Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 impressive moments from Week 3 preseason game

Aug 29, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) and teammates react after Alexander makes a sack against the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Josh McCown, meet Alexander the Great

When we spoke to Josh Criswell of Death Valley Voice, the LSU FanSided page, about Kwon Alexander, we referred to him as a “heat-seeking missile.” This past Saturday, Josh McCown found out first-hand what Alexander is all about. Let’s not waste any time and watch this sack again and again and again and again.

Wow. If there was anyone wondering why head coach Lovie Smith anointed the former Tigers product as the team’s starting middle linebacker, here’s your answer, loud and clear.

After avoiding a potential sack by Henry Melton, McCown should cut his losses and thrown the ball away. Instead, he tried to stretch the play a little longer and paid dearly for that decision. One of the first things that pops out about Alexander is his closing speed.

Skip ahead to the 37-second mark and watch how Kwon puts on the afterburners once he commits to going after McCown. At the moment of impact, Alexander smartly drives through the quarterback and makes McCown pay for

leading the Bucs to a terrible 1-10 record last year

trying to do too much once the play broke down.

After Alexander recorded 13 combined tackles in limited time in three preseason games, it’s become increasingly clear that the Bucs got a real steal when they moved up into the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft to get their hands on Kwon.

When the Bucs featured future greats like Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, tackles like this one were commonplace. It would be great to have this defense bring that type of tackling intensity back to Tampa.