Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith met with the Tampa media on Tuesday.
Here’s what Smith, the Falcons former head coach and the winningest coach in franchise history, had to said about his defense and facing the Falcons:
(On the biggest difference between the Falcons now versus Week One)
“I think that they’re playing a lot more efficiently. They’re one of the top – if not the best – offense in the NFL. They’re throwing it around the yard, I think [quarterback] Matt [Ryan] is doing a good job of distributing it and they also still give you the tough run game to defend. It’s going to be a big challenge for us. We’ve got to play our best game to get the outcome that we want on defense, that’s for sure.”
(On if it helps facing a team that they know well, given the short week of preparation)
“I think it does give you somewhat of an advantage. Again, this is a little bit different team than we played in Week One – they’ve got some injuries at the running back position, their number one tight end doesn’t look like he’s going to be playing. So, it’s going to be a little bit different. There’s a lot of unknowns in Week One. I think that [Atlanta Offensive Coordinator Kyle] Shanahan has done a very good job with them offensively, giving them lots of different looks and having a game plan for each week and we’re going to have to be able to adjust on the move.”
(On what is causing opponent’s to have explosive plays against them)
“I think it’s across the board. An explosive play is defined for us [as] about 18 yards for a pass. We had 10 for 342 in the ball game last week. Totally unacceptable, no doubt about it. Some of them are missed leverage and missed tackles, there were some that were short throws that we did not tackle well, there were some that we had miscommunication where we had the wrong guy hung on the receiver when he shouldn’t have been there. So, there’s a myriad of things that we have got to get better at. And I don’t think we should try to blame it on one player, one group. We work in tandem. This was a team I think that we played last week that only gave up five sacks, we sacked them twice – of course we were out there for 93 freaking plays, we almost played two games. But we’ve got to get better, I’ve got to do a better job ultimately. It’s not the players, it’s me as the coach. We’ve got to make sure that we have an understanding of what we’re trying to get done. And it was across the board in all three levels. We misfit a run, so it’s an 18-yarder right up the middle. I know going into this – I know this for a fact – this is a process that you go through. I don’t think you should ever be judged by one game. Last week we’re talking about holding somebody to 100-and-whatever yards passing, we turn around and we lay an egg. Unfortunately, we didn’t play fourth down very well. I’ll ask you guys this question: would you take 17 points against that offense with a minute and 43 seconds to go? Absolutely, but that’s the way this game is every single week. And that’s what makes it so much fun and so exciting. We did not play the type of defense that we need to play in that overtime period. Go back and look, 180 yards. We gave up way too many yards in the overtime period. But we’ve got to do a better job of getting off on third down, especially in the second half of the ball game.”
(On why the defense wasn’t able to make stops on third down against Oakland)
“Again, there was some miscommunication, there were some missed tackles, there were some calls that the coach would like to have back that’s sitting up in the box. Obviously, those all contribute. There’s one thing about this: this is a team game. You can’t look at one group, you can’t look at one guy. And I know people like to talk about one position, one group – it’s a team game. What happens up front is going to affect what happens in the back end. A guy miscovers, we’ve got a free runner back there, another guy tries to compensate, we get a PI [pass interference]. There’s all kinds of things. And by the way, up front, we didn’t have any pressure. It’s a complementary game. We all understand that and we know we’re all responsible. I told my guys after the game – I said, ‘When you miss a tackle, I miss a tackle. We’re all in this together.’ We’re saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do it better, but when you miss a tackle, I miss a tackle, you miss an assignment, I miss an assignment, we all do.’ We’re all in it together and that’s the one thing I think you’ll see, these guys are going to come out and play their tails off on Thursday Night.”
(On who is primarily responsible for communicating the defense)
“Everybody’s responsible. There’s three levels on our defense: we have up front, we have linebackers and we have the secondary and we’re all getting communication from each other. There are audibles that we have, based on formations, based on splits and we’re going to get better at it. We’re not mastering it the way I would’ve liked. Some games we are. The previous week, all good. This week, not so good. Again, totally unacceptable.”
(On what comes to mind when he hears the name John Lynch, who is being inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor on Thursday night)
“A hitter [laughter]. The scheme that he played in was perfect for him. He’s a guy that was a very active player, both in the run and the pass. But when you came in his area, you knew that you were going to get hit and it was going to be a physical, clean hit. That’s the one thing about watching John play and having coached against him.”
(On if there are any safeties in the league right now that invoke the same type of fear that Lynch did)
“Well, the rules have changed immensely, in terms of what is a legal hit and I don’t know that John would play and have the success that he had because of the rule change. I’m sure that he would adjust. It’s all for player safety, so the game is much different. I think in the last five or six years, it’s become much more difficult for defensive backs to defend because it’s their responsibility to make sure that they do not make contact in the head and neck area and when a player’s catching a pass, the head and neck area is moving at a very quick speed.”
(On if you can work on tackling technique in-season)
“Oh, absolutely and we work on it all the time and we’ve got to continue to work at it. There’s techniques that our guys have to do, sometimes it’s over-aggressiveness, sometimes it’s under-aggressiveness and there’s a fine line. And tackling is not just one person, it’s a system that’s put in place. There’s someone that’s responsible for turning the ball back to the pursuit and when we lose the person that’s supposed to turn the ball back, we’re chasing from inside out and that’s going to be hidden yards.”
(On what cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah is doing well)
“I think he has good length and sometimes that good length can get you in trouble. But he does a very nice job with his length. I think he’s cerebral. Again, he’s going through, like all of us guys – and I want to reiterate this – let’s not jump to conclusions on one football game, let’s wait until the season plays out and see where we’re at. I think we all are quick to react and we’re in one-week cycles and that’s the world that we live in. And we’re glad that this cycle is about five days, I can assure you.”
(On what has changed for cornerback Alterraun Verner to lead to less playing time)
“Well, I think that we’ve got two very good corners. There was an open competition [when] we started out and I think that there were two very good corners that are playing good football. Are they playing consistent football right now? No. Are we playing consistent across the board? Absolutely not. Are we coaching consistently? Absolutely not. But there was a competition, he had an opportunity to compete and our judgement, we’re going to put the best players out there. Ultimately, we’re about winning and that’s what we’ve got to do and we’re going to make decisions based on what we feel like gives us the best chance to win.”
(On if 93 plays for each starting cornerback, which is what they got against Oakland, give them the best chance to win)
“When you play 93 plays, it’s a long day. There’s certain positons that you do want to have a rotation. On the defensive line, there’s a rotation, at the wide receiver, there’s a rotation. Right now – and maybe if you have bigger rosters, you’re going to have an opportunity to potentially rotate guys. But yes, the wide receivers are rotating, they’re in a rotation and the ‘DBs’ [defensive backs] are not. And that’s something that I think is not a trend and it’s not being done in the NFL. If you look at play time, you’re going to see five or six DB’s, depending on what defensive personnel groups that you’re playing. But when you play 93 plays, you’re going to get worn down and we’ve got to do a better job of getting off the field, especially in the second half. In the first half, they were one of six on third down. In the second half, we were not very good.”
(On if he would consider subbing in backup cornerbacks for a couple of plays during the game)
“Not at this point, no.”
(On why he is not rotating Verner in at cornerback)
“I think when you’re playing out there at the corner position and the defensive back positon, there’s a lot of nuances in the game that are going on. They say that there’s no contact out there. You guys watch, there’s a lot of contact, a lot of hand fighting. And you get in a groove, it’s a one-on-one battle when you’re out there, especially the type of defense that we’re playing with our defensive backs. You want them to have a good feel for what they’re trying to defend because it is a one-on-one battle and you don’t want a guy that’s coming off the bench fresh, so to speak, but not have had the opportunity to get out there and know what the guy’s doing this week. How he’s escaping, what his game plan is and different receivers have different escape techniques.”
(On the threat Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones poses, if he is able to play)
“Julio Jones is going to play [laughter]. Is he going to play his normal snaps? I don’t know that, but we’re going to see Julio Jones and we’re looking forward to competing against him. He is obviously one of the top three receivers in the league, there’s no doubt about that. Maybe number one. I think he’s probably one of the toughest guys to defend and we’re going to see him, it’s just a matter of how many snaps we’re going to see him. I hope he plays every one of them.”
(On if it makes it more difficult that Matt Ryan has spread the ball around to several receivers, not just Jones)
“Matt’s doing a very good job and again, I think Coach Shanahan does a great job with the scheme, in terms of what they’re trying to get accomplished. [Wide receiver Mohamed] Sanu had a big game last week, was the most targeted player. You’ve got to try to pick your poison when you play a team that has got the weapons that they have. [Running back] Devonta Freeman, out of the backfield as a receiver, is going to be a mismatch as well. So, it’s going to be a challenge for us and I know our guys are looking forward to it.”
(On the difficulties of playing on Thursday Night)
“It’s very difficult. These guys are going through a whole lot, not only mentally, but physically. This is normally their day off that we’re talking about right now. We wouldn’t be seeing these guys for the first time until tomorrow, with the Victory Monday. So, it’s very difficult physically and it’s very difficult mentally too because they didn’t get a chance to process the last game. We haven’t even talked to them about the last game, haven’t talked one word about the last ball game, we’ve moved on to the next one because that’s the challenge that we have. We can’t do anything about the last one. So, I think the physical part of it, they’ve got to do a great job of resting, with the trainers, getting in the cryo, all the things that they can do. And the most important thing is to be rested. And I think the team that is most rested is going to have a step up on the other group.”
About the Author
