Defensive Line

Now back to our regularly scheduled positions posts...Next up is the Defensive Line. Once the pride and joy of the Bucs, the Defensive Line has slowly become an also ran on the defense. While Rice still terrorizes QB's from the right side, Spires has been less intimidating in the last couple of years, and McFarland has continued to produce half that of a "washed up" Sapp in Oakland, in terms of both tackles and sacks. In '03 and '04, this unit had actually become a problem, as it was a sieve in the running game while not getting the customary pass pressure. Last season the Bucs went and picked up Chris Hovan. He then proceeded to become a merciless, tireless Nose Tackle, constantly drawing double teams, while helping close the running sieve in the middle of the line. But the pass pressure was still lacking. The Bucs still underperformed in the sack area, and required more blitzes than normal to get them.

This year the Bucs come into camp with mostly the same line, with a couple of additions via the draft. Both Julian Jenkins (5th round) and Charles Bennett (7th) were picked to add some depth at DE, but neither seems suited to help cure the pass rush from the middle of the line. While the Bucs don't expect much pass pressure from the NT spot, the Under Tackle needs to be disruptive and that player needs to be in the backfield as often as possible. Sapp made a living doing this. McFarland, on the other hand, has consistently shown an inability to consistently do this. He occasionally shows flashes of it, but rarely manages more than a couple of plays a game where he has any real impact. This is despite the fact that Hovan and Rice drew a lot of double team last year, giving McFarland a lot more one-on-one opportunities. Wyms actually had more sacks playing the spot in reserve than McFarland did starting. Unfortunately, Wyms just doesn't have the size to hold up at UT all year long. If there is one position on this team that still kind of scares me, this is it. Without a disruptive UT, the pass pressure will not show up without blitzing.

Rice should be looking at another great year from the RDE spot. He'll be spelled by White or Andrew Williams from time to time. Spires, on the other hand, needs to pick up the slack at LDE or White will unseat him as the starter. In any case, I expect to see solid pass pressure from the ends this year, along with solid run stopping. Hovan should be able to improve on last year's effort, and may actually notch some sacks this season. It will be tough, though, as he will get doubled a lot unless the Bucs can find a better UT, or McFarland gets a fire lit under his rear. Anthony Bryant could be a potential NT replacement, allowing Hovan to move over to UT, but Bradley has been fighting him off. Jenkins has been seeing time at UT, but, quite honestly, he's way too small to fit there at only 277lbs. Overall I think the Bucs have the talent to get what they need out of every position except UT. This must be fixed. The run stopping will be there, but the pass rush looks to still be a problem, and the Jets game did nothing to discount that in my mind.