Hovan Likes Price, Wants Two 3-Techniques
October 8th, 2011
Now coaching defensive linemen at USF, former Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan likes what he sees on the Bucs’ defensive line. Not known to gush over his ex-mates, Hovan didn’t hold back Friday.
Speaking on The Dan Sileo Show on WDAE-AM 620, Hovan seemed most impressed by Brian Price. “Everytime he’s in, he’s creating a new line of scrimmage,” Hovan said.
Hovan also wants to see the Bucs use two 3-techniques more often to rush the quarterback. “We used to call it the green package because it was the money package. That’s how you got sacks,” Hovan said, explaining that sacks were always part of contract incentives.
Now rushing two 3-technique tackles creates a far different dimension than what the Bucs often do bringing up Dakoda Watson to rush outside or having Michael Bennett inside, for example, essentially forcing Gerald McCoy to be double-teamed.
It’s a point former Bucs defensive end Steve White brought up recently on radio, explaining that the old school Bucs used the double 3-technique effectively, often using Tayoka Jackson in that role. Essentially, that rush would free up McCoy more, which is what the Bucs should want.
Hovan praised McCoy, but said he wants to see a lot more consistency from him.
Oh, and Hovan also said he sees Josh Freeman as a league MVP in two years.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:31 am
I don’t understand it. McCoy is simply playing better than Price. Price is playing well too, but McCoy is playing like a top 10 DL this year. It might just be Prices leg. The Tape and stats back that up. I think Price will eventually be the better pass rusher, but McCoy is the reason our run game has been enhanced this season. No lineman has moved him at all the past two games.
McCoy is earning his contract this year. I’m not sure how much more consistent one could get. Trying to think of which DTs/NTs are playing better…. Ngata, Raji, Kelly, maybe Alan Branch(run stop beast)…
The one thing McCoy needs to get under control is the neutral zone and encroachment penalties. His play has been consistently at a high level thus far outside of that area. It needs to be fixed quickly however.
I do not expect this to be his best game as Mike Iupati is playing fairly well this season. I do expect Clayborn and Bennett to destroy their tackles. The pass rush from the edge in this game may be the best we have seen so far.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:35 am
McCoy should continue to play better, and I expect him to outplay Iupati, simply because he was a #3 overall pick, and that is what he is paid to do.
Go Bucs, keep excelling and getting better each week.
October 8th, 2011 at 10:36 am
I have no doubts he will outplay Iupati, especially against the run. I just don’t expect him to have the same dominating game he had last week rushing the passer.
But it won’t matter. Our DEs should kill it. Bennett should be a wrecking machine again this week. He is going against a pass blocker worse than Trueblood!
October 8th, 2011 at 10:38 am
The picture reminds me of Blazing Saddles. I can almost hear him saying “Sometimes, Mongo feel like pawn in game of life *sigh*.”
October 8th, 2011 at 10:52 am
PFT ran an article earlier this week about how Smith has been playing well against the blitz. Against the 49ers sketchy offensive line we shouldn’t have to blitz too much (if at all). Get after him front four.
October 8th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Wasn’t Price a 3-tech DT? Basically that’s what we have on the field now. Price and McCoy are double 3’s. Difference is, they both have the ability to bust a double team, so it doesn’t matter which DT gets the double. One will get one-on-one, the other gets double, and both have a shot still at disrupting the play. Even Okam (although not as quick) is more accustomed to the 3-tech, even though his size says NT. Price and Okam have been used pretty extensively at NT, so they know the position, but that doesn’t take away the skill-set of the 3-tech.
October 8th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Mccoy had his best day as a pro v. Indy, but remember their o-line was destroyed by injuries with 5 or 6 non-starters playing.
Hovan is bright and correct. Price is more of a consistent difference maker than mccoy when healthy.
Muah: someone pointed out to me that mccoy has much more in penalty yardage than tackles for loss yardage- very poor.
October 8th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Both have tremendous talent, good problem and discussion to have! Now about that offense?
October 8th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Thomas…
aside from guys with double digit sack totals, I’d be willing to bet most players have more penalty yardage than TFL yardage. a tackle for a loss is usually only a yard or 2 in lost yardage, maybe 3 if they are lucky….very rarely do u see more than that. and its not like u see guys racking up 4-5 TFLs per game….1, maybe 2 if they are having a really good day. so going by that, that means a player would have to get at least 3 TFLs to offset one offside penalty or neutral zone infraction.
do us all a favor already and just change ur name to Thomas the Pessimist, or Thomas the Black Cloud. or Thomas I’m a Miserable Person So I Always Have to Turn Everything into a Negative.
October 8th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Bambam, I don’t think that you quite understand… when he says having two 3-techs, he’s saying to put both DTs on both OGs outside shoulders. Of course you can’t do that in non-obvious passing downs, nor can you do it against a mobile QB because the middle is completely open to a draw. Generally speaking, both DTs in the T-2 one-gap scheme are capable of playing 3-tech, though one plays the 3 and the other is a 1-tech on the OC’s shoulder
Mauha, there is no chance that McCoy is outperforming Price. Price hasn’t been on the field much, but when he has been he has been regularly getting into the backfield with a quick chuck move and getting free runs… his biggest issue has been his conditioning, which keeps him from being fresh and off the field, and his injury, which he seems to go down once a game with an aggravation of his hamstring which forces him off the field. I think McCoy has played exceptionally well, I just think Price has played better when he’s been in there.
Joe, who is Tayoka Jackson? Tyoka and LaToya Jackon’s love-child?
October 8th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
It doesn’t matter what Thomas says, not too long ago he stated that realistically speaking the Bucs would be 7-9 this season. Great call, Thomas… do you realistically think the Bucs will go 4-8 the rest of the way? Anything you say has to be taken with a grain of salt, being it’s coming from an in-the-closet-Falcon-fan. The jig is up, Dimitroff, I know it’s you… only the Falcon’s GM could be spewing such utter nonsense and garbage on such a consistent basis…. ok, that’s a huge stretch, I realize, because Thomas Dimitroff knows football, and Thomas 2.2 doesn’t know much about anything relating to football.
October 8th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
McCoy has been outplaying everyone on the D-line, period. He has been the most consistent in pressuring the QB and just causes other players to raise the level of their play too. At the end of the year if he stays healthy he will prove to be our MVP on the D-line.
October 8th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
@Thomas Yes he is getting too many penalties. I don’t think anyone would argue that is a problem that needs to be fixed immediately. It is a easy fix but again, it needs to be fixed NOW.
His play however is phenomenal. If he fixes the penalties I think we are looking at arguably the most complete 4-3 DT in the league.
Out of the 15 DTs that were taken in the 1st round since the 2005 draft(16 if you want to count Alan Branch taken with the first pick of the 2nd round 2007), The only DTs I could possibly see as playing better than McCoy are Ngata and Ragi. That’s it. If McCoy keeps his level of play and controls his penalties, I think many will place him as the tops.
October 8th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
@Brandon Gerald McCoy 202 snaps 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 8 QB pressures, 8 tackles, 2 assists, 0 missed tackles, 7 defensive stops, 3 penalties
Brian Price 120 snaps 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 1 pressure, 4 tackles, 0 assists, 0 missed tackle, 4 defensive stops, 3 penalties
I think it is clear who has been in the back field more often. I like Price too, but he is not the real McCoy. The penalties are driving me crazy though. Way too many!!!
October 8th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
i would love to see mccoy and bennett both lined up as 3-techs and let clayborn and watson or bowers widen out a bit.
October 8th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Thomas 2.2
I don’t get you? Areyou a Buc fan? Are you just a poopy pants?
McCoy is atleast trying out there, and he’s only getting better.
Your posts are just a cheap shot at the Bucs.
Do you ever have any positive outlooks?
In regards to who the bucs s-line was matched up against this past Monday, they can only go up against the next available opponent.
Your negativity is Charles Barkley “turrible”.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Thomas- crawl back in your hole. McCoy is making you look bad and you know it. You haven’t got a leg to stand on around here anymore.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Chris Hovan can teach how to ride on a RB back!!!!! Everybody got an opinion!! Go Bucs!!!
October 8th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
McCoy had a good game against undrafted free agents with less NFL experience than him. He produced for the second time in 17 games as a buc – I commend him for that.
Per snap, Price has produced MUCH more. If McCoy has more games like Indy against first stringers I will commend him.
FYI – I predicted 7-9, but also thought that they would win 3or 4 of the first 5 because of the weak early schedule after Payton was reported out. I thought that they would beat Detroit and lose to Atlanta.
Remember sheep, 2 of their 3 wins are against Winless teams, and Atlanta has looked underwhelming. After this week, the test begins.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Muah:
You either forgot Suh or have no cred.
Suh has 12 tackles and 2 sacks this year for the 4-0 lions who beat the Bucs.
Suh was all pro (1st team all-NFL), a pro bowler and rookie of the year. I heard a broadcaster recently say that NFLers are calling him the most coveted defensive player in the NFL (bar none).
Ngata is clearly . I have never heard a national broadcaster ever mention McCoy as even being a player equivalent to his draft position, ask Hovan. Bennett’s stock is higher, I believe that Price’s would be as well but for injury questions and the early signs are good for Clay.
That means that many experts, take me out of it, may rate McCoy 3rd or 4th overall on the DLine in pure value irrespective of draft position and $.
One good game against a an undrafted rookie free agent 3rd stringer who
didn’t play College football is a small, not real valuable, sample size.
October 8th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
It doesn’t matter which player gets the stats, as long as somebody does. This is a team sport and not everyone gets the glory. It’s getting favorable match-ups and pressure when it counts…. all the while stopping the run. The facts are that the entire Buc D line as played solid as a unit this season. The last two games they have been stellar. The hard work and new coaching is paying off. The high round picks investment is paying off. they are improving each week, and although they will have pit falls and setbacks the unit as a whole has a very bright future ahead.
Raheem says it best, although some here ignore him. “Nobody cares”. If your down a man, injured, snow, MNF, travel, heat, early game “Nobody Cares”. He is right and it is 17 weeks of war and attrition. The deepest teams prevail and those that can adapt and overcome. We have a pretty damn good team and I won’t bet against them on any game.
October 9th, 2011 at 1:03 am
@Thomas I didn’t add Suh, because he is a liability in the run game thus far this year. McCoy has always been better in that aspect and far better this year.
As far as Price being better, dude, weak. I already posted the numbers so if you disagree with them you are arguing with math itself. Do you really hate McCoy with such a passion that you are going to argue that basic arithmetic itself is incorrect?
October 9th, 2011 at 11:41 am
Thomas- There are some worms and slugs and moles back in your hidey hole that are missing you dude. Prepare for the Bucs d-line to dominate the line of scrimmage vs. San Fran just like they did last year.
Its hilarious that you keep trolling along here on this site when its obvious to everyone that you don’t even believe the B.S. your selling. Is your life THAT sad and lonely that the only thing you have to hang your hat on is being right on an internet message board? We all know you don’t believe your own spew about McCoy because after the last two weeks its taken you a while to concoct some silly argument downplaying McCoy’s dominance before you showed up again.
October 9th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
@Beckles like his awful attempt about McCoy having less tackles for a loss than penalty yards. Talk about twisting stats.
October 9th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Muaha- Yeah thats funny stuff. Talk about reaching. He continues to ignore the simple fact that regardless of any stat if you just watch the games instead of stat hunting, you clearly see McCoy either blowing stuff up in the backfield against run and pass or freeing up the rest of the line by drawing double teams. McCoy is engine that is really driving this d-line to control the line of scrimmage over the last two weeks. Anyone can see that(if their not blinded by hate and the need to be right even if it means rooting against their own players and team). But he will continue to make up his b.s. about how McCoy’s penetration is a mirage because teams are letting him in the backfield on purpose with trap blocks etc etc etc ad nauseum. As Thomas’s excuses for hating on McCoy continue to dry up its becoming comical how far the man will reach to bash McCoy.