Early Buccaneers defensive success in training camp not a surprise

So far one of the biggest story lines coming out of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp has the been the impressive performance of the defensive unit under new coordinator Todd Bowles.

His attacking style of defense has been the talk of the off-season along with some of the other areas of interest surrounding the 2019 version of this team. Early on, the new look defense has passed with flying colors.

But, according to head coach Bruce Arians, this isn’t exactly a surprising development. Asked about which side of the ball normally starts off ahead of the other this early in training camp, Arians said,

“Yeah, when you put the pads on it’s usually the defense. The passing game sometimes, but usually it’s the defense. I thought today the offense bounced back really, really well. There were a lot of really good plays out there.”

Overall, the feedback from Bucs training camp has been positive. Even in spite of the noticeable amount of interceptions happening on the practice field, quarterback play has steadily improved as well, and should continue to improve as the defense continues their development.

Second-year cornerback Carlton Davis III put it pretty well by saying,

“Bowles is a genius when it comes to schemes, so I feel like our offense is getting really good work going up against a defensive coordinator like him every day in practice. So hopefully it’ll make them better going into the season.”

Iron sharpens iron, and the best way to force your offense to improve is to give them a defense who can match-up with them in practice. Perhaps, this is just one more thing the new coaching staff in Tampa will provide this roster that it was missing in recent years.