Because the Bucs prepare for his or her Tremendous Wild Card matchup towards the Cowboys, one factor is for sure, every facet of the roster wants to choose up the slack as it’s now playoff time. Win or go residence. From right here on out will probably be a collective effort to remain within the win column.
That begins on the offensive facet of the ball however extends to the defensive facet as effectively. For the protection particularly, it has been a wrestle being at 100% all through the season. Being as near it as potential will likely be essential to make it deeper into January.
Accidents have hit almost each key contributing member of the secondary sooner or later this season. From the highest three corners in Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean, and Sean Murphy-Bunting to safeties Antoine Winfield Jr., Logan Ryan, Mike Edwards, and Keanu Neal.
Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett and DT Logan Corridor – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
That isn’t to say the entrance seven. Defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Vita Vea have missed time, whereas exterior linebackers Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson have been compelled to play a lot of the snaps with the lack of Shaquil Barrett to an Achilles harm in late October. Maybe if the Bucs did higher than 8-9 this season, overcoming their accidents would get extra recognition.
Since coaching camp, it has taken a toll on either side of the ball.
“We’ve been actually combating this factor from the start,” offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich alluded to Wednesday.
To get thus far, the Bucs have scratched and clawed to emerge victorious on the high of the NFC South by combating by means of these sorts of challenges.
Bucs OC Leftwich: “None Of Them Got here Simple This Yr”
It has been a combat for the Bucs to remain within the playoff image all through the season. Week after week, straightforward video games on paper had been irritating losses. No win was actually a dominating effort or blowout. Expectations have been greater in latest seasons with the addition of quarterback Tom Brady, however they haven’t been met this season as they’ve did not look the a part of a real title contender. But, the Bucs are like each different playoff group, 0-0 with an entire postseason forward.
Bucs OC Byron Leftwich and HC Todd Bowles – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
“It felt like we had been combating each week for a win, and we had been in a battle each week,” Leftwich stated of this yr’s group. “None of them got here straightforward this yr – the wins or the losses – nothing was straightforward for us. Typically you may have years like this on this league. I feel it’s good for gamers and it’s good for coaches as a result of I feel all of us grew. I feel our gamers bought higher, I feel we as coaches bought higher – we had been confronted with plenty of conditions that we’ve by no means been confronted with prior to now with this group.
“I feel we bought higher by means of it, our gamers bought higher by means of it. Typically you may have these moments. When you may have them, you settle for the problem. You settle for the problem of what you’re confronted with week-in and week-out. No person actually understands these challenges that you simply’re going by means of each week. To be sitting proper right here as one of many groups which have the chance to be within the event, I feel it’s an indication of our gamers, I feel it’s an indication of how good of a job our coaches have achieved all year long.”
Bucs Have Gotten Right here By “A Collective Effort”
When inside linebacker and group captain Lavonte David spoke Wednesday, one may inform that he’s grateful for having the chance to succeed in the playoffs. Since coming into the league in 2012, David has been an anchor on a Bucs ship that usually did not make waves earlier than the 2020 season.
Between 2012-2019, the one occasions the group didn’t end final within the NFC South had been in 2016 (2nd) and 2019 (third). For these different seasons, David didn’t know what being part of a aggressive group was like, a lot much less a playoff contender.
Now, he doesn’t take this calmly. “I don’t take it as a right, David stated. “It takes some time to get right here. It’s onerous to get right here. As you guys have seen, this season was tough – it was a battle to get right here. We’re right here now. However you positively don’t take these alternatives as a right – you by no means know once you’re going to be again right here once more. Fortunately, three years in a row, we’ve been in a position to be on this event – but it surely’s positively a scenario that each soccer participant would dream to be in.”
It was onerous to get thus far, with a gaggle effort by the protection being the distinction, group dinners paid for by David and inside linebacker accomplice Devin White included. After dropping Barrett, the group changed his manufacturing with many gamers getting concerned and making use of stress on the quarterback. As an entire, the protection had 44 sacks, with no participant having greater than nostril deal with Vita Vea’s 6.5. David spoke on this effort additional.
Bucs LB Devin White – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
“It’s a collective effort, each time any individual’s quantity is known as, all people tries to do their finest to get to the quarterback. We all know that one of many major issues on this league for fulfillment is having win charges towards quarterbacks. Attending to them, disrupting the passer. It’s one thing that you simply bought to tip your hat off to the defensive employees, placing collectively nice sport plans to have the ability to have an effect on the quarterback in some ways.
“Whether or not it’s blitzing linebackers or having nice video games up entrance with the line of defense, all people [needs to] preserve their focus regardless that we did lose [outside linebacker] Shaq [Barrett], who is clearly an enormous a part of our pass-rushing skill. Everyone simply speeding collectively and dealing collectively to have the ability to choose up the slack.”
Step one will likely be stopping Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Co. as they did in a 19-3 season-opening victory. To advance from right here on out, it’s as much as every member of the 53-man roster to do their half.
