“We understand we’re not a finished product,” he said. “I know that there’s things we need to address on this team and I know that we’ll do it in all capacities. We’re going to do it in free agency. I don’t want people to be worried that we’re not going to spend in free agency. We’ll be involved.”

We’re going to be breaking down potential free agents in the weeks leading to the start of the free agency period, but for now here’s an interesting option for the Bucs to mull over.

As I alluded to the other night the Tampa 2 should probably be on its way out. The defensive scheme is outmoded and the Buccaneers lack the personnel to run it. The NFL is moving more towards hybrid defenses with an emphasis on the 3-4. More than that it’s moving towards a style of play where you bring seven or eight men to within a few yards of the line and disguise your pressures and coverages.

It’s time for the defense to join this decade.

One very quick way the Buccaneers could shift to a more formidable defensive scheme would be to move to a 3-4 or at the very least a hybrid model that lets them shift between a 4-3 and 3-4 alignment.

Paul Soliai, tackling both Peyton Hillis and the guard trying to block him. (Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Brownfield-US PRESSWIRE)

If that’s the plan, and the Bucs truly do want to make a bold move in free agency, they should look at soon-to-be available Miami nose tackle Paul Soliai.

Soliai is a 6’4, 350 lb monster of a man. He will be one of the top free agents on the market and, hands down, the top nose tackle.

A lot of Bucs fans are under the impression their team was better than the Dolphins last year. While the record certainly doesn’t reflect that (and finishing 0-10 is far more embarrassing than starting 0-7), you really need only look at the defenses to understand how much better Miami was.

The Bucs had the worst defense in football. Hands down, bar none, last in points allowed, last in rush defense. Awful. There’s really no way around it. For all Miami’s problems, they had the sixth ranked defense in football in points allowed and ranked third against the run. There’s really no comparison. And the lynch pin in Miami’s run defense last season was their nose tackle.

Fortunately for the rest of the NFL the Dolphins, perhaps errantly, have hired a coordinator that prefers to run more of a 4-3 influenced hybrid defense, and with limited cap space in South Florida it’s likely the high-priced nose tackle is the odd man out.

Now, let me preface by saying I am not coming out right now and saying the Bucs should definitely try to do this, moreso just presenting a potential option.

But, the Buccaneers could sign Paul Soliai and let him completely change the face of their defense. They could move to a 3-4, add bigger linebackers and go a completely new direction.

Paul Soliai goofs off after an interception in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

A 5th year player out of Utah, Soliai is 28 and has just come into the prime of his career. Early on, there were some questions about his work ethic and how good he wanted to be. Over the last few years though, really since Mike Nolan got a hold of him, he has grown into one of the most underrated players in professional football. So much so that Miami used its franchise tag on him last year and paid him exorbitantly as a top-5 defensive tackle.

The man is a mountain in the middle of the field. As unbelievable as it sounds he is a deceptively athletic 6’4, 350. He isn’t incredibly explosive but he doesn’t need to be, he is the definition of power and once anchored, you’re not pushing him back. If the Bucs want to help their run defense dramatically in one fell-swoop, grab Soliai and put him in the middle of your new 3-4.

That would let Gerald McCoy slide outside and rotate with Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. They could use Bowers as more of a pass rush specialist and take some of the wear and tear off of his knee. And then the Bucs could still slide into a 4-3 alignment and take Soliai off the field in pass rushing situations.

The move would have to be coupled with others. The Bucs would need to add bigger linebackers for one. Really only Quincy Black and Dekoda Watson have what you would consider prototypical size for a 3-4 and they’d still be considered small by some standards. Mason Foster could likely play in the middle, but he would need a good battery mate to really excel.

Those needs can be addressed in the draft, or if the Bucs are true to their word there will be plenty of free agent options.

Either way, Soliai is a great way to go if that’s the direction the Bucs want to head. He would be a proven commodity in the middle of a Buccaneers’ line littered with potential. He would instantly improve the run defense and give the Bucs more pass-rushing options. He’s not a fantastic pass rusher himself but he easily occupies a couple of blockers freeing up blitzers and giving other linemen one-on-one matchups.

In a nutshell, he would immediately make the Tampa defense better.

Obviously there are plenty of options, but Soliai will be one of the most intriguing.

• The one image that keeps popping up in my head is the drop by WR Michael Clayton.  He has been impressive thus far in camp, but he if continues to drop beautiful touchdown type passes from any of our QB’s, he will not be employed in the next few weeks, at least by the Bucs.
• My man Josh Johnson actually got some PT.  He only threw one pass for 15 yards, but the fact that he got in the game was the shocker to me. 
• Warrick Dunn and Ernest Graham, played, but it almost seemed like a formality, neither got a carry. 
• Michael Bennett was impressive.  I know a lot of his yards came in the second half, but nonetheless, the guy who couldn’t process the playbook last year, looked solid, and could be a contributor for the Bucs this season.
• The early FG miss from 32 might irk some people, but I have faith in Matt Bryant, he has been stellar in camp thus far.  He also missed a 51 yarder, but yet again, not too concerned on that front. 
• Brian Griese looked solid, but seems to be more confident checking down to his underneath options than risking making a bad throw. 
• Ricky Williams will have a nice year for the Dolphins, he looked motivated and in great shape.
• No penalties.
• Jimmy Wilkerson might be my 2nd incorrect player on my 53 man roster guess. The guy  looks really good.  Marques Douglas might be the odd man out. 
• Sabby Piscatelli and Jermaine Phillips both had huge hits in the game.  It will be interesting to see how we get Sabby on the field.  The guy can play, but we have two great safeties in Jermaine Phillips and Tjax.  It is funny how last year, had Sabby not gotten hurt, he might have had the chance to take Flip’s SS spot from him.  This year, no chance.  The life of an NFL player, fickle to say the least. 
• Luke McCown forced a few passes, but otherwise, looked real solid.  I love our QB depth. 
• Jeff Faine did not play much.  I believe he only played 2 or 3 drives.  Dan Buenning came in after that.  It appears as though Gruden was trying to sort out his interior lineman’s backup spots. 
• We did not have an injury all game!!!!

A couple quotes from the game.

• Luke McCown on playing a live game - “It’s always fun to get out and play football again,” he said. “I felt like we did some good things on offense. Two really good things were no penalties and no turnovers. We did some good things, we’ll look at the tape and get better from it.”
• Luke McCown on Michael Clayton’s dropped pass – “I don’t think Mike Clayton has dropped a ball all training camp,” he said. “He’s been sharp so that’s not a problem. We’ve got a classy veteran group of receivers and I don’t see [drops] being a problem.”
• Luke McCown on Michael Bennett – “I really like Mike Bennett,” quarterback Luke McCown said. “I think he looked pretty good last year with limited understanding of the offense. He can be a real weapon for us. He’s got unbelievable speed and when he gets on the edge, you’re not going to catch him.”
• Barrett Ruud on the game – “We just have to get used to game speed, game tackling and just get honed in,” Tampa Bay linebacker Barrett Ruud said. “I think we did a pretty good job. Everybody was hustling. We have a couple of big hits out there but all around we are just trying to get a feel for the game again.”
• Michael Bennett on getting extensive PT during the game – “It definitely means a lot, especially at the running back position,” Bennett said. “A receiver can go in, run a great route and make a big catch but as a running back you really need to get into the rhythm of the game. You have to know how their defense is playing and how their linebackers are running. I think that once you get adjusted to that, you can really dictate what they’re going to do.”
• Jon Gruden on Michael Bennett’s play – “He had 19 carries (Saturday) and he made a couple mistakes he’s got to clean up to be a force. He’s got to be able to play in every situation. I was really pleased the way he ran. He had a really good draw, showcased his speed and had a couple nice pickups versus the blitz.”
• Jon Gruden commenting on the play of the offensive line – “They played very well. It’s good, clean football. No penalties and no turnovers. It’s a real credit to the players and coaches. It’s solid execution. We just have to catch the ball a little better and make some more plays.”
• Ronde Barber on Jermaine Phillip’s first half crushing hit – “Flip has been dying to get a hit on somebody. This stuff we do in practice is nothing like the real deal, and he finally got his opportunity. We expect our safeties to be that physical, and all of them are going to bring it this year.”