The Buccaneers need defensive line help everywhere

From previous articles, I found that tackles for loss (TFLs) from the defensive line has an impact on pass defense.  The research was a small sample of four years and only covered the Bucs, but there's some logic. If the defensive line can be more productive or schemed to be more productive and reliant to stop the run, then it will improve pass defense. The reasoning behind the thought is there are more players dedicated to defending the pass than the run.

Tampa Bay Bucs
2012 - 2015 Sacks and TFL's with Football Outsider Def Rankings
Year	Dline Sacks	Total Sacks	DL% of total sacks	FO Def Rush Rank		Dline TFL's	Total TFL's	DL% of TFL's	FO Def Pass Rank
2012	17	27	62.96%	3rd		24	95	25.26%	26th
2013	20	35	57.14%	8th		36	58	62.07%	11th
2014	33	36	91.67%	8th		31	67	46.27%	23rd
2015	27.5	38	72.37%	9th		17	59	28.81%	26th
http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/tb
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef

The best year for pass defense in the four year sample was year 2013. In that season, the defensive line was responsible for 62% of the total TLFs. For more info click here:  Defensive Line, Sacks and TFLs.

2012

TB Bucs
2012 Dline Production
Player	Games Played	Games Started		Sacks	TFLs	Accounted Pressures		Sacks Per Game	TFLs per game
Bennett	16	16		9	10	19.0		0.56	0.63
McCoy	16	16		5	5	10.0		0.31	0.31
Bowers	10	0		3	2	5.0		0.30	0.20
Miller	15	14		0	2	2.0		0.00	0.13
Gibson	16	1		0	3	3.0		0.00	0.19
Clayborn	3	3		0	1	1.0		0.00	0.33
Levingston	3	0		0	1	1.0		0.00	0.33
DL total				17	24	41

For the life of me, I still cannot comprehend not re-signing Bennett. In retrospect, his TFLs actually fit in with Schiano's defense when you peer at 2013 season. A bookend of Clayborn with Bennett would have been devastating.

2013

TB Bucs
2013 Dline Production
Player	Games Played	Games Started		Sacks	TFLs	Accounted Pressures		Sacks Per Game	TFLs per game
McCoy	16	16		9.5	8	17.5		0.59	0.50
Clayborn	16	16		5.5	16	21.5		0.34	1.00
Gholston	13	2		2	4	6.0		0.15	0.31
Spence	16	14		1	4	5.0		0.06	0.25
Landri	9	1		1	1	2.0		0.11	0.11
Bowers	13	2		1	0	1.0		0.08	0.00
Te'o-Nesheim	16	12		0	2	2.0		0.00	0.13
Gibson	13	1		0	1	1.0		0.00	0.08
DL total				20	36	56

With the loss of Bennett from the defensive line, the defense did improve the sack and TFL rates. Clayborn was effective in TFLs with 16. Just for reference, Olivier Vernon last year had 7.5 sacks and 11 TFLs.

In the four year sample, the defensive line had the most TFLs this season. The team, like 2013, was still only a two man disruptive front four, but a very disruptive duo.

2014

TB Bucs
2014 Dline Production
Player	Games Played	Games Started		Sacks	TFLs	Accounted Pressures		Sacks Per Game	TFLs per game
McCoy	13	13		8.5	5	13.5		0.65	0.38
J. Smith	15	7		6.5	0	6.5		0.43	0.00
McDonald	13	13		5	5	10.0		0.38	0.38
M. Johnson	14	13		4	4	8.0		0.29	0.29
Spence	16	5		3	4	7.0		0.19	0.25
Gholston	15	9		2	8	10.0		0.13	0.53
Bowers	11	2		1.5	2	3.5		0.14	0.18
English	12	1		1	0	1.0		0.08	0.00
Solomon	6	0		1	1	2.0		0.17	0.17
Fatinikun	10	0		0.5	2	2.5		0.05	0.20
DL total				33	31	64

2014 ushered in a new defensive scheme away from the previous one with the Tampa-2. There was an increase in sacks from the defensive line here alone. That is an increase of 13 sacks between the two seasons!  And yet our pass defense faltered. That is alarming.

Our defensive line had help across the board in sacks and TFLs, not a two man army like the previous two years.  Free agent pick up DT Clinton McDonald and DE Michael Johnson did help contribute towards defensive line production. 2013 fourth round defensive linemen in DE Gholston and DT Spence also improved to help with the defensive line.

2015

TB Bucs
2015 Dline Production
Player	Games Played	Games Started		Sacks	TFLs	Accounted Pressures		Sacks Per Game	TFLs per game
McCoy	15	15		8.5	1	9.5		0.57	0.07
Smith	12	11		7	2	9		0.58	0.17
Jones	12	5		5	1	6		0.42	0.08
Gholston	16	11		3	6	9		0.19	0.38
Melton	16	1		2	0	2		0.13	0.00
McDaniel	14	3		1	2	3		0.07	0.14
Spence	8	7		1	0	1		0.13	0.00
McDonald	6	6		0	3	3		0.00	0.50
G. Johnson	11	5		0	2	2		0.00	0.18
Total				27.5	17	44.5

Between the two years, the top five sack artists do not have consistency. McCoy and Jacquies Smith remained the same, top two on the list. Howard Jones came out of nowhere. Falling out of top five are McDonald, Michael Johnson, and Spence. Both McDonald and Spence were plagued with injuries. McDonald was lost for the rest of the season and Spence was lost for the beginning of the season.

From the past two seasons, Smith is a pass rushing specialist, but lacks to do much outside of it. Gholston has lead the team in TFLs for the past two seasons, but is not your great pass rusher. Howard Jones is a pass rushing specialist.

Projection

Offseason acquisition of a pass rushing DE Robert Ayers production last year with the New York Giants was 9.5 sacks and 3 TFLs (or stuff stat). Ayers fits the mold of pass rush specialist but not good in creating TFLs.

Pass Rush Specialists have generated at least 5 sacks in their history.

DE Pass Rush Specialists:

Robert Ayers

Jacquies Smith

Howard Jones

DT Pass Rush Specialists:

Gerald McCoy

Clinton McDonald

DE TFLs Producers:

William Gholston

DT TFLs Producers:

Gerald McCoy

Clinton McDonald

While it seems as though we do not have any real depth in the middle of the defensive line, there is still promise looming for DT Akeem Spence. In 2014, Spence showed a lot of promise, but incurred an injury weight lifting that derailed him for months. The Bucs still need to add quality depth in the middle of the defensive trenches.

As for the defensive ends, we have three pass rush specialists not known for TFLs and only one who is strong in TFLs, but not strong in sacking the QB.  In my opinion, we are missing that all around DE that can pressure the QB as well as be strong with the run.

In short, the Bucs need that all around defensive end who is a pass rush specialist as well as who can run stuff, and more quality depth being developed down the middle of the trench.