Cullen Explains Defending Brees
September 20th, 2015
Bucs DE Jacquies Smith and his defensive teammates may have found the secret to shutting down Drew Brees. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
Joe had a chance to talk to Bucs defensive line coach Joe Cullen after the game.
His defensive line jostled, mocked and robbed future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees all day, especially late in the fourth quarter when it sure looked like the Saints would steal victory from the mouths of the Bucs.
At one point, the raucous Superdome grew so silent, it was as quiet as Joe’s bedroom on weekend nights.
Brees admitted he was injured but refused to suggest it was the root of his trouble. Cocky to a fault, he boasted nothing the Bucs did surprised him.
But Cullen seemed to crack the code to limiting Brees: Make him uncomfortable.
“They know who Drew Brees is,” Cullen said, hinting that familiarity with their division rival helped the Bucs. “Last year we were close in both games. We knew what we had to do. We knew what he didn’t like.”
“That was the gameplan,” defensive tackle Clinton McDonald said. “We wanted to make him uncomfortable.”
To be more precise, the Bucs wanted to force Brees to go to his second- or third-options, which, per the Bucs, Brees doesn’t like to do. Also, forcing him to do this helps buy the rush time to drill Brees.
“We tried to make Brees hold it,” defensive end Jacquies Smith said of forcing Brees to go through his full progressions. “That’s when the rush has to be there.
“Across the board, I think the defense did a great job.”
After Brees pulled the Saints to within 23-19 with 7:20 remaining, the Bucs held Brees to four completions in eight attempts and a sack.
September 20th, 2015 at 6:45 pm
This is my issue,some post nothing but pessimistic post but then complain when others question whether or not you being a true fan of this team. I’ll say this,it’s kind of hard to tell when this team gets a win a you’re no where to be found. But like I’ve said all week”just wait on it”. It ain’t even started yet.
September 20th, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Had an immediate flashback to 1977 when the Bucs got the FIRST WIN in franchise history in New Orleans…..nice job this time around, total team effort.
September 20th, 2015 at 6:51 pm
Gerald McCoy is soft Sue doesn’t get hurt Big Dog is wrong
September 20th, 2015 at 6:57 pm
The last time we beat the Saints, was when Rah was the Head Coach, Drew Brees came back on us then. But Quincy Black intercepted him in the end zone to end the game. We then went on a 10 game losing streak and Rah was fired. This is just our history against the Saints, we will win the NFC South this season.
September 20th, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Gerald McCoy isn’t hurt, he’s ready to go.
September 20th, 2015 at 7:10 pm
“At one point, the raucous Superdome grew so silent, it was as quiet as Joe’s bedroom on weekend nights.”
is their no Ms. Joe?
September 20th, 2015 at 7:40 pm
I’m glad to hear that the “genius” that is Lovie Smith figured out thatQB’s don’t like having there having their 1st option taken away from them. If only we could of had this epiphany last week! I actually saw some press coverage on the WR’s this game. Please keep this up!
September 20th, 2015 at 7:49 pm
I TOLD U GUYS
#1 – OUR O-LINE IS THE REASON WHY JAMEIS PERFORMS BADLY
#2 – OUR PASS COVERAGE IS THE REASON WHY OUR DEFENSE SUCKS
Today’s win proves i was right and it feels so good! If our offensive line blocks well and our pass coverage can cover for 4 seconds we can win can make the playoffs.
MORE WINS LIKE THIS AND WE’LL BE BACK ON PRIME TIME TELEVISION! 🙂
September 20th, 2015 at 8:01 pm
@Nole
I agree with you 100%
And like the moto,slogan or whatever it is “wait on it.” I think its a solid take, more realistic and true than all the fake pessimistic Bucs fans….
Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with saying what you feel… However, the difference between a Bucs fan and a idiotic troll is simple…. A troll says stuff negative without reason towards others to incite negative feed back… A fan let’s his negative feelings go when a positive feeling pops up…
ALL, PLEASE IGNORE TROLLS AND SPRRAD THE WORD…. WE HAVE TO BUILD A POSSITIVE VIBE AROUND THIS TEAM… ITS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN EFFECT THE RESULTS IN OUR FAVOR….
The opposite is true as well… ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!
SIEGE THE POSSITIVE DAY!!!!
September 20th, 2015 at 8:58 pm
No excuses why the team can’t play like this every week. Even if we lose this how we should look like a professional football team.
September 20th, 2015 at 9:51 pm
I said before this is like 2002, slow start with strong finish!
September 20th, 2015 at 10:04 pm
i think the saints got rid of brees’ #1 weapon to seattle.
September 20th, 2015 at 10:57 pm
The Schedule –
At Texans – Difficult game. Our offense outscores theirs. WIN
Panthers – First home win. WIN
Jaguars – WIN
At Redskins – Whooped em last year. WIN
At Falcons – LOSS
Giants – Giants 0-2. WIN
Cowboys – Romo and Dez out. WIN
At Eagles – Chip Kelly. LOSS
At Colts – Luck n Company. LOSS
Falcons – Sweep – LOSS
Saints – Sweep. WIN
At Rams – Foles vs Winston. Winston shines. Had them last year. WIN
Bears – Had them last year – WIN
Panthers – LOSS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the NFC South 11 – 5 Playoff Bound!
September 21st, 2015 at 9:23 am
I said it in an earlier post last week n I’ll say it again…I’m not impressed with ASJ,he’s inconsistent n plays soft n passive. He continues to make bonehead mistakes that cost us penalty. He’s nowhere close to being compared to Tony Gonzalez as others have stated. I’d take Jason witten over him any day. The jury is still out on ASJ.
September 21st, 2015 at 2:33 pm
Needed a close game like that where we actually pull it off by the time there are zeroes on the clock. Too many occassions where we were on the wrong side of the scoreboard in close games. 6-10 is reasonable and 9-7 isn’t unreasonable. Room for hope. I’d like to see the penalties drop below double digits, though some late calls were questionable at best. Let’s see if we can win more than one at a time…. Like Lovie said… We need a “streak”