Tampa Bay Buccaneers Dashon Goldson typifies issues on defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knew they were in for a rough day against Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Joique Bell, and the dynamic Detroit Lions offense. 34 points and 311 passing yards later, the expectations were reality, and the Buccaneers completed their tenth loss of the season. Stafford had an easy afternoon with three touchdowns, no picks, and 9.1 yards per attempt. Johnson showed why he is the best receiver in the game by needing just nine targets to turn in eight receptions for 158 yards and a TD, while both Tate and Bell moved the chains with 50 receiving yards each.

It’s been like this all season long for the Buccaneers defense, as they have had major issues in coverage despite Gerald McCoy‘s best efforts as a pass rusher. Despite recording six QB hits and four sacks behind strong days from McCoy, Michael Johnson,and Jacquies Smith, the Buccaneers still couldn’t stifle the Lions passing attack. Again, they were put in an unfair situation against the impossibly dominant Johnson and the always-consistent Tate, but their issues in coverage undoubtedly transcend this contest.

According to Pro-Football Reference, the Bucs have allowed 6.8 net yards per attempt, which is 26th in the NFL, and they aren’t generating enough turnovers to make up for it. Lovie Smith’s new defensive scheme simply doesn’t have enough talent, and the most troubling thing remains the continued masquerading of Dashon Goldson as a free safety. The big-money free agent was never good enough in coverage to be a legit free safety, and he benefited from playing around underrated cornerbacks on the San Francisco 49ers. Right now, Goldson only has Alterraun Verner in front of him, and his issues in deep coverage have been exposed time after time.

Let’s take a look at yesterday’s game first. Per the Pro Football Focus, Goldson allowed four receptions on five targets for 91 yards, which is an average of 18.2 yards per attempt. Yes, that’s exactly double Stafford’s yards per attempt average for the game, and it was one of Goldson’s worst games on the season. I know he wasn’t signed to be a stalwart in coverage, but rather a playmaker who wouldn’t be a liability in coverage.

He hasn’t accomplished either task, and maybe the most troubling thing is the fact that Goldson hasn’t recorded a single interception or pass defended this season. That’s absolutely dreadful, and the fact that he has 14 missed tackles (he missed two against the Lions) only makes matters worse. As a whole, per PFF, he’s allowed a 147.7 QB Rating this season, and that simply isn’t good enough for a player making around $6-7 million each season, especially since, again, he hasn’t even recorded a PD this year.

In a sense, Goldson’s issues typify the larger issues of this Buccaneers defense, particularly in the secondary. They have some talented names, but, as a whole, this defense has failed to execute, gets burned too often in coverage, isn’t consistent, has serious issues with discipline in assignments (again, look at the missed tackles), and simply isn’t generating enough plays to make up for the big plays they allow. It’s a blend of all-around incompetence, and Goldson is at the center of it.

One of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first moves should be to sign a true free safety and move Goldson to strong safety, though this defense has been so poor that there are obviously several other things they need to do this offseason. They could simply choose to release Goldson outright, though I’m not sure if they would be willing to take the cap hit. In any case, names and raw talent aren’t enough, as this team has serious consistency issues that need to be worked out. It’s going to take some work to fix this defense, but Smith has the pedigree to do it.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Tampa Bay Buccaneers