Tag: Sean Murphy bunting

Get to know Bucs rookie LB Chapelle Russell

Watch Bucs rookie linebacker Chapelle Russell talk about the struggles he’s overcome in life to get to where he is today.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up several key players in the 2020 NFL draft, highlighted by their selection of offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in round one and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in round two.

One move that may not have garnered initial attention or excitement was the selection of Temple linebacker Chapelle Russell in the seventh round. Russell will be joining an already crowded linebacker room, so will have his work cut out for him to make the roster.

But Russell has overcome plenty of struggles in life to get where he is today, so having the odds stacked against him should be no worry at all to the talented young rookie.

Hear Russell talk about his life journey to get where he is today.

It seems Russell’s fellow Bucs teammate, Sean Murphy-Bunting, loves the rookie and what he brings to the table.

It’ll be great to finally see Russell in action on the field when training camp kicks off.

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This stat proves the Buccaneers’ secondary is on the rise

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ pass defense performed much better in the second half of the 2019 season than some people may realize.

The Buccaneers’ defense ranked 15th overall last season, but it was truly a tale of two units. The rush defense was tops in the league, holding opponents to just 73.8 yards per game, 13 yards less than the team in second, the New York Jets (86.9).

But the pass defense was another story, allowing 270.1 yards per game, ranking near the bottom of the league. While that might be cause for concern, ESPN’s Stats & Information says that Tampa Bay’s pass defense actually came on strong in the second half of the season.

Per ESPN:

“Last season, Tampa Bay allowed the fewest rushing yards of any NFL team but allowed the third-most passing yards. The Buccaneers’ defense is an ascending one, though; from Week 10 on last season, the unit allowed nearly 50 fewer passing yards per game and averaged an extra sack per game as well.”

When you play in a division featuring Drew Brees and Matt Ryan, you need a strong pass defense, and it seems Tampa Bay is on the right track heading into 2020. Helping matters will be the addition of safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who the team drafted in round two of April’s NFL Draft. The versatile safety has a chance to be an immediate contributor on this defense.

So, while fans will eagerly await the debut of Tampa Bay’s new-look offense led by Tom Brady, this young secondary could turn some heads of their own this season.

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Devin White gives Sean Murphy-Bunting a shoutout on Instagram

Bucs LB Devin White appears ready for the season to start, evident by his recent Instagram post.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans everywhere are ecstatic now that quarterback Tom Brady is in charge of their offense. The thought of Brady connecting with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin likely has opposing defensive coordinators up at night already.

But, let’s not sleep on the defense. Tampa Bay’s young D flourished under defensive coordinator Todd Bowles last year, and big things are expected from this unit in 2020. As great as the Bucs’ offense could be, the team won’t go anywhere next season if their defense can’t stop guys like Drew Brees and Matt Ryan in the NFC South.

Fortunately, Devin White and Sean Murphy-Bunting, both of whom were selected in the 2019 NFL draft by the Bucs, are ready for the task at hand. White gave his buddy SMB a shoutout on Instagram recently, showing a picture of the pair taking down former Texan DeAndre Hopkins.

Take a look.

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Bucs rookies claim top-10 spot on ESPN’s rookie class rankings list

See where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookies ranked on ESPN’s list of the top rookie classes by team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft after their 7-9 finish this season. Despite their record, however, the second half of the season saw the team play some of its best football, namely from their rookie class.

Tampa Bay used the majority of their picks in last year’s draft to address their defensive needs, including taking linebacker Devin White with the fifth overall pick. While it took some time for the rookies to come into their own this season, ESPN still had them No. 7 on their rookie class rankings list, which used Pro Football Focus’ wins above replacement metric (PFF WAR) to rank all 32 teams on the value of their rookie class over expectation given.

Here’s what they said about the Bucs’ ranking:

“The Buccaneers have made the secondary a priority in recent drafts, and they have hit on some of those picks. Both Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean showed promise as rookies, particularly Dean. He played like one of the better cornerbacks in the league over the second half of the season.”

You might be wondering why White’s name didn’t show up. They saved that for a section devoted to breaking down how each team’s top pick fared.

“The biggest strength for linebacker Devin White (No. 5 overall) coming out of LSU — his coverage ability — didn’t translate to the NFL right away. He did finish the season with his five highest PFF coverage grades of the year, which bodes well heading into 2020.”

The Bucs’ defense is on the rise, so it’ll be interesting to see if Bruce Arians and co. continue to build through the draft, or, if they’ll use their early round picks to address their offensive line issues this time around.

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ESPN’s 2019 re-draft shows the Bucs made a couple of big splashes

See who ESPN thinks the Buccaneers would take in rounds one and two if they had to redo the 2019 NFL draft.

Earlier, I wrote about the first round picks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the last decade as we prepare for April’s draft when the team will select 14th for the second time in franchise history.

One of the best draft picks by the Bucs over the last decade was linebacker Devin White, who the team took fifth overall in last year’s draft. White had a stellar rookie year and seems to be the franchise cornerstone for this defense going forward.

And, in ESPN’s latest piece where they do a 2019 re-draft now that we’ve seen how the rookies performed during the course of the season, it seems the Bucs did a solid job in both rounds one and two.

ESPN had Tampa Bay selecting Devin White and Sean Murphy-Bunting again with their first two selections.

Here’s what they said about White:

“White was 100 percent the correct pick for Todd Bowles’ defense, and he might have been the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year had he not missed three games. He has become not only an impact player but a culture-changer in Tampa Bay. Five of White’s six takeaways in the final five games — four fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception, with two touchdowns — came in moments in which there was a point differential of seven or fewer.”

Murphy-Bunting is more of a surprise in this re-draft, not because of his play, but because of the criticism surrounding the initial selection.

Here’s what Jenna Laine said about SMB:

“This pick was originally met with some skepticism from league sources, who were concerned the Bucs had reached and Murphy-Bunting would have to make a big jump from Central Michigan. And while he initially took some time learning both outside and nickel positions, he came on strong late in the season with two game-clinching interceptions. His three picks were tied for the most among all rookies, and he started 10 games.”

Let’s home the Bucs hit another home run in the draft come April.

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Instant Analysis: Bucs win fourth-straight as Winston continues to shine

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Detroit Lions for a 38-17 victory that pulled their record back to .500.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially on fire after beating the Detroit Lions today for their fourth-straight win. The Bucs have pulled their record back to .500 at 7-7 and with two games left — both at home — they have a chance to finish with their first winning record since 2016.

With that, here are some instant thoughts and analysis from today’s win.

Winston going wild

One of my bold predictions for today’s game was that Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston would throw for five touchdowns and at least one interception. Winston ended up throwing four touchdowns and one pick, while also setting a new career-high in passing yards with 458, one week after setting the previous high with 456 against the Colts. Winston now has 24 interceptions on the year, tying him with Doug Williams for the second most in a season by a Bucs quarterback. But, let’s cut Winston some slack. After all, Vinny Testaverde threw 35 interceptions in a season once as the Bucs quarterback. 24 doesn’t look so bad now, huh? More importantly, though, Winston’s Bucs are winning, which will likely be the reason he’s brought back to Tampa Bay next season.

Defense continues to grow

One prediction I was glad to see come true was the Bucs defense holding the Lions under 20 points, with the defense picking off Detroit quarterback David Blough twice and Shaq Barrett tying Warren Sapp for the franchise’s single-season sack record (16.5). Michigan native Sean Murphy-Bunting had quite the homecoming, picking off Blough for a pick-six that essentially sealed the victory for the Bucs. This defense is gaining some great experience over these last few weeks, and unlike years past, the team can go into the offseason knowing they have a solid defense to work with.

Godwin injured

Chris Godwin finished the day with five receptions for 121 yards before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. This comes just one week after Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him for the rest of the year. We don’t know how serious the injury is for Godwin, but, there’s a chance the team could hold him out the final two games as a precaution.

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Twitter goes crazy over Sean Murphy-Bunting’s pick-six against the Lions

See how fans on Twitter reacted to the big pick-six by Michigan native and Bucs rookie cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting.

What a homecoming for Buccaneers rookie cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. The former Central Michigan star and second-round pick by the Bucs had a game-clinching pick-six in today’s game against the Detroit Lions. Murphy-Bunting had plenty of family and friends on hand to see the big play.

The interception couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bucs. Tampa Bay kicker Matt Gay had just missed a 54-yard field goal attempt that gave the Lions great field position, down by just one score.

The Bucs’ secondary has had its fair share of problems this year, but they are starting to find their own identity under Todd Bowles. Good things are coming for this young unit, that’s for sure.

See how Twitter reacted to Murphy-Bunting’s big interception.

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