Jackson Hole

In most conversations, we'd be talking about a valley in Wyoming.  But not this week.  And of all weeks in the past couple years of Buccaneer football this is not the week to alter the conversation:  First 2-0 start since 2005 with a home game this weekend against the also 2-0 Pittsburgh Steelers. 

But the conversation has been changed.  Tanard Jackson is gone for the year after failing a test for banned substances by the NFL.  Oh, we've wondered if this day would come, though we didn't think it would.  But it was a nagging fear in the back of neck (right where General Manager Mark Dominik probably has a pain right now).  Now it is a front-and-center headache (Dominik probably has one of those as well).

Not too long ago, analysis of the 2010 defensive backfield was hard to pin down.  Will Allen and Jermaine Phillips are gone.  Sean Jones was picked up from Philadelphia.  Cody Grimm was drafted this past April.  So much flux.  But the mainstay was Jackson, who has started every game (which he has been eligible for) since being drafted by Tampa Bay in 2007.  Now it's not just flux, it's reflux in the defensive backfield.

And yes, this is the same (and only) Buccaneer player the NFL put the Whammy Eye on last season.  Take it down as "Lesson Not Learned".

At this point, one has to wonder if Tanard Jackson's worst enemy is himself.  I have no idea what the "substance" was, but if it was a performance enhancer you would think it would be identified and easily eliminated.  If it is not a performance enhancer, then Tanard Jackson does not need to be in football -- that young man needs rehab, or intervention, or something, anything, because whatever it is has basically cost him his job, his career, and put a big fat "yea, but" next to his name with regard to the NFL.  And, if ignored, it will only get worse for him.  A lot worse.

A sad, sad state of affairs for Jackson.  Best of luck to him, but it won't do him a bit of good.  In the words of GM Dominik, "It's up to Tanard".  It is, completely.

Enough about "Jackson" . . . now about that "Hole".  Tampa Bay has already announced that 2010 draftee Cody Grimm, who has been busy making a name for himself on special teams, will start in place of Jackson this upcoming weekend.  This tells us exactly four things:
-- Sean Jones is too good at run support to change him out of strong safety.
-- Cody Grimm has impressed the coaching staff, apparently quite significantly.
-- Corey Lynch, who was impressive in the preseason, is going to play -- a lot -- backing up Grimm.
-- Sabby Piscitelli, with experience at both safety positions, will probably play both safety positions at various times the rest of the season.
And also this begs one question:
Where does Sabby Piscitelli rank among the safeties these days?  He has prior experience at Free Safety, yet the Buccaneers have decided to go with a rookie.  Is this commitment to the depth chart, or does this tell us the talent on the roster has caught up with Piscitelli?

As alluded to in the prior post about the risks of having a one-more-time-you-are-a-goner player on the roster, the Buccaneers did keep five safeties on the roster coming out of training camp.  This assured the team of a player (and backup) familiar with the defensive schemes should the unthinkable thing happen, which it did.  It's yet another demonstration of the command of the roster wielded by Dominik.

Now that Tampa Bay is down to the "normal" number of safeties, a roster spot is open for a player at any position.  No doubt Dominik is scouring the waiver wire looking for a player able to improve his team.  One possibility is to promote rookie WR Dezmond Briscoe from the practice squad (the Buccaneers are paying him full rookie salary to sit on the practice squad anyway).  Or, perhaps, promote another running back from the practice squad to try to shave some of the load off the knees of Cadillac Williams.  Or they may want another safety and are waiting for the right level of quality to show it's head.  It could be a "get the best available" situation.  Perhaps LB Lee Robinson, DE Erik Lorig, or P Brent Bowden will return to the practice squad.

In any case, the defense which has not given up a point in a 2nd half this season is now going to have to simultaneously protect and groom a new starting safety.  Not easy when your next opponent is the Pittsburgh Steelers.  However, after the Steelers is the bye week.  For Cody Grimm it's going to be far from time to relax -- he will be asked grow up in a hurry.  Hopefully he's up to the task.

What To Do With Piscitelli

It was a rugged year for the defensive backfield in 2009. It started with Tanard Jackson's four game suspension and finished with Jermaine Phillips on the injured reserve.

The 2009 version of the pass defense started out by giving up 353 yards to Dallas and Tony Romo, leaving a season-long bad smell in the air even though there were 3 interceptions by the Buccaneers in the game. Fifteen weeks later, the Buccaneers gave up 258 yards (and had zero interceptions) in a game at New Orleans and Drew Brees -- and won! This inconsistency shows clearly it wasn't just the pass defense which was the problem. Another facet of the problem was the defensive backs not getting much help up front. The Buccaneers had a total of 28 sacks over 16 games in 2009 (tied for 26th in the league) with the lowest (Jacksonville) having 14 sacks and the best (Minnesota) having 48 sacks.

Through all this, the Tampa Bay defensive backs ended the season tied for 9th with 19 interceptions in 2009 (the Packers topped the league with 30; the Raiders and Rams tied at the bottom with 8).

But there were going to be changes. You knew there were going to be changes. And there have been quite a few.

Nine year pro Jermaine Phillips is gone from the roster and, as seems to be more the rule than the exception during the Dominik/Morris era, has not been picked up by another team. Enter Sean Jones, a 7th year free agent pickup from the Philadelphia Eagles (FYI, Jones played but did not start against the Buccaneers in week 5 last year. He recorded one special teams tackle). The Buccaneers also drafted cornerback Myron Lewis which could be a very telling move -- for the safety position.

Why take a corner and not a safety? Is it possible the fans and the reporting about the problems in the defensive backfield were (gasp!!) misdirected?

One player who took a great deal of heat last season for pass defense was Sabby Piscitelli. In his third year of NFL ball he found himself in the difficult position of starting at strong safety without Tanard Jackson at free safety for the first four games.  Tanard Jackson is a big difference maker back there. Unfortunately, Piscitelli was in the area for some of the long completions in the Dallas game, leaving an impression with some fans (and bloggers) the mistakes were his. Anyone who has played a down of football knows that the player closest to the end of a play is rarely the person who broke down -- in fact, as a safety, shouldn't Piscitelli be part of the last line of defense? If Sabby had been nowhere in sight with a receiver running free in the defensive backfield then it would be correct to say he was out of position or not playing the position correctly. Did he play every down to perfection?  I'm sure Sabby himself would tell you he did not.  But to say it's on him alone is very unfair; to say he is not capable is an outright lie.

Consider this:  if it was all on the safety play, the Buccaneers would have drafted another safety as part of the youth movement, right?  But they haven't (2009 or 2010).  In 2010 they drafted on the defensive line as well as corner -- the two pieces which indirectly have the biggest impact on safety play (more quarterback pressure, better coverage outside). In 2009 they also drafted a defensive lineman and a corner. 

So is it possible the talent at safety is sufficient and just needs better support around them? I think the answer is "Yes", so my take is a different angle:  Is it possible that Sabby Piscatelli was playing the wrong position when he incurred the wrath of media and fans?

Obviously Tanard Jackson will be the starting free safety.  With former Eagle Sean Jones replacing the departed Jermaine Phillips you have a strong safety who has solid performances under his belt and plenty of experience.  With those two as capable starters Piscitelli can now be groomed for either (or both) positions.  Last year he was needed at Strong Safety -- I think the Buccaneers would be well served to give him a look at free safety where his speed plays to his advantage.  It also provides a bit of a hedge against future problems for Tanard Jackson.

I'll be watching for a Piscatelli/Jones Tampa-2 a few during the preseason.  If it proves capable it will allow for giving Tanard Jackson a breather on occasion, helping him stay fresh for the fourth quarter.  This subtle move may not generate a few extra wins for the Buccaneers (the line and corner moves could!), but it could put more players in the right position to make plays.