Spies Don’t Always Work On Jayden Daniels
January 11th, 2025
Washington QB Jayden Daniels.
When Joe thinks of how an insanely good Bucs defense stopped a very mobile quarterback with a spy, Joe always goes back to 2002 when the Bucs hosted the Dixie Chicks and Michael Vick.
This was at the height of Vick’s dangerous powers. So when the Dixie Chicks came into Tampa, then-Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin played a wild card.
Kiffin ordered Derrick Brooks, also at the zenith of his career, to spy Vick. Brooks tormented Vick all day long as the Bucs crushed the Dixie Chicks.
Vick was mic’ed up for the game and was heard complaining to a teammate that he couldn’t run away from Brooks, who more than once ran Vick down from behind.
Earlier this week, Bucs defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers was asked about using a spy on Commandos quarterback Jayden Daniels. Rodgers said he’s watched tape of some of Washington’s games where a spy didn’t work on Daniels. So he said you have to play chess, and pick your spots to use a spy.
Rodgers seemed reluctant to use a spy because, he said, that’s one less guy rushing or one less guy in coverage. Depending on the play, that could blow up in the Bucs’ faces.
“Pick your poison,” Rodgers said of choosing when to spy Daniels. “You’re saying right now with the spy, hopefully we can keep him in the pocket but I’ve seen a lot of people spy and he made them miss so that didn’t exactly work out.
“But if you’re staying here, now you’re putting a lot of pressure on the back end because the spy really isn’t rushing so you’re in three-man rush and the routes have more time to develop and get downfield.
“So it still goes back to that chess match. You’re kind of like, ‘Hey, maybe this time will be good to spy. Maybe not so much the next time.’”
In other words, Todd Bowles will be making educated guesses.
It seems this year’s Bucs have been burned much more by pocket quarterbacks than runaround quarterbacks, though Lamar Jackson hurt the Bucs badly with limited scrambling.
So maybe Rodgers and the Bucs will try to flood the backfield with bodies and hope Daniels screws up throwing on the run?
January 11th, 2025 at 11:11 am
Best way to contain him is to run the ball 40 times and keep him off the field,,, otherwise put JTS on him ,, JTS running all over the place like a chicken w his head cut off seems to be his best trait
January 11th, 2025 at 11:22 am
I remember watching that 2002 game. It was one of Kiffin’s finest masterpieces of defensive game planning and play calling.
January 11th, 2025 at 11:24 am
Maybe Trey Plamer has a place on the roster after all…
January 11th, 2025 at 11:25 am
Who would spy for the Bucs. DBrooks is in the NFL and College HOF’s.
DB was a truly special player. We have nobody close. LVD is getting long in tooth and instincts can cover only so much lack of difference in speed.
IF the Bucs had SB version of DW45 it might be a different story.
Devin ran a 4.42. Daniels is a 4.5…fundamentally a dead heat.
Then again DB’s 40 was only a 4.7 to Vick’s 4.33 so again you really have to just be amazed at DB’s incredible feat!!! Maybe LVD could do it.
And of course if he’s truly healthy Winfield could absolutely do it. He has the brains, experience, heart and speed a 4.45 the same as Daniels.
January 11th, 2025 at 11:31 am
Just please play man on their TE’s. Spying him does take a man away but with the zone we play, hopefully he wont get far. Stick Braswell on him instead of dropping him into coverage.
January 11th, 2025 at 11:32 am
This is where a guy like Emmanwori could come into play….i hope we draft him. A new version of Derwin James.
January 11th, 2025 at 11:56 am
People complain that Lavonte David is suddenly looking diminished this year.
I suspect that what people are seeing is Lavonte trying to cover more ground than ever playing with the various combinations of less experienced and less capable DB’s and LB’s with whom he has been on the field with this year.
I am not saying that some of those other players do not have potential. But, if they were as good now as the original starters, they would have been starters.
January 11th, 2025 at 12:11 pm
What’s the status on Deion Jones? He runs a 4.4 forty, put him on him. We’ve gotta use the talent we have n not just let them rotten on the bench. Devin Culp runs a 4.47, with his height n size, why not play him like a wr n let him beast mode the smaller cb. We’ve got to be more creative .
January 11th, 2025 at 12:13 pm
I hope that Lavonte signs a new contract, and I do hope that the Bucs choose wisely in the coming draft.
When they are healthy, the Bucs may already have the complimentary LB’s that they need. But, I don’t know that they have anyone on the roster with the potential to adequately stand in for Lavonte.
I trust Bucs scouting and talent evaluation. There are several ILB’s who should be picked in the first two rounds whose draft profiles indicate that they are slightly taller, heavier and faster than Lavonte was when he was drafted. They have the physical gifts and football mentality to rush the QB, cover receivers, and play sideline to sideline. DW had a lot of that.
What the Bucs really have to look for is someone who can be the sort of leader and force multiplier that Lavonte has been.
Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell may be that guy.
The irony is, if the Bucs go far in the playoffs, they may decrease their draft capital too much to get whoever they decide they need.
January 11th, 2025 at 12:52 pm
they only have one signature win…a few weeks back vs the eagles…
and a good win the next week vs the falcons…
otherwise the bulk of their wins are complete garbage…
they even beat the bengals early in the year when the bengels were heavily struggling – so it’s nothing special…
peep their schedule…soft soft soft…a very soft 12-5 season imho…
mull it over
January 11th, 2025 at 1:34 pm
First of all, you can’t play zone D with off coverage all game long and expect to contain a mobile QB. There will be way too much open space for him to run. Play more man, jam the WRs, and hope for a pass rush. I would use the spy on 3rd and 5-8 yards. 3rd and short and they should run, 3rd and long and they should pass.
January 11th, 2025 at 1:38 pm
Keep the safeties closer to the box. Create tight windows and chaos rather than having a spacious and airy field of play.
And everyone has to swarm tackle. No missed tackles!!!
January 11th, 2025 at 1:59 pm
This season, the Bucs became the first team in NFL history to complete 70% of their passes and average over five yards per carry throughout the course of an entire season. Tampa Bay also became the second team in NFL history to throw for 40-plus passing touchdowns and average over five yards per carry in the same season, joining the 1998 San Francisco 49ers.
Special group.
January 11th, 2025 at 2:07 pm
Edge rushers must not over pursue and give him the outside lanes.
January 11th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
I’ve never understood the “keep him off the field” philosophy. If your defense can’t stop him and your offence can keep pace, it will just be a lower scoring game and whoever has the ball last will win. (unless your team wins the turnover battle)
January 11th, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Limit his chances by grinding on the ground with long drives.
Get ahead and force throws.
No track meets.
January 11th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
I think this be one of those games where whoever gets the ball last in quarter 4 gets the W.
January 11th, 2025 at 3:36 pm
Sic Plan 9 on him.
January 11th, 2025 at 5:59 pm
Anyhony Says:
January 11th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
I’ve never understood the “keep him off the field” philosophy. If your defense can’t stop him and your offence can keep pace, it will just be a lower scoring game and whoever has the ball last will win. (unless your team wins the turnover battle)
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It’s exactly Eli and the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots and Brady in that Super Bowl–Giants held the ball 40 minutes, somehow stopped Brady a few times
January 11th, 2025 at 6:21 pm
I agree with tackleblockwin. Our usual game plan of being aggressive in the box while being safe in the back end should work great for this game, because I don’t expect Daniels to be able to generate much in the air if he has to do it 5 yards at a time all game- so long as we don’t give up QB scrambles for 1st downs. That means more contain and collapsing of the pocket as opposed to overpursuing on the outside edge