Surprising Defensive Stat (And Not In A Good Way)
September 26th, 2026
Leaky secondary.
And here Joe thought the Bucs’ secondary was playing well.
Joe was in the press box at Mike Brown Stadium in Cincinnati for Week 1. Joe fully expected Joe Burrow to go crazy and Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would light up Bucs cornerbacks like a Roman candle on Fourth of July. But in fact, those two home run hitters hardly did anything.
The Bucs’ secondary held the best one-two punch in the NFL to 72 yards receiving, total, and no touchdowns.
That’s damn good defense.
But it appears Joe was fooled. Badly. The Bucs are giving up completions like Halloween candy, as documented by Kevin Seifert of ESPN.
The [Vikings’] run game is weakened by multiple injuries in the backfield, and the Vikings are hoping to exploit a Buccaneers defense that has allowed opponents to complete 75.4% of its passes, the second-worst mark.
This makes Joe rethink how the secondary has been playing. Bad enough the Bucs can’t get quarterbacks on the ground — what the hell is new? — bad enough the defensive front is getting pushed around like they’re in a mosh pit.
Bad enough the whiffs from Alex Anzalone were so bad Sunday that Joe felt the breeze all the way up in the enclosed press box.
Now it seems quarterbacks are having their way with the secondary.
Fun times in Tampa Bay!
September 26th, 2026 at 10:07 am
10 yard cushions and too much zone. DEs dropping into coverage.
Bad scheme. Bad players. Bad coaching.
0-3
September 26th, 2026 at 10:22 am
Ughhh Bucs corners for as long as Bowles has been a Buc have given 10 yard cushion, it is all part of Bowles zone scheme. It seems to be a feature of the defense. Unfortunately the Bucs cannot tackle anymore. So slants and short passes are touchdowns.
September 26th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Idk what yall expected with this team. Bowles defense is bad baker is average and licht is incompetent, and some of yall actually thought we would win 11+ games. Smh
September 26th, 2026 at 10:40 am
Not sure Licht is the problem. We have seen what good coaching and quarterback play can do for a team constructed by Licht. Its hard to see what we have with the roster when the coaching is this bad. Honestly, I am holding judgment on players like Bain until we get some competent coaching! I mean what edge player has Bowles ever coached up!?
September 26th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Yes its always been that bad. Keep em in front of you then tackle them bowles tries. Unfortunately they pick up a first down before someone misses the tackle. Must be the assistant coaches that are no good. Cant be bowles
September 26th, 2026 at 10:48 am
The impotent pass rush is the bigger problem. With no pass rush, even poor QBs can complete passes.
September 26th, 2026 at 10:52 am
Combo of a terrible scheme, zero pass rush, poor coaching. Add to the fact that they can not tackle = recipe for a BAD defense. I fully anticipate, Kyler looking like Lamar, and JJ, Addison, and Hockenson running wild in our secondary.
Thank you Team Glazer.
September 26th, 2026 at 10:57 am
O-17 is very realistic
If we go 0-3
Snowball effect on the rise
MIKE TOMLIN 27′
September 26th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Giving up high completion percentages is a true trademark of a Bowels defense. That’s why second and third tier QBs consistently have career performances against the Bucs defense.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:06 am
Does this surprise you guys?
Corners are 6 yards off the receiver on 3rd and short. I think what pains me the most about the Todd Bowles experience the most is that we could’ve had Liam Coen as head coach. They should’ve canned Bowles and promoted Coen.
If they can him for another old school defensive head coach (Tomlin or McDermott) I might lose it.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:12 am
Mike Tomlin?
Why?
He hasn’t done better than our current beloved Toad since he lost Big Ben…
No spank you.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:14 am
When you make a statement like they shut down Chase, and Higgins, I think you might be as delusional as Bowles. The reality is they easily beat us without needing their star receivers. That’s the sad truth about this sas team.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:29 am
Joe—
Longtime reader and Tampa native here. I thought you might find this BBC story on Manchester United and the Glazers interesting, particularly with another major Raymond James Stadium renovation now being discussed:
[Sorry Doctor, no links in the comments. Joe honestly doesn’t give two whips about the Glazers’ Euro kickball team. And since there is a salary floor along with a cap, and the NFL (and its teams) make insane amount of money from TV revenue, Joe doesn’t think the kickball team is supporting the football team or vice versa. Joe’s only worried about the NFL team the Glazers own and it’s hard for Joe to suggest the NFL team losing has any connection whatsoever with the Euro kick ball team or vice versa. Joe doesn’t know anyone with the Bucs who is underpaid. Overpaid? Sure. As far as a BBC article, the British press HATE the Glazers. So Joe is suspect the article is fair and objective. And Joe is pro-stadium (both Bucs and Rays) and Joe is also a capitalist. Joe has zero issue with people making money. — Joe]
The Manchester story got me thinking about a potentially interesting Bucs angle. The circumstances are obviously different, but there is a common economic question: how much of the capital supporting a rapidly appreciating sports franchise is ultimately borne by the owners versus someone else’s balance sheet?
At Manchester United, the Glazers’ leveraged acquisition put substantial debt onto the club, which subsequently paid enormous amounts in interest, dividends and related costs. In Tampa, the mechanism has been very different—but Raymond James Stadium was publicly financed, the original stadium agreement placed significant capital obligations on the public side, and public funding is again part of the discussion surrounding the next renovation.
I’m an economist rather than a sports reporter, and I don’t want to overstate the comparison. But I think there could be a fascinating Joe/Ira story in looking at the Glazers’ 30-year Tampa record: what taxpayers have put into Raymond James Stadium, what the Glazers have put in themselves, and how that compares with the enormous appreciation in the value of the Buccaneers since Malcolm Glazer bought the team in 1995.
The BBC story provides an interesting Manchester bookend—and perhaps a reason to ask those questions now, before the next stadium deal is done.
Thought I’d pass it along!
September 26th, 2026 at 11:37 am
Watched the replay on YouTube. The 10-15 yard routes were there. Bake hit many, just not enough critical, drive sustaining ones. The team , offensively, is close. You can tell when a good pass is coming. He hits that back foot quick and lets it fly with confidence , like a tell in poker. Hope to see that in abundance Sunday . The counter trap runs look good too. Bounce back begins tomorrow.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:44 am
Hodad: My thoughts precisely, the Bengals suckered the Bucs in to believing Chase and Higgins were going to be the main targets. In reality, they knew their big, slow tight end woud destroy the Bucs lame zone defense.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:45 am
I swear that I saw Burrow shot gunning a beer in the pocket before he threw a pass. He definitely did not work up a sweat. You’re right though about being worst in pass completion percentage.
The Bucs gave up 145 yards to Quinn Ewers in the first half!!!!!!!!! He wasn’t even active last week! So this is really just a continuation of last year.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:47 am
Bump and run!,bump and run! Bump and run!….please toilet Bowles the mastermind get out of your ways it’s clearly not working buddy
September 26th, 2026 at 11:59 am
Odeur de Bowls
September 26th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
And they are still ranked 11th in Total Defense
And they are ranked 4th in Run Defense
We need better production from our Putrid offense
September 26th, 2026 at 12:09 pm
Actually I feel today’s Bucs cb’s are leaps and bounds better than yesterday’s lawn-chair like duo of Davis and Dean. I do apologize and No disrespect to all new and used lawn chairs. If the Bucs would choose to cover the tight ends too, we’d be money.
But for some head scratching reason, opponents tight ends run freely wide open jumping up and down lalala waving their arms without a care in the world more times than not waiting patiently to be seen. What’s up with that?
September 26th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
3rd and 28
That’s on Todd Bowles and the Safeties
No one can’t tell me anything differently
It’s the Safeties responsibility to cover the TE
This fanbase keep saying it’s the ILB responsibility
Then they say it’s the ILB responsibility to cover the RBs also
But they are required to cover the TE, RB while they are in their zone
Then the Safety picks them up
The confusement comes when teams are running a 2 TE formation
The 2 ILBs can’t cover a RB and 2 TEs
That’s when you see a TE running downfield all alone
As was the case when Blake Whiteheart scored the winning TD for the Browns
September 26th, 2026 at 12:27 pm
Nice so these numbers are important opposing pass percentage and Baker Winstons pass percentage. Hmmm it’s a passing league but we don’t defend the pass enough not do we complete enough passes . It’s a coach it better Bucs life.
September 26th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
I’m anxious to see how Todd Bowles defend the Atlanta Falcons
2 moving TEs (Hooper and Pitts) and Bijan Robinson
And their WRs London, Branch, Dotson etc
The Falcons vs the Saints is a must watch game
September 26th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
It’s the same old thing with Bowles and it seems he’s ok with, because he keeps doing over and over. Giving the wrs free access and playing zone too often leave you vulnerable.
September 26th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Giving up underneath passes is what Bowles defense is built around.
September 26th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Lakeland. In red zone defense we should never be playing zone. There was no excuse whatsoever for that tight end game winner.
September 26th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
Joe I am surprised you are surprised. You Joes like Ira are knowledge. If you watched the pass 2 games and watched the corners they play extremely soft, keeping all In Front.
One Joe was surprised and one was not. Corners have been better, soft coverage and soft zone remain the same too often. Very evident on a key 3rd-and-3 against the Browns with Zyon offering up a six-yard cushion. –Joe This has not changed in a few years. This is scheme. With that said expect for Parrish our cbs are poor. I admit Morrison is improving but has a long way to go.The pass rush is soft which adds to the CB play. The result in Clev and Cinn they march up and down the field when needed moving the chains.
Then poor LB play in the middle only compounds the issue. The result a defense that does not stop any one.
Lastly maybe Cinn did not need to chance getting the ball to the WR when they had the TE running free all day. Think about it. TE feast in a Bowles D.
Proven
September 26th, 2026 at 2:03 pm
Fair enough, Joe—but I’d encourage you to widen the aperture a little. The point isn’t whether the Bucs subsidize Manchester United, whether players are adequately paid, or even whether the Glazers are good NFL owners.
The Bucs are also a major Tampa civic institution, playing in a stadium that taxpayers built and continue to support. With another potentially very large public investment in Raymond James being discussed, there’s a legitimate community question about how much taxpayers should contribute versus the owners of a franchise whose value has increased enormously since 1995.
That seems very much like a Bucs story. Stadium dollars have opportunity costs, and the eventual deal will affect Tampa and Hillsborough County long after the current roster and coaching staff are gone.
Manchester United is interesting because it raises a broader question about how the Glazers finance and extract value from sports assets. The mechanisms are different in Tampa, as I said originally. But looking at the Glazers’ 30-year record here—public dollars invested, private dollars invested, and the value created for both the franchise and the community—seems like exactly the kind of question an independent Bucs site could dig into.
I’ve followed the Bucs since growing up in Tampa. I care about the team, too. I just think caring about the Bucs can include caring about the community that has supported them.
September 26th, 2026 at 2:18 pm
Dr Says FIND ANOTHER SITE BRO… The Joes march to their own drumbeat, and more power to them.
September 26th, 2026 at 2:18 pm
No more drafting players who look like Sideshow Bob. Just saying.
September 26th, 2026 at 3:20 pm
The [Vikings’] run game is weakened by multiple injuries in the backfield, and the Vikings are hoping to exploit a Buccaneers defense that has allowed opponents to complete 75.4% of its passes, the second-worst mark.
———–
Baker is literally the worst QB in the NFL right now, and he’s completing 71% of his passes.
Passing percentage doesn’t mean much anymore – and it’s not like the Bucs opponents have been featuring their WRs.
September 26th, 2026 at 4:02 pm
This year, it’s not the secondary.
The greatest Cornerbacks who have ever lived, counldnt Cover WRs in Tampa.
Because if you can’t pressure the QB, you can’t cover the WRs.
Ifs as simple as it could possibly be.
The defense is horrible, BECAUSE WE CANT RUSH THE PASSER
Licht has had 4 years to build a pass rush. He thought it was a joke.
Rangy Gregory? Hassan Reddick? JTS?
That gets Licht fired
The offense sucks- BECAUSE WE CANT PASS BLOCK.
That, and our WRs are absolutely pathetic this year, and Godwin has quit on the team.
If those two huge problems aren’t crystal clear to you, when you are watching the games, then no amount of explanations wil, make you understand.
Just be like the other drunks who think they know the game.
Blame the QB, blame the CBs, and have another beer
September 26th, 2026 at 4:08 pm
When we turn this around, and we will, I wonder how long it will take for Munchestilhesblueintheface to forget the first 2 games of 2026? The answer is never.