TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Robert Ayers had one word to describe where he thought the Bucs' defensive line was last spring: "Terrible." He also has a method for testing rookies and unproven players this time of year, and he doesn't care if it rubs people the wrong way.
"I believe in weeding out the weak," Ayers said. "If we've got somebody that's soft, I want to weed him out."
It's this no-nonsense, brutally honest approach from Ayers that is helping transform the identity of the Bucs' defensive line. It's a unit that has struggled with pressuring the quarterback the last several years.