TAMPA – What if Tom Brady is an afterthought?
What if, after getting an endless wonder with more records, Super Bowls and students than any quarterback humanity has ever known, the story of the Tampa Bay season was a cruel defense?
Silly, right? Brady’s aura is too big, and the defense is too uncertain. Brady is Godzilla and everyone else is just hoping for a little screen time before the credits roll.
But… what if?
In the second half of last season, the Bucs defense averaged 316 yards with 1.9 turnovers per game. Those are the numbers of a top-five defense. Those are the kinds of numbers we are used to seeing from the defenses of Patriots, Ravens or Steelers.
Maybe that was just a whistle against the softer side of the scheme, but it’s also possible that it was a sign of things to come. A look at the future of a rebuilt defense with a proven coordinator, Todd Bowles, at the controls.
This defense not only has two months worth of stats on its side, it also has stories to go along with it. The story of how a group of defensive backs survived doubts and jibes and came away stronger than anyone expected. The story of Lavonte David finally gets its fault. The story of first round draft pick Devin White talking and playing at 100 mph.
“There’s a lot of talk about practice during practice,” coach Bruce Arians said of the young boys in defense. ‘They’re very feisty. Devin is a man who brings a ton of energy. The DBs get a lot of swagger. I love that, that’s what competition is all about. No one talks more crazy than I do. ”
It’s been a long time since anyone wanted a defense in Tampa Bay as their own, which is unfortunate because every glorious moment in the history of this franchise revolved around defense. When the Bucs first went to the playoffs in 1979, it was with the no. 1st defense in the NFL. When they won the Super Bowl in 2002, it was with the no. 1 defense in the NFL.
They are not ready to cross that bridge in 2020, but they are much closer to the other side than they have been in a decade or more.
“What you put in is what you put out,” linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul said. ‘Hot days in Florida … sweat and blood, being chopped up and screwed up, that’s what will count.
“We may be one of the best defenders in the NFL, but we have to put in the work.”
You may have noticed, the mischief got all the glamor photos in the offseason. First, Brady was brought in. Do rookie tackle Tristan Wirfs. Then tight end Rob Gronkowski and running LeSean McCoy back.
Yet, in the end, the Bucs invested almost as much money in defense. With the re-signing of Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh and Shaquil Barrett, the Bucs ensured stability on a still young roster. And by taking on Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second round in April, Tampa Bay now has four second-round picks and two third-round picks in the secondary of the past three draws.
They lost some just-rushing depth when Carl Nassib left via free agency, but White is expected to play a bigger role in the hunt for the quarterback.
“Bowles will work his magic and put everyone in a position to make plays,” Linebackers coach Larry Foote said when asked about how Barrett focused more attention on him this season.
So how good can this defense be?
Will they repeat the no. Have 1 run-stop unit? Considering they have Suh and Vita Vea in the middle, and Bowles makes run defense an emphasis, that’s not a foreign statement.
Can Barrett repeat his league-leading 19.5 sacks? That would be trickier, but another double-digit season would probably seem like it.
Will it continue to grow? This can be the key for the whole season. If what we saw in November and December were no track, the Bucs have a playoff-caliber defense.
Arians said he would see less explosive plays of opposing crimes, and believes the secondary could produce more interceptions, but he did not back down from the idea that the defense is ready to step into the spotlight.
“I would not expect a drop-off,” he said.
No, this defense is not good enough to obscure Brady’s fame, but they may not seem to fit on the red carpet.
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
