Bucs Say “Violence” Has Been A Focus Of Offseason
April 15th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
Soft!
That a word that’s been associated with the Bucs defense for the last couple of years. Soft zone, soft tackling, soft, soft, soft. Of course, those are comparative statements. Compared to other NFL defenses, the Bucs have been in the box of softies. It doesn’t mean every player is weak and good play never happens.
Fixing the softness has been a focus of this Tampa Bay offseason. Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney made that clear on the recent In The Current video produced by the Buccaneers.
“One of things that we’ve been looking for is just we want to get back to being a bigger defense with more toughness, with more ‘violence,’ I think is a word we’ve thrown around a lot in the scouting department this offseason,” McCartney said. “We want to go back to being the bullies — on both sides of the ball, really.”
General manager Jason Licht echoed that take in the same video.
“We do want players who have a nasty edge to them, that will win at all closts. You know, bring some noise,” Licht said.
Later, McCartney was shown saying at a staff meeting that the Bucs don’t have to compromise team character principles to add nasty players. “I think we all know we need that,” he said.
Joe agrees and is grateful this has been a focus of the Bucs’ offseason to date — and hopefully into next week’s draft.
Fingers crossed that Dan Campbell screwed up.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:35 am
You are what you practice and how you practice it. You can’t have a chain saw massacre if you give your players leaf blowers.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:36 am
Iaone is a nasty dude who can block and open lanes at LG!
April 15th, 2026 at 11:45 am
Does this mean…. No more ice cream at training camp
I’m super happy about the new additions to the team during free agency
Now Licht need to follow it up with a great draft of physical players
April 15th, 2026 at 11:46 am
I’m expecting that’s what drew them to David Walker last year, because that’s his calling card on-field even if he’s a pretty mild mannered guy from what I’ve heard from him in interviews.
April 15th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Soft team usually translate to coming from a soft coach. Still waiting for the real reason why they kept Bowles.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
The key is not mean, but can play, meaning hard nose to the ball, tackle, tackle tackle. Sorry, tackling has to be a practice that is stressed , stressed, stressed and practiced, practiced and then practiced. Just having a mean attitude doesn’t work. However, yes great play with an attutude sure. The tackling, sorry that is coaching and it has to be demanded. The Bucs tackling has been poor for a few years. I am not a Bowles hater, but that has to be demanded and while it has been talked about, nothing has been done. So aquire all the mean guys you want, but if tackling is not practiced and demanded, it won’t happen. That simple
April 15th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
A great defense with violence starts with swarming to the ball and great tackling.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
The word “violence” has been thrown around a lot amongst the fan base lately as well – mainly in regard to their attitude toward the head coach, general manager, and owners
April 15th, 2026 at 12:07 pm
C J Allen just ran a 4.47 at his UGA pro day.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:07 pm
Hmmmm… That’s interesting. A complete 180 turnaround. This is a totally LOST bunch just chasing their tails around. It’s the blind leading the blind. Though, it’s what I’ve been saying for AWHILE… We lack that EDGE. It went from a total OBSESSION over all these choir boys, to now being, WE NEED NASTY and WANT VIOLENCE. It’s all “talk” from such CLUELESS, lazy individuals. Who are in way over their heads to begin with, but especially in today’s modern NFL. Just gettem OUT already. I guess, a complete change in ideology and tactics had to be tried, after 5 straight YEARS of failure, without drafting a single Pro-Bowl Player. These people don’t know what the hell they’re doing.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Are you people Bucs fans? Really?
You certainly don’t come off that way.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
I could never see the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens
Drafting players like JTS, Logan Hall, Cris Braswell etc
April 15th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
MadMax Says:
“Iaone is a nasty dude who can block and open lanes at LG!”
I don’t think they are talking about the offense.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
I think several here assumed they were talking about the whole team roster, but I believe they are strictly talking about our defense, since that is clearly the focus this year.
A bigger and nastier defense will intimidate opposing offenses…and we can probably expect some penalties to go with it because those offenses will have their feeling hurt.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:25 pm
If you get beat you get beat even when you’re tough. It happens! The problem is there was a lot of quit last season. Hard to break that mind set!
April 15th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
“Soft zone, soft tackling, soft, soft, soft.”
All lead by a soft head coach!
April 15th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
After last season meltdown by the Tampa Bay Softies
They are officially going in a different direction
They are focusing on a new type of players, tough guys
No more Choir Boys, Sunday school is over
April 15th, 2026 at 12:43 pm
MadMax Says:
April 15th, 2026 at 11:36 am
Iaone is a nasty dude who can block and open lanes at LG!
BINGO!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
April 15th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
Now, until the beginning of the season, is when Licht is always talking about how great the team he is putting together will be. Then, when the inevitable Bowles losing streak starts, he goes silent until the beginning of the next off-season. At least he is consistent.
April 15th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
April 15th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
MadMax Says:
“Iaone is a nasty dude who can block and open lanes at LG!”
I don’t think they are talking about the offense.
*******************************************************
“We want to go back to being the bullies — on both sides of the ball, really.”
i think they were lol…
any who, we need a Jensen type player along the IOL…we dont have one currently
GO BUCS!!!!
April 15th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
… I’m guessing the “violence” they’re looking for doesn’t extend to Bain and how he drives.
“Not that man” or is he is if he does a Sapp-esque nose dive?
Rather get an edge lower since 2026 draft is supposed to be so deep, and get a trench player.
DL or OL, Loane or MacDonald? Maybe trade down a tiny bit and still get those same guys with an additional mid round pick?
Wouldn’t cry if we did the same with a cornerback or linebacker depending on the who and what round.
April 15th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
I was thinking fan violence if they don’t turn it around…lol
April 15th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Just draft guys who LOVE FOOTBALL. Period. Guys s who play with high energy and emotion. Focus on drafting GOOD football PLAYERS. Who just want to WIN and will do anything, whatever it takes, in order to do so. Smart. Fundamentally sound guys who want to be COACHED. And, you have to be willing to take SWINGS on guys with TALENT. But, NOT on undersized tweeners. Big. Bad. BULLIES. Who are NOT pleasant guys to be around during the season. You just stick with that, and everything else will come together, and just fall into place. The problem being, that is just NOT this current regime. They ARE SOFT. Too content with mediocrity. And, just plain LAZY. Not sharp, smart, and aggressive modern NFL group of individuals leading the Bucs right now… And, that’s with the OWNERS. They are weak. Aloof. Scared. And, cheap.
April 15th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
I think Goedeke is the closest thing we have to a bully on the O line. Supposedly Loane is a pretty nasty character.
Imagine rushing left behind Wirfs and Loane? Lots of first down runs. And Baker would not have to worry about his blind side. Loane wouldn’t be converting from tackle or anything, he played left guard throughout college. No adjustments, just focus on bullying the opposition’s defense.
April 15th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
CULTURE FILTERS DOWN
Todd is soft spoken, even keel, risk adverse, with no drive.
This is just talk and wishful thinking.
Don’t except much.
April 15th, 2026 at 1:21 pm
Todd is SOFT
His scheme is SOFT
Practices are SOFT
The players are SOFT
THIS team is SOFT
10 months and counting until Bowles is gone
April 15th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
I want them to get a nasty guard. Been looking at this Pregnon guy from Oregon and he looks like a beast. 11 in hands
April 15th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Hire Suh and Sapp as D-line coaches if you want mean and nasty.
April 15th, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Suh has made over a $100 million in his career, he doesn’t need or want to coach. Sapp would definitely do it, but it’s on the GM not a nostalgia hire to get this defense to shake the soft label
April 15th, 2026 at 2:09 pm
Violence is the focus? Oh wow, we’re brining back Antonio Brown!
April 15th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
Scott, have you seen Mauch lately? They have a nasty guard. 2 of them in fact.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:22 pm
Its great JL and McCartney are saying this, but they are not the HC. I’ve been saying this from day one when it comes to Bowles. There are plenty of articles going back to his Jets days stating he was too soft on the players and lacked the edge needed for a HC. Bowles worked well under Arians, because Arians didn;t put up with anyone’s nonsense, while Bowles got to play good cop. Assuming Bowles would carry the torch the same way as Arians was a huge mistake made by ownership and the FO.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Bowles needs to stop being so nice.
He needs to be like Arians.
And make players accountable.
Logan Hall was taking snaps off all season. He should have been cut.
Braswell was floating around on special teams. Making business decisions.
Cut him.
The film doesn’t lie.
Our defense was pathetic last season. We never swarmed.
We never cracked down hard against the other teams offensive line.
I remember Schianos D-line cracking heads every snap.
Our D-line didn’t crack any heads all season.
Licht is right.
We need more violence.
And we need to start cutting “paycheck players” like Hassan Reddick.
Cut players mid season.
It will send out a clear message.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:46 pm
When the baddest man on your team is your QB1, you may have a problem.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
Todd’s scheme blitzes the QB often, it’s just unfortunate that the blitzers rarely get home. Devin White’s speed used to help a lot when utilized. We also have a severe lack of talent/depth at DB to play press man-to-man cvg. Winfield’s speed — or lack off — exposed as well. Few would be calling Todd’s defense soft if we had TJ Watt or Myles Garrett on the edge because they would have 12+ sacks a year and their presence would help the rest of our players eat as well.
As far as violent tacklers go… well, that’s a guaranteed 15-yard penalty and a fine. You miss violent tackling? Blame the g** (redacted for snowflakes) a** league.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:54 pm
KABucs Says:
April 15th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
I think Goedeke is the closest thing we have to a bully on the O line. Supposedly Loane is a pretty nasty character.
Imagine rushing left behind Wirfs and Loane? Lots of first down runs. And Baker would not have to worry about his blind side. Loane wouldn’t be converting from tackle or anything, he played left guard throughout college. No adjustments, just focus on bullying the opposition’s defense.
++++++++++++
Agreed. Would much rather see Ioane in 1st round than Sadiq.
His last name starts with an “i” not an “L”. And it is pronounced ” you-wan-nee”. And he is aa nasty as Suh on the field.
April 15th, 2026 at 2:56 pm
Somewhere in adding the violent trait they need to add in some smarts. Dropped passes, jumping off-sides and holding penalties at crucial moments have to stop. Accountability board needs to be reinstated. Sit those dummies on the bench until you can get rid of them. I hate to think of all the great plays we’ve had called back from mental mistakes. What a highlight reel that would be. Violence is great, smarts is better.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:06 pm
“Violence”?
Is this the new catch phrase? Its better than “discipline driven” but not as good as “youngry”. Its ok, but needs work.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:06 pm
Stpetematt Says:
April 15th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Are you people Bucs fans? Really?
You certainly don’t come off that way.
I agree with you 100% we’re dealing with a bunch of crotchety old men that wake up miserable and go to bed miserable. they are so unhappy with their lives. This is their sounding board.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:22 pm
I’ve said it a million times
We need physical players with high football IQ, with high motors
There were way too many loafers on this team last year
I think Jason Licht is moving in the right direction, with the new additions
Now, he need to nail the draft, and get the young talent
April 15th, 2026 at 3:42 pm
Do I smell DT @ 15 ?
April 15th, 2026 at 3:42 pm
Do I smell DT at 15?
April 15th, 2026 at 3:44 pm
@3.28
Opens it up with the comment of the year.
April 15th, 2026 at 3:55 pm
Thanks Sask!
Meanwhile, floormatt could be on the Titanic after all the life boats are already in the water, still expecting to make it to New York by morning.