“Keeps A Standard”
May 19th, 2026
New Bucs inside linebacker Alex Anzalone.
Is it possible the Bucs will be better off without Mike Evans and Lavonte David?
They’re legends, but they were not last season.
It’s a great debate. Evans, if used properly, most likely could have been ridden to the playoffs last year and perhaps beyond a first-round game. Under the bus you go, Josh Grizzard!
David loafed here and there, he admitted recently, and was disgusted by the player he had become last season. So he hung up his cleats. That has Joe wondering how effective or ineffective David was in his role as leader of the Bucs defense. One could argue easily that the defense regressed a step last season.
On NFL Network today, retired linebacker Jason Cabinda was a guest panelist and Joe perked up because Cabinda spent a few years on the Lions with new Bucs linebacker Alex Anzalone, the five-year Lions captain.
Cabinda was talking Bucs and said he thinks the big X-factor of the 2026 Bucs is leadership after losing Evans and David.
Leadership, per Cabinda, “kind of goes under the rug” in the minds of NFL fans but he says it’s critical to team success. Cabinda isn’t worried about Tampa Bay because the team added Anzalone and he believes his former college teammate, Chris Godwin, will take over Evans’ locker room voice.
On Anzalone, Cabinda said he “does the right thing at all times and keeps a standard.”
That word “standard” really resonated at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters. Did the Bucs defense have a standard last season. It didn’t look that way.
May 19th, 2026 at 2:41 pm
Joe … ‘One could argue easily that the defense regressed a step last season.’
It must’ve been really tough to keep from laughing as you wrote that Joe.
May 19th, 2026 at 2:44 pm
I think our defense will be better this year. Several new faces bring that old-fashioned can of whoop ass with them. I’m not a violent person but I do enjoy a smack you in the face defense. I’m hoping Hurst will come around and produce some quality catches. If he does half of what Evans could do I’d say we will be ok.
May 19th, 2026 at 2:50 pm
Joe … ‘Leadership, per Cabinda, “kind of goes under the rug” in the minds of NFL fans but he says it’s critical to team success.’
Cabinda is making a great point there, especially if he’s focusing on mostly on-field leadership. Coaches can only do so much from the sidelines, and having great field leadership is huge IMO. Guys like Brooks & Jensen & Suh are solid evidence of that far as I’m concened.
May 19th, 2026 at 2:50 pm
“Is it possible the Bucs will be better off without Mike Evans and Lavonte David?” One word, yes.
May 19th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
Our Super Bowl teams had players that held themselves and others to very high standards. Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, Brady, Suh, JPP, to name a few. Leadership is underrated at Joe Bucs Fan HQ, IMHO. Hopefully, we have leaders now and the results will prove it. Then maybe the Joe(s) will agree with WillieG.
May 19th, 2026 at 2:55 pm
Anzalone with be a great addition…as will Robinson
now if we can get a veteran CB with the same or equal type of leadership qualities, we may be cooking with gas on defense lol
GO BUCS!!!!
May 19th, 2026 at 2:59 pm
DaveBucsFan … ‘If he does half of what Evans could do I’d say we will be ok’.
If rookie Hurst does half of what rookie Evans did I’d be ecstatic. Mike Evans got 12 TDs in his rookie season. I’d gladly settle for 6 TDs from our #4 or #5 WR.
May 19th, 2026 at 3:05 pm
Yes, finally even David admitted it was time to move on. Evans was injured last year playing really hard aggressive football. He was knocked out and broke his collar bone. I believe he has 2 solid years left and will prove that in SF. With that said the team had to move on sooner or later and Evans just shortened the time line. We as fans must get over it. The Bucs made bad personnel changes he saw it and said I must leave. Anyway yes the Bucs have Godwin and Anzalone who can fill that and some of the new guys will begin to make it their team. Again the huge problem that exists is not the departure of Evans and David. The huge elephant is the CB position which is in big trouble. We were told Dennis could cover the LB position. That appears to have been a huge mistake. Likewise if McColumn and Morrison are not replaced we will likely see that is a huge mistake.
May 19th, 2026 at 3:15 pm
I’m sure all those guys with 1 year contracts will be heavily invested in leadership roles.
May 19th, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Its a better team both sides of the ball
May 19th, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Yes we are better off. LVD was a shell of his prime time self and while ME was okay last season I doubt he will be any better this season and most likely miss several games. Anzalone is a significant upgrade from 2026 LVD. I think Godwin, JMac and EE will thrive without the shadow of ME13 over them. Baker can distribute the ball around at will while not thinking about ME13 1000 yards or keeping him happy.
May 19th, 2026 at 3:22 pm
This defense is looking good not worried about the cb positions as the revamped dline is going to make that back half look a lot better then it has for a while most likely we will less exotic blitzes with the pressure the dline is going to bring which will leave less players hanging out to dry cuz Todd isnt doing that every other play because he is actually getting pressure from the dline
May 19th, 2026 at 3:45 pm
Isn’t it up to the head coach to set and enforce the standard ?
May 19th, 2026 at 3:54 pm
Steve V. Says: Says:
May 19th, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Its a better team both sides of the ball
—————-
True bro. Hard to understand why everybody can’t see that.
CLEAR upgrades @ D-line, ILB, OLB, and offensive coordinator.
Arguably better @ WR and RB.
Questions remain (CBs mainly) but we absolutely have a way more talented squad than 2025.
We’re going to need good Baker to show up this season but I’m pretty confident Zac is the guy to help him excel.
May 19th, 2026 at 4:03 pm
The team has more talent, and the special teams coach seems like an enormous upgrade. Special Teams lost the Bucs two games last year(Buffalo and Philadelphia) and should have lost the Bucs the Texans game too.
Unfortunately, the Bucs have the same head coach. To win a Super Bowl you need elite coaching and the Bucs clearly do not have an elite head coach.
May 19th, 2026 at 4:15 pm
@Defense Rules,
Yeah, I wasn’t aware of the exact TD count. If Hurst can cause some of the attention to focus on him and get 4 or 6 TD’s, I’d be happy too!
May 19th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
Joe,
– The Bucs ILBs each played about 57% of their snaps in pass coverage in 2025.
– The Bucs ILBs were the 69th and 84th ranked coverage linebackers out of 88 graded, and it only takes 64 to man 32 teams.
– The Bucs ILBs allowed Passer Ratings Against of 132.4 and 114.9
– The Bucs ILBs misses 19 and 14 tackles respectively.
As awful as the Bucs were at ILB in 2024, the HC and GM elected to pass on two ILBs who were rookie of the year prospects, choosing instead to play the season with two gaping holes at ILB in order to make a luxury draft pick at WR. The Bucs didn’t even take a shot on any of the 2nd, 3rd or 4th round ILBs in 2025. They just chose toe ride with a repeat of 2024.
What kind of leadership and what kind of standard for the rest of the defense could possibly have made up for that gaping hole at ILB???
I don’t understand the Trotter pick – Hill produced a lot more at Texas every year than Trotter did, and Hill is a bigger, better athlete and a bit younger.
But, at least Trotter and Anzalone should plug the gaping hole at ILB. If Trotter can cover worth a dam, ILB could even be a strength this year. But, there is still a perilous lack of proven depth at the ILB position.
And, CB remains unproven position with Dean gone.
But, now that the Bucs have better talent on the field almost all around the defense, leadership and a high standards can certainly make a significant difference this year that I don’t see how it could possibly have made last year.
May 19th, 2026 at 4:52 pm
I don’t think that the Bucs are better on the field without Evans even with the addition of Hurst and Sharp, and my sleeper hope Fletcher.
But, financially, the Bucs will have more flexibility with Evans gone – if they use that financial flexibility well enough, they will should come out ahead in that sense. for several seasons.
The Bucs beat Seattle and the 49ers last season even with the gaping holes at ILB and the flood of injuries on offense.
If the offensive players come back at 100%, if team health is near the midline of NFL historical norms, with the addition of Bain, Anazalone, Robinson, Gainwell, Trotter, Muhammad, Scott, Sharp, and if Morrison and Walker at 100%, the talent is on the field to make a real Super Bowl run.
If the play offensive calling is on par with 2024, the Bucs should be a team to be feared.
May 19th, 2026 at 5:29 pm
Learn something new every day. I didn’t know he was a captain for 5 years with the Lions. Not too shabby. Good article.
May 19th, 2026 at 6:56 pm
Dean will not be missed. He’s too passive n fragile. Eight years in the league he still play the game as if he’s a rookie. At 6’1 206 lbs 4.3 forty his vertical leap during game time is poor, his tackling for a player his size is below average, n his speed is useless. Oh yeah, playing at full speed puts him at risk of injury.
May 19th, 2026 at 8:34 pm
A burnt out leader is worse than nothing, because people will still follow.
May 19th, 2026 at 10:19 pm
In 2025, Dean had a Passer Rating Against of 46.9.
In 2024, he did not surrender a touchdown all season in 741 coverage snaps.
Maybe Morrison delivers on the “elite” now that he is finally healthy hype coming from 1 Bucs Place. But, the smart money is probably that Dean will be missed – at least for 741 snaps he would have played out of the thousand odd coverage snaps in a season.