Green Bay repeatedly used presnap movement to force Tampa Bay’s defenders to adjust their responsibilities, creating hesitation and favorable matchups underneath. Jordan Love completed 22 of 30 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, averaging just 2.4 seconds per play, according to Bowles. That neutralized Tampa Bay’s pass rush, which finished without a sack and barely gave Love a reason to hold the football.
The frustrating part is that communication issues are nothing new. Bowles has spent years emphasizing communication within a defense that uses disguised coverages, blitzes, and post-snap rotations. Motion forces those assignments to be passed from one defender to another, and Tampa Bay still has moments when that exchange isn't clean enough.
Four games into another season, offenses continue finding ways to make the Bucs think instead of simply allowing them to play fast.
Jacob Parrish was the complete opposite Sunday. Parrish finished with five tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass defended and an interception, but even those numbers do not completely capture how good he was. With Green Bay threatening to make it a two-possession game late in the fourth quarter, Parrish recognized Love attacking the middle of the field, left his outside zone, and jumped Matthew Golden’s route for an interception at the Tampa Bay seven. It was not simply Love throwing him the football. Parrish trusted what he saw, abandoned his original assignment, and made a game-changing play. While other defenders have occasionally looked hesitant sorting through motion and changing assignments, Parrish looked decisive. He played aggressively, trusted his eyes, and seemed to be around the football whenever Green Bay tried attacking his area. The Bucs defense held Green Bay to 283 yards and forced two turnovers, so Sunday was hardly a bad defensive performance. But the motion and communication problems remain issues opponents will continue to test until Tampa Bay proves it can consistently handle them.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs defense continues to struggle with pre snap motion
