Expect More Of The Same
September 6th, 2026
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
To blitz or not to blitz, that is the question.
For Todd Bowles, the answer typically is a resounding “heck yes.” That’s why he is known in NFL circles as “Dr. Blitz,” although some disgruntled Buc fans surely have other nicknames in mind.
Tykee Smith
Bowles loves to keep offenses off balance by sending in extra rushers, often keying on the “A” gap in an effort to disrupt timing and the comfort level of opposing quarterbacks.
Last October, the 5-1 Bucs traveled to Detroit to take on the Lions. Then-offensive coordinator John Morton addressed the media this way a few days before the matchup.
“Glad you guys are feeling good,” Morton said. “I’m going against Todd Bowles … kept me up late last night. It’s a blitz fest.”
Morton’s guys did enough to secure a 24-9 victory, although Jared Goff was dropped four times, It’s worth noting half of those sacks came from safety Tykee Smith and inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis.
As you can see in the chart below, the Bucs have been one of the most prodigious blitzing teams since Bowles assumed control of their defense in 2019:
Year Blitzes Rank Sacks
2019 318 No. 2 47
2020 268 No. 2 48
2021 313 No. 1 47
2022 182 No. 8 45
2023 273 No. 3 48
2024 244 No. 2 46
2025 191 No. 5 37
Yes, even during the 2020 championship season, with Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul coming hard off the edges, Bowles blitzed on 39 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps. That was the year inside linebacker Devin White posted nine sacks, looking like a precursor to Micah Parsons. But in the biggest game Bowles has served as a coach, he went against his instincts, abandoned the blitz, and unleashed a dynamic 4-man rush against Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City’s offense never had a chance as Mahomes was chased all over Raymond James Stadium in a 31-9 setback.
What can we expect from Bowles in 2026?
That depends in large part on Rueben Bain Jr. If the 15th pick in the draft lives up to the hype, Bowles may be inclined to drop seven players into coverage. Add in training camp phenom David Walker, returning YaYa Diaby and veteran addition Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Bowles has potential edge rushers to unleash — beginning at Cincinnati against Joe Burrow.
Tampa Bay’s sack total cratered last year, even while Bowles blitzed at a high rate. His extra rushers failed to get quarterbacks on the ground and that placed an added burden on a struggling secondary.
This defense has been overhauled and new linebackers Alex Anzalone and Josiah Trotter don’t appear to be natural blitzers. Anzalone has never registered more than three sacks in a season while Trotter posted 2 1/2 sacks in 24 college games.
Bowles has hinted some schematic changes are being implemented for a defense that ranked 20th in points allowed and 19th in yards given up. The season opener should provide Bowles with some answers because Burrow is an elite quarterback when healthy, averaging more than two TD passes per game during his six NFL seasons.
Will Dr. Blitz change his sideline manner and order up fewer blitzes this fall? If he’s not thinking about it, he should be.
September 6th, 2026 at 9:15 am
A week from today we find out. Can’t wait.
September 6th, 2026 at 9:22 am
Time will tell but if you want to blitz like Bowles does you have to have tight coverage. Otherwise the QBs/OCs will expect it, call plays that get the ball out quickly and the blitzes will be ineffective. That seems to have been a problem over the last few years.
September 6th, 2026 at 9:39 am
If you can get to the QB with four, the rest of the D suddenly plays better. Good corners become great ones and great LBs become HOFers. Build a deep & talented line, rotate them often to keep their legs fresh, and you’ll always have a chance to reach the SB. Add in a dynamic offense to the equation and you have a great chance to win a SB. IF they stay healthy, this line gives Bowles the option to blitz less and be more effective.
September 6th, 2026 at 10:41 am
The Bucs’ pass defense under Bowles has been marked by timid and bored CBs who gave 10 yard cushions, out of position S, inside LBs who can’t cover and DEs dropping into coverage and looking outmatched.
Stop pointing to one game, the SB against an injured Mahomes, as Exhibit 1 of his prowess as Defensive Guru.
Will it change this year? We shall see.
September 6th, 2026 at 10:50 am
The blitz rate isn’t going to lower, we’ve been top 10 in blitz volume since Bowles got to town with BA back in 2019. 3 of 7 years we finished top 10 in pressure rate(‘20, ‘21, ‘24) What we’re looking for is a bump up in efficiency and some of that will be affected by the influx of new talent and how they merry with our returning talent. Nobody’s complain about blitz frequency if it’s generating pressure or resulting in sacks/TFLs(run blitzes exist)/off time throws/throws into disrupted lanes/PBUs/Ints etc, etc.
Our front 4 is the key, if it plays out to where they can pressure up front consistently enough to where OCs are forced to keep that TEs in the box or an RB in for pass pro it serves several different purposes. Bowles made mention of that being 1-less route to cover, but it could also mean 1 less man on D with coverage responsibilities. Which would make for either the free man to blitz or the man to flow into a zone and cover for the actual blitzer. The rest is up to the offenses personnel package and what we use to counter it, but it all plays into the pre & post snap games.
Gotta imagine, the frequency alone overloads how much an OC & QB have to tailor their gameplan w/having to account for all the different types of blitzes. Probably the football equivalent of detangling weed wacker cords in terms of figuring where it begins and if it even ends.
September 6th, 2026 at 10:52 am
Also, Bowles needs launch that wretched 0-blitz into the sun. I hate it, it only worked when we had Devin White and even he couldn’t make it home all the time because OGs would bully him of his pivot or just straight up wash him out.
September 6th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Get to the QB with all 5…. DT’s, Yaya on one side, Bain the other….rotate Walker and Nelson….. rotate Nacho, Elijah and Robertson with Vea and Kancey. As long as they stay healthy, that would be ideal.
September 6th, 2026 at 11:13 am
It will be mire if the same indeed
September 6th, 2026 at 11:18 am
More of the Same is the theme song of Todd Bowles.
He thinks he fools people but yet his defense gets lit up by even mediocre offenses and long in the tooth qbs.
He and ol Lichtenstein cannot draft top tier defensive players nor coach them up, then before they know how to play at the NFL level he trains them out of their position to do what they’re not quite used to doing.
Do people even wonder why he’s never drafted good players who’ve gone on to become better while still on this team?
He constantly has players who are bored or have to be hidden
1st and 2nd down sacks mean nothing when his defense gives up chunk yardage on 3rd&28 and 4th&14 because he doesn’t believe in qb pressure nor having good enough CBs to cover long enough to give the line a chance to to get there
He doesn’t adjust during any given quarter usually until the 4th when it’s almost already too late
He and his defense are the reason we didn’t make it to the NFC Championship game and maybe even the Super Bowl in ’24 even though Liam Neeson had our offense and Mayfield rolling like thunder and lightning.
Taking copious amounts of hopium will not help.
Wishing on him to make us Bowles “haters” eat crow is like wishing on a shooting star
Only people who have their heads under rocks think that he’s going to show us anything different
September 6th, 2026 at 11:21 am
Sure would be nice to get consistent pressure by rushing 4.
Will never understand hyping Bowles for that SB game. Everyone talks about winning the game in the trenches. The week leading up to that game so many people were on the Chiefs, Bucs were getting points and it was the easiest money I ever made.
Chiefs started 3 backup OL! Mahomes didn’t have a chance. A fierce Bucs DL playing at home for the SB! Given a couple weeks of prep, Joe or Ira could have called the D and kept them under 17 pts.
September 6th, 2026 at 11:39 am
A Word On Bowles Defense
To quote Bucs great Mike Evans
“3-28”
September 6th, 2026 at 11:42 am
Saskbucs … ‘Given a couple weeks of prep, Joe or Ira could have called the D and kept them under 17 pts.’
You don’t really believe that any more than anyone else does Saskbucs, so why write it? Your attempt to belittle Todd Bowles’ leadership in that Super Bowl win rings incredibly hollow. If you insist on bad-mouthing Bowles for the 3-28 or 1-14 plays last season, then fine, go for it. But to demean his accomplishment in that SB win is to demean the entire Bucs’ defense. And without that defense, there wouldn’t have been any SB victory.
September 6th, 2026 at 11:46 am
If Bowles can get to the QB with 4 that would be good. Of course he needs to get coverage on the quick short passes and needs quick response tackling. Bring on the season. All will be revealed soon.
September 6th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Modhairken
You must be out of hairspray again, you seem upset
September 6th, 2026 at 11:52 am
Sas – agreed 110%.
Also made a ton on that bowl. The way we were rushing in the playoffs and against two tackles that should be working at radio shack.
He didn’t have to do a thing but sit back and watch like the rest of us.
September 6th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Ira … ‘What can we expect from Bowles in 2026? That depends in large part on Rueben Bain Jr. If the 15th pick in the draft lives up to the hype, Bowles may be inclined to drop seven players into coverage.’
I’m not at all sure where you or others are going with this Ira. Are you expecting Bowles to only keep TWO on the front line, plus TWO OLBs? I can’t see that. Our strength this season is in our BEEF … Vea & Robinson in particular. Our OLBs are in the 260-270 range. Kancey is 280. We need the beef on the interior to eat up the blockers AND defend the run.
I’m betting that Todd will predominantly stick with the 3-man front, plus 2 OLBs. Yes, sometimes he’ll rush 4 (and drop 1 of the OLBs into coverage short); other times he’ll rush all 5. IF our pass rush AND run defense is as good as I believe it’ll be, then rushing 4 is the more likely. IF 4 can’t get git ‘er done, then I don’t think he’ll hesitate to use a 5-man rush.
But neither Anzalone nor Trotter are the instinctive blitzers that LVD & White were (speed being 1 consideration?). I think that the 2 of them will have a lot fewer blitzes than previous ILBs had. Wouldn’t be at all surprised though to see Scott & our Safeties blitzing quite a bit.
September 6th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
Now Defense Rules as usual with the well thought out and logical way of thinking for that game without calling Bowles what he is not a defensive guru. That was the post season when most teams try or play different from the regular season. After that fateful interception against the Stanks the defense simply balled out, then in the Super Bowl Bowles called a masterful game and only due to Mohomies’ stupendous play the Chiefs were able to score 9 points.
However we can’t discount the fact that they had 3 backup olinemen.
It’s kind of like what Warren Sapp said about Michael Strahan sacking Brett Farver for the sack record, there should be an asterisk next to that because everybody with half a brain could see Farver gave it to him
September 6th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
Mad Max
You are sitting Muhammad?
September 6th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
I was just looking at Super Bowl stats since the chiefs game was brought up. Do you know the Bucs have the most ppg on offense and least ppg against defense in history of teams with more than 1 appearance.
September 6th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Just gotta scheme it better!!!!! Bowles is a genius. An absolute guru.
2-15
September 6th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
@TBBF, no, just going off the top of my head, he’s def there, Nelson just rang through more.
September 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Get the pass rushers to perform like the 2021 Bucs and they will flying home with a 1 and 0 record. GO BUCS