Bucs Must Get Poor Tackling Resolved
June 6th, 2026
Improve tackling, please.
Here’s a good bar bet to use tonight.
Go to anyone at your favorite watering hole and ask how many missed tackles Jamel Dean had last year. Most Bucs fans will scoff and likely claim he had at least a half-dozen.
True, Dean was never known to be Ronnie Lott. He isn’t a physical player. But here is the answer which may surprise you: Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Jamel Dean had a grand total of one missed tackle all of 2025. Uno. Ein. Enas. So much for Dean being a terrible tackler.
The reason Joe brings all this up is that last year, rookie backup corner Benjamin Morrison had six missed tackles. Dean played 660 snaps. Morrison had 359.
Joe doesn’t bring this up to hammer Morrison but Joe does bring it up to hammer the Bucs for not stressing fundamentals.
A lot of football people blame the erosion of fundamental tackling across the league on the lack of padded practices in which teams are allowed to hit. Sounds good until you think it through.
Joe always believed that was a cop out. You can help teach fundamental tackling by using a tackling dummy.
Fewer padded practices mean more half-arsed tackling, allegedly, but when is the last time you saw Baltimore with awful tackling? Long time, right? In fact, all the teams the Harbaugh Bros. coached, they always had good tackling teams.
Same with Mike Tomlin. When is the last time you saw a Steelers team not tackle well?
Did Mike Macdonald in Seattle have a rotten-tackling team?
Did Jesse Minter look like he had a bad tackling team in Los Angeles when he was the Chargers defensive coordinator? Or Jim Schwartz in Cleveland? Or Vic Fangio in Philadelphia?
All those teams work out, train and practice under the very same NFL rules. Unless you are suggesting all of those good-tackling teams are cheating with illegal practices, the theory that bad tackling has contaminated much of the NFL due to a lack of padded practices doesn’t hold water.
Joe is not denying fewer padded practices are a factor, but it’s not the root cause.
(FYI, all NFL teams’ practices are live-streamed and recorded by the NFL. Like Big Brother, the NFL monitors all practices to ensure no hanky-panky is going on. Some teams can and are fined for hitting in what are supposed to be underwear football practices.)
Morrison was hardly the only Bucs player who struggled with tackling.The problem isn’t Morrison; the problem is proper tackling either wasn’t being taught or isn’t being stressed enough.
Joe is pretty confident this Bucs team will only go as far as the defense allows it. And Joe isn’t too familiar with good defenses that have sloppy tackling.
Tackling needs to be Objective-1A for this Bucs defense to solve before Week 1.
June 6th, 2026 at 11:17 am
Trotter and Bain will get it going…
June 6th, 2026 at 11:19 am
A great story Joe. I agree that other teams tackle better and they are likely following the rules. My question to Bowles – what will you do differently this year to improve tackling?
Bowles should: talk to coach Danny Smith – what did Mike Tomlin do in Pittsburg? Same for Alex Anzalone – what did Dan Campbell do in Detroit? You get the idea.
I think Ronde Barber said that Monte Kiffin stressed everyone running to the ball. This is easy enough to do RIGHT NOW – make sure at least three defenders run to the RB/WR on every play – they don’t have to hit.
June 6th, 2026 at 11:31 am
Excellent write up. It’s something fundamental as not jumping off sides you learn in pee wee league. I think the teaching of fundamental tackling is ignored and what is taking place is a emphasis of punching the ball out or laying a shoulder in to jar the ball lose is taking place before wrapping up the knees. In some instances the player is completely out of position to make a fundamental technique tackle. That’s the biggest problem, LVD the teams defensive captain said there were times the team was lost on the field. If you’re lost on the field how can you be in position to make a tackle?
June 6th, 2026 at 11:37 am
Thank you, my Joe. The reason for the horrible tackling is obvious.
June 6th, 2026 at 11:41 am
Joe says; (FYI, all NFL teams’ practices are live-streamed and recorded by the NFL. Like Big Brother, the NFL monitors all practices to ensure no hanky-panky is going on. Some teams can and are fined for hitting in what are supposed to be underwear football practices.)
^^^^^^
But the NFL somehow overlooks having a camera at the goal line.
There’s your sign.
June 6th, 2026 at 11:47 am
Let’s see how far it gets before someone asks or comments about objective #1.
June 6th, 2026 at 11:51 am
THANK! YOU!
cc: lousy Lovie Smith
June 6th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Not a true oranges-to-oranges comparison, but you’re not wrong.
A few cameras at practices are relatively cheap. Not much of an upgrade from your Ring camera.
The cameras used by networks (i.e. goal line) are way more expensive and FOX wants the NFL to cough up the costs (including the cost of hiring another cameraman which isn’t cheap).
(Joe was told this by an NFL suit.)
Still, a multi-billion dollar outfit can’t buy an extra six-figure camera to help determine fair outcomes of games? Wonder what all those sportsbooks the NFL is in bed with think about that?
June 6th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
It’s cute you think Bowles might actually do some self evaluation and change something in his routine.
The man is not going to change anything. Whether it’s ego, stubbornness, laziness or a combination, our old stale ball coach is set in his ways.
He doesn’t bother changing his scheme based on week to week matchups like every other team in the league does, so I certainly don’t expect him to change his overall practice habits. Expect more walkthroughs and an entire week off during the bye.
June 6th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
I may be way out in left field on this but I can’t help myself. Joe is dropping tidbits, teeny tiny little morsels that are starting to add up to a bitesize nugget. Any astute commenter here should know that the Joes and Ira know far more than the general public does.
The thoughts and ideas floating around in my old brain are starting to confirm many things I have speculated about and if I am even remotely close to being accurate in my speculations then I have a clear explanation why Evans left. I have made suggestions before.
Never forget “I had nothing to do with that !” after the Denver game and the very mysterious absence of a goal line camera at the Atlanta game. Both were home games. Come to think of it 3rd and 28 was a home game.
Maybe Sal needs another cup of coffee to wake up.
June 6th, 2026 at 12:25 pm
So many people willingly let the blindfold be placed over their eyes
Don’t be hoodwinked folks.
June 6th, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Didn’t they learn how to tackle in pee wee or Pop Warner?
June 6th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Poor tackling should be on their college tape…..no? Let’s start a go fund me to pay the fine for the Glaziers for tackling in practice (sarcasm).
June 6th, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Carlton Davis was nasty on the outside.
He would crush people.
I wish he was still a Buccaneer.
June 6th, 2026 at 12:49 pm
My definition of tackling, learned at a very early age, is this ;
Tackling (not the historic term) is the act of bringing another person to the ground. This usually involves impeding the use of the legs.
Tackling antonym ; Bumping into another person
June 6th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
What exactly are you saying Sal? I’m not figuring what you’re getting at? Cannot imagine what the lack of sideline cameras has to do with anything?
June 6th, 2026 at 1:52 pm
I don’t recall normal fans complaining about Dean’s tackling. Just his availability. Anyway, a missed tackle here or there is merely irritating unless it happens at a key moment. It’s when we trap a guy in the backfield and he gets away. Then we trap him at the line and he gets away. Then we trap him 10 yards down field. Then 20. Sometimes it looked like Keystone Kops, but at least the Keystone Kops don’t give up on pursuit.
June 6th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
When in zone defense especially EVERY defender is supposed to crash the ball carrier the moment the ball crosses the line of scrimmage. Not 2 or 3. All of them. That’s how you get turnovers and ensure the guy gets tackled as quickly as possible. Every defender is facing the offense so they should read, react and destroy. Obviously it’s harder in man to man coverage however you can still break off your coverage once the ball crosses the line of scrimmage and is caught (or is being run).in fact, zone defenses are so popular in part because it’s easier to react and gang tackle (increased opportunity to generate fumbles).
June 6th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
The benefit of the doubt done run out!
Should be entering the second season with
Liam Coen as head coach !
Bowels bowl done run dry!
I’m in Baker Mayfield’s camp for paying him 10 ten QB money .
He is our franchise quarterback
Maybe even top 5 money ?
Just the way the table is set for his caliber QB in the NFL.
June 6th, 2026 at 2:27 pm
Matt:
This is what Sal was referencing with the “camera” mention.
June 6th, 2026 at 2:37 pm
Stpetematt – well said, great point. Yet, this is never seen in the Bucs practices and can easily be done right now in underwear practices. Everyone runs to the ball on every play.
June 6th, 2026 at 2:38 pm
Alot of question marks this year. I dont see a high ceiling for them maybe 9 wins
Since the division is so poor. The rest of the non division games are going to be
Tough.
Their bottom however could be quite bad. New OC again’ inept head coach and
A defense that is historically ineffective. Could be 5 or 6 win year with a full reset
Coming. I dont see the bucs paying Mayfield 50m a year next season unless he
Has a mvp type year.
June 6th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Unfortunately poor tackling has been part of Bucs culture for multiple years now. This can be blamed directly on Bowles. You are right the teams you mentioned tackle well. I watched the Patriots game and I went why can’t we tackle like that.
Pure fact ,tackling must be demanded and practiced. You will play like you practice. That simple. Bowles needs to change and demand tackling then practice it until they do. Bowles says it well football is not flag football. So if it is a tackle game practice it. Pretty simple . They want a nasty team you can’t miss tackles
June 6th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
I lost in the fantasy playoffs for several thousand dollars to a team with Kyle Pitts by less than 6 points! Man, that still makes me insanely angry that Pitts game against the Bucs. Our defense let me down personally in a BIG way, we should have been triple covering Pitts the whole game. He was the only receiving threat they had left other than Bijan Robinson… I sincerely hope the NFL isn’t like professional wrestling where the results are scripted. Seems too many insane things happen in games to really be able to reliably control the outcomes though.
June 6th, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Stpetematt Says:
“I sincerely hope the NFL isn’t like professional wrestling where the results are scripted.”
Its not nearly as bad or obvious as wrestling – the pre-determination oftentimes as to who will ‘win’ at least. But I can tell you after watching NFL football closely for 50+ years – that the game of professional football is not 100% free from ‘influence’ either….
Certain teams in certain games are CLEARLY favored by Refs. Anyone who watches enough NFL football has seen this happen time and time and time again – especially long time Bucs fans…. LOL
There’s more ‘judgement call’ opportunities for the refs to work with these days compared to 30 or 40 years ago. Way more….. Many are tied to attempts by the league to tone down the ‘violence’ – in a game that REQUIRES violence in order to be successful… SMH….
But now we too often see 15 yard flags because a pass rushers pinky grazed some part of the QBs helmet as he was flying in trying to get the guy to the ground – or when a receiver on a crossing pattern gets ‘lit up’ just a little by a safety – even on completely legal hits – the flags come out for ‘personal foul’ or ‘defenseless receiver’ or somesuch….
Point being – the Refs have too much control over the outcome of games with all these ‘judgement’ situations available to them…. and now that nameless, faceless “New York” can and does just butt in to any game ‘they’ want to instruct, influence, change or reverse a call – the appearance of complete integrity within the game has been waning steadily over the last couple of decades…. this last decade in particular….
How the NFL can be so visibly tied to gambling institutions now – and that its “OK” somehow – is beyond my comprehension. Because until just recently – it always seemed obvious that was a bad idea if for no other reason than to maintain the APPEARANCE of integrity….
June 6th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
When a team has a soft HC/DC, soft practices and “walk throughs”, of course the team will be poor tacklers. The ironic part is Bowles wanted to “save guys from being injured”, yet the injuries piled up.
June 6th, 2026 at 4:59 pm
Something to remember sacks and interceptions by any team and any player cost sportbooks a lot of money. It’s a high risk, high reward wager. It’s always in the sportbooks favor when those plays are overturned. Something else to keep a eye on is the oddsmakers spread points. They are very precise and get paid to be very precise.
June 6th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
Smoke, that says it all. I’d add, to many soft players, vet leaders included were to willing to go along with it. Hopefully the new vets brought in, and rookies like Bain can raise the level. Bowles certainly can’t.
June 6th, 2026 at 6:01 pm
I don’t bet on the NFL today. Same reason for betting on Jai Alai of yesterday.
June 6th, 2026 at 8:23 pm
Whatever the reason is, it isn’t the guru HC\DC Todd Bowles fault.
It would be insane to ask a DC to teach his players to tackle.
I mean what’s next? The HC needs to be more aggressive and play to win???
Balderdash. Keep doing the same things and you’ll get different results.
Everyone knows that to be true!
June 6th, 2026 at 8:53 pm
You actually will get different results with better players. Look at Bowles defense in the Super Bowl- they tackled just fine. I realize some running backs like Jahmyr Gibbs are simply too fast to square up and wrap them up to tackle them but we should still see a few form tackles per game where the tackler wraps them up and drives right through them to take them down.
June 6th, 2026 at 9:15 pm
Here we go with another 2020 reference. Bowles had a real head coach who was his boss running practices. Three fields so everyone got reps. Arians demanded excellence.
Now that it’s Todd Twocoach, he gets the results he earns. Regressing, declining, pathetic performance especially in crunch time.
Good night, nurse.
June 7th, 2026 at 8:35 am
Teaching something they’ve been taught since pee-wee football? I think it’s more about wanting to do it. The culture last season was quitting! If you can remove that, you’ll find tackling comes naturally.
June 7th, 2026 at 10:28 am
Joe in a live practice or a game players are not standing there with their leg stuck out behind a tackling dummy. They are moving and they are trying their damnedest not to BE tackled, Look at any Barry Sanders tape. The Bucs mostly did well against him because they gang tackled and were not afraid to hit him. Huge difference!
You also get to find out who the guys are who belong on the bench because they don’t like hitting people. Todd won’t play a D lineman who can’t play the run but routinely puts players behind them who will not tackle. See one of our latest ILBs. No wonder LVD’s numbers were down. Covering for that, and the secondary.
The problem with Dean was that it seemed like every time he made a good form tackle and hit someone he came up limping.
Go Bucs!
June 7th, 2026 at 10:58 am
The Bucs must get a good head coach. Until that happens, they will only ever be mediocre. That’s what Todd Bowles proves. He excels in mediocrity. Everything else is putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg.
June 7th, 2026 at 11:09 am
I don’t understand what some of these posters are talking about!!
Did you ever play high school football or college football? If you did you should know that teams who have players who want to tackle and play hard nosed football and love to tackle are born! Yes, they can get more coaching and better technique, but you can’t teach want to be great!! Everyone seems to think Bowles is the problem, no he isn’t problem! The problem is we have not drafted many of those. Every defensive player we drafted and picked up in free agency is a dog!
So many posters think we don’t make adjustments and scheme well. You can believe whatever you want, but none of that is the problem! The problems are the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s period!!
June 7th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Dean is/was not a bad tackler but he is a poor zone coverage guy, he is big, physical and excels at press/man coverage. Which is all the more baffling considering he was asked to play a lot of soft zone coverage.
June 7th, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Babygrace, the issue with your assessment is that those Jimmys and Joes were Bowles preferred choices, so he is definitely not faultless.
Additionally, if you don’t have the soldier you need for a given scheme, it is your job as a HC to adjust said scheme to better suit what you do have, and on that front, Bowles has not always been great (e.g. played Dean in soft zone a bunch when he is a great man coverage guy).
Still, I’m looking forward to a bounce back season this year
June 8th, 2026 at 10:21 am
Ugo LOL!! Reading comprehension is not your forte!
It doesn’t matter to me who picked the defensive players we drafted, they were not dogs period! This year we did in the draft and also in free agency. Bain, Trotter and Scott (dogs)Robinson, Muhammed, Anzalone, Nacho. (dogs)
If you think “your job as a HC to adjust said scheme to better suit what you do have” makes me think you never really played any college football. Bad players are bad players no matter what your scheme is going to do. Saban, Smart and other good defensive coaches don’t change the scheme for players, they change the players! Do they tweak their schemes? Yes they do, but their base defense doesn’t change year after year! As always it is about the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s period!!