LVD with Britt in the middle. Wouldn’t mind seeing a Front-4 of Vea, Kancey, Diaby & Brasswell (although I wish the later 3 were each about 10-20 lbs heavier).
November 6th, 2024 at 9:34 pm
The talent is there. I think something is just a little off with the way they’re being used on D or maybe with the scheme of everything. Anybody at LB right now over Britt.
November 6th, 2024 at 9:37 pm
Let me preface this by saying I’m not a Bowles fan, never have been. But this makes me think Licht is controlling the roster on game day to ensure his draft picks play over undrafted guys to pad his resume. All GMs want their picks on the field to prove how smart they are, but GMs can get blinded by their egos. If that’s the case, Bowles is cooked, and it’s a replay of Lovie’s tenure with Coen ending up as head coach. Will be an interesting offseason if the Bucs can’t reel off a lot of wins after the bye.
November 6th, 2024 at 10:06 pm
I’ve never understood how, week in and out, Travis Kelce seems extraordinarily open . Every week. He and Mahomes must have a mind meld going on.
November 6th, 2024 at 10:58 pm
Defense Rules Says:
November 6th, 2024 at 9:24 pm
I wondered about that too, but you don’t really hear (@ least I haven’t) many defensive coordinators switch from 4-3 to 3-4 or vice versa.
November 6th, 2024 at 10:59 pm
It took what 4-5 games for Bowles to do what fans have been saying since Dennis got hurt?
If Bowles comes calling play for him, he won’t make changes no matter how bad you play unless you’re a punter
November 6th, 2024 at 11:00 pm
Debo Williams, Jason!
November 6th, 2024 at 11:12 pm
Kelce caught 14 of 16.
November 7th, 2024 at 1:45 am
Defense rules says:
Hmmm, now if the Bucs were to move to a 4-3 defense (use it more than they do now), then JJ might find a home opposite LVD with Britt in the middle. Wouldn’t mind seeing a Front-4 of Vea, Kancey, Diaby & Brasswell (although I wish the later 3 were each about 10-20 lbs heavier).
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I agree with using a 4-3 more would be effective because you’d have three linebackers out there. But I’d replace Britt with the highly athletic JTS. I feel a position change would do him good. As an OLB he already has to play the pass, rush the passer and stop the run. He may be better at playing the gap then setting an edge.
November 7th, 2024 at 3:25 am
Why wasn’t Izien on the field?
Bench Whitehead.
Start Izien.
Period!
November 7th, 2024 at 3:39 am
Commander … ‘I agree with using a 4-3 more would be effective because you’d have three linebackers out there. But I’d replace Britt with the highly athletic JTS.’
I’ve wondered about that too. Bucs ineffectively kept Mark Barron at Safety for 3.5 years before trading him to the Rams in 2014, where they used him as a LB. Went on to have a fairly successful career there, as an ILB (6’2″ & 230 lbs with decent 4.54 speed).
Have no idea if JTS could actually function as a MLB (6’5″ & 260 lbs with 4.69 speed is not the typical MLB) but it’d be fun to watch for 1 game (or maybe just a few plays). He sure doesn’t seem to be functioning well as an OLB, particularly for a 1st Rnd pick.
November 7th, 2024 at 4:18 am
Tony … ‘The talent is there. I think something is just a little off with the way they’re being used on D or maybe with the scheme of everything. Anybody at LB right now over Britt.’
I agree that we’ve got talent, but only at 8 of the 11 positions on defense. Britt is not a starting caliber ILB, but he’s a decent backup. Neither Hayes nor Funderburk are starting caliber CBs, but they’re OK Practice Squad guys. JTS is not a starting caliber OLB, but he might work somewhere else in a modified defense.
Looks to me like BECAUSE of those 3 position deficiencies, Bowles is really having to heavily bastardize his 3-4 defense to compensate (more blitzing & a lot more zone it appears). From what I’ve seen (just my opinion) his hybrid 3-4 defense requires very disciplined AND talented players at virtually every position to work properly. It can’t ‘hide’ less-talented players like a 4-3 can.
Monday night’s game was fascinating from both an offensive AND defensive perspective, but few JBFers ever seem willing to keep an open mind & analyze what really happened (after the fact). Monday morning quarterbacking is almost always emotional as opposed to analytical.
Quick for instance. The depleted Bucs’ defense was on the field for over 40 minutes logging 85 def snaps, while out offense was on the field for barely 25 minutes logging 55 off snaps. That’s a huge disparity, yet our depleted defense held the NFL’s best team to 24 points in regulation before succumbing in overtime.
No one seems to analyze in any detail though at what happened to our OFFENSE. They ran only NINE drives, our lowest of the season, and that certainly didn’t help the defense. Our offense scored on 4 drives (3 TDs & 1 FG) using 35 plays. BUT … they punted 5 times using only 18 plays (5,3,4,3,3). Those short ‘rests’ for the defense don’t do them any favors. You look at each one of those drives that ended in a punt & you’ll find something that caused the result (2 were influenced by sacks, 1 by a holding penalty, etc). Bucs might have won the ball game by scoring just a FG on any one of those 5 drives. But no one looks at that aspect. It’s always that ‘Bowles is a dipstick because he didn’t go for 2 points to win in regulation’.
Not once has Joe or anyone noted that in the last TWO Chiefs drives in regulation, the whooped Bucs’ defense held KC to TWO 3-and-outs then punt. I do agree though that our offense was pretty well rested at the end, because in the last 3 drives of the 4th qtr we’d gone 3-and-punt, then 3-and-punt, then TD … a 10 play thing of beauty that took only 1:49 off the clock.
November 7th, 2024 at 4:40 am
Beej … ‘Kelce caught 14 of 16.’
Kelce & Mahomes seem to have a pretty special connection.
Bucs had only 3 PDs on the night … 1 by Tykee Smith, 1 by Josh Hayes and 1 by (tada) KJ Britt.
Look at the Mahomes’ targeting on the night and everyone got roasted (Josh Hayes really got picked on; no big surprise there).
o Hayes: 11 targets … 9 completions … 81.8%
o Smith: 7 targets … 6 completions … 85.7%
o McCollum: 6 targets … 5 completions … 83.3%
o David: 4 targets … 4 completions … 100.0%
o Winfield: 4 targets … 3 completions … 75.0%
o Britt: 5 targets … 3 completions … 60.0%
o Whitehead: 2 targets … 2 completions … 100.0%
o Vi Jones: 1 target … 1 completion … 100.0%
Wow, Britt was the big surprise on the night, getting 1 PD and logging a team-lowest 60% completion rate, plus 9 tackles (6 solo) in his 46 def snaps. Hayes BTW gave up 2 TDs and also missed 2 tackles (not a good look).
Apparently JJ Russell wasn’t targeted, so I guess that makes him perfect in pass defense. He did have 5 tackles though (3 solo) in his 31 snaps so apparently he got his nose in there. Good to see.
November 7th, 2024 at 7:51 am
True DR, they do. Reminds me a lot of Brady and Gronk too.
Our WR Mike Evans has had connections with every single Buc QB he has played with since A&M-Johnny Manziel.
November 7th, 2024 at 11:30 am
HavingTYKEE back was HUGE ,When he came up in press against the tight end he actually made contact.It doesn’t sound like much but delaying him from his route just for a second may be the difference sometimes.
While the Bu s defense hasn’t been healthy all year ,after the bye ,barring smit happening we should be better!
November 7th, 2024 at 11:31 am
Tykee will be the next buc corner/ safety in the ring of honor someday ,or more.
November 7th, 2024 at 4:44 pm
Unfortunately I don’t see that happening. It’s not just the middle LB. It’s deff part of the problem just seems like guys are running wide open over the whole field. Dean n hall down has proved to me lethal for us in a bad way