Better As The Game Progressed
December 6th, 2021
Carlton Davis mans up
After two months off, Bucs No. 1 cornerback Carlton Davis and his healed-up quad muscle were thrown into the full fire yesterday in Altanta.
Ease in? Pffft. Davis played 70 snaps.
Another thumbs up for the Bucs’ training camp for not bringing a key player back too soon. They did just that with Rob Gronkowski against the Saints on Halloween, but they got it right with Sean Murphy-Bunting against the Giants on Monday Night Football, and then again yesterday with Davis.
On the stat sheet, Davis recorded three official passes defensed. He’s got eight for the season and that leads the Bucs! (Tied with Jamel Dean).
The stats aren’t important to Joe. Davis looked healthy and fit, and he made at least a couple of standout, athletic plays. Joe can’t wait to see the film, but Joe suspects Ndamukong Suh can thank Davis and his defensive back comrades for one of his two sacks.
“I think as the game went on Davis got better,” noted former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht, speaking on WDAE Radio today.
On Sunday, Joe suspects Davis will be tasked with covering Bills superstar Stefon Diggs. What fun that will be.
Joe suspects Davis is still getting his football legs under him and recovering from 70 snaps is no joke when you just missed two months. But Joe won’t bet against Davis.
Joe might bet against the Bucs containing Josh Allen out of the pocket, but not against Davis in coverage.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:06 pm
He missed some tackles….He was not alone in that category….. We need to get better in tackling….something that concerns me since the beginning of the season……
December 6th, 2021 at 2:07 pm
Bruce’s over-use & mismanagement of injured players is mindboggling. His liver agrees w/ Pete
December 6th, 2021 at 2:09 pm
I’m not sure the fact that Gronk hurt his back on his return from a rib injury means he came back to soon.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:30 pm
Of course he missed some tackles. He’s been out two months.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:36 pm
@Bojim….He is been missing tackles before he got injured…..He’s been missing tackles his entire career. He has some positives and negatives,….Tackling hasn’t been his strength.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:53 pm
I’m cheering fora Bills tonight, one because I don’t want the Pats in the playoffs and also so that the Bills aren’t feeling as desperate.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:58 pm
If this Defense could get off the field on 3rd and forever.. nobody would have to play 70 snaps.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:00 pm
He is easily a top 10 CB in the league. He played outstanding. Yes he missed a tackles, like almost everyone on the team.
Does anyone anywhere in the NFL tell people to wrap up anymore? It is so annoying.
The Buccaneers need to clean that up
December 6th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
Davis is huge return. Teams can’t easily run the 10 yard post against the backup CBs on a weekly basis with Davis. Let’s get the Shermanator deep and hope he can still lay a lick even if he is slow as a turtle.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:04 pm
This defense is much better when the starters are in…obviously!
He did seem to get better throughout the game. Hopefully that continues as SMB and Dean got nicked up yesterday.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:07 pm
Overall I thought the dbs had a very good game. And Lenny with the one hand catch in the endzone for a td was a highlight. That was a Gronky catch. Lenny is now a complete back! His pass catching and running have kept Rojo and Gio on the bench.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Jmarkbuc Says:
December 6th, 2021 at 2:58 pm
If this Defense could get off the field on 3rd and forever.. nobody would have to play 70 snaps.
……………….
Our defense created 5 sacks, 2 turnovers and only allowed 10 points.
Do you even lift bro?
December 6th, 2021 at 3:21 pm
There is no question that CD24 is our best CB…….he is usually in a position to make a play…..he may get a DPI or miss a tackle….but he’s there. And, he’s usually covering the best receiver.
Very glad he’s back.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:40 pm
By far our best CB!
Great to see him back on the field again.
Our secondary improved dramatically.
Next draft, we need to pick another CB in first 3 rounds.
Pair one more great CB with Davis, and this defense really will shut down
Other teams
December 6th, 2021 at 3:51 pm
Is Davis going to be resigned??? The deal???
December 6th, 2021 at 3:52 pm
Yah we need davis to step up in the game next week. I don’t remember a receiver catching a ball against SMB. Maybe i am wrong. But he had good game too.
Now Have dean go live with jpp for a few weeks. Needs to toughen up a tad.
December 6th, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Bird
Good point. I never really heard SMB’s name called much.
But… Matt Ryan completed about 75% his passes for almost 300 yards so none of them did that great
December 6th, 2021 at 5:08 pm
Davis is for sure a critical piece for this defense. I might go as far to say we couldnt win a title without him.
David……just remeber Ryan led his team on a 75 yard drive and we kicked them in the teeth on the 1 yard line. They got 3 measley points on that drive…….drives like that make almost 300 yards less meaningful.
December 6th, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Smb played well in the Giants game was bad in the colts game and wasn’t that great during the falcons game hope dean is back for the bills game word is he might be Davis had a solid game and despite what people think is one of the bucs better tacklers.
December 6th, 2021 at 7:30 pm
Yeah Sparky, bringing Gronk back too soon. Then AB calling Gronk out on his manhood during his post-game press conference for sliding into those THREE DBs who all had his rib cage teed-up after Gronk caught that great seam pass. FFS, his 3 -5 cracked/broken ribs aren’t even close too 100% knitted back not to mention his punctured lung. BA dissing the GOAT TE who RETIRED for a year because of all the back, etc., injuries/pain. The same GOAT TE whose been largely responsible for the Bucs 3-game winning streak. BA is just embarrassing himself.
I will admit it, I’m a new Buc fan because I took sides in the Brady-Belichick divorce. I love this Team which Brady then Gronk chose to commit to and particularly the way the Team welcomed the two and immediately accepted the GOAT as their Player/Coach. While it wasn’t expressly reported, it seemed like the entire locker room took so well to TB12 because he instilled in each of them something they’d been missing. Something they weren’t getting from their former QB AND the coaching staff. It’s been described in so many different ways because what Tom Brady brought from Day 1 was all-encompassing.
It wasn’t so much ‘the Patriot Way’ as it was the leadership, inspiration and the expectations of a once in a lifetime “phenomenon” of the sport of professional football. Yeah, it may sound corny but Tom Brady is every bit the type of sports legend which Bernard Malamud captured in his Novel, “The Natural”, later adapted for the screen by Barry Levinson with Robert Redford as “Roy Hobbs”. The best description I’ve heard of Tom Brady’s effect on the Team (and Franchise) is that from day one he inspired EACH AND EVERY player, coach, trainer, groundskeeper, front office staff, etc., to do their best at what they do. In many cases, Brady helped a player find a new “level” or “gear” which they never knew they had. Much the same way “Roy Hobbs” did with his teammates, the batboy (“Bobby”) and, of course, the Coach and Assistant Coach of “The New York Knights” played by those great character actors, Wilford Brimley (“Pop Fisher”) and Richard Farnsworth (“Red Blow”). May they both rest in peace. (What a great personal synchronicity here. My father “Ed” who everyone called “Red”, may he also R.I.P., played semi-pro baseball in the 1930s. My Father/Red, in his later years was the ‘spitting image’ of Richard Farnsworth right down to his white hair, handlebar-ish moustache and sparkling blue eyes!).
Last, there is something very wonderful happening with Tom Brady, which I first noticed after last year’s incredible SB win, something which I’ve noticed at the end of this season’s winning games (i.e., when the GOAT is more ….approachable). I ask all who read this to watch for themselves at the end of the Bucs’ remaining games. When the games end and the two teams mingle on the field looking for former teammates, coaches and friends, WATCH HOW MANY opposing players, coaches, trainers, staff and other people in general, come up to Tom Brady JUST TO TOUCH HIM. Not to say anything. Just smiling, wearing true expressions of awe as they all tentatively reach out and try to touch the GOAT. See if you notice the same next Monday night after the Bucs win..
Sorry for going off topic but I’m on a roll here ; ) .
Perhaps the players don’t take his public comments seriously anymore and, instead, look to their Captain/Player/Coach/GOAT Tom Brady for constructive criticism.
December 7th, 2021 at 1:45 am
@Boo Radley
that was a whole lot of nonsense, but all I got out of it was that you don’t get BA’s sense of humor. What he said about Gronk sliding was pretty obviously a joke. If you think a Hall of Fame worthy professional athlete gets his feelings hurt when his coach spends 2 minutes in a press conference talking about how great he is then ends it with a joking dig, anything else you say has zero value to me.
December 7th, 2021 at 3:17 am
@Sparky – while I agree with you the BA was joking, it can be difficult to figure him out unless you have watched him a lot in press conferences. He has a very unorthodox style where the question is usually longer than the answer. He rarely waits for the question to finish, gives his answer in a rapid fashion and can make a few points, make a joke and say something else all in five words and in a span as two seconds and then it is next question.
Perhaps the opposite of this style:
https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-belichick-long-snapper-question-9-minute-1500-word-football-history-lecture-223604312.html
December 7th, 2021 at 12:09 pm
@Mr. Bean, yeah you nailed his style.
December 7th, 2021 at 10:50 pm
Bucc’s ball is back baby.
December 8th, 2021 at 5:09 pm
Hopefully Bowles will be smart enough give shade some help to Davis (or whoever) when they are covering Diggs…