Mason Foster “Moves Men”
May 4th, 2011
Shedding blocks is a great quality for a linebacker, especially important for the men that patrol the middle of a defense.
Bucs third-round pick Mason Foster is one of those guys, so Raheem Morris passionately told J.P. Peterson of WQYK-AM 1010 yesterday.
The head coach/defensive mastermind seems like he can’t wait to use his new toy.
Raheem Morris On Foster: Seeing him live at the Senior Bowl and to see how he brought his attitude and demeanor to practice. And then you translate it over to game tape, when you go back and you watch more tape on the young man, and you see how physical he is with his hands, how well he moves men, how well he’s able to come off the edge, how you’re able to vary some of the positions the he can play, and play him in multiple positions. … He was asked to do different things in games, rush off edges, fill a hole, spill a player, and just be active as he can be. And that was the thing that really drew us to Mason Foster, especially because of where we’re at as a league right now. We don’t know who’s going to be a free agent. We don’t know who’s going to be [a] restricted [free agent]. And to have a guy that you can fill in at the spot that you don’t get via free agency, that really makes a great deal for us.
Foster seems like a super smart pick for the Bucs. If the guy really is this versatile at the NFL level — big question — he’ll be valuable in the league an awfully long time.
May 4th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
He’s basically saying they drafted him to be a starter if one of our starting linebackers leaves…
May 4th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Love the pick!!!
May 4th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
First, I think Mason Foster will be fine, a nice player, at least on special teams. But this Rah speak like he is already Mike Singletary or Ray Lewis is just absurd. If he is so great, why did 80 some players get drafted before him -including 2 questionable d ends due to injury by the same team.
Foster may have some flexibility but you honestly cant tell at this point. I remember Rah spouting off about how amazing, physical and athletic Quincy Black was – and then we got to watch him play. He is able to hit objects that arent moving or dont see him – but that is about it.
You sheep, and this coaching staff, act like every draft pick is a sure-fire pro bowler and hall of famer in the making. If so, How many Rah/Dom draft picks have made a pro bowl after two years? (Dont argue that they are just 2 years in b/c a number of first and second year players made it, i.e. Arian Foster, M. Pouncey, Suh and I believe others). Based on that history, none of this years class will have made it by 2013 – so settle down with this hyperbole.
And yes, I think that Free will be a Pro Bowler, maybe Mike Will – the rest are big question marks.
May 4th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Oh Thomas, shut up. Really. It’s one thing to be objective and question some decisions. But you antagonize everything in your way. I usually avoid your ramblings, but do you realize you are as much a caricature as someone who openly loves everything the Bucs do and refuses to question any decision?
I like Mason Foster, good instincts, highly productive, plays LB well, should be a starter very soon and yes, unlike Rd 1 or 2 a low risk player.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Well my namesake, it sounds like we agree. You cant go wrong with a name like Tom! I am not always critical, i think freeman is excellent especially late in games. I think mike will and blount have talent. I like davin joseph, winslow is a third down weapon, caddy is a third down asset, greg olson has been excellent, dom pretty good.
My beef is with the d, really the front 7 minus ruud, and the coach(es) responsible for it.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
thomas 2.2,
G.F.Y. calling people “sheep”.
You think a good coach will say “First, I think Mason Foster will be fine, a nice player, at least on special teams” about a someone he just drafted in the 3rd round.
Please! Rah is a motivater. That’s what a good coach does. That’s what makes this ‘young’ team passionate about the game.
You remind me of one of those little league fathers that cuss and slap their kids.
There’s something to be said about ‘respect’, you obviously know nothing about it.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
By the way thomas 2.2 –
Clifton Smith made the Pro Bowl as an undrafted FA.
Donald Penn, remember him.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
My bad, Penn wasn’t a Dom/Rah acquisition.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Foster is a beast in the run game. He sheds or fights thru blocks with power and quickness. He runs down RBs, and hits with force. He also is a good edge rusher. He is exactly what we needed to strengthen our run defense. Both Black and Hayes are soft against the run.
Foster is not strong in coverage. A Lil stiff and not great instincts. Foster call play Sam and probably Wil. Despite what i’ve heard, I cant picture him as a MLB in the Tampa 2- primarily a Big Saftey.
May 4th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
thomas, i challenge you again to show me clayborn’s “injury” and when exactly it affected him on the field. i’ve been waiting a while on this, it’s time you give an answer. grow a set of balls and get this over with. erbs palsy isnt an injury, jack@ss.
May 4th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
gotbucs: you missed my simple and obvious answer to your question: the answer was 2010. His productivity dropped off completely.
Erb’s palsy is a nerve injury from birth that effects the plexus of nerves controlling arm movement in your cervical (neck) spine. The limitations from Erb’s are wide-ranging but usually involve some degree of paralysis or loss of sensation. The reason that doctors recommended that Clayborn not play contact sports is due to the potential for worsening due to additional trauma to the injured area – obviously the neck is a vulnerable area for football players.
This is not an insignificant condition. I was not a part of his pre-draft physical that caused some teams to take Clayborn off their draft board but I think that it is fair to assume that the signs (differences in arm length, muscle tone and definition, strength etc) must be discernible upon physica exam.
I think it is a credit to Clay’s toughness that he plays with this injury (yes it is an injury – it is a birth injury) but it undoubtedly effects him not only with how he plays football but with nearly everything he does. Apparently, the bucs felt that he was worth the risk – I will be rooting for him. What I thought was strange was that they took 2 players early with serious injury questions.
May 4th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
According to the nation, Tampa had the third best draft in the NFC South.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/20842/deadline-to-vote-on-nfc-souths-best-draft
May 4th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Mike Mayock gave Clay a late round grade based on 2010 lack of productivity and inability to beat double teams. Clay did a pitiful (for a guy his size without Erb’s) 17 reps of 225 at the combine which scouts attributed to the Erbs.
I think that Clay was impressive in 2009 and I am not sure what happened in 2010. I do not think that he will be a PROJECT to the level of GMC b/c he has shown productivity. Don’t mistake my point, Clay has a lot of positives but we need to mindful of the risk with him and Bowers (which is greater than most rookie first and second round DEs due to the risk for injury in addition to the normal risk of failure / bust). Remember, we were thrilled to draft McCants, Curry, Reese, Marcus Jones, Regan Upshaw and so on.
May 4th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
GO LIGHTNING!!!!!!! STANLEY CUP OR BUST!!!
May 4th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Bergenheim is incredible, bergeron gets in, and now st. louis, its a great day in tampa bay!
May 4th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
no….oh well, id like to see them do that twice.
May 4th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
knock on wood
May 4th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Eastern conference finals! eat it ovechkin! what do you think
about it joe
May 4th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Thomas, I appreciate the thought put in, much better than the doom and gloom BS.
If you want to consider it an injury I guess that’s your thing, but to the best of my knowledge, I don’t recall him ever missing time due to the erbs palsy in college. He’s obviously learned how to play with it, and play at a very high level. The drop off in production thing is was it is to me. It’s happened so damn many times to juniors with great numbers that go back for their senior years and have a drop in production. Consequently they fall down draft boards, get picked lower than they should, and then go on to be productive Pro’s. The bench press thing doesn’t bother me in the least because just by looking at him you can tell that his core is strong as hell. I mean look at him, he’s a tank. The fact that I’m from Iowa probably makes me a little biased, but it also means that I’ve seen a lot of this guy and know what he meant to that team.
Listen, I don’t think Clayborn will probably ever have more than 14 or 15 sacks in a year. I’ve posted it before I think, but I see him more as a 10-12 sack guy who will give you anywhere from 50 to 70 tackles in the running game, which to me would absolutely justify the 20th pick in the draft. I think he will be an absolute pain in the ass for teams in the running game. He’s a dirty, mean son of a bitch in the trenches.
The Bowers pick is an entirely different animal that I don’t really feel like getting into. That pick worries me alot too, but I’ll choose to be cautiously optomistic with him.
May 4th, 2011 at 10:26 pm
You have the medical term for erb’s palsy correct..but your understanding of HIS erb’s is lacking, OBVIOUSLY
May 4th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Go Lightning!!!
Thomas, I’m sick of your bogus arguments. Everything is spin with you, and usually spinning out of control. The bottom line is that your a HATER of the BUCS and the most MISERABLE POS in Tampa. Your life must really suck, because you are so negative. You bash players, then you come back and say your beef is with some other player. You hate the coach because he is black (yeah I said it, it’s true) because he doesn’t meet your twisted warped criteria for what you thin an NFL coach should be. The truth is that The Glazers know more than you, Dominick knows more than you, and every single person that comments on this site knows more than you. Why don’t you just STFU for once or leave permanently.
Joe, all this punk’s Buc Hate does not meet the standards of posting as a Buc Fan on your site. I was born in a barn, most definitely, but this little twerp’s crap is way beyond getting old, and he is not going to grow up. I think they call it a mental block.
Did I say? Go Lightning!!!
May 4th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
About Clayborn. He will only get one guy on him all game while McCoy gets the double teams. With a line full of dynamic guys, and with two DLine coaches, teams won’t be able to double team everyone on the line. One of those guys will be single blocked.
Someone is gonna get through, and we need that pressure more often than not. Keep Bennett, Crowder and Magee. We will be set. Magee was like a 4th round pick in 2009 anyway right? I love our DTs too. Okam and Miller backing up McCoy and Price, I mean, we got some talent on this line now. The worst guys are solid. Very happy bout that.
All of our draft picks were good picks too. Even the late picks we got contributors. On offense, we got bigger and stronger and will have edge blocker help for Freeman with the TEs and lead blocking with Bradford. And guess what, Stocker and Bradford cant be left uncovered because they can also make plays.
This draft absolutely fills needs across the board. Dom and Rah did a fantastic job at addressing our needs. Two DEs with risk, one is bound to work out while we still can replace the other that may not work out if said guy gets put on the IR. We are in good shape.
The one thing I think we need is to add a CB and LB or two in free agency. We should resign Ruud and Black for nothing else but veteran leadership and depth in the event they lose their starting job. Otherwise, we have no answer to them being let go.
All I know, football better happen this year, to include all the pre season games.
May 4th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
go easy on thomas….his life is clutterd with a bad job at a fast food drive through….by his bashing its easy to see he was always the last one picked in kickball!!!! do us all a favor thomas, up size our fry order at lunch dude, and stay off your parents computer!!
May 5th, 2011 at 12:11 am
I love it when BigMac goes off on his rants about Thomas. Truly, nobody does it better, especially because he is 100% right. Thomas wouldn’t have been happy with whoever we drafted. That’s why you notice he never posted who he wanted us to draft, until AFTER the draft. That shows who he really is right there. Am I wrong Thomas? When has he ever come on this board and said “I’m really happy with that”, or “that was a great decision”, or “so and so did a great job”. Every compliment (which are very few and far between) he has ever given has a “but” at the end of it. So even when he tries to front like he is positive, he always finishes with a negative. Look up every single one of his posts, you will see exactly what I am saying. That, Thomas, is why no one likes you, or more importantly wants you to every make another comment on this board. If I am wrong, anyone, and I mean anyone, correct me. Why would you even want to come on this board if you are not wanted. This board is for Bucs fans last I checked. Being a Bucs fans means you don’t continue to criticize any and everything this organizations does. I know you have a right to give an opinion, but we’ve all heard that same song you cry over and over. We are over it, and we are over you. In the words of the late great Michael Jackson, Beat it! But I’m sure your life is so sad, you won’t listen and you will continue to spew more stupidity, infecting all of us.
May 5th, 2011 at 12:13 am
By the way, I’m starting to like this WeGotDefense guy!
May 5th, 2011 at 6:45 am
Love the pick! When Tyrone Mckenzie came out of college they were raiving about him,the same things that were saying about Foster now.What worries me about Foster watch the A.Bradford highlights he runs through Foster multiple times,so what will Turner,Steward,Ivory do will be screaming for someone more physical in 3-4 years even if he is a tackling machine 5-7 yards deep!
May 5th, 2011 at 9:11 am
I am thrilled with the drafting of Freeman. It was a great decision to draft Cody Grimm and (probably Mike Williams assuming his issues at Syracuse to pop up). I even understand the Bowers pick in isolation, I just don’t understand the decision to draft 2 ends with injury questions.
I think Stocker will be a good blocker and will make some positive plays.
I have no problem with Mason Foster, I recall being impressed by him last year but I don’t think that it is fair to act like he is Ray Lewis, or even Barrett Ruud.
As for the race accusation, that is absurd, I think that Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches in the NFL and would take him right now and support him on a daily basis. I love Lovie, loved Dungy and would be thrilled to take on either right now. I view Rah along the lines of a less respected and experienced Mike Singletary – not head coach material. What Rah Rah does best is in a hyper-active fashion demonstrate D Back technique – and he does that well.
He is the head coach because he is cheap. Period. Without Free and Greg Olson last year (and a few others) they would have won 4 or 5 games last year.
May 5th, 2011 at 9:31 am
Mason Foster is a great pick. I like what we have been doing the past couple off seasons. Dom and Rah are building a great team. Our DLine now has gotten alot better from the Draft. I dont think the Erbs Palsy will affect clayborn that much. The kid has played with it his whole career. The media blows things out of proportion but im sure dom and rah did their homework on these guys. I think Bowers will be the steal of the draft just like Mike Williams was last year. If we have to start him on the PUP list lets do it. We dont need to rush this guy on the field and make the injury worse let the knee heal. This guy thomas is an idiot and i really hate when ppl say if this guy is so good why did all the other teams pass on him. The same question can be said about Tom Brady/ Freeman and all the other players that are good now that teams passed on. No need to even reply to this guy he just needs the attention hes not getting at home. I dont give a damn what anyone says the bucs are back. Once this Defense clicks we will be one team to look out for. How can a fan not be excited about this team?
May 5th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Go figure. Thomas only likes Ruud on the front 7????? He likes the worst player. I guess it’s easier to relate to Ruud when your soft as cotton just like him bitch.
May 5th, 2011 at 11:08 am
@Thomas
So if Rah is riding the coat tails of Olsen, does that mean that Gruden Rode the coat tails of Kiffen his whole tenure? Because Kiffens defense was vastly superior to Grudens offense, kiffen gets all the credit right?
May 5th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
WORST case scenario: If Clayborn and Bowers are total busts, what are we really loosing? We had virtually no pass rush last year and we were in just about every game we played (with the exception of the steeler and saints game).With that being said, I don’t think for a second that they will be busts. I’m a fan of both DE picks. Like Dom said, if you didn’t know AC had the arm condition, you would never know by looking at the film. So our pass rush is only going to be better then last year, there’s really no other way to look at it.
Ruud, I’ve never really been a fan of him. Clearly undersized, he’s slower then me and isn’t the intimidating force we need as a MLB.
GO BUCS!
May 5th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Once again, my point proven. Thomas still can’t make a positive post, even when he tries. He is unable to make a post without taking a shot at our coach.