Larry Foote: Haason Reddick Must Stay “Aggressive” Against The Run
March 26th, 2025
“Hey Lavonte, you let me know if you see loafing against the run.”
Joe knows Todd Bowles is a stop-the-run-first kind of guy. This coaching philosophy is often at odds with the way the NFL is near the quarter pole of the 21st century.
(Dang, it seems like just yesterday Joe was preparing for the coming Y2K catastrophe.)
We live in a pass-first age. Without a quarterback, you are shiite out of luck. Most of the better teams throw to win. Of course, these teams have quarterbacks.
So while Bowles sticks to his guns the way he learned the NFL from Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells, lots of teams throw first and ask questions later.
At times, Joe thought this was Bowles’ Achilles heel. For example, last year the Bucs had a decent run defense but the pass defense got lit up for the second straight season.
Maybe too much focus on run defense and not enough on pass defense?
It seems Bowles and the Bucs took a step to correct that with the signing of edge rusher Haason Reddick. After Reddick’s introductory press conference, his new Bucs position coach and old position coach with the Cardinals, Larry Foote, showed up to lend support and made it clear Bowles is still all about stopping the run, first and foremost.
With Reddick now on a prove-it, one-year deal, will he be too focused on attacking quarterbacks? Might he overlook what Bowles wants his defense to do (stop the run) in order to hit the 2026 free agency jackpot with lots of sacks?
Foote said he’s not worried about it.
“Well, he can’t press,” Foote said of Reddick being too focused on sacks. “I will remind him, he can’t press. … You want to get sacks? Ah, we want you to get sacks!
“So, I mean that is just the nature of this game. It’s a pass-happy game. I just have to keep him grounded. You know, have to earn the right [to rush the passer].
“You have to play the run and I know he don’t mind that. And you have to be aggressive in the run game and be excited just like you are rushing the passer.”
Foote suggested Reddick will do just fine against the run because he’s not a one-trick pony.
“He reminds me of Shaq [Barrett] with a punch,” said Foote, referring to the Bucs sacks king.
So per Foote, it appears the Bucs have no desire to turn Reddick into a designated pass rusher. Sounds like he will be on the field as much as possible.
March 26th, 2025 at 7:17 am
Quitters never win and winners never quit
March 26th, 2025 at 7:24 am
Whew! That was exactly what I wanted to hear. There has to be balance from that position in a 34 scheme. Has to be. Play the whole game the right way and go get yourself some.
March 26th, 2025 at 7:32 am
Great addition but if Bowles has him doing anything other than rush the passer on obvious passing situations, that could lead to some frustration for a guy looking to cash in one more time. Reddick wants sacks…that’s what makes or breaks his next contract. He’s proven to be enough of a problem that both the Eagles and Jets were willing to move on from him in consecutive years over contract disputes, don’t think he’s going to play nice if he feels his money is being disrupted.
March 26th, 2025 at 7:34 am
About the caption under the picture of LaVonte. Does that aging middle linebacker look like the kind of player who will tell the coach that a player isn’t focused on stopping the run? He will tell the player himself and that’s much more effective than what any coach might tell him.
March 26th, 2025 at 7:42 am
We all know this team can stop the run. It’s that 29th ranked Pass Defense that needs to be much better for us to go back to the Super Bowl. This Offense is Top-Notch. Go Bucs!!
March 26th, 2025 at 7:49 am
I forget who coined the phrase, “tackle the running back on the way to the quarterback.” It seems to apply to Reddick and Diaby.
March 26th, 2025 at 8:21 am
Many ways to win in the NFL.
Bowles scheme is not outdated like Lovie Smiths Tampa Two became.
A lot of the Bucs zone pressure schemes are rooted in Coach Jim Johnson’s schemes. He successfully dropped D lineman into coverage years ago.
So did Bill Belichick, so does Mike MacDonald who used to be with Baltimore a couple years back and is now with Seattle.
The core of Bowles success has been in how he coaches and connects his players — emphasizing communication and everybody knowing each other’s roles. The players have to buy in and embrace the style of play. If they don’t, the weakest link shows up. They have to be able to blitz or drop from multiple fronts.
I am convinced Reddick will buy in.
March 26th, 2025 at 9:57 am
This quote shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how players are wired: “With Reddick now on a prove-it, one-year deal, will he be too focused on attacking quarterbacks?”
He’s going to play the way he always played.
March 26th, 2025 at 10:02 am
This quote shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how players are wired: “With Reddick now on a prove-it, one-year deal, will he be too focused on attacking quarterbacks?”
He’s going to play the way he always played. And he is going to make everyone better. He’s going to boost the locker room because he’s accomplished.
Kancey. Vea. Diaby. They will all have record seasons.
And watch the DBs get healthy. They won’t have to hold coverage for 8 seconds. They are going to turn into crazed dog ball hawks.
March 26th, 2025 at 10:13 am
Sorry guys.
It’s the David, Deion and Dennis show this year.
We don’t need an ILB.
We need a 3rd and 4th DT/DE.
I say we copy the Eagles. And draft 2 big boys to rotate with Vea and Kancey and Hall.
Imagine very minimal drop-off when Kancey and Vea rotate out?
I say we draft a DT in the 1st and 2nd round!
Cornerback in the 3rd.
ILB in the 4th.
OG/C in the 5th. (Practice squad guy: redshirt season)
6th round: ILB
7th round: RB
March 26th, 2025 at 10:23 am
WELCOME TO TAMPA BAY, TYLER WARREN!
March 26th, 2025 at 10:54 am
Here we go. In OTA’s Reddick will be dropping every snap to cover short zones and plug run gaps. Like Braswell last year. Already we’re seeing a bull being asked to ballet dance.
March 26th, 2025 at 10:58 am
teacherman – I like adding a DT or two if they are good value picks the way the draft falls since this is a good draft for them.
Note: 1. Bucs don’t have a 6th round pick this year (traded away last year)
2. With Opeta signing, Bredeson able to play C and Last year’s G pick Elijah
Klein being cross-trained on OG is not a need as much as OT
3. Probably need a S since Whitehead was not ree-signed more than a RB
March 26th, 2025 at 11:09 am
To Trask to the Dumpster: You will never see Tyler Warren or any of the premium TEs this year. Under valued position by the Bucs. BIG mistake. A great TE can make an offense really go. They can’t defend a talented TE.
Geno, it’s a mutation from old Buddy Ryan defense.
March 26th, 2025 at 11:14 am
Warren Sapp on the 2002 defense, “We played the run on the way to the QB.”
March 26th, 2025 at 11:19 am
Eh, it’s OTAs. Can’t hit anyone so since it’s flag football, may as well have Reddick cover people.
Sort of pointless rushing the passer in underwear football since offensive linemen can’t throw blocks.
March 26th, 2025 at 1:15 pm
Bucs aren’t alone when it comes to pushing a good run defense but having a poor pass defense. Look at a few other teams …
o Bucs (10-7): Overall defense: #16 – Run: #4 – Pass: #29
o Lions (15-2): Overall defense: #7 – Run: #5 – Pass: #30
o Vikings (14-3): Overall defense: #5 – Run: #2 – Pass: #28
o Ravens (12-5): Overall defense: #9 – Run: #1 – Pass: #31
o Steelers (10-7): Overall defense: #8 – Run: #6 – Pass: #25
And that’s just a few. Those teams were top-ranked at stopping the run (#1-6), but were horrible at stopping the pass (#25-31). A number of teams tried to be good at both stopping the run AND stopping the pass. For instance, the 2 Super Bowl teams …
o Eagles (14-3): Overall defense: #2 – Run: #10 – Pass: #1
o Chiefs (15-2): Overall defense: #4 – Run: #8 – Pass: #18
What becomes interesting is when you correlate those stats with the amount of blitzing that each team did;
o Bucs: 461 blitzes – 46 sacks – 175 pressures
o Lions: 356 blitzes – 37 sacks – 184 pressures
o Vikings: 603 blitzes – 48 sacks – 180 pressures
o Ravens: 199 blitzes – 53 sacks – 164 pressures
o Steelers: 261 blitzes – 40 sacks – 143 pressures
o Eagles: 154 blitzes – 41 sacks – 117 pressures
o Chiefs: 340 blitzes – 30 sacks – 175 pressures
Bucs & Vikings both blitzed a ton, and did quite well in terms of sacks & pressures. We also both did quite well against the run (#4 and #2), but terrible against the pass (#29 and #28). Possible correlation there? Personally I think we blitz too much, and would be better off beefing up our interior DLine (to create more consistent interior pressure) and cutting our blitzes in half (focus more on pass protection).
March 26th, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Aqualung … I think we’re gonna see a different Bucs’ defense this year. Very different matter of fact.
A LOT less blitzing for one thing. Look at our 2022 defense. Overall ranked #13 BUT … run defense ranked #15 and pass defense ranked #9. That’s the highest our pass defense has ranked since 2010 when we went 10-6 under Raheem (our run defense that year really sucked however ranked #28).
I’m convinced that the Bucs can easily have a Top-10 overall defense that ranks in the TOP-10 in BOTH Run & Pass. What it takes in a 3-4 defense is a Front-5 who can create pressure on the QB while simultaneously protecting the run gaps & sealing the edges WITHOUT using a ton of blitzing. It takes some special talent to do that CONSISTENTLY, but we’re close right now. Add in a beastly DT/NT to rotate in with Vea and we could do it.
March 26th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
DR. Please be right. Please please please. I agree that the Bull in the middle china shop is another key.
And, Joes, I know OTAs are underwear. Just as long as it doesn’t create some habit that carries over into the real fire.
March 26th, 2025 at 3:28 pm
hmmm… D.F. , maybe the high blitz numbers hide the weaknesses in the secondary
March 26th, 2025 at 5:08 pm
DR I’m glad you look that stuff up cause I would get a headache man but the numbers bear out something you and Aqua said: Middle of the D needs to be strong. When Aaron Donald was pressuring up the middle it causes more grief than from the edge, from the edge a QB can step up, he has no where to go unless he gets lucky from a middle rush. Also it’s the LB’s crushing the safety valve drop of in the middle that the QB looks for in that frantic split second as well as the safety’s covering or a mix of LB dropping and a safety replacing him as the rusher. The middle is key to any great team, same as baseball.
March 26th, 2025 at 6:01 pm
ballwasher61, our middle was without Kancey and Winfield and SirVocea for so many snaps and that’s the dead middle of our defense. A solid draft is great but it’d sure be nice to stay healthy.
March 26th, 2025 at 6:33 pm
Depth and better coaching are the remedies for (lack of) health. Because some stud is always getting injured and the scrub replacing him needs to be better.