-Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles has done his fair share of scheming this week, especially in the secondary after nickel cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting went down in the team's season opener last Thursday. Bowles said that it will likely be cornerback Ross Cockrell tapped to help fill in for Murphy-Bunting, though there had been some speculation of safeties rotating the role, especially with safety Jordan Whitehead likely to play on Sunday.
Bowles said Whitehead will give them flexibility, but maybe not outside of his natural position.
"It doesn't help in the nickel category but it helps at the safety spot, understanding what he's done for us and what he can do for us at the safety spot," Bowles said. "Him and Mike [Edwards] are different players, as well as [Antoine] Winfield. So, to rotate those guys around and kind of put them where we need to put them is essential for us."
It's good to know at least the safety rotation will be fortified as Cockrell gets used to playing the nickel position. Cross training at both corner and safety should prove useful for him.
-The Falcons may have a new head coach and mostly new staff but their defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, is someone Tom Brady is very familiar with. Pees was with the Patriots from 2004-2009 and had two AFC stops before landing with Atlanta. It's given Brady a little bit of a benchmark of what to expect from the Falcons' defense come Sunday.
"He's a really talented coach," Brady said. "I've known Dean a long time. [He] really challenges the quarterback. [His teams are] very sound defensively. I don't think there are a lot of easy plays out there. He makes you earn everything. Obviously, Atlanta is a team that is in our division, so they know our personnel. There's no intimidation and it's not like you play them once every four years. It's a team they play twice a year. They have a lot of confidence. They have a new scheme with Arthur [Smith] but they have a lot of talented players and I think they use their players really well. Even last week's game – I know they lost – but they had a lot of opportunities on defense to make a lot of plays. Jalen Hurts got out of a bunch of them and did a really good job. It's a very good defense and they're going to make us earn every yard."
-The Bucs were one of just two teams in Week One to not allow a sack. They currently are tied for the most such games since the beginning of the 2020 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers at six and it's something the offensive line strives for every week.
"It is great," said left tackle Donovan Smith. "Obviously, that's the standard – no sacks given up each week. What better way to start Week 1 than doing that? It definitely feels good but hats off to all five guys and the receivers, quarterbacks [and] running backs because it falls on all of us, but we take the brunt of it. But it was a good job by everybody."
-The Buccaneers suffered another loss in Week One with long snapper Zach Triner tearing a tendon in his finger, though that wasn't discovered by anyone until after the game was over and he had continued to snap with it. Triner was moved to injured reserve and the team brough in Carson Tinker as its new long snapper. Tinker, who is already affectionately called 'Tink,' by his new teammates has put a focus on settling in as quickly as possible, not that he wants anyone to notice.
"It's huge," said Tinker, of getting to know his new specialist teammates. "But at the same time, my job is to be seamless and be invisible. I was talking to [Ryan] Succop and we had a great period today. I told him my job is just for you to be [feeling] like you're kicking on the sticks out there. You're not supposed to even know that I'm there. It's really big to get with Bradley [Pinion] and to get with Ryan, but also the other core guys on special teams. And with Keith [Armstrong] – we've [spent] a lot of time meeting on the field working different looks, but also in the film room breaking down seeing what I'm thinking and what they're thinking, and who has who. Like I said, it's been great to get back into it and get back in with all the guys, but also, picking their brain and letting them pick my brain just to get all on the same page."
-Tommy & Gronky returns for its second season and the first episode did not disappoint. Gronkowski demonstrates a thorough understanding of Search Engine Optimization, Brady speaks Portuguese and says he thinks he can play until he's 50 years old. And oh yeah, Gronk twerks. Check it out below.
Bucs Tweet of the Day:
