Howard Jones Will be a Key Part of The D-Line Rotation

One of the players that we have been mentioning quite often on here is DE Howard Jones, who had a solid game Thursday night against the Eagles. Jones had 3 tackles and 1 sack and had multiple good rushes allowing him to pressure the Qb often. Jones is coming off a 5 sack season in 2015 and has had a really good off-season in which he has added weight and is stronger at the point of attack now then he was a year ago. Jones is a crazy athlete and can play DE or drop down as a LB if necessary and provides versatility to the defense. Just look at his sack against the Eagles as he is just too fast for the left tackle and has no issues getting to the Qb.

Hello Howard Jones pic.twitter.com/RGswki3ziK

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) August 12, 2016

I believe Jones is going to be a key part of the D-line rotation and should provide fits for opposing offensive lines.  With the main guys being N.Spence, R.Ayers, G.McCoy, C.Mcdonald, J.Smith, W.Gholston, I can see Jones coming in as a regular rotational guy just to throw off the opposing offensive line. To have a guy like Jones being fresh all game and subbing in at certain times during the game is going to be an advantage because his speed and athleticism is not easy to prepare for as an opposing lineman. Especially if going against guys like R.Ayers and Will Gholston who are more power type players, then all sudden you have to go against speed guys like N.Spence, J.Smith and H.Jones good luck with that. We believe Jones has potential to be a special player and should be a big part in the D-lines resurgence this season.

DLine Keeps Showing Improvement

I have been saying the Bucs finally have depth up front on the defensive line and it was evident today. Especially at the defensive end position as guys who were starters on this team are being push down to the 2nd and 3rd team reps. The additions of Robert Ayers and Noah Spence are already showing dividends as they are displaying the ability to get to the Qb, which this team desperately needs. Spence has been consistently in the backfield each day of practice, while Ayers brings a veteran presence plus versatility as he has played both DE and DT.

Then after those two, the Bucs still have Jacquies Smith, Will Gholston, Howard Jones, and George Johnson. That is solid depth and it allows the Bucs to have a solid rotation and not suffer a noticeable drop in play when the starters come out. This is good for the defense and hopefully guys will be fresher as the season goes on. This front four is just getting better each day under D-line coach Jay Hayes, and new guys are making plays. Watching practice today, I thought Howard Jones and Will Gholston really stood out and made their fair share of plays.

Jones coming off a 5 sack season as reserve, showed off his athleticism today as he beat his man off the edge a couple times and would have had two sacks. Then in one on ones, he displayed a beautiful inside swim move on back up tackle Leonard Wester who was no match for the speed of Jones. For the Bucs to have a guy like Jones is a luxury and allows the defense to take advantage of certain matchups. Then there is William Gholston who is coming off a career season, looks like he has already improved from last year and is ready to put up bigger numbers as its a contract year for him.

Gholston is a force against the run and is making progress as a pass rusher, and is looking to become a full time starter this season. Gholston's versatility is huge as he can play inside or outside like Ayers can, making Gholston very valuable to the D-line. This defensive line group continues to make progress and it should lead to hopefully a big year for the group.

More Moves Still on the Horizon

Yes the Bucs could use another receiver, defensive tackle, or a safety but there is still time to add to the roster. Gm Jason Licht never sleeps on the roster as he and his staff are always looking for ways to improve the team. Licht did this last year when he added guys like Godser Cherlius, Joe Hawley, and Howard Jones whom all played a big part on last years team. He will look to do the same this season, as good veterans will be let go along with some promising young players whom are just bad fits with their current team.

It will be interesting how the rest of the off-season plays out, but one thing is for certain the Bucs are much better than they were at this time last year. Tons of competition at most positions, and lots of young talent that are just going to get better as they mature into their own. I expect Bucs Gm Jason Licht to add a few more Howard Jones types before the season starts which if he can then this team will be that much more dangerous.

Bucs Want Speed on the Edges

One thing is for certain after the draft concluded, the Bucs want speed on defense, especially on the edges. The Bucs added athletes in Vernon Hargreaves, Noah Spence, and Ryan Smith all of whom have outstanding quickness and speed. Spence runs a 4.60 40 when healthy to go along with a 1.62 ten yard split which is extremely quick for a defensive end. Hargreaves and Smith both run 4.40's and both have great short area quickness allowing them to be aggressive on the ball. The point is the Bucs are adding speed to the outside of the defense allowing them to be multiple and very aggressive.

In free agency, the Bucs added defensive backs in Brent Grimes and Josh Robinson both are very athletic and have great short area quickness plus great speed. To me this shows the Bucs are serious about showing 3-4 looks this season due to the changes in personnel. The Bucs already have great speed at defensive end, linebacker, and in the secondary now with the new additions. The Bucs already had pretty good speed at defensive end with Howard Jones and Jacquies Smith, and now adding Noah Spence only makes it that much scarier.

The Bucs could easily play a 3-4 look with three man line of Gholston, A.Spence, and McCoy, having Spence and Smith playing as the standup rushers. This would allow new DC Mike Smith to get very creative with his pressures and allow the team to play a more attacking style. The team now has the speed in the secondary to play more aggressive coverages which should generate more pressure on the Qb, due to more blitzes being called. Not sure how much we will see of this, but it obvious the Bucs want speed on defense, and will be attacking much more this year than in previous seasons. One thing is for certain, the Bucs defense is much faster than it was last week.

Hidden Edge Rusher On The Bucs Already?

Last year, Gm Jason Licht made an under the radar pickup by getting DE Howard Jones right after preseason had ended. Jones started the season on the practice squad before being called up in week 5 in which he had 2 sacks in his first game. Jones became a regular contributor and ended the season with 5 sacks as a rookie. Jones is another small school guy playing division 2 football at Shepard University, where he set the school record for sacks with 34.5. Jones is really athletic as he was a receiver coming out of high school and was converted to linebacker at Shepard. He put on over 50lbs during his time there and is still raw as defensive player now in the NFL. However, having 4.54 40 and 40.5 inch vertical really helps Jones overcome technique issues and allows him to win on just pure athleticism.

Jones is still figuring things out on defense as he is still very raw with his hand technique and overall pass rush game, if he can find a consistency there the Bucs could have something special. Jones has good size at 6'2 238lbs along with long arms at 34 inches making him similar to Von Miller or Khalil Mack type. Jones still could probably add another 10 to 12 pounds to fill out his frame, which would make him stronger and could be more of every down type DE. The good news for Jones is he has a great defensive line coach in Jay Hayes who should make everyone better on the defensive line. Another good thing is Jones is a perfect fit for this new defense that Mike Smith is going to bring in which we will see more multiple looks meaning some 3-4 fronts at various times. Jones could easily become standup guy in a 3-4 playing a hybrid role as a outside linebacker/defensive end type player.

Howard Jones has all the tools to become something in this league, lets hope with Jay Hayes now on the staff, he can become a consistent player and provide some edge rush which this team could use heading into the 2016 season.

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.