Tampa Bay’s defense, not their offense, is what needs to improve for the Buccaneers to reach the playoffs this year. This is why the Todd Bowles hire in many ways will be more vital than Bruce Arians in regards to the success of the team moving forward in 2019.
Look at it this way, Tampa Bay had one of the top-ranked offenses in the NFL last year. With Arians firmly at the helm, that likely won’t change this season. What should change, however, is the defense; they displayed a traditional 4-3 base defense last year before converting to the aggressive 3-4 scheme under Bowles. Opponents this year can’t take a single page out of the Buccaneers’ defense playbook last year since; it’s an entirely different formation. This should help Bowles out, at the very least, for the first year in his Tampa Bay stint.
Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay
Friday, the Cleveland Browns come to town to face the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium. I for one will be paying much more attention to defensive drives then offensive ones. Since starters will be played heavily in this bout, you will definitely get a feel for what a Bowles-led defense can bring on multiple drives. That should be the question of the night. How will the starters play during extended playtime for the first time this preseason? The question alone will have my eyes glued come Friday. If the Buccaneers can’t bring their defense into at least the middle of the pack this season, playoff positions will be the least of their problems.
