Bucs Coach: Kirk Cousins’ Savviness Burned The Defense
October 9th, 2024
So what went wrong Thursday when the Bucs defense looked dazed and confused and imploded like the newspaper industry?
Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Larry Foote offered fans a couple of answers this week on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
Both were painful.
“First and foremost, I thought we got a little sloppy with our technique, guys were trying to do too much,” Foote noted, echoing what Todd Bowles said about Lavonte David.
“[Cousins] was a savvy quarterback, especially my [inside linebackers] room particularly. Kirk played the game with us a little bit, pump-faking, looking somewhere but [he] had every intention of going back the other way. Kind of caught us out of position a few times.”
Why is Cousins such a challenge? Foote went back to Cousins’ veteran smarts.
“I thought his savviness got us, especially my [inside linebackers] room,” Foote continued. “You know, he was looking us off and had a nice little plan for us. We weren’t patient. You got to be patient in your zone. He stepped up a few times and he hurt us.”
In 18 days, the Bucs get another crack at Cousins — in Tampa. It’s a game the Bucs must approach as if their fourth consecutive division title is on the line.
October 9th, 2024 at 12:43 pm
So why didn’t you adjust? How about instead of having them cover you just rush them? You can’t have Britt covering Pitts, and YaYa covering Mooney. They exploited those miss matches all game, yet you did nothing to change? Not sure what the Bucs expect out of their backers, and our backers don’t look like they know what’s expected of them. This defense has been exposed, not sure if the coaches will, or can adjust.
October 9th, 2024 at 12:47 pm
The Bucs should be able to win at the end of the month at home. Our players should all be healthy this time around. Cousins may have the veteran mindset, but it’s still early.
October 9th, 2024 at 1:30 pm
The reason why Cousin’s savviness doesn’t work on every team is because talent trumps savviness. We are not loaded at talent in the middle of our field, and without disruption up front, they get exposed, both at ILB and Safety. As JBF has been hollering for, which is one thing we can certainly agree upon is we lack a consistent pass rush. Particularly a game wrecker on the edge.
Anyone reading this, realize, if we can’t pressure with a 4-man front, and Bowles has to send 2-guys to help the 4-man front out, and if that team picks up the blitz just enough, there’s going to be at least 2 receivers open at all times. It is simple mathematics, and Atlanta did a great job picking up the blitz. Good QBs with decent weapons make us pay every time.
October 9th, 2024 at 1:38 pm
What saviness? Kirk had a mostly clean pocket the whole game and carved up the defense like it was nothing
October 9th, 2024 at 2:03 pm
Hmm…so much for “struggling Kirk Cousins”…….”Bottom line is the Bucs will be facing a nothing-special quarterback tomorrow night A struggling, one-dimensional quarterback should be right up Todd Bowles’ alley as the Bucs’ defensive guru.” And how did that work out for ya’ll???
Fun fact: Kirk’s total EPA of 22.4 was the highest total EPA a QB has accumulated against a Todd Bowles-coached Tampa Bay defense EVER.
October 9th, 2024 at 2:09 pm
All downhill from here for Kirk. This game was his coming out party in Atlanta but he’ll be hard pressed to duplicate a game like this one.
October 9th, 2024 at 2:54 pm
So what’s the excuse for Bo Nix????
October 9th, 2024 at 3:02 pm
Been saying Cousins in a top notch QB
October 9th, 2024 at 6:05 pm
Very Cavalier of you Coach Bowles. The Bucs crappy defense has nothing to do with your crappy soft defensive game plan. Kirk Cousins smarts is to blame. Please. Replace. Bowles.
October 9th, 2024 at 6:57 pm
Got em Architek lol Bo Nix the savvy rookie. There’s things to clean up after a win things to clean up after loss, how many years does it take Todd Bowles to field a consistent defense? There is only one rookie starter new to the system!
October 9th, 2024 at 7:56 pm
This defense needs only 1 MLB.
And 2 nickels.
Get Britt off the field.
And teach Izien the MLB role.
Izien and Smith are good enough in the box to play “linebacker”
Britt is a badass. And he’s a great special teamer.
But he’s a MLB from 1994. Not 2024.
Lavonte David is the LB of the future. Runs like a DB. Only 230 pounds. And hits like a train.
I say we transform this defense into a 4 safety, 1 LB defense.
October 9th, 2024 at 9:55 pm
Kirk Cousins is a solid QB that is all. When he goes up against a great defense he crumbles. Look at the Steelers and the Chiefs. He burned the Bucs because the Bucs is an average defense.