Not Lost In The Trenches

August 23rd, 2019

With all due respect to the two sacks notched by reserve and feisty defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, the play of Ndamukong Suh on the Bucs defensive line was very encouraging tonight.

If someone finds Carl Nassib, please let him know.

Joe was very pleased to see how active Suh was all through the first half. The pursuit was consistent, and his strength was evident. He didn’t look like Chris Baker  like a free agent just here to collect a check. And the pass-rush pressure showed up. He definitely changed at least a couple of passes.

Yeah, his late hit on Baker Mayfield that kept a Browns drive alive was stupid. But it was at least a somewhat borderline and Joe believes it was more from effort than anything else.

The defensive backs were the stars of the Bucs defense tonight, but Joe is feeling very good about Suh as he closes his preseason. There’s no doubt he was sit for the preseason finale on Thursday.

Nassib, however, doesn’t look like the same player he was last year, or like a guy playing for a fat contract.

Of course, it’s early, and there’s plenty of time for guys to show up when it counts — or not show up.

34 Responses to “Not Lost In The Trenches”

  1. Jean Lafitte Says:

    Suh>McCoy

  2. Lamarcus Says:

    I lost respect for Nassib tonight. He did the most Buccaneer thing I ever saw with that frog looking miss sack tackle. It will go down as the weakest dline tackle attempts I ever saw.

  3. Petty Officer Buc Says:

    For what it’s worth, I didn’t think that was roughing the passer when he pushed Baker. But the NFL likes their star QBs way more than they like anybody on Defense so it is what it is.

  4. Larry Says:

    Offensive line wasn’t great but neither was Winston. He can’t throw a deep pass and he is trying to scramble way too much. He is not that good at it. Rhonde Barber showed where he could have checked the ball down several times but instead chose to try and scramble. Winston is average at best. Doesn’t deserve to be in the conversation with the top 10 quarterbacks.

  5. Buc4life Says:

    Suh needs help. I have faith that Vea will help if and when he is healthy, but we have nothing else but Golstein’s run stopping. Spence, Barrett and Nassib were pretty much invisible. Spence has one speed move around the edge but nothing else. Nassib bounced off Mayfield on one play but outside of that he was nonexistent. If JPP doesn’t come back soon our D-line is in trouble…Still not as bad as our O-line.

  6. Rayjay1122 Says:

    Leave it to Larry to post about Winston on a defense article. Lol

  7. JimmyJack Says:

    Our defense looks very impressive but Nassib missed two sacks today. The dude just cannot tackle and finish his plays. You can’t have weak links getting exposed like that. No matter how good you are if your not making plays when you have the opportunity you will lose.

    MJ Stewart was my MVP out there tonight. Dude looked like a grizzled vet.

  8. Race to 10 Says:

    Maybe antijoebucsfan will stop with the stupid comments about wondering if he will give his all on every snap. Took all this time to get a positive article about the guy (actually, Joe has written plenty of positive articles about Suh. The archives are here for all to read. –Joe) who replaced Geraldine who if you looked at the stat sheet you would never know he played in the 3rd preseason game. But he was there giving up touchdowns by moving out of his gap as usual letting backs walk into the endzone. Suh is better for this team and it ain’t even that close.

  9. DB55 Says:

    Nassib almost had a sack for a ten yard loss. You let up bc you don’t want a foul for a tackle and on the same play you get a foul for a shove.

    Defenders can’t win.

    Notice that Nunez didn’t take Baker to the ground I think that’s how it’s being coached bc of the foul calls. Everything is a foul unless you’re Jameis Winston or Cam Newton. Facts.

  10. DooshLaRue Says:

    So everyone is allowed to have a bad game at times except for Nassib?

  11. Race to 10 Says:

    Nassib doesn’t look like he’s interested in a big payday. I dont like him starting in this defense but I’ll wait until regular season to call him out

  12. DB55 Says:

    Suh is going to change the game for Tampa.

    Teams won’t be able to run up the gut for 1st downs and TDs anymore. QBs will be scared especially Matt Ryan and Cam to get hit. He’s a true professional and even in the second half of his career he’s making plays all game long.

    I saw NE run the ball down McIceCream’s throat with their FB last night. Soft as always but with a little bit more spunk. Cha cha cha.

    Suh is a bonifided GAMEWRECKER literally like the hulk. Imagine having him and Aaron Donald on the same line? straight to the SB, no question

  13. Rayjay1122 Says:

    So, when is White gonna show up? I was not against picking him but damn….. Dude needs to start getting his name called other than for a stupid penalty.

  14. firethecannons Says:

    Nassib was causing havoc several times but couldn’t connect all the way so somewhat disappointing. But honestly Noah Spence just aint making it this year either–I know we really want it to work out for him but it isn’t. I do appreciate the play of Bucannon and Shaq Barret.
    Heh Joe do a piece on Spence — love to hear everyones take on him–maybe I’m wrong–I need to rewatch the game but he got the second facemask penalty of his preseason–BA had a disgusted look over that too.I didn’t see him doing even half as much pressure as Nassib.

  15. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    Nassib is playing out of position

    Just like Henry Anderson (Jets) was used out of position initially.

    LDE Ndamukong Suh || Will Gholston
    NT Vita Vea || Beau Allen || Terry Beckner
    RDE Carl Nassib<–|| *Nasir Jones | Anthony Nelson

    OLB *Ronald Blair III || *Taco Charlton || Noah Spence
    ILB Devin White | Kevin Minter
    ILB Deone Bucannon || *Mack Wilson
    OLB Shaquil Barrett || Devante Bond

    Mack some small trades, and watch the waiver wire.

  16. LUVMYBUCS Says:

    Make some small trades, and watch the waiver wire.

  17. Brandon Says:

    WTF are you talking about? Nassib had two QB hits before he threw the ball. He should’ve had two sacks. LUVMYBUCS, really? Out of position? Watch the freaking game again. He was lined up on the left side with his hand in the dirt on almost every defensive snap in the first half. Anybody with anything to say about Nassib, either didn’t watch the game or doesn’t know football. He was often charged with taking on the RB out of the backfield AND the RT to keep the RB from getting into his route. Most of you don’t know that because you don’t actually know football. Nassib was excellent in his one half of play and just needs to finish better. I don’t know what you guys were looking at.

  18. DB55 Says:

    Luv

    Taco? Wasn’t he a 1st rnd pick 2 years ago? Why not David Irving on the cheap? Lol. I see what you’re doing but you’re a much better gm than licht is so….

    Forget the fluff and get oline help. People’s careers are at risk bc we refuse to sign a professional guard and tackle on the right side.

    Find me a guard and a tackle Luv.

  19. DB55 Says:

    Yea Nassib is on point he knows his responsibility and plays it to the best of his ability which is more than adequate bc of his hussle and brains. He’s the Brad Culpepper of this defense.

  20. Barack's Crack Pipe Says:

    Lamarcus Says:
    “Nassib… did the most Buccaneer thing I ever saw with that frog looking miss sack tackle.”
    .
    .
    That did look awkward. I think he got his weight to far over his feet. He was kinda stumbling fwd trying to keep his feet under him at that point. Still disrupted the play, though.

  21. Rod Munch Says:

    Humm… I don’t know, whenever I tried watching Suh he wasn’t doing anything, including getting manhandled one on one. I’ll take the Joe’s word for it, that he must have been having a good game when I wasn’t looking, because that’s not what I saw at all – albeit I didn’t watch him all that much as I mainly watching White.

  22. Christopher Schiefen Says:

    We are completely seeing different things. I saw Suh barely care to get off one on one blocks other than the pass he deflected pushing his man into the QB. Meanwhile I saw Nassib hustling his ass off and running around everywhere. Did you miss him since he had a hand in the dirt most of the time? Did you miss his half sack with Nacho? Did you miss the miraculous play of Baker bouncing off Nassib’s sack, an intensely athletic play by both gentlemen (that Suh messes up with a careless roughing call). Are you holding a beer whilst watching this stuff, Joe? 😉

  23. Defense Rules Says:

    Guys can get on Nassib (and White), but some games ‘doing your job’ just doesn’t show up on the stat sheets. Bucs were solid against the run last night … Cleveland had 12 rushes for 33 yards (2.8 YPC) and ZERO TDs. And of that, QB David Blough had 1 carry for 12 yds late in the game. Cleveland’s 2 primary RBs (Hunt & Johnson) had 10 carries for 21 TDs (2.1 YPC). I’d take that every day if I were Todd Bowles.

    As far as pressure on the QB goes, there’s more to it than just sacks as we all know. Bucs had 7 QB Hits last night in addition to our 3 sacks (plus 3 TFLs). And that’s against a solid OLine and without Vita Vea. One DLineman who really impressed me last night was Rakeem Nunuz-Roches … 3 tackles on the night (2 solo), 2 sacks, 2 TFL & 2 QB Hits. He’s a keeper.

  24. Frank Pillow Says:

    Let’s be real for a moment here— this is Carl Nassib we’re talking about, not some high draft pick (we simply don’t do that) or a premium FA (our one guy injured himself in another freak accident). Nassib is a high-motor guy with just enough athleticism to be a high-end 3rd DE/OLB or quality situational pass-rusher…at least that’s how 30 other teams seem to see him (the Browns simply has no use for him). On the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has been propped up as a pass-rush messiah. That’s what we do and how we do it. I’m looking at you too Noah Spence! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not down on Nassib- he’s going to give you what he can/his pressure led to the INT, after all. I’m just frustrated that we simply ignore the trenches.

  25. gobuxfla Says:

    Nassib? I have to buy milk today, I’ll check the side of the cartons.

  26. rrsrq Says:

    Nassib is the same player he was last year. He probably missed double digit sacks last year because of his inability to get the QB on the ground when he gets there. I’m not sure if he is not strong enough or just wrong technique. The Hope looks like that Shaq B can bring the QB down, because Nassib and Spence can get in the backfield but can’t get to the QB, so our leading sack guys might be interior lineman, forces to step up. Maybe the power of a healthy Vita will run the QB in to the arms of our OLB

  27. Al da pewter King Says:

    How can people who watch a game on television and or in the stands decide that certain players are playing hard or not. Subjective.

  28. Easy Says:

    Last time I checked Nassib is the one who put the hit on Baker when he threw the INT to Whitehead???

  29. Mike Johnson Says:

    Not one person..in all of these posts have mentioned it. So I..will. Give the Browns credit. That was one helluva display of raw power on their Defensive line. I mean they were actually knocking our line off their feet during those 1st 2 qtrs. That’s how our D line was supposed to look after last yrs ..come on thru..year. Our D line virtually disappeared. But I knew this would happen and its gonna be our biggest problem all year. Grab some wood Buc fans. You’re gonna need lots of it. Where was the..vaulted Mr Suh last night? On the ground eatin dirt with the rest of our line. Better call Clowney…..QUICK.

  30. 1sparkybuc Says:

    QBs are not going to be completing 70% of their passes against the Bucs this season, and I seriously doubt teams will have any great success running. It would appear scoring will be down. If the Bucs can generate any kind of offense behind this OL, we might win a few more than expected. Cleveland’s D exposed our biggest issue. Our OL needs help, and not just in depth. Licht has to work a trade or find help in the cuts. We aren’t likely to make it through the season without someone going on IR. Our D is looking stout.

  31. fernando diaz Says:

    Nobody that’s a starter aside from rookies on in bubble plays hard.

    PRESEASON

  32. Bucamania Says:

    Not worried about Nassib. He was getting to the QB but didn’t finish well. He’ll be fine. The run D has been stellar all preseason. Better than previous years of getting gashed up the middle.

  33. Rod Munch Says:

    Nassib just has to wrap up his tackles, if he did, he’d have had 2 sacks. To my eye, and it’s only from watching the TV broadcast, it appeared he was so paranoid of getting a roughing the passing on a sack that he let up. Let that be a lesson to him in preseason to finish the tackle.

  34. Losing hope Says:

    Now if only the joes that write here can give that same type of objective, honesty criticism on our underachieving qb. Then we might be able to take their commentary seriously