When The Lights Are On
June 10th, 2020
Big year predicted. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
The Bucs are scheduled for five primetime games this year (not including playoffs — playoffs?!). That is unheard of for Bucs fans and shows the star power of park-violating, home-invading Bucs quarterback Tom Brady.
Several Bucs should finally get the notoriety they deserve, appreciation lost by the seemingly endless years of losing. One player that springs to mind is criminally underrated Lavonte David.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports has a different player in mind that is an interesting choice. Edwards seems to think cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting may be a household name playing on so many nationally televised games.
Sean Murphy-Bunting recorded three interceptions last season, but the casual fan would not recognize his name. Tampa Bay should receive more time under the spotlight this season thanks to Tom Brady. The second year cornerback out of Central Michigan has the opportunity to introduce himself to a larger audience.
Yes, Joe likes this outside-the-box thinking. SMB had three picks as a rookie last year, leading the team. All he does is get interceptions.
What is unique about Bunting is that he only started six games last year. If you get a pick every other game you start, that’s not too awful.
Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, SMB logged 61 percent of the defensive plays last season. If SMB can raise his game like many second-year players do with all the big games the Bucs are playing this year, who knows what that may do for his profile?
June 10th, 2020 at 12:30 am
So what do you guys think Jameis Winston is doing right now?
June 10th, 2020 at 12:34 am
Joe! Great job! I can remember a time when you surmised the Bucs should never-ever use draft capital on the secondary.
Reason- because Bucs coaches couldn’t coach them.
‘How you like me Now!?”
In BA I Trust!
June 10th, 2020 at 12:57 am
Nah I think dean and Carlton will blow up this season
June 10th, 2020 at 5:04 am
I believe it will be Antoine Winfield.
June 10th, 2020 at 6:34 am
Debating over which DB will blow up this year…..now that’s a good thing.
June 10th, 2020 at 7:07 am
We have three lengthy and starting athletic CBs:
Carlton Davis – 6’1′, 205 4.53, 34 vertical
Sean Murphy-Bunting – 6″ 0″, 195, 4.42 40 time and 41.5 inch vertical
Sean Dean – 6″ 1′, 206 4.30 40 time 41 inch vertical
Davis is the slowest of the bunch and tends to grab his receivers if he gets beat but by midway last year, he found a way to read the routes and perfectly time the ball coming to the WR. He had 18 pass defenses last year which ranked 2nd in the NFL. Davis is the most physical of the Bucs CBs and Todd Bowles calls him a film junkie. Dean, for the amount of time he started also ranked high for pass defense. Sean Murphy-Bunting had 3 interception in the 6 games he started.
Over half the CBs in the NFL are under 6 feet and most of them have a time over 4.55. These young kids are going to blow it up once they learn the system.
June 10th, 2020 at 9:30 am
If Ira has his way, SMB will be riding the bench with Winfield at slot corner.
SMH, Sage! Shaking my DAMN head!
June 10th, 2020 at 9:31 am
Seriously, does Ira believe this team is going to make a playoff push with Andrew Adams covering the backend???? A guy no other teams wanted??
June 10th, 2020 at 10:48 am
Davis was a good man coverage CB at Auburn and was thrown into 15 yard cushion. He had a much improved game with the new defense. Dean started five. SMB started six. Hopefully Weinfield Jr can come through. This is a jegit secondary in two years if Bowels sticks around. Maybe one year.
June 10th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
SMB + Dean + Carlton + AWjr
They may need a nickname before the EOY. We should get it started.
Mine Suggestion: Killer Bs
(B for Bucs)
June 10th, 2020 at 1:19 pm
SlyPirate
I like your idea. I fear however Killer B’s has been overused already…most recently with Houston’s Astros and also with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I do agree with you about nicknames though. A form of branding if the right one(s) catch on the players can get more pub and notoriety. I think our LB corps is excellent! I do not know a nickname for them.\
Many times the very best nicknames are earned with play on the field like..
“The Steel Curtain”.
“The Fearsome Foursome”
“The Purple People Eaters’
June 10th, 2020 at 4:08 pm
You guys must be talking about the “Pewter Blanket”
June 10th, 2020 at 7:45 pm
The Iron Curtain… Lol
Not many know this, but there’s a HUGE sheet of Iron ore underneath Tampa Bay…
And fun fact: Scientists theorize that the sheet of Iron ore is possibly one if the main reasons hurricanes tend to turn away from hitting Tampa/St Pete directly.. (Knock on wood) But supposedly the magnetic field created by the HUGE sheet of Iron ore repels the hurricanes…. Anyway, it’s just a theory, but pretty neat..