Zyon McCollum Is Not The Problem
February 17th, 2025
Unfairly called out.
Joe admits to being nervous after the Bucs traded Carlton Davis last March.
Joe had no real issue with Zyon McCollum, the replacement for Davis. However, in the 12 times McCollum did start in 2022 and 2023 (not unusual given lhow brittle Jamel Dean and Davis are), Joe thought he was just OK as a backup.
But immediately after Davis was traded, Bucs coach Todd Bowles trumpeted McCollum as the new starter.
Joe didn’t like that. Joe hadn’t seen enough of McCollum balling out in spot starts to be handed the starting job.
Turns out Bowles knew what he was doing.
In his first year as a starter in the NFL, McCollum ranked third in the NFL with 17 passes defensed. That’s great for a guy as a first-time starter, the same total Dean had as a rookie spot starter in 2019.
But that wasn’t good enough for Walter Cherepinsky, the man behind WalterFootball.com. Cherepinsky thinks McCollum needs to be run or benched.
Cornerback: Zyon McCollum played well for a stretch last year, but he was a major liability late in the season. Tampa Bay needs a better cornerback across from Jamel Dean.
No, the liability was the corner, Dean, who can’t stay on the field, especially for playoff games.
Joe has a hard time thinking a guy who had 17 passes defensed in his first year as a starter has to be replaced. At bare minimum, that tells Joe that McCollum is a player you want.
It is not McCullom who needs to be replaced, Joe believes, it is Dean. Joe’s only issue with Dean is that he can’t stay upright and in the team’s biggest games, he’s often not on the field.
Joe has a hard time believing a seven-year veteran like Dean, who turns 29 in October, will suddenly stop being injury-prone.
February 17th, 2025 at 10:35 am
Funny reading commentary from national pundits, you can tell how badly they do not pay attention to this team
Zyon was the Bucs best and most consistent corner. The scheme doesn’t help corners at all, it’s a very passive scheme and does not help at all. The scheme needs to change and quickly.
February 17th, 2025 at 10:44 am
National Pundits are idiots – See Power Rankings as an example. They clearly pay no attention to the Bucs and just make stuff up.
February 17th, 2025 at 10:44 am
Bucs can shave $13M off the cap if they cut Dean post June 1st. That’s likely not going to happen, but I’m sure JL will scratch his head at that thought. Especially considering Dean’s lack of availability. Zyon is going nowhere and is far from the problem.
February 17th, 2025 at 10:47 am
I disagree that he is the problem. The problem is the Bucs have a defensive scheme that does not work very well in the NFL anymore. Until the Bucs get rid of the defensive coaches the franchise will be held back.
February 17th, 2025 at 10:53 am
I like both of our starting corners when healthy. The real issue on this team is depth at corner. It’s not Dean’s fault that his backup sucks and its not realistic to have both corners play every snap all season. We need 3 or 4 solid corners and we only have 2.
February 17th, 2025 at 10:58 am
OK with me if we say nice things about Zyon. Just remember he was the best of a really bad secondary. Saw some nice break ups but also saw a lot of guys running past him for more than a few TD’s. Let’s hold off on fitting him for a gold jacket.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:08 am
Thought Zyon played as well as he could within a really bad defensive scheme and absent a decent pass rush. He made some pretty big plays, but had little help.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:17 am
Completely agree Buc4ever
February 17th, 2025 at 11:26 am
Dean is soft.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:29 am
How would we know if the Bucs scheme is bad if A) its only brought up by Bowels haters B) we had injuries all over the defense all last year. Corners need safeties, and safeties were hurt all year. Plus, the Bucs have been addressing the offense every time we have a player needs replacing or resigning, this year we can finally address the defense. Im pretty sure if you ask people around the league, they would love to have Todd Bowels as a DC. so spare me. Were always able to shut down the run. Get some edge rushers and pass will be added to that.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:29 am
It’s already been said upstream. National pundits betray the obvious fact that they don’t watch all or even most of the games when making these bizarre determinations. McCollum had a solid year. Good tackler, obviously the best hands of any of our cornerbacks. Getting better in that respect as well. The defense has plenty of issues. He’s not one of them.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:30 am
Zyon is him
February 17th, 2025 at 11:34 am
“Turns out Bowles knew what he was doing.”
Here’s to hearing that more often. Much more accurate than “this defense doesn’t work in the NFL anymore (paraphrasing several commenters).” Did anyone notice the old man calling the plays for KC’s offense in the big game. Man, has the game passed him by. What? He didn’t have the players on the line that he needed to keep the Eagles at bay? Nah, it’s his old stale offense.
Rubbish. The players play. The Bucs need to get help on multiple levels of the defense and they’ll be fine. Philly used the game plan from the Bucs in 2021 fer crying out loud. Bowles defense is fine. Reid’s offense is fine. Gotta have the players.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:36 am
Fire Todd bowles
February 17th, 2025 at 11:37 am
Agree!!
February 17th, 2025 at 11:40 am
The other issue is we had lost both our safeties. We had McCollum essentially out on an island. He may be a very good player but that a tall order for anyone
February 17th, 2025 at 11:48 am
Buc’s scheme is FINE, provided there are people to run it. Case in point–Bucs have ILB’s guarding slots across the middle, need Devin White speed for that, not KJ Britt
February 17th, 2025 at 11:48 am
Wow all this analysis from people who apparently don’t watch football. If he did then he would have realized Dean wasn’t on the field.
February 17th, 2025 at 11:50 am
with a better pass rush he is going to ball
February 17th, 2025 at 11:59 am
I can’t Stand analyst reporters whatever that always take a number two on our players when I don’t feel like they even watch film enough to comment on them dean was a weak link for our defense, most of the season, getting targeted back to back, not coming down with the ball and or deflecting it
February 17th, 2025 at 11:59 am
The “scheme” is not the problem….the Bucs need playmakers on defense
Jimmies and Joes > Xs and Os
February 17th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Defense was fairly healthy for the playoff game but could not get Washington to punt one time and even worse than that the defense gave up very long-time consuming drives that kept the offense off the field. Additionally, the Bucs head coach does a very poor job with clock management.
Even with his bad clock management it is clear the thing holding the Bucs from being a championship level team is the defense. I hope I am wrong, but I do not think his scheme works at a high level anymore.
February 17th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
Shidddddddd that boy hit a wall 2nd half of the season, start playing like Dean always outta place not communicating getting beat on slant routes. He needs to tighten up even tho I have his play slipping this upcoming season
February 17th, 2025 at 12:35 pm
BuckyBuc, absolutely right. Our pass defense is going to improve across the board if we can just ramp up the pass rush. McCollum is a legit corner. He, or any other corner, is going to have difficulty defending receivers when the QB has 4-5 seconds to throw the damn ball.
February 17th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
Let’s just gut the whole the damn secondary and start over because apparently we need a better player than Zyon, Winfield got paid now he sucks Tykee Smith and Izien are the best players on our roster but don’t worry as soon as they get paid they will regress and will have to be replaced with “better players” because Todd Bowles scheme is so amazing all corners have short shelf life.
February 17th, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Sign Zions twin.
Re-sign Carlton Davis.
Start Izien with Winfield.
February 17th, 2025 at 12:47 pm
We need to either draft a CB or a edge rushing in round one. Dean is just unreliable or as Joe has said in the past, Dean is often unavailable.
February 17th, 2025 at 12:52 pm
McCollum has a chance to be a GREAT NFL CB. He’s not there yet – but coming into year 4, the arrow is still pointing very much upward and Zyon is quite good at this point in his career.
This player is literally the perfect specimen – came out of college with a perfect 10 RAS athletic score – which ranked him #1 out of like 2300 CBs drafted since 1993….
If he wants it bad enough – Zyon has every tool available to him physically to be one of the NFL’s all time great CBs. Lets hope he takes that gift from GOD or Evolution (if you prefer) very seriously by adapting a Ronde Barber level of film study and opponent preparation….
Bucs need to try to trade Dean for a 4th or 5th rd pick, re-sign Bryce Hall who I believe will either push for a starting job or be a very good back up for fairly cheap – find another solid yet relatively inexpensive vet free agent CB in the $3-5M range – and then draft a CB in the 2nd or 3rd round.
I doubt Hayes will ever get there – but Funderburk might just make a nice jump in year 2 and pleasantly surprise us all by turning into a capable back up….
February 17th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Licht needs to force Bowles to hire a DC. Time for Bowles to be the HEAD Coach and do that job to the best of his abilities. He’s already proven he can hire OC’s. Why would he be any worse at his specialty. I’ll say it again. I understood the 2023 season with Todd wearing two hats, with all the changes and salary cap hell. There is no excuse any more.
Hire a D.mn Defensive Coordinator Todd or step down to DC and let Jason hire a full time Head Coach!
February 17th, 2025 at 1:58 pm
I’m sure everyone can agree the corner depth is weak. If Licht has one flaw it’s he thinks every undrafted free agent he signs is a steal. Bowles has everything to prove, Licht drafts players and signs free agents if both free agent corners and drafts are busts no one will blame licht for it.
February 17th, 2025 at 2:36 pm
clearly one of the least problems on defense is zyon…come on man
February 17th, 2025 at 3:13 pm
Deion Sanders would look like a liability in this scheme.
February 17th, 2025 at 7:18 pm
Sign a good edge guy and a inside OL.If a to good to pass up edge LB or CB fall then grab one. If we can hit on a DE CB LB then wr I will be happy. If we can rush the passer we will win alot of games We also need to sign Godwin and Hall
February 17th, 2025 at 8:20 pm
Neither one of these guys are a no. 1 corner. They are both no.2 corners. We lack anyone elite at the position and. Depth with additional no.2 and 3 corners. It’s the worst position on the team next to punter.
February 17th, 2025 at 8:36 pm
I like McCollum. He hits hard and he will cover his opponent. He’s simply not afraid Unlike dean who leaves his man open a lot, dean will almost assuredly leave no interception left caught. In other words, yes Dean has hands of stone. Dean kinda reminds this poster of yesteryears rod ‘toast’ jones, although ‘toast’ did once catch bo jackson from behind, something dean could never do.
But McCollum hits an opponent and sometimes knocks them out aka John lynch. Just ask that WR down in New Orleans who played for Ohio state in college.
February 18th, 2025 at 1:55 am
McCollum is solid. Dean needs to be replaced. I always preferred SMB to both Dean and Davis. He should be brought back. Draft another CB that can eventually take over in a year.
February 18th, 2025 at 3:14 am
Zyon is cool but not a lockdown guy.
Not better than Carlton Davis.
Agree we shoulda kept Sean Murphy Bunting he was a ball hawk and playmaker.
Secondary doesnt matter when our pass rush is not FEARED.
GO GET MYLES GARRETT
February 18th, 2025 at 3:16 am
JOE,
HAS GM JASON LICHT EVER HEARD OF A TRADE.
HOW DID PHILLY GET DARIUS SLAY… ABSOLUTE LOCKDOWN CORNER
THEY GOT HIM FOR A 3RD ROUND PICK.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. TRADE THE PICKS!!!
February 18th, 2025 at 9:11 am
jarrett
You must be a new Bucs fan not around for the Bucs last SB win!
“HAS GM JASON LICHT EVER HEARD OF A TRADE.”
On March 22, 2018, the Giants traded Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a third round pick (B. J. Hill) in the 2018 NFL draft and a swap of fourth round picks. Guess who the GM was who made that trade?
R E S P E C T!
February 18th, 2025 at 12:19 pm
man that was years ago LOL
February 18th, 2025 at 12:22 pm
I’m gonna zig- where everyone else seems to be zagging. I actually don’t think corner was the big problem with the defense last year – not even Jamel Dean.
…bare with me…
The problems at CB and Safety both get solved pretty quickly if you have a premier edge rusher. You know… like JTS was supposed to be but never actually was…