In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers final preseason clash at EverBank Stadium, undrafted rookie outside linebacker Jack Pyburn became the defensive catalyst in the second half. Amongst the reserves fighting for a spot on the team's coveted 53, Pyburn made a solid case on Friday night. He recorded two sacks, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. In his hometown of Jacksonville, he spurred the defensive effort, showcasing his explosive hands, balance at the point of attack and quickness off blocks.
"The first sack play I just had a nice stab club, got his inside pec and jabbed his outside arm and hit the corner and turned it," said Pyburn. "Then the second one, I knew he was going to try to set deep on me and overset because I was beating him around the edge, so I beat him inside and turned the corner and got to the quarterback. I was a little bit mad, I should have had a third one and I get animated about that, but it is all good. I was just trying to get pressure."
The fiery edge-setter showcased his knockback strength as a run defender and made his presence felt against the Jaguars. He displayed his versatility as a well-rounded edge with his recognition of run schemes and effective speed-to-power conversion. On the tackle for loss, Pyburn stunned the opposition with how fast he fired off the ball and worked it to his advantage to make his way into the backfield. Throughout the offseason workout program, Pyburn has prioritized his get-off and timing at the snap to cause chaos and on Friday, it paid dividends.
"I think Coach Foote is just an absolute tremendous coach and his knowledge of the game and how much football he has played and his understanding of when to get off the ball, when to time pre-snap and my get-off especially," described Pyburn. "That is the biggest thing that I have worked on is timing the snap and getting off the ball as fast as possible. His overall understanding of how an offense works has helped me so tremendously understand that at a deeper level."
