Bucs looking at blitzing?

If you've watched the Bucs' defense for any length of time, you probably know not to expect much (if any) blitzing from defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

I get the sense it's not his favorite thing and, truth be told, it may or may not work so well within the Tampa 2 scheme.

But I'm starting to get the feeling Tampa Bay is looking at some ways to implement some more blitz packages into its system. There have been bits and pieces of conversations this offseason with Kiffin and others that lead me to believe this. And when Jon Gruden mentioned the possibility during the draft on Saturday, I really started to pay attention.

After drafting Aqib Talib and in trying to convey the current strength of the secondary, Gruden said, "We do have the ability now, I think, in the secondary to mix up coverages if we choose to blitz a little bit more -- which is a big part of the National Football League these days. It's good to have some ball-hawking guys back there that can cover man-to-man and instinctively play the football when it's in flight."

It's an important point. If the Bucs are to mix in some blitz, they'll have to play something that at least resembles man-to-man coverage against receivers. Most times, it's linebackers (and sometimes safeties) that do the blitzing. So, if you were to send a linebacker or two, you would not have them available in pass coverage, as is customary in the Bucs' zone defense.

Something that can't be underestimated here is the impression other team's blitzes have made on Gruden. He went on and on before and after January's playoff game about the Giants' blitzes, almost lustfully. Hard to blame him considering how effective New York was in using them.

Now that I'm putting all this together, I guess it's a question I need to ask a little more directly when the opportunity arises. But there was definitely some experimentation underway in the secondary last season with a variety of other coverages. And Kiffin himself has told me that even though their scheme is effective, they are constantly trying to find ways to tweak it to be a little less predictable.

One way to do that would be to throw something new into the mix -- like a little more blitz.

Comments

[First]

first to comment

[Second]

maybe they should acquire someone from Jim Johnson group

[George]

Last year it was supposedly the 3-4 that they were going to mix in. This year, it's the blitz? I think, on gameday, Monte is going to call the defense that he is most comfortable with... which has worked out pretty well here for 12 years or so... I'd love to see more blitzing (maybe from a 3-4 alignment), but I don't know that we can really expect it, no matter how much they may work on it in camp and practices.

[Russell]

Stephen, I'm sure you're working on this, but any thoughts on the Simms/Gradkowski draft day trade rumors coming out of the Trib? Would be interesting to know if they're correct insofar as it gives us insight into which five guys they'll wind up taking to camp.

[Tom]

I like the idea of blitzing more, especially given our somewhat lack of production from the front four and the strength of our secondary. We got picked apart against Indy last year just sitting back in a cover 2. May have been Kiffin's worst coaching day. No wait, putting Tim Wansley man up against Marvin Harrison. That was the worst!

I don't know where this idea of 3-4 has come around. An effective 3-4 requires a behemouth nose tackle and versatile LBs that can rush the passer. We don't have any of those. We played a 3-3-5 last year which was not my favorite. Rushing 3 guys is a complete waste of time.

[Stephen_Holder]

Tom, regarding the 3-4, there was some buzz about it last year, but I don't think there was ever really anything to it. This is a little different I think because it's been talked about by Gruden and Kiffin. We'll see. It would certainly shake things up.

[Stephen_Holder]

Russell: I don't like to dump on other people's work, though I can't say the same for all media in this town. However, you asked, so I'll say this: the Simms rumors are flat-out wrong. The Bucs would have gotten Simms on the first plane out of town if someone offered a sixth-rounder for him. It didn't happen. I checked it out THOROUGHLY.

Now, the Gradkowski stuff I think is on point. They would love to trade Bruce and recover something for him, but I don't really think he's got much more value than Simms right now (and I've told everyone repeatedly that Simms' value right now is nil). It's going to be a tall order to find a trade partner for Gradkowski. Good luck to them. They'll need it.

[Dudley Doright]

I would like to see the Gru's O handle the blitz. Stop all the garbage shifting, which works 1 out of 20 times and confuses noone except his own players, and leave the D to Monte. Now this is not a Gru bashing, so Gruhuggers don't go over the edge. I understand what he is saying with a blitz, but if his O can't handle another teams blitz schemes, square one is still the location.

[Jay]

I think the dependence upon Cover 2 always started with the fierceness of a disruptive pass rush from the inside, and let's be honest, Warren Sapp was that rush. Since he's moved on, the Cover 2 shows its flaws as a zone defense against both the run and the TE in the middle of the field.

I'm pretty sure you nailed it, in that Monte has a LOT more confidence in TJax and Flip than he did in the past. Lynch was always a safety valve. Now, in the event of a nickel package, either Wilson or Talib taking the 3rd corner spot (maybe Barber getting back to blitzing again) secures things.

Overall, it has more to do with personnel fitting a scheme than it does gameplanning for an opponent. I'm glad they're mixing it up and taking advantage of the players skills, rather than sticking to a formula that can be predicted.

Until the Bucs can get that disruptive DT (I'm thinking Haynesworth again), they won't rely as much as they did in the past on the Cover 2.

[aaron]

Just a comment on Stephen response to Russell: That is why I do not go on their site anymore. The reporting is...well I will just say it is better over here. They have it in for a couple players and completely kiss other players a**'s over there. It is very biased and sometimes amatureish.

[Dano]

Simms is on an NFL nepotism retirement package. We'll see if that continues when the season starts. Gradkowski won the only game he played in last year with play calling that was limited, and the skins new it. The year before he played his guts out while the rest of the team had quit. So even though he'll never get another shot with the Bucs, you can see how good the scouts and fans are at analysis of players. Greg White anyone?

[Niraj]

Jay nailed it and I want to add to what he says. I have been saying since last year, Jovan Haye is not the answer, we need a stud DT to bring the pressure up the middle. We don't have one. Nor do we have blitzing linebackers/safeties. That's not what Cover 2 does. If you ask Monte for his honest answer, he would want a great DT and rush with 4 lineman. Which brings us to our glorious head coach, who wants his defense to resemble his old Oakland defense, or current Philly defense. West Coast minded coaches prefer outside-in defenses--fast defensive ends and blitzing LBs and one-on-one corners to make "splash" plays. They don't like zone coverage which requires patience; the opponent has to make mistakes.

[BTKSTA]

Stephen et. a., Dre Moore will be the starting under tackle-with Jovan rotating in- by the time the season starts, and it will remind us of Sapp. the Cover 2 is best when the under tackle makes the push in the middle, and this kid can do it....remember where you heard this first.

[JP]

First of all, the Bucs haven't been a straight cover 2 team for years, but rather a cover 1/3 hybrid. The whole Tampa two discussion, including but not limited to the big thing it would be for the corners to play more man, got old years ago.

Second, I don't want Gruden anywhere near our defense. In fact, I'm willing to bet that any idea that moron comes up with, the better choice is to do the exact opposite.

[CB]

First of all, it's Grudens job to stop blitzes, not draw them up. The fact that the man gets giddy like a prepubescent schoolgirl about the results of opposing defenses is downright scary since those results, to a large degree, are his fault.

The Bucs defense is one of the best in the NFL and have been that way for years. If it ain't broken, why try to fix it?

I want Gruden as far away from the defense as humanly possible. Come to think of it, I want him far away from any aspect of the team, period. Surely, it can't be a huge surprise our drafts have gotten increasingly better the further Gruden has gotten from them?

No, Jon, you need to shut the hell up and give your full attention to the offense. Unlike the other parts of the team, it's nowhere near good enough. Surely you do understand, us fans have gone on and on before and after any game about the oppontents' offenses, almost lustfully.

[Jay]

CB,

You're angry, you don't like Gruden. We get it. But I'll address your questions instead.

If it ain't broken, why try to fix it?

Well, in a nutshell, it's never the same from year to year. You don't always have the same personnel from season to season, and there's no guarantee that their skills remain the same. Some players start to develop. Others fall off. And sometimes it's good to try some new things to keep other offenses off balance. The true talent of coaching is not just getting the best out of your current players, but building young ones, and planning for the next season.

As far as your dislike for Gruden, it does have some merit. In my opinion, his work ethic is beyond reproach, but he needs to delegate offensive playcalling to his subbordinate coaches, and allow them to focus their energies on one specific arena, while he manages the team. The defense has flourished because he's allowed Kiffin and his crew to run the show, and I believe the offense would also benefit from the same. In fact, Lane Kiffin, if he makes it out of Oakland alive, would be a spectacular offensive coordinator, and not just for the headlines either.

[cory]

How can anyone say Jovan Haye isn't the answer? 6 sacks in his 1st season at a position he had never played before. I feel like I've typed this a million times. It is way to early to judge him and his production matched Anthony Mcfarland's best season in his first. And also from what I've read, the idea is for dre moore to eventually replace hovan.

[Tuck]

Why all of the Gruden hating? He got the Bucs to the playoffs in '07, which was supposed to be a rebuilding year. I think that he is easily one of the top 10 best coaches in the league.

[Niraj]

Cory, I say what I say about Jovan Haye based on the playoffs game against Giants. Manning had all day to sit in the pocket, fake to the right, throw to the left. There was no pressure on him from the middle. Yes he had sacks through the season, but how many of them were coverage sacks? I don't remember him bursting through the line to stop anyone for a loss or pressuring a QB who was dropping back to throw.

[Cody Ubben]

Jovan Haye is not the answer in the middle. Niraj is absolutly right. It doesn't really matter how many sacks our 3-tech gets, it's more about him giving the edge rushers a better shot at the Qb by colapsing the pocket. All Haye is is a cheerleader between plays, don't be fooled by it.

[George]

Yeah, you Gruden haters need to shut the hell up... This team is back on the rise again, and he has a lot to do with it. If you want to point out some of his faults, that's fine... but let's not bash the guy. There are probably 25 teams in the league that would rather have him as their head coach than the coach they have.

[cory]

Are you really going to say his sacks don't count because you think they were coverage sacks? If we are going to do that, we should analyze everyone's sacks then. Or maybe take away interceptions that happenned because a qb was hurried. The point I'm trying to make is it is way to early to write off a 25-year old 1st year defensive tackle who had 68 tackles, 6 sacks, a safety, and a forced fumble.

[DR]

Gruden should fire his weak offensive coordinator...oh wait, its him. Seriously though, the Bucs need to bring in a coordinator thats willing to put an offense together to best meet the ability of his personnel. Gruden tries to run a "west coast" offense and it just does not work. It looks like a kid trying to push a square piece into the triangle hole. It just doesn't work.
Like i said before, I would like to see some changes on offense. Challenge the players, thats what you're supposed to do as a leader, right? I'd go with Clayton as the #1 WR and Galloway as the slot, motion guy. Galloway has always been a #2 at best throughout his entire career. That fade pattern they ran against the Giants last year was one of the worst play calls I have ever seen called. Run a fade with a 5'8" WR who is nursing a shoulder injury? Really? Might as well just take a knee with that play call. If the Bucs want to progress, they need to hire an offensive coordinator.

[Tony G.]

First of all DR is still a yo-yo. I think what most forget is that in the NFL if you do not make adjustments, you lose. Monte has been tweaking his defensive scheme for a few years now, largely because offensive coordinators around the league have been working on how to attack it. The introduction of the blitz would be a welcome addition and with the DB's the Bucs have, should be effective.

[Michael]

People, use some common sense. The impression I got was that Gruden does like the idea of blitzing, but So does Monte Kiffen. And it wouldnt be the first time that the Bucs blitzed under Kiffen. Does anyone reameber that Ronde Barber has 20+ career sacks? If he wasnt blitzing, how did that happen? And as far as the Bucs needing an offensive cordenator, Gruden is the right guy. They went from 29th I believe the year before, to 18th. Yes, there is room for improvement, but that is a MAJOR improvement in 1 season. Plus, I believe that the Bucs were 16th in passing offense, and 11th in rushing offense. Yes, I know its not the yards you get, but the points you score that are important, but the yards are still relavent, and the Bucs did score like 21 points per game last year. COME ON!! Be logical. Dont fire a good coach!!

[Bucman Smith]

No Blitzes from a Tampa 2 Defense? Huh?
It seems like the Bucs used Ronde Barber in a lot of blitzes last time I checked.

[Stephen_Holder]

Hey everyone... Never said they didn't blitz AT ALL. They use a couple "gimmick" blitzes with Ronde, yes. But those are very rare. I'm talking about traditional blitzing being a part of their regular repertoire. That is not currently the case.

[John Klopfer]

Are the people screaming that Gruden should be fired, the same ones that were calling for Dungy's head? Gruden is a good coach. Some of the things he does are a bit screwy (such as resting all the starters for two games), but overall he gives us a chance to win every Sunday. What else can we ask for?

[John]

John Klopfer,

Alot of these idiots calling for Gruden to be fired ARE the same people who wanted Dungy fired, and now say that they loved Dungy. Gruden has been a HC for 10 years and has 5 playoff births, been to two conference games and won 1 SB. Not too many HC's out there with that track record.

[SONNYBLACKMOBB]

the problem is the QB position,there is no stability.its like a mother who keeps bringing a different man home every week,you just dont know how to react or adapt.this new kid JOSH JOHNSON has some serious potential THE OBVIOUS heir to garcia.

[Duane]

Does anyone remember the Colts game where Rhonde Barber became exasperated with the same defensive calls during the game. The Colts nickled and dimed us down the field as did the Giants in the playoffs and the Texans and Niners during the regular season. The Bucs definitely need to mix up and add some different schemes.

[CVal]

Ronde Barber set an NFL record for sacks and INT's (total). When a DB sacks a QB, isn't that a blitz? It seems we've just gotten away from what used to work. Problem is that Ronde's older and there hasn't been any young guys to step up and follow his lead. Maybe now?