TAMPA, Fla. -- When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers veterans reported to training camp Wednesday, wide receiver Mike Evans was asked, "What was the biggest lesson you learned last year, when the team went 6-6 to dropping four straight?"

He immediately responded with, "I learned that we needed [middle linebacker] Kwon Alexander a lot. He's a great player. When he got suspended, we lost every game after that. He was a big piece."

Evans also stated that he needed to make more plays himself, but the speed of his response, and the fact that he pointed to the defensive side of the ball, came as a surprise.

He's got a point, though, and the numbers show it.

Alexander had an enormous task stepping in as Day 1 starter, wearing the green helmet sticker and calling defensive plays as a rookie. His presence was certainly missed during the final four weeks of the season, when Alexander had to serve a mandatory four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. The Bucs went from a "playoff hopeful" to firing head coach Lovie Smith after two seasons.

Starting with their Week 8 win, a 23-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons and a breakout game for Alexander, the Bucs went 4-2 over a six-game stretch, allowing 19.8 points per game in those games. The next four games, when they went 0-4, the defense allowed nearly 30 points per game.

Before Alexander’s suspension, in Weeks 1-13, he was ninth in the league in tackles (93) and on his own team, second to weakside linebacker Lavonte David (105). He was also 18th in the league in solo tackles during that span. Alexander got particularly hot in Week 8 through Week 13, leading the league in tackles (55) and tied for third in forced fumbles (2) in that span. By the end of the season, despite missing those final four games, his 93 tackles ranked second on the team behind David.

Of course, there are other factors that could have influenced the slide. Bruce Carter started three out of the four games in Alexander's place and was coming off a concussion. He also suffered an ankle injury against the New Orleans Saints. The next week against the St. Louis Rams, Danny Lansanah moved over from his strong side spot to line up at middle linebacker, and changing multiple variables on a defense all at once rarely bodes well.