Speed Kills
March 3rd, 2022
A desire for quickness.
Joe learned long ago from the smartest man he ever dealt with in sports that there is one athletic trait that trumps everything else: speed. And it seems Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians wants more.
Speed kills. You cannot teach speed. You cannot practice for speed. You either have it or you do not. And if the other team doesn’t have it but you do, you can explose their backsides badly. Speed can even cover up for mistakes.
And it seems Arians believes the Bucs defense needs more speed, specifically in the interior front. And that is an area Arians said this week from the Indiana Convention Center that the Bucs will be targeting in next month’s draft.
Now Joe believes the Bucs have been looking to upgrade their interior defensive line for some time. No, that doesn’t mean they are getting rid of Vita Vea, don’t be hysterical here.
Last year the Bucs did not draft any defensive tackles. Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager was asked about that and he replied he was unimpressed by the crop of defensive tackles in the 2021 draft. That was a tip off he was looking, otherwise he would have said he was happy with his defensive tackles and saw no reason to upgrade.
And good NFL general managers always look at draft classes right around the corner. This year, defensive tackle is deep, especially in the third round, and that is where the value is.
So given Licht’s 2021 assessment and Arians’ words this week, don’t be shocked if the Bucs grab a defensive tackle on the second day of the draft.
March 3rd, 2022 at 9:10 am
So, if we get all our guys back…..Suh, Gholston, JPP…..we still draft a DT?…..perhaps….but I think we will be drafting to replace Suh.
When you’re talking about the Dline…a combination of strength & quickness is called for….not necessarily speed.
We need more speed most everywhere.
March 3rd, 2022 at 9:15 am
A 3-tech Dlinemen that has a nice burst at takeoff would be a wicked find. Vea takes on so many doubles, and with the other lineman often lining up in the 1 gap, whoever they find with a remote amount of speed will have a great chance at success. Love Suh, but he would only get sacks when the QB was in the pocket. The second they moved, it was game over
March 3rd, 2022 at 9:24 am
Speed is great, but for the interior of the D Line, you need strength more than speed. If you can get both, hooray for you.
March 3rd, 2022 at 9:28 am
We need replacements for Suh AND JPP, and we could get them both in this draft.
March 3rd, 2022 at 9:35 am
Arains said bringing back Jensen, Cappa, Stinnie is a priority. That won’t leave money for Suh, and JPP. Time to replace them anyway. I could see the Bucs going DT, edge rusher with the first two picks in any order.
March 3rd, 2022 at 9:41 am
We could definitely use another Vita. Get in the QB’s face and stop the run is deadly from the interior.
March 3rd, 2022 at 10:32 am
I be happy if we can just win NFCS an get a playoff game. No expectations of Souper Bowl.
March 3rd, 2022 at 10:42 am
A 3 technique DT with a quick get off you say?
Que the McSofty fans in 3-2-1…..
“Team friendly contract”
“Great guy”
“My bad Ben”
😀
March 3rd, 2022 at 11:15 am
I think Suh and JPP are at the end of the road. We better draft DL,Corner and bring in a FA DE.
March 3rd, 2022 at 12:26 pm
Hard to read, but understandable, that Suh and JPP need to be replaced. JPP was a absolute warrior for this team and I beat he may have something left in the tank. Both great players who if they leave I will be sad to see go.
March 3rd, 2022 at 12:53 pm
we need Jordan Davis next to Vita ASAP. That’s 4 o-lineman right there
March 3rd, 2022 at 1:07 pm
Replacing JPP is the least of our worries we replaced him already Joe Tyron then Anthony Nelson and Cam Gill to back Shaq. Thats the only position we have depth
March 3rd, 2022 at 1:52 pm
Tim … ‘We need replacements for Suh AND JPP, and we could get them both in this draft.’
Suh: 12 yrs experience; 2 games missed TOTAL; 70 sacks; averaged 725 def snaps/yr; Rnd 1 selection (#2 picked).
JPP: 12 yrs experience; 91 sacks; averaged 650 def snaps/yr even with his injuries; Rnd 1 selection (#15 picked).
Yes they’re both long in the tooth, BUT … Both (or either) will be almost impossible to truly replace in a single draft without expecting a BIG dropoff in defensive performance. Look at the results from these past 3 yrs when they’ve both been with us as compared to the years preceding that. No comparison. Suh & JPP are the 2 Alpha dogs on our Defensive Front (not Vea nor Shaq). Rookies don’t replace that; rookies need to be allowed to LEARN FROM THAT (kinda like Bucs allowed Trask to learn from Tom Brady?).
March 3rd, 2022 at 2:34 pm
Speed, speed, speed!!! – Mickey Goldmill
March 3rd, 2022 at 4:29 pm
Look for the DT Travis Jones from UCONN or Logan Hall from UH.
I like them both, but prefer Jones.
March 3rd, 2022 at 5:56 pm
Shake and Bake.
If you’re not first you’re last.