Haason Reddick chatter.
It was sort of weird a few weeks ago when the Bucs brought in big-time free agent Haason Reddick to talk to the local pen and mic club and the only football official who showed up was Reddick’s position coach.
That was his old position coach with the Arizona Cardinals, Larry Foote. No teammates, either.
So yesterday when Bucs coach Todd Bowles broke bread (figuratively) at the NFC coaches breakfast at the NFL owners meetings at the swanky Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Bowles, for the first time, spoke publicly about his new, expensive toy.
Bowles remarked that Foote is a big reason why the Bucs signed Reddick, and that Bowles picked Foote’s brain about the former Eagles quarterback killer.
> “Foote had a lot to do with him and we talked about it quite a bit,” Bowles said. “I knew he was a heck of a pass rusher. We needed a pass rusher. We knew he started halfway through the season, so I would consider last season a wash for him.
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> “We expect him to be his old self with us. He can do a lot of things, but more importantly, he can rush the passer. If we’ve got guys that can rush the passer, we let them rush the passer.”
Bowles last year repeatedly bemoaned how the Bucs couldn’t get after the quarterback unless they had a five-man line or blitzed. So he was hoping to land a guy that demands more than one blocker. He believes Reddick is that guy.
> “I think he brings a great addition to help us rush with four,” Bowles said. “So we can cover more and do those types of things.”
The math tells Bowles he won’t have to blitz as much and can keep defenders back in coverage if Reddick can breathe on quarterbacks. That alone, Bowles believes, will help the pass defense.
And maybe, just maybe, Bowles will get more of those sacred picks he craves.
The only thing Joe will add is that a secondary’s best friend is an edge rusher. A strong pass rush can make an ordinary secondary look strong.