Jonathan Casillas explains

The ramped up crackdown on NFL defenders is a clear attempt to drive more offense and keep the league marketing its quarterbacks via inflated stats, as well as a move to prevent head injury lawsuits.

Flags have been flying left and right this preseason, especially in NFL defensive backfields where hands-on equals a quick yellow flag.

The Bucs, however, have a family member at the league office when it comes to understanding officiating and rules. Derrick Brooks is now one of two league appeals officers, along with former coach Ted Cottrell, judging questionable hits and other infractions.

Per Jonathan Casillas, Brooks already visited the Bucs to share insights of his new job.

“He kind of just gave us his perspective of what he thinks about what’s going on,” Casillas said on WWCN-FM in Naples “He basically said we can’t play the football he used to play back in the day, where they didn’t call the shoulder-to-the-head shots like they do know. It’s just doing a little extra as a player and a professional.”

Joe thinks it’s great that Brooks is in this role. It can only help the Bucs, as surely Brooks has shared every last nuance of the league’s new rule crackdown with Lovie Smith. And even more important, Brooks and Lovie are close and Brooks can share evolving interpretations with Lovie going forward.

As hard and fast and nasty as Lovie wants his defense playing, and as much as the Bucs will rely on their defense, Tampa Bay can use every edge it can find.