Bucs’ Explanations For Poor Second-Half Defense Make No Sense

After a 3-4 start to the season, this Bucs team truly seems to be out of answers regarding a variety of things.

Last week, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was pressed about Tampa Bay’s struggles on offense. He had little to say in response. On Monday, it was head coach Todd Bowles and pass game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Larry Foote who had baffling answers about the Bucs defense struggling late in games.

First up was Bowles, who was asked about Tampa Bay’s defense playing well for much of Sunday’s 21-3 loss to Carolina before giving up 14 second-half points and countless explosive plays to a fourth-string quarterback and two backup running backs.

“No, they have to play four quarters,” Bowles said. “It’s really a focus thing, and there are things that we’ve done every day all day. And I can’t explain why at this time, but the things that happened yesterday in the fourth quarter and the second half especially, the three busts we had that really cost us some things were inexcusable and are some things we put in day one since we’ve been here. So, it wasn’t something that had to be taught or re-coached or re-taught. We’ve just got to focus and we’ve got to learn how to have a killer instinct and finish three quarters.”

Are The Bucs Really Losing Focus When Trying To Close Games?

Where to begin with that? This defense, which is full of veterans who have played together for three or four years now, is struggling to maintain its focus late in games? That sounds hard to believe. This same core helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl two seasons ago and was a big part of the team’s success last year. Why then, are these players failing to lock in during the second half of games? It doesn’t track.

But then again, Bowles’ words line up with what linebacker – and defensive captain – Devin White said after the Bucs allowed 15 second-half points to the Falcons in Week 5 after shutting them out in the first half.

“When you’re beating a team, kind of imposing your will on them, it can get boring and you can get less aggressive,” White said.

This was a line that blew up at the time and two weeks later, it sure is looking like the second-half Buccaneer defense is getting “bored” as White says and losing focus, as Bowles said Monday.

After letting Atlanta back into the game in Week 5 by allowing 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Bucs went out and allowed three big third-and-long conversions to the Steelers the following week. Pittsburgh, which previously had one win, closed Tampa Bay out in the second half with big plays on third-and-13, third-and-15 and third-and-11.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and Panthers TE Tommy Tremble – Photo by: USA Today

Then, in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, the Bucs had several blown assignments that led to big plays, including two second-half touchdowns that helped Carolina put Tampa Bay away. But when those plays happened, the Bucs trailed 7-0. They also trailed the Steelers throughout their Week 6 loss. So, how can a defense “get bored” or lose focus in a game it’s losing? That makes no sense.

So, what was it against the Panthers? Was it the fact that the defense allowed just seven points in the first half and still found the team losing due to ineptitude on offense? Did Bowles see his defenders trying to do too much and overcompensating to make up for the offense’s struggles? He didn’t agree with that explanation, apparently.

A Veteran Bucs Group Shouldn’t Still Be Learning To Play A Full 60 Minutes

Foote was asked Monday about the defense hitting a wall late in the Bucs’ last two games. And while his response alluded to what Bowles said regarding the unit’s inability to stay locked in, he brought up another puzzling explanation.

“It’s 60 minutes – we’ve got to finish, we’ve got to sustain it, we’ve got to stay locked in the game and focused each play,” Foote said. “Young guys are learning the ropes – each play, every play counts. I look at it [as] there’s always four to five plays that really dictate the outcome of the game, and some of these young guys are learning that.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles & Co-DC Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This doesn’t make sense either, does it? Which “young guys” are learning how to play four full quarters? Rookie backup corner Zyon McCollum? Rookie defensive tackle Logan Hall? Second-year outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka?

Those three guys learning to finish games shouldn’t be the cause of this defense struggling to close games against the Falcons, Steelers and Panthers. Maybe they’ve made mistakes, but we’re not really placing the blame on them for these issues over the last three weeks, are we?

If not, which “young guys” is Foote referring to? Maybe White is one of them? What he said after the Falcons game implies he has some learning to do.

But White is in his fourth NFL season. He was a central figure in a Super Bowl defense and made the Pro Bowl last year. If he hasn’t learned how much every play can count by now, that’s a problem. It’s also pretty unlikely.

It can’t be veterans like Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett or Carlton Davis III. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jamel Dean haven’t been the problem.

So, is Foote legitimately saying it’s Devin White who is at the center of these second-half struggles? White isn’t playing well enough right now, but Tampa Bay’s second-half issues haven’t been a one-man show. It’s been a group effort to play this poorly over the final 30 minutes of the last three games.

It’s more likely that Foote’s explanation doesn’t make all that much sense either. The sad reality seems to be that, right now, this coaching staff is just searching for answers. There’s not a lot of time to find those answers, either. The 3-4 Bucs are a ship that’s sinking. And they need to find a lot of answers – quickly – to pull that ship back above water.