“I Don’t Know Why That Is”
January 6th, 2025
You got answers? It sounds like the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator will be happy to hear them.
No, this isn’t a Bill Sheridan moment, but Todd Bowles, the Bucs head coach/D-coordinator admitted to being a little flummoxed by his defensive players today.
Speaking at One Buc Palace, Bowles was asked by his defense ranks 30th in points allowed in the first halves of games but No. 2 in second halves.
What kind of adjustments is Bowles making? Very few, if any, he said.
“It’s not a whole lot of adjustments. I mean, there are things we talk about. We just play more aggressive in the second half once [players] see things,” Bowles said.
“I don’t know why that is. We keep trying to start out that way. And we talk about it; we know that’s happening. We know what’s gonna happen. Lotta different parts with the different guys playing, but we just got to play that way for four quarters and they’re capable of it.”
So players aren’t playing aggressively enough until they see the opposing offense with their own eyes. That’s sort of what Bowles is saying. Even though players aren’t getting surprised, they’re tentative early.
Whatever. It must be fixed.
Joe wonders if Team Glazer needs to bring in a S.W.A.T. team of sports psychologists or perhaps Lavonte David can organize a bounty for first-half pass breakups.
What makes this enigma even more baffling is the Bucs defense comes out ugly against familiar division opponents, too.
January 6th, 2025 at 1:49 pm
Don’t think Bowles is telling the whole truth. They played 1st half in a soft zone. Second half they played up on the line tight coverage
January 6th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
It took 3 halves to understand how Cousins was playing.
He put up 250 yds passing in the first 3 halves against us. Embarassing.
How about being closer than 5 yds of the receiver or start aggressive and dont wait to see what will happen.
And get that PBUs bountry programm going you are right Joe
January 6th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
1st half our D was gassed out and they still had enough to shut them down in 2nd half. This shows they physically can shut down O mostly whole game..but it’s an mental block not physical watching yesterday’s performance
January 6th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
Heck I’ll contribute to a bounty if that is all it takes?
These guys looked like they wanted it too bad at times.
Overrunning a play for instance and bad tackling is just not playing fundamentally within your capabilities.
Zyon is getting closer to timing up a pick 6. That throw outside was just really good.
I wanna see the safeties fly downhill and take more chances.
McClauren doesn’t scare me deep.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
I will say that Bowles had his guys in position to make plays yesterday in the first half… Rattler was just better. He fitted a few balls into tight, tight windows. That pass through the middle to Johnson right between Nelson and Smith(?) was perfect. Even Brady was amazed at Rattlers confidence attacking that window. Same with balls to Johnson again over Zyon and to Scantling in the endzone again with Zyon in a pretty good spot.
I was not after Todd for any of that. Sometimes the other QB is just dialed in. Rattler came back to Earth in 2nd half.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:09 pm
Charmin cover who scheme… it’s awful. I will say that is a great stat up top of article re pts allowed 1st half v pts allowed 2nd half.
Scary what lies ahead IF we get by Washington. I have a feeling Bucs defense will struggle to get off the field Sunday night. And we suck on primetime. I just hope Baker and the offense catches fire because our ONLY shot is to win shootouts and pray this defense can make a few plays when it matters… need to steal positions.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:28 pm
We currently have one starting caliber corner, one starting caliber LB, and two “what’s-his-names” playing at safety. How long can this “Bad News Bears/Bucs” collection of players keep it up?
Right now this defense is being held together by bubble gum and shoe laces.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:33 pm
Perhaps I’m mistaken but I saw more soft cover with heavy blitzes in the first half vs second half where I saw more 4-man pressure with some blitzing sprinkled in.
I also saw from another commenter either here or on a FB page, but Rattler in that first half was sharp and his receivers didn’t drop anything. Second half, he got sloppy, throwing over and behind his receivers, missing wide open guys. Brady was hammering him on some of those throws.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:35 pm
Agre with VH. Good stat to show what we’ve all seen. Got to fix that or it’s one and done. Good luck. Hope it works this time.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:36 pm
@gotbbucs, correct! But fans are screaming that all these injuries shouldn’t make that big of a difference. It does, probably more so in Bowles defense because of the extracurricular stuff he asks them to do.
I still don’t understand Vita dropping back in coverage… is someone replacing him on the line (which would be dumb) … or is he simply an extra guy in coverage?
January 6th, 2025 at 2:37 pm
I think our guys like to pull their punches for the first half giving the sense that we don’t play hard to lower the other teams guards then we show them the error of their ways by showing no mercy
January 6th, 2025 at 2:39 pm
gotbbucs Says:
January 6th, 2025 at 2:28 pm
We currently have one starting caliber corner, one starting caliber LB, and two “what’s-his-names” playing at safety. How long can this “Bad News Bears/Bucs” collection of players keep it up?
Right now this defense is being held together by bubble gum and shoe laces.
=================================
Thank you. It’s the truth yet many of these bloggers want to tar and feather Coach Bowles. Bowles is far from a great coaching tactician but somehow he has squeezed out some wins with substantial defensive improvement after halftime in a number of games. Really, even without all the injuries, the defense was not great in 2023. We are going to need and will get major changes in defense personnel in 2025. Not even sold on Winfield Jr. Feel like Licht way overpaid for this guy. Saw a lot more out of Dallas safeties then have ever seen from Winfield and Whitehead.
January 6th, 2025 at 2:40 pm
“It’s not a whole lot of adjustments”…. Unbelievable. Why the F not?
January 6th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
All I can say is something isn’t hitting home with every one. and next week a couple of slips and that kid might send us home. Yeah he’s a rookie but a damn good rookie and we got lucky to have the Commanders in week one. Drive the message in harder and everyone put the faith in it. Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
January 6th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
I want to see #15’s
Gesture that resulted in a penalty
Odd it was NEVER shown again
It looked very similar to the generic both arms pointed down field after the first down!
January 6th, 2025 at 3:05 pm
Fans often act like the other teams don’t get paid too
January 6th, 2025 at 3:08 pm
Practice squad and 3rd stringers or guys pulled off of their couches to play Lb, safeties, and corner. And we’ve still managed to play much better since the bye – towards the top of the league I believe.
If we could only play like we do in 2nd half of games for full games we have a historic defense. I think we’re allowing less than 6 ppg in 2nd halves since the bye.
And yes it’s been against weaker teams BUT it’s still friggin awesome. We’ve struggled just as much against “weaker” teams as supposed juggernauts.
The D deserves more credit for our success. They get some of the credit for getting Mike 1k also 👍🏼.
January 6th, 2025 at 3:25 pm
Go look at Detroit’s players on injury reserve and Stop with the injury excuses it’s annoying, we haven’t lost nearly as many key pieces they just happen to have a good defensive coordinator. The pass defense was no better last year matter of fact it’s sucked since Bowles got here. If you’re horrible in the first half but pitch shut outs in the second half is it really a personnel issue? The stupid zone scheme sucks and he won’t fix it and you jokers keep saying get better players basically we need to buy free agents at every position and hope it helps. So weird Dean and Davis were better in their rookie and second year then got worse
Bowles can put some respect on his name this postseason that is if he can. He is usually due for a few great games a year hopefully a few more will come in the playoffs
January 6th, 2025 at 3:51 pm
I will be honest, I much rather see them get beat over the top than this 15 yards over the middle totally open then running for another 10 because of miss tackles…. that drives me crazy and makes me think no one knows what they are doing. Be aggressive and if you get burnt so be it.
January 6th, 2025 at 3:58 pm
@Pewter Power
What is Detroits D rank over the last 7 games?
How many pts have we given up per game since the bye? 1st half? 2nd half?
I’m guessing you don’t know the answer to any of those questions because you don’t care and are too lazy to look.
Injury is a REASON we’ve struggled, not an excuse.
No one cares whats “annoying” to a critic who doesn’t seem to understand coaching, defenses, stats, psychology, etc etc etc…
Do you know how many snaps we played zone vs man last game? Any game?
Todds defense is what it is. Zone IS the most successful coverage option in many/most cases. His defense is similar schematically to Flores, Spags, etc. without the depth/personnel.
I’m sure Todd is sweating and wondering = When will Pewter Power (or his Todd must go butt buddies) “put some respect on my name”? Lmfao.
January 6th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
Last 7 games
Detroit allowed 23.6 ppg
Tampa Bay allowed 17 ppg
January 6th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Was Colonel Sanders a genius who invented his recipe by design, or did he find it by luck? Either way, he kept the secret.
From years (uh, decades, really) of watching college and NFL games, I am accustomed to seeing Defensive Lines that look energized at the beginning of games, and Defensive Lines that are out of gas at the end of games.
The Bucs seem to be flipping that script, and there seem to be several ingredients in their recipe.
In the first half:
1. Disguise everything! Wear them down defending against what isn’t there!
2. Take away the run game!!!
3. Wear down the Pass Protection by blitzing, blitzing, blitzing, blitzing …
4. Pressure & hit the QB until he is convinced that you will do it all game!
5. Play the DB’s deep enough that no one runs past them!
6. Tackle, tackle, tackle and tackle!!!
7. Give up Field Goals if you must, but no quick touchdowns.
In the second half:
1. Take away the run game!!!
2. Continue to wear down the Pass Protection until you are winning with the DL:
– by showing blitz and blitzing some
– by using tighter coverage to force the QB to hold the ball longer
– by disguising the blitzes, the rushes and the coverage
3. Keep pressuring and hitting the QB; the QB must believe that he must hold
the ball longer to let the receivers get open while he also believes that he
must get rid of the ball because pressure is surely coming from somewhere!
4. Keep a safety or safeties deep enough that no one runs past them!
5. Tackle, tackle, tackle, tackle!
6. Don’t give up anything!
The Bucs have been beating down the Pass Protection by the second half. Vea actually looked damn good in shallow zone coverage in the second half, and the DL kept hitting the QB.
Anyway, that is what the recipe looks like to me.
January 6th, 2025 at 4:55 pm
Why don’t he force them to man up and press receivers if he’s not the one telling them to post 10 yards off the receiver. At least give the line 2.5 seconds to pressure the87⅞ qb some.
January 6th, 2025 at 4:57 pm
Typical Bowels response. It’s the players’ fault. It is certainly not my fault.
January 6th, 2025 at 5:01 pm
It’s not about scheme or adjustments. Unless you count attitude.
The Bucs biggest problem is Todd Bowles. Teams adopt the demeanor of their head coach or coordinator. In this case, Todd is both. When ass clinching time arrives at halftime, the same sense of urgency Todd finally begins to feel himself is translated to the players.
Todd’s teams are consistent. How well the first half goes depends on the opposing team and coach more than Todd and the Bucs. As a formula, it’s not the best, but it beats a few options.
January 6th, 2025 at 5:35 pm
Am I on a pitch count with Todd posts? I’m trying to be nice – lol
January 6th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
They lack a Sapp. And a Brooks.
January 6th, 2025 at 5:43 pm
Coasting in the first half and then having to put the pedal to the metal may be the reason there are so many injuries to this defense. Wonder if there is some place to so how many injuries occurred in the second half?
January 6th, 2025 at 5:43 pm
I think its funny when people assume that the DC or DB coach has the DB’s giving a lot of cushion. The DB’s chose how much space they want to give in most cases. I do think that the DB’s have been giving a lot of cushion because they don’t trust the safeties behind them or trust the coverage called or maybe just sure miscommunication.
At some point we have to build the depth in the secondary to keep this from happening week in and week out. This draft should be majority on the defensive side.
January 6th, 2025 at 6:35 pm
seriously? “Hey coach, are you going to do this?” “Sure, why don’t you just print up our whole game plan there, fella?” As if Bowles is going to spell out the halftime adjustment aplenty… please.
This defense is crazy injured- getting by with savvy and know-how at this point. ‘1st half play safe and second half attack whatever weakness they show’ has been an effective trick to get us through two halves of a game with only half a defense.
January 6th, 2025 at 6:51 pm
And a Lynch.
January 6th, 2025 at 6:55 pm
Zoocomics- what you are referring to is a type of false blitz where Vita flips with an LB. The center of the O line will key on the most dangerous NT, so it causes confusion on the O line and can get the stunting LB an extra step to get to the QB, while the QB thinks he needs to get it out quick because he thinks its a blitz because the LB is coming, he thinks he has an opening there but he probably can’t see in all the traffic the NT drop right into that space until its too late. That’s is the general theory.
About what toopanca said, definitely wearing down the offense is a big part of the 2nd half success. People don’t seem to understand we have a defense that is aggressive blitzing but bends not breaks, and that’s how we can blitz so much without giving up big plays. If they beat our blitz they get an easy short pass instead of an easy long pass. Sure it can be frustrating when we give those up, but it takes 10 or 15 for the other team to get anywhere, ss opposed to one. Blitz gets home, we blow up the drive. It’s a good strategy. I think lately its been working really well in the second half to compensate for the amount of guys out injured because the other team gets worn out having to run 3 to 5 yards horizontal for every vertical yard they gain and the QB gets beat up from the pressure, that helps these back-ups we have forced into full snap counts due to injury.
January 6th, 2025 at 7:24 pm
The difference was obvious and immediate in the second half. The Bucs played press coverage on most downs unless they were third and long. That didn’t happen once in the first half.
January 6th, 2025 at 7:36 pm
Came here to say the same as several others have. First half we play soft zone with DB’s giving space underneath. Second half we start playing tighter man and the difference is night and day. We keep doing this over and over, week after week. It’s so frustrating to watch the DB’s and LB’s give so much space up all the time. Need to come out playing cover 2 man and let the DL’s and LB’s do their thing and get after the QB and running backs.
January 6th, 2025 at 7:42 pm
One might ask coach, whose job is it to fix that?
January 6th, 2025 at 9:44 pm
Almost every QB that plays against the Bucs this year has career games. Bowles is totally responsible as he is responsible for the defense. Hayes is the worst NFL PLayer in the league & Dean is not much better.
January 6th, 2025 at 9:54 pm
We are so short handed and Chris Braswell played 5 snaps yesterday.
How can that be?
January 6th, 2025 at 10:11 pm
Wow Joe has that been reported before? That is a disparaty I was not aware of. I knew we were shutting folks down in the second half of some games recently but…
Go Bucs!
January 7th, 2025 at 3:41 am
This defense at times is infuriating to watch.
January 7th, 2025 at 7:04 am
Can you imagine how good this defense could be if sirvocea Dennis ,Winfield and Dean could have stayed healthy.
With Tykee Smith and Mccollum coming into their own.And with Lavonte David’s leadership and pressure up front by Vea and the gang.
It could be one of the best Defenses in the league.
January 7th, 2025 at 4:51 pm
The Saints didn’t do anything different against the Bucs than they didn’t do before in the first game. They also played the same exact defense.