Sacks Aren’t Good Enough For Bucs
June 4th, 2013
Of course, like in most of the NFL world, talk at One Buc Palace today was largely dominated by the passing of a true NFL icon, the great Deacon Jones.
The Bucs have invested several draft picks on defensive linemen over the past few years. One seems on the cusp of something huge (Gerald McCoy), and another has shown flashes of doing something when not hurt (Da’Quan Bowers). To them, Jones was sort of a pied piper of defensive linemen.
Though neither met Jones, they both were well aware of what he meant to the NFL.
“I didn’t know him,” Bowers said. “Of course, I knew of him. You have to know your history. I never had the opportunity to meet him. It would have been an honor. He’s the reason we do what we do. Obviously, we all grew up watching him on NFL Films and I wanted to be just like him. Guys like that come around just once in a lifetime.”
“He was so aggressive. Here was a guy who invented the sack. What more can you say about that? About the time he invented the word ‘sack,’ he had about 160. That says enough. A player of that caliber? A legend. Truly, a legend.”
Yes, Jones invented the term “sack,” by which all defensive linemen are judged. But that’s not enough for the Bucs, Bowers explained. The team wants, and may need, more than just simply sacks.
“Around here, we don’t say ‘sack.’ We say ‘sack/fumble,’ Bowers said. “We are trying to invent something else. Sacks aren’t good enough. So we are trying to invent a sack/fumble. Of course, having guys like Dashon [Goldson] and Darrelle [Revis] in your pass secondary gives you so much – an extra millisecond to get to the quarterback means a whole lot.”
It’s a philosophy that has GMC on board. He wants to take what Jones established for defensive linemen, and take it a step further.
“A sack is OK,” GMC said. “But when we get sacks, we want to get sack/fumbles. Coach Schiano doesn’t even like sacks because he thinks all sacks should be sack/fumbles, which I agree with because a sack/fumble gives you not just an opportunity for a takeaway, but to score points. And that is the goal of the defense, to get the ball back.”
June 4th, 2013 at 4:04 pm
how about just trying to get pressure. That would shock alot of us around here, with all the resources and high draft picks you would think this would be an area of strength for the Bucs. But now we have to hope that the Bucs have a good enough team to drag Jfree and the D-line to a playoff game
June 4th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
A few hands in the air would be helpful.
June 4th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
How about from now on, it’s called “sackfu”?
It has duel meaning, SACK FUmble and SACK F.U.!
You heard it here first.
June 4th, 2013 at 4:19 pm
How about just appreciating the mindset and not bitching? That would shock a lot of us around here.
June 4th, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Sack/fumble. I like it. Not to be confused with butt fumble.
@BIG SIR
That is simply asking too much. You see if the Bucs traded for Tom Brady, Calvin Johnson, Patrick Willis, and Bill Belichick these people would STILL be complaining. I would be surprised if they show up at all this time next season. Although, I am sure they will find something to complain about. (Maybe the third string punter in OTAs will shank one.)
June 4th, 2013 at 4:25 pm
Like the mindset, think the goal is a little un-realistic, but ya gotta shoot for something. Just cringe at the thought of missing sacks while trying for that fumble….just sayin….not bitchin
June 4th, 2013 at 4:46 pm
And the talk continues from the Bucs camp…
June 4th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Well they had 27 last year, with nine of those from a player no longer on the team.
Someone will have to step up big time in this division. I guess Bowers is the one.
Hope so.
June 4th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
I think Bowers is exactly right, with Revis and Goldson in the secondary, you will see more sacks this year, or at least more three and outs.
June 4th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Makes you wonder if them going for the fumble too much is slowing down the pressure / sack total. You got to learn to walk before you run.
June 4th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
Holy Cow! That article got me STOKED!! I am so friggin happy with The New Schiano Order.
June 4th, 2013 at 5:41 pm
I am sure I have cited Coach Gibron before, that a pressure is better than a sack because it gives you a chance to take the ball away.
June 4th, 2013 at 6:08 pm
@ Chefpaul Im with you I have not been this excited for the year to start since forever.I am also a chef,what great people we are.
June 4th, 2013 at 6:28 pm
@ Realist
There is the pressure, but from mostly a few player mostly McCoy. Though your Realism never gets past the negative views which marks you as a pessimist. We had an injured D Line just as bad as our O Line. Of course we will not get pressure we have backups doing starters work. This year the there should be more sacks/fumbles if our line stays healthy. That’s being realistic, a healthy talented D line will produce.
June 4th, 2013 at 6:33 pm
I love this D line we have, just need to stay healthy a play through a season to show what it can do. Though that’s a challenge itself already with the injury history all the players have.
@Big Sir I’m with you on appreciating the mindset, it’s no longer “we learning how Schiano works” Now it’s a “gotta produce above and beyond of what’s expected of us”
Also i always have this chant during football games: Sack, Fumble, TD.
June 4th, 2013 at 6:39 pm
With all the years of injury to this d-line, I am sure that they are due a healthy year finally. I just hope the rest of the team is healthy and good enough to drag the d-line and Jfro to a playoff game this year.
June 4th, 2013 at 7:02 pm
Umm… That picture is of Stylez G. White. Believe we were going for a pic of DaQuan Bowers…
June 4th, 2013 at 8:57 pm
SackFu reminds me of ShaqFu.
June 4th, 2013 at 10:21 pm
@the_buc lot of high draft picks. But due to injury we have never seen them all together for even half a season. When we went to the Superbowl we were one of the least hurt teams in the NFL. Heres hopin the injury bug goes else where this year.
June 4th, 2013 at 10:22 pm
sack/fumble is a good mantra, but lets start with getting sacks first and then see how far that takes us, especially since we’ve been in the bottom of the league in that stat for 4 straight years now.
June 5th, 2013 at 6:31 am
Realist: I know you think the JFro moniker you’ve given to Josh Freeman and the “Pop Star label you’ve bestowed on Mark Dominik are cute. But they’re really getting stale. Apparently your “realistic point of view” remains stuck on the thought that our inaccurate QB should be able to lead the team, comprised of the mediocre players collected by the incompetent Mark Dominik, to victory. You know, in order to have any credibility, every once in a while you should refrain from your juvenile schtick and actually write something worthwhile………..and maybe even complimentary to anyone in the organization for which you claim to be a fan.