Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today The six-man defensive line worked in shutting down Philadelphia’s running game. The Bucs defense held the Eagles to just 276 total yards, including only 42 yards on the ground. D’Andre Swift had just 34 yards on 10 carries, while Kenneth Gainwell mustered only three yards on four carries. Mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts was sacked three times and held to only one run for five yards. Todd Bowles used a front that consisted of reserve defensive tackle Will Gholston joining starters Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall, with backup nose tackle Greg Gaines and Pat O’Connor also rotating into the lineup. Kancey and Vea split a sack, while Gaines also had a QB capture of Hurts. Bucs defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers explained that the new defensive look caught the Eagles offense off guard and why it worked. “It’s just math the way it was… and eliminating space, that’s really all it was,” Rodgers said. “We kind of told [the Eagles offensive line] to do something that maybe they didn’t want to do and that’s what we were saying. [Philadelphia] was going to be hard-headed about [running the ball] and we had to be hard-headed the other way.” 
In the play above, Gholston is one of four defensive tackles deployed on a run down against Philadelphia. Gholston manhandles Eagles Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, slamming him to the ground before wrapping up Swift for no gain. Todd Bowles Also Used His Personnel The Right Way As part of that six-man defensive line, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles deployed K.J. Britt at middle linebacker instead of Devin White because Britt is a more sure tackler and better at getting off blocks in the running game. He also used defensive back Zyon McCollum at safety because he wanted more speed and athleticism on the field at the same time with cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III, who were healthy and playing together for the first time in quite awhile. Whether or not Bowles will use the six-man defensive front against the Lions in Sunday’s playoff game remains to be seen. Tampa Bay held Detroit to just 40 yards on 22 carries in a 20-6 loss back in Week 6 without the unconventional approach. But the fact that Bowles deployed that scheme last week meant the the Lions had to burn some precious practice time preparing for it. 
Bowles revealed that playing the role of both head coach and defensive coordinator can be taxing, but he loves scheming up ways to stop opponents – even if it means long hours in the office. “Well, the thing is, he is an early bird,” Kacy Rodgers said of Bowles. “He’s in at like 3:30 and he has started watching all of the tape. Then when we start putting it together like this and that, [it’s] kind of a staple for us that we want to stop the run. The team last week – you want to definitely make them one-dimensional, and it worked to our favor. “Really, it’s very unique because of the way he sees it and the way he wants to approach it. We have a situation where you have to manage our personnel, too – we need to stop this, but we have to protect this or give up something. You’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. It’s a juggling act. We kind of want to stay true to our principles. First, let’s take care of this (stopping the run) and then we’ll figure out the rest.” Bowles talked about using the six-man front in a press conference this past week. 
Bucs ILB K.J. Britt and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR “It didn’t come up until game plan week, really,” Bowles said. “We thought about it, we looked at it, we compared it to the passing game, and thought we could get away with a few things there. [We] added some things to it and tweaked some things. The guys, with the exception of the first play, they played it well.” Bowles talked about Britt’s role as a key run stuffer in the six-man front. “Well, he was on that package, and they came out in it quite a bit more than they had in the past in 12 personnel,” Bowles said. “K.J. is probably our best downhill thumper. It was very good to have him in there for that, and like I said, K.J. is a good football player. We think we have three starting linebackers in there, and he is a big part of that. He’s earned his right to play. He still a leader on our team and he did very well.” Whether or not the Bucs use the six-man defensive front against the Lions remains to be seen. And it will be interesting to see how often Britt plays versus how much White plays at middle linebacker. But one thing seems clear. The Bucs will likely continue to start McCollum at safety on Sunday in Detroit. 
Bucs CB Carlton Davis III and DB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today “The six down linemen helped, I guess,” Bowles said about his personnel usage. “It might have deterred some things. Zyon moving around from nickel to safety, to corner, to not really knowing what he is, is kind an enigma right now, and we just have to make sure we don’t confuse him. I think that helps in coverage when we’re trying to play a little more man, because now we have our three best cover guys out there. “Other than that, the guys… we’re letting our elephants be elephants and our giraffes be giraffes – meaning our blitzers blitz, and our cover guys cover.” We’ll see how Bowles’ elephants and giraffes fare against the Lions on Sunday, and what type of surprises he has in store for Detroit’s offense. The post Will Todd Bowles Have Any Exotic Schemes vs. Lions? appeared first on Pewter Report. https://www.pewterreport.com/todd-bowle ... -vs-lions/
