Bucs OC Dave Canales – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR “I don’t want to get into the specifics, the gameplan really, but that’s a fact,” Canales said of the Eagles’ defensive tackles dominance earlier in the season. “They’re stout inside and they’ve got really good players behind the first group even on their defensive front. We have to be aware of that, we have to make concessions for it and try to attack them in different ways. “Again, that was really early in the season, we grew and evolved into this offense that we are now. Now the plan is just to get back into the rhythm of our passing game. We’ve been kind of hit-and-miss the last couple of weeks. Playing division opponents is rough. Whether it’s the Saints, Falcons, or the Panthers, they’ve done a fantastic job playing against us. Getting another chance to play the Eagles is something we’re excited about, with the different approach to how we play the game and what we’ve become over the course of the season.” Maybe it is a good thing that the Eagles are not a division opponent, as before facing some non-NFC-South teams, the Bucs were on a roll putting up 34 points against the Packers and another 30 on the Jaguars. Canales has gained a lot of experience as a first-year playcaller and learning what works for getting his players in a rhythm offensively. But as much as he has grown, the personnel he has been coaching up has as well. “You’ve Got To Be On Top Of Your Game” It cannot be overstated just how much has been asked of a group learning on the fly. Whether that’s been Mayfield adjusting to a new system, Rachaad White picking up lead-back duties, or an offensive line with a lot of moving parts, it has not been the smoothest ride getting to where they are now. Still, now that they’re in it, it’s all about bringing all they got for 60 minutes on Monday night. 
Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR “A lot of times the offense goes how the offensive line goes,” right tackle Luke Goedeke said. “Just being physical, winning the physicality battle up front, and taking pride and ownership in our work and everything each and every play.” Diving deeper into just how locked in they’ll have to be, right guard Cody Mauch discussed this week how this is going to be one of the toughest challenges yet for the offensive line. “I think its – yeah, we’ve been going against some dudes all year,” Mauch said. “This is one of the best defensive fronts in the league, so you’ve got to be on top of your game. I think that’s the biggest thing. You never take plays off, you have to make sure you’re there mentally for every single snap. Even if your technique’s off just a little bit against these guys, they’re going to expose it. It’s just really, I think being locked in mentally and technique-wise every single rep. For Mauch and many other Bucs, this has been a season of making progress. In his eyes, he is a completely different player than he was back in one of his first NFL starts. The team is surely hoping for a different result in the run game, and a lot of that starts by coming out of the gates with a solid rushing attack to keep the Eagles on their toes. #Bucs RG Cody Mauch shares his thoughts on bringing the physicality up front early to establish the run game. pic.twitter.com/nw062DjYiU — PewterReport 
(@PewterReport) January 11, 2024 Bucs’ Run Defense Will Need To Put Its “Big Boy Pants On” The offense winning up front is only half the battle, though. Just as much as they need to key in on being physical, so does the Bucs’ defense. Obviously, that means accounting for the “tush push,” but that’s what they have nose tackle Vita Vea for. Moreover, it also means containing Eagles running back D’Andre Swift and a Philadelphia run game that had 40 carries for 201 yards back in Week 3. 
Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. and Eagles RB D’Andre Swift – Photo by: USA Today Looking at the run defense, it is a unit that has more often than not done its job against some better running backs. But they have been prone to allowing a big game to slip through the cracks. While Tampa Bay has contained the likes of Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, Travis Etienne Jr., and others, they have also let up bigger games to Swift, Jonathan Taylor, and Chuba Hubbard. In particular, Swift had the biggest game with 16 carries for 130 rushing yards, equating to an 8.1-yards per-carry average. Without the Eagles having star wide receiver A.J. Brown, a lot of Philadelphia’s offensive output will be on the ground. Bucs inside linebacker Devin White discussed after practice Thursday how they’re prepared for facing them again and knowing where their opponent’s identity lies. #Bucs ILB Devin White on facing the #Eagles again and how they’re more prepared the second time around. White added that the first time he expected them to attack in the passing game, but “they start with the run first, we just have to stop them up front.” pic.twitter.com/QwJLFA7XZL — PewterReport (@PewterReport) January 11, 2024 It’s been a big focus for the Bucs this week, and to combat this, two rookies will be looking to make their mark upfront. That being defensive lineman Calijah Kancey and outside linebacker YaYa Diaby. 
Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby and DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR Kancey did not appear in the first game with a calf injury, while Diaby received just 32% of the defensive snaps before emerging as a starter in Week 11. Both have had a big impact this season, but Diaby is looking at this game as an opportunity to fix what went wrong the last time. “That’s what we’ve been focusing on this season, you know, with the run, stopping the run,” Diaby said on the Pewter Report Podcast this past Monday. “That’s what we lacked when we played them last time – with stopping the run. I know they’re going to look at their film, we’re going to look at our film. They’re going to see what hurt us. “They’re going to try to do it again, so this time we got to be ready and you know, put our big boy pants on. As a front line – speaking for the front line, we got to put our big boy pants on and get the job done. Speaking for everyone else, newly crowned first-team All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. also sees stopping the run as paramount to coming out with a win. “What I learned is first and foremost, we got to stop the run,” Winfield said. “They gashed us during that first game. That’s one thing that I learned from that we got to do a better job this time around.” Both offensively and defensively, the Bucs are preparing for a battle in the trenches against the Eagles on Monday Night Football. To come out with a win, it’s a battle where they will need to win – if not neutralize – the power that has propelled Philadelphia into becoming one of the best teams in the NFL. The post Bucs Preparing For A Tough Battle In The Trenches appeared first on Pewter Report. Source: https://www.pewterreport.com/bucs-prepa ... -trenches/
