What does a lion, a tiger, and a gorilla have in common?  Fifth-year linebacker Kwon Alexander out of LSU.

The man is known as Li_Ti_Rilla and he makes his return to Ray Jay for the first time since signing a 4 year $54-million dollar deal with the 49ers. So, how does the LSU product drafted 124th overall in the 4th round consider himself part lion, part tiger, and part gorilla?

Making a statement

Between 2015-2018 Kwon amassed 380 total tackles, 7 sacks, 6 INT (1 for a TD), 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 22 pass deflections. In those 4 seasons, he was only named to the Pro Bowl once in 2017, but also missed 13 games due to injury with 3 in 2017, 10 in 2018, and 4 due to suspension in 2015.

Enter Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles

To say the new regime wanted the LB to return is an understatement as Coach Arians was quoted on Tuesday saying,

“We obviously wanted him back, but he hit the lottery so God Bless him.”

When asked about playing against the former linebacker in week 1, Arians said

“We know what his strengths and his weaknesses are.”

But was Kwon even worth the money?

Kwon Alexander ranks 2nd in the NFL with 78 missed tackles in a 4 year span. Did the Bucs make the right move letting him walk and drafting Devin White a few weeks later with the 5th overall pick? Maybe it isn’t a coincidence that White has taken over for Kwon at LSU and now with the Buccaneers.

Sunday afternoon will definitely be a story worth watching.

With the regular season just over a week away and the roster now down to 53-players, let’s take a look at this defense. Let’s go ahead and forget last season happened. Between the stats, Mike Smith, and our corners playing a mile away from receivers; let’s focus on the future.

Feature Image credit: TE Antony Auclair and DB Deone Bucannon – Photo by: Mary Holt/PewterReport.com

Enter Todd Bowles as coordinator

I know it’s never a good thing to get fired from your previous job, but I’m glad the J-E-T-S let this man, go. He is a brilliant man when it comes to defense. So here he is, bringing a 3-4-style hybrid defense to the table, and it seems to fit the players better. The players have bought into the scheme, and it showed this pre-season. Long gone are the days of the Tampa 2, we now have a scheme that can mix coverage with blitzes and a very capable pass rush.

Departures

Not returning this season are players such as Kwon Alexander, Gerald McCoy, Adarius Taylor, Brent Grimes, Chris Conte, Vinny Curry, along with a few other unknown players. Players like Kwon (San Francisco) and McCoy (Carolina) found homes right away, while others are still waiting for the call. Agreed or not, these departures were needed to help bring in a new era within the defense.

Arrivals

Now, not all things were bad this offseason. The Bucs were able to bring in some talent between the draft and free agency. Draft wise, let’s begin with 1st-round draft pick MLB Devin White(5th overall); this kid can be the future if coached correctly. He is fast, and he is mean. Coming with him are players like; Sean Murphy-Bunting (39th), Jamel Dean (94th), and Mike Edwards (99th).

The Bucs didn’t only load up on D in the draft, they hit it hard in free-agency too, bringing in players like Ndamukong Suh, Shaquill Barrett, Deone Buchannon, and Darian Stewart.

Now it’s time

We’ve been teased enough, this pre-season with how this D has looked. Many are aware that we didn’t get to see the full-scale, punch you, in your mouth defense that’s been advertised. We get it, it’s the pre-season, but now comes the real thing. Now it counts. Fans are ready to see how players like Devin White and Lavonte David look together in a game. We want to see what the starters can do after the defense as a whole wrapped up 14 sacks in 4 games (should have been at least 20) during exhibition games.

We are ready to see this defense take the league (and opposing offenses) by storm. It’s time to see this defense kick some a**. For the first time in over a decade, it’s time to get hyped over your Bucs defense; it’s time for Bucs football.

2019 should and can be a special year for the Bucs defense. Coming off the 2018 campaign that saw the Bucs ranked in the bottom half of the league defensively – 31st on Pts, 27th in total yards, 26th against the pass, and 24th against the run. The 2019 campaign under new coordinator Todd Bowles seems to be a great fit so far.

What seems to be the difference so far? Just the simple fact that the players have bought into the new scheme.

“Defensively, I think the guys have really bought into the system, they’re playing at a real high level and they’re playing very fast.” – Bruce Arians

Friday night vs the Browns, the Bucs defense came up big allowing just 12 first downs, 2-14 on 3rd down conversions, came away with 3 sacks – 2 Nunez-Roches, both Darian Stewart and Kevin Minter combined for a sack and 1 INT from Jordan Whitehead at the end of the 1st half.

*Also noted that the Bucs held the Browns to 5 or fewer plays on 9 of 12 possessions.

Also in 3 games, the Bucs have been able to come away with 10 sacks, 2 INTs, and a +1 turnover differential. Their defensive rankings have improved drastically being ranked 16th in points allowed, 5th in total yards and passing yards, and 11th in rushing.

There’s something special going on in Tampa, and for the first time in over a decade, it’s a defense that we’re referencing.