It's almost a mutually agreed upon fact that the Buccaneers defense wore down in the last 4 games of the regular season in 2008.  We have many visual examples of this (Ronde Barber getting stiff armed to the ground, twice, on back to back plays, and good ole Michael Bush rumbling for a touchdown), but let's take a look at the numbers and see what that tells us. 

We'll start by looking at the Buc's defense in relation to passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, yards per passing attempt and yards per carry.  This will give us an idea game by game if the Bucs were wearing down towards the end of the season.  We will also look at the Buc's per game average and year averages vs the league average.  Finally, we'll look at the same numbers from the first 12 games as compared to the last 4 games, those in which the Bucs were panned for giving out.  (FYI: passing yards + rushing yards does not equal total yards.  The difference is sack yardage).  Just to be clear, YPA is yards per (pass) attempt and YPC is yards per carry (rushing)

This paints an incomplete picture, as total yards and game by game change may not mean much, or may have different reasons for fluctuation.  To get a more concise picture, let's look at the Buc's per game averages compared to the league average.

The numbers are pretty pedestrian.  We were slightly better than average in the passing game giving up just under 200 yards a game through the air, but slightly worse than average against the run, giving up 4 more yards a game, and a few inches more per carry.  By looking at these numbers, it appears, that while unspectacular, we were an average unit. As a point of reference, we gave up approximately 42 more yards a game (1.3 YPA) in the air, and 40 yards more on the ground (.92 YPC) than the leaders in each (Steelers and Vikings).  This is all well and good, but we aren't competing against the league average, and are slightly better or worse numbers when compared to the league average wasn't what showed up on tape.

Here are the numbers for the first 12 games compared to the final 4 games in 2008.

The first 12 games of the season, our defense, at least statistically, were performing above average in the pass and run game.  We were about a half yard better per attempt and per carry.  The final 4 games, the numbers tell the story.  In the passing game, the Bucs gave up 2.3 yards more per attempt than they had averaged in the first 3/4 of the season (and 2 yards more per attempt compared to NFL average).  The running game didn't fare much better.  1.6 yards per carry more compared to previous in the season and a 1.1 yards more per carry against the NFL average.

Another noteworthy item, the first 12 games we faced 31.6 pass attempts per game and 25 carries per game.  The last 4 games we saw only 23.75 pass attempts per game, but saw 35.25 carries per game.  Apparently, teams saw something in our defense that gave them the idea they could run against us.  They were right.

If we look at where the Bucs ranked from 2001-2208 against the NFL in terms of total yard allowed, passing yards allowed, and rushing yards allowed, the numbers may surprise you.

Though we panned the defense in 2008 for not stopping the run, 6 of the last  8 years we've been out of the top 10 in yards allowed.  Our pass defense, minus one year, has statistically always been very good.  But the numbers support what it seems we already knew; the defense wore down, but not just in the run game, all across the board.

As we start winding up for the 2009 season, we se that there are improvements to be made across every position.  Unfortunately, this collapse can't be fixed or "righted" until we put ourselves in position again in December, and hopefully this time, we close the deal.