The Bucks have coverage issues that were exposed in Thursday’s 36-30 overtime loss to Atlanta. The middle of the field was wide open all night for Kirk Cousins, who finished with a Falcons-record 509 passing yards and four touchdowns, more than 300 of which came through the middle.
And who will be Tampa Bay’s middle linebacker? KJ Britt has athletic limitations that have hindered his coverage. So the Falcons naturally targeted his field area multiple times in the win.
Britt wasn’t solely responsible for the loss, but he was Pro Football Focus’ lowest-rated Bucks defender in Week 5 with a 38.3 overall rating and 46.5 coverage rating. Britt allowed three catches for 28 yards but missed a tackle.
Defensive play-caller and head coach Todd Bowles was forced to play in the middle of the field before the Saints, as Servosia Dennis is on injured reserve with a potentially season-ending shoulder injury and unavailable for help. What can be done to improve pass coverage as quarterback Derek Carr takes turns attacking Britt and others in New Orleans on Sunday?
Will Bowles run a dime defense featuring only one linebacker, three safeties, and three cornerbacks?
Is bringing back former inside linebacker Devin White an option?
Josh Quapo of the Pewter Report broke down the Bucks’ dire shortcomings in the middle of the field on Friday.
Now let’s examine the problem in more detail and discuss possible solutions.
Bucks Miss Sarvosia Dennis – Terrible
Bucks ILB Servosia Dennis – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
It’s safe to say the Bucks missed Sarvosia Denis on Thursday night in Atlanta. Dennis platooned with Britt and played in third-and-long situations and obvious passing downs. The second-year linebacker from Pitt has a coverage grade of 74.3 this season.
KJ Britt is responsible in pass coverage. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles doesn’t say it out loud, but his actions speak louder. When Bowles demoted Devin White last year, he was clearly evaluating his ability to blitz and use his speed in coverage. Britt is a downhill slugger and actually had a tough night in the run game against the Falcons, being a hard-bodied athlete who wasn’t agile. The lack of agility is also noticeable in pass coverage.
“It wasn’t hard because it was normal for us to run, but at the same time we wanted to have more speed on the field at certain times,” Bowles said without Dennis. talked about how difficult it was. against the Falcons. “K.J. is a very good zone player, but sometimes you want to have some guys with speed on the field and you need to be better at communicating, especially with the safeties.When we lost Jordan [Whitehead]lost some of the communication aspect and then just missed some drops and missed some tackles. ”
That’s why Bowles platooned Britt with White late last year and earlier this year with Dennis. Bowles needs more speed on the field, as Britt is one of the slower linebackers on the team. When Bowles defends him in press conferences, it’s just lip service.
Bucs ILB KJ Britt and Lavonte David – Photo by Jeffrey Jones/PR
“So we have confidence in KJ, but at the same time we need to make more tackles,” Bowles said. “The zone was down and the tackling wasn’t very good, so I thought we were forced into the back of the eight ball there.”
The Bucks played in over 80% zone coverage against the Falcons. Bowles feared Britt would be responsible for covering running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgaier, as well as a coverage mismatch with fast and athletic tight end Kyle Pitts.
In order to create a defense that is predictable and easy to attack, Britt cannot be allowed to handicap the defense by not being able to cover the man. Just ask Kirk Cousins, who threw the ball to and around the Bucs’ spot-drop inside linebackers all night.
Lavonte David is showing his age, but bringing back Devin White won’t help
Bucs ILB Labonte David and Falcons WR Drake Rondon – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Looking at the stat sheet, Lavonte David had a good night. He recorded eight tackles (one fewer than fellow linebacker KJ Britt), two pass breakups and an interception on fourth down in the crucial fourth quarter with less than two minutes remaining. By the way, it looked like Tampa Bay had won.
However, according to Pro Football Focus, David was targeted 11 times in coverage in Atlanta and allowed nine catches for 107 yards. His PFF coverage grade of 48.5 was almost as bad as Britt’s coverage grade of 46.5.
It’s tough for any football player to play on a Sunday and then have to turn around a short week and play on a Thursday night. But football is a youth sport, which makes it even more difficult for a 34-year-old linebacker like David. Considering the sweltering heat and humidity in Tampa during the Bucks’ 33-16 win over the Eagles, David may have started the Falcons game with only half his energy tank.
The reason I point this out is if Todd Bowles looked at his roster and had J.J. Russell, who has only 47 career pass-rushing snaps, or undrafted free agent Antonio Grier Jr. and Britt. That is, if you don’t have the confidence to team up. He may have to transition to a defensive role if he joins the active roster from the practice squad in place of Sir Vosia Dennis.
Dime defense means playing only six defensive backs and one linebacker. One of those linebackers would have to be David. David has posted a coverage grade of 62.7 in five games this year, which is unsurprisingly the lowest of his illustrious 13-year career.
Bowles said David’s poor night coverage was due in part to fatigue from a short week, and he must hope that the rest he gets over the weekend will improve his coverage. He has no other options than inside linebacker right now.
Bucks ILB Devin White – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Before you start thinking that trading for Devin White, the former Bucs inside linebacker familiar with Todd Bowles’ defense, might be a good idea, he’s not only not starting in Philadelphia, he’s also inactive. I would like you to remember that I have caused a healthy amount of damage to this team. Most of the season list.
There’s a reason.
Devin White isn’t a good player right now. The Bucks knew that, which is why they let him become a free agent. And the Eagles know that now, which is why he’s been inactive.
Bucks general manager Jason Richt isn’t going to consider that considering some of White’s antics a year ago and his decline in play since the start of the 2022 season. And Richt won’t part with his draft capital, as he believes it will be valuable to building the team’s future. Tampa Bay has really hit on some key players, especially over the past three years.
Who will replace KJ Britt on the dime defense?
Bucks S. Christian Idzien – Photo courtesy of USA Today
If Todd Bowles were to deploy a dim defense, it would likely feature three safeties, three cornerbacks and a linebacker. The good news for the Bucs is that they have a lot of safeties on the team that they really like. Unfortunately, one of their most beloved safeties, All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., has been sidelined since Week 1 with a foot injury.
“We have that (dime) package if he comes back, but we can’t afford to use it right now because of the injury,” Bowles said.
In fact, Winfield’s injury was the reason Bowles was unable to use what little defense he had against the Falcons on Thursday night, especially since Tampa Bay only had two walk-through practices before the trip to Atlanta. There wasn’t enough time in a short week to properly implement it into the game plan.
take a look here tampa bay safety You also need to consider who Bowles should team up with, as well as Pro Football Focus coverage grades in 2024.
Bucs starting safety
Antwon Winfield Jr. – 5-9, 203 – 57.3 PFF Coverage Grade
Jordan Whitehead – 5-10, 198 – 70.2 PFF Coverage Grade
Possible dime safety candidates
DB Tykie Smith – 5-10, 202 – 64.2 PFF Coverage Grade
FS Christian Idzien – 5-10, 200 – 56.7 PFF Coverage Grade
SS Kayvon Merriweather – 6-0, 212 – 56.6 PFF Coverage Grade
DB Tavierre Thomas – 5-10, 205 – 68 PFF Coverage Grade
Safety measures for training squads
S. Rashad Wisdom – 5-9, 210 – 68.6 PFF Preseason Coverage Grade
S Marcus Banks – 6-0, 190 – 55.9 PFF Preseason Coverage Grade
Falcons WR Drake Rondon and Bucks NCB Tykie Smith – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Rookie Tykie Smith played nickelback this year, replacing Christian Isien, who filled in for the injured Winfield at free safety. Both of these players will play the role of dime safety, but Isian may be the ideal candidate. He started all 19 games at nickelback during his rookie season and was selected by Coach Bowles to replace Winfield at free safety.
Isien appears to have the confidence of the coaching staff, and Tavierre replaced him at outside cornerback in Week 1’s win over Washington when Zion McCollum, Bryce Hall and Josh Hayes left with injuries. I nominated him over Thomas. .
Bowles said Smith is coming off a rough game in Atlanta, where he allowed two touchdowns, so giving him more responsibility might not be ideal.
Bucs S. Kayvon Merriweather and CB Jamel Dean, Falcons WR Darnell Mooney – Photo by Jeffrey Jones/PR
“He’s one of the guys we were talking about. [playing in dime]” Bowles said. “Also, [we’re] We’re trying not to put too much strain on him, including being a rookie, so we have to move some guys around, but he’s definitely one of the candidates for that kind of job.”
The weakness of the dime defense, which takes linebackers off the field and prioritizes smaller, faster safeties, is run defense. Opponents may decide to take advantage of the lack of defenders and run the ball on third or medium play.
The safest player on the field is Kayvon Merriweather, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 212 pounds. He got playing time both last year and this year, and he plays better in the box than deep. So if Bowles opts for a 10-cent defensive package, either Isien or Merriweather would seem to be the most ideal candidates to be the third safety on the field.
