Bucs Offensive Coach Seems Confident In Bucs Defense
May 23rd, 2025
QB coach Thad Lewis.
A lot of Bucs fans are still angry about the Bucs defense.
Many don’t like the corners, especially the guy who wears No. 35. The same fans are leery of Bucs safeties — yes, even some worry Antoine Winfield won’t return to be his All-Pro self — and many Bucs fans certainly do not like the inside linebackers not named “Lavonte David.”
Shoot, Joe fielded a question about Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht from a commenter on this here corner of the interwebs railing how Licht has failed the Tampa Bay community as a whole for not cutting Jamel Dean and overhauling the second- and third-levels of the defense.
Since the combine, Bucs suits (football administrators, Todd Bowles and his assistants) have been consistent in their message that the defense, including inside linebacker, will be fine this year.
Bucs quarterback coach Thad Lewis reiterated that this week at One Buc Palace.
Lewis was talking about how Baker Mayfield needs to better protect himself and added Mayfield could help himself by letting teammates help win games, including the defense.
“I would prefer him to throw it away or get down,” Lewis said when a completion isn’t evident or possible. “Let’s play team ball. We’ve got a good defense, you know? Let’s flip the field.”
This, Joe believes, is truly the mindset of the Bucs.
They really do feel confident in the defense, even though they couldn’t force a punt in the one-score playoff loss to the Commandos, even though the Bucs have had the fifth-worst pass defense in the league two years running.
The Bucs either honestly believe this or have the messaging down pat. That consistent messaging was obviously lacking when it came to the proposed Tush Push ban.
May 23rd, 2025 at 4:43 am
Yes Joes, there is a story there! Last paragraph. So Bowles wants to keep the Tush Push. And Wirfs is good with it. And the Glazers voted against it? Hmm. Wonder what Licht thinks about it? We’re stuck with this silly and dangerous play for at least another year. I don’t even know how this play was even allowed in the first place or when it was first used. It is like walking into a punch if you’re the guy being pushed and I don’t want to ever see any of our players trying that B.S.
May 23rd, 2025 at 6:46 am
We had Josh Hayes and and UDFA rookie Funkmaster starting!
The Bryce Hall injury really hurt us last year.
Dean and Zion missed a lot of games. If we had had Bryce Halllast season, we wouldn’t have been the 5th worst pasa defense.
The Bucs have learned their lesson,
Always have 5 capable corners on the roster.
You may always lose 1-3 corners per year.
And you sometimes need 3-4 corners on the field at one time.
Corners are as important as QB’s for me.
Todd Bowles is the DB whisperer.
We need to eventually be 6 deep at CB. Every. Single. Season.
May 23rd, 2025 at 7:21 am
okay I don’t like Thad Lewis
May 23rd, 2025 at 7:49 am
One Podcast listed the one area each 2024 Playoff team needed fixed to be a contender and Bucs was Linebacker.
David is good but you cannot count on him carrying the bulk of the load. He may but others have to step up in case of injury and reduced production.
Bucs defense had a full season of practicing with the One’s against the Red Zone / Underneath Stuff that was so successful in 2024 until they reached the Playoffs.
Would think they’d be better served practicing with the Two’s and let Trask stretch the field and have defend the deeper routes that they will see plenty of midseason when facing all the Playoff teams and quite a few of the 5/6 win teams that have made upgrades. With Arizona, Atlanta, Seattle and the Cowboys predicted to challenge for Playoff Spots a 10 win season probably will not be good enough for a Division or Wild Card Spot.
May 23rd, 2025 at 8:37 am
“ They really do feel confident in the defense”
Based off of what exactly? Who cares what their beliefs are if the results stink!
Just imagine how good this team could be if the defense could stop a pass!
Defense wins championships. Unless Bowles is the HC.
May 23rd, 2025 at 9:38 am
They’ve done quite a bit to improve the defense. Some people won’t be satisfied unless they overpay a wrong-side-of-30 pass rusher and CB, and require Todd to give up DC duties entirely.
May 23rd, 2025 at 10:06 am
It’s not “dangerous.”
May 23rd, 2025 at 10:25 am
Kenton Smith Says:
May 23rd, 2025 at 4:43 am
It’s allowed because it is a valid formation, and there is no prohibition on the tactic of pushing one of your offensive players forward. Simple as that. It’s called football, and it’s no more dangerous than pounding your RB into the middle of the line.
May 23rd, 2025 at 10:56 am
In my fifty plus years of watching all levels of football I’d never seen anything like it until I saw Philly doing this crap starting about when they got Hurts. There isn’t enough data to determine how dangerous it is but can anyone tell me any other team at any level that they have ever seen call that play? I haven’t.
May 23rd, 2025 at 11:21 am
FilthyAnimal Says:
“Some people won’t be satisfied unless they overpay a wrong-side-of-30 pass rusher and CB, and require Todd to give up DC duties entirely.”
Todd either needs to give the DC duties to a capable coach and focus on being the HC, or relinquish the HC position and go back to being just the DC.
The coordinators are accountable to the HC.
If you are both the HC and DC there is zero consequence to failure and lack of ability to adapt.
The best HC are the ones that delegate responsibility to the coordinators and so on.
Bowles is not good enough to wear both hats.
May 23rd, 2025 at 11:24 am
Joe, I agree with you most of the time and Filthy Animal I agree with you alot of the time. Anyone who says someone pushing you from behind doesn’t increase your chance of injury just is wrong. What else is wrong is that 22 of 32 owners voted to ban it and it’s still not banned. Guess I don’t get math. Joe is right though bottom line. It’s about dollars and funny dollars win even when they seemingly lose.
May 23rd, 2025 at 12:06 pm
The Bucs Defense forced 2 turnovers on downs during the Commanders playoff game.
The Bucs Offense only scored on 4 of their 7 possessions and one possession was a turnover in their own red zone.
Stop blaming that loss on the Defense.
May 23rd, 2025 at 2:11 pm
@WTP,
I agree that Bowles as HC and DC is less than ideal. I don’t think it means we can’t see drastic improvement on D, though. They’ve bolstered the pass coverage and pass rush. I believe they’re on track to have a big improvement this year.
May 23rd, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Alanbucsfan Says:
May 23rd, 2025 at 12:06 pm
The Bucs Defense forced 2 turnovers on downs during the Commanders playoff game.
The Bucs Offense only scored on 4 of their 7 possessions and one possession was a turnover in their own red zone.
Stop blaming that loss on the Defense.
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It’s all coming back to me. You are right the 28th worst pass defense in the NFL played great against the Commanders and their rookie QB. It was the offense fault that the Bucs didn’t force the Commanders to punt one time in the biggest game of the season. In fact, the defense was terrific all year. It was the fans fault that we didn’t appreciate the defensive juggernaut that Todd Bowles delivered throughout the entire season. Get real, man.