Larry Foote: It’s Technique
November 30th, 2025
Fixing technique.
The Bucs defense has been awful since the bye. Big play after big play.
Joe’s watched good quarterbacks carve the Bucs to pieces like a Thanksgiving turkey. Holding an offense to a field goal seems like a win.
The way veteran assistant, outside linebackers coach/run game coordinator Larry Foote sees it, it all boils down to technique, so he said just before Thanksgiving.
“When you give up those amount of points, you know it’s technique,” Foote said. “As far as a player’s standpoint, you [have] to work on your technique. You [have] to do some pre-snap awareness as far as thinking and understanding you [have] to limit the possibilities.”
The Bucs, since the bye, allow opposing offenses to score 35 points a game. That’s Mike Smith nonsense. Back then, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, knew before he left the locker room prior to kickoff if he didn’t put up 35, the Bucs were doomed.
That’s what the Bucs defense has turned into now.
“[As] coaches, we [need to] coach up the technique a little better,” Foote said in an understatement. “We can hammer on some points of what we’re trying to get, but at the end of the day, you [have] to make plays.
“I think if you look at our third downs, you don’t want to just point out one specific area, but normally when teams are picking up third downs, points come behind that. That’s part of our focus, we [have] to get off the field. We [have] to make plays … everybody.”
What Joe would like to know is how technique got so out of whack in the middle of the season, in the span of 14 days. What did these guys do in the bye that they forgot about technique?
Technique is fundamentals. How can those just vanish, unless you are going to tell Joe the technique stunk to begin with, which Joe will absolutely buy?
November 30th, 2025 at 12:27 am
What a load of crap. It’s not technique, it’s the system. These coaches have been here for seven years for the most part, and still can’t put a respectable defense on the field? The players can’t play it because the coaches can’t/don’t coach it. Everyone sees it’s a ridiculous scheme.. *cough.. Ronde Barber *cough*. Mike Vrable sure quickly turned around his horrid team. The talent level and draft busts are on Bud Licht.
Add to that the ST’s are an abomination right down to the 24 yard punter. The cherry on top is an OC that clearly has no idea what he’s doing, and a HC who is obviously delusional, extremely uninspired and way to comfortable in his mediocrity.
November 30th, 2025 at 12:57 am
@JMarkBuc
I’ve been telling people that all along about how it’s the scheme/system. If they just get somebody else to run the D I wouldn’t be surprised if they start looking much better.
November 30th, 2025 at 1:37 am
I am guessing Foote says the problems stem from “technique” because if the issues were due to “scheme” that would mean that his buddy Bowles is at the center of the problem which the team has been claiming since 2021 has not been an issue. /s
November 30th, 2025 at 2:22 am
Foote is drinking from the same pitcher of kool aid Bowles is serving to players and fans. Licht adds the sweetener to this foul punch
November 30th, 2025 at 2:48 am
Sts coach should have been fired. Punter is a liability. Injuries set us back because backups play sts but when they’re starting we either have 2 resort 2 lesser players or guys that r already worn out. I’d like 2 see Tampa with an indoor stadium. Falcons n the saints figured something out being southern teams.
November 30th, 2025 at 3:57 am
Jmarkbuc … ‘What a load of crap. It’s not technique, it’s the system.’
I agree with you Jmarkbuc, with the caveat that it’s ALSO on the players. Some of these guys have no business being out on the field right now. They’re NOT the quality players who’ll produce a Top-10 defense regardless of who is their DC.
Foote pointed the finger at 3rd downs, but that’s not the real problem. This season we’ve allowed opponents to convert 55 of 138 third down attempts (39.9%). Project that over 17 games, and that’s 85 of 213 third down attempts (39.%). While not great, that ranks us #20 in the NFL. Last season we allowed opponents to convert 80 of 210 third down attempts (38.1%). While better, we still only ranked #14 in 2024 in that category. But still, the 2 years aren’t very dissimilar.
But then go back 1 more year to 2023 when our defense finished #7 overall. That year we gave up 92 of 225 third down conversions (40.9%). A much better year overall (only gave up 325 Points on the season), yet we had the worst 3rd down conversion rate of the 3 years.
Nope, sorry Larry, that’s NOT the problem IMO. The real problem is two-fold. First, we’ve given up waaay too many explosive TDs … running (4) AND passing (9) … from OUTSIDE the Red Zone (over 20 yards). Look at the comparisons of those explosive plays (over 20 yd TDs) over the last 3 years:
o 2025: 4 explosive rushing TDs – 9 explosive passing TDs … over 17 games that’d be 6 rushing TDs & 14 passing TDs.
o 2024: 0 explosive rushing TDs – 9 explosive passing TDs
o 2023: 0 explosive rushing TDs – 11 explosive passing TDs
So this 2025 defense has literally DOUBLED the number of explosive TDs (over 20 yds) allowed. And worse yet, a LOT of that is coming from allowing explosive rushing TDs (our defense allowed 0 in 2024 & 2024, but we’ve already allowed 4 this year).
Second, our rate of giving up TDs once opponents reach INSIDE the Red Zone has skyrocketed. Look at our Red Zone TD allowed:
o 2025: 27 attempts – 18 TDs – 66.7% (#29 ranking) … over 17 games that’d be 42 attempts – 28 TDs – 66.7%
o 2024: 57 attempts – 31 TDs – 54.4% (#14 ranking)
o 2023: 54 attempts – 23 TDs – 42.6% (#3 ranking)
That’s abysmal. Not hard to notice what’s happening: a LOT fewer 3rd down Red Zone attempts in 2025 because opponents are scoring TDs much more often OUTSIDE the Red Zone (via explosive runs & passes). But once they do get into the Red Zone, our capability to keep them from scoring TDs has plummeted.
This defense is a mess. And to say that it’s just ‘technique’ buries the real problems.
November 30th, 2025 at 6:01 am
it is time for a new coaching regime, this one is rotten from the top down.
they need to clean out all of the coaches and get a fresh start. todd and every leaf on his poison ivy coaching bush.
November 30th, 2025 at 6:38 am
Coachbabble
November 30th, 2025 at 6:53 am
If only they could “coach better” “play better” “communicate better”.
November 30th, 2025 at 6:56 am
Have we reached the proverbial “we have to get worse before we get better” inflection point. New regime usually means many new players to match the new system. Not sure I want to return to the Morris-Schiano-Smith-Koetter plunge.
November 30th, 2025 at 7:20 am
So, in conclusion; we have a bunch of idiots playing defense. Or…we have a bunch of guys who don’t care enough to put in the film study and improve. Either way, it’s on our “Defensive Guru”.
November 30th, 2025 at 7:47 am
It’s not technique when there’s no pass rushing DE on the team.
November 30th, 2025 at 8:03 am
Hey coach – when is technique going to be fixed. Only 7 games left.
November 30th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Just get your heads back in the game!! Technique? BWA HAHAHAHA
November 30th, 2025 at 8:18 am
Yeah it’s Anthony Nelson’s fault he has poor technique as a CB smh
November 30th, 2025 at 8:34 am
This guy Foote needs to be on the hot seat. Is he the OLB coach? What has he done? That group is and has been one of the worst groups in the league since he’s been here.
November 30th, 2025 at 8:42 am
Give Foote a chance at playcalling. In the preseason when Bowles allowed him to call plays, the edge guys actually rushed the passer instead of dropping back.
November 30th, 2025 at 8:57 am
Technique? You kidding me? It’s this crappy scheme and we don’t have enough dawgs on defense no passion no energy. And poor tackling along with bad angles which explains a lot of the big plays they have given up so far. They need a complete makeover this offseason and toilet Bowles is in way over his head thinking his same junk defensive approach is going to make any kinda difference.
November 30th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Watch Ohio state vs Michigan and those corners magically run and turn their heads. This is so basic and no one on our team plays this. None. And ive yelled screamed and cursed bc these guys do not know how to play the ball in the air its ridiculous. Someone tell zyon he can use his fing hands