In football jail.
Joe waited a few days to type about this because Joe was hoping it was just a bad dream.
In the past couple of years, Joe has heard from more than one person inside One Buc Palace that a pair of Bucs edge rushers — Joe refers to them as the “Weekday Warriors” — Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez , just tear things up in closed practices where only folks who are employed by the Bucs ever get to see them.
Joe once asked one of these sources if the Bucs could put a highlight or two of them wreaking havoc in a closed practice on Buccaneers.com. It would get fans excited and show fans these guys have talent.
Joe was told the Bucs didn’t want to do that for fear of tipping off other teams.
This was always very strange to Joe. In open practices, such as training camp, the “Weekday Warriors” may get a sack or two against the second-team offense each week. Maybe.
But when no one but team officials are watching, these guys drive an All-Pro tackle batty.
So Joe always wondered if they give Tristan Wirfs fits in (closed) practices, why in the world are they not playing defense on Sundays?
Remember, the Bucs were so desperate for an edge rusher, they brought Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett out of mothballs, yet no Watts and barely any Ramirez.
Last week at training camp, [Bowles came clean regarding Ramirez](https://www.joebucsfan.com/2025/08/jose-ramirez-question-arises/), why he can’t get on the field on Sundays.
Seems, per Bowles, all Ramirez can do is rush the quarterback. And God forbid the Bucs ever have a competent edge rusher on the field. You know, like not playing a quarterback because all he can do is throw.
> “We know he’s a good pass rusher,” Bowles said of Ramirez. “We just want to see him hold up against the run and understand the scheme a little better.”
How does Bowles know Ramirez can rush the passer? The kid has zero sacks to his name! Ramirez is such a good edge rusher, he averages two snaps on defense a game. Two!
This is what just fries Joe’s mind about the Bucs. Any sober person knows the Bucs need an edge rush. Hell, they just dropped $14 million in the lap of a 31-year old.
But what does Bowles do with edge rushers? Sit on the pine or drop into coverage. It’s maddening, absolutely maddening.
You mean to tell Joe that the Bucs’ pass defense was so legendary last year that the Bucs never had an opponent in a must-pass situation? Never? So what if Ramirez can’t do anything but rush the passer? Take advantage of his best ability.
Bill Belichick had a famous saying to personnel folks. “Don’t tell me what a guy can’t do. Tell me what he can do.”
If Bowles really believes Ramirez is a gifted edge rusher, it was irresponsible not to have him on the field in passing situations. Especially when your team is trying to resurrect washed-up edge rushers out of sheer desperation.