Blitzing is Returning to Tampa Bay

No more sitting back and allowing the quarterback to have all day in the pocket, those days are over for the Bucs as they get ready to enter training camp. Bucs defensive cordinator Mike Smith is looking to bring an more aggressive style which will include more exotic looks and sub packages. Most importantly, Smith will not hesitate to dial up blitzes to create more havoc in the backfield which hopefully will lead to more turnovers. Mike Smith knows he can't give these Qb's time because they will cut his defense apart if he does, so that means he has to bring pressure.

The Bucs finally have quality depth at each level of the defense starting up front with the defensive line which will finally feature a good 8 man rotation. Now granted the Bucs might not have to blitz as much as the Schiano regime did due to the guys up front, but the schemes and packages will be there for Smith and his staff to utilize as they see fit. With Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander, and Daryl Smith as your LBs, it's hard not to blitz due to the fact they do it so well. So look for the linebackers to be more aggressive allowing them to play fast and make it hell for the opposing Qb. Then with the secondary which has more speed and versatility, I would expect to see more corner blitzes along with some safety blitzes mix in as well.

Mike Smith and his staff won't put up with allowing these opposing Qb's to be able to just sit back and have all day to find a open receiver. If the front four is not getting there, he won't hesitate to utilize this linebacking core and versatile secondary to help get after the Qb. In the NFL to win games you have to put pressure on the opposing Qb because if you can't do that its going to be hard to get off the field on defense. Blitzing is coming back this year for the Bucs, as this defense is going to be very flexible during the 2016 season.