Tackling Nightmares Haven’t Stopped
January 1st, 2026
A year ago, the Bucs were not a good tackling team.
They still aren’t. Make that Exhibit 9B why head coach Todd Bowles has failed this season.
Why aren’t the Bucs a hair-on-fire group of sharp tacklers? It’s not all on the players, though Joe realizes much of it is. A big part of tackling is “want-to” and focus. Not enough Bucs have that. And the Bucs’ on-field leadership has failed miserably this season.
Hall of Fame cornerback Rondé Barber sounds like a man who can’t take watching the subpar tackling any longer.
“The biggest fundamental that our team, this team, and I don’t know how you fix it in a week, is tackling,” Barber said this week on the WFLA streaming show that bears his name.
“There’s so many missed tackles in crucial situations early in games. If I am coaching, I’m doing a tackle drill every day this week.”
It’s January and the Bucs can’t tackle yet.
January 1st, 2026 at 9:27 am
Certainly the Glazers don’t tolerate this level of ineptitude anymore. Bowles and his staff, (specifically looking at you Thomas McGaughey) need to go.
January 1st, 2026 at 9:29 am
Unacceptable.
January 1st, 2026 at 9:30 am
One thing that would help the tackling is if everyone was swarming to the ball. Instead it seems like every tackler is one on one with the ball carrier.
January 1st, 2026 at 9:34 am
Bucs are bad tacklers, poor on pass coverage, and weak pass rushers. One of the most consistently bad defenses I have ever seen. Unusual with a defensive genius for DC and HC. It’s Baker’s fault.
January 1st, 2026 at 9:40 am
Bucs defenders were bouncing off maiami players like pee wee players would be off high schoolers. Was appalling to watch. The entire defense needs to be rebuilt besides a handful of players. See ya todd. Meanwhile Coen going to win coach of the year.
January 1st, 2026 at 9:46 am
Case in point. After the Jaylen McMillan interception he just stood there. All he had to do was tap out the Miami defender while he was on the ground. But no “tackle”. Let’s give Miami another 20 free yards. How do you fix that?
January 1st, 2026 at 9:46 am
They couldn’t tackle when they were drafted
So why expect them to all of a sudden to start tackling?
The single play I’m gonna talk about is one of Antoine Winfield
The Bucs were leading Houston late, and CJ handed the ball off to Nick Chubb
Chubby broke free up the middle untouched, Winfield had the angle
Chubby didn’t see Winfield, but Winfield let up and Chubb walked in
And all these Gullible Bucs fans were saying it were a smart play
Smart move by Winfield to let Chubb score
But Winfield gave up/ quit on the play
He had the angle, and Chubb didn’t see him
If that was Jesse Bates he would have punched the ball out
But Winfield didn’t make any contact, no effort
January 1st, 2026 at 9:49 am
Hallelujah…hallelujah…hallelujah!!!
It is about time that tackling–or the absence thereof–became a discussion topic! This has been a pet peeve of mine for several years now. Sometime in the recent past, defensive backs decided NOT TO TACKLE WITH THEIR ARMS !!!???!!! The new “style” of tackling was TORPEDO style… Leading with their helmet or shoulder–with arms by their sides–and LAUNCHING into the ball carrier. And this “style” has produced some laughable blooper-worthy WHIFFS!!! Like a submarine torpedo that misses its mark, they fly on by.
Is it a cool/macho maneuver to use no arms? There is no other explanation to not using your arms to WRAP the ball carrier. Because I can’t remember the last time that a DB incurred a shoulder or arm injury executing a tackle. I’m sure it’s happened. But really?!? And our clueless Head Coach (and impotent Defensive Coordinator) can’t seem to fix it! I think the Glazer family could tackle better than some of our DBs!?!
January 1st, 2026 at 9:50 am
Ummmm, Schefty just called us the worst team in the NFC th last 6 weeks. Literally just now. We are a national embarrassment
January 1st, 2026 at 9:52 am
This isn’t a new problem. It’s been a problem since Bowles took over as head coach. Bowles clearly can’t do both. He is to loyal to his coaches even when he knows they are causing his ship to sink. I for one is definitely ready for a new coach and better players
January 1st, 2026 at 9:52 am
Go watch USF’s loss in their bowl game, and you will see that ‘hitting’ instead of tackling is being tolerated at the college level. It sends poorly coached players to the next level. If the NFL coaches do not ‘coach’ out those bad habits, then they are destined to be losers. And here we are.
January 1st, 2026 at 10:00 am
First off my father was a football 🏈 head coach.. back in the day when you could do everything on a football field. Probably more than half of the things I learned on the football 🏈 field you can’t do anymore 😞 the problem with these players when it comes to tackling is that they’re get fake out by the players they’re tackling.. they’re looking 👀 at the WHOLE body of that player, instead of just focusing on the belly button , that’s right the midsection of the player body, and if you do that you don’t miss many tackles, because where the midsection of your body goes the rest of your body goes🏈🤔 that’s where the head,shoulder,arms,and most importantly the legs 🦵 goes so Concentrate on the midsection And you will become a better tackler that’s simple🏈❤️😊
January 1st, 2026 at 10:03 am
Old high school fix, if you’re scared to tackle in games, you will have to do it over and over again until you’re not scared anymore (or just sick of having to do it in practice). Then, if they leave games “hurt” as the secondary often does, you put pay incentives based on games played. That will make men out of our pansy, scared secondary (minus Winfield whose just fat and lazy from all his money).
January 1st, 2026 at 10:05 am
Biggest Disappointment: AWJ
He simply stopped hustling, poor over the top support, and I never see him helping rookies get in position or firing anyone up. What is the criteria for getting a “C” on your jersey? It must coincide with your fat paycheck. Maybe AWJ’s agent should wear a “C” on his sport coat
January 1st, 2026 at 10:08 am
Thank you Harold, not that hard a thing to do and learn. Looking at the bad angles also is a problem.
January 1st, 2026 at 10:10 am
Poor tackling teams are poorly coached teams.
January 1st, 2026 at 10:10 am
Watched the Miami/ OSU game last night. The Miami D is what one should expect to play like. Like that Bain young man, and a few others. Also a few from OSU
January 1st, 2026 at 10:21 am
Yes, I have been asking for awhile, why can’t the Bucs tackle. Yes a problem last year and a bigger problem this year. Definately coaching. If you demand your players to tackle and then work on it until they get it it will come. However, sometimes it hard to tackle when no one is even close to the ball carrier. This year that is often the case. The opposing teams running in completely empty space. As a fan watching it is definately hard to watch.
January 1st, 2026 at 10:54 am
Here’s a guy who knows how to tackle, Sonny Styles Ohio state. Over 75 tackles without a miss.
January 1st, 2026 at 10:55 am
That falls on coaching 100%
January 1st, 2026 at 10:57 am
Tackling has been a problem for years because Bowles doesn’t coach it yet he complains about it.
January 1st, 2026 at 11:06 am
Leadership is the principle missing factor. AWJ is selfish, Smith is stubborn, Bowles is lost…
Knuck if Buc
January 1st, 2026 at 11:09 am
Should have given Izien more play time. He was the best in tackling, was vocal.in the backfield. He missed a few plays this season true but hadn’t gotten any playing time until the last two games. Shame on Bowles. He ruined the season.
Knuck if Buc
January 1st, 2026 at 11:11 am
Bucs talent is below average. Fault is GM/HC/DC Time to change them all out.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Lack of tackling often comes down to grit and wanting to actually win. This team has lost its urge to win and I feel Bowles has lost the locker room. We need more than 3 good players on defense. I love Vita and Winfield but honestly Lavonne David is the only leader on the team. There needs to be more leaders to unify this defense.
Offensively, Baker had plenty of time to throw against Miami and still through 2 picks. Every QB has a bad game like Stafford did recently. It’s not the end of the world for him but if he doesn’t start to act like weeks 1-6 I’m going to start doubting him. I still believe in Baker.
We need a Micah Parsons-like player on the Dline
January 1st, 2026 at 1:27 pm
Bad tackling and bad special teams are the hallmarks of bad coaching.
January 1st, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Exhibit A: Devin Culp whiffing on 44 yard kick return
January 1st, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Case in point is the (cough) attempted tackle by Hassan Reddick for about a two yard gain in the Miami game. Reddick tried to block the running back down instead of wrapping up. The running back of course just bounced off and got several more yards. That kind of attempted tackling seems to happen about every third play. You can’t be a good defense unless you tackle. We can’t.
January 1st, 2026 at 2:23 pm
Bowles should be fired, yes. But blaming him for tackling issues is wee-tard-did. These are grown men. You dont have to tell them how to tackle. It’s on them to be professional players. We need a full draft of new line backers and d line.