The Idiocy Of OLBs Covering Passing Targets Blew Up (Again)
December 12th, 2025
Look, Joe fully understands that every team, on occasion, will have a defensive lineman drop into coverage. This is nothing new.
Shoot, one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history (which took place in the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway) was a linebacker dropping back from the line into coverage, James Harrison for the Steelers, and he picked off a Kurt Warner pass for a 99-yard pick six that proved to be the difference in the game. That was in 2009.
But this wild notion that an outside linebacker in a 34 defense needs to cover receivers (or tight ends) rather than getting after the quarterback, well, Joe never heard of such a thing and still believes it is an act of heresy.
Thursday night, it reared its ugly head. Again.
In a key third down for Atlanta in the second half, Chris Braswell shocked Bucs fans, alright. He covered Kyle Pitts who was in the midst of a career night. (Gee, an offensive player having a career night against a Todd Bowles defense? Can you imagine?)
Predictably, Pitts caught the pass and moved the chains. The Dixie Chicks would score on that possession.
Joe can understand seeing an outside linebacker dropping into pass coverage two, three, maybe a half-dozen times max a game. You want to throw the offense a curveball.
But damn near every set of downs is way over the top. Does anyone on the coaching staff or someone at One Buc Palace ever walk up to Bowles in a meeting and say, “You know, Todd, we might be able to get off the field quicker if we used outside linebackers to get after the quarterback and used are better athletes to cover receivers”
Anyone? No one? Bueller?
Because this just in: IT AIN’T WORKING!
December 12th, 2025 at 1:36 am
Yep! Genius todd….well, he’ll be gone soon, thankfully.
December 12th, 2025 at 1:43 am
Genius
December 12th, 2025 at 1:46 am
I feel better about this team now than I did before the game. Anyone see Mikes eyes on the sidelines end of game? Godwin is almost as good as Mike. JMac and Egbuka are naturals. 10 days from now we will look like a different football team. The defense should never be put in a position to lose that game. That’s on Baker. So we lost and got better? Yes, and alot better.
December 12th, 2025 at 1:49 am
Third and 28, then 4th and 14. We all knew Bowles would go soft zone. All of us, I knew it, the Joes knew it, the American people knew it. And he did it after having success bringing extra pressure to get to third and 28 in the first place. It was so predictable and so illogical. And it cost the Bucs the game. It is so ironic too, because the worst call of Bowles career was the zero blitz against the Rams in the playoff game. It is almost like that experience made him incapable of bringing a blitz in the key moment of a football game going forward. No excuse for the soft zone on those two plays.
December 12th, 2025 at 1:50 am
When you’re a defensive HC and your defense is terrible year after year with no signs of improvement or progress, you have to be replaced eventually.
And that time has come.
We need an Offensive HC and a new defensive scheme.
December 12th, 2025 at 1:50 am
Am I the only one that thought Bowels should have been fired after the playoff loss to the Rams? And then following the 8-9 season with Brady at quarterback? Then after the playoff loss to the Lions when he squandered a time out the lied about the reason for it? And now we are all assuming this season is the final nail in the coffin.
Is it really?
December 12th, 2025 at 1:52 am
The Glazers need to have someone in their media department put together a string of these explosive plays caused by Bowles using edge rushers and lineman to cover when the y grill him during his exit interview. The guy is as stubborn as Lovie Smith and will leave One Buc Palace, just like Lovie, a losing head coach. I know us fans will have to endure three more bad defensive performances before the season is over but could Santa give us fans a present. Can Todd resign in disgust?????? Do we have to wait until Black Monday to hear of the launching of Todd Bowles???????
December 12th, 2025 at 1:53 am
Yeah Mike was yelling something at Todd, go rewatch that one, i was laughing and shaking my head….Big Mike knows!!!
December 12th, 2025 at 1:54 am
Kenton Smith,
I’ll bet you that we lose AT LEAST 2 out of these last 3 games…
December 12th, 2025 at 1:55 am
It is Time. Enough with this Defensive scheme madness !
December 12th, 2025 at 1:56 am
I’m just waiting for the day when we have the secondary line up as DEs & DTs to go up against 300 lb. OL.
December 12th, 2025 at 1:57 am
I’m just waiting for the day when we have the secondary line up as DEs & DTs to go up against 300 lb. OL.
December 12th, 2025 at 2:09 am
He is a Guru. The opponents do not follow his lead. It is their fault they win. We should throw our Guru in the Bay.
December 12th, 2025 at 2:12 am
We need to go to the simple Tampa 2 defemse….Plug in some good players…etc
December 12th, 2025 at 2:26 am
Do Not Panic! This is planned out at Bowzo HQ. THIS was the Bowzo game plan. The players did their jobs perfect. The Bowzo Regime has this under control.
December 12th, 2025 at 2:46 am
Jose Rimeriz was on the practice squad a few years with a lot of hype about how well he gets after the QB and created havoc in the backfield. Todd said he doesn’t play because it was the only thing he did excellent. It’s just like my job, handymen are good, but having qualified technicians for specific tasks makes all the difference.
December 12th, 2025 at 3:20 am
isn’t this same defense that won a Super Bowl? it is. do you see talent at linebacker? because I don’t. not even close…. well ok close. Lavonte David … but he’s a shell of himself. no one is playing at Whites level that year.. go get some linebackers and the defense will be respectable. how many RBs carve us up with pass?
December 12th, 2025 at 3:40 am
Well apparently it doesn’t need to be coached better. Bowles said so in the presser. Nothing more the coaches can do, players just have to execute.
The execution has been horrendous but man has the coaching been awful as well. Nothing left for the coaches to do Todd? Walk the plank.
December 12th, 2025 at 3:52 am
Worst scheme and worst coach in the nfl
December 12th, 2025 at 3:55 am
That filthy fat ‘mastermind’ needs to pack his bags. NOW!
December 12th, 2025 at 4:10 am
Watch a video on how a 3-4 defense works. It’s very enlightening. If you wanna rush 4, that typically means one of your LB’s is in coverage. Simple as that.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:31 am
You know who looks like absolute fools right now? The Glazers.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:53 am
BucU, yeah, the Glazers put their trust in Todd and thus let Liam got across state. Granted, Coen burned a lot of bridges when he went silent after getting a huge raise but in retrospect he looks like a genius. Hey Joes, did Kacy Rodgers say anything before he bolted for Detroit, maybe he knew Bowles D was a house of cards with locker room issues before everyone else, so he jumped ship.
December 12th, 2025 at 7:03 am
Do the math Jose. If both LB are rushing the QB then we are sending five guys in and leaving only 6 in coverage. We pretty much have one OLB rushing and one dropping every play unless we are blitzing.
I don’t think that’s the problem. The problem is that this is the easiest defense to decipher in the entire NFL (college too probably).
December 12th, 2025 at 7:50 am
Using Braswell to cover Pitts wasn’t the worst of it. Maybe Braswell would’ve had a slim chance covering him if he lined up with him. No, Brazz had to fake he was pass rushing first, before he could follow Pitts who was in motion. Oh how tricky. Never had a chance, got out leveraged with his own fake rush. Clean house. Start today fire Bowles.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:03 am
I honestly believe Todd Bowles has a very low IQ. His refusal to change anything is proof. This loss is 100% on Bowles.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:20 am
To be fair Joe, Pitts has not been properly utilized. He was stuck with Artie Smith and Zac Robinson from the McVay tree of coaching doesn’t utilize the tight ends as well. He goes anywhere that actually uses him properly, he’d be a star.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:56 am
Bosch Says:
December 12th, 2025 at 1:50 am
Am I the only one that thought Bowels should have been fired after the playoff loss to the Rams? And then following the 8-9 season with Brady at quarterback? Then after the playoff loss to the Lions when he squandered a time out the lied about the reason for it? And now we are all assuming this season is the final nail in the coffin.
Is it really?
————–
There have been multiple times when he cost this team a game. This is just the most recent one. Hopefully it’s one of the last ones, but I doubt it.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:02 am
Can we just say hike and park someone with some twitchy reaction in the middle of field for the sake of everyone else
December 12th, 2025 at 9:04 am
New idea can we pick Kyle Pitts up after the season he would be able to come in the locker room and call everyone out and tell them what they do wrong in coverage…
December 12th, 2025 at 9:39 am
This team WILL NOT win again this year, the players know they aren’t winning the division and there will be no playoffs why risk getting hurt going into the off season.
What i simply cant understand is why Blows keeps blaming the players. HE IS THE COACH!!!!!!! He is responsible for everything they do or dont do. When he blames the players he is telling the world that he is not a leader he has no discipline and there is no accountability all of that rest on his shoulders
December 12th, 2025 at 9:47 am
The definition of idiocy is to repeat whatever you are doing and expect different results..Todd Bowles fits that definition.
If the Bucs keep Bowles than they are also the definition of stupidity. Being patient with a team has limits. How long will the Bucs organization
We are about witness this in the coming weeks.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:54 am
Joe it sounds like you are describing the definition of stupidity. It’s been going on for the past couple of seasons.
There’s no sign of anything changing. If nothing changes and ownership and management do nothing than we have our answer in their decision.
December 12th, 2025 at 10:39 am
THERE IS A REASON why the position is named “Outside Linebacker” and NOT “Defensive End”. Yes, OLB’s are expected to cover TE and RB at times. This is not unusual, nor is it a crime.
The fact that our OLB’s are SO BAD at it is a problem. And that the other 4-5 linemen rushing seem unable to get sacks is a problem. Atlanta had some of their D-line getting to Baker’s drop spot as fast as he did… didn’t slow them up AT ALL. But our O-line is apparently incapable of that – at least the backups are.
December 12th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
Hopefully the Bucs are already looking at other teams for a “real” defensive genius. There are some real solid coaches out there that could make this defense play like it should. It would be great if we could get a Tony Dungy type, someone who is an excellent teacher.
December 12th, 2025 at 2:57 pm
Been a fan since 1976. I have given Todd Bowles a pass several times being that he was suppose to be this defensive guru. Third & fricking 28 & Atlanta manages to get a 1st down 🤬, are you fricking kidding me 🤬 I like Baker’s competitiveness but he tends to hold the ball to long at times. Then he throws a bad pic & we’re all screaming who the hell are you throwing the ball to 🫴 Still a BUCS Fan, not sorry for the rant guys. BOWLES still has to go 🦜🏴☠️🏈
December 12th, 2025 at 3:17 pm
I vividly recall the play described in the article, and could only laugh at how silly it looked, having Braswell, take off after Pitts. Braswell to me is just the slowest, most boring player on the defense
December 13th, 2025 at 4:06 pm
AMEN! Vita is in the top 3 for linemen dropping into coverage! WTF! Hey tGhat’s a defensive GURU for ya! He’s got to go! Look at our defense rankings the last 5 years!