Bucs Defense (1 Viewer)

If you want to compare players who have been together for how many seasons, to a team that is comparatively just getting to know each other, ok! But you really didn't need to point that out on my behalf, I've already said you guys have the best team right now. Personally, I believe even if we pull it off, the Saints are still a more complete team this season. But I hope next year we prove otherwise!

You may have complimented us then compared us. Just pointing out we have been at full strength as far as our 3 best players less than 15% of the year.

When you say “I hope next year we prove otherwise”, do you mean the Bucs or are you going to pull your Cowboy jersey back out of the closet? 🤣
 
Kudos to WillC for coming to our forum and posting his thoughts. Its a fresh and legit approach - he's got numbers and an explanation for those numbers. And we have counter-arguments. That's part of what this place is all about. Appreciate it, OP.

Though we do a job arguing among ourselves here, don't we?, its important to listen to the other side. Respect.

Thanks bro, I wish everyone could see my posts for are the way you do. I love intelligent football discussion, but so many for different reasons are not capable. I don't mean just here, but everywhere! Then it becomes much easier for them to simply talk down to me or accuse me of being a bandwagon fan and etc. I enjoyed talking with some of you, but it's time for me to let you guys be and hope for a good injury free game this week. Take care! 😉
 
Thanks bro, I wish everyone could see my posts for are the way you do. I love intelligent football discussion, but so many for different reasons are not capable. I don't mean just here, but everywhere! Then it becomes much easier for them to simply talk down to me or accuse me of being a bandwagon fan and etc. I enjoyed talking with some of you, but it's time for me to let you guys be and hope for a good injury free game this week. Take care! 😉

Just busting your chops a little. It’s not like we aren’t aware of all of the talent on your team. It’s been crammed down our freaking throats since before the season started. Most “experts” acted like this isn’t the best team we have ever had and we should just roll over for the king of the freaking mighty AFC East...
 
It appears there are some Saints fans here who have no respect for the Bucs defense, especially for our secondary. It's your opinion, this is your home and you are entitled to it, but let me leave you with a little "food for thought".
1. We are number #1 in the league against the run for two years running. This year we accomplished that for 11 games without our #1 run stuffer in Vita Vea.
2. Regardless of how many of you think you'll be seeing a lot man to man defense this week, think again. We play a lot of Tampa 2 and we DO play soft by design. We like to keep your receiver and your QB in our DB's line of sight through the entire pattern. We do NOT like to get our back turned to the QB! We'd rather play soft then come up and make a hit and hope for a fumble, a tipped pass pick or to jump a route, which we CAN do!
3. We do give up yards in the air, but not because we are terrible at it. THIS is what many of you are overlooking. Many teams have abandoned the run early against us because we DO stop it.
Another reason we give up aerial yards is because when we get a lead teams pass on almost every down. Yes this happens to your defense also but remember! The Bucs defense only gave up 18 more points than the Saints did all season! In fact, the Saints and Bucs are numbers 3 and 4 in the league in points allowed! The Bucs scored 10 more points than the Saints this year, so there is only an 8 point differential in favor of the Saints for the entire year! Again, just something to think about! 😉

I never have a beef with the Bucs or their fans. By and large Bucs fans are the best "opponent guests" on SR.com, and in my own mind there is such a shared history of losing and frustration (and being known by most of the NFL as such for decades), they're almost like cousins love to beat at the family picnic but don't hate.

Even with Brady. ;)

And if you go down the list of various team defense rankings in various categories, it's almost spooky that in every one the teams are with 1, 2 or 3 spots of each other.

Two thoughts:

1. It's a question of when you do it. Against playoff teams in the regular season, the Saints were 3-2, +32 points; the Bucs were 2-5, - 45 points. Making hay against lesser teams helps because you have to win those games, but isn't much help in the playoffs.

2. The matchup for the Bucs offense vs. the Saints defense is...not good for the Bucs. Marshon Lattimore alone in single coverage makes Mike Evans disappear, Janorious Jenkins is playing lights out at the other corner, and the other five regular DBs (Jenkins, Marcus Willliams, Patrick Robinson (not a great outside CB but an absolute monster slot cover), CJGJ, even PJ Willams...the worst is PJ and even he will make you work. In short, absent sending five guys out in the pattern (which would be insane against our rush), playing man up with a standard cover two, even with the Bucs' terrific WR/TE corps (Evans, Godwin, Brown, Gronk) there won't be many easy throws out there.

On the other end, Brady is essentially a statue at this point, and we don't need to have the same rush lane discipline (well, any, really) that we need have against guys who move well like Rodgers, Mahomes, Hurts, even Matt Ryan (who has been killing us with six yard scrambles on third-and-five for ******* forever). We can just go at him any way we want. our DT rotation has plenty of sacks on its own, and while the number of sacks, knockdowns are hurries b/t the Bucs and the Saints are oddly alike, the Saints blitz a lot less, with 36.5 of our 45 sacks coming from DL, while the Bucs DL has only 28.5 of the Bucs 48 sacks. (We can argue a little that mabye Shaq Barrett is a DE, but since there are 5 real DL on the Bucs roster who have combined for 64 starts and over 70% of the DL snaps, I'd have to say he's 50/50, and if you split his sacks that's still over 20 of the 48 sacks from the back seven, so IMO my point still stands.)

In essence, the Saints can pressure Brady pretty well rushing four and dropping seven into coverage, while the Bucs have to live and die with the blitz. And you know what happens when Brady gets pressured up the middle facing a full secondary, while you come at Brees with a blitz. Neither game was all that close: combined Brady was 48-74-209-2-5, 6.6 YPA, Brees was 48-66-480-6-0, 10.0 YPA.

Back to my original point 163,477 words ago :hihi:: there is nothing about this matchup situation that's changed from the first two games.

Look, anything can happen Sunday, and I'll agree that the Bucs offense is somewhat improved as Gronkowski has warmed up. But I don't think the Bucs have improved since game #2 any more than the Saints D has, and the Bucs matchup problems won't change.

Apologize for the wall of text. Peace to the Bucs and their fans.
 
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My favorite part about all of this is the first game we played all we heard before the game is Brady bucs coming to take over division and beat the saints. First game is played and we win so the excuse is well Brady isn’t gelled yet. 8 weeks later we play again in week 9 all we hear all week is that Brady and the bucs are on a roll defense is playing lights out and offense is putting up points y’all just signed Antonio brown Chris Godwin is coming back from injury no way saints can even compete with bucs. Bucs are going to destroy the saints. Guess what game is played and we dismantle y’all team so bad the whole second half we are just burning clock and not even trying to score anymore and y’all take a timeout late in 4th to kick a field goal just so it’s not a shutout. After the game all we here is excuses about how Antonio brown ruined the chemistry and o line is banged up. Mean while saints have been dismantle by injuries all year but who cares right? So fast forward now to this playoff match up and all we are hearing is the same old thing. Brady and bucs gelling on offense... defense playing better. We are just sick and tired of the Brady hype after we beat y’all soundly twice! I don’t think it will be a beat down again though I wish it is but I still see saints winning because I’ve seen nothing else to show me otherwise. Media just hyping this game up for bucs as usual and can’t get off brady jock strap.
 
Your point is well taken and I've already offered up respect for where the Saints are right now as a team. Yes, you are in a pretty comfortable position. That said though, this is the NFL, and it IS the playoffs where any team can and has won! But like I said, I was just offering up some food for thought or discussion, and not trolling or smack talking.

Hello WillC,

Since you are the mayor of Buccs Fantown and speak for the pewter people I've got a question for you and your constitutes...

If the SAINTS make it all the way to the Super Bowl, would it be OK if Brees uses Brady's locker in RayJay Stadium? Just offering up some respect B4 the game on how to act in your house, if it comes to that.
 
1. It's a question of when you do it. Against playoff teams in the regular season, the Saints were 3-2, +32 points; (+39 actually) the Bucs were 2-5, - 45 points. Making hay against lesser teams helps because you have to win those games, but isn't much help in the playoffs. (bucs were 1-5, for -25 points)

In essence, the Saints can pressure Brady pretty well rushing four and dropping seven into coverage, while the Bucs have to live and die with the blitz. And you know what happens when Brady gets pressured up the middle facing a full secondary, while you come at Brees with a blitz. Neither game was all that close: combined Brady was 48-74-209-2-5, 6.6 YPA, Brees was 48-66-480-6-0, 10.0 YPA.
brady was 45/74-448-2-5, 6 YPA

brees was 44/62-382-6-0, 6.1 YPA
 
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What are you confused about? It's not hard, I was just offering food for thought! Going by your logic, hell, it's already over! We may as well just hand it to you and not even play the game! 🙄
It should be noted that along the way to the Saint's last Superbowl run, not one, but two Hall of Fame QB's hung it up after the beat down we put on them. Warner still wakes up at 4 am with the sweats and Farve really wears Copper Fit braces. Just saying.
 
It appears there are some Saints fans here who have no respect for the Bucs defense, especially for our secondary. It's your opinion, this is your home and you are entitled to it, but let me leave you with a little "food for thought".
1. We are number #1 in the league against the run for two years running. This year we accomplished that for 11 games without our #1 run stuffer in Vita Vea.
2. Regardless of how many of you think you'll be seeing a lot man to man defense this week, think again. We play a lot of Tampa 2 and we DO play soft by design. We like to keep your receiver and your QB in our DB's line of sight through the entire pattern. We do NOT like to get our back turned to the QB! We'd rather play soft then come up and make a hit and hope for a fumble, a tipped pass pick or to jump a route, which we CAN do!
3. We do give up yards in the air, but not because we are terrible at it. THIS is what many of you are overlooking. Many teams have abandoned the run early against us because we DO stop it.
Another reason we give up aerial yards is because when we get a lead teams pass on almost every down. Yes this happens to your defense also but remember! The Bucs defense only gave up 18 more points than the Saints did all season! In fact, the Saints and Bucs are numbers 3 and 4 in the league in points allowed! The Bucs scored 10 more points than the Saints this year, so there is only an 8 point differential in favor of the Saints for the entire year! Again, just something to think about! 😉
 

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