Bucs’ Linebacker Play In 2025 “Made For Painful Watching”
May 29th, 2026
Welcome addition.
Sometimes Joe doesn’t have to use the ol’ finger-down-the-throat method to induce hurling.
All Joe has to do is watch tape of SirVocea Dennis play linebacker against the Eagles last season. Does the trick every time.
(Joe has to find a better solution to deal with the requisite mess, thereafter.)
Joe’s not trying to kill Dennis, who seems like a really good guy, but man, that Eagles game was one of the worst Joe has seen from an NFL starting linebacker. That was the sort of nonsense you’d expected from a Raheem Morris-coached team circa 2009, or Mike Smith in 2018.
That play when Dennis delivered 30-some yards of unintended blocking down the right sideline for Jalen Hurts was special. Joe fully expected someone from the Bucs to tackle Dennis so he could get to Hurts — like you’d see in old 1950s films of dudes walking onto a field and making a tackle as a 12th man to save a touchdown.
And if that wasn’t enough, the icing on the cake was when Dallas Goedert caught a shovel pass from Hurts and ran right by a flat-footed Dennis for a score. It was like Dennis was shocked Goedert even had the ball. Like a Three Stooges routine. Na-AH!
Joe commends Jenna Laine of ESPN for calling a spade and spade and saying watching the Bucs’ linebacker play last year was an uncomfortable exercise.
Laine documented that the smartest thing Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht did this offseason was overhaul the linebacker unit.
It was time to do something at what had traditionally been a position of strength in Tampa Bay. The Bucs’ defensive tape made for painful watching at times last season, as the duo of Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis simply lacked the athleticism to compete against upper-echelon NFL offenses. David was in his 14th pro season, but Dennis was badly stretched in pass coverage or any sort of open space, where he often couldn’t get close enough to even miss tackles.
Laine also pointed out Dennis missed 13 percent (!) of his tackle attempts. How?
That 13 percent was the highest on the team. And Dennis was the starting linebacker! Name a good defense with a starting linebacker with the team’s highest percentage of missed tackles. Joe doesn’t think there is such a thing.
Competent tackling will go a long way to getting the Bucs defense to possibly an average unit.
May 29th, 2026 at 7:14 am
Whether it’s the NFL or the real world, accountability is a lost art. Real men will point to themselves and say sorry my bad, that’s on me. You don’t see it much these days. Instead, it’s all about finger-pointing and deflection.
May 29th, 2026 at 7:28 am
We sat on our hands too long after letting Devin White walk in our efforts to replace him. We tried to stick with “our guys” in Britt & Dennis, then Dennis gets hurt so we were left with just Britt who had plenty reps to show he wasn’t a 3-down backer. Don’t know what was up with Dennis last year, but it was his chance to show he was a 3-down backer and the results obviously spoke to us drafting Josiah Trotter.
Then there’s the depth, we’ve got Bullock & Jackson again. We now also have Javin Wright & Caden Fordham. So there should be competition in the room for jobs for everybody behind Anzalone. Should be fun watching how the talent we’ve added on the interior DL effects the play of the ILB talent we’ve brought in to play behind them.
May 29th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Dennis is nothing more than a back up and special teams player. Todd told us his lb group was really good at the beginning of last season. This is why people don’t believe in him. As DC and HC that failure is 💯 percent on him. We are upgraded now but there is no depth so any injuries to Anzo, Rosebloom or will be difficult to deal with. I’m hoping we sign a vet lb after the cuts
May 29th, 2026 at 7:34 am
If I’m not mistaken, that Goddart play happened twice. Almost identical results.
May 29th, 2026 at 7:38 am
OLDSCHOOL1976 Says:
May 29th, 2026 at 7:32 am
I’m hoping we sign a vet lb after the cuts.
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Don’t forget we still have Deon Jones. He played well in limited action last year.
May 29th, 2026 at 7:51 am
“where he couldn’t even get close enough to miss a tackle” That’s hilarious.
May 29th, 2026 at 8:25 am
He was easily blocked out of my TV screen by wide receivers. Handed the job, and should’ve been replaced before the trade deadline, or internally. Looking forward to seeing Trotter bring some size, and physical play. Dennis just isn’t an NFL MLB.
May 29th, 2026 at 8:29 am
Max of first name last name lb’s is 1
May 29th, 2026 at 8:46 am
Bowles was happy with the play of Dennis. That’s all you need to know.
We just all have to fan it better. The scoreboard cannot be the barometer for success.
Blind belief and over the top positivity is the only way to get to the SB.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:08 am
I read the same article Joe – you left out the fact that LVD was almost as bad.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:22 am
That entire defense didnt look good not just the linebackers guess we will see what the change up does.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:23 am
Glazers give Revenge of the Nerds a bad name.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:24 am
The scary part. Bowles told us Dennis was a quality LB and he liked the depth at the postion last year. Those comments were head scratchers!!. Currently Dennis has been replaced. However, depth at the position is not good. Then consider this. We now have a 31 year LB and a rookie starting we don’t have much depth behind them. That is scary. Then take a look at our CB position. Bowles and Licht seem to believe Morrison will suddenly develop into a quality CB and McColumn some how will turn into an elite CB. To make matters worse their is no one behind them.
I sure hope the Bucs add a vetern CB before the season. However, it does not look that way. I think the realistic view is hope the defense is average, which would be an improvement and the offense stays healthy and scores 35 plus pointa game.
The defense is a few years out yet
May 29th, 2026 at 10:39 am
Loved Anzalone at Florida and he gave us fits in Detroit. Hope he can get our LB play up to snuff. But he is just one dude. We have almost always been able to find some good to great LBs. Even in the early 0-26 years we had some dudes who proved they could play. I am not used to having LBs who look lost and poorly coached.
Dennis needs a miracle to make the roster. so who is gonna step up and take the other spot? Rozeboom? Trotter? Not down on either one but it could still look like the Keystone Cops out there. Besides Joe, it was not all on our ILBs last year. That OTA Highlight catch by Buka was a great example of it.
Go Bucs!
May 29th, 2026 at 11:16 am
Jenna nailed it! If the Buc’s can get this D being” just average”, they will be a very good team. They will be able to complete against every one if they bring their “A” game!
May 29th, 2026 at 11:30 am
As far as “missing 13% of tackle attempts” we need look no further than Jacob Rodriguez. There were lots of reasons given and more excuses for his high miss rate. But looking at what Licht has done in the past and at how Anzalone was picked early in free agency it sure looks like Trotter was the Bucs target all along.
May 29th, 2026 at 11:52 am
I agree Trotter was their pick all along.
There is no excuses this year.
With a pass rush the corners will be fine.
I do want them to sign Diggs though.
That would put us right there on paper.
The O line is the key to our whole season.
We beat the Champs in their crib let’s not forget.
Even the same team would do better IMO healthy.
We are LOADS better.