What Did We Learn?

Ok now that the Super bowl has been played what can we take from the game? Yes, Defense wins Championships!

Anyone who watched the game will remember one thing and that's how much Cam Newton was rushed, hurried and sacked. Denver's defensive ends completely abused Carolina's Offensive line. Von Miller and Demarcus Ware dictated the game based purely on their ability to rush the passer.

So given that, what was the weakest area of the Bucs defense this year? Was it the secondary or was it really the defensive line?

It all starts up front and obviously if the quarterback has all day to throw any secondary would look bad. Other than Gerald McCoy who had 8.5 sacks, which is phenomenal from the defensive tackle position, the Bucs have no true pass rushers. Jacquies Smith with 7 sacks and Howard Jones with 5 sacks were serviceable yet not good enough to provide a consistent pressure. Considering the amount of times Gerald McCoy is double and even sometimes triple teamed someone else should be able to break free and capitalize.

The #1 priority this offseason for the Bucs should be to find a pure pass rusher from any place they can look. That starts with free agency where there could be a couple that may hit the market in Bruce Irvin (Seahawks) and Olivier Vernon (Miami). Another route may be the draft where Noah Spence looks like a pure natural pass rusher that is shooting up draft boards.

Jason Licht has already done half the battle by bringing in possibly the best Defensive line coach in the NFL with Jay Hayes, the rest is bringing in the talent to be used. Jason Licht has proved he knows how to draft with home runs in his first two draft with the Bucs, lets see if he can finally hit a home run with free agency as well.