Bucs Secondary From Woeful To Feared

May 13th, 2013

Joe can’t begin to explain the acid reflux he suffered on football Sunday nights last year after having nightmares of the Bucs secondary.

How rotten was the second-worst pass defense in NFL history? The Family Resource Council petitioned the FCC to remove Bucs games from broadcast television fearing the long-term damage to childrens’ mental health after viewing two games.

But Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik went to work, and in some people’s eyes, has turned the NFL’s worst secondary into perhaps the best in a matter of weeks.

In a well-detailed article on NFL.com, Bucky Brooks breaks down just how well the Bucs secondary should play, and why they will be so improved, and not just because they added a name cornerback and drafted a corner in the second round.

Of course, the lynch-pin to the flexibility and makeover of the Bucs secondary is Darrelle Revis.

Having studied Revis’ game throughout the years, I’ve been most impressed with his versatility, technique and instincts. Revis is a rare commodity at the position, possessing the size and strength to match up with big-bodied receivers on the perimeter while also boasting the quickness and burst to run with speedsters. Most importantly, he is a technically sound player with the capacity to play man or zone utilizing a variety of techniques.

From mugging receivers in press coverage at the line of scrimmage to keying the three-step drop while adhering to hash-split rules — cornerbacks will anticipate routes from receivers based on their alignment and the location of the ball on the field — Revis’ mastery of the fundamentals allows him to thrive in any scheme. This gives the defensive play-caller ultimate flexibility in the game plan, allowing him to diversify coverages to take away the strengths of the opponent’s personnel.

Now, Revis might not return to All-Pro form immediately following a lengthy rehab from a torn ACL, but that shouldn’t deter the Buccaneers from building packages around his immense talent. When healthy, he has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to take on the opponent’s No. 1 receiver with little assistance from a safety over the top. This could encourage the Buccaneers to utilize more “quarters” coverage concepts, with Revis playing as the field corner.

In Brooks’ piece, you can find out why Revis is so important, not just to add talent, but he makes players around him better.

For example, with Revis (if healthy) the Bucs can roll coverage of the safeties to help out either Eric Wright or Johnthan Banks because Revis can handle so much real estate himself. It’s almost like having a third cornerback on the field, Revis can be that good.

If Brooks’ observations and studies come true, Joe can look forward to a solid night’s rest on Sundays this fall without having to eat TUMS like M&Ms.

10 Responses to “Bucs Secondary From Woeful To Feared”

  1. Gus Says:

    No love for Eric Wright in this article. Lol he mentioned LJ as the slot and not EW.

  2. Mike J Says:

    God, I love it!!

  3. Buddha Says:

    Well Vegas isn’t persuaded. They just came out with a season win over/under total of 6.5. WOW! What do they know that we don’t?

  4. Bobby Says:

    How do you bet against those odds? I’d bet one thousand bucks right now and start making plans on how I was going to spend the money. What idiot would think we were going to have less wins than last year?? I think you must have been looking at last years numbers.

  5. the_buc_realist Says:

    @Buddha
    Vegas knows that we have the rockstar GM,

  6. Bobby Says:

    Actually, I went back and looked at last years predictions and they are as clueless as anyone else pre-season. They had Seattle picked to win 7 games last year and Washington 6.5. Phillly to win 9. The Packers to win 12. Atlanta to win 9. Detroit to win 9.5, Indianapolis to win 5.5, Kansas City 8, Miami 7.5,
    Jets 8.5……you see the picture. I could guess better than whoever does their pre-season picks. I still say you have to be a complete imbecile to have us at 6.5

  7. Bobby Says:

    @the_buc_realist…..are you the one making the odds for this Vegas line?? I said it was a complete imbecile doing the odds making. If you think Dom has not been doing an outstanding job then you qualify as a complete imbecile.

  8. Stanglassman Says:

    They have the Jets winning more games than the Bucs!? This is not a betting site, only information.

    http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/story.cfm/story/1406797

  9. stevek Says:

    And Bobby’s word of the week: “Imbecile”

    Congratulations on expanding your verbal horizons, Bobby!

  10. Bobby Says:

    @SteveK…Do we really want to go into just how woefully wrong you have been this last season??? From GMC to Trent Richardson to Schiano etc. You should just come to this site to read the posts and not make posts because you have proven that you too have the capacity to be my ‘word of the week’.
    ;>)