Todd Bowles gets real about Rueben Bain Jr.’s struggles against the Bengals and it’s part of a bigger problem
It’s safe to say Rueben Bain Jr. did not have a good NFL debut, but it’s part of a much larger problem that Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers need to get straightened out if they want the pass rush to live up to its full potential.
The hype surrounding Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round rookie Rueben Bain Jr. quickly disappeared after a disappointing performance against the Cincinnati Bengals and it’s easy to see why.
Per Pro Football Focus, Rueben Bain Jr. recorded a grand total of zero pressures on 24 pass rush snaps. Next Gen Stats has him with just one pressure on the same amount of pass rush snaps and said pressure is certainly categorized on the lower-end of the pressure scale when you go back and look at the tape.
Either way, it’s clear Rueben Bain Jr. didn’t have a positive impact on Sunday’s loss and Todd Bowles admitted as much.
“Not a lot of action. Not a lot of action,” Bowles told WFLA 8’s Aileen Hnatiuk when asked about Bain Jr. during his weekly “Bucs With Bowles” interview. “He didn’t create a lot of things, as well. But again, that’s the d-line having to rush together and having to work together. And we got to get the kinks out of that.”
Bowles’ point about the defensive line makes sense and is an accurate perspective
Bowles brought up the point about the pass rush not working as a unit when he spoke with reporters earlier Monday and he’s right. Too many guys were trying to win in their own way instead of working as a group to get the job done.
While yes, you want to have studs anchoring your pass rush that can win 1-on-1 at a high rate, the best pass rushes work off each other based on angles, assignments, and the overall goal of the play that’s called.
Going off-script, so to speak, is far too often more damaging than it is beneficial because a pass rusher could hit the wrong gap and hold up the guy who’s supposed to break through, etc. There are plenty of other examples to give, but I think the point is made with that one.
At the same time, the Bengals’ game plan didn’t help, either. Joe Burrow averaged the second-lowest time-to-throw in Week 1 at 2.54 seconds per attempt. The league average is 2.75 seconds, so it’s clear Burrow was getting the ball out very quickly, which typically always deters whatever pass rush is getting thrown at a quarterback.
Still, the point stands: Rueben Bain Jr. and the Buccaneers pass rush has to get better. Because the group is going to see more of the same results it saw against the Bengals if it doesn’t.
