“He’s A Football Player”
September 15th, 2026
Josiah Trotter chugs to paydirt after picking off Joe Burrow Sunday.
The haters are quiet. For the time being.
It seemed most fans hated the Bucs’ selection of inside linebacker Josiah Trotter in the second round. It wasn’t that they hated Trotter, they hated the pick because someone with #NFLDraftMedia starting pumping out information that Trotter couldn’t defend the pass.
Bucs personnel people openly bristled at this critique (Joe is guessing it was the PFF tribe, they always seem to source of nonsense). Joe remembers someone asking Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl on the night Trotter was drafted about this and you could see Biehl wince before saying, “We think he can [defend the pass].”
Between the draft and when the pads came on at training camp, KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles boasted how Trotter was a fine specimen of a linebacker.
When Trotter seemed invisible during underwear football, Bowles told reporters to wait until the pads come. Boy, Bowles was right.
Trotter was born to hit, not to play two-hand touch or powderpuff football.
Then on Sunday, Trotter shattered the narrative that he cannot defend the pass when he picked off, of all people, the great Joe Burrow and Trotter housed the ball.
Yesterday in his day-after presser, Bowles pretty much said, See, I told ya!
“We said he’s a football player,” Bowles said. “He’s a football player. He had an impact on the game, and he’ll continue to get better and better.
“[There are] some things he’d like to have back that you learn as a rookie, but he definitely made an impact on the game.”
For sure, Trotter made rookie missteps. He didn’t have a clean game earl, but he sure made up for it in tackles. And a sack. And his pick-six.
Joe is sort of salivating thinking of what Trotter might do to washed weirdo Deshaun Watson. Because if Trotter can give Burrow fits, he should destroy Watson.
September 15th, 2026 at 7:10 am
Bucs are still good at drafting LBs, hope Bain can show what he’s shown is camp. I did hear he’s kind of banged up
September 15th, 2026 at 7:11 am
I was probably one of the very few who liked this pick. All the reports said he could play the run and tackle. Which was an automatic upgrade over Dennis who could neither cover nor tackle.
September 15th, 2026 at 7:25 am
Let’s not put him in canton yet. Great start let’s see if he can keep it going
September 15th, 2026 at 7:41 am
Both Trotter and Jacob Rodriguez both had really good games. It will be interesting to see which player has the better career.
September 15th, 2026 at 7:52 am
“The haters are quiet. For the time being.”
I didn’t realize Trotter had “haters”…
The kid looks like the real deal to me but I will let him play at least one more game before I put him in the ROH.
September 15th, 2026 at 7:58 am
NFC Defensive Player of the Week??
September 15th, 2026 at 8:08 am
Haters will find something else to kvetch about.
September 15th, 2026 at 8:09 am
Even though the Bucs have the Browns and “washed weirdo Deshaun Watson” at home Sunday I still can’t go with the Bucs defense on my fake football team. #ZeroTrustInToddBowles.
September 15th, 2026 at 8:22 am
99% of these so-called Bucs fans never seen Josiah Trotter playing college
They just run with the fake articles they read on the internet
September 15th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Bain looked great in camp? A lot like professional golfers who look GREAT on the practice tee……..Trotter as a fourth rounder making Bain look, well, like a third rounder…..
September 15th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Yeah I just questioned it because of the injuries but other than that I would’ve considered drafting him. I would’ve had more confidence in drafting him over Morrison with his injuries.
September 15th, 2026 at 8:33 am
“It seemed most fans hated the Bucs’ selection of inside linebacker Josiah Trotter in the second round.”
I didn’t. I was happy to see them take a LB early. I was even more enthusiastic that they selected a superstar’s son.
I hope JT does not now put pressure on himself to have a monster game like that every week. I hope he’s in contact with Mr. Derrick Brooks as well as his Dad so that he can keep a realistic perspective.
What a hell of a debut!
September 15th, 2026 at 8:36 am
CJ Allen didn’t even play this Sunday
Anthony Hill had 14 total tackles and 2 PBUS
Jacob Rodriguez wore the green dot and had 9 tkls vs. The Raiders
I think I our guy did a little better than all 3 of these “others” people wanted, but it’s a long season. We’ll see how they do throughout the season.
September 15th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Watching that read, the interception, and the score reminded me of Derrick Brooks.
September 15th, 2026 at 8:47 am
When he was drafted about 90% of the Bucs fans on this site complained about the pick. I remember only a few approved of it.
September 15th, 2026 at 8:50 am
Fannin will have 10 receptions and a hundred yards. Bowles has no clue how to defend the middle of the field.
September 15th, 2026 at 9:01 am
this thread smells the same as the ebuka threads from last year. i’m glad he could back up his chatty kathy routine that was reported during the preseason. or at least for one game he could.
soon the joes will be scouring the universe for some tweet of some clown touting trotter as rookie of the year after two games. or maybe one. might be today.
September 15th, 2026 at 9:10 am
TBBF continues to reserve judgement on draft picks until they get a good sampling of playtime.
So far, Trotter looks like a better 2nd round selection than Braswell…
September 15th, 2026 at 9:11 am
Great job Trotter. Well done young man
September 15th, 2026 at 9:12 am
If you think Baker had a bad game, consider Jordan Love. 21 for 42 2 fumbles, one interception. Sacked four times.Vikings were down two scores and then scored 29 straight points. Baker not the only 100 million man to have a bad day. And Packérs just laid down. No fight in them.
September 15th, 2026 at 9:21 am
Impressed with Trotter mostly because i didnt have high expectations for him…thought he was a solid pick…i watched him a bit at Mizzou…never really stood out in a good or bad way imo….glad he’s a buc!!!!
not throwing in the towel on AA34 just yet but if Trotter can continue to play like he did in coverage, i wouldnt mind seeing SVD along side him….SVD was a great blitzer….he could help rushing the passer
GO BUCS!!!!
September 15th, 2026 at 9:47 am
813bucboi … ‘not throwing in the towel on AA34 just yet but if Trotter can continue to play like he did in coverage, I wouldnt mind seeing SVD along side him’.
SVD? No, please no. It’s OK to drink during the games bucboi, but you have to stop by Tuesday; Wednesday at the latest.
I’m not throwing in the towel on Anzalone either, not just yet. He was slipping & sliding all over the place on that field, more than anyone else it seems. Wear the wrong cleats & that’ll happen every time as we all know. If it wasn’t the cleats, then he’ll have some ‘splaining to do’. And if it was the cleats, but they didn’t have a better pair ready, then they all have some ‘splaining to do’.
To your point about SVD though, I’d much rather see Christian Rozeboom out there. He did pretty good last year starting for Carolina (72.9% completions allowed in pass coverage), as compared to SVD last season (85.0%).
September 15th, 2026 at 10:13 am
At least they’ve got one football player on this football team…
September 15th, 2026 at 10:34 am
Good stuff Joe.
Sorry…Not sorry. As Trotter crossed the goal line I reminded of Brooks looking much the same. As in he always seemed to be in the passing lane. He had six of them. A rookie in his first game? Impressive!
Go Bucs!
September 15th, 2026 at 11:00 am
Don’t underestimate the Browns on offense Sunday. What was done to them by the Jaguars was a top flight defense absolutely shutting down a middling offense.
But the Browns aren’t playing a defense like that this Sunday. I expect them to score enough to keep the game closer than anyone feels good about. They’re capable of beating the Bucs, and if that happens I don’t want to imagine the aftermath.
September 15th, 2026 at 11:24 am
Louis, correct. We can’t afford to underestimate anyone. Literally any team. We’ve had problems in the past underestimating opponents. Or at least it seems like that’s what they were doing. Where a winless team in a division with winless teams. We can separate ourselves by getting some victories we quote” should get. Hoping that starts on Sunday.
September 15th, 2026 at 11:27 am
I’d like to point out that he was drafted in Round 2.
Maybe Trotter broke the curse?
September 15th, 2026 at 11:32 am
The next coach will have a few good pieces to work with on defense
September 15th, 2026 at 11:40 am
“Don’t underestimate the Browns on offense Sunday. What was done to them by the Jaguars was a top flight defense absolutely shutting down a middling offense.”
Like how the Bengals defense shut down our offense helping their own offense with extra possessions, optimal field position, and even scored some points for them.
September 15th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
Like how the Bengals defense shut down our offense helping their own offense with extra possessions, optimal field position, and even scored some points for them.
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Will say this for the Bengals: They didn’t mess around with getting better on the interior DL. Allen and Lawrence absolutely affected the game much more than the Bucs FA acquisitions did. The Bucs double and triple teamed Lawrence throughout the game and he still had enough push to let other guys run clean up.
September 15th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Can they lose to Cleveland? Of course. But Cleveland is not nearly as good as Cincinnati. It was a road game. And take away Baker’s end zone fumble and the Bucs win.
I don’t expect Anzalone or Baker or Wirfs or Vea or Bain or Kancey to have two bad games in a row. Especially at home.
September 15th, 2026 at 12:59 pm
“They didn’t mess around with getting better on the interior DL. Allen and Lawrence absolutely affected the game much more than the Bucs FA acquisitions did.”
They got help from their 12th man on our offense. Now that defense will be left wondering, if they play a less volatile QB will they be able to replicate the success they had against our offense.
The word in football talks, is that Bengals defense looks legit and even championship caliber playing our offense.
September 15th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
“And take away Baker’s end zone fumble and the Bucs win.”
Just 1 fumble huh? And not the one returned for a score? and we would’ve overcome the other 3 with our 2 offensive TDs and 2 FGs?
September 15th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
ModHairKen Says:
I don’t expect Anzalone or Baker or Wirfs or Vea or Bain or Kancey to have two bad games in a row. Especially at home.
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We haven’t seen Anzalone or Bain have a good game in a Bucs uniform. You and everyone else has no way of knowing when they’ll have their first good one. For Bain I’m confident it will happen – for Anzalone I’m not sure if that pizza’s been sitting out too long. It looked rancid on Sunday.
September 15th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
Pro-Football-Reference just published their ‘Advanced Stats’ for Sunday’s games and Trot’s performance is even more impressive than even I thought it was (and I was super impressed).
o The 1 INT, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 2 TFLs & 11 tackles (4 solo) were obviously incredibly impressive.
o But add in there that Trot was targeted 4 times, and only 1 was completed, giving him a 25% completions allowed percentage. And oh ya, he also had 1 PD in there.
Todd also used Trot to blitz 6 times (team total was 16 blitzes). In there he got the 1 sack & 1 hurry. He did get tagged for 1 missed tackle, but that only 8.3%, quite low given how many tackles he was in on.
Just for comparison, Anzalone got tagged for 4 missed tackles (36.4%) and Scott got tagged for 2 missed tackles (33.3%).
September 15th, 2026 at 2:59 pm
When we drafted Trotter, I was like, Who? And then I read about his coverage “woes” and I was like, Why?
Boy was I wrong and boy was so many others. This dude is a football player.
September 15th, 2026 at 3:20 pm
I’m starting to think this toilet bowls guy might actually stink as a coach.
September 15th, 2026 at 5:35 pm
“Haters” I dunno about that. Question marks. Definitely. He was a bright spot on defense on a bad day.
September 15th, 2026 at 6:11 pm
“It seemed most fans hated the Bucs’ selection of inside linebacker Josiah Trotter in the second round.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Not most fans, just the JBF draft experts.
Can you imagine being Mike Biehl or any of the excellent Bucs scouts and one of our JBF draft experts questions the Bucs draft choices in person. I would pay to see that.
September 15th, 2026 at 6:16 pm
Do players bring different-length/type cleats to choose from on road games?
September 15th, 2026 at 10:01 pm
From what I could tell on that pick he saw no one was in his zone so looked for the closest one and then seemed to bait Burrow and then exploded once he bit.