The Buccaneers added a defensive line guru and new defensive line players, during the offseason, in an attempt to beef up the pass rush and run stop. Beefing up the pass rush and run stop should, in turn, allow the secondary to have time to make the necessary plays.
However, the Buccaneers rank 26th in The NFL, for sack rates through the bye.
The rank is up 6 points from a league-low in 2017, but defensive line coach Brentson Buckner is expecting more from his defensive line.
During Monday’s press conference, Buckner began by addressing the question of how he felt about the line.
“I think we’ve been quite average, you know, I think they’re still working on trying to get an understanding of what I’m asking them to do. They’re working hard. It’s a bitter pill to swallow because some guys are having to change stuff they’ve done their whole career. Trying to get them to understand it’s better for the team doing it that way.”
“They’ve worked extremely hard doing it. We’ve been great at working it, average at what we’ve needed to get done, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint. My guys are working hard, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the way they’re working.”
Coach Buckner, definitely sees the line improving and the stats show it. Of course, he wants his line to rank in the top 5, which it had many times in Arizona, but knows that it is a process and will take time for things to come together.
“Football is not instant. You don’t put it in the microwave, and you become this great player all the time. It’s consistency; things done over and over, day after day after day, breeds consistency.”
Hopefully, things will begin to speed forward for Buckner and his line this Sunday. The Steelers sacked Matt Ryan 6 times, and that was one of the key reasons for such a huge win for them in week 5.
You can watch the entire press conference by clicking HERE.
