Todd Bowles & Keith Tandy Discussing The Three-Phase Win | Bucs Total Access

Reporter Casey Phillips sits down with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles and Defense/Special Teams Assistant Keith Tandy after Week 15’s game vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. They talk about winning in all three phases of football and the team’s impressive ability to prevent Chargers from converting any 3rd & 4th downs.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Three.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
What's three?

Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Buccaneers Total Access with head coach Todd Bowles.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
The hell of the job, going back back, here's mate
field shotgun.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Look looks right, I'm about to left those towards left
court ball Evans.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
At the five.

Speaker 4 (00:20):
Another three too, what tousdouts have a bait?

Speaker 1 (00:23):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Fire the Cannons, bike.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
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Because feeling whole always speakins at advent Heealth dot Com.
Fire the Cannons now your host Bocks team reporter Casey

(00:45):
Phillips and head coach Todd Bowles.

Speaker 5 (00:47):
Welcome into the Todd Bowles show Casey Philips here with
head coach Todd Bowles. Man, congratulations on that win, fourth
in a row. I also really enjoyed watching your message
in the locker room.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Afterward.

Speaker 5 (00:58):
We got a we got an enthusiast stick bowls, which
is how you know it was a good win. Tell
me how that win brought on that reaction for you?
Why was this win in this game a big deal.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
It was against a very good team. It was a
complete team performance. All three phases contributed and we finished
the game. I was most happy about the offense running
the ball, finishing the game, the defense getting a turnover
at the end of the ball game, and doing a
great job before the end of the half not letting
them get in field goal range. So it's one of
the few times we finished the game completely on both

(01:33):
sides of the ball. So I was happy about that.

Speaker 5 (01:35):
Yeah, I mean, and to hear that you scored forty
on the number one scoring defense and ten more points
than anyone else has been able to put up on
them this year.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
What does that stat say to you?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
I mean, it says we fought hard. We fought hard,
and we still had some penalties where we could have
did a little more. Obviously, we're always striving to be better.
But the performance and the energy we had coming out
of the locker room, the energy we had coming out
of the half was big for us.

Speaker 5 (02:04):
I know. Baker twenty two twenty seven, two hundred and
eighty eight yards four touchdowns became just the third quarterback
in franchise history to throw thirty touchdown passes in.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
A season, specifically in this game. What stood out to
you about some of those numbers?

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Played a very smart game, played a very smart game.
He was on point most of the time. He threw
the one turnover, obviously, but other than that, he was sharp.
He was sharp in the pocket, he moved well, he
scrambled when he had to and not just because he
needed to. And he made some throws, some off scheduled throws,
especially to touchdown the mic when he found him coming
across the field. That was outstanding. So he played a

(02:39):
very good ball game.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
And then what did happen on the one interception?

Speaker 3 (02:44):
He wouln't play action. I thought it was a little
bit behind him, but I think he saw the linebacker
in the rear view where he couldn't throw it all
the way in front of him, so it kind of
got behind him. The guy made a heck of a play.

Speaker 5 (02:54):
You guys have been the only team to score on
the first two possessions against the Chargers all season. At
the end of the first quarter, Baker was hint of
ten for one hundred and sixteen yards in a touchdown.
And now you guys have the most points scored in
the first quarter in the NFL this year? What is
clicking so well, particularly early.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
In the game.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
The execution, The execution, the play calls have been outstanding.
Everybody has a good idea of what we're trying to
do and what we're trying to get accomplished.

Speaker 5 (03:19):
And then I know that it does seem like there
seems to be a coincidence on when some of his
interceptions are happening. Do we just we just you know,
hand the ball off in the second quarter? Now, is
this the plan moving forward?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
That's what it's going to take not to turn it over? Yes,
it will be, Yes will be.

Speaker 5 (03:35):
I know that Mike Evans also officially moved into the
top twenty five all time in receiving yards, finished with
one hundred and fifty nine, including his longest reception of
the season, and two touchdowns.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Tell me why this game?

Speaker 5 (03:49):
We know Mike is capable of this, it seems like
a lot of different times, but we also know defenses
tend to really focus.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
In hard on him.

Speaker 5 (03:55):
So what was it about this game, the matchups or
what he and Baker were seeing out there that led
to this being a pretty explosive.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
One for him?

Speaker 3 (04:02):
They didn't double them when you don't double them, you're
asking for trouble. Mike. Mike, he's a heck of a competitor.
He made some plays out there. When Baker scrambled, he
found him and he saw him in his rear view
and he hit him and he broke a tackle and
he ran down the field. They didn't double him on
the other touchdown at all. They played one high. The
guy had outside leverage, Baker put it on the inside.

(04:23):
He made another great play, made quite a few great
catches on third down. And you know, when you don't
double Mike, you're asking for it.

Speaker 5 (04:30):
Take us through his couple touchdowns and what stood out
to you.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
The first one of the catch on the scramble was
good enough, but then he broke a tackle. The guy
went high. He never broke stride on the sidelines like
he ran right through it. So then he sprint it
to the end zone. Then one after that, he gave
him an outside move that you kept him outside and
he bent it inside. But Baker made a very smart
throw of leading him inside so the dB couldn't come
back and get it.

Speaker 5 (04:54):
And then I know, also he had one play at
dB essentially out there that er through a ball and
there was a chance it might get intercepted, and Mike
seemed to make a pretty impressive play to ensure that
it didn't. What are some of the things like that
or when you look at that play that we know
Mike's capabilities in the receiving game and some of those
big play things, But what does he do along the

(05:14):
lines of that or other things that we don't always
know to appreciate about him.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
So there's a lot about his intelligence. The receivers are taught.
Our receivers are taught. If they don't catch it, nobody
catches it. So they got to strip the dbs if
they're in position to make picks and everything else. Then
he did that. So it just goes to show what
kind of intelligence he has as a player doing the
little things right.

Speaker 5 (05:34):
We knew coming out of last week the Bucky had
gotten a little banged up in that last game. What
did you know about how healthy he and Shot were
going to be and how you plan on using the
two of them going into this game.

Speaker 3 (05:45):
He looked a lot better on Friday. On Friday, he
looked very good in practice. He looked like the old Bucky.
He had a smile on his face, and you kind
of knew he was back. And once he's back, you
saw what you saw. You're going to see that Bucky
every single time.

Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, and let's start about what that Bucky was.

Speaker 5 (06:00):
I mean, man finished with one hundred and seventeen rushing yards,
his second hundred plus rushing yard day. He is the
only rookie with multiple of those this year.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
What does that say to you? And what stood out
specifically about this game as well?

Speaker 3 (06:15):
It says a lot about the offensive line and receivers
and the tight ends doing all the blocking. But Bucky,
when he's healthy, he can make the first person miss
almost every time. Good one two punch with him and
Rashad and Sean coming in third. They change of pace
the runs. They all have certain runs that they can do.
They all have a change of pace that gives us energy.
But when he makes that first guy miss, you better

(06:36):
look out because he can get down the field pretty quick.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah. Tell us about that fifty four yarder.

Speaker 5 (06:42):
And not only he, but everybody else that really contributed
to that one.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Some great blocks along the way, some great blocks, Cole
Keith being one of them. Cole had some great blocks
on a lot of runs this week. We used them
a lot more yesterday, and we've used them before, and
he sprung Bucky, and once Bucky got on the run.

Speaker 5 (06:58):
It was clear sailing for him, and man, I mean
to run for over two hundred yards on one of
the best defenses in the league, especially when at halftime
Baker was your leading rusher with twenty five yards.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
So what happened? Suddenly in the second half here.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
We started executing better. We were shooting ourselves in the
foot in the first half. We were getting holding penalties.
We were getting first and twenty or second and fifteen,
and we're going backed up there. But once we got
the penalties out the way, we started rolling pretty good.

Speaker 5 (07:27):
And I know that the team has now rushed for
over one hundred and fifty yards six times this season.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
It's the first time.

Speaker 5 (07:32):
In franchise history that the team has surpassed one hundred
and fifty rushing yards in four straight games. Can you
point to anything specific that has happened to this season
at large, but especially these last few games that it
has become such a consistent thing to be seeing these numbers.

Speaker 3 (07:48):
I think it's the chemistry between the coaches and the players.
Carvers and Pacuci do a great job along with Liam
of laying out what type of runs we want. They
do a great job of explaining it to the offensive
line and teaching the tape techniques, and those guys have
such chemistry up front that they're really working together very
well and they're getting it done.

Speaker 2 (08:05):
Hasey Phillips here with head coach Todd Bowles.

Speaker 5 (08:07):
Jalen McMillan's second highest receiver of the game, set a
new career high last week, then did it again this
game and had already done it by the end of
the first quarter, which is not too shabby. He ended
up with seventy five yards in a touchdown, which is
his third and two games, and he now has the
most receiving touchdowns by a Bucks rookie since twenty seventeen.
So tell me what has emerged for him these last

(08:30):
few weeks. Why has suddenly it become Jalen McMillan time, particularly.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
In the end zone.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
His confidence, his understanding of the game plan. He was
always a good route running and had great hands and competitive,
but his understanding of the offense has been big. Baker's
trusting him He's getting open. His cutout of brakes is
probably second to none and you can see it. He
was opened a few weeks before. We just couldn't get
to him for some reason or another. But he's really

(08:57):
making his presence felt right now and open the game
because they really favoring Mike early on to get those
plays done, like he got it done and opened up
the offense more. He's doing a great job for us.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
And then take us through his touchdown because man, now
he's had a couple of touchdowns here recently that are
just very open.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
Caught him and man, the man k did a good
job running up, setting up, setting up for him and
stopping the dB a little bit. We gave a hesitation
move for j Mack to get open and Baker hit
him right on the dime.

Speaker 5 (09:26):
So let's talk about your defense here for a little bit.
I mean, so the Charger score in the first three possessions,
then that was it. They were done for the whole rest.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
Of the game.

Speaker 5 (09:34):
What do you feel like you guys were able to
do to adjust or to lock them down what they
had been doing well early on and then what you
guys were able to do it, Because that's pretty incredible
to hold an offense like that to just zero points
for that many possessions in a row.

Speaker 3 (09:46):
Well, they got two over routes early on our hook
player didn't get back or didn't get his eyes back,
so they got down there, and then they got down
there for turnover one time, and then one other time
they got down there as well. But after that, I
thought when taking away the run game was huge for us,
and winning first down was big for us, getting them
in second and long and third and long when we
could really kind of get after the quarterback a little

(10:07):
bit first down help the South.

Speaker 5 (10:09):
I know, the most important stat is always wins, but
after that, the fact that they did not convert a
single third or fourth down is that maybe the best music.

Speaker 2 (10:19):
To your ears after just whether or not you won
the game.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
It's one of them. It's one of them. It's something
we talk about. If you can do well and third
down and do well in the red zone, you have
a chance to win a lot of games.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
And again, this is not a bad offense that you
were able to do that.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
Again, very good offense. It's a very good quarterback.

Speaker 5 (10:34):
Yeah, So tell me why you think that stat is
what it is of over on both we had.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Some different things that we wanted to try out and
those guys were really getting after it up front. We
thought our corners outside could play man and man on
the receivers if we had them up close, but we
mixed up quite a few things, and those guys executed
very well.

Speaker 5 (10:54):
Since the bye week, your defense has allowed the fewest
points per game in the NFL. An easy explanation be
if suddenly we'd gotten way more healthy, but that's not
what's happened at all.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
So tell me what has.

Speaker 5 (11:06):
Happened since the bye week of how even with this
patchwork group of people that you're having so many injuries,
pulling guys back off waiver wires from other guys practice squads,
how you've still been able to.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
Do this just going back to basics, fundamentals and technique.
We saw before they buy week the things we were
messing up as far as missing tackles, taking bad angles,
not doing the little things right, and we really want
to focus on that, and we stopped focusing on the opponent.
We thought if we could focus on that part and
just do that right, we had a chance to win

(11:36):
some ball games. And we've cleaned a lot of that up.
And it's got to be week by week, and it's
definitely got to keep on going. But that's all We've
been focusing.

Speaker 5 (11:44):
On someone who we know is definitely always good at
that as Levanta David. And now he has become just
the eighth player since nineteen ninety one to have at
least forty sacks and thirty takeaways. Let's yeah, that's a
pretty incredible number, and you think about the players that
have played defense in that time and to think about him,
especially that sack number and the fact that he was

(12:05):
able to get I guess it ended up finally being
one and a half in the game instead of two.
But what led to that in this game and then
even this season at large, why that number has been
what it is.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
He's a heck of a blitzer and with people down
injury wise, we're trying to get every inch out of it.
He does a great job picking, he does a great
job rushing on his own, he does a great job
setting up other people. So we've kind of opened up
a new outlet for him to affect the ball game
and he's doing a great job doing it.

Speaker 5 (12:35):
And he has his highest number of sacks since twenty sixteen,
which is at thirty four.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
Pretty incredible.

Speaker 5 (12:42):
How do you see him being able to essentially just
turn back that time and be defining that father time.

Speaker 2 (12:48):
So often with these kind of stats.

Speaker 3 (12:50):
Highly intelligent player, very motivated practices like he plays. He
gets turnovers in practice, he gets them in the game.
He plays the game like he practiced. And when you
do that and win fills another one that does that.
When you do that, you're going to have success a lot.

Speaker 5 (13:06):
Now, because it was only awarded the sack and a
half instead of two, he's just a half sack behind
Vita and Callidjrah for the team lead. Do you see
this increasing some competition here between these three guys, especially
now that the old man Levante.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
Is right on their heels.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
There's more competition with the coaches than there are the players.
Which position gets that sack. So there's still an argument
going on there between coach Rogers and coach Foot obviously,
So it's going to be a very interesting because Logan
got a sack in the half and Lebronto got a
sack in the half, and there's a question on that

(13:39):
sack one sack of who had what and who was
there first. So the players this friendly competition, the coaches
there at each other's throat love it.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
That's great.

Speaker 5 (13:50):
So justin Herbert had the fifth longest streak of passes
going without throwing an interception in NFL history. And then
our guy Jamel Dean comes in there and as it
tell me about that play and just how impressive it
is to be able to get an interception on a
guy like Herbert who doesn't throw them.

Speaker 3 (14:08):
We had a pressure on so I thought it might
have been tipped a little bit, but Dean did a
heck of a job tracking the football, which Dean's sticky fingers. Dean,
he'll catch him. In practice. He hadn't have much luck
in the game, but I thought yesterday was one of
the best games I've seen him play since I've been here.
He was breaking passes up but on the interception, he

(14:29):
did a great job tracking the ball. And to see
Dean excited is something to behold because you don't usually
see it as much. He keeps it inside most of
the time. When he got excited, I felt happy. I said, Okay,
this guy has arrived.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
That's awesome.

Speaker 5 (14:44):
Did he maybe learn this from you that I've heard
you call him your mini mee?

Speaker 2 (14:47):
Occasionally?

Speaker 3 (14:48):
I have way more interceptions than him. Oh, we're not
in that category. He's definitely faster than I was.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
All Right, well you'll give him that's fair.

Speaker 5 (15:01):
How of the rest of your secondary, especially cave on Merriweather,
we talked about the last couple of games after coming
back from the Lion's practice squad has been asked to
step in.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
And do a lot.

Speaker 3 (15:09):
Merriweathers came on the last two weeks that he's been playing.
He's playing like a true pro and a true vet.
He studies, he carries out the game plan, he makes
some big plays, he lines people up, he keeps the
communication going, and he's really been a breath of fresh
air for us, and I'm happy to see him playing
like this.

Speaker 5 (15:26):
We've talked about how many injuries you've had in your secondary,
that it has been since the start of Week one,
since your original starters have all gotten to be in
there together. What are some of the ways that you've
been able to get creative, either with the kind of
packages you're dialing up or the people you use, and
how you do that to still be able to again
take down a team that has such a prolific offense.

(15:46):
Great quarterback, the ways you've been able to play chess
back there with everybody.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
It's a lot of work. We as coaches get in
the meeting and we try to figure out we make
sure we don't straight away from what they do well,
and we try to basic packages on that. So if
Meriweather does something well, will do this. If i he
does something well, will do that. Tyl vier this Ryan
Neil played down in the box a little more. So
we did a lot of things that he can do.

(16:10):
So the package just kind of offset where six or
seven guys have to be doing the same thing, but
then there's about three or four guys that you have
to move around. They can do other things to make
the other guys stay normal and stay how they are.
So we've done a good job of collaborating and mixing
that together.

Speaker 5 (16:28):
And then how about your defensive line that man, I
mean we saw Vita definitely bringing a lot of pressure
up in Herbert's face, saw Calija having a drop back
and to cover some Logan all getting some sacks. I
feel like your D line did all the things.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
In this game.

Speaker 3 (16:40):
Logan came off the ball. Yeah, the heck of a game, Elijah,
especially on the play with McConkie. I'm not mcconfete Layah Ladd,
especially with play with Ladd, he did a heck of
a job. If he had turned his head around, he
might have gotten an interception. But he rushes out on
the edge for us, he rushes inside for us and
Vita his place speaks for himself and he opens everybody
else up, which opens him up because they start drifting

(17:02):
away from him and not doubling him, and that's when
he can make his plays. But together, those guys have
done a great job all year.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
He's filtered with head coach Todd Bowles.

Speaker 5 (17:10):
Is there anything kind of special to you about getting
to go back and play at different places that you've
coached before.

Speaker 3 (17:16):
No, it really isn't, because you know, you're trying to
win a ballgame at the time. There might be a
person that you're close to that you can see before
or after the game, but at the same time, we're
trying to get the wins, so not as much.

Speaker 5 (17:27):
And then are you excited about it being primetime game
as a coach? Do you enjoy that or is it
more just kind of frustrating on the scheduling part or
being out of the normal rhythms.

Speaker 3 (17:36):
And habit you always like playing prime time. You just
like to be primetime one o'clock or.

Speaker 5 (17:41):
Four o'clock.

Speaker 3 (17:43):
Unless you're at home, because then the trip back you
get back, we out in the morning. Then as a
coach you have to come in and get ready for
the next game, so you don't get any sleep. But
I'll take it.

Speaker 2 (17:53):
You'll take it.

Speaker 5 (17:53):
And then so now Cooper rush is compared to Dak Prescott.
What have you seen from these guys so far this
season and how it potentially does or doesn't change their offense.

Speaker 3 (18:02):
I don't think it changes as much. I think they
changed the kind of style they want to play with
him from a passing standpoint, he's a very smart player.
He understands, he knows he gets the ball to Cede
Lamb quite a bit. They have a very good running
game and he doesn't turn the ball over.

Speaker 5 (18:16):
Yeah, tell me about some of those other offensive weapons
and what stands out to you.

Speaker 3 (18:19):
Well, Dalla was a very good running back. Obviously he
can get open. Cooks has been hurt a little bit,
but they got their tight end back who was a
very good player and their second leading receiver, and their
offensive line is huge, so it's gonna be a big
challenge for us.

Speaker 5 (18:32):
Yeah, and Ceedee Lamb is such a unique wide receiver.
What are the challenges of covering someone that's like him?

Speaker 3 (18:38):
Second to none. He's whether it's a short pass or
a deep pass, whether he's doubled or tripled. He can
run reverses, he can take screens to the house. He
can beat you deep. Even when you got him covered,
he's not covered because he's such he does. It's such
a great job in space and catching the football is
he He makes a lot of contested catches and that
makes him very tough.

Speaker 5 (18:59):
And then how about Michael Parsons, another guy that can
pretty single handedly make a lot of.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
People annoyed on a Sunday.

Speaker 3 (19:05):
So he's a game record.

Speaker 5 (19:06):
He is a guy that can ruin a lot of things.
So what stands out about the way he's been playing
so far and what you guys are going to have
to do?

Speaker 3 (19:11):
NonStop motor, NonStop effort. He's a game record, the heck
of an athlete. We're gonna have to be on our
p's and q's trying to slow him down.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
And how about the rest of their defensive front outside
of him? What stands out?

Speaker 3 (19:22):
They're tough, they play tough, They play tough football. They
understand they got in a very nice blitz package as well.
If they can get you behind the sticks on first down,
they really get after you.

Speaker 5 (19:32):
And then, how, if at all, have you been changing
the schedule for the team, for the coaches, and just
what it looks like having a West Coast game, this
last game where you're getting back late and then again
having to travel again Sunday night football, whether it's the
schedule that weekend or leading up to the game itself,
how does that affect anything that you.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
Guys do, because I know players are always creatures of habit.

Speaker 3 (19:51):
It's really it doesn't affect us at all. Really, It's
just a normal week for us from Wednesday walkthrough to
Thursday practice to a Friday practice and then we kind
of get ready Saturday day to go and we have
our routine when we get to the hotel as far
as our meetings are concerned, and we get ready to play.
But we try to keep it as normal as possible.
We try to keep it as focused and stream wide
as possible so we can concentrate on the task at hand.

Speaker 5 (20:12):
All right, well, coach, thank you as always for the
time and congratulations on the win.

Speaker 3 (20:15):
Thank you.

Speaker 5 (20:16):
Coming up next on Buccaneers Total Access, we're going to
have defensive and Special team's assistant Keith Tandy, brought to
you by Advan Health. This is Buccaneers Radio.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
Buccaneers Total Access, brought to you by advent Health.

Speaker 3 (20:28):
Shotgun Look Jared Goff, Bill high Snapper.

Speaker 4 (20:30):
Here comes a pressure.

Speaker 1 (20:31):
He sacked on the back field the thirty one yard line.

Speaker 3 (20:33):
Levante David shoots like a rocket bull and got it.

Speaker 4 (20:36):
Bill High on the rocket.

Speaker 1 (20:37):
Now more with Bucks team reporter Casey Phillips.

Speaker 5 (20:41):
Welcome back into Buccaneers Total Access. First half of the show,
we had head coach Todd Bowles. Now I am so
excited to have Keith Tandy here with us, who player
extraordinaire for so many years.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
We've news you as a Bucks player. Now you are
an assistant Special teams coach and helps out with the secondary.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
But you just got all like you were able to
find this awesome niche when you got here, and it's
just so great to still have you back in the
Bucks organization and great to have you on the show.

Speaker 4 (21:04):
It's great to be back and really just great to
be a part of just like the transition from when
I played to our coaching.

Speaker 5 (21:10):
Now, yeah, it's a big deal. I mean, it's not
a given that any player can become a coach. That
we've talked a lot about how it takes certain things,
and I know later in the show we'll get a
bit more into your transition into that role and your story,
but for now we got to talk about that just
epic when in La the night and what did this
win mean to the team in your mind of just
where we'd gone from right before the bye week to

(21:31):
now what we've been able to do, And of course
looking at the schedule, this was the team that had
the best record in this home stretch. So to beat
this team, to have this many in a row, to
be sitting where we are with the division, what is
this meant to the team?

Speaker 4 (21:43):
I think it's more so just like the type of
opponent like Harball, he prides himself on being a physical team.
We pride ourself on being a physical team. And then
making that West coast trip, you got all the excuses
built in and just for us to play the way
we did and we still haven't played a full four
quarter shit, So we still we've been preaching that, preaching
that We've done a good job of starting fast and

(22:04):
finished fast, but in the middle we're still working on
putting together. But it was real good to see the
way we played and see the things were capable of
and hoping we can carry that throughout the rest of
the season.

Speaker 5 (22:13):
Yeah, And I mean the Chargers scored on their first
three possessions, then that was it just locked down zero
points after that. And I know, again you played on
the defense in your career, watching this, what were they
doing well early offensively and then what were we able
to adjust to suddenly be able to just shut it down.

Speaker 4 (22:29):
Well, I don't pay too much attention like what's going
on x and Ois on defense because my main road
on game day a special team, So I'm just listening
to the other coaches but trying to make sure the
guys are ready for the next special teams play. So honestly,
I couldn't haven't watched the game yet. Offensive defense, I've
been owned to Dallas as soon as I came in
the building this morning, so honestly, I couldn't tell you.

Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, it's totally fair, but I mean I know that
for you, just looking at when you played to be
able to do that kind of an adjustment that What
does that say about a defense and even a coach
as well.

Speaker 2 (23:02):
To know that you can take an.

Speaker 5 (23:03):
Offense that is so powerful and can do so much
to you and to be able to make that kind
of a shift mid game.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
How challenging is that to do?

Speaker 3 (23:11):
It's very challenging.

Speaker 4 (23:12):
But I think it just shows the maturity we have,
the leadership we have on the coaching staff and with
the players, you be able to make those in game
adjustments where you see something on family, Okay, I think
this will work, but then it's not exactly what you saw.
So you come to the sideline talk about it. And
that's one thing I do here. We get to the sideline.
I see the dB coaches talking to the dv's, I
see foot over there talking about every single detail with

(23:35):
those linebackers and then for them to go back out
in the field and just execute it like that's a
pretty good feeling.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah, that's a huge deal.

Speaker 5 (23:42):
And I mean, man, they didn't convert a single third
or fourth down. Wow, they held them to six and
o two. I mean that's such a rare thing for
a defense to accomplish. And then I know, also just
since the bye week, they've allowed the fewest points per
game in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (23:58):
To see what they've been and knowing how many I.

Speaker 5 (24:00):
Mean, they've just been working with this patchwork thing of
pulling guys off waiver wires and guys off the Lions
practice squad coming back here and just you played in
the secondary to know have that many people change, have
that much going on in the secondary, and then to
be able to have those kind of numbers of hey,
we're not converting a single third down or fourth down,
allowing the fewest points since the bye week in the league, how.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
Wild is that?

Speaker 4 (24:22):
It's impressive and like right now, like you're educating me
because like for the most part, I stayed with special
teams when they need help on the field. I'm involved
with defense. But you're telling me things I didn't realize,
Like I'm so locked in on my job, but it
doesn't surprise me. Like from training camp, really from OTA's
it just felt a little different, Like we felt like
we were deep. We were young, so we knew there

(24:43):
would be growing pains, but we weren't deep, Like we
still got safeties on practice squad. I'm excited to see
markets Banks and uh Rashad wisdom, like just the depth
the front office, the things they've been doing, just bringing
guys in off the streets, and then the coach is
just coaching them up, getting them up to getting them
up to count to play.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
It's a big deal. We're talking to Keith Tandy here.
Let's talk about your guy Levante that we know.

Speaker 5 (25:05):
First of all, you were drafted the same year as Levante,
so put into perspective allso how incredible it is that
now here he is thirty four doing the things that
he's doing that you can remember all the way back
to when you guys came into the league together.

Speaker 4 (25:16):
First of all, it doesn't surprise me just the way
he's carried himself since he came in. He was a
pros pro from day one. He just always made things
look very effortless, like it felt like he wasn't playing hard,
almost like we were conditioning stuff because he just made
it look so easy.

Speaker 3 (25:31):
He doesn't sweat.

Speaker 4 (25:32):
I don't know how you can born and raised in
Florida and doesn't sweat. He can have a gray hoodie
on at practice and it won't be an ounce of water.
That's wild, But he just he doesn't waste any movements,
so I knew like his game would translate where he
could play a while. He didn't rely on elite athleticism,
even though he is a great athlete. But it wasn't like, oh,

(25:53):
he's this twitchy guy. He's just seaball getball. He just
understands football. It's hard to explain, but he under stance,
angles and leverage and feel and numbers and all of
that stuff. And I don't know how he does.

Speaker 5 (26:06):
What is he meant to the team over the years,
And how have you maybe even seen the way he
leads grow, evolve change.

Speaker 2 (26:12):
We know he's not the most vocal guy, So what
do you.

Speaker 5 (26:15):
Remember about early Levante and then into now of just
the role he's played from not just the x's and o's,
but the off the field and the leadership standpoint.

Speaker 4 (26:23):
So early Levante he was always just a lead by
example guy, didn't say much. I couldn't get him to
go out with me, Like I went to West Virginia,
so I like to go out, but I couldn't get
him to go out with me. And he didn't say
much in the locker rooms. He would just play the
games with us. But he was a very much lead
by example, he gonna be he gonna be early to
every meeting, early to the weight room. But now, like

(26:44):
if you could see him like in the locker room,
like him giving pregame speeches, Like sometimes my eyes start
to water up and I'm like, oh shoot, like here,
but now it's been impressed me just to see his growth,
Like that's like me going from a player, like coming
into the league with him now technically I coach him
like it's impressed, like saying the growth of him and

(27:05):
more so like the leadership, the talking, the breaking guys
along and all of that stuff. Like I remember going
back in the day, Deshaun Goltzen and Dereal Reeves telling
him to slow down and practice. He was practicing too hard,
So down, you got to take care of your body.
But now just saying the way he's matured and taking
care of his body off the field and all that stuff,
like it's very impressive.

Speaker 2 (27:25):
That's pretty incredible.

Speaker 5 (27:26):
And yeah, so he now became the eighth player since
nineteen ninety one to have at least forty sacks and
thirty takeaways. That is a wild stat And then he
had well a sack and a half in this game.
Seemed like maybe it should have been too where there's
some debate I've heard among the coaches of who should
have gotten credit for.

Speaker 2 (27:43):
That other half.

Speaker 5 (27:45):
Now, this also is his most sacks in a season
since twenty sixteen. As we talk about the turning back
the clock, that taking care of the body like sacks
from his position and being able to have as many
this year as he did all the way back in
twenty sixteen.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
What does that tell you about him?

Speaker 4 (28:00):
It's impressive and he's still growing, like learn it every year.
He's always like picking guy's brains and just trying to
find something else to add to his game. But like
it does not surprise me, Like anything he does does
not surprise me. Like he's just been like the ultimate
pro from day one. He's been a constant learner. He
knows how to analyze hisself see what he can work
on and get better, and like it does not surprise me.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
Yeah, it's pretty amazing.

Speaker 5 (28:24):
And Jamel Dean got his interception in the game also
snapped justin Herbert had the fifth longest streak going in
NFL history of passes thrown without an I int He
only had the one earlier this year. Tell me what
you saw from that play while you were out there, Washington.

Speaker 4 (28:41):
I just saw a ball go up in there. It
looked like one of my plays, like it was a punt,
so just like, please come down with somebody. Then I
saw Dean tracking it.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Him and the receiver.

Speaker 4 (28:51):
I saw both of them stumbled and he has fell
in his lap. And yes, the sidelines like everybody loves Dean,
so the sideline erupted, everybody slapping him on the head,
on the back, congratulating them, but then trying to get
the guys locked back in for the next play.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
That's awesome. I love that.

Speaker 5 (29:06):
And also I mean, man from the offense is yet
Baker Mike jailing McMillan, But especially just for you, You've
known Mike a really long time at this point, watched
him as basically his whole career. How wild is it
that there's still games like this that it feels like
he can somehow still impress us and surprise us after
everything he's done.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
That's impressive.

Speaker 4 (29:23):
But once again, like the same type of guys with Avante,
he doesn't want to spotlight you don't see the work
that he puts in. But like I've seen the growth
and maturity he has taken care of his body just
like a Levante like dealing with injuries, but he knows
how to play through injuries. He knows how to take
care of his body, whether it's getting back from the
injuries or whether it's getting more healthy in the off

(29:44):
season so he can last a full season. But once again, Mike,
like first about a Hall of Famer, Like, it doesn't
surprise me when he can take over a game and
it's still impressive with you're eleven twelve.

Speaker 5 (29:57):
Something like that, Yeah, a lot, Yeah, and he I
know also like I saw the play where he kind
of batted down the ball to make sure there was
no interception happening on one play, and I was just
thinking about all the things that he does, even as
aside from how incredible he can be from a pass
catching standpoint, and same thing of his leadership that he's
not a typical wide receiver in a lot of.

Speaker 2 (30:16):
Different stereotypical ways.

Speaker 5 (30:17):
And so I think about him and Levante being guys
who they've never been divas, they've never been guys who've
needed attention. How have you seen that influence a locker
room over this last decade plus? When you have your
two of your best guys.

Speaker 4 (30:30):
Having that kind of a mindset, it's big, and I
mean because you can guess when you're trying to coach
guys or develop guys, you can just point to those two, Like,
you want to play for a long time, you want
to play at a high level, you want to stay
in one place, you want to make a ton of money,
you want to win Super Bowl. Like you got two
perfect examples for that. And you don't get more selfless

(30:51):
than those two guys. Like because Mike Evans, you can
throw in the ball twenty times a game and nothing
would be wrong with that. But him, if it's just
taking the top off of coverage opening for somebody else,
he'll do it. If he has to block a screen
pass forbody else, he'll do it. You see him on
the edge. So we're talking about our running game this year,
while I see him out there blocking getting those extra
ten fifteen yards that come from receivers putting their face

(31:13):
in there and getting that block. So everything he gets,
he deserves it. And that's another one of eyes get
kind of watered when I'm watching him too.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
That's great.

Speaker 5 (31:22):
I love that, And I know punting got a bit
of a break this game for the team. Is there
almost a part of you guys that.

Speaker 2 (31:29):
When you work so hard on planning and preparing for
the punt.

Speaker 5 (31:32):
Stuff and then it just doesn't happen that you're like,
it's a great reason it's not happening.

Speaker 2 (31:36):
But then you're like, man, we prepared so much for
this and then it's just not happening.

Speaker 4 (31:40):
Not at all, Like great, but never complaining about not punting,
So that's great.

Speaker 5 (31:45):
What stood out to you about for you guys just
the special teams units know and punting wasn't a very
active one, but kicking off ended up thankfully happening a
whole lot of times.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
What did you guys see from your units?

Speaker 4 (31:53):
So they played with a ton of energy, like we
got a lot of great guys, a lot of young guys,
and just when they get that many reps in one game,
you can see them like every rep their confidence grows,
they start believing in theirselfs more, their technique grows, and
they were just exciting the sideline like you see guy, oh,
I bet Vive gonna get this. When I bet jj
you gonna get this one. Then you can see the

(32:14):
guys like feeding off that energy. And I think that
plays a role in our defense too, because then all
of a sudden, you go down and make a tackle
twenty five yard line. We all coming off the field,
they slapping hands or whatever, clapping hands when they going by,
yell the other defense excited like, oh, this young guy
put in all this work. Now he making plays. So
he just excited the whole sideline and not complaining about

(32:35):
not having any fun plays.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
Yeah, that's awesome.

Speaker 5 (32:37):
All right, We're gonna take a quick break here on
Buccaneers Total Access brought to you by Avan Health.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
This is Buccaneers Radio.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
You were listening to Buccaneers Total Access with head coach
Todd Bowles and Bucks team reporter Casey Phillips, brought to
you by advad Health.

Speaker 5 (32:52):
Welcome back into Buccaneers Total Access brought to you by
Advent Health. I have Keith Tandy here with me. I
know that again mainly your work and on a lot
of the coverage units and kicking punt units. But how
much have you learned even about the kicking game since
you've taken on this new job in terms of your
punter and.

Speaker 4 (33:08):
Your kicker A ton, Like it's impressive how much it
goes into that and you never realize that whenever you're playing,
it's like, hey, man, y's kick the ball, dur in
the corner. I will make the tackle. But like, it's
a lot and just the smallest detail can make a
huge thing, whether it's the direction of the kick, and
then paying attentionce to the weather, like I'm like, Okay,

(33:29):
it's Tampa, it's hot, it's human, like, let's go play.
But I never realized how wendy it was like in Tampa.
How much that affects the kicking game.

Speaker 5 (33:38):
Yeah, that's crazy. So tell me about how you guys
have worked through. I mean, how complicated it's been having
three different punters, which also means three different holders, and
the chemistry between your holder, your kicker, your long snapper,
all of that in the way that it has been
an interesting challenge and learning thing for you in this role.

Speaker 4 (33:55):
So first, you just got a you can't take what
Chase is doing for granted, Like he's the ultimate pro.
Anytime we make a change, he doesn't flinch. He's bringing
those guys along, coaching them up, whether it's telling them Okay,
this is how I like the ball, or this what
I've seen help other guys out and just little things
like a little details that when you got a guy

(34:16):
who's had that much success as he has and he's
teaching the younger guys, so once again, it's easy. Like
I put him right along the same lines as Levante
and Mike, Like you don't hear much about him except
when he's hitting the field goal or whatever, but he's
always coaching guys. He's always bringing him along and he's
that same lead by example type. So he's a guy
you can just point to him, like, just watch what

(34:37):
Chase does. Yeah, and he makes your job that much easier.

Speaker 5 (34:40):
Yeah, And I mean, man, the effect he's had on
the offense to have known how you don't have to
get nearly as far down the field to feel pretty
good about that. So the big story this off season
was the new kickoff rules. So tell me what your
reaction was initially when you heard that rule was going
to get put in place.

Speaker 4 (34:55):
Initially, I was just kind of just numb. Wanted to
just kind of do some research and figure out what's
gonna all be about. A lot of times we don't
really like change and special teams coaches, we know what
we know. But it's been fun. It's learning more about
it and then just doing all the research and like
one thing I do every week, I go through every
single kickoff kickoff return play see what's going on wrong

(35:17):
around the league, and you just gotta like anytime you
watch the film because it's new, it's kind of have
like an empty mind, a blank canvas, and just see
what you can learn and what can you implement without
trying to make a wholesale change in the middle of
the season. But it's been exciting. It's made it more
like a defensive play. Like it's really like the first
playoff defense on kickoff, if kickoff return, it's the first

(35:39):
playoff offense. So you've got guys who might not normally
have a role now their role is pretty important for him,
Like Sean Tucker. We never thought about him being a
kickoff returner and now I think he's one of the
best ones in the league at it. So something like
that where we never really thought about it last year
with the old kickoff rule, but now it's like, Okay, Sean,
this is just inside zone, Sean, this is just power. Oh,

(36:02):
this is just a gap scheme.

Speaker 5 (36:03):
So that's really interesting. How have you seen the different
returners do this year?

Speaker 2 (36:07):
Both punt and kick.

Speaker 4 (36:09):
So you're saying different turners on our team.

Speaker 3 (36:11):
Yah.

Speaker 5 (36:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
Throughout the league. So we've been like we have success
special kickoff return and I think now some teams are
kicking the ball away from us, especially Sean, But we're
just trying to make sure we're ready whenever we get
that chance, because usually about one time in game, no
matter who's the kicker is, he'll miss it one and
give you a chance. And if you're not careful, you
can catch yourself like going to sleep. And that's when
all those cause there's a lot of new rules that

(36:33):
if you're not locked in, you'll miss out on them,
whether it's the touch back to the twentieth the ball
hits the ground and then going to the end zone
and you actually have to down the ball if it
goes in the end zone versus being dead completely, so
different things like that. And then Trey's done a good
job and he's been really good catching it, really good
with the other guys coaching them up because we've had

(36:53):
different guys back there too, because Trey he missed a
couple of games, so he's been really good for the group,
doing a lot of things you don't really so I'm
excited about the group in excited to finish the season
with them.

Speaker 5 (37:03):
Yeah, And I know I feel like for a lot
of fans, we thought that the new rule was gonna
result in more like explosive returns in place. Does it
feel like it's done what you guys expected it to
do or not' How has the impact been felt within
the team?

Speaker 4 (37:18):
I think initially I thought it was gonna be more
explosive returns too, Like to me, it looked like it
was gonna be Okay, it's basically cover zero. Everybody's on
the same level and they're already at the forty yard line,
so like if you get through one level and then like, oh,
it's nobody else every beside a kicker. So I was
thinking it was gonna be more returns. But then once
we start looking at the think it was XFL or USFL,
whichever one had the rule. It actually it was less

(37:42):
depending on what you determined, not explosive. It was less touchdowns,
but it was more like thirty to forty yard returns
than the old rule. Interesting, and I think that's like
you already got more guys down there, so you can
get through that first wave. But it's not as big
of I think a separation between that first wave second
wave where in the path, if you had a Zaya
McCullum running next to a Cole Keith, like, it's gonna

(38:05):
be fifteen yards of space in between them, but now
it's just kind of like five yards of space. So
it's either to fill those gaps.

Speaker 5 (38:10):
Interesting, we're talking to Keith Tandy. When you played, if
you had heard about this rule, what would you have
thought as a player?

Speaker 4 (38:18):
While I was a special teams guy, so I'd have
been all forward, like if we bringing more special teams
plays back into the game, So I'd have been all
forward excited for it, and it would have took a
while to figure out like what my role was. I
was always kind of like a second level guy, wouldn't
the fastest guy down the field, But now it's kind
of hard to be that second level guy where you
can read and react. So they would have been interest

(38:39):
just figuring out learning how to play a little bit
better with my hands, read those returns a little faster.

Speaker 5 (38:43):
Yeah, that's what I was wondering, is you know after
we heard about the new rule, one of the first
thoughts was, how does this change the type of player
you're gonna need, because special teams can be a huge
thing that contributes to who makes the final roster that
you have your superstars on each side of the ball,
and then a lot of time after that that you
might decide this guy or that guy based on how
much they can contribute to special teams. So when this

(39:06):
new rule kicked in, how much did it change potentially
who some of those guys would be, or the makeup
of guys, or maybe even who you were looking at
with drafting and undrafted free agents of what they could
contribute for y'all.

Speaker 4 (39:17):
So it definitely played a role, but we didn't have
like a ton of data to pull from, so it
was more so like us trying to make it fit
our personnel, and I think it fit our personnel pretty good.
We got all these outside linebackers long arms, so the
old kickoff roll, you can run around blocks, but now
it's harder to run around the block because the ball
is already closer to the block. So we were thinking

(39:38):
you have to play better with your hands. Well, well
we have the perfect guys for that. All these outside
linebackers used to escape and getting off blocks, whether it's
Anthony Nelson, the Joe Tryon's, the ya yas, all those
guys like they're perfect for that. And then you want
guys who physical enough that can like squeeze and restrict
to make it more condensed like a defensive play versus
being spread out from sideline and sidelines. So we think

(40:00):
it fits our person. They are pretty good, but we'll
continue to learn every day from it.

Speaker 5 (40:04):
And then how do you feel like getting special teams
players to buy in? Is that challenging? R knowing that
everyone wants to be contributing on offense and defense that's
everyone's goal and special teams, is it ever a struggle
to get guys to care as much about that as
their offensive and defensive assignments? Or what are the ways
that you as a player felt like you were able

(40:25):
to buy in and then now as a coach to
get guys excited about that role.

Speaker 4 (40:29):
So I think initially you think that, but one thing
our front office has done, Bray brought in a lot
of just great guys and a lot of guys who
just love playing ball. And so that's one thing me
and coach mcgay try to do is just man, if
you like ball, like it's another play. Yes to play ball,
but then also too for those young guys, it's the
way to get you developed, and they can buy you
time until you get ready to play offense or defense

(40:51):
and then really just trying to like whether it's just
pulling stats or just showing the importance of it. But
the more I feel like personally I can make it
really to offensive defense, then the more the players feel like, Okay,
well it's not I'm locking you. So it might be
a receiver playing frontline a kickoff return. I'm like, this
is nothing different than a single block a receiver. If

(41:12):
you got to block the course stock block a receiver,
and so just trying to take you look at the
same exact technique, We've got to get there a different way.

Speaker 5 (41:20):
I know that for a lot of fans, special teams
is definitely the area that maybe they pay attention to
the least. Maybe this is when they take their bathroom break,
they miss kickoffs or punt return sometimes who are some
of the guys that you want people to know have
been the unsung heroes or have really contributed in big
ways that either that fans may just not always recognize
in that area.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
So, like I keep repeating we got a great group
of guys. The guys they'll probably notice if they pay
attention on our team on special teams, I would say
JJ Russell, Roan Miller, Josh has all high level players
on special teams. But then guys who do a lot
of the dirty work don't get credit and always making tackles.
A guy like Cole Keith, he might be out there
blocking three or four guys one play and you'll never

(41:59):
know that you pull up the tape. And even if
you pull the tape up, you might not notice if
you get a glance through it. But so those four guys,
we got a ton of young guys who growing every day.
I think Thunderberg might have got his first tackle yesterday,
like Ryan Neal hopped in didn't miss a beat. But
his career was a lot like mine Ryan Neils where
he's been a special teams guy, got a little chance

(42:20):
to play on defense, and now he's back on special teams.
So I love talking to Actually I played with him
in Atlanta four years, so I love just talking to
him and talking to the new rules and stuff about kickoff.

Speaker 5 (42:30):
That's pretty cool. And how about Jack Browning, how he's
been able to do now since stepping in as a punter,
and what the sort of what the qualities are that
you guys have been looking for in a punter this year.

Speaker 4 (42:40):
So a talentan guy, and then every time he goes
out there on the field and gets another hit on
the ball, you can see what we see in practice
starting to come and he's growing every day. He has
a strong leg, he has a great attitude, good athlete.
So we're excited to see what he can do for
the rest of the season.

Speaker 5 (42:58):
All right, we're gonna take one more break here on
Buckety Total Access brought to you by Advan Health. We're
talking to Keith Tandy. This is Buccaneers Radio.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
Buccaneers Total Access with head coach Todd Bowles. Now continues
brought to you by Advan Health.

Speaker 5 (43:11):
Welcome back into our final segment here on Buccaneers Total
Access brought to you by Advan Health. We're talking to
Keith Tandy. Tell us a little bit about that journey
for you of going from player to coach and how
you got that opportunity and what you think it was
that coaches and people saw in you to say that
you would make a good coach.

Speaker 4 (43:27):
So the journey. So while I was playing, I always
had a lot of coaches. They would just tell me,
I think you'll make a good coach whenever you're finished.
But in my head, I'm like, ah, I'm playing for
a long time, not really thinking about that. And then
like when I went to so, I did six years here,
then I got cut went to Atlanta that seventh year.
Then I was an active for a couple of games.
And when I was in active, I was on the sideline,

(43:49):
just like coaching young guys up and I kind of
got more joy out of that than when I was
playing making them play myself. And so Keith Armstrong was
a special teams coordinator in Atlanta and twenty eighteen, the
year I played there, twenty nineteen, I was just trying
to figure I was still trying to play. Nobody ever called.
I started volunteering at a high school coaching and just

(44:10):
fell more in love with it. So then I reached
out to probably forty or fifty former coaches I played for.
Keith Ornstrong was one. He was actually back in Tampa
in twenty nineteen. I reached out to Jason GM. He
picked up the phone kind of suppro oh the GM
picked up the phone.

Speaker 5 (44:26):
I was ready to leave it for like.

Speaker 4 (44:28):
Literally, and so we talked twenty or thirty minutes, and
he just told me, you can find good coaches anywhere,
Like if I don't find anything soon, I can come
back to Tampa and just like volunteer in the summer
or something like that if I wanted to have access.
I'm like, oh. Then I had a long conversation Mike Smith,
he had just finished coaching. Talked to him for about

(44:49):
three hours. I talked to Greg Ciano for about two hours.
And those guys all just gave me a ton of
advice and so the stuff they told me, I just
tried to put it in action, put it in motion.
Next thing I know, I'm met at West Virginia for
two months, right before COVID about to start a g
an or. I don't know what I was about to do,
but I was up there volunteering something up there. They

(45:10):
had a GA spot coming open, and I think analyst
spot coming open over summer. Keith Armstrong called me he
was in Tampa and he was like, we want to
interview here. So I'm like, oh, shoot. So I came
back ready for an interview and BA was like do
you want the job or no? And I'm like yeah, and.

Speaker 5 (45:29):
That's awesome. What do you feel like have been your
favorite moments as a coach or even the ways that
you've grown as a coach since starting it about four
years ago.

Speaker 4 (45:38):
Now, the favorite moment is yet definitely just seeing the
players grow, Like you can kind of see when the
light switch hit, the light bulb hits in her head
and it's like no better feeling as a coach, like okay,
like he finally gets it. Now let's see if he
can put it together like in the game. And then
sometimes they'll struggle first. Sometimes guys get it. But really
just like the patients, the patients as a coach, just

(46:01):
knowing that everybody's not gonna learn it the same way
I learned it. Everybody's not gonna learn at the same speed.
I kind of look at it like popcorn Colonel's popping.
You put them in the same microwave, the same temper,
they all pop at the same time. So just try
to keep giving them what they need and finding different
ways getting creative. Sometimes if I think a guy can
play harder, I might go and pull up his forty

(46:24):
from at the combine. I might have a video and
I might slide the video into our presentation. Just this
is what I need from you right here. So just
trying to get creative as possible, and like you were
talking about earlier, just trying to find different ways to
just keep these guys motivated about special teams, show them
the importance of it, and it's exciting, man. Like I
think every young coach, you start on special teams, you

(46:45):
get a chance to deal with pretty much every position
because the old lineman they're on your field goal team,
the D line, and start D linen on your field
goal block team. I work with Kyle Traass, he to
back up Holder, So for the most part, work with
everybody besides Baker.

Speaker 5 (47:00):
He's about the only one that gets off skuffree one.

Speaker 4 (47:03):
I'm gonna have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin on my hands team.
So you get a chance to work with it. You
learn a lot of different techniques. You learn a little
about past past protecting, whether it's punt protecting or field goals.
You learn a little bit about online. You learn about
running the ball. We were talking about kickoff return earlier,
so I learned a little bit about running back techniques,
and then you gotta be able to tackle, so you
learn in defensive terms and defensive schemes and stuff. So

(47:25):
it teaches you a little bit about everything. And also
you learn like situational football. A lot of situations I
didn't realize as a player come up, and a lot
of times the special teams coaches just got to know it.
And not necessarily have the players worried about it. You
just tell them one or two key words and then
they trigger something in their head.

Speaker 5 (47:42):
We're talking to Keith, you Candy, And yeah, the off
the onside kick has been interesting this year too. The
slight changes with that tell us how challenging it is
to perform an onside kick successfully.

Speaker 4 (47:56):
Very challenging. What's the percentage? It's very low, Yeah, like
eleven or something. I don't even know what it is now,
but it's very challenging. You kind of just I mean,
everybody got a different philosophy what they want to do
with it. But I do miss the surprise on side kick.
Take that out of it. And then also you don't
realize the alignment rules are different with the on side

(48:18):
kick versus the regular kickoff return. And like sometimes as
a coach, I'd like it's the same as the old rules. Well,
if you got a rookie, he don't know the old rules,
so have no idea what I'm talking about. So I
think things like that make you be speak more clearly
as a coach and make sure you don't take anything
for granted.

Speaker 5 (48:38):
It's also just interesting to think about what scouting is
like for special teams and game prep as we go
into this next week with Sunday Night Football and going
against the Cowboys. First, all I know that their special
teams coach, Coach Fossil is a pretty well known special
teams guy from around the league for a lot of years.
What is the difference for you of learning from what
game prep was like for you as a player, especially
defensively versu special teams, and then now as a coach

(48:59):
of what are the things you guys are looking at
and watching and how you get guys ready for a game.

Speaker 4 (49:04):
First the hours I never caught like got new coaches
put in some time and they give you like a
ton of tips and stuff, but they have to really
look at everything. But then like, okay, what's the most important,
What's something new that we haven't hit in a couple
of weeks? And you got to find a way it's
presented to the players where you present everything to them,

(49:27):
but you don't present everything to them. I'm not quite
sure if that makes sense, because they have to be
ready for everything, but you can't show them everything obviously,
So just figuring out what's the important things, what do
we do well against them? And it is a little
bit different, but I mean it's exciting, Like I love
the challenge. It takes time, but it's worth it.

Speaker 5 (49:44):
How about fakes, I feel like we don't see a
ton of those across the league in general. But are
you guys ever advocating for more of that? Of like
wanting I imagine it when special teams is your thing,
that it's like you guys want to do all the
fun things and as much as possible.

Speaker 4 (49:58):
Not necessarily I like winning.

Speaker 5 (50:01):
Yeah, so I think it's gonna actually helps.

Speaker 4 (50:05):
Will help us win, and yeah, I'm all for But
we spend time doing that every week, and you talking
about going against Dallas this week, so I was just
pulling up all his fakes and he probably has over
forty from his time in the NFL.

Speaker 5 (50:18):
So so it was a very fun week to prepare
for all of that. Yeah, that's very true. And then
I know also just before we close, I just wanted
to talk to you a little bit about some of
our DB's because of your time playing it, of Antoine
getting resigned this year, and then we bring Jordan back,
We've even brought Mike Edwards back, and then just the
challenges of all the injuries. But those three guys in particular,

(50:40):
what they can bring and their skill sets and if healthy,
what this secondary could really look like.

Speaker 4 (50:46):
I think the first thing is there versatility, like those guys,
you can mix and match him, and then were throwing
the young guys like Taki and like Izzy. Like those
guys they can do a lot of different things. That's
like impressive. And I was talking to somebody the other day,
but like the safeties and the corners, their body types
has kind of changed since like when I was playing,
Like the corners used to be like the quick guys

(51:08):
and being able to do all that stuff. Now in
the corners are six two, six y three and the
safeties are five nine, five ten. But I think he
just speaks to their versatility. They can play press, man
and man, they can play off, they can play zone,
they can play deep, they can play in the box
they can blitz, and so it'll be exciting once those
guys all get healthy get a chance to play, especially
with the opportunities that Izzy and Meriwether and Takiev got

(51:31):
a chance. So I'm excited.

Speaker 5 (51:34):
Yeah, And I feel like this defense overall, it's just wild.
How everyone in the secondary it feels like has to
be a Swiss army knife and even everyone else. I'm
looking at this game, Oh, Collijah's dropping and coverage and
also like it's just wild. And I think there's been
even more of that because of how many different injuries
the Bulls is having to dial up things from way
deep in the playbook potentially how challenging is it as
a player in like to look at Coach Bowles defense

(51:57):
to be a member of his defense, of how much
he ask how many different things you have to do and.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
What that means.

Speaker 4 (52:03):
I think first to be successful win the league, you
gotta have versatile players. Like we feel like, oh, we
got a lot of injuries. Well it's me, but you
look across the league, it's injuries all around. And with
the fifty three man roster, like you gotta have god
that can do more than one thing.

Speaker 5 (52:19):
Well, Keith, thank you so much for joining us on
the show. We really appreciate it. Congrats on that big
win this week, and good luck next week against Dallas.

Speaker 4 (52:26):
Oh problem. Thanks for having me, all right.

Speaker 5 (52:27):
That's gonna do it for us on Buccaneers Total Access,
brought to you by advent Health.

Speaker 2 (52:30):
This is Buccaneers Radio.