Big Game For SirVocea Dennis
September 27th, 2025
Will SirVocea Dennis be a marked man by Jalen Hurts?
If the Bucs have an Achilles heel on defense (aside from the perpetually inconsistent if not non-existent edge rush) it is soft pass coverage in the middle of the field.
The Bucs were horrific at that last year. In the first three games this season, it seems like that’s still a thing, though less horrific.
Inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis has been burned badly. Bucs coach Todd Bowles has chalked some of that up to the good ol’ catch phrase for all defensive issues, the ever-popular communication breakdown.
Seth Walder of BSPN, a man who never met a number he didn’t like, thinks because the Bucs defensively are so good at stopping the run (he used weird, dizzying, made-up stat as evidence), the Eagles will have Jalen Hurts go to the air a lot more tomorrow than usual.
(What is it with these “expected” stats? Whose expectations? A Vegas bookmaker? A bored dweeb in a Chicago suburb? A drunk in Pittsburgh? An unemployed football coach in Austin? If you mean “average,” say “average!” Nerds!)
Makes sense. Why beat your head against the wall with a task that doesn’t work when might produce another way?
The Bucs have the No. 2 rush defense in the NFC, allowing 84 yards on the ground per game.
So if Walder’s hunch proves true, if Dennis comes up big against the pass, it might be a very fun Sunday in Tampa.
Ira Kaufman Dives Into Eagles-Bucs, The Lingering Todd Bowles Doubters, Lineup Changes, Josh Grizzard & More
September 27th, 2025 at 8:25 am
Joe, if this is our only I hope I have one question for you…what time does the bar open?
September 27th, 2025 at 8:27 am
Joe, if this is our only hope I have one question…what time does the bar open?
September 27th, 2025 at 8:33 am
Communication breakdown, it’s always the same. Having another breakdown, drive me insane.
Remember when Mike Smith had the #1 rush defense yet we were so atrocious in pass defense that teams just passed. #1 against the run didn’t mean a hill of beans then. Different times now and a much improved D. Stay healthy guys and get after it.
September 27th, 2025 at 8:41 am
Averages are based on what did happen, expectations are based on what some dweeb determines should have happened.
September 27th, 2025 at 8:44 am
I’m dreading the dink and dunk,pick us apart game tomorrow! I see it coming already!
September 27th, 2025 at 8:46 am
If Dennis falters again in game 4, bench him n put in Deion Jones or John Bullard. Let’s quit waiting on potential with some of these players that never transpires. Rookie, udfa, or whatever the case may be, if a player can play, n a vet is not stepping up, then put the player in.
For years we waited on OJ Howard, Kyle Trask, n JTS to no avail. All were a bust.
September 27th, 2025 at 8:51 am
This is a big game for Dennis. Not many splash plays, plenty of busts. I’m afraid he gets exposed by Barkley, and Hurts.
September 27th, 2025 at 8:54 am
Deion Jones is the better Linebacker.
The only reason Dennis is starting is because he was a draft pick.
Deion Jones needs to start.
He moves in unison with Lavonte David.
September 27th, 2025 at 9:13 am
Todd Bowles does what he does so expect Dennis in the middle of the defense.
Todd needs to create some wrinkles in his defensive scheme to surprise the Philly and create a turn over that helps seal a Bucs win on Sunday.
September 27th, 2025 at 9:17 am
Goedert could have a day tomorrow. He seems to find the soft gooey middle in this buccaneer zone defense
September 27th, 2025 at 9:30 am
Joe, I’m curious. When SVD goes out of the game, who calls the defense?
I get that SVD is the new whipping boy, especially now since Dean got a pick 6,but his unproven potential, lack of field time, and responsibilities on the headset have created unrealistic expectations for his play. Imo, he is essentially a rookie due to his injury plagued start. It’s been mentioned numerous times how complex this D is, so with Todd in his helmet and having to translate the mumble and set up the D has got to slow him down. I just find it curious as to why a guy wearing a “C” on his chest doesn’t have that responsibility
September 27th, 2025 at 9:34 am
Expected Value – E(X) = Σ [x * P(X=x)]
x: is each possible outcome.
P(X=x): is the probability of that outcome occurring.
Σ: represents the sum of these products for all possible outcomes.
Average = Sum of Values/Number of Values
September 27th, 2025 at 9:35 am
Expected value is a more advanced stat than just giving the average.
September 27th, 2025 at 10:08 am
For some relevancy, a few of SVD’s 2025 vs career stats (bear in mind that career stats include 2025 stats)
Tackles (Total)– 23% of career total in 3 games
2025 – 17
Career – 52
PD — 67% of career total in 3 games (2x previous seasonS)
2025 – 2
Career – 3
STF — 80% of care total in 3 games (4x previous seasonS)
2025 – 4
Career – 5
So before everyone jumps on the bandwagon and starts hen pecking your new scapegoat (how you like that, 3 farm metaphors in 1 sentence), take a deep breath and try to have realistic expectations. Not ever ILB can be LVD. Whichbegs the question, who is the 1 constant in the soft middle of our defense? I personally think it is scheme, not personnel
September 27th, 2025 at 10:10 am
Usfbuc, it’s nice to see another math geek around. Very well explained.
Meanwhile, the biggest game SirCantCover can have is on special teams and making sure Deion Jones stays hydrated. This dude sucks and he’s not getting better.
September 27th, 2025 at 10:20 am
I believe the Bucs are trying to get the defense ready for when LVD is gone. Drafting another ILB high in 2026 can be expected. Dennis has this season to prove he is ready.
September 27th, 2025 at 10:25 am
Here’s my waaayyy out there, far fetched, Bold azz prediction.
SirVocea actually covers Barkley, and steps in front of a flat pass, and houses it.
Crazy, I know. I did call the two TO’s, one for a score last week though.
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
September 27th, 2025 at 10:31 am
“The Bucs have the No. 2 rush defense in the NFC, allowing 84 yards on the ground per game.“
Yards allowed ≠ entirety of rush/pass defense, lol
September 27th, 2025 at 10:44 am
Well done.
September 27th, 2025 at 10:46 am
Good question. ***Guessing*** Lavonte David.
September 27th, 2025 at 10:49 am
Joe honestly has no idea what any of these means (especially related to the Bucs and football) 🙂 . But it is a great example why Joe majored in journalism and history. Meant only one math class in college.
September 27th, 2025 at 10:56 am
LVD should be calling the defense, always.
SVD has enough to worry just trying to attempt to play pass defense. So far he’s been nothing but a liability. I’d expect a lot of passes over the middle to their TEs and RBs in the flat for big gains.
September 27th, 2025 at 11:00 am
The communication issues are a cop out. Its been over a year and should have been fixed by now. The issue is scheme and personnel. Dennis didnt look the same in coverage this preseason and it is showing. No turnovers for him. We need faster LBs. David is HOF worthy but has lost a step. The Bucs have been neglecting the middle of the field for years and it shows
September 27th, 2025 at 11:00 am
ChiBuc … ‘Not every ILB can be LVD. Which begs the question, who is the 1 constant in the soft middle of our defense? I personally think it is scheme, not personnel’.
Excellent bottom line ChiBuc, and I agree with you, about 75% actually (I think it’s both scheme AND personnel).
Todd Bowles emphasizes Run Defense as Job#1 as we all know, especially for our Front 7. That obviously requires a priority on gap control & on containment. That has to have an impact on the pass rush IMO, and I think Todd tries to mitigate that with extensive blitzing & dropping OLBs into coverage at times (the ‘scheme’ aspect). We’ve all seen that act 100 times, and it leaves areas of the field uncovered. Opposing OCs have obviously figured this out (OK, they’re not blind), and pick us apart with short passes in particular.
Interestingly though, Todd’s defense is operating somewhat differently this year me thinks than in earlier years. Typically our Secondary doesn’t get many sacks (3 in 2024, 6 in 2023, 5.5 in 2022 … with 12 of those 14.5 total by Winfield). Our Secondary under Bowles has gotten relatively few sacks.
Looks like it’s changing this year though. Bucs have 8 sacks in 3 games, and 3 of those sacks are by our Secondary. Puts us on-track for getting 45 sacks this season, with 17 sacks coming from our Secondary. That’s a BIG change IMO for Todd. For one thing, it requires that we blitz our Safeties & CBs more than in the past (and ya, we seem to be doing that). Also seeing him blitz our ILBs more also, especially LVD (SVD has blitzed 15 times in 3 games, and LVD has blitzed 18 times … that’s over 39% of our 84 blitzes thus far).
Strange though that our Secondary pass defense looks to be considerably better than last season. Check the targets & completion rates …
o Dean: 13 targets – 6 completions (46.2%) – 0 TD – 1 INT
o McCollum: 22 targets – 14 completions (63.6%) – 3 TD
o Parrish: 12 targets – 8 completions (66.7%) – 0 TD
o Morrison: 2 targets – 2 completions (100%) – 0 TD
o Winfield: 6 targets – 2 completions (33.3%) – 0 TD
o T Smith: 15 targets – 9 completions (60.0%) – 0 TD
o LVD: 14 targets – 11 completions (78.6%) – 0 TD
o SVD: 10 targets – 10 completions (100%) – 1 TD
Dean’s doing outstanding IMO. McCollum’s getting picked on it looks like, but he got picked on last season too (his completion percentage allowed was 57.4% in 2024, so he’s a tad higher thus far this year, but no biggie). Both our Safeties are doing incredibly well, as is our Nickel Parrish.
Our ILBs are also being picked on, but LVD seems to be holding his own (78.6%). SVD was supposed to be better in pass defense than Britt, but his numbers last season (10 completions allowed in 11 targets) and this season (10 completions allowed in 10 targets) just aren’t giving me any warm fuzzies.
September 27th, 2025 at 12:10 pm
Before we get all giddy our opponents this season sit at 1-8. The Eagles will be the first test we have where all phases of the game must execute well.
September 27th, 2025 at 2:57 pm
Good info Defense Rules.
As for Dennis, I see baby steps. He was terrible in week 1, not good in week 2, and honestly I didn’t notice him a ton in week 3. Hopefully he keeps progressing, since prior to the injury last year, he was looking really good.
Also, in the game vs the Eagles last year, pretty much every positive play the Eagles had was against Britt, so if Dennis is merely bad, as opposed to awful, that would be an improvement.
September 27th, 2025 at 3:22 pm
This is the first time in a while , that I remember Smith and Brown both being in the game. Secondary is gonna be tested.
September 27th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Emeka Ebuka is a nice player and he has been useful so far with CG14 and JMac injured. The steal of the 2025 draft looks like Carson Schwesinger of the Browns. Think the Browns picked him around 34. This guy is a tackling machine and is looking a lot like Luke Kuehley in the middle of the Browns defense. Wish the Bucs could have been creative and landed him. Only thing good about the Browns is their defense as the their two top picks Mason Graham and Schwesinger are making huge contributions. 2025 was the year to fix the Bucs soft pass defense. That didn’t happen, which is going to be very obvious the next several weeks.
September 28th, 2025 at 4:54 am
LOL stat geeks rejoice! Then go lose your money to Guido and the gang.
Bowles and the boys are ready me thinks. Steady dose of who’s coming!
Go Bucs!
September 28th, 2025 at 8:07 am
NEEERRRDDSS!!!
– Fred “The Ogre” Palowakski
September 28th, 2025 at 9:50 am
Man, I am so rooting for SVD. JTS really disappointed me. Thanks for the scuttlebutt DR and ChiBuc. One thing stood out to me in last week’s game. This secondary is starting o look like the famous swarming one Bucs had back in 1999-2002. Those dudes were headhunters, and went after RBs and TEs like no problem. This krewe sure sounds familiar. Go Bucs (and watch out for the zebs)!!