Marked man?
Joe is pretty confident if Bucs fans were polled about next year’s draft, the overwhelming position for fans would be for AC/DC-loving general manager to select an inside linebacker.
We all know Bucs icon Lavonte David is 35. And at times, we can see Father Time tapping on his shoulder. He is making plays, sure, no doubt. But he’s also making some non-plays he never before has.
Father Time is an undefeated SOB.
But it’s not David’s graceful aging that has Bucs fans nervous and uncomfortable. Again, aside from last week’s game against the 49ers, SirVocea Dennis has been a major disappointment.
Dennis seems to be making plays in the second half of games but it takes him a while to get warmed up and in the flows. Early in games, he is getting roasted.
Joe will never shake that run from Jalen Hurts up the right side out of Joe’s head. It looked like Hurts was chasing Dennis, who had no idea Hurts was taking off to run as the Eagles quarterback ran up the right side for 29 yards while Dennis was chasing a receiver.
Talk about zero ball awareness. #Lawd
Apparently, Seth Walder of BSPN, a man who never met a number he didn’t like, thinks the Lions are salivating at the chance for some payback on Dennis. Last year, Dennis played a strong ballgame as the Bucs stole a win from the Lions in Ford Field. Dennis may have had his best game with 11 tackles as the Bucs won 20-16.
Why is Walder confident the Lions will go after Dennis? Because the Lions love attacking the middle of an opponent’s defense. And given how Dennis has played erratically, Walder thinks Dennis is walking into Ford Field tomorrow night with a giant bulls-eye on his back.
Will the Lions be able to exploit Buccaneers LB SirVocea Dennis in coverage?
I very much expect they will on Monday night. Dennis has allowed 1.9 yards per coverage snap this season, which is the worst among all linebackers with at least 100 coverage snaps. Sometimes coverage metrics can be fluky or misleading, but after watching every target against Dennis, that is not the case here. Dennis has struggled in coverage, and those plays are riddled with missed tackles in space, too.
That’s absolutely perfect for the Lions, who already attack linebackers plenty. This season, 34% of Detroit’s targets have been directed at linebackers, the third-highest in the league per NFL Next Gen Stats. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta could have big receiving days.
Well, what the Bucs have to hope for is that Dennis has turned the corner. Last week he clearly had his best game of the season spying none other than Christian McCaffrey. This guy kills teams with YAC (yards after catch. Dennis was told not to allow McCaffrey any YAC that can hurt the Bucs.
Dennis (and the Bucs) held McCaffrey to an average of 8.1 yards per catch.
But yeah, Joe thinks Walder is onto something here, certainly in the early going. Make Dennis prove the has turned the corner. Smarter to target Dennis than a wily veteran like David.
