Tag: buccaneers defense

Chargers badly need OL Bryan Bulaga, Trai Turner on field vs. Buccaneers

The Buccaneers defense could cause a long day for the Chargers offense.

The Chargers acquired right tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner to help with the ongoing woes along the offensive line. Unfortunately, the two have only played one drive together since joining the team due to their perspective injuries.

Their absences have been felt, especially last Sunday where the unit allowed 21 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, eight quarterback hits and two sacks to a Panthers defensive line that had not acquired a sack in the first two games of the season.

Bulaga dealt with a knee injury at the beginning of the season, but he hurt his back early on in the Week 3 matchup. Meanwhile, Turner has been dealing with a groin issue that he sustained at practice during the week leading up to the contest.

Bulaga and Turner’s statuses remain in doubt as the two have yet to practice this week ahead of their bout with the Buccaneers.

This would be the game where L.A. could really use them to protect rookie quarterback Justin Herbert.

Tampa Bay has 12 sacks, which is third most in the league. They also have a 56.3% pass rush win rate, which is second best, and an 18.6% opposing quarterback contact rate that’s fifth best, per ESPN.

If Bulaga and Turner are unable to go, the Chargers will throw out Trey Pipkins at right tackle and Tyree St. Louis or Ryan Groy at right guard. All three players have struggled in the pass protection department.

Herbert has shown that he has the mobility to evade pressure, but he won’t be able to do it on every single play if he’s under constant duress. If he is, the game plan and blocking scheme will have to quickly change or it could be a long day for the Chargers.

Is CB Jamel Dean ready for a breakout season in 2020?

Find out why Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year cornerback Jamel Dean could be in for a big year in 2020.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense will need to play up to par with its high-powered offense if this team is going to end its playoff drought that’s stretched for more than a decade.

While Tampa Bay boasted the league’s best run defense in 2019, their secondary got off to a slow start, and despite finishing strong in the second half of the year, the pass defense finished 30th in the league.

Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is hoping his young players can make a big jump in Year 2 in his system, and one player who will be looked upon to be a major contributor is second-year cornerback Jamel Dean.

Dean had a nightmare debut in his first start last season on the road in Seattle, but over at ESPN.com, Rivers McCown had Dean ranked No. 4 on his list of the top 25 young prospects ready for breakout years in 2020.

Per McCown:

“In Dean’s first NFL action against Seattle in Week 9, he allowed 155 yards on targets in his coverage, including 81 alone on two DK Metcalf bombs.The rest of the season, Dean was targeted 30 times and allowed 107 total yards. That includes holding his targets to 0 yards against Arizona, 38 in two games against Atlanta, and 28 against Houston. He also picked off Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray.

“Scouts liked Dean’s size and speed coming out of Auburn but were concerned about his multiple high school and college knee surgeries. His 4.3 40-yard dash at the combine seemed to assuage a lot of those fears. The Bucs were a terrific landing spot for him precisely because of how much aggressive coverage Todd Bowles plays, but anyone who can play outside corner as well as Dean played for the last seven weeks of the season deserves to raise some alarm bells.”

Dean and fellow cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting both seem poised for big years, and the addition of rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. should add further athleticism and speed to this young defensive unit.

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NFL.com says this Buccaneer is the team’s most underappreciated player

Find out who NFL analytics expert Cynthia Frelund named as the Bucs’ most underappreciated player.

There’s no shortage of talent on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ roster heading into 2020. With guys like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Bucs look more like a team straight out of Madden or fantasy football.

Big things are expected out of Bruce Arians’ team in 2020, and if the Bucs are going to make a serious run at the playoffs, they’ll also need their defense to continue to improve under Todd Bowles. The D has plenty of talent as well, and retained key players this offseason like Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett. But, there’s another defender who is perhaps the team’s most underappreciated player, at least according to Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com, and that’s linebacker Lavonte David.

Using context-based models, Frelund came to this conclusion about David:

“With the most tackles on the team (122 — the next closest Buccaneer had 91), 10 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception, David was the kind of productive middle-of-the-field defender Todd Bowles knows how to best deploy. PFF counted his coverage grade as 91.4, which was the highest among linebackers last season (among those with a minimum of 100 snaps).”

Bucs fans definitely appreciate David and what he brings to the table. With the Bucs appearing in five prime-time games this season, David will get the chance to showcase his skills on the national stage. Maybe then he’ll receive the attention and credit he deserves from the rest of the league.

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Twitter reacts to the Bucs drafting safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

See how Twitter reacted to the Buccaneers drafting Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. with the 45th pick.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a chance to draft Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins with the 45th pick in round two of the NFL draft, but instead chose to address their needs on defense by taking Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield seems like a perfect fit for Todd Bowles’ defense, and his father, Antoine Winfield Sr., was a Pro Bowl cornerback in the NFL, so football is in his genes.

While a running back would’ve been nice, Winfield addresses a more pressing need on the defensive side of the ball.

See how Twitter reacted to the selection.

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Gil Brandt of NFL.com thinks Jason Pierre-Paul should stay with the Buccaneers

See why Gil Brandt feels DE Jason Pierre-Paul would benefit by staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once free agency starts.

NFL free agency is scheduled to start next week, and based on the number of big-name free agents hitting the open market, it has the potential to rock the NFL landscape for the foreseeable future.

Guys like Tom Brady and Philip Rivers will test the free agency waters for the first time in their illustrious careers, while others like Jameis Winston may, unfortunately, be forced to find a new home if their respective teams decide to move on.

One Tampa Bay Buccaneers player sure to get a strong look from teams is Jason Pierre-Paul. The pass rusher, who missed the start of last season while recovering from a fractured neck suffered in the offseason, finished the year with 8.5 sacks in just 10 games. And while JPP may have posted a cryptic message last month implying his time in Tampa Bay could be over, Gil Brandt over at NFL.com says Pierre-Paul would be wise to stay where he is.

Per Brandt:

“[JPP] played a significant role in Barrett’s 19.5-sack season. After Barrett’s hot start (nine sacks in his first four games), opposing offensive lines began to focus on him, cutting down on his production — until Pierre-Paul returned from offseason neck surgery in Week 8, forcing opponents to account for two potent pass-rushing threats. Barrett went on to notch 10.5 more sacks in his final 10 games, while JPP added 8.5 of his own. If the Bucs lock down Barrett and make a competitive offer to JPP, he should think about re-teaming with Barrett and continuing to build on the momentum they established in Tampa last season.”

Bruce Arians has indicated that Barrett “ain’t going nowhere,” but it remains to be seen whether the Bucs will retain him via the franchise tag or a long-term deal.

Tampa Bay’s defense is on the rise, and JPP has shown he can dominate in Todd Bowles’ defense. The Bucs have a strong chance of making it to the postseason next year, and having Pierre-Paul on their roster would certainly help bolster their odds of making the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

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Bucs GM Jason Licht says defense has a chance to be great

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht spoke at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine about the team’s defense and its future.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager took to the podium at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis today, and while on the topic of free agent quarterback Jameis Winston, he spoke about the Buccaneers’ defense.

“There are some quality guys, and quality throughout the draft at all levels,” Licht said about the defensive players in the upcoming NFL draft. “I thought we did a fantastic job with Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting coming from a small school and really playing lights out the second half of the season.”

“Carlton [Davis] made huge advancements along with Sean [Murphy-Bunting] and Jamel [Dean], just three great guys. They bought into the program, they want to go out and compete every week. I just couldn’t be more happier with those guys.”

To hear Licht talk more about the Buccaneers’ defensive expectations, watch the video below.

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When it comes to building a rush defense, Todd Bowles is a master architect

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has proven time and again to be a master architect of the rush defense.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense was one of the most improved in the league in 2019. After finishing 2018 ranked 27th in the league, the Bucs ended this year as the league’s 15th-best defense.

What’s more, they went from being ranked 24th in rush defense last season, allowing 123.9 yards per game, to first this season, surrendering just 73.8 yards. That’s no small feat for a team that plays in the same division as running backs like Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey and Devonta Freeman.

The drastic turnaround of Tampa Bay’s rush defense can be credited to first-year defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who has a track record of success when it comes to creating formidable defensive fronts.

Bowles worked as the DC with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2014, when Bruce Arians was head coach. In 2013, the Cardinals — under Bowles — had the league’s top rush defense, giving up 84.4 yards per game. In 2012, prior to Bowles’ arrival, Arizona’s defense was giving up 137.0 yards per game, which ranked 28th in the league.

And, when Bowles became head coach of the New York Jets in 2015, he was taking over a rush defense that ranked 5th in the league in 2014. But, under the tutelage of Bowles, the Jets jumped up to 2nd in 2015.

For a league that loves to put a premium on offensive firepower, Bowles has proven time and again that he can turn even the league’s worst defenses into one of the best, all within the span of one year. His experience, both as a coordinator and head coach, is a major plus for the Buccaneers, who were in desperate need of a rebuild following 2018.

As the Bucs heads into the offseason, they’ll look to add to an already formidable defense through free agency and the draft. And, with Bowles at the helm, Tampa Bay could easily have a top 5 defense next season. Couple that with the Bucs’ already potent offense, and there’s no doubt Tampa Bay’s postseason drought could finally come to an end in 2020.

Wouldn’t that be something?

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WATCH: Carlos Hyde punches in first Texans offensive touchdown at Buccaneers

Watch Houston Texans running back Carlos Hyde grind out the tough yard for a one-yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Houston Texans were up 10-3. However, that wasn’t a confident seven-point lead. While their defense caused four turnovers, the offense struggled to turn them into touchdowns, upset on the fourth turnover.

After a Peyton Barber fumble, the Texans enjoyed a seven-play, 42-yard drive spanning 2:54 minutes to convert their first offensive touchdown of the day. Following a Darren Fells 11-yard near-touchdown reception, Carlos Hyde punched-in a one-yard touchdown run to put the Texans up 17-3 in the second.

Watch below. Hyde grinds out the tough yard for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.

Though he has a touchdown to his name, the Buccaneers aren’t making life easy for Hyde. Their stout run defense has held him to nine rush attempts for 18 yards on the day. That should come as no surprise, however, as they entered the game as the NFL’s best rush defense.

Nonetheless, Hyde got the score, and the Texans are up 17-3.