Hitting Is A Mentality
January 19th, 2026
Bucs’ defense needs more “dawgs” like Tykee Smith.
Aside from Antoine Winfield and before Father Time caught up with Lavonte David, name a Bucs defender who regularly blasts people into the middle of the week?
Tykee Smith and Jacob Parrish, maybe. That’s about it.
All weekend long, Joe saw defensive players on various playoff teams hit, swarm to the football, create turnovers, let offensive players know their ribs will be hurting if they catch the ball or try for a first down. Shoot, the Texans-Patriots game yesterday was one of the hardest-hitting games from two defenses laying the wood, play after play, that Joe has seen in a while.
The Bucs do not have that.
Joe is convinced the hand-wringing by Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio is off the mark; he claims teams cannot tackle because of NFL practice rules. Go back and watch every game from this past weekend and try to tell Joe you didn’t see good tackling, hard hitting and game-changing blasts by defenses.
And these teams practice following the very same NFL rules the Bucs do. All teams have cameras at their facilities, where the NFL’s prying eyes make sure teams practice the right way, the legal way.
It’s all about desire and mentality.
A few years ago the Bucs in the draft made a concerted effort to select quicker players. The Bucs believed they lacked team speed. They weren’t wrong and that has been addressed. But in doing so, it seems the Bucs got away from a physical defense. You can find players who are both quick and physical.
Lord knows this team needs inside linebackers in the worst way, especially if David retires. The Bucs have to know this. So, hopefully, when they do pick linebackers, whether in the draft or free agency (preferably both), they don’t overlook someone who will put the fear of God in offenses, letting them know they’ll have to pay dearly to gain real estate.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:10 am
Have the Glazers and/or JL made any public statement about Blows coming back? The crickets chirping and fact we haven’t made a single assistant hire gives me sliver of hope they are being real discreet about a new HC hire….or just simply no one wants to come here
January 19th, 2026 at 9:12 am
Watching the Texans, Seattle and the Patriots this weekend reminded me of what a well coached and aggressive Defense looks like.
The Bucs have not had that in years.
Bad drafts. Mediocre free agent activity. And coaches who can’t inspire.
And we are supposed to believe that Bowles was not the problem?
Take it out on the owners. They are the ones who are responsible for this.
Cancel season tickets. Don’t go. If you have to, don’t buy beer or sodas or food.
Forget jerseys and hats this year.
Keep voicing your opinions on this site and others.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:17 am
Last Bucs player to blast people was Whitehead! By far the best tackler on the roster this year was Tykee, but I wouldn’t say he blasted anyone
January 19th, 2026 at 9:18 am
Agree…He good.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:22 am
We need more John Lynch’s
January 19th, 2026 at 9:23 am
I miss Suh, forearm shivered people into the afterlife.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:24 am
I’m with @ModHairKen, the defense never flies around and tackles. Bowles’ tackling drills have his players wearing straight jackets so they don’t wrap up. In rounds 1-3 Licht AND Bowles consistently reach for defensive players and then Bowles can’t coach them. Interestingly, Braswell was picked right where most draft boards had him, but Bowles doesn’t value edge rush and Braswell isn’t coached.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:25 am
On the plus side we don’t have stroud as our qb, oof, I’d take jaboo over him
January 19th, 2026 at 9:25 am
I’ll say it Joe, they’re SOFT! There’s very little to deter teams from going over the middle. Our DBs play too far off and nobody is there to “greet” receivers who do come down with the ball.
And pass rush?! Man, please!
As stated above, it’s coaching and scouting. They better be loading up on defense in this draft. LBs are uninspiring, we have no pass rush, and our “best DB” is injured about every 3rd play!
January 19th, 2026 at 9:32 am
This weekend playoff games highlighted why they were in the hunt of the Super bowl. Watch the play of the Bucs defense after the bye week and how they played you have the answer.
Todd you have the formula to get the Bucs back to the 2020 Bucs. Just the yellow brick road and off you go.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:34 am
Bills just fired Mcdermott wooow
January 19th, 2026 at 9:36 am
Bills firing McDermott makes Bucs keeping TB make even less sense.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:40 am
Interview Sean McDermott for outside insight purposes. Not saying you got to hire him. Just see what he says and what ideas he has.
January 19th, 2026 at 9:45 am
I’m with @ModHairKen, the defense never flies around and tackles.
And I’m with Joe – haven’t seen hits and swarming to the ball in years.
I’d be interested in how those teams practice – how many walkthroughs a week?
January 19th, 2026 at 9:46 am
So you’re telling me Mcdermott and Harbaugh deserved to be fired but Bowels is allowed to keep his job? Explain this to me please…….Glazers and Licht are the problem!
January 19th, 2026 at 9:47 am
Yeah, you cannot coach aggression. And we appear to have very little.
January 19th, 2026 at 10:17 am
It all starts with attitude, and in the NFL, it has to be a killer attitude. The Bucs don’t have it, and it’s a reflection of its leader. Bowles is a dud. Please fire him.
January 19th, 2026 at 10:21 am
We don’t have any young players on defense trying to create a legacy, their primary focus is getting to their next contract and once they get paid, the quality of their play drops off. We need guys that are legitimately trying to win championships. That’s what brought Suh, Gronk, Fournette, etc here when Brady signed. We had vets that wanted to cement their legacy. These guys are just going through the motions on defense, there’s no genuine hunger to be the best, they just want a lifestyle that comes with being a pro athlete. Unfortunately Bowles has allowed that mentality to saturate the defense and it sabotaged our season.
January 19th, 2026 at 10:27 am
Anyone who has played or coached will tell you the number one reason a player or team is not aggressive and playing fast is because they are thinking too much. Whether it is because the scheme is too rigid and does not fit a player’s strengths or the coaches are not doing a good enough job coaching/teaching it.
As a coach I would tell all of my assistants “don’t tell me what a player can’t do when it is our job to find out what they can do and coach/scheme accordingly.” Obviously this was not on a pro level but a sliver of it still applies to NFL. This team has a very serious coaching problem and I think the only reason why a change hasn’t been made is because ownership knew of all the teams that would be looking for a HC this offseason.
As Joe likes to reference “silence leads to speculation” I think not hearing anything from the Glazers speaks volumes about their confidence in the staff.
January 19th, 2026 at 10:28 am
There aren’t any nice ways to say it. The pass defense has been offensive. They would be good if they could cover, tackle, and generate a pass rush. Can’t do any of those things.
January 19th, 2026 at 10:37 am
Even if David retires? Bucs should not resign him for sentimental reasons he’s no good anymore too old time to move on. Resigning aging players is not the way to get better.
January 19th, 2026 at 10:44 am
You don’t want to teach huge hits, you want to be under control with the proper angle and wrap and squeeze. Derrick Brooks wasn’t known for huge hits, he was a master of technique. A huge hit on a quarterback or receiver and it’s a 15 yards penalty. No more driving the helmet through the ball carrier. Can’t hip drop, etc. the NFL might as well go to rugby rules. Tackling sucks because teams are not allowed to have many padded practices. Here is the practice rules for all teams.
NFLPA rules for practice.
a) During the regular season, padded practices for all players shall be limited to a total of fourteen, eleven of which must be held during the first eleven weeks of the regular season, and three of which must be held during the remaining six weeks of the regular season. The Club may choose the days of the week on which such practices shall be held. Subject to the foregoing rules, each Club may hold two padded practices during the same week during one week of the regular season, provided that such week falls within the first eleven weeks of the regular season.
January 19th, 2026 at 11:16 am
When your best LB is 35-36 years old you don’t have great LBs. LVD was great but Father Time can’t be beaten. Remember the DC /HC said they were deep LB before the season started. There is nobody left to fear on this D other than Tykee
and occasionally Vea.
January 19th, 2026 at 11:27 am
So true Joe.