The pass rush is getting home, too, evidenced by the the Bucs averaging the fifth-most sacks over the same timeframe. Everyone is expected to play at the same level, no matter who you are. This past week's game summed it up best: The Bucs created more takeaways 5 than points allowed 3.
Sure, quality of opponent helps. But the key with the Bucs' recent stretch of defensive play is they haven't just been good - they've been dominant. While it's not easy to pinpoint one reason or catalyst as to why something works in the NFL, it's rather easy in the case of the Bucs defense: it's Todd Bowles.
Pierre Desir goes in and has an interception. Dee Delaney has an interception. That is really good coaching. I have to give Todd a ton of credit for that. Bowles could have even more to figure out this week. Dee Delaney left Sunday's win over the Bears early with an ankle injury and Jamel Dean hurt his shoulder.
With those kinds of numbers and production, why was anyone surprised that this group of veteran greats and young studs took over in the postseason?
The real story here though is the fine print. The Buccaneers are at their best when they have a dominant defense. It was the case in the late s-early s with Lee Roy Selmon and the crew, and it was especially true when Tony Dungy came to town with the team eventually featuring a legendary defense that lead them to multiple playoff trips, and the NFC Championship Game in The defense coached by Jon Gruden is the best defense in the history of the Bucs, and one of the greatest in the history of football.
The defense can be even better. I put a lot of this blame on the players. They must tackle better in the open field. All those yards after catch matter. It changes the whole play-calling approach for your opponent. Second, the Bucs could also be aided with more speed and more defenders in the open field. As the blitz-heaviest team in the league, Tampa Bay often has fewer players in coverage to flock to the ball.
So the Bucs need to tackle better and perhaps blitz less, but those are fixable concerns. More fixable, say, than having three cornerbacks who are bad at their jobs. That seems to be the common refrain among many fans and analysts when it comes to the Bucs defense this season. Cockrell struggled in Week 1, but has improved every week since. He was very impressive in Weeks 3 and 4. Dean was picked on often against Dallas, but bounced back with a great game in Week 2. Davis was terrific before his injury, and Desir was fine in relief Sunday night.
In fact, he nearly had a pick-6 in the fourth quarter. Sherman, off three days of practice, kept everything in front of him and gave up zero big plays in his Bucs debut. Yes, all of these players can play better this season. Nobody is saying the Bucs have a sure-fire Pro Bowler in their secondary in Heading into Week 5, the Bucs rank 28th in third down defense and 14th in red zone defense.
They took a huge step in the right direction in both areas against the Patriots. That will need to continue if this team has a prayer of reaching their peak. The Bucs entire defensive philosophy is built on thriving in situational football.
The point is, right now the Bucs are forcing teams to live on underneath completions and yards-after-catch at a ridiculously high volume. Can opponents sustain these types of conversion rates on third downs, an annually fluid statistic?
Will the Bucs continue to miss tackles at this rate as the season progresses? Heading into Week 5, the Bucs have plenty of question marks in their pass coverage. That could change moving forward, but right now, the aforementioned concerns loom large. Tackling should improve as the season goes on, as it does for most teams. But we did that twice against the Pats on 2nd and 20 and they burnt us both times.
If we have to consistently bring 5 or 6 men on pass rush then offenses are going to beat it. And you have to punish the receivers. Overall, I think our defense is playing solid. Opponents are specifically installing plays every week to split cover3 zone defense. It will get better later in the … Read more ».
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