Defense Dominates for Bucs in Sunday's Practice

Tampa Bay's star-studded offense was shut down by their underrated defense.

After the numbers they put up last season, and the big-name additions they made during the offseason, it's understandable that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense has stolen most of the headlines as the 2020 regular season approaches.

But Sunday's practice was a stark reminder that the Bucs' defense is no slouch, either.

The Tampa Bay D was dominant all day long, leading to a frustrating day for the other side of the ball.

"[The] defense made the plays all day," head coach Bruce Arians said. "I don't know if the offense made any plays. [They] might have been reading their press clippings that they're so good, because they didn't show up today."

Arians said the defense simply came to work with more energy than their offensive counterparts Sunday.

"The red shirts (defense) had so much more energy in that practice than the white shirts (offense)," Arians said. "I think the white shirts thought they were something good after Friday, and they didn't show up today."

This should encourage Bucs fans, who saw the potential for a dominant defense down the stretch last season, when the Tampa Bay unit was a top-five defense in the NFL over the final six weeks of the year. Add that to the league's reigning No. 1 rushing defense, and this group has a chance to surprise plenty of people now that the national spotlight will be shining upon them.