Loss Of Da’Quan Bowers A Loss For Secondary
May 14th, 2012
Though Joe isn’t exactly curled up in a fetal position over the season-long loss to Da’Quan Bowers due to a tear of his Achilles tendon last week, Joe understands how this will certainly hurt the Bucs.
(Yes, Joe knows Bowers could return late in the season, but why? There’s no reason to hold a roster spot for Bowers just for the final two or three games. And why rush him back when he could do more damage? That’s irresponsible.)
Though Bowers started the last few games of 2011, he was a part-time player exchanging possessions if not plays with Michael Bennett.
But the loss of Bowers may hurt the secondary more than the defensive line. That’s the thought from eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, as he appeared with Tom Krasniqi on WHBO-AM 1040 recently to discuss Bowers’ injury.
Kaufman believes that with Bowers gone, the Bucs may have to blitz more, and that isn’t a good thing he added.
“You don’t want to blitz [with defensive backs]. They don’t have a sterling secondary. It’s not a lock-tight secondary yet. Blitzing is too much pressure on them. It’s not going to work with this group.”
But blitzing from linebackers, Kaufman said, is a different story. He is of the mind that the Bucs will work in special packages to take advantage of the pass rushing skills of Dakoda Watson and the speed of Lavonte David to put heat on the quarterback.
May 14th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
While I have great empathy for Bowers and the impact this injury will have on his potential for success at LDE, I’m not sensing this is a great loss or hole in the defensive line this year.
Now I know he was poised to have a breakout year, but last I looked Michael Bennett was the starter at LDE and just received a tender that says the team expects him to produce at a high level this year. It would have been nice to see Bowers push him for playing time or even win the starting role, but that hadn’t happened and can’t happen now.
I expect the Bucs to respond to this loss with a suitable alternative that will afford Bowers the necessary time to fully recover and have the Bucs remain competitive at the position. It is early and we have the wallet to pursue someone in secondary FA and the time to evaluate current personnel for a viable alternative.
This is a problem that could be turned into an opportunity. Therefore, I have no real concern at the moment. I would much rather know if Brian Price is 100% healthy or if Frank Okam has his weight under control!
May 14th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
Does anyone know if Bowers had a complete or partial tear. Suggs had a partial teak and he is adamant about coming back near mid season. If he can, so could Bowers. Is it a long shot, sure, however if he is a fast healer it could very well happen.
May 14th, 2012 at 6:13 pm
The talent will rise to the top as usual and it will become evident that discipline will be the buzz word for any successes.
May 14th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
We have em right where they want us.
May 14th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
It’s all good.
I’m with Joe, sit Bowers until next year. Hopefully he can get his legs under him.
We are due to find a diamond in the rough.
Maybe DE George Johnson from Rutgers, right Eric? He’s from such a big time program, you know?
May 14th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Losing Bowers is not catastrophic, unless we lose another DE. The way our D-Line gets injured, that seems more likely than not. I really believe that if anything comes to bite us this year it’s going to be our lack of depth at certain positions, and DE is certainly near the top of that list. I’m probably biased, but it seems like going back to the Gruden days we get hit harder with injuries than most teams. It sure would be nice to start having our major guys play full seasons.
May 14th, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Osi needs to get traded here. Bring in Plaxico for peanuts and we will e a contender.
A proven DE and a proven red zone target, yes please.
May 14th, 2012 at 8:20 pm
One player does not make a team. Honestly, I was looking forward to hustle of Bowers, but the defense will be fine. Maybe even better allowing some non first and second rounders the opportunity to compete for playing time. All this nonsense from supposed experts and their opinions of how the loss of Bowers will effect the secondary if pure drivel. I leave more compelling nuggets of information in the toilet each morning before work. Injuries happen. Greatness is rare, and it provides us something to root for. Nobody knows what the Bucs will look like this year, and that is what I am most excited about.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
They don’t have a sterling secondary.
Nothing gets by Kaufman.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:41 pm
DaQwan is a big loss for us.
What we saw him do against Carolina was the real Daqwan. He will be missed. Its really sad to see him go down.
George Johnson looked hungry before he tore his ACL trying to block that punt. We will see where hes at in the preseason.
Michael Bennet will just have to have a big year.
I want us to sign Jarvis Moss. He looks like Simeon Rice.
May 14th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Bennett improved last year. He had 4 sacks, a FF and 2 FR, quite a few pressures and a decent number of tackles…. on a BAD defense. Out of the entire group, Bennett was one of the few returning players that actually looked like he improved from the previous year. If he continues to progress, he should be perfectly fine at LDE for us this year. We shouldn’t lose much in pass rush with Bennett in, if anything we’ll lose a bit of run stop ability compared to Bowers. What we really lose is depth. This is not a tragedy, simply a set back. Hopefully Bowers returns next year improved in at least his NFL knowledge and possibly technique, which he should be able to work on in film rooms and follow on practice fields while he rehabs.
May 14th, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Plaxico?
May 14th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Kaufman’s exaggerating
May 15th, 2012 at 8:04 am
Amaxingly in 2010 we seemed to improve after every injury.
May 15th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I’ve got a pro bodybuilder friend from the gym that tore his Achilles 10 or 11 months ago. He was in a walking boot for 7 months and it was only in the last month or so that he was cleared to do squats and calif raises. Is he fully healed? Yes. Is he fully recovered? Not even close. The difference between his two calves is apparent from halfway across the gym. This despite the fact that being a professional bodybuilder, he has an impeccable work ethic, diet, and access to muscle healing and building drugs that Bowers couldn’t sniff in the NFL.
I expect Bowers to be healed by September or so, I don’t expect him to be strong enough to play effectively until next season. I had always heard that a torn Achilles is an 18 month injury. My friend with access to all types of things to heal him faster has just further cemented this belief. Bowers will not be a factor in 2012. I am of serious doubt that he will ever recover (how many explosion based athletes have succesfully come back from this injury?).