Tampa Bay Buccaneers

"Hungry" Newcomers Helping Bucs' Defense Bounce Back

Despite a constantly shifting lineup and a rash of injuries, the Buccaneers' defense has improved significantly in the last month, in part due to the impressive efforts of some very motivated young players

Dec 05, 2018 at 05:01 PM

Scott Smith

Senior Writer/Editor

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense surged in the third quarter of the season after hitting the halfway point near the bottom of the league rankings in points and yards allowed. After allowing 34.4 points per game through the first eight contests, the Bucs allowed just 20.0 per game over the most recent four.

The most consistent force in that surge has been the pressure put on opposing quarterbacks by the defensive line, especially bookend edge rushers Jason Pierre-Paul and Carl Nassib. What has not been consistent during that time, or at any point this season actually, has been the lineup…but that too is part of the story of the defense's turnaround.

Here are some snap counts from the Buccaneers' 24-17 win over Carolina this past Sunday, a game that featured 70 total plays for the Tampa Bay defense:

· De'Vante Harris – 70

· Javien Elliott – 66

· Andrew Adams – 32

· Josh Shaw – 8

· Kevin Minter – 4

What unites those five players is that none of them were on the Buccaneers' active roster when the 2018 season began and none were playing any meaningful defensive snaps as recently as six weeks ago. They have varying levels of "newcomer" status – Elliott has been either on the practice squad or the active roster since last year and Harris had a stint with the Buccaneers during the preseason, but the other three had never intersected with the franchise before being added during the season.

All of those players could continue to be important to the Buccaneers down the stretch as they fight for a playoff spot. Minter's low snap count on Sunday is misleading, for example; he was actually the starting middle linebacker (a trouble spot since Kwon Alexander landed on injured reserve in Week Eight) but the Bucs ended up in sub packages for most of the game. Minter still managed to record a sack and another tackle during his four plays on the field. Harris started along with Ryan Smith, who had last seen significant defensive snaps in Week Six, as the Buccaneers were without starting cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Carlton Davis. Elliott has been the nickel back for the last five games after a foot injury sidelined M.J. Stewart, who himself was in that role because Vernon Hargreaves landed on injured reserve.

Grimes and Stewart could return to action this coming Sunday against New Orleans, but it's likely that Harris, Elliott and Smith will be needed down the stretch. They were certainly needed on Sunday and they combined to give a makeshift defensive lineup some real bite. Adams and Elliott combined for four interceptions and Harris broke up three passes.

"You have to credit Jason Licht and his staff with bringing in the right kind of guys," said Head Coach Dirk Koetter. "Because when you're bringing in guys that weren't with you in training camp, you're bringing in guys that are thankful and hungry – thankful to be here and hungry to be here, hungry to make a name for themselves. And they're big learners and guys that can fit in right off the bat. It also is a testament to the coaches who have had to get those guys up to speed and get them ready. More than anything, it also is a sign of good leadership in the locker room, that they come into a place where guys in the locker room are setting a good example."

Defensive Coordinator Mark Duffner, who also coaches the linebackers, has had a big hand in getting those players up to speed, and for devising lineups that can succeed amidst the constantly shifting personnel. For instance, Adams has taken on a very helpful role as, essentially, a hybrid linebacker in the dime package the Bucs have employed frequently since the loss of Alexander and during the two-game absence by Lavonte David. Duffner has also been impressed by the approach and the results of these midseason fill-ins.

"Our players have responded to those opportunities," he said. "We've put a lot of guys in some different spots based on a number of things, injuries and so forth. I think the plus has been that we've got a hungry group of guys, a bunch of guys that really want to have an opportunity to play. When given that chance, so far they've responded, so we're anxious to see that continue."

Tampa Bay has been relatively fortunate in terms of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, which is one of the reasons they continue to lead the league in yards gained per game. Tight end O.J. Howard recently landed on injured reserve and the Bucs played the last game without starters Demar Dotson and DeSean Jackson, but for the most part the starting lineup has been intact all season on that side of the ball. That's a stark contrast to the defense.

Through three quarters of the season, the Buccaneers have yet to start the same 11 players on defense for even two games. That's 12 unique starting lineups in 12 outings, which is obviously tied for the most in the NFL. The Bucs have had 330 different 11-man combinations on the field at some point or another on defense, and even their most common group of 11 has only been on the field for 2.30% of the total snaps. Depending upon how the Buccaneers mix in some players possibly returning from injuries, those numbers could continue to trend in the same direction in Week 13.

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TAMPA, FL- DECEMBER 05, 2018 - Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 during practice at AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, FL. Photo By Mike Carlson/Tampa Bay Buccaneers