Fundamentals And Picks
August 19th, 2025
Groping for interceptions.
One reason why Joe winces when hearing Bucs coach Todd Bowles — or any other coach — stress interceptions so much is, what about playing good defense first?
If a team plays rotten defense, picks aren’t going to save you — ain’t that right, lousy Lovie Smith?
Joe remembers that horror show of a defense Lovie had with the Bucs. All he talked about was picks and takeaways; it was as if he forgot the goal is to get off the field.
Joe would see opposing ballcarriers getting yards and Bucs defenders would run up and instead of wrapping up, they’d swing furiously trying to punch the ball loose. Meanwhile, defenders would get dragged three or four (or more) yards downfield and the ballcarrier would get past the sticks.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled out, the Bucs defense was cashed because they were on the field so much.
Whatever happened to building a good defense first and then stressing takeaways? Father Dungy built one of the best foundational defenses the game has ever seen with the Bucs.
Then, Chucky came in and challenged the defense to get takeaways. Yeah, it worked, ending with a ring. But the foundation was already there.
The Bucs the last two years have been a bottom-five pass defense. Picks, or lack thereof, had nothing to do with that.
So after he had an interception Saturday at Pittsburgh, Joe asked Zyon McCollum if takeaways are emphasized too much, does a team then stray from good, solid fundamental defense because the fundamentals are stressed less?
McCollum didn’t fully buy Joe’s thought process.
“Not necessarily,” McCollum said. “I mean, we work hard every day to be well-rounded athletes and [be a good] team and [play good] defense,” McCollum said. “[Coaches] put emphasis on takeaways all the time, especially this year.”
So in McCollum’s view, putting so much effort into striving for takeaways does not hinder a team from playing consistently sound defense.
Joe hopes that’s true because Joe sure does remember the last time the Bucs had a head coach who was this obsessed with takeaways.
The end product was a nightmare.
August 19th, 2025 at 7:24 am
If you want more picks and a better foundational D, sign Trey Hendrickson.This could be done today.
August 19th, 2025 at 7:32 am
Forced punts are takeaways, too.
August 19th, 2025 at 7:49 am
An entire article that basically says “Because they’re doing one thing, that proves they aren’t doing another”
How about a follow up question? Maybe like “Do you also have meetings exclusively dedicated to tackling?”
Nope, got all I need. Good job Stephen A. Joe.
August 19th, 2025 at 7:55 am
agree with @bucsfan
GO BUCS!!!!
August 19th, 2025 at 7:55 am
Joe, we need real news. I know you have to keep the lights on but these articles nit picking comments from interviews gets old. How is JMac doing?
August 19th, 2025 at 7:56 am
Hey Drunk, did someone pee in your breakfast cocktail or something??
August 19th, 2025 at 7:58 am
Tryin really hard to make Bowles out to be anything like Lovie Smith 11 years removed. I like the turnover talk is much better than talking about this guy or that guy not being a double-digit sack guy.
Turnovers are more important, and have a direct impact on the outcome of the game(See Antonio Griers’ pick the other night) no matter how much people try to minimize the significance of turning the ball over when WE ARE the team turning it over.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:01 am
“Forced punts are takeaways, too”
Yea but this takes at least 3 plays, you can force the turnover on downs 1-3 and it does much better for the field position. “whataboutism” is eating away at the intellectual fabric of this country, it’s middle child logic at best
August 19th, 2025 at 8:02 am
I thought something was a little off with my breakfast today. 😀
But I should add, I love, appreciate and will always read Joe first thing in the morning and frequently during the day. I have just grown weary of hot takes.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:11 am
I don’t see that getting turnovers and playing fundamentally sound defense are mutually exclusive. A good defense should be getting turnovers…as well as sacks.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:12 am
A good jarring tackle can knock the ball loose as easily as trying to punch it out.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:16 am
To focus so much on punching the ball out that you’re not making the tackle, that would be extremely stupid. I bet stressing tackling is right up there with getting turnovers. I think I heard Bowles gripe about the bad tackling in his pressers as much as he did not getting enough turnovers.
The thing I think aggravates Bowles the most is when a player is in position to make the int and instea just swipes at the ball for a pass defense or worse, the ball hits them square in the hands and drops it all together (hello Dean). I don’t think the defensive staff is looking for guys to make a play on the ball and a risky manor where they can give up a huge yardage pass is unsuccessful making a play on the ball.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:19 am
@ Bucsfan & 813bucboi: I get you guys wanting to bring Trey Hendrickson to TB. In my opinion that would be a terrible idea. The salary cap hit and draft pick capital would be prohibitive. Hendrickson is on the north side of 30 – typically when athlete’s hit a wall. At this point, he is a super expensive rental.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:25 am
It’s not a bad scheme if you have the right players in the scheme
For example- Lovie, Chicago teams was always a Top Defense,
They were always at the top in takeaways, points allowed etc
But when he got to Tampa, he didn’t have the right players
His defensive players wasn’t half as good as his players in Chicago
He went from driving a Rolls Royce to driving a Yugo
As a Head Coach, you have to make adjustments
You have to coach according to your players strengths, weakness
Todd Bowles has the right scheme, but not the right players
He’s 2-3 drafts away from getting the right players
And they won’t have to be taught to take the ball away
You can’t get something from a player, that’s not in them
August 19th, 2025 at 8:28 am
“Punching” should never be done by the first defender to engage the ball carrier. That defender’s focus should be 100% execute the tackle. If The second defender arrives to find the first defender engaged but the ball carrier not yet tackled, he should be going after the ball.
Exception: If you are behind late in the game and a turnover is your only hope, then go for it, of course.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:35 am
Can see someone learned all about a focus of a story from their school days.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:37 am
Nope. Bowles knows what he’s doing. Joe may not fully agree with it but Bowles knows what he is doing.
Lousy Lovie didn’t.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:40 am
Yup.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:51 am
I just want this defense to get stops on 3rd and long and even 4th and long. lol. Good fundamental defensive skills, then Bowles can focus on ints and fumbles.
August 19th, 2025 at 8:55 am
All depends where and when those turnovers happen. Redzone picks are the best of course.
August 19th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Seeing 3 and outs should be a goal and something talked about every day. Every man doing his assignment and providing maximum effort for 3 downs. Of actual play time that is less than 25 seconds (for all 3 downs) when the ball is snapped and the play ends.
I like the idea of speaking about things daily and concentrating on trying to make it happen. 3 and outs should be elevated as a talking point and goal.
August 19th, 2025 at 9:09 am
The main reason there were so few interceptions is because receivers were usually so wide open.
August 19th, 2025 at 9:36 am
Picks are better than sacks. However, a strong pass rush leads to bad throws and picks. To get more picks, of starting NFL QB’s, you need a strong pass rush.
Tipped passes also lead to picks, but the Bucs lineman rarely get their hands up to tip a ball. I’d like to see Nellie inside a few times with a focus on batting balls down or tipping them. Those tipped balls stop drives when the Bucs DB’s catch them.
August 19th, 2025 at 9:45 am
Yaya Diaby has played in all 34 games during his two years here. But has Zero PD, yet Bowles jump on a rookie after two preseason games.
August 19th, 2025 at 9:48 am
Speaking of fundamentals Joe, I thought the Bucs’ tackling has been very average. The Steelers’ tackling was great and made the Bucs look like a high school team. In the two practices I went to in Tampa, I never saw anything like a tackling drill, and it shows up on the field. Bowles talks about angles but that’s not enough. You can bet that Tomlin has his players tackling – at least dummies.
August 19th, 2025 at 11:04 am
Nailed it Joe!
That is what I have been saying for the last two plus years. Tackle the guy and be in position to make plays in pass defense! Get the heck off the field! Worry about turnovers when you can do the first two! Punching at the ball only as you put your helmet in his chest. Too many guys standing around looking like a scared woman trying to slap someone. Any one of my coaches would have benched me for that kind of stuff! Not to mention the diving at the ball carriers feet and calling it a tackle attempt.
Go Bucs!
Go Bucs!
August 19th, 2025 at 12:31 pm
Yes, Joe, yes.
When a DB is close to a receiver being targeted with an incoming pass, said DB has a greater probability of getting his nads on the ball than he does if he’s in row 37 of the endzone buying a hot dog.
August 19th, 2025 at 1:04 pm
LT DAN
imo, he’s worth it…
he’s the type of player that would put us over the hump…
JPP played great for us…shaq was great the year before we won the SB but teams couldnt stop shaq, vita, suh jpp….i think we’d have something very similar with reddick, vita, kancey, TH…
GO BUCS!!!!!
August 19th, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Please listen to Lt. Dan. No more time wasted on trading away valuable draft capital on a guy who may of may not have alot left in the tank. To much $$$$ for a position player 30 or over. The BUCS Defense will be alright without him & I even say more better than we expect