Spence Continues to Get Better Every Week

Lately, the Bucs pass rush has been coming on strong as they have 10 sacks over the last three games with 6 coming in their last game against Seattle. With Robert Ayers and Clinton Mcdonald back, the Bucs finally have a complete unit across the defensive line which has been causing havoc lately. However, one player has raise their game dramatically and that is rookie DE Noah Spence. He has 5.5 sacks on the year, and ever since the Panthers game he has improved every week. His run defense has been significantly better as he is holding his contain and making plays in the backfield. This last game against the Seahawks was probably his best game as he had 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an forced fumble.

Spence is getting more confidence with each week, and now knows he can get to the Qb which has been showing on the field with his recent surge in play. Spence is showing that he was a top ten talent going into the draft as not many rushers have his speed and athletic ability off the edge. For the Bucs to get him in the second round might be Jason Licht's next greatest steal alongside Kwon Alexander. The scary part is Spence is playing through pain with a bad shoulder and is doing this while not being 100 percent. Fellow teammate Kwon Alexander said Spence is on a mission to get double digit sacks this season and with the way he is playing right now it is doable. With Spence doing this well as a rookie is great news for the future of the Bucs defense and should be one of the top sack guys in the league throughout his career if healthy. Watch these quick hands by Noah Spence below, speed kills!

Noah got some violent hands, he just drives right under the tackle here. If he dips a little more he probab... https://t.co/BoVBr49gvZ

— realbucstalk (@realbucstalk) November 30, 2016

Bucs Getting Healthy at the Right Time

Usually at this time of the year most teams are beat up and are missing key pieces throughout their roster due to injuries. However for the Bucs, it seems they are getting healthy at the right time as they are starting to get close to being at full strength. They finally have their key guys back along the defensive line with Ayers, McCoy, and Mcdonald plus Noah Spence has been getting better each week. The offensive line and the running back position is going to be close to full strength for these final 6 game stretch as we are going to find out what this team is made of. With the Seahawks coming into town, the Bucs might be getting Kevin Pamphile and possibly Jacquizz Rodgers back this week which would be huge for the offense.

Bucs coach Dirk Koetter definitely left door open for RB Jacquizz Rodgers to return to practice Wednesday from foot injury ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 21, 2016

Not only would Rodgers returning be huge but getting back Pamphile too to help the O-line which probably had their best game against the Chiefs would be a big boost. With Martin and Rodgers along with Barber that would give the Bucs great depth at the RB position plus allow the Bucs to be more creative with their run and screen game. This team is starting to get back to full strength and Jason Licht and his staff have done a great job of adding depth throughout the season. If this team can continue to get better they have a chance to make these final 6 games very interesting. Hopefully they can continue to stay healthy down the final stretch.

Hungry For Wins

It's been a long time since the Bucs have had a winning record in the regular season and this current roster wants to change that this coming season. New defensive end Robert Ayers has taken notice of how the players are very hungry to win and are competing every day to make this team better. Ayers spoke about how the competition is helping this team on both sides of the ball and guys just want to win per Buccaneers.com

"The more guys you get like that, the better. We're hungry, man. I see it in a lot of guys' eyes. I see the way Gerald McCoy is out there – that dude's setting the tempo out there. That dude's a monster. And to the offense's credit, they've been competing with them. They're not just taking it, they're giving it back to them. You may see Gerald kicking a lot of [butt] but they're going back at him, too, and that's a good thing. Me, I want to follow his lead. I want to kick [butt] just like him, and Lavonte and Kwon. Competition is contagious. You want to get it, man. You want to win."

Ayers is bringing that veteran presence that this team needs but he is also bringing a fiery attitude in which he wants to destroy his opponent every time. It's great to see that Ayers wants to kick butt like McCoy has been doing and others like David and Kwon are following suit as well. Ayers believes this team is ready to prove the doubters wrong and is hungry to get wins and will do whatever it takes to get this team on the right path.

It's time to prove the doubters wrong."Nobody's believing in us," said Ayers. "'Oh, they're Tampa Bay, whatever, whatever.' But we believe in ourselves and that's all that matters. Nobody's giving us a chance. People are picking us to finish third, fourth in the NFC South. Nobody's picking us to make a run. But we believe in each other. We're going to go out there and kick some butt, and that's how we look at it. We don't care about the projections and this, that and the other. We're here to work, we're here to win."

Ayers should be a big piece this year for this defensive front just like Clinton Mcdonald has been the past two years, and forming that winning mentality throughout the team.

William Gholston to Play Inside More?

The 2016 NFL Draft has concluded and the Buccaneers did not draft a defensive tackle which has fans and local media confused as the position was fairly deep. Perhaps it is just the way the draft fell for Bucs Gm Jason Licht or maybe the team has eyes on a DT from another team whom they think might get cut here in the upcoming months. Currently at defensive tackle the Bucs have Gerald McCoy, Clinton Mcdonald, and Akeem Spence which is a solid trio. Bucs just added defensive ends in Robert Ayers in free agency, and Noah Spence through the draft, giving the team more depth at defensive end.

Going back to Ayers, he has the capability to play inside or outside, and so does 4th year defensive end William Gholston. Gholston is a player I think is on the rise as he had his best season last year, and could be even better this year. Due to the flexibility of Ayers and Gholston, this is perhaps why the Bucs passed on drafting a defensive tackle this year, and will ask both Ayers and Gholston to play more at the defensive tackle position. I personally think Gholston will get more defensive tackle time this year, due to his size at 6'6 290lbs pairing him with McCoy who is 6'4 300lbs.

This would give DC Mike Smith a similar duo to the one he had in Jacksonville with Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Gholston will still play often at DE, but could be a regular in the rotation at defensive tackle given his strengths at stopping the run and being able to push the pocket with his power bull rushes. With the Bucs loading up on athletic defensive ends like Jacquies Smith, Howard Jones, and Noah Spence, it tells me the Bucs are serious about playing the 3-4 scheme. This is great news for Gholston, as he can be a base end in the 3-4 or even play DT in the 3-4 as well. Keep an eye out for Gholston this year, the big kid could have a major impact this year.