Penetrating Defense

November 13th, 2023

Non-factor.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles said there was no secret in why and how the Bucs were able to keep beastly Tennessee running back Derrick Henry off his train tracks yesterday.

It was due to a penetrating defense that blasted Henry often behind the line of scrimmage and didn’t allow him to gain any steam.

Bowles said that was a critical goal for the Bucs. If they didn’t do that, well, Joe can only imagine how badly Bucs fans would be melting down right now.

“There were a bunch of them,” Bowles said of the tackles for loss the Bucs had (10). “Getting them our their comfort zone was our number one job because we knew if they stayed downhill and got [Derrick] Henry rolling it was going to be a long day for us.

“So we penetrated, we got across the ball and made some plays.”

Joe was especially pleased to see Calijah Kancey blow up Henry. Joe had not really seen Kancey tear people up much from his (normal) defensive tackle position. Kancey is known much more for his speed than power.

One of Kancey’s tackles-for-loss came when he got through the line and squarely and cleanly blasted Henry right in his tracks and just swallowed him up just like Lee Roy Selmon used to do to quarterbacks.

That impressed the hell out of Joe.

No, Henry is not the same beast he was two years ago. But he’s still dangerous, and he was riding a three-game streak of good games. You hold a guy like that to 24 yards, your defense is doing something very right.

26 Responses to “Penetrating Defense”

  1. realistic-optimistic Says:

    The Titans gave Henry the kind of lanes the Bucs give White.

  2. Jack Sparrow Says:

    Henry has fallen off the cliff. Don’t credit your self too much for stopping him. If you can stop the roaring niners next week, then I’ll give credit where the credit is due.

  3. NE Fan Says:

    Cool your Jets Bucs fans, the Titans are ranked w3rd in the league in offense and have only scored 13 td’s all season. Just another bad team Bowles D beat up on. But it’s okay, they have ALL the answers. Can’t wait to see the Bowles poll this week, the confident click through will be jam packed. 👏

  4. NE Fan Says:

    23rd in the league, sorry

  5. Upstate NY BUC Says:

    We need more YA YA and Watts !!! Man those two were playing on fire yesterday.. Please Bowles get them more playing time!! Go Bucs!!

  6. Ed Says:

    Time for Ya Ya to be named starter. He is so much stronger than JTS and just as quick.

  7. KC Buc Says:

    Interesting, NE Fan returned since I was away? I think you have more problems across the board to worry about in Foxborough…let us enjoy our playoff hopes in our garbage division.

  8. Buckeyebuckchuck Says:

    Kancy seems to be coming along nicely. Good news!

  9. doolnutts Says:

    realistic-optimistic —- Totally agree here… I am not saying White is a rockstar RB but there is only so much a RB can do when his line gets blown away when trying to run block. Henry is getting older sure but we were blowing their line up all day long.

  10. TheMIGHTYVH Says:

    exactly why the Bucs smartly did not trade for Henry. I love Henry but he would not work on this team running behind our OL.

  11. Steven007 Says:

    N. E, would love to see the confidence poll in Patriot Land. But yeah, keep trolling.

    KC Buc, yes he promised to leave and now he’s back. Clearly. Doesn’t have anything better to do since his actual team is a dumpster fire that makes us look like a super bowl Contender.

  12. NE Fan Says:

    Steven007@ NO CONFIDENCE in Belichick or Jones. That’s an easy one. Rumors spreading Kraft not to happy with either of them.

  13. ModHairKen Says:

    The sack by Vea. The first one. Man, he rag-dolled that Levis, who is not weak.

  14. Jack Clark Says:

    “It was due to a penetrating defense that blasted Henry often behind the line of scrimmage and didn’t allow him to gain any steam.”

    That’s literally what teams have been doing to Rachaad White all season because he couldn’t even reach the line of scrimmage before getting hit most of the time due to our run blocking being trash 😂 So if even the great running back King Derrick Henry with his 5.0 YPC can’t gain yards when he gets hit before he can cross the line of scrimmage then how do you expect Rachaad White to?

  15. Jack Clark Says:

    NE Fan Says:
    November 13th, 2023 at 9:07 am
    Cool your Jets Bucs fans, the Titans are ranked w3rd in the league in offense and have only scored 13 td’s all season. Just another bad team Bowles D beat up on. But it’s okay, they have ALL the answers. Can’t wait to see the Bowles poll this week, the confident click through will be jam packed. 👏

    ^^^^
    Didn’t New England (2-8) just lose to a team with a losing record (4-5) because the great genius Bill Belichick couldn’t figure out how to put up more than 10 points without Tom Brady? 😂 According to your own logic, your New England Patriot coaches are “CLUELESS!!!!!!”

  16. unbelievable Says:

    So Joe can see that when Derrick Henry, one of the best RBs in the league ever, constantly gets hit in the backfield, he is completely ineffective and can’t do anything…

    yet he sees Bucs running backs constantly being hit in the backfield but thinks they should be somehow breaking those tackles behind the LOS and getting huge chunk plays… lol.

  17. NE Fan Says:

    Jack, that team has a better record than the Bucs and I believe you play them. That team also scored 20+ points in every game they played this season. Keeping them to 10 is pretty darn good, let’s see how the Bucs do.

  18. Jack Clark Says:

    NE Fan Says:
    November 13th, 2023 at 11:45 am
    Jack, that team has a better record than the Bucs and I believe you play them. That team also scored 20+ points in every game they played this season. Keeping them to 10 is pretty darn good, let’s see how the Bucs do.

    ^^^^^^
    But don’t the Bucs have a better record than the Patriots? 😂😂😂😂😂😂 “CLUELESS!!!!!”

  19. NE Fan Says:

    Jack they do but the Bucs have a much easier schedule than the Pat’s. Atl will win the division outright and Heinike will beat you again. If Winsten does, I won’t post a word just sit back and read the posts. It would be Christmas day for oneilsuckyall.

  20. Tony Says:

    @NE Fan

    I’m really wondering if NE is doing this on purpose to try to go after Maye, Caleb, Verse, Marvin’s son, Bowers or one of the OL. I could see them doing that being the Patriots.

  21. NE Fan Says:

    Tony it was brought up but Belichick is 74, do you really think he would roll the dice on another 1st round QB? More likely Kraft and Belichick are working out a admiral way to part ways. The fact is he drafted & developed Brady in his earlier years and now the constant Brady vs Belichick is wearing on him. Time to move on, who knows maybe Tampa?

  22. Rod Munch Says:

    “No, Henry is not the same beast he was two years ago. But he’s still dangerous”

    What are you watching Joe?!? Henry averaged 2.2 yards per carry. That’s incredibly bad. I don’t want to hear about blocking, or defense, or predictable playcalling, that is unacceptable! Do you really think Zack Moss would have only got 2.2 yards per carry yesterday!?! Literally anyone else could have done better. I can’t believe you got a misplaced 6th offensive lineman out there running the ball instead of a real, honest to God runningback, like Zack Moss!

  23. Rod Munch Says:

    NE Fan Says:
    November 13th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
    Tony it was brought up but Belichick is 74, do you really think he would roll the dice on another 1st round QB? More likely Kraft and Belichick are working out a admiral way to part ways.

    ———

    We already know that Belichick will get traded to the Bucs, and Licht will talk Brady into coming back, and the gang will be all back together here in Tampa! It’s going to be amazing!

  24. NE Fan Says:

    Haha Rod, I would bet everything I have that Brady will NEVER play for Billy Boy again. Brady’s departure wasn’t the smoothest and it was Belichick thinking he could have won with any QB. Talk about egg on your face.

  25. Rod Munch Says:

    Nah, you’re in Florida now! It’s all good. Everyone is chill, the past is the past.

  26. orlbucfan Says:

    NE Fan..wonder how much money it’s making off the clicks for the joes?