TJax And The Lottery
October 12th, 2011
Naturally, the subject matter du jour for Bucs fans was the NFL’s reinstatement of troubled Bucs safety Tanard Jackson from a year-long suspension for substance abuse Tuesday.
As one can imagine, this subject was discussed on Derek “Old School” Fournier’s Bucs-centric radio show, “Touch Football with Jaime Hanna” or some such thing, on WQYK-AM 1010. Joe’s not concerned with whatever cute name a radio show is called, Joe’s about content. When Derek is talking Bucs and he has former Bucs defensive end Steve White on weekly, that’s quality radio in Joe’s eyes.
“Old School” tries something novel by running a chat room during the show and if he sees something interesting there he will cite it.
During last night’s show, someone in “Old School’s” chat room wrote emphatically Jackson will be starting for the Bucs when they take the field Sunday against the Saints.
This sent White off on a mini-tangent.
“I’d like to know how someone knows this?” White asked. “I played football. I can’t say that. How does someone know this? How can someone say that? Wednesday is the lottery, right? I want some numbers from this guy.”
White is on to something Joe has referred to before. There is simply no way Jackson can be in football shape in five days to start.
Mind you, Jackson has had a grand total of one football workout with Josh Freeman in Bradenton this June since he was suspended 54 weeks ago. He has since been unable to work out with the Bucs, unable to work out at One Buc Palace, unable to watch film with coaches, nothing.
Joe’s guessing Jackson will play after the bye week, Nov. 6 at New Orleans, but that is simply just a guess.
White went on to throw ice water on Bucs fans believing Jackson will be playing at a Pro Bowl level right away. White noted that sitting out of football for an entire year, Jackson’s biggest stumbling block to overcome will be regaining his reaction time.
White brought up the sobering case of Plaxico Burress, who sat out two years serving a felony sentence in a New York state cage. Many Bucs fans were up in arms that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik didn’t try to lure Burress. But as White pointed out, Burress, with the Jets in his first year back in the NFL, has been a non-factor through five games.
Unlike Jackson, White said, Burress is a wide receiver and offensive guys know where they are going and defensive guys normally react.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:20 am
I didn’t think 420 was possible lottery number pick?
October 12th, 2011 at 10:23 am
I think Jackson will be inactive for the next game, but will then be in the rotation as he gets in game shape.
I HOPE he won’t just be handed the starting spot. I want him to have to earn it like everyone else earns their spots. Going by his press conference, he seems to know it will take years to prove himself now.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:28 am
if he’s not in shape than that’s an even bigger bonehead move then him getting suspended in the first place. there’s no way you’ll ever convince me that he doesn’t know what it takes to be in shape for the season, and if he didn’t take the necessary measures to get there even knowing when his imminent return was projected to be, than he is just an idiot.
I would put my guess that he is in shape, but that does not automatically mean he is as good as he was and deserves to start right away
October 12th, 2011 at 11:02 am
I doubt highly doubt Tanard plays this coming Sunday. Next Sunday, however, he’s got a good chance of being out there. Its more about getting some practices under his belt to refresh himself with the scheme and learn the new wrinkles that have been added since he’s been gone. Three weeks from now I’d be shocked if he’s not back out there starting. For Joe to predict week 9 as his return is a little ludicrous. This guy started and excelled as a rookie. It wont take long for him to be back in the swing of things. He’s only been gone a year and he isn’t injured. He looked in the exact same shape as he always has at Freemans minicamp. Im telling you guys. Not this Sunday but next, don’t be shocked when Tanard Jackson is our starting safety. All he needs is enough practices to learn the gameplan. For Steve White to grumble about “reaction time” is laughable. Tanard Jackson could have sat on his couch eating cheetos for the past year and still have faster “reaction time” on day one of his return than Cory Lynch. Cory Lynch is a special teamer only. Period. Raheem will waste no time in getting a real starting caliber safety back out there.
October 12th, 2011 at 11:05 am
i agree that we definitely don’t know how big of a factor tanard will be.
but plax is a non-factor, eh?
13 grabs, 202 yds, 2 td’s
only one player can match those numbers on OUR team… preston parker.
guy spent 2 years in the slammer and can still figure out how to do more with the football than benn, williams or OLSEN (this year) for that matter.
October 12th, 2011 at 11:09 am
Seriously. T-jax is an athletic specimen. Guys like that don’t lose their conditioning just because they are out of organized football games for a year. Not at 26 years old. Look how fast Raheem got Brian Price not only playing but starting despite being at 60 to 70 percent physically at best. T-jax isn’t hurt and isn’t overweight and you’d better believe Raheem will have him in there ASAP. If Cody Grimm was healthy it might be a slightly different story but he’s not.
October 12th, 2011 at 11:11 am
I am far more concerned with our level of LB play than our S play. Hayes is not a starter on any team. The guy has been consistently bad this year. 3 receptions on 3 targets for 53 yards last week. A huge liability in the pass game.
Lynch did not play well at all, but he isn’t any worse(or better) than Grimm was this year.(Grimm was a bit better in coverage oddly enough but was horrendous in the run). I highly doubt Jackson is going to be any different.
October 12th, 2011 at 11:29 am
So then the question is which is worse, an out of football shape T-Jack or a rounded into football shape Corey Lynch? Mmmmm T-Jack can you do a few more tip drills for us? Ok your good get out there!!!!!!
October 12th, 2011 at 11:31 am
But seriously the only thing that would concern me is that he might be prone to injury if he hasn’t had serious contact in 15 months. That does worry me because we will need him all year. So I say see how we do against the Saints maybe bring him in on certain downs. Sitting him until after the bye week would be the prudent thing to do but if we start getting lit up by Brees I am not so sure….
October 12th, 2011 at 11:54 am
How do you know he isn’t in football shape? Did you give him a physical? The guy is as athletic as they come and he is hungry (not just the munchies) to get back on the field. I’m more worried about him having a few brain farts.
I don’t think he’ll start just yet but he’ll play a couple of series. I hope he lights someone up ala Dallas Clark.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
You guys are arguing over stuff that you can’t possibly know one way or the other. That’s exactly what Steve White was pissed about. Stop trying to prognosticate, because you sound silly. TJax will be on the field when he’s ready. Not before and not after. Simple enough?
October 12th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Espo:
LOL. Given the fact TJax has had one practice in 54 weeks, a no-pads practice, Joe’s going to walk out on a limb and suggest TJax isn’t in football shape.
Working on in a gym in one thing. Working out on a practice field is a far different thing.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Lmfao at some of you guys. Tard isn’t a ProBowl safety at best. He’s a long way from being ready to play. He’ll be suspended again before he’s of any use to this team. Hes just a distraction for the goofballs around here. He’s not gonna make any difference in the big scheme of things.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Ill say it again. I have all the proof I need that T-jax will start as soon as humanly possible in Brian Price. If Raheem is the kind of guy who will start a 60 to 70 percent healthy, overweight Brian Price over a guys like Okam or Miller then I have no doubt he will rush t-jax out there to replace special teamer Cory Lynch with an absolute minimum of practices.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Capt. Tim- will you be laughing your ass off the first time T-jax hauls in an interception? Unlike the rest of our defensive backs t-jax can actually catch a ball that flies right into his hands.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Sadly, I won’t be laughing at all when this pinhead gets busted for the 5th time. He’s already shown his loyalty is to the spoon and and the rail- not the Red and Pewter. Just hope we don’t waste much time on this guy before his next” Straw and Mirror” binder.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
By the way, I hope I’m wrong.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Capt Tim- Ricky Williams made it back and has made it stuck for the last few years. Thats beside the point though. You know Tjax will make a difference on the field this year. If you really think he isnt a major upgrade from Cory Lynch then your channeling some thomas like ignorance there. But I doubt you really believe that. Your just so worried about him getting busted again like the Bucs have to make some major commitment and mortgage their future on him. They don’t. They can let him play the rest of the year and then let him leave in free agency. Or they can sign him for peanuts if no one is willing to pay him. They can go out and draft a safety highly next year. Either way if he gets busted again its not going to hurt the team. They aren’t going to count on him. They aren’t going to pay him big money to keep him as a free agent this offseason. But they sure will get what they can out of him for the rest of 2011.
October 12th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
he should obviously sit out this week. next week i would give him some spot duty to get a guage on where he’s at game wise. after seeing him in limited action they’ll have a bye week to figure out how to use him.
October 12th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Our secondary just got a lot better with t-jack back.. hopefully he can play soon!
October 12th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Who cares about this weekend, think longer term, the guy when up to game speed leaps and bounds better than any other safey on our active roster…if it takes him a few weeks that just means the next time we play the Saints we have a ball hawking, heavy hitting, pot smoking….scratch that last one…safety back on the team. We miss his play making ability. Iwas so pumped yesterday I watched his hit on dallass clarke like 15 times!
October 12th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
I’m really excited about T Jax return I think I took it the hardest when we heard about his suspension, having said that I dont think we will see him until after the bye I can see this being drug out to the point of painfull but I hope I’m wrong…. I cant wait to see those BIG HITS again and I dont mean the ones from a bong 😉 Joe Buc your awesome 🙂
October 12th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
The guy in the chat room you are talking about was me! I suggested that Tanard was fit, healthy and in good physical shape and could be back in “football shape” and these were my words: “within a week or two” – ie enough to for the Bucs to reactivate him to the active roster. I never said he would be the starter or should be, simply that he could b on the sidelines, with a helmet on, within a couple of weeks.
As y’all can read, I was shouted down as a moron.
News today is that Tanard is pretty much good to go. That exceeded even my educated guess, based on following Jacksosn story all off-season.