Bucs Rule 3 Out For Week 15

The Bucs gamers who’ve been dominated out for his or her Week 15 sport towards the Los Angeles Chargers don’t come as a lot of a shock. Following a Friday apply, head coach Todd Bowles spoke with the media and mentioned that safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Edwards together with inside linebacker Okay.J. Britt are all out for Sunday. Fellow security Christian Izien and fan favourite Bucky Irving will check it out earlier than the sport to see if they’ll go and are listed as questionable.

It was identified that Winfield was going to be out for a number of weeks, so mentally the workforce has already adjusted to taking part in with out him. Bowles additionally mentioned earlier within the week that Britt “wouldn’t be” able to play. Actually the one participant in query was Edwards, however he wasn’t seen at apply every day both. That is the second sport in a row that Britt and Edwards are lacking after being out for Tampa Bay’s Week 14 win.

Bucs Are Very Skinny At Security

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Picture by: USA Right this moment

With Winfield and Edwards out, Jordan Whitehead nonetheless on injured reserve and Izien questionable, the Bucs don’t have many solutions at security. Fortunately Tykee Smith is accessible, and he’s coming off of a sport the place he had an interception. With out query, Smith has been their finest security this yr, and an argument might be made that he’s been the perfect defensive again.

Smith has been credited many instances by Bowles for having the soccer IQ of a veteran regardless of being a rookie. He’s performed the nickel nook spot all season and lengthy and that doesn’t look like it’s going to vary even with the shortage of personnel.

“It’s most likely an excessive amount of to placed on his plate proper now,” Bowles mentioned when answering if Smith may play a dual-role of nickel and common security. “We’ll attempt to give him what he can deal with. He’s soccer participant.”

Bucs S Christian Izien, CB Zyon McCollum – Picture by: USA Right this moment

If Izien is accessible, that solutions a whole lot of the issues that the Bucs could have as a result of he and Kaevon Merriweather can play free and robust security. Additionally they have Tavierre Thomas, who can play slightly of in every single place on protection. This greater than doubtless implies that the Bucs are both going to raise safeties Marcus Banks, Rashad Knowledge or Ryan Neal and will doubtlessly take two of them.

Banks and Knowledge are rookies whereas Neal, who was not too long ago signed by Tampa Bay to the apply squad, was on the Bucs final season and struggled closely, a lot to the chagrin of Bucs followers.

The silver lining for the Bucs is that that their opponent within the Chargers are rather more of a floor and pound bodily workforce that might a lot somewhat run the ball than air it out. They could not be capable of exploit this weak point of the Bucs like different groups may. Both manner it’ll be a giant time take a look at for Tampa Bay as they proceed their playoff push with the remaining 4 video games.