Five NFC South players the 2017 Buccaneers have to game plan against
2. player. 44. . Defensive Tackle. Atlanta Falcons. Dontari Poe
This might be the toughest assignment all year for new Buccaneers center Ali Marpet.
Former Chiefs star Dontari Poe went south in free-agency, and brings his 200 career tackles with him.
It has been two-years since Poe reached his career high six sacks in 2014, but the man is an imposing figure on the interior defensive line still.
With linebackers like Deion Jones, Vic Beasley and Duke Riley patrolling the middle area of the field it’s going to be vital Marpet handle Poe with minimal assistance.
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Both Doug Martin and Jacquizz Rodgers rely on interior runs to get the majority of their yards, and honestly, I don’t see a true edge threat out of the Buccaneers’ backfield right now.
Of course, we all know too, the best way to rattle a quarterback is to get in his face.
A heavy dose of Poe in the grill of Winston will lead to more scrambles and less accuracy for a quarterback without a stable base to throw from.
Like Kuechly earlier on this list, Poe is a guy who can single-handedly cause offensive issues for Tampa’s stars if he isn’t handled early.
Doubling him is the easy answer, and one players like Grady Jarrett, Brooks Reed, Courtney Upshaw and all the other Falcons pass-rushers would love to see.
Like the Bucs’ own Gerald McCoy, Poe doesn’t have to record stats to have a major impact on the game.
If he draws second and even third helpings of blockers, there’s that many fewer offensive players to protect the pass and pave the lanes for the run.
For the Buccaneers, it starts with Marpet, but it doesn’t stop there. The entire team needs to have a plan of attack to neutralize this new addition to Atlanta’s front-four.