Bucs Are Now Trendsetters
July 6th, 2021
Bucs DC Todd Bowles.
You know you are doing something right when other teams are copying your style.
And that’s what is going on with the Bucs, says former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms. And yeah, things are going right for the Bucs.
Yesterday, former Boston Globe and Chicago Tribune columnist Michael Holley pinch-hit for Peter King while he is on his annual month-long siesta from football. So Holley, typing for NBC Sports, did a feature on King’s NBC colleague Simms.
Simms, noted how defenses have not adapted or adjusted well to the many new forms of football now used on the NFL level. Because of this, he said, offenses are shredding defenses.
Well, one defense isn’t getting shredded. And that’s the Bucs.
As a result, Simms said he expects NFL teams to be quickly copying what defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is doing.
What would that be? Focusing on stopping the run and turning opposing offenses one-dimensional.
“All right, here’s the issue with defenses in the league: Between quarterback runs and play-action passes, they’re getting shredded. You’ve even had teams that can’t run the ball have a lot of success with play-action passes. To combat it, some defenses have brought an extra guy in the box and gone with smaller linebackers who can run. But I think it’s going to go the other way now. You’re going to see more big people up front—300-plus pounders—to stop the run. It will be as if teams will say, ‘Prove to us that you can run against our front four before we bring down an extra guy.’ Tampa did it last year. … “
So let’s check the weight scale. Vita Vea is 347. Ndamukong Suh is 313. Steve McLendon is 310. Rakeem Nuñez-Roches is 307. Will Gholston is the lightweight on the defensive line at 281 officially, but he has said publicly he got his weight over 300 pounds, and he led the Bucs in quarterback hits.
So yeah, there’s a reason why the Bucs defend the run so well. It’s one thing to move one guy who weighs 300. It’s quite another to try to clear a lane against two guys over 300.
Of course, these big oxen are so hard to move off the line, and that allows Lavonte David and Devin White to roam free.
It’s one thing to say the Bucs have a defense that others want to copy. But you have to have the horses to drive this herd of cattle. Not too many teams have four interior defensive linemen who are both good and tip the scales over 300 pounds each.
July 6th, 2021 at 5:51 am
Yes size matters, but talent matters a LOT more IMO. And the Bucs Front-7 is supremely talented … to the man. There are no weak links. They have great chemistry & the guy pulling the strings, Todd Bowles, knows exactly how to use them. Everything fits together perfectly in our starting rotation.
July 6th, 2021 at 5:54 am
The last sentence is the key
Cant just be big/ fat boys out there. Gotta be good too
Suh next to vea. With jpp and gholston and shaq
Good luck trying to replicate that. 😂
Oh yah And two of the fastest inside linebackers in the nfl to clean up anyone getting thru a hole
These are amazing times bros. Enjoy. Cause it may not last long
July 6th, 2021 at 6:25 am
^^^ “Size matters” – yes it does D!
Love our front 7. Hoping Tryon is the real deal and we have some rotation going on in order to keep JPP fresh for another SB run
July 6th, 2021 at 6:51 am
All good lines have a big lummox, goon, oaf & lurch
July 6th, 2021 at 7:05 am
Not too many DT over 300 lbs who can stop the run effectively and rush the passer.
Licht hinted to drafting one (DT) in the second round but said this year’s draft was thin of DTs. Not to read too far into next year’s draft, but DT might be the Bucs first round pick. Seems like replacing Suh will be at the top of the list for next year.
July 6th, 2021 at 7:32 am
Our line either stops or slows down the runner……but it’s the speed of our LBs that make the difference……they can get to the runner before he gets yards.
July 6th, 2021 at 7:38 am
Gholston says he keeps his weight over 300–listed weights are outdated.
July 6th, 2021 at 10:19 am
This is fake blog. No one uses his/her real name
July 6th, 2021 at 10:32 am
Defense Rules, totally agree. Big is good, but big, talented, and strong is great. These guys are not just big, they’re strong as hell and work together in unison. Both O- and D-lines are balling.
July 6th, 2021 at 10:45 am
Yup which is why he coaxed Steve McLendon back.
Certainly seems like Licht is already looking closely at draftable DTs, doesn’t it?
That’s one element that is way overlooked in the draft. What the GMs see coming down the pipeline. No need to reach for a guy when the following year the crop will be better.
July 6th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
I don’t see this trend taking off league wide. My list of +350lbs Super Bowl winning, game-changing, DT is limited to four …
Perry
Wilfork
Ngata
Vea
July 6th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
The Bucs lined up with four down linemen in the Super Bowl. JPP and Shaq on the ends and Vita and Suh as well as a long list of depth. They did this to be able to play man to man out of a cover 2 shell. They begged the Chiefs to run the ball… and they didn’t. The ability to adapt is huge.
July 6th, 2021 at 1:17 pm
“It’s one thing to say the Bucs have a defense that others want to copy. But you have to have the horses to drive this herd of cattle.”
Same as 20 years ago Joe.
Based on the extended success of the modified “Cover 2” scheme in Tampa Bay – by 2006 The “Tampa Two” was being used as a primary base defense by a bunch of NFL teams
Monte Kiffin as DC, chief architect, implementor and orchestrator of this style of defense garnered top 10 defensive rankings EVERY year for over a decade….
Thats what made other teams want to copy and adopt the Tampa style of defense. Not just the dominant nature of it when played to perfection as displayed for the whole world in SB xxxvii – but the proven sustained success that Kiffin and the Buccaneers had with it.
Dungy won a Super Bowl running it in Indy – although Peyton Manning and the established Indy offense had a good bit more to do with that SB season than Dungy’s defense….
Lovie got to a Super Bowl running it somewhat successfully up in Chicago – If Rex Grossman is your QB and you wind up in the Super Bowl – you HAVE to be playing pretty good defense – amiright? LOL – Having Urlacher as your main guy in the middle helps a good bit.
Vikings, Bills, Lions, Chiefs and others all tried to run the Tampa 2 as a base for awhile – and most who tried failed miserably.
With no Monte calling the sets – and no Sapp or Simeon getting so quickly after your QB – no DB55 to fly around and clean up whatever is needed – no Rhonde or Brian Kelly or Abraham to play tight coverage – and no enforcer over the deep middle like Lynch to make WRs think twice about any inward cut….
when you remove too many good players from the “scheme” – it don’t work!
Bowles looked like a genius the way he had his defense playing in the playoffs and Super Bowl last year. But if another team tries too hard to copy what Tampa Bay is doing on defense right now – it won’t work nearly as well without Suh and Vea and Barrett and JPP and LD54 and White as your ‘front 7’.
July 6th, 2021 at 1:17 pm
Stop the run and make a team one dimensional.
How profound.
July 6th, 2021 at 1:34 pm
Joe Says:
July 6th, 2021 at 10:45 am
That’s one element that is way overlooked in the draft. What the GMs see coming down the pipeline. No need to reach for a guy when the following year the crop will be better.
It’s also the reason although fans were shouting for an offensive tackle in the 2019 draft, Licht did not reach for Jonah Williams in the 1st, or any other garbage guy in the 2nd round or later.
July 6th, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Joe I think thats great insight about Licht seeing whats coming down the pipeline.
Ive always believed it worked that way from day 1. In 2014 every Buc fan knew we needed a QB. Makes sense that Licht was eyeing the QB class of 2015 and used 2014 to build up weapons……Granted Chuck Simms and ASJ didnt really work out but then plan makes sense.
Now I know yall will think this sounds koo-koo but I really think Licht saw the pipeline in 2018 and knew we had a great shot at getting Bruce to come here in 2019. He made a big move to get JPP who Bruce is on record saying he always admired……Even more revealing is when we drafted Vita V. Vita just did not fit into Mike Smiths scheme. Sure smells like we drafted Vita knowing we very well might be converting to a 3-4……Heck even 2018 bust M.J. Stewart perfectly fits the SMB role in this defense.
July 6th, 2021 at 4:53 pm
Don’t think that’s koo-koo at all. If a GM isn’t prepared with a list of coaches to go after if he has to move on from a current coach, then he’s not a prepared GM.
Can’t remember which old Florida AD it was, but do remember the AD saying he had a list of potential coaches to interview in his top desk drawer if the current coach left for whatever reason.
July 6th, 2021 at 6:26 pm
How many defensive lineman drafted can do what bucs front can. Not many front 4’s like ours existed last year either so ya can’t just copy. Only about 5-7 teams have the front to do what we do