SirVocea Dennis Has Big Shoes To Fill

There hasn’t been an official declaration yet, but the feeling is that inside linebacker Lavonte David might not be ready to go by the time the Bucs play the Colts on Sunday. David is dealing with a groin injury that forced him out of last Sunday’s game. Rookie SirVocea Dennis, a fifth-round pick, may have an expanded role this weekend.

SirVocea Dennis may very well be the future of the Bucs’ inside linebacker group. David sadly won’t play forever, and Devin White is most likely out of Tampa after this year to seek a more lucrative contract if there’s a team out there willing to give it to him.

The possibility of what Dennis might be as a starter is exciting, but the Bucs didn’t exactly want to expedite the process. Their hands are a bit tied with David’s injury. For that matter, White missed Wednesday’s practice, too.

For the benefit of Tampa Bay, Dennis did receive the most amount of playing time of his young career last game with 17 snaps. He recorded two tackles as he got his feet wet playing with this group.

SirVocea Dennis On Filling In For Lavonte David

That was only for a limited moment, though. SirVocea Dennis is potentially replacing a legend to this fan base. Those are gigantic shoes to fill.

“I would say so,” Dennis said. “He is definitely one the top linebackers of this program of all time. Just being able to pick his brain, being able to watch him, see him go through the motions, and play like [really] good football is a [really] big help to me, because I wouldn’t say it’s easy to watch and learn, but when you see him do it the correct way all the time, it’s really easy to watch and learn.”

In his approach to this week, not much is changing for him. Dennis has been around these guys so much that not many adjustments need to be made.

“My preparation stays the same,” Dennis said. “I prepare just like those guys. I’m really in their back pockets just in case that situation happens. I prepare the same, do everything the same, now just go out there, and execute.”

A hamstring injury forced Dennis to miss some valuable time during the preseason. That injury flared up again shortly after the regular season got going, forcing him to miss Weeks 2 through 4. Physically he wasn’t able to do much but at the same instance he was able to soak up the game through a different lens, which may prove beneficial this week.

“Definitely football knowledge,” he said over his biggest progress. “[Coming] from college, you think you know everything, you think you’ve seen it all, then you get to this level here, and it’s like, I have a lot to learn. I credit that to the guys in the room. Coaches, players, and then also (Head Coach Todd) Bowles as well. They all know a lot of football. So, just picking everyone’s brain, and just being able to see what they see is huge.”

Bucs co-DC Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“This Time Of The Year I Don’t Look At Anybody As Rookies”

All of the responsibility to step in as a starter won’t fall entirely on SirVocea Dennis. Todd Bowles has plans to implement veteran reserve K.J. Britt as well.

“They would both play,” Bowles said. “We have different packages where they both will play where there’s not too much on their plate.”

Co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote isn’t going to put it all on Dennis either, but there is a level of expectation.

“Everybody, next man up, K.J. Britt, ‘Voss’ (SirVocea Dennis),” Foote said. “This time of the year I don’t look at anybody as rookies. [If] we put you in there, we expect you to play and perform and a high level.”

Preparing as if he is the starter, Dennis gave his assessment of what he’s going against with the Colts’ offense.

“A team that likes to really run the football,” Dennis said. “As a linebacker, that is what you love, people that love running the football, and then you just fill the gaps, fill the holes, and make tackles.”