Revis: The term "shutdown corner" is overused in pro football, but prior to last season's ACL injury, Revis certainly deserved that distinction, based on his remarkable ability to snuff out elite receivers. The seventh-year pro has compiled an impressive résumé, successfully blanketing the likes of Andre Johnson, Wes Welker, Reggie Wayne and many more Pro Bowl receivers while surrendering just eight touchdowns in his career. Additionally, Revis has amassed 19 interceptions and 98 pass breakups in 79 career games. While other elite corners might boast better numbers in some categories, few have been tasked with the responsibility of covering the opponent's top pass-catcher all over the field. Whether it's meant lining up against explosive receivers split out wide or shadowing crafty slot guys, Revis has shown he can change roles each week, based on the tendencies of the opponent and the composition of its receiving corps. Being able to do that requires a diverse skill set and an exceptionally high football IQ. Having studied Revis' game throughout the years, I've been most impressed with his versatility, technique and instincts. Revis is a rare commodity at the position, possessing the size and strength to match up with big-bodied receivers on the perimeter while also boasting the quickness and burst to run with speedsters. Most importantly, he is a technically sound player with the capacity to play man or zone utilizing a variety of techniques. From mugging receivers in press coverage at the line of scrimmage to keying the three-step drop while adhering to hash-split rules -- cornerbacks will anticipate routes from receivers based on their alignment and the location of the ball on the field, Revis' mastery of the fundamentals allows him to thrive in any scheme. This gives the defensive play-caller ultimate flexibility in the game plan, allowing him to diversify coverages to take away the strengths of the opponent's personnel. Now, Revis might not return to All-Pro form immediately following a lengthy rehab from a torn ACL, but that shouldn't deter the Buccaneers from building packages around his immense talent. When healthy, he has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to take on the opponent's No. 1 receiver with little assistance from a safety over the top. This could encourage the Buccaneers to utilize more "quarters" coverage concepts, with Revis playing as the field corner. Barron and Goldson: To play championship-caliber defense in the NFL, a unit must be strong down the middle. While most observers focus on the play of the defensive line and linebackers, the safety position has become pivotal to defensive success, thanks to the transformation of the NFL into a passing league. Savvy offensive coordinators are using hybrid tight ends and slot receivers to create mismatches in space, leading to more big plays between the hashes. Also, quarterbacks are no longer fearful of taking shots down the middle of the field, with enhanced penalties limiting big hits on receivers. Things definitely changed when Goldson joined the fray this offseason. The two-time Pro Bowler is a rangy playmaker with outstanding instincts, awareness and anticipation. He excels at roaming the deep middle as a center fielder; knowing that Goldson is capable of covering for their mistakes, his teammates are able to play aggressively and with more confidence. From a coverage standpoint, Goldson's presence in the lineup will enable the Buccaneers to mix in some single-high safety coverage (safety aligned in the deep middle) with their base split-coverage (both safeties are responsible for covering various parts of the middle of the field) to essentially shut down the passing lanes between the hashes. This is an important aspect to improving the Buccaneers' pass defense; Goldson eliminates the deep ball down the middle, while the speed and athleticism of the Goldson/Barron tandem gives Tampa Bay the flexibility to take away the deep sideline areas of the field. Not to mention their new CB Jonathan Banks. Him alone will help your secondary big time. From the way things are looking for this team the Buccaneers have 100% improved their secondary. It will still be very interesting to see how the bucs will handle Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.
Goldson eliminates the deep ball down the middle LMAO...you have clearly never actually watched him play, then.
so much of the success of a secondary is contingent upon the scheme being appropriate for the players. the Bucks obviously have a lot more talent this season but if they are not utilized properly in the scheme that maximizes their talents then it really doesn't matter. I would take a good scheme with average talent level players that fit into the scheme well any day over very talented players that just don't fit a particular scheme. I'm not sure what the Bucs have in store for their secondary in 2013 and for the scheme but its all contingent upon that
Goldson at least isnt afraid of creating turnovers, hes not the best in coverage but hes more than adequate Banks is a long, rangy CB that schiano loves, revis has to fully recover...so much of a CBs game is knee movement, its tough to tell how that is going to be. I love barron i think hes a stud. I think seattles secondary might be the best right now though. The bucs wanted to commit to retooling their secondary and they really really did, worst to first isnt out of the question
I don't care how much talent you have in the secondary. If you can't get after the QB then the secondary is useless. And I don't see the Bucs doing well in that department.
