Total Confidence
October 25th, 2024
Has Bucs defenders’ backs.
At least someone is confident.
Bucs defensive line coach/run game coordinator Kacy Rodgers has his players’ backs, even though the play of the linebackers might need a kick in the backside.
During and after the game in Atlanta three weeks ago, offenses have been ravaging the middle of the Bucs defense, specifically linebackers.
K.J. Britt is being badly exposed. He’s not the sole problem, but he’s being picked on the most. Simply put: as fantastic as he is as a worker and a full-effort sort of guy, he is just not a starting inside linebacker.
So unless Todd Bowles changes things up, maybe drastically, opponents will have Britt and the suddenly soft Bucs interior circled as targets.
Yesterday, Rodgers was asked about how he thinks his linebackers will play in the coming weeks. He could have wagged a finger at a defender or two or sent messages through the local pen and mic club for some players to get their heads out of their tails, Rodgers went in the opposite direction.
“I totally have confidence in our linebackers and what they do and what we ask them to do,” Rodgers said. “We’ve just got to do it better.”
Rodgers tried to pin blame on himself, saying he needs to find better matchups that put Bucs defenders in more successful positions.
But what matchup can Rodgers find for Britt? He’s OK against the run but his lack of speed kills him defending passes.
Joe doesn’t know what matchup Britt could succeed in now that teams have exposed him. Maybe find a matchup where Britt covers a tight end with a bum ankle?
October 25th, 2024 at 7:20 am
Even the great Derrick Brooks was extremely slow his last two years in the league with a hip problem. He still made plays though and he still tackled. The amount of missed tackles and bad angles taken by this entire Defense is frustrating to watch. Players are going to make plays, but you need to get them on the ground.
October 25th, 2024 at 7:26 am
We absolutely need to draft a LB in rounds 1-3 next year….maybe 2
October 25th, 2024 at 7:39 am
DE and LB are a must in the draft.
October 25th, 2024 at 7:47 am
The coaches are gonna be gone at the end of the season if they stick by that
October 25th, 2024 at 7:50 am
Are you surprised? Did you watch Britt play at Auburn? He’s super slow. LB has been neglected in the draft and FA. We have been lucky 54 is the player he is. He’s bailed out the LB corps for years.
October 25th, 2024 at 7:52 am
With the Texan’s Al-Shaair Questionable this week a LB that the Bucs should never have let go. Instead they in my humble opinion used him as a way to deter other second tier players from asking too much when their contracts came up. Folks are real quick to defend Mayfield playing poor at times on a shoulder this and coaching that. When White was fighting a nagging leg it was he sucks.
White and David had it going on. They had Chemistry. Texans will be extremely pleased in their recent acquisition.
October 25th, 2024 at 8:10 am
Rodgers made an honest statement and agree it’s not all his fault.
October 25th, 2024 at 8:13 am
Once they learn how to communicate better they will improve from the 31 ranked defense to lets say 30th.
October 25th, 2024 at 8:22 am
• Little Confidence
October 25th, 2024 at 8:25 am
Whewwwwww that sounds like a Lovie Smith / Mike Smith comment !!
October 25th, 2024 at 8:30 am
At this point, they should replace Britt and as bad as Britt has been, what harm could it do. The other problem is the scheme Bowles is running which results in receivers being wide ass open all the time.
October 25th, 2024 at 9:03 am
Texans will be extremely pleased in their recent acquisition.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it would have been prudent to sign White after the Eagles let him go. But if he is going to be such a boon to the Texans, why didn’t he ever play a snap with Philly?
October 25th, 2024 at 9:13 am
Does the football team and its players have total confidence in the coaching staff. A staff thats devised a plan to give up 500 yards per game? Does the football team and its players have confidence in the QB. A QB who has chucked the ball up for 5 interceptions in 2 games? I think the answer to that question is a yes they do. And that’s why this team still has a chance of reaching some pretty lofty goals. When the answer to these 2 questions is no only then will it be time to stick a fork in us.
October 25th, 2024 at 9:25 am
If this Bucs team can draft Danny Stutsman out of OU this spring it’ll fix our ILB for the next decade. He’s a Florida kid. Big, fast, smart, and Nasty. And one of those players Licht will love his character.
October 25th, 2024 at 9:30 am
This is probably the right way for Rodgers to handle it in public. You don’t trash guys that are putting in max effort that just don’t have the juice. That’s the team’s fault for putting guys in that position, not the player’s. That’s not to say there’s no room for corrective action behind the scenes or a tweak to the scheme to help the guy. Absent that, you’ve got to try someone else at the position. Unfortunately this is another area where bowles fails. He sticks with guys that aren’t cutting it way too long. Britt, unlike White, didn’t have a magical postseason run that helped us win a SB, wasn’t a first round draft pick, and isn’t a long time starter. He’s also the worst rated ILB in the league. So I’m not sure what the hesitation is to try someone new there.
October 25th, 2024 at 9:39 am
Did I miss the Bowles confidence poll this week? Or was it omitted in an act of mercy?
October 25th, 2024 at 10:05 am
JJ Russell? Dennis remains unavailable. Next spring is one thing. Now is now.
October 25th, 2024 at 10:05 am
Let’s draft Billy Bowman out of OU also. He’s a player that can fire up the defense around him and he is a playmaker. He and Stutsman on this team would make this defense better from Day One. I wouldn’t mind our first 4 picks going to the defense this year.
October 25th, 2024 at 10:15 am
This defense, with a number of excellent players, has the chance to be the worst in franchise history. With an alleged defensive masturmind genius overseeing its performance.
The defense is a disgrace, with far too much talent to be so bad. And there’s nothing the great genius will do to change it.
Who’s on Jason’s TRL (Todd Replacement List)?
October 25th, 2024 at 10:34 am
Why is he coaching on both sides of the ball?
October 25th, 2024 at 10:47 am
Time for another confidence poll…. lol.
October 25th, 2024 at 10:51 am
Coach had to say that and no he can’t cover a tight end with a bum ankle either. I don’t get it so Devin white was drafted in 2019, Chappell Russell in 2020 who is no longer here, Britt in 2021, SirVocea Dennis last year. Even though he let Devin White walk why didn’t he draft a guy? After 3 years they had to know Britt was stiff in the hips and couldn’t cover.
They won’t play JJ Russell. The only answer I could come up with for not drafting a guy is LVD, britt, and Dennis was their planned rotation all along and Dennis got hurt. The patience is the organization is frustrating, they will love and die with this roster and probably not make a single trade for a low level player
October 25th, 2024 at 11:23 am
Dashed HOPE leaves you deflated and faced with the reality that this Bucs roster is NOT what the hype said it was. At best the Bucs are a tier 2 or 3 team. No edge, no MLB, no D-line up to championship standards. 6-11 ahead.
October 25th, 2024 at 11:36 am
“We’ve just got to do it better” equals “we have no answers.”
Todd loves to preach ‘our guys’ and ‘next man up’ but doesn’t stand behind this creed. Britt is clearly not working. JTS is clearly not working. Yet Todd with his scared, conservative, refusal to try anything different mentality, isn’t even willing to give Russell or Grier or Ramirez a snap. It’s maddening.
October 25th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
LOL. 3rd worst in the NFL in giving up points. It’s that bad.
October 25th, 2024 at 4:46 pm
BucVoyager Says:
DE and LB are a must in the draft.
^^^^^^^^^
LB = 1000%
DE = ?
Licht has drafted JTS, Braz, Yaya and none have worked. Licht signed JPP and Shaq. Studs. The best OLB/DE in Bucs history have all been FA. I say, go get a proven OLB FA.
October 25th, 2024 at 6:16 pm
Have to agree with SlyPirate here. We are bad at drafting edge rushers but do well drafting ILBs, and secondary players. DT/NT I would say is a mixed bag because Kancey hasn’t proven he is a keeper yet due to injuries.
October 25th, 2024 at 6:59 pm
Put JTS at MLB. He already does a lot of the same things.
October 26th, 2024 at 6:36 am
Exactly right Hearty D. Incompetent coaches running incompetent players is a bad mix. Apparently oblivious there’s a huge problem to fix. You can’t fix the problem if you don’t even recognize you have a problem and it’s probably you. How many 500 yard games are acceptable? Doesn’t even give them a clue.