Tag: Lavonte David

Bucs HC Todd Bowles likes the improvements he has seen on defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found a way to play winning football in recent weeks. One major reason is the defense. From the starters to the rotational players, everyone has been making plays, allowing the Bucs’ offense to remain on the field and …

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found a way to play winning football in recent weeks. One major reason is the defense. From the starters to the rotational players, everyone has been making plays, allowing the Bucs’ offense to remain on the field and produce points.

Everyone is doing their part and on Wednesday, Todd Bowles was asked about the improvements that the group has made during the win streak.

In the eyes of Bowles, nothing crazy is happening, the team is just doing their jobs. He said it comes down to, “Just the understanding of the game. There [weren’t] that many big plays going down the field. I don’t like the one tackle we missed on the third-and-2-or-3 that we had right there, but for the most part, they followed the gameplan. They finished [the] two-minute [situation], which was important for us on defense. The offense did a good job two weeks ago; the defense did a good job this week.”

Going against the Chargers on Sunday is going to be a tough task for this group. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has only thrown one interception this year and he is playing at an elite level. This team doing the basics is nice but someone will have to make some extraordinary plays on Sunday.

Pro Bowl Voting is now open, vote for your favorite Bucs players

On Monday, the NFL announced that Pro Bowl voting is now open which means you can vote for your favorite Bucs players. 

The Pro Bowl has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has never ceased to give us memorable moments. From Sean Taylor derailing a punter on a trick play to Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson toying with defenders in flag football, we get memories out of these events, and you, the fans, get to decide who makes those for you.

On Monday, the NFL announced that Pro Bowl voting is now open, which means you can vote for your favorite Bucs players.

Most positions allow you to vote for up to six players in each of them. On offense, you have so many options from Baker Mayfield to Tristan Wirfs to Cade Otton. This offense has so many pieces that Bucs fans can vote for and should so make sure you don’t forget anyone.

On defense, we haven’t had much success, but a player like Vita Vea is emerging as one of the best interior pass-rushers in the NFL. Lavonte David has been a monster this year as his Hall of Fame career enters it’s last chapter.

It is also worth mentioning Chase McLaughlin is 17 for 18 kicking this year and is a whopping 7 for 8 from 50+ yards. He has been pivotal to this team’s success this year on special teams, so don’t forget him.

The Seahawks loss may be the Bucs gain if Jason Licht wishes it to be

On Monday, the Seahawks released linebacker Tyrel Dodson in a move that shocked and confused many around the NFL. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had some issues with consistent play on defense in the secondary. Not to be lost int he shuffle though is the play at linebacker. Outside of Lavonte David, everyone in the position group has been rather underwhelming.

On Monday, the Seahawks released linebacker Tyrel Dodson, a move that shocked and confused many in the NFL.

In nine games with the Seahawks, he has 71 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. The Seahawks have been getting a youth movement going, and despite just signing with them this offseason, Dodson was the odd man out.

The Bucs could use him to play alongside Lavonte David to help the Bucs establish a better run defense and help in coverage. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey could also use the help, which would potentially allow them to get more pass rush help up front.

It is a move that makes sense for all parties, and Jason Licht should consider making it.

Todd Bowles sees one area the Bucs defense needs to improve after their Bye Week

Todd Bowles has identified the issue he hopes the team can address after the Bye Week.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has been a disaster this year. I am not going to mince words; it has been awful. The hard things for a defense to achieve have been an issue just as much as the small things.

Mastering those small things, though, could make the big things easier. Todd Bowles has identified the issue he hopes the team can address after the Bye Week.

“We definitely have to tackle better. We have spurts where we play well. [In] the second half, I didn’t think we tackled better at all. Again, coaches and players – we have our coaches, we have our players – we have to get out of this jam. We got ourselves in it, we have to get out of it. We show good spots and then we make an error and it comes up. . .”

Todd Bowles needs the defense, the unit he leads and specializes in, to be better. Plain and simple, this defense is a hindrance to a great offense that can score 30+ points a game but struggles not to give up more.

Perhaps tackling is the key, but we will have to wait and see if that fixes things.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles discusses potential for giving up defensive play calling

Defense has been costing the Bucs several games this season, while the offense has put up impressive numbers in just about every category.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has been under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks due to his defense’s performance. The defense has been costing the Bucs several games this season, while the offense has put up impressive numbers in just about every category.

On Monday, during his media availability, Todd Bowles was asked about the potential for his play-calling duties to be handed over.

“What’s not happening is we have about four or five plays a game where we either miss a tackle or we’re not dropping where we’re supposed to and we give up a big play. I’ll continue to call plays.”

The defense showed against the Saints that it can make play after play when it is healthy. Against the Ravens and Falcons, the Bucs have looked lost and, at times, disorganized. The play calling has been a factor; look at what Minnesota and Brian Flores have done with a depleted Vikings secondary.

Something has to give for the Bucs. If they can’t turn things around against the Chiefs in Week 9, then the rumblings will only get louder.

Bucs LB SirVocea Dennis out for the year following shoulder surgery

After losing Chris Godwin earlier in the week, the Bucs have now lost linebacker SirVocea Dennis for the season. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been bit by the injury bug about as many times as a team can through seven weeks of the season. Injuries have affected every layer of the roster, and on Wednesday, one player’s injury became a season-ender.

After losing Chris Godwin earlier in the week, the Bucs have now lost linebacker SirVocea Dennis for the season.

Dennis was placed on injured reserve earlier this year with a designation to return in four weeks. Unfortunately, the injury proved to be more serious than expected, and he is now out for the year following surgery.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report this.

In Dennis’ absence, Lavonte David will look for a full-time replacement to work alongside, and that replacement is expected to be K.J. Britt. He has not been playing to the best of his ability this year in his absence, but his best game was against the Falcons earlier in the year.

Perhaps the Week 8 matchup between the teams will help him get momentum back on his side.

Ravens vs. Buccaneers: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-31 win on Monday Night Football

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in Week 7

The Ravens started the game down 10-0, then scored 41 unanswered points, jumping out to a massive lead before allowing 21 late points to the Buccaneers in the fourth quarter. Even with the defensive letdown, Baltimore’s performance won’t overshadow Lamar Jackson’s five-touchdown pass performance, as the Ravens moved to 5-2 on the season with a 41-31 win over Tampa at Raymond James Stadium.

Baltimore amassed 508 yards of total offense but had a dominant performance ruined as the defense allowed over 430 yards of offense for Tampa.

With preparation for the Browns in Week 8 set to begin, here’s an instant analysis of the big win on Monday Night Football.

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Eagles limp into bye week after a 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 4

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a disastrous 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

With A.J. Brown (hamstring), DeVonta Smith (concussion), and Lane Johnson (concussion) out with injuries, the Eagles didn’t have enough depth in key positions. They suffered a disastrous 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts was sacked six times on the afternoon, and the star quarterback committed another turnover (fumble), as Philadelphia could not sustain any offensive consistency without the big three in the lineup.

Saquon Barkley had ten carries for 84 yards (8.4 avg). Still, with the Eagles playing from behind all afternoon, the running back was unable to get the Philadelphia offense over the hump against a motivated Tampa defense.

An Eagles defense that shut New Orleans down in Week 3 was gashed to 445 total yards for the Buccaneers offense, including 111 rushing yards and a twelve-minute advantage in time of possession.

Baker Mayfield was on fire early, and even after an inefficient second half, he still was 30-40 passing for 347 yards, two touchdowns, and a 100.2 rating.

Philadelphia (2-2) will now have a week off, during which questions about Sirianni’s job security and the Eagles’ playoff hopes will dominate the airwaves.

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WATCH: Bucs LB Lavonte David gets a strip-sack of Jalen Hurts

Lavonte David comes up with a huge defensive play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers again.

Lavonte David comes up with a huge defensive play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers again.

With the Philadelphia Eagles in the red zone looking to cut the Bucs lead down to one score, David records a strip-sack on Jalen Hurts, giving the Bucs linebacker his 30th career forced fumble.

With the 30th forced fumble under his belt, David is now tied with Khalil Mack for the lead among active players. The 13-year veteran has totaled 34.5 career sacks, which ties him for seventh-most in Bucs franchise history with Chidi Ahanotu.

  1. Warren Sapp – 77.0
  2. Simeon Rice – 69.5
  3. Gerald McCoy – 54.5
  4. Shaquil Barrett – 45.0
  5. Chidi Ahanotu – 34.5

Sights and sounds from first half of Eagles matchup vs. Buccaneers

Jalen Hurts was 7-15 passing for 49 yards and one touchdown, and the Eagles offense was non-existent in the first half as Tampa jumped out to a 21-0 lead before finishing the first half with a 24-7 lead. The Buccaneers dominated time of possession, …

Jalen Hurts was 7-15 passing for 49 yards and one touchdown, and the Eagles offense was non-existent in the first half as Tampa jumped out to a 21-0 lead before finishing the first half with a 24-7 lead. The Buccaneers dominated time of possession, holding for 20:14 seconds, compared to Philadelphia’s 9+ minutes with the football.

With the second half set to begin, here are sights and sounds from the first half.