The Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned in a dreadful performance on defense against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and a team legend wasn’t happy with it.
Former Bucs cornerback and Hall of Famer Ronde Barber spoke with former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon for the 33rd Team, and the two discussed Tampa Bay’s loss to the Texans on the defensive side of the ball. And while Barber didn’t explicitly say that head coach Todd Bowles hasn’t coached the team well overall, he did mention that they certainly looked like it on Sunday.
“When you break down all those touchdowns, you’re gonna look at a secondary that doesn’t look coached well,” Barber said. “…It’s things that I look at and say ‘okay, that’s simple,’ but on the field, it’s not translating for this team.”
Barber also criticized the team’s use of Cover 4 defense (also known as “quarters” coverage), pointing out that safety help for cornerback Carlton Davis was often nowhere to be found during Houston’s splash plays. While Bowles has been known for his staunch defensive units in the past, Barber was particularly critical of the team’s defensive backs, saying that they looked like one of the NFL’s worst units on Sunday.
“To me, this was an embarrassing watch,” Barber said. “When I go back and watch it on film on Monday or Tuesday whenever I can stomach this, it’s probably gonna hit even harder — they look like the worst secondary in football.”
The Bucs’ secondary will have a chance to get back in Barber’s good graces when they play at home against Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans in Week 10 at 1 p.m. EST.
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