Leslie Frazier Expects He’ll Improve
May 18th, 2015
Much is made about how much Tampa Bay defensive players should improve after spending a year in the hard-to-master Lovie Smith/Leslie Frazier defense.
But what about their defensive coaches?
Joe put that question to Frazier this afternoon at One Buc Palace. Lurking, as usual, in Joe’s twisted head was the nightmare of the legendary duo of Greg Olsen and Derek Anderson owning the Bucs through two games last year.
Frazier said a year of Bucs experience will help him and his staff immensely.
“I think it’s equally beneficial,” Frazier said. “You know, you have a better feel for the players, what they can do, what their strengths and weaknesses are. This time of they year a year ago, you know, everything you’d seen was on tape in another system. You were trying to project how they would fit into the system that we were going to introduce. And now, we’ve actually seen a Lavonte David, a Danny Lansanah, a Gerald McCoy play and function in our defense. We kind of know what their strengths and weaknesses are within what we do. So we can better utilize their gifts, their talents, having a better understanding of what they’re best at doing.
“And sometimes that only happens through experience. That experience should help me. It should help all our defensive coaches.”
Joe loved Frazier’s answer, and Joe’s feeling warm and fuzzy with optimism. Frazier and Lovie simply can’t put out a defense as ugly as the Bucs’ was at times last year. Year 2 has to be better. No excuses anymore.
May 18th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
I have a good feeling we will improve in all areas. My expectations for this team is 6 wins. If we can accomplish that and be competitive in the games we lose, I will be happy. I think anything more than 6 wins is unrealistic.
May 18th, 2015 at 3:45 pm
hopefully this year the he learns what a TE is and that they need to cover them.
May 18th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
“Experience should help”? He was a head coach. How much experience does he need to learn the NFL. Bad hire!
May 18th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
I still hate how they have such a rigid system that doesn’t adapt to players strengths.
May 18th, 2015 at 3:55 pm
he’s just another lovie yes man. simple as that
May 18th, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Geno714
I agree completely
May 18th, 2015 at 4:01 pm
“Hard to master Lovie Smith Defense?” Ask Dirk Koetter, he seemed to master it pretty well last year.
Hoping for better things this year but Lovie seems incapable of making adjustments when things go south and seems more committed to his scheme then to his personnel. Not sure I would consider whatever version of Tampa 2 we are running as some sort of new age defense at this point. Most teams in the league either employ a version or have coaches who grew up preparing for it.
May 18th, 2015 at 4:40 pm
He should have been fired after having two of the worst losses in NFL defensive history. If it were any other Head Coach, he would have been fired before the end of last year.
May 18th, 2015 at 4:42 pm
Leslie Frazier….”America’s Ex-HC, DC”
May 18th, 2015 at 5:01 pm
It drove me crazy to see the Bucs stack their LBs tight and leave the CBs out there with 7 yard cushions. A high school coach would’ve gone slant crazy on them and the Falcons and Ravens did. I can’t imagine that it was how the defenses were drawn up.
May 18th, 2015 at 5:21 pm
8-8!
May 18th, 2015 at 6:01 pm
Celly Says:
May 18th, 2015 at 3:14 pm
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
The ONLY stat that matters is W:L and as of right now, Glennon is 5:13.
…………………………………………….
By this Measure Tim Tebow is better than Cam Newton, Sam Bradford and several other starting QBs
May 18th, 2015 at 6:04 pm
We would have won 8 games last yr with a Decent OL and Glennon at the Helm from day one. We DAMN well better win at least 8 games this yr.
May 18th, 2015 at 6:57 pm
What a great answer from “America’s Defensive Coordinator”.
May 18th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Get your shyte together Frazier…
May 18th, 2015 at 7:19 pm
I predict that JWs first pass will be a deep ball to ME13 and it connects for a TD!
Bold I know!!! Go Bucs
May 18th, 2015 at 7:27 pm
Anyone else curious why LVD hasn’t been signed yet?
May 18th, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Under 8 wins it will be a failure. The Saints blew their offense in hope of a better defense and Brees is not getting any younger. Falcons will have the same struggles we got the last few years of coaching carousel with a new coach that tries to figure out how to put back the team on rails. Panthers will be hard but at least Greg Hardy is gone. I loved Mason Foster but let’s be real, he was exposed badly in coverage (and don’t get me started on Dane Fletcher its crappy replacement last year). We still lack an elite ballhawk deep in the middle but maybe McDougall can develop into that. He showed promise.
What I wish is that McCoy stays healthy and can raise its game when it matter most. He have goods stats for games but almost all its sack are in the 1st half. He needs to step it up and bump that sack numbers in the second half when the game is on the line.
Anyway at least we have an offense this year
May 18th, 2015 at 7:47 pm
@Jim
“Experience should help”? He was a head coach. How much experience does he need to learn the NFL. Bad hire!
Perhaps we read this differently. My take was he was talking about the “experience” of actually working with these SPECIFIC players not his overall NFL experience. His NFL experience as a DC was good enough to land him and HC gig. He couldn’t have sucked that much or be that “inexperienced” in NFL terms.
I think he meant the same thing for the players. GMC and LVD clearly have experience in the league before Frazier ever arrived, but they didn’t have experience in this defense.
In short I don’t believe he was talking about experience such as the kind you list on your resume, but rather the learning “experience” that occurs whenever you work with somebody new or implement something new.
May 18th, 2015 at 7:50 pm
Buc-A-New,
I agree, Glennon would’ve done better than McCown last year, and we tanked for Jameis.
Let’s hope we got ourselves a stud QB. I would hate to use the #1 pick of the draft, and still have “the fourth best QB in the division”.
May 18th, 2015 at 8:22 pm
SteveK, I was in the trade down crowd first because of both QBs questions. My wife is a FSU alum and I have Many FSU friends as I am a UF alum. I have several FSU friends that didn’t want him here including my wife. I have kept an open mind the whole time. My wife bitched about it all the way up to the draft and I told her that she probably needed to get used to it because I believed we were drafting him. lol Me the Gator telling my Nole wife to start getting used to Winston for at least 5 more years.
Irony?
May 18th, 2015 at 8:25 pm
Leslie Frazier is great Defensive co-ordination
This years defense will be better.
Still expect a big move at DE.
Feel ok about rest of Defense
May 18th, 2015 at 8:35 pm
I have to agree with you Capt. Tim in the regard that Frazier is a Good DC but his reputation has been slightly tainted by his stint as a HC. He was never cut out to be HC. Had he never accepted that position he would be running a top ten D more often than not.
May 18th, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Capt. Tim,
I am with you, I am hoping for a big time acquisition at the DE position. Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, or even Aldon Smith. We need a stud to plug and play next to GMC. Will a Buccaneer player record 10 sacks this year, and not make it a decade since a Buccaneer has done so?
May 18th, 2015 at 8:41 pm
Capt. Tim,
I am with you, I am hoping for a big time acquisition at the DE position. J-Allen, J-Peppers, or even Aldon-Smith. We need a stud to plug and play next to GMC. Will a Buccaneer player record 10 sacks this year, and not make it a decade since a Buccaneer has done so?
May 18th, 2015 at 9:35 pm
Capt.Tim if we can somehow pry Bennett away from Seattle in my opinion the D will be set. Now my pal Buc feels he’s little overrated but I would take him back in aTampa heart beat. Oh Yea Buc-A-New it took me a little while but I know who you are now. What’s happenin my friend.
May 18th, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Lol Nole. I am just chillin as best I can man. I am lovin some of the stuff I am hearing regarding our current situation. I am about to write an article on how the drafting of JW and the entire “commitment” to the QB position by the staff as a whole will change our hopes as fans towards Offense rather than Defense. I hope all is well with you and yours.
May 18th, 2015 at 11:04 pm
As optimistic as I am about the offense, I have concern about this defense. Leslie must do a bit more this year. He cant be repetetive. Please blitz Lavonte more. It seemed like every play was either Tampa 2 or cover 3. Blitz more. Let the safety cover more man. That was Mark Barrins biggest strength besides run defense and we traded him. We all know he cant cover deep zone but Leslie made little effort to utilize his strengths. Same with Goldson and to an extent Lavonte David too.
Our defensive line slacked last year and our back seven had to play perfect in a new system. Leslie needs to prove he can make his defense work all year. No 56 points in three quarters. Dont be predictable!
May 18th, 2015 at 11:32 pm
Very fair assessment LargoBuc. Let’s hope that with all the premier Pass Rushers that were selected in the first round this yr that there are some quality guys let go that didnt “fit scheme” etc. We could end up with a really decent DE in the Eleventh hour.
May 19th, 2015 at 12:20 am
Not a Mrs Frazier fan.
It’s not that he’s bad…no, wait…it is.
May 19th, 2015 at 1:12 am
Well they signed a whole bunch of average players and drafted one defensive player since last year. Only way to go is up Frazier:) I’m sure they think they have just enough to contend. A lot more weapons on offense and a retooled OL. GO BUCS!!
May 19th, 2015 at 7:19 am
@Geno714
you can be a system quarterback but mention system and defense in tampa and you hear all kinds of complaints. no one ever complained about derrick brooks being restricted in this defense
May 19th, 2015 at 8:45 am
Say it again Buc4lyfe. And riddle me this real quick with out doing research anyone. Name a pro bowler from Lovie’s defence while in the chi whose name wasn’t. Urlacqur,Briggs or Peppers. Ponder a moment and you’ll see my point.
May 19th, 2015 at 8:45 am
And nobody ever griped about the D scheme when it won the Super Bowl with a truly mediocre offense.
May 19th, 2015 at 9:40 am
Lovie’s version of Tampa 2 is so much more predictable and passive when compared to kiffins. Not all Tampa 2 are the same Marinelli is much more aggressive than lovie. Lovie plays not to lose versus playing to win. Although Seattle runs a version there secondary scheme is far more aggressive than Lovie’s…
Let’s stop throwing around great dc and great hc and reserve the use of great for multiple super bowl winning coaches who in fact are great.
May 19th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Tmax how about we judge Lovies scheme after the pieces he requires before we say it’s not as aggressive. I feel he is just about there. In my personal opinion his defence in Chicago appeared just as if not more aggressive than ours in Tampa but that’s a debate for another time. As far as Carrol’s 2 scheme being more aggressive on the back end well the simple answer would be that the back end is pride and joy considering his start as defensive backs coach. Lovie we all know coached line backers thusly Urlacqur and Briggs were the stars of his bears defence. Now that LVD has the speed of Carter and potentially Alexander to help roam the middle of the field in my opinion there will be a noticeable difference in appearance of the play of this defence. A little patience folks it gose a long waas
May 19th, 2015 at 10:37 am
Go back and review the rosters of all multiple superbowl winning coaches. Show me one with out a dominating defence coupled without great QB play. You won’t find one.
May 19th, 2015 at 10:43 am
It is why I feel the Bay is about to be the “creme-dala-crum” of the entire league. I’ve seen how dominant Lovie Smith defence can be. I feel he noticed a few pieces on Tampa’s roster and became giddy about the potential of having that job. Now you give him something he never had in Chicago,a special QB in Jamies WINSton. You folks go ahead,I can already see how much trouble this league is in in regards to these Bucc boys from the Bay. It’s”Skull gang 2 blades 1each”…
May 19th, 2015 at 11:23 pm
If they do not sign Lavante David for a long term deal before the start of the season I will be very upset. Honestly, I’m 28 years old and if he gets traded at the end of the year I’ll be genuinely sad he is gone.