Good Plays, Bad Play
August 7th, 2025
Pass defense work in progress.
Let’s cut to the chase: Joe did not like how a rookie quarterback moved the ball today with little effort on the Bucs’ first-team defense.
But two big plays were made during a two-minute drill that bailed the Bucs out against the Titans in their controlled scrimmage at One Buc Palace.
Late in practice the teams decided to go after each other in a two-minute-drill session.
On the very first play of Tennessee’s first drive, Cam Ward went back to pass and was picked by Haason Reddick.
“It was a good change-of-pace call in two-minute,” Bowles said of Reddick’s play. “He came up with the play.
“We reloaded after that, but he made a big play to get us off the field and possibly some points. So that was huge to see.”
Yup. The Bucs paid a veteran edge rusher some $14 million to drop back in pass coverage. Gerbil on a wheel, man. But thankfully, this time it paid off. Reddick picked off the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s draft and in theory, the Bucs were in easy field goal range.
Time for the Bucs to reload on offense. Uh, oh, it was not a game, but a scrimmage. So Ward and Tennessee’s offense stayed on the field.
Ward and the Titans had little problem moving the ball through the air and were on the cusp of field goal range when a blast from the past rose up. A Ward pass to the right sideline was broken up and nearly picked by backup Bucs linebacker Deion Jones. Joe was not at all happy he didn’t come up with the pick.
Either Ward is way better than anyone thought, or the Bucs pass defense needs a lot more work. At least the first team defense does.
August 7th, 2025 at 6:02 pm
Ward is the real deal! Once he gets his sea legs, he’ll be a handful for a lot of defenses.
August 7th, 2025 at 6:03 pm
Not the first time a rookie or a backuo qb made the Bucs defense look bad
August 7th, 2025 at 6:23 pm
If he stays healthy Ward is going to be a pretty good QB in this league, but he’s still a rookie and shouldn’t be able to do a lot against the Bucs defense, theoretically.
August 7th, 2025 at 6:25 pm
All OLB has to drop in coverage, depending on the defensive call
Brian Burns had 8 PDs, 8.5 sacks for the Giants last season
TJ Watt has over 100 sacks, and over 50 PDs
The problem with our Edge Rushers,
They couldn’t sack the QB, play the run, cover anyone
They were useless, JPP, Shaq did all of the above
August 7th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
Pass rushers in coverage.
A-Gap runs on 1st Down.
DBs playing 10 yards deep.
I expect to see all of it on display this Saturday.
August 7th, 2025 at 6:43 pm
Bowles is going to make Haason Reddick a pro bowl CB.
August 7th, 2025 at 6:59 pm
Yes, football players play football. The outrage over outside linebackers in coverage is less about the game of football and more about the observers perception of the game.
It’s like complaining about a WR blocking.
“$83mil for 3 years and you’re making WR-X chip linebackers?!”
Sounds ridiculous to be 100% honest
August 7th, 2025 at 7:08 pm
Not surprised. Bowles is not going to change. 8-9 incoming. Wasted year. Should have kept Cohen and fired Bowles
August 7th, 2025 at 7:19 pm
Whoopsie!
August 7th, 2025 at 7:51 pm
I heard Mayfield in an interview today or yesterday and he said our defense is setting the tone this season. I’m going to take his word on that. Reddick is healthy and working hard to make this team better. He gets a pick in a 2 minute drill off the first choice in the draft and look at the comments. We’re doomed! Y’all are crazy. Joe is sack deprived enough to say gerbil on a wheel. Haha that’s funny. Defense is better.
August 7th, 2025 at 7:55 pm
“talkin’ ’bout practice?”
No game planning, no refs, not real.
August 7th, 2025 at 8:03 pm
I guess we will see, but afraid that Bowles is doing nothing new and we will see the same soft zone all season. Defense could turn out to be a real mess with all the new players and Bowles crazy blitz packages that don’t seem to work. Concerned if a rookie can move the ball with such ease.
August 7th, 2025 at 9:13 pm
Geez you guys are seriously starved.
It’s freaking practice lol.
August 8th, 2025 at 12:07 am
You play how you practice….
Saw another report that was the same as Joes.
We might should curb our expectations until we actually see them play.
August 8th, 2025 at 12:33 am
Joe doesn’t trivialize practices. You think Tom Brady thought practices were a joke?
If practices didn’t mean anything, then Kyle Trask would be the starting quarterback.
Not sure why anyone would be content with the Bucs pass defense full of veterans getting exposed by a rookie quarterback facing a team with a different color jersey for the first time.
August 8th, 2025 at 1:06 am
Joe
Exactly.
August 8th, 2025 at 8:31 am
Cam Ward is overrated.
August 8th, 2025 at 9:01 am
We got nothing for yet another rookie QB?!?
We should be talking about how bad we made the #1 pick look and as usual…
Dang it man!
Go Bucs!
August 8th, 2025 at 9:51 am
I’m ok with them getting embarrassed like that at this point. You know how this team performs when the accolades start coming their way from the national media. Buckle down, get to work and straighten out the issues. Coaches and players.
August 8th, 2025 at 12:47 pm
I don’t want to minimize poor performance but context does matter here. If we were getting thrashed man for man playing the same 2-minute defense we plan to run when the bullets are live…then yea, that’s concerning.
If we were experimenting with different coverages or blitz packages to see what works or doesn’t in different 2-minute situations… well, now we know a bit more right?