Louis Riddick Loves The Physicality Of Bucs Defensive Line
August 29th, 2022
Louis Riddick.
Former NFL personnel guy and current BSPN talking head Louis Riddick seems to be a big fan of Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Bowles is an old-school Bill Parcells guy when it comes to defense. Bowles always has and always will be a stop-the-run-first kinda guy.
Riddick, a former defensive back like Bowles, comes from the same coaching tree, just a different branch. Riddick played for Nick Saban and Bill Belicheat in Cleveland (for those that don’t know, Saban was Belicheat’s defensive coordinator in Cleveland) in an age when you still had to stop the run to have a good defense.
And it seems Riddick is loving the Bucs’ defensive line. Riddick watched a few minutes of the Bucs’ preseason game with the Colts on Saturday night and took to Twitter raving about it.
After Riddick posted this Saturday night, someone replied suggesting Akiem Hicks was looking like a beast. Riddick responded, “Because he is.”
Riddick absolutely loved when the Bucs signed Hicks. Riddick called Hicks an “@ss-kicker” who mauls offensive linemen.
If healthy, Vita Vea and Hicks lined up side-by-side should do damage to opponents’ interior lines, which should help free up Bucs sack king Shaq Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
This makes Joe water at the mouth for the football season to get here. It’s going to be a long two weeks.
When it comes to dudes talking football, Joe could listen to Riddick all day. He’s that damn good.
August 29th, 2022 at 6:12 am
The two series Hicks and Vea were out there just made me smile. They brought the heat on every down. Lavonte David’s sack was due in part to Hicks literally swimming both the center and guard and getting into the backfield immediately. Praying the defensive line stays healthy.
August 29th, 2022 at 6:34 am
You really need someone to edit your articles, Joe.
August 29th, 2022 at 6:35 am
You really need someone to edit your articles, Joe. Or maybe try laying off the booze?
August 29th, 2022 at 6:50 am
A lot of people sleeping on our defense. We might just have the best defense this year.
August 29th, 2022 at 6:53 am
That defense will determine if we win a championship..
August 29th, 2022 at 7:37 am
Suh.
It’d be awesome to rotate those fellas.
Saw Flowers went to Miami.
August 29th, 2022 at 7:42 am
We will have a very good defense this year…….best in a while….
August 29th, 2022 at 7:53 am
How can you make a call that this defense line is physcial after only a few plays in the Pre season.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:01 am
@Logan
Same! Hicks with that ability to occupy blocks and create spacing on a per game basis is going to lead to pressure that turns into sacks, strips, and picks.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:47 am
Is JTS hurt I didn’t see him in the game.
August 29th, 2022 at 8:52 am
Sort of. Very minor. Bowles didn’t see the need to play him in the game.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:22 am
Anonymous Says:
“You really need someone to edit your articles, Joe. Or maybe try laying off the booze?”
####
You really need to have someone show you how to create a NAME. It is really not that difficult. Then again, maybe it is for YOU.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:39 am
There is a hell of a drop-off between the starters and the back ups. With Vita playing less than 40% of snaps and Hicks history of not making it through a season it might be a long season.
Of course, Brady can score with the best of them, but should he have to.
August 29th, 2022 at 9:41 am
Oneilbuc Says:
August 29th, 2022 at 6:53 am
That defense will determine if we win a championship..
Sir, I believe that’s the nicest and most accurate comment I’ve seen you make. I hope it wasn’t a passive-aggressive swipe at Brady and the offense, though. It takes a village, bro.
GO BUCS!!!
August 29th, 2022 at 10:02 am
That sack by David was due to Hicks man handling 2 OL . Akiem looks huge he could injure a human out there.
August 29th, 2022 at 10:53 am
Craig … ‘There is a hell of a drop-off between the starters and the back ups.’
Kinda seeing the same thing, and given our injury history lately, that’s not comforting, at least not in this all-in year. Personally think our Secondary depth will be fine, our OLB depth adequate, our ILB depth scary and our DLine depth adequate for now. But there’s a big ??? there when it comes to DLine injury histories. Folks can’t be expecting 340-350 lb guys to play 75-80% of the def snaps. Just not realistic. If Vea & Hicks get a COMBINED 1100-1200 def snaps, we’ll be very fortunate (last year they got a COMBINED 911 snaps; then 1018 COMBINED in 2020; they got 941 COMBINED in 2019 and 1293 COMBINED in 2018 … for an AVERAGE of 1040 def COMBINED snaps between the two of them over the last 4 years).
Not realistic either to expect that Vea AND Hicks will be on the field TOGETHER for more than 25-50% of our def snaps. That’d leave far too many snaps with NEITHER of them on the field. Eventually we’ll need to add another beastly DT. HOPEFULLY Suh is still available then and can help us salvage our run at the Super Bowl.