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Bucs aim to ramp up pressure on opposing QBs

 
The Bucs got almost no pressure on backup quarterback Derek Anderson during their 20-14 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
The Bucs got almost no pressure on backup quarterback Derek Anderson during their 20-14 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
Published Sept. 11, 2014

TAMPA — The sack-happy Buccaneers, they were not Sunday. Sack glad or sack satisfied even would be a stretch.

After getting almost no pressure on the quarterback in the 20-14 loss to the Panthers, the Bucs on Wednesday announced the signing of veteran free agent defensive end Larry English and claimed rookie defensive end Jacquies Smith of Missouri off waivers from the Bills.

Injuries played a role in last weekend's performance as well, in which defensive tackle Gerald McCoy had the Bucs' only sack late in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Michael Johnson sprained his ankle on the third play of the game but managed to finish. He did not practice Wednesday. Defensive ends/tackles Da'Quan Bowers and Will Gholston were inactive with injuries.

Coach Lovie Smith hopes to bring the Bucs' swashbuckling swagger back to the defense. But everything is based on the front four getting heat on the passer.

"Of course, it starts up front," Smith said. "We need to get better pressure. When we put our guys in man situations, you need to be able to win.

"We did have injuries early in the game, but we're not saying that's why we didn't play well. We didn't play well. All right? For whatever reason."

Start with the fact the Bucs struggled on first and second down, making third down a winnable one for the Panthers. Carolina converted five of its first nine third-down situations.

McCoy, the Bucs' best pass rusher, was frequently double- and triple-teamed, creating one-on-one matchups that defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Johnson weren't able to take advantage of.

"Getting more than one guy on me is not surprising," McCoy said.

But in the fourth quarter, the Bucs defensive line took over. McCoy got his sack and the Panthers' series went: missed field goal, punt, punt, punt. The Bucs used the stops to rally for 14 points and close to within a field goal.

"As you look at any game, there's swings of momentum and it's hard for me to explain but it is how it happened," Smith said. "You have to hang in there. Sometimes when you're not playing your best ball, you just have to hang in there. Give yourself a chance to finish the game."

If there is good news, it's that the Rams offensive line played poorly in the opener. The Rams gave up five sacks in a 34-6 loss to the Vikings, tying the Eagles for the most during the first week of regular season. In fact, 17 sacks allowed by the Rams in the preseason was one off the NFL high.

A year ago, the Bucs tied with San Diego for 23rd in the NFL with 35 sacks. Tampa Bay has not had a player reach double-digit sacks in a season since Simeon Rice in 2005. But something seemed to click for the Bucs in the second half.

"There was a sense of urgency," defensive tackle Clinton McDonald said. "Something we should've started the first half."

English, who was selected by the Chargers one first-round pick ahead of former Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman, is a freakish athlete who should fare better as a 4-3 defensive end than as a 3-4 linebacker.

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With Gholston and Bowers still limited in practice, the Bucs may have to lean on English quickly. He had two sacks in the preseason.

"He's shown he has some rush ability from his days in San Diego and he showed it to us in the short time we've had him and that was one of the reasons we brought him back," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "He's going to have to play this weekend as well."

Jacquies Smith was a player the Bucs had their eye on since the final roster cutdown. The Bucs released defensive end Scott Solomon and cornerback Mike Jenkins was put on injured reserve.

The challenge now is for the Bucs to start Sunday's game the way they finished the last one — putting pressure on the quarterback.

"I would like to think it's our conditioning," Smith said. "It's working out down here. You ask if it's draining us so much working out down here in this heat. No, I think in the fourth quarter, our work came out then when we had juice at the end to give ourselves a chance."