Building The Defense
July 1st, 2019
Offseason moves explained.
Joe is running out of adjectives to describe what a complete train wreck the Bucs defense was last year.
It’s a wonder dudes weren’t tackling themselves. Then again, they did have 12-yard cushions from any human.
In the offseason, the Bucs tried to rebuild the defense by going heavy in the draft and in free agency on defenders. This irked some.
But Adam Rank of NFL.com understands the motive of Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
Another new face to know: Devin White, linebacker. The Bucs had their pick of potential game-changers during the 2019 NFL Draft and selected White. He brings instant credibility to the middle of the defense and can be the kind of guy who will be a Pro Bowler for the next decade. Early reports have him as a vocal leader already, which is needed, since the Bucs finished 27th in total defense last year. The Bucs also spent draft capital on CBs Sean Bunting and Jamel Dean. The Bucs struggled mightily stopping the pass last year, so doubling down on corners makes sense. They also added safety Mike Edwards, giving them four picks in the top 100.
The first three rounds of the draft were utterly frustrating to the point after the Bucs passed on a chance to draft running back Darrell Henderson and instead traded out of the third-round pick, Joe threw his hands up in the air and gave up trying to figure out what the Bucs were up to.
Rank suggests looking at the Bucs’ roster just prior to the draft should have been a tip. So basically, Joe was looking at the draft backwards.
The Bucs did what they did not to enhance the roster so much as to cover up for previous mistakes. Carlton Davis might be serviceable and may be an OK corner. But he did struggle getting thrown into the fire.
Vernon Hargreaves simply cannot stay healthy. Same with Justin Evans. So at worst, the Bucs had to find a pair of corners and maybe a safety because the aforementioned guys are not dependable yet.
If every guy in the secondary steps up under Todd Bowles, that could be a very strong secondary. But that’s a lot of ifs.
July 1st, 2019 at 1:10 pm
we needed 2 OL’s more than 2CB’s imo….
selecting and developing the right OL’s wouldve helped control the clock, improve the run game and protect winston…..
we didnt get a RB which was frustration as well….
with that being said, all we can do is trust BA…..licht aint worth 2cents as a GM…..
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 1st, 2019 at 1:19 pm
the selection of j.dean was really confusing…i know he ran 4.3 that the combine but during the season when i watched games vs bama and tenn, WR’s were running right past him…..
i know he played with a cast that limited his ability to press/jam at the line but he was a steps behind some average WR’s…elite WR’s like jerry jeudy flew by him…..
in believe coaching will clean up some of his technique and he’ll be a decent player but ignoring the oline and rb position was shocking and depressing….
GO BUCS!!!!
July 1st, 2019 at 1:19 pm
Licht has been buying fancy trim before the house has been dried in….the drafted roster is very unbalanced and if a new QB comes in next year ..well it is unthinkable how perilous franchises condition would be in…
July 1st, 2019 at 1:25 pm
Too many NEEDS to fill in one draft. Bucs focused on defense & S/Ts, and are probably HOPING that they can find 1-2 serviceable veteran OLinemen & an experienced RB once the cutdowns happen. I would think there’s a much better chance of finding a key contributor for those 2 positions than finding a starting CB & Safety once cutdowns happen.
Undoubtedly the Bucs did what they felt they had to do in the draft. Personally don’t think it had anything to do with Licht though. I’d bet that BA was calling the shots, and that he told Todd Bowles that defense would get priority. Now we just have to wait and see how good our new coaches perform as teachers in developing these youngsters.
July 1st, 2019 at 1:31 pm
Licht just simply cannot evaluate talent. we will still be looking for cornerbacks next year. FIRE LICHT.
July 1st, 2019 at 1:41 pm
813 I don’t see it that way. Defense was by far the largest need for this team. No other need really comes close except maybe kicker.
No way no how could you expect to win with that defense we had……You can’t say with a straight face that defense would stand a chance in a playoff game. They would absolutely get walked all over. We could never contend with a defense like that.
I was hoping we would go D heavy but thought we would focus on Front 7 players……..But learning about Bowels defense teams are going to be attacking our backend often. Getting all those DBs confused me at first but its starting to make since……….Another benefit to getting those DBs is them guys could and make get be asked to chip in on Special Teams.This is something that is being overlooked but has real value.
July 1st, 2019 at 1:51 pm
And here is a crazy thought…….We got 3 OL making mega dollars on this roster. They got fat contracts for a reason. The talent is there. They just haven’t filled their potential.
One way to fix the OL is to maximize the potential we have. After that we have a couple of guys who have a great deal of experience. Let’s maximize their potential and get solid football. Then you put a 🍒 on you and actually develope one of your inexperienced players. Something we haven’t saw in 3 years now.
Y’all always seem to wanna think the only way to improve is to sign a big name or spend a high draft choice. That aren’t the only way. Just ask Ronde…….or Brian Kelley for that matter.
July 1st, 2019 at 1:52 pm
I wonder how JPP is doing… he would be a nice surprise
July 1st, 2019 at 1:59 pm
You all may expect that all these 10 million dollar OL players will play as poorly as they did last year. But not me.
I’ll choose to expect what Bruce will expect. Full potential and dominating at times. They didn’t pay D.Smith thinking he can’t elevate his game. They expect him to do more………..He gonna turn some heads this year and will be our comeback player of the year!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!!
July 1st, 2019 at 2:03 pm
Yes BA called the shots this past draft and had personally scouted the DBs and had interviewed and really liked Sean Murphy Bunting, which explains why he was the first CB we took in the draft. Trust BA! He knows what he needs and he gets it. Licht is following BA’s instructions so forget what Licht did on his own in the past! Firing Licht is not the answer. Bring in an independent GM and BA will get mad that his Buddy Licht is fired and retire again and we will really have troubles as BA’s Coaches take new jobs and jump ship as our pirate ship flounders once again!
July 1st, 2019 at 2:17 pm
jimmyjack
i think the scheme and lack of development was more of a problem vs the players in general….who knows how they wouldve preformed had they been in a defense that fits their skill set….
our OL and RB wouldnt stand a chance in the playoffs….
but it is what it is….
i just know if they pick any DB’s next year i may just give up on this team…lol…
GO BUCS!!!!
July 1st, 2019 at 2:21 pm
DefenseRules……….I doubt the Bucs are hoping they can find a serviceable OL player or 2 & I doubt they are hoping to find a experienced RB during roster cuts…………My guess is they are hoping RoJo can show how ability maybe another RB like Anderson………..Also guess they are hoping a guy like Watford will be more then serviceable……or Evan Smith or the linan they just signed or they can develope Cappa or Liedke.
Id also like to believe if those players fail to live up to the hope the Bucs already got their eyes on possible additions. And if we do need to add a RG & RB it’s not the end of the world cause those positions are easier to find then other positions…………But I know Bruce is smart enough to know that you can’t plan for what positions you gotta add during roster cuts in July. If they think they are set at any position they are playing with fire………..cause in the blink of an eye 2 guys they thought they could depend on could be gone tomorrow.
They got 90 guys on this team and each one of them is here for a reason. If they are hoping, before training camp, to replace their players and use roster cuts as starters they are a bad bad coaching staff that doesn’t really have a chance.
July 1st, 2019 at 2:26 pm
813 I hope they do draft another DB next year.
We have invested a lot into that position and the obvisous goal is to turn it into a position of strength. If it does become a strength I’d like to see it stay that way which means to keep adding talent & completion………sorta like they have been doing with the WR position. Didn’t hear anybody complain that we drafted Scotty Miller.
July 1st, 2019 at 2:33 pm
JJ…LOL..Buc Luck ..when they pick next year the highest ranking once in a generation DB will be there for the taking and they’ll pass to address a OL-DL-QB need
July 1st, 2019 at 2:38 pm
The Patriots lost the SB 2 years ago and one of the biggest reasons they lost was cause their OL was exposed.
So one of their goals was to address the OL and they did with a Top draft choice………And what happened? They lost their Top End rookie in TC………Yet they somehow still managed to fix their OL and won the SB………And they never would have won it without an improved OL. The lierally won a SB because they won their battles on 3rd & 1…….
….and they did this without the benefit of their drafted OL player. So how did they fix it without the talent? COACHING. Look it up.
Oh and BTW when they list the SB the team that beat them lost their ProBowl LT……….How did they survive losing their best OL player without being exposed? I think it was magic and luck actually.
July 1st, 2019 at 2:41 pm
JimmyJack Says:
July 1st, 2019 at 2:38 pm
The Patriots lost the SB 2 years ago and one of the biggest reasons they lost was cause their OL was exposed.
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.
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helps to have The GOAT @ QB….
July 1st, 2019 at 2:53 pm
The bucs are in a rebuild mode and are missing so much to make them close to relevant again. Devin White will make people say “KWON who?” Kwon was a Will LB but with beckwith being hurt he had to be in the middle but he is a poor MLB and the niners fans if they aren’t too busy stepping on needles or crapping in the streets they will notice how far below the stud LBs the niners have had the past 10 years from willis to foster. Devin White will be a Patrick Willis here in Tampa but the bucs are far from a winning defense
July 1st, 2019 at 3:00 pm
Jason Licht is the skipper of 16′ row boat with 6 holes in the bottom and he only has 4 plugs…..he has been pulling a plug from one hole and plugging into another these past 4 years .. water will be over the rails without a miracle this year….Talent > Coaching over a 16 game season
July 1st, 2019 at 3:01 pm
I’m starting to miss Kenyatta Walker & Jeremy Trueblood…..we need help on the line.
July 1st, 2019 at 3:10 pm
I think I agree with JimmyJack the most here.
The Patriots always spend capital on getting defensive backs.
By the way they also took a DB not named Greedy Williams in the 2nd round this year.
By the way, they took a DB last year in the 2nd round that did not work out for them.
I tend to think that Evans will be playing less games than JPP this year.
Coaching will make a difference. I think Bowles will coach up all these DB’s and it will be a strength. I am not quite as certain with the offensive lineman but I will hope that can be a difference also.
July 1st, 2019 at 3:38 pm
We needed to be bigger & faster On our defense. too bad JPP is hurt pray we get Ngakoue from Jax
July 1st, 2019 at 4:48 pm
Next year they better draft 2 olinemen and a RB or two.
July 1st, 2019 at 4:52 pm
This organization has been behind because they don’t seem to have anyone who can keep up with change. Example: In my business High end Bourbon & Tequila are trending right now. This isn’t my opinion it’s a fact based on sales not only in my establishment but throughout the country. Of course everyone is loyal to their favorites But businesses need to be ahead of trends. The Bucs were drafting hard hitting players when the league was calling penalties. The Bucs were drafting slower players while the league was getting faster. The Bucs couldn’t figure out that in today’s NFL it is about quick release so 4 D lineman handicap the secondary. I could go on but no one would read it.
July 1st, 2019 at 5:14 pm
Maybe this is the new strategy. You draft 4 or 5 players at the position you need. We needed secondary so we only drafted secondary. One or two have to hit. So next year, maybe all we draft is D linemen or O linemen.
July 1st, 2019 at 5:41 pm
MJ Stewart over Donte Jackson will go down in infamy.
July 1st, 2019 at 5:42 pm
Bucnjim is exactly right. There were so many fast and tall DB’s that were available last year. Holton Hill and Kevin Tolliver didn’t even get drafted and both started multiple games last year for their respective teams. The nickel clone to VHIII (J.C. Jackson) didn’t get drafted either and he’s a starter for the Patriots. Could have addressed their needs last year with an assload of 7th round choices instead of wasting premium picks this year.
July 1st, 2019 at 5:45 pm
Bucsdelight … Good teams seem to get their core players through the draft and develop them to fit their needs. But that can only account for maybe 20-25% of the 53-man roster, so ‘pickups’ via trades, free agency, or whatever who can also be developed to fit the team needs are vital. IOW, ‘building a TEAM’ takes an excellent GM, a great coaching staff, and probably a lot of luck. Teams with marginal GMs and musical coaching staffs PROBABLY won’t qualify as good teams.
It’s hard to turn around years of marginal drafting and mediocre player development overnight. Bringing in tons of FAs to fill the holes isn’t a viable strategy … some you’ll hit on, some you’ll miss on, and in the end it’ll cost you tons of $$$ and land you in salary Cap he11. There’s a name for that: ‘Welcome to Bucsville’.
July 1st, 2019 at 5:46 pm
test
July 1st, 2019 at 5:52 pm
“Vernon Hargreaves simply cannot stay healthy. Same with Justin Evans.”
Kind of a silly statement. Players get hurt in the rough and tumble NFL. You can’t spend draft capital like 1st and 2nd round picks and then double down on that position because of injuries. Players recover from game injuries and then play well.
JPP simply cannot drive. Same with Kendall Beckwith. Car accidents after midnight have effected the team almost more than game time injuries.
Hate to pop Buc fans bubble, but I had an injury very similar to JPP’s, I couldn’t do anything physical for 5 years. You don’t just rest your neck and recover in 6 weeks like a pulled hamstring. Your body regenerates it’s cells every 7 years, that’s what is required.
July 1st, 2019 at 8:08 pm
Defense rules,
You are right but just like in the real world part of being talented is your ability to adjust to any position required and still be good
July 1st, 2019 at 8:31 pm
Every team has holes on the roster..Well coached teams win games and those holes are not magnified. Poorly coached teams lose games and there is always someone bitching about something.
Im.just happy we have Arians for at least two to three seasons.
July 1st, 2019 at 8:47 pm
BucEmUp great comment…….A great example was last year against the Redskins. That team was ruined with injury & was even down a entire OL. The Bucs were clearly the more talented team on the field that day yet we lost. Was it luck or was it coaching?
2 years ago it was the Packers who had holes everywhere. Most glaring was they had no QB. So they ran on us all day and had a great scheme to make Dirk’s offense look generic. Coaching was the clear difference.
There are more examples but those 2 are pretty glaring.
July 1st, 2019 at 11:51 pm
Jimmy ,
People remember what they want in any given game,as for the Green bay game.
For me it was,
Jameis ‘s fumble right into the hands of Nick Lowry for a 62 yard score was a turning point in the game. IMO Jameis is just as guilty of not responding to coaching as Koetter’s is in some aspects of coaching.
That was a carbon copy of a play he had against Oregon in the college playoffs.
These type of plays have a way of contributing to losses and Jameis has to take responsibility and fix this.
July 2nd, 2019 at 12:08 am
Bob, right on, ppl want to blame koetter but his offense was humming when fitz was on the mark. The Falcons will be back in NFC championship because of koetter this season
July 2nd, 2019 at 6:12 am
Tbbf- You did not just reference Kenyatta (aka Julius Pepper’s b!tch) Walker and Jeremy the “turnstile” Trueblood?!?!
July 2nd, 2019 at 10:39 am
Everybody always talks about what we want and should have drafted as if it’s as easy as going to Walmart. The bottom line is that I think this was one of the worst drafts in over a decade when it comes to offensive lineman. I would love the Buccaneers to have drafted guards and tackles but they simply weren’t there. I like the guys we drafted but I am highly disappointed how many holes are still on the team at this point of the off season. Our offense of line and running backs needed a major upgrade and really have not gotten one at all. We’ve needed a pass rush forever it seems and really did not upgrade at all. I I think there is a lot more pressure on Todd Bowles to turn our defense around than there is on Bruce Arians to fix an offense that was already explosive in the passing game.
July 2nd, 2019 at 1:14 pm
If you know this ghost of Darrell Henderson how come are brilliant GM Jason “not to very bright” Licht doesn’t.