Surprise?
Joe tries not to be surprised by underwear football. There are a couple of reasons why.
First, it’s underwear football. It’s not real football. Looks can be, and often are, deceiving.
For example, once upon a time, Joe thought Tommy Streeter was lighting things up in underwear football. He didn’t make the team.
Couple of years later, Kenny Bell was tearing up in underwear football. Then the pads came on and he fully disappeared.
Now Jenna Laine of ESPN [came away surprised](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45583046/nfl-2025-biggest-surprise-players-every-team-offseason#TB) by inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis.
> The Bucs only caught a glimpse of Dennis due to a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4, and the middle of the field was quite vulnerable last season as a result. But he had one of the most impressive offseasons of any Bucs defender.
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> “First day of OTAs, made one of the best plays I’ve ever seen a linebacker make,” linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. said. Dennis moved across the field to jump a route on a Baker Mayfield pass for an interception. “He’s special, man. Very cerebral and knows the game very well. Can really do everything on the field as a pass dropper, a blitzer and a run defender,” Walker said.
Joe wasn’t surprised seeing Dennis have a good spring. Why? Because Dennis has shown he’s a solid if not good player — when he’s on the field. What Dennis has not shown is an ability to stay on the field.
And that is a major issue for the Bucs defense because the Bucs, hoping to improve their woeful pass defense of the past two seasons, need Dennis to make plays.
He can’t make one damn play whatsoever if he’s in the tub or standing on the sidelines in street clothes.
Joe is very uncomfortable with the Bucs banking so heavily on a guy who has missed 17 games in his first two NFL seasons.