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Noah Spence has been a bit of a disappointment so far, with limited playing time, and little impact in the playing time he got. While the rookie defensive end is explosive, he’s generally displayed little power and no real counter move to go with his speed rush — which leads to a whole lot of him getting stuck on linemen who just hurry back to stop his speed rush.
Today, though, he’s getting a lot more playing time, and he’s showing an improved pass rush repertoire.
Noah Spence got his first start today. Didn't get this sack, but flushed the pocket with a great move. Kid's good https://t.co/eim2AuVuDM
— Trevor Sikkema (@TrevorSikkema) October 2, 2016
Look at that club, it’s beautiful. Just throws the right tackle off balance, creating a very short path to the quarterback — the downside being that Trevor Siemian can escape outside, of course, but that’s of secondary concern. Or at least, it is against Siemian.
These kinds of counter moves are crucial to go with that devastating speed rush and explosiveness. you can see Spence is still a little raw, but the fact that he’s developing now and doing so pretty quickly is very promising. The Bucs hope he can be a long-term answer at defensive end, or at least as an edge rusher, and it certainly looks like he will be.