Jackson Takes Practice Seriously
March 27th, 2012
One of the more exciting nuggets coming out of the NFL owners meetings today is word from Tampa Tribune scribe eye-RAH! Kaufman that Vincent Jackson is a model player in practice.
Kaufman caught up with Chargers head coach Norv Turner, who gushed over his former star wideout. Here’s a nugget of the interesting read.
“Vincent’s an outstanding worker who loves to practice with high energy,” Turner said. “He runs up the field and comes back, runs up the field and comes back and does it again and again. We’re a vertical passing team and he’s a guy who a lot of times won’t let you take him out. He just keeps going.”
Turner expects his younger brother, Ron, to make an impact as quarterbacks coach on new head coach Greg Schiano’s staff in Tampa. Ron Turner formerly served two stints as offensive coordinator of the Bears.
“When you go in with a group and you’re all starting together, it’s an exciting time,” Norv said. “I’m one of his biggest fans. Ron coached in Chicago and the Bears went to a Super Bowl. He’s gotten the most out of the players he has coached.”
This is really music to Joe’s ears. For Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn to have a true professional to model their professional development after daily is a phenomenal thing. Last year the Bucs sold fans that coaches with NFL experience, like former receivers coach Eric Yarber, could fill a leadership void successfully.
Thankfully, the Bucs won’t have to rely on that silliness at receiver this season.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Winslow takes practice off.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Separate subject….but have you all seen the Gerald McCoy contract?!!!WTF? I know rookie contracts were different then, but common! The fragile piece of glass that can’t stay on the field, $35million guaranteed?!! 63 total?!
Unreal, what a colossal, unforeseen, waste of money that must be pissing off the Glazers something fierce.
But VJax here is awesome….hopefully he hurts some defensive backs this year!!! And makes Free feel downfield is always an option!
March 27th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Vjax ..glad your on our team ! should help Williams big time ! GMC breakout year..you heard it here first !
March 27th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
I agree raphael it will be GMC’s beakout season.Music to my ears hearing turner speak about Jackson.It will open things up 4 williams and benn I think this is benns breakout year not with big numbers but big big plays like to make an 80 yard td to win a game.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
HEy true buc fans lets keep it up with the positve thinking.GO BUCS.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Now if only K-2 would actively practice!
March 27th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Does anyone else feel so much better about the youngsters in the offense looking up to Vincent Jackson rather than Kellen Winslow?
March 27th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
K2 doesn’t practice because he & the Organization are trying to save his knees not because he’s some diva. If you ever go out and catch K2 practice he goes balls to the wall in full pads when everybody else is in shells. Not sure where the hate is coming from on him.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
His knees were an issue before Dominick signed him to the biggest TE contract in NFL history. Practice is important, as this article attempts to demonstrate. He has yet to earn the highest TE contract in NFL history, nor will he ever.
Next time I hope Dominick looks at medical records as closely as he interviews 3rd grade teachers. Dominick signed damaged goods.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Joe says: Jackson takes practice seriously.
That is why rah and company had no interest in him, taking practice seriously is the complete opposite of what has happened here since Gruden left.
V Jax will do fine under Schiano if he stays out of trouble with the law.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Whether deserved or not missing practice as a leader makes younger players who have nagging injuries feel they deserve to miss practice also. Even if their injuries are not nearly as severe.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
K2 doesn’t practice because RahRah allowed him not to practice.
If you don’t practice you don’t play. Period. If you can’t practice find another profession.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
On a recent PFT article (posted 5 minutes ago) Mayock reviewed more game tape on Richardon and is now saying the Bucs would be fools if they didn’t take Richardson at #5.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
If Ron turner can make Rex Grossman somewhat resemble a QB, he must be fairly good at his job.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
with V-Jax in the mix we can stretch the field, open up Winslow and Williams and Benn, and the DEF cant stack 8 in the box against Blount! i would have piad more $$$ on him if hes gonna make 5 other players better. as far as Claibourne or Richardson, i would go Richardson and get another CB in the 2nd round. Blount and Richardson would be sick and heres why, if they split carries (like most teams are doing these days) imagine how tuff it will be for the opposing D to “TRY” and stop Blount in the 4th quarter. wait does that mean we could run the clock out for a change??? BUC IT IM OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 27th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
“K2 doesn’t practice because RahRah allowed him not to practice.”
Attention K2, Aqib Talib, Quincy Black. Recess is over!
March 27th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Why complain about k2 and practice, we talking bout practice (in my Allen Iverson voice), he was still more productive than many other Bucs in their respective positions. As for coach Rah, he learned it from chucky, see the white tiger, Joey Galloway. It is something likely practiced across the league, just magnified because you are here.
However, V-Jax practicing will definitely help with chemistry and will be a guy that free can come to the sideline and have a discussion with.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Hey way to go Bucs fans. Take a perfectly positive article and use it for an excuse to gripe about certain players. ‘sigh’…pathetic as usual. Let me get back to the Falcons web site…they are way more positive about our team.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
K2 75 receptions 750 yards. No more bitching please the guy is a big part of our offense. He is only 29 years old.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
“Trent Richardson might be the best position player in this draft,” Mayock said. “I watched 150 of his carries today. I watched every catch he made on tape today. . . . I watched every pass protection I could find in about a 10-game span, and he might be the best pass-protecting running back in this draft also. So when you talk about toughness and perhaps the best positional player in the entire draft, I think if he is available at No. 5, with that offensive line, they’ve got to pull the trigger.” – Mike Mayock
Claiborne is a need, but Richardson might be a luxury.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
@Alstott
“He has yet to earn the highest TE contract in NFL history, nor will he ever.”
Wait, what? Check his stats and get back to me. Plus, he was catching balls from future Hall of Famers Leftwich & JJ and from a developing Josh Freeman. You’re talking sports out of your butt at this point.
When he’s practicing he busts his ass. When he playing he busts his ass and puts up numbers. He was still yelling and screaming at people even when we were getting waxed. K2 has been well worth the money.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
@J 2.0
Come to the Dark Side brother!
T-Rich in the 1st Gilmore/Dennard in the 2nd and everybody wins!
March 27th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
V.Jackson,M.Williams.A.Benn, and K2 man our recieving core is going to be great next year. Hopefully Williams and Benn step up. Also K2 had a machine for his knee he uses in the offseason and last year he said he learned to use it right were 2009 and 2010 he said he played with alot of pain and 2011 not so much so hopefully it gets even better. K2 had great numbers for a TE who was always double teamed 90% of the year to the lack of breaking free of coverage from Williams and Benn. What do people think about picking up Ladarius Green TE in the draft. I think he’ll be a good fit with L. Stocker and could be good to have back up K2 to develop.
March 27th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
@Sensiblebuc
Exactly! It is mind boggling to me where the haters of K2 are getting their info… reaching for straws I guess. K2 was our BEST option in the passing game the past several years and his stats cement that statement. Behind the scenes, he was as hard working as anyone on the team. His teammates have continued to state this in interviews with the media. He is a weapon and with the addition of V-Jax, we are assembling a unit with multiple weapons that defenses will now have to accomodate for. How can you not be excited!
I’m for drafting Claiborne, if he’s there, but if we land T-Rich, our offense WILL be explosive! I have no doubt!
March 27th, 2012 at 2:18 pm
@Kujolw
Green is good…but will he be there in the 5th? We don’t have a 4th rounder.
March 27th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Why do you clowns think that Josh Freeman was always forcing passes to K2? Because the guy is always in Josh’s ear. Didn’t people see the way K2 hounded Josh in the first Saints game last year?
Yeah, real team guy this K2 is. Just shuddap and run the route. Preferable the correct route (unlike the time he ran over Kregg Lumpkin).
March 27th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Sensiblebuc Says:
March 27th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
@J 2.0
Come to the Dark Side brother!
T-Rich in the 1st Gilmore/Dennard in the 2nd and everybody wins!
I’m on the fence. Mayock is the only one with brains over there, plus as an avid Auburn/SEC fan I am very familiar with both Claiborne and Richardson. I thought Richardson was better than Ingram when they played together. I’d be happy either way.
The defense is a work in progress, and drafting Claiborne would be adding a very nice piece to a developing unit. The offense is damn near complete, and adding Richardson pretty much sets your offense in stone (besides RT) to hit the ground running for years to come. I mean the team isn’t going to be fixed this offseason alone, why not atleast fix half of it and build the future.
March 27th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
@KingJava
Everybody’s got an agenda, present company included lol.
I understand all the Talib hate because of his off the field misdeeds but K2 has been a model citizen off the field AND produces consistently every year. I was arguing with Browns fans about K2 and mentioned the same thing. Last year (I believe) K2 produced just as much as their two TEs combined lol
March 27th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
@Jimmy
Do you know that Lumpkin ran the correct route? I say no because only those behind the scenes know what the play call was and what routes were to be run. You can’t use that as an example.
K2 doesn’t run the offense; Josh does! Josh is not going to simply throw to K2 because he demands it. Josh is one of the few leaders on this team and has shown time and time again, it is his offense. You can’t use that one either. Besides, all true competitors want the ball and make it WELL known! That doesn’t mean the QB obliges. If he does, then it is the QB’s problem, not the receiver.
The clowns as you suggest are the ones who only go by what they see on the cover, not by the actual facts, which as I said before, only those behind the scenes know! You are no different than those media hypes that throw out garbage of information/rumors without truly knowing the facts.
March 27th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
@ J 2.0
“I mean the team isn’t going to be fixed this offseason alone, why not atleast fix half of it and build the future.”
Exactly!
Teams with elite offenses and ok defenses can win now because the rules favor the offense. If Schiano can scheme QB pressure with all of our high round DLs, we can be a middle of the pack defense like in 2010. Also, we can spend the next Draft/Free agent period fixing the D and building depth.
If we get T-Rich and he lives up to his billing, how will defended be able to defend us? If you put 8 in the box, FreeBomb over the top. Try to stop our plethora of receivers and K2, we can run behind a pair of 350 pounders on the left side or our nasty right side with two of the best tackle breaking runners in the League. I don’t see the down side!
March 27th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
*Defenses be able to defend us
Damn iPhone!
March 27th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Winslow’s rankings amongst TE’s:
2011 – 7th
2010 – 7th (Cooley, 2nd – Grossman QB, Watson 5th – McCoy QB)
2009 – 6th (Vernon Davis -5th – Alex Smith QB)
Grossman, McCoy, and Smith are HOF QB’s? Want to compare the contract #’s of the others vs Winslow’s for the same periods?
So, how is that worthy of the largest TE contract in NFL history, exactly?
And, the knees get worse every day. He has the knees of….Joe.
March 27th, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Further,
the top TE for each had the following:
2011: 99/1310 yds and 11TD’s (Winslow: 75/763 and 2TD’s)
2010: 94/1002 yds and 9 TD’s (Winslow: 66/730 and 5 TD’s
2009: 100/1106 yds and 10 TD’s (Winslow: 77/884 and 5 TD’s)
Again…..biggest TE contract in history?
March 27th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
F.O. rated K2 the 33rd best tight end in the NFL last year – all things considered – drops, targets etc.
K2 is a liability in many ways.
March 27th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
C’mon Thomas! Sensible already explained to me how “K2 has been well worth the money.”
Oh wait, he has not.
Largest TE contract in history…..still waiting on him playing up to it. Or could it be another missigning by Dominick?
March 27th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
@Alstott
I said it once and I’ll say it again: K2 is worth every penny he’s been paid up to this point. Despite his bad knees, he’s played in all 48 possible games the last 3 years while maintaining his stellar production (73 catches/yr) and being the first player double teamed by opposing defenses. The guys who make real money in this League are guys who have great production year in and year out…they aren’t just flashes in the pan. K2’s consistent top quarter of the League production in the face of all these hurdles over the past 3 years = money well spent.
Watson & Cooley (44 catches/year & 38 catches per year in the last 3) are laughable examples because they had one good year and fell completely off the map while K2’s production and ability to stay on the field has remained the same over the last 3 years.
Vernon Davis is your strongest argument but it still falls short for 2 reasons:
1) K2 has outproduced VD over the past 3 years (73 catches/yr to 67 catches/yr)
2) VD’s new deal, one year after K2s deal, made him the highest paid TE ever (6 yr. 42 mil/23 guaranteed/10 mil signing bonus vs. 6 year 36 mill/20 guaranteed/no signing bonus).
K2 got paid the going market rate for a tight end of his caliber and has produced even better than the current “highest paid TE ever” so I say again, look at the numbers and get back to me.
K2 produces despite being doubled and having crappy QB play year after year after year just like he has throughout his entire career.
March 27th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
What Thomas failed to mention (I’m shocked!) is that K2 was 11th and 7th in 2009 and 2010 respectively in value with the Lefty/JJ pu pu platter and a young Starship throwing him the football.
Lol c’mon guys. Give it up. All things considered, K2’s production has been great over the past 3 years. There’s no denying it.
March 27th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
All this Winslow hate is just idiotic
He is, and has been, our leading reciever!
He is Freeman’s favorite- and until Jackson, only reliable target!
He is one of the best TEs in the league. He has no WRs that worry any defense- he constantly draws double teams- and still gets open. No one else on this team could come close to doing that!
We have nothing else on this team at TE, but scrubs
There are no FA TEs this year- just scrubs
The draft has nothing but scrubs
So shut up about Winslow!
Everyone knows- the only reason you’ve all turned on Winslow, is because in one game, you think he yelled at precious lil Josh!
Whats wrong with you wossies? Ya need a midol!
In the middle of that losing streak- I’d have been screaming at everyone!!
So would Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, etc
The only reason Winslow was noticible, is because our team is either kids- or losers that don’t care
If Freeman can’t handle being hollered at- especially after all those Stupid interceptions he threw in the Endzone- then he’s a loser, and needs to give the contract money back. And we better draft Tannehill!!
And all the morons down on Winslow- for hollering at Freeman- IT’S FOOTBALL!!!
If its to “angry” for you, then put yer skirt on, make yourself up real pretty, and move to San Francisco!!
Or Meybe Over there near HawiianBuc, he seems like a sensitive guy. Might tear up if you yelled at him
Whatever! Just stop posting stupid remarks about the only damn receiving threat this team has had for the last 3 years!!
Get over yer lil hurt feelings!
March 27th, 2012 at 10:13 pm
So I get it now, Sensible is an ironic name.
I would take about 5 other TE’s all day and every day over Winslow. Vernon Davis for one.
Oh so he had more catches did he? How about yardage and TD’s?
Davis 965/13 (’09) 914/7 (’10) 792/6 (’11)
Winslow 884/5 (’09) 730/5 (’10) 763/2 (’11)
So Davis has 26 TD’s to Winslow’s 12. LOL awesome point you threw out there. Davis is a year younger and his knees are 15 years younger. And Alex Smith STILL sucks.
so I say again, look at the numbers and get back to me.
March 27th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
So 11th, 7th, and 33rd ranked???Another great point there. Again, definitely earning that largest TE contract in history.
We are so lucky to have #11, #7, and #33 TE the last few years!! Great spending.
Man, if that’s how loose you are with your critiques of performance vs. contracts then Carl Nicks already has it MADE with you.
March 28th, 2012 at 1:20 am
@ ALSTOTTSMART
You keep throwing out weak stuff and I’ll keep swatting it into the 2nd row like Mutombo bro lol.
First, you said K2 takes practice off like he’s better than everyone else. Wrong. It’s actually the complete opposite.
Then you argued that Dom signed him despite K2 being damaged goods. Wrong again. Dude has missed a grand total of ZERO games in his 3 years with the team and consistently produced stellar numbers while dealing with a crap QB situation and constant double teams.
Now you’ve completely missed the point of the comparison to VD and the FBO rankings. I’ll try to go slowly for you:
1) Say it with me now: K2 IS NO LONGER THE HIGHEST PAID TIGHT END IN THE HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE. That distinction goes to Vernon Davis’ 2010 contract. K2 received the contract that the market dictated back in 2009. The very next year it was surpassed by 2 other players. That’s the business. Just because he didn’t put up the most catches and the most yards and touchdowns of any tight end in the League doesn’t mean he didn’t earn his every penny of his contract. Don’t believe me, look at my next point:
2) Since you’re so quick to dismiss K2’s FBO rankings let’s take a look at the new “highest paid tight end ever” and his DYAR (value) rankings:
2009 – 14th
2010 – 4th
2011 – 20th
The Niners are so lucky to have #14, #4, and #20 TE the last few years!! Great spending!
You see how silly the contract argument is? Is Vernon Davis now NOT worth the money he was paid? You know the answer: HELL yeah he’s worth the money…just like K2.
Your assertion all along by going on about this “highest paid tight end in history” was an attempt to create this impossible standard of being the statistical #1 tight end in the League.
I get it. You don’t like K2 for whatever reason and you want him gone but you can’t deny the numbers. He has produced at a high level, consistently despite his supporting cast.
March 28th, 2012 at 8:54 am
When he was signed, he was signed as the highest paid TE in league history. That is how it happened, and that’s what he is judged against.
I’m still waiting for him to produce like a top 3 tight end. He still has not. You tell which upcoming year of his contract that will we be top 3.
Practice matters. Despite what you and Allen Iverson might think. If he could get out there and practice, he might be able to live up to the top contract billing. But, you just like to blame it on everyone but him.
And your boasts are LAME. Keep trying.
Go ahead poll some unbias knowledgable football fans. Ask them if you could choose one tight end on their team….how many say Winslow? He was not and still is not a top 3 TE.
Ask yourself why they tried to trade him to Chicago. But, of course, in your deluded world that never happened.