Because Raheem And Olson Said So …
May 12th, 2012
- “If you say so, Olie. You’re my guy. Be your best self. If you think Blount is worthless on third down, then we’ll go with it. Mentality before reality.”
The Raheem Morris and Greg Olson era made many decisions and assessments over the years, and some of the standouts include the following:
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Don’t question the greatness of Michael Clayton.
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Jermaine Phillips is the linebacker to take over for Derrick Brooks.
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Quincy Black is a pass rusher and a legend of the dangerous “Redskin package.”
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A three-headed monster at running back, (Ward-Williams-Graham) should rotate having a bizarre 2-2-1 rotation by offensive series.
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Sackless Kyle Moore was gifted a starting LDE job ahead of two better ends on the roster.
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Sabby the Goat was gifted a starting job.
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The ludicrous Benn’d around play was a good idea after watching it fail on film multiple times.
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Rushing three men on the D-line worked with the Bucs’ personnel.
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The slant pass was a bad idea.
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LeGarrette Blount is worthless on passing downs.
Loyal readers of Joe know Joe will now zero in on that last one: the alleged one-dimensional play of Blount. Sorry, but Joe has no faith in the previous regime’s assessments, from claiming lost OTAs negatively and critically affected the Bucs’ season after it started 4-2, to failing repeatedly to stop slow starts, and more.
But ESPN’s Matt Williamson, in an analysis of NFC South rookies, buys into the Raheem-Olson gospel that Blount is a liability in the passing game.
Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay: As I noted earlier in my blog post about the NFC South running backs, I fully expect Martin to take over the lead back spot in Tampa Bay before very long. Martin is exactly what Greg Schiano is looking for at the position.
The Buccaneers will be a run-first team and have invested quite a bit in their offensive line to pave the way. A great interior runner who also is very effective outside the tackles and as a receiver, Martin is in line for a lot of touches. The Buccaneers did not trade back into the first round to select a running back to not use him. And because LeGarrette Blount is a liability in the passing game, the door is wide open for Martin to thrive.
Joe reads and hears this stuff from many national and local media, and Joe can only think it comes from buying into the Raheem-Olson take on Blount. Funny how Joe never hears anyone say, ‘Remember when Blount blew all those blocking assignments and got Freeman killed,’ or ‘Damn, Blount can’t do squat when you throw him the ball.’
Because Raheem and Olson said so is just not enough of a reason for Joe to lose faith in Blount, a young running back with extraordinary talent.
May 12th, 2012 at 8:45 am
Hopefully the new coach can find a way to truly make this backfield a two headed monster.
May 12th, 2012 at 8:50 am
Amen, Vince. Amen to you to Joe. The Bucs ran the most predictable offense in the NFL last year, thanks in part to refusing to use BLount properly. They could have done enough with him to make him a solid decoy to open up the field more.
May 12th, 2012 at 9:07 am
I would like to hear Olson explain his reasoning for his decision not to keep Blount in on third down. How come Olson has never spoken to this?
May 12th, 2012 at 9:17 am
With regards to Blount, I have always been a supporter of him. He is a good RB but Martin has the “potential” to be a great RB. Let them play it out in training camp and see what happens. The new “trend” in the NFL is to have 2 RBs that can both produce. We have that finally and I have faith in Schiano to make it work! I still think Martin will come out the winner and we can rotate him with Blount on 1st and 2nd downs to keep him fresh. This will hopefully motivate Blount to “want it” more and I’m excited to see what happens.
I am totally against trading Blount because the value we would get back in return would be very little. The RB position, unless you are elite, just isn’t enough now to make the trade.
May 12th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Not resigning Caddy and Ruud could be on list.
Although rah may not have made those calls.
The Bucs have been trying to build the oline for years, with good results in 05 07 and 08. Not a recent development except nicks.
But the guy makes a valid point in that you don’t trade up for a first round RB unless he’s gonna be the “bell cow”.
May 12th, 2012 at 9:30 am
There is no debate on this subject, Martin is a first round draft pick, Blount is an undrafted free agent. Blount is from a previous regime. Martin will be the Little General’s pride and joy. There is nothing LaGarrette can do to improve his situation except pray that Martin blows out a knee.
May 12th, 2012 at 9:32 am
Sure you can. If he does everything that’s needed of him and the team improves with him, no one can really question the decision even if he’s behind Blount. Especially when it just took a swapped 4th to get back into the first.
May 12th, 2012 at 9:43 am
Joe its all good blount will be under the radar then!
May 12th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Blount praying for martin to blow a knee to improve his situation… when did you stop drinking this mornong dude? All blount has to do is work his butt off to excel is any role he is given. He’s going to get plenty of touches, as the bell cow or not, he has to do what Martin did in college.. make the most of his opportunities
May 12th, 2012 at 9:57 am
Right On, Joe!
May 12th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Blount is a beast, we all saw that in 2010, he was not used to his capabilities last season. With a new regime, a new RB coach who has had tremendous success, and a new running partner, Blount will flourish this season. Does he have some short comings? yes he does. However he was an undrafted rookie who’s second season started with a lock out. Maybe he needs a coach like Schiano and Byner to push him, as well as some competition in Martin. We talk about all the previous players being gifted jobs, well Blount was pretty much gifted his job and he did pretty good. Lets see what he can do when he actually has some competition and a coach who wants to POUND THE ROCK.
May 12th, 2012 at 10:02 am
Total Idiots on this board …
Ok Blount is helpless and will be a lost puppy … You guys are so righht
wow .. a bunch of geniuses .. I am in awe of your great insight Idiot ONES
May 12th, 2012 at 10:03 am
5 yards a carry, 10 yards per reception, top yards with broken tackles, why wouldn’t there be a place on this team for a guy like that. He has been here all off season, I look for a big season from both, Martin may lead in TD’s, but Blount will lead in game changing plays.
May 12th, 2012 at 10:09 am
Joe, amnesia?
6 months ago you were arguing that rah would be back as head coach. 1 year ago you were arguing that he was nfl coach of the year.
Now you argue that he can’t even tell time, to see that Blount was late or understand film to see that Blount missed a block.
Purely to suit your position.
Joe, Schiano traded up to get a RB.
Thomas, please stop making stuff up. It’s very annoying. Joe followed the play-by-play of Raheem’s rise and fall and often offered what he thought would happen as things evolved. You’re confusing those with Joe’s opinion of the head coach. None of the above listings Joe gave are new takes from Joe, nor is Joe’s contention that Greg Olson was lost from the opening whistle in 2011 new. The reality is that going 10-6 in 2010, Raheem deserved strong consideration for Coach of the Year. What that has to do with the man completely losing it the next season, Joe’s not exactly sure. — Joe
May 12th, 2012 at 10:12 am
I seem to remember Blount doing very well sharing time with a RB named LaMichael James at Oregon. Think tandem!
May 12th, 2012 at 10:17 am
I agree. I’ve had this debate with many a “fan”. I have yet to watch a game and see Blount miss a block. He simply wasn’t given chance in games. The argument from “fans” was that he didn’t prove himself in practice and that’s what led the coaches to not trust him in games. Yet, no coach has ever spoken on the reason why.
May 12th, 2012 at 10:34 am
I feel Dom knows why as does Schiano.
Thus they drafted Martin. They surely had other pressing needs to address if they thought they already had the answer with Blount.
May 12th, 2012 at 10:48 am
I think Blount is an awesome RB, AND i wanted Doug Martin more than any player in the draft.
To be good teams must have 2 Types of running backs.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:04 am
The Panthers had DeAngelo Williams and they still drafted Jonathan Stewart. Does that mean they lost faith in Williams? No. In this league you have success more often than not with two capable backs as opposed to only one. Stop drawing false conclusions about Blount just because the Bucs drafted the consensus second-best RB in the draft. They’d much rather have Blount AND Martin than just Blount alone…and as a fan, so would I. Some of you need to get a clue and stop reading into things so much.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:16 am
I watched some Blount highlights and revitalized my love for that man. He is a stud of a runningback. I have never seen anyone run like that before. If he can run like that under Steve Logan/Greg Olsen, imagine what he will do under the runningbacks coach coach that gave Clinton Portis, Chris Johnson, and MJD their best years!
Question of the day: Name three plays in 2011 in which Blount blew his pass blocking assignment.
Answer: Trick question. He only allowed two total pressures on 58 pass block attempts. Good for 11th in the league among RBs with at least 50 pass blocking attempts.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:19 am
Disagree Eric. You need at least two running backs. The Bucs only had one with Graham hurt, Lumpkin lousy and young Madu.
If Lumpkin was the real deal, they wouldn’t have drafted Martin
May 12th, 2012 at 11:26 am
I would like to see Martin going early in games, and I’m curious to see how he does. I think Blount is a better second half back when defenses tend to get tired or worn down. That is when Blount can shine and easier getting to the second level where he destroys defender’s confidence. I am even more curious and excited to see Michael Smith play. I think he is the one that could take all of their jobs. I don’t see Mosis Madu sticking around, just don’t see it. Lorig is another guy that can play well at FB but gets hurt too often and really needs to step up.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:27 am
Have A nice day,
You better get out of this forum with that Logic.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:32 am
So Raheem and the staff were good in 2010 but then lost it in 2011. Blount didn’t play on passing downs in 2010, did they know he wasn’t capable of it then? But then in 2011 he was all of a sudden great at it but they didn’t put him in because they “lost it”? He couldn’t do it at Oregon, I’m sure he couldn’t do it at whatever JUCO he was at before Oregon, and he couldn’t do it his first 2 years in the NFL.
I don’t buy “the previous coaching staff was the worst ever”. Were they bad? Yes. But I still believe if anyone on that staff felt Blount was capable of being decent on passing downs they would have put him in. They knew Lumpkin was garbage, anyone watching the games knew that. He was simply a better option on 3rd down than Blount which says all you need to know about Blount on 3rd down. Maybe with a better RBs coach he will learn eventually but as of now Martin is the far superior option on passing downs.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:36 am
I agree with Joe 100%. How can anyone say that Blount can’t play on third downs. He has never received a real opportunity to play that role in a legitamate offense. No one can honestly say Blount can’t catch, block or carry out third down back assignments.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:46 am
LMAO. Good article Joe.. Someone on this site the other day said we should use that same horrible 2-2-1 system with Blount and Martin. I remember back when Raheem tried to employ that horrible plan, and I kept thinking this is the worst possible way you can utilize a RB committee. To see that coming from a NFL coaches, showed me how much over their heads Olsen and Raheem were.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Looking back, it is amusing at all the people who backed Raheem and accused everyone who didn’t of racism…. I remember people saying that they believed “When Raheem proves himself these so called haters wouldn’t admit they were wrong.” Now they are the ones who were wrong and not admitting it….LOL!
A man is either qualified or not by his knowledge and abilities nothing else… Raheem just simply wasn’t!
May 12th, 2012 at 11:55 am
What did the coach tell the water boy aka Bobby Voucher? Use it for “tacklin ‘ fuel”! Or in this case running fuel. Contract year for Blount, don’t count him out just yet. People seem to forget that his crazy NYPD (knock your punk ass down) moment caused him to drop completely out of the draft as he was projected to be as high as an early 2nd round pick if I remember correctly. Between Martin trying to prove he is a legit 1rst rounder and Blount trying to prove he is the beast RB everybody wants him to be this should be a very punishing season for our opposing defenses this year. Call me “Stoked” about the whole situation. We, as fans, get a win-win situation if the RB battle is half of what we have it hyped as. Go Bucks!!
May 12th, 2012 at 11:56 am
Damn auto correct
GO BUCS!
May 12th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Joe,
I am not making anything up. 1 year ago you took the position that Rah should have been coach of the year, that year he made the decision that Blount could not play on 3rd down and most passing downs – Caddy did.
Blount was no factor in the passing game in 2010.
Rah did the same thing in 2011, except insert Lumpy and “you don’t trust his analysis.”. Convenient and misleading.
Blount is 1 dimensional – it is not an argument, not only does he go the wrong place to pick up the wrong player on passing downs – he frequently doesn’t know where to go – he is lost.
If rah had any faith in Blount he would have kept him in.
Btw: the only year Blount and James were together Blount was suspended for the year – they didn’t share time.
It is idiotic if you think that Schiano traded up into the first round to draft a backup RB with all of the team’s defensive needs.
There is a reason why Blount ( a great high school player went Juco) there is a reason why Blount went undrafted and was cut by Ten. There is a reason why rah took him off the field on key downs – just open your mind at you will discover it.
May 12th, 2012 at 11:59 am
I think Blount and Martin will be the bell cows. I would not be surprised to see alot of two back formations with both getting a ton of touches.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Rehashed point = rehashed argument:
Blount is not a rookie that came out of nowhere. The tale of the tape threads back years. If he was a one in a million RB talent, would he have been a UDFA? Possibly. Would he have been relegated to the Titans practice squad? Possibly. Would he have been removed as an RB option for a regime in the middle of a 10 game losing streak DESPERATELY needing something to turn their fortune around? Sure, it’s ALL possible. Blount’s the bestest back ever. He’s just considered a one-dimensional player by every coach he’s ever played for, but you guys know better because of the brilliant logic that it’s the opposite of Rah/Olson.
Wise up.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
First round pick or not. I don’t want to see anyone just “handed” the job. Martin better have to earn it.
Understandably he has all the potential to be a great RB. Fact of the matter is he has still never played a single down in the NFL. While Blount has already proven to be a special RB who has a 1000 yard season under his belt already.
You don’t just throw that to the way side.
Regardless, this should be a great competition in Training Camp. But don’t Right Blount off just yet, The guy can ball. If he can show major improvements on passing downs and reduce his fumbleing. Blount very well can keep his starting role ( similar to Brandon Jacobs and Bradshaw) while Martin will still get plenty of touches.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
@Justafan
He only fell out of the Draft because of the infamous Punch.
Again he fell down to a practice squad player, because of another punch during OTA’s. But Fisher even admits it was the biggest mistake he had made as a coach.
Blount comes in with only 10 games to prove something and produces a 1000 yard season.
You logic is skewed. Look deeper into the facts Sir. He may be a bit one dimensional, but he still produces.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Wow Joe – that was ruthless. At the time those decisions were somewhat justified. Not good decisions, but justified.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Thomas 2.2 has some very good arguments. Caddy and Ruud were big reasons why they went 10-6 in 2010. Raheem wanted them back in 2011, Dominik and the Glazers chose to not bring them back. Huge mistake!!
People are overlooking the biggest reason for going 4-12, Freeman was down right HORRIBLE with over four times as many interceptions!! New England would be average if Brady was throwing as many interceptions and their defense had to stay on the field that long!!
Raheem wasn’t telling Free to keep forcings throws. He should have been benched after four consecutive losses. Carpenter would have done a better job than 2011 Free.
Raheem took the fall for a bad season, but the players themselves gave up in a lot of games. Injuries also played a big part. If Grimm, GMC, Price were 100%, we’re talking a whole different ballgame!!
May 12th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
What exactly is it that you are missing? I’m sure blounts a good person and no doubt raheem and olson(I was never an olson fan) made their share of mistakes,but why is it their fault he(blount) can’t catch or block. Is it to schiano’s credit doug martin can catch no,he either can or can’t and he can. Was it gruden’s fault MC forgot how to catch or dungy’s fault SK forgot what it takes to get in the nfl and be a pro? Doug Martin is a more rounded football player than blount. Simeon Rice was a better pass rusher than Brad Culpepper that doesn’t make Culpepper a bad person just not the pass rusher Rice is or was and the same with blount and martin.Have I seen a ton of martin’s games,no I’m on the east coast just like you and we all know “youtube” doesn’t mean a hill of beans,but those professionals that do watch west coast games and east coast games obviously agrees,check out draft status first. Who was drafted higher and the few games I saw of BS made me think if TR (my 1st choice,best “athlete” in the draft) isn’t there this guy looks better than anyone on the bucs roster and would make a good 2nd choice and schiano and dominik must have thought so to.Now I’m of the opinon matrin is going to be scarey good without even seeing him in a bucs uni. I think martin’s multiple skill set will set him apart from any other back this area has seen. Blount like BJacobs will still get his 4letter highlights,but the real TampaBay Buccaneers running back will be Martin hands down,some people are just gifted(AP) and some just out work you(MA).Martin will work out blount and that’s the thing that will stand out about DM and sept. will tell the tale.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
@Peking Buc
Did you watch the games? Did you not notice the bucs were coming from behind every single game?
Freeman was trying to force things because he had no choice. The defense was not going to stop the other team when they got the ball.
Not to mention it’s hard to be a QB when everyone knows you are going to pass on every play. There are only a few QBs in the league that can do that successfully.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
Hey joe you idiot
Perhaps the bucs saw Blount mess up protections and blitz pick ups enough times in practice to know that he was not fit for passing situations in games and thus never put him in the game when they passed so that freeman wouldn’t get killed…stop being so ignorant…Raheem and Olson saw Blount in practice for 2 years… Do you really think they didnt at least try to see if he could handle it in practice and thus decided he couldn’t…. Or according to your theory they just guessed he couldn’t and never allowed him too? Come on these are experienced coaches who spend hours apon hours watching film and watching practice…
May 12th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Macabee Says:
May 12th, 2012 at 10:12 am
I seem to remember Blount doing very well sharing time with a RB named LaMichael James at Oregon. Think tandem!
How odd that you remember things that NEVER happened.
Blount was suspended after an awful first game of 2009 (negative yardage and a safety) and played in just 2 more games as a Duck.
James first year on the Ducks gameday rosters was in 2009 so when exactly did Blount do very well sharing time with James?
May 12th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Hey its May.
Prime rehashing season.
May 12th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
It’s their fault because THEY ARE COACHES and those are coachable things.
Being good at pass pro is 2/3 Coaching 1/3 player efforts as a RB. Look AP, he couldn’t block for anything coming into the NFL. It was something he had to get developed ( and mind you he didn’t get good till year 3). Same thing with Caddy and many others.
It’s a skill that can be developed. He already has the “natural instict” aspect of running the ball down. He needs to be taught where and who to pick up blitz. Not having 2 training camps in as many years to practice those things didn’t help out either.
As for pass catching. He seemed to do fairly well when given the chances.
May 12th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
The critical component to pass blocking as a third down back is recognition:
You have to read the defense like the QB – that is what you novices don’t get.
You must recognize if they are blitzing and where – then diagnose your blocking responsibility inside to out. If they are sending 3 and zoning or zone- dogging (dropping an end into a zone / flat). Then you need to run the correct route and be on the same page as the QB.
Blount is unable or unwilling but what the general understanding is that he is unable to read the defense/ play the way that Free can and does.
The running plays to Blount are very simplistic. Go back and watch the 2nd Saints game – you will see a fumbled exchange with Free and LB – rah pulled him later.
Why? Blount ran the wrong play, again.
Ian Beckles said on the radio – if you watch Blount on pass plays “he has no idea where to go and what to do.”. You can’t have that on the field on key downs.
May 12th, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Our Defense sucked and we had to abandon the run because we were always playing from behind making Freeman force balls that he should have just ran with. I see us trying to rebuild our D-line once again in the next couple of draft if we can’t get our guys to stay on the field. Offense should be solid for at least 3-4 years, Jackson is older and I don’t see him getting a 2nd contract from us, So will probably get a top WR in 2014-2015 depending on who’s going to be a real #1 WR to take his place. Then mabey a TE for K2 and an O lineman here and there , but I bet we focus more on defense for the next 3 drafts.
May 12th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Grieg,
Thank you for refreshing my memory. As you stated, Blount was suspended for most of the 2009 season for his infamous punch. I should have said RB Jeremiah Johnson who preceded James in 2008 as the starting RB at Oregon.
Blount entered his junior year at Oregon sharing the running back role with senior RB Jeremiah Johnson. The two backs each contributed nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns in an early 63–14 win over the Washington State Cougars, and both again performed well in a late season victory over the Oregon State Beavers. Overall, Blount rushed for 17 touchdowns, setting a single-season school record, and 1,002 yards. Blount and Johnson became only the second duo in team history to both clear 1,000 rushing yards in the same season; Johnson led the team with 1,201 yards.
Blount was reinstated on Nov 14, 2009 in time for the Arizona State game, but did not play until the final game at Oregon State with LaMichael James where he went on to score a 15yd TD that helped Oregon to win the game and go on to the Rose Bowl where he also shared time with James.
The point of my earlier post was to suggest that Blount has successfully shared time with another/starting RB and could the same here with Doug Martin. What was the intent of your post other than to refresh my memory?
May 12th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Macabee:
Nice Wikipedia.
You failed to cut out the part about how Blount was suspended from Oregon between 08 and 09 for skipping workouts and meetings etc.
As someone pointed out, Blount was never the primary RB at Oregon, in 08 Jeremiah Johnson was, in 09 Lamichael James was.
Blount’s discipline issues from Oregon carried over to our team last year.
It really isn’t worth discussing, Martin is your starting feature and bell cow back.
Blount will spell him until his contract is up and then Blount will not be retained.
May 12th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
If Blount was so great, why did we spend a 1st round pick on a RB? Move back into the first round at that.
Why did Blount land on the Titans practice squad?
Nobody denies he has a place, I just think he has lots to prove.
We didn’t draft a RB in the first round to sit on the bench.
May 12th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Thomas quoting Ian Beckles. That’s a good one.
May 12th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Thomas 2.2,
Thanks for the compliment. As you well know reading is fundamental. and facts are immutable. Nice to see that you didn’t question that Blount had a sucessful season with another starting RB and if you were careful to read my last paragraph, you would have noticed that.
I could have taken a different tack and focused on the negative, but you’ve cornered that market and will get no cotest from me. Regardless of Blount’s negatives, he’s produced and produced big when celled upon!
Please respond back and refute the numbers that I mentioned ( lifted from Wiki). On a side note, It was nice to see you eventually own up to the fact that Rah Rah wanted to keep Cadillac and Ruud and was overruled by Dominik. I have a copy of your post!
May 12th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
@bucfanjeff
It’s already been pointed that the Panthers did something similar. Now they have have two first round picks for running backs and no one is criticizing them for it. Bottom line, go with what works. Start the better of the two while utilizing the abilities of the other.
May 12th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
I think Blount can, and maybe already is, one of the best 2 down RB’s in the league. Give him the ball and a crease and he is incredible. He’s got to be one of the hardest backs to bring down, and he is faster than most people realize.
However, he has proven throughout his career that he can’t catch the ball. He didn’t catch the ball at Oregon either. If he could, you don’t think offensive genius Chip Kelly would have let that happen? It just doesn’t fit his skill set, at least not at this time.
That’s all okay, though. We don’t really need him to do that now. He can specialize in what he does best now, which is a great thing. He will get plenty of touches, much to the disappointment of Thomas (which makes me happy).
May 12th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Joe here,
@Jack Package. — Nice name, pal. Since you’re new Joe will let you get away with calling Joe an idiot. But don’t insult Joe anymore.
Ever hear of Kyle Arrington, he’s a guy Raheem and company ditched and he led the AFC in interceptions last year for the Patriots.
The point is coaches make the wrong calls on players all the time. This staff – every staff.
So yeah, Joe believes Team Raheem-Olson watched tape on Blount in practice and made the wrong call, much like they kept going back to the Benn’d around.
May 12th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Sure sounds like there’s a lot of Blount haters on this board. Schiano said he would give him a chance to prove himself. If he screws up, it will be on him. Let’s see what this new coach can get out of who we have. If then, they suck, I will join with the butchers and complainers.
May 12th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Joe here,
@Thomas 2.2 – Blount 2010 not being involved in the passing game is a different animal, considering he was late to the team and a rookie, and there was a quality third-down back in place. Stop embarrassing yourself with your blubbering.
May 12th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
@Thomas… Any credibility you might have had went out the window when you quoted Beckles. That dude is so negative anything Bucs it’s ridiculous. I don’t believe in just being positive for no reason but he doesn’t give any optimism at all. He thinks we have zero talent and are likely to win 4 or less games this year. For a radio station that says its a sports station is a joke. They talk more about ‘running one’ than any sports talk, by far. They give sports updates between talking about food, girls racks, birthdays, music, running batches, etc etc etc. They brag their number 1 but it’s only because there is no other local sports radio show on. If other stations would wise up that slot could easily be beaten by some true sports talk…
May 12th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Ian Beckles can be as negative as a post on a battery.
I think Blount and Martin may get along well, and give us a great one two punch in the backfield.
May 12th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Blount has never had an offseason with the Bucs to learn. He was signed AFTER the preseason, in 2010, and 2011 lockout barred him from ever having the chance to learn from Olson and Steve Logan. Plus, I doubt either of those coaches had anything of value to teach him if they even had the opportunity.
Cadillac sucked in pass protection his first year, and turned the corner his second year. But it wasn’t until years 5 and 6, after being mostly injured in years 3 and 4 that he brought his YPC up to 7.8.
Blount’s YPC was 9.9 last year. Which means as a RB, when he caught the ball, he gained a 1st down on average. Its not his fault that the OC was too busy Benn’ding around instead of using his better weapons more effectively.
So to say that Blount CAN’T catch and be effective in the passing game is ignorant, and erroneous, bc the numbers say that he’s better than most, and just wasn’t given opportunities. His pass blocking does need to be worked on, but you can’t tell me a 6’0″ 250lb body in the backfield can’t stop rushers who 9/10 times will be smaller than he is, with proper coaching.
And as these quotes above display, proper coaching was the truly missing element from Blount’s game these past 2 years.
May 12th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Blount had less than 20 passes thrown to him last season and he caught 15 of them. It wasn’t until Cadillac’s last two seasons in Tampa did he ever catch more than 75% of the balls thrown his way. Add to the fact that Blount was easily the best runner AFTER the catch for the Bucs the past two seasons gives little credence to the myth that Blount CAN’T catch the ball.
As for missing blocking assignments, that’s bull as well. I recall the Arizona game two years ago where the Cards blitzed two off the right side of the OLine and Blount correctly blocked the innermost rusher… ancd then got roundly criticized by Brian Billick for not blocking the outer free rusher because he put a big hit on Freeman. Apparently, I know more about blitz pick up than Billick because nearly everybody knows that in pass blocking, you always block the innermost free rusher, not the outermost. He continued throughout the game to harp on this and further instill in the pea brains of those that can’t think for themselves, that Blount can’t block.
May 12th, 2012 at 7:26 pm
I have no preference over who starts. I think they are both good RBs in their own right and will complement each other very well. Throw in a little dab of Michael Smith as a change-of-pace here and there and I think we’re good to go!
For your further viewing pleasure!
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth
May 12th, 2012 at 8:12 pm
@BraveBuc Do you watch the games?? How come Mike Williams took slants to the house against the Falcons and Panthers in 2010? How come slants worked that year and not so much in 2011? Answer, Freeman sucked in 2011!!! No accuracy!!
How come the running game was more effective in 2010 than in 2011? Defenses couldn’t stack the box, because Freeman was more accurate that year!!
How come there were more three and outs in 2011 than 2010? Caddy did a Hell of a Job in third downs!! Do you not remember his blocking and pass catching that year? Caddy was awesome that year!!
If Freeman wasn’t throwing interceptions, he was throwing it in the ground!! That’s why the defense was on the field so much. We were always giving the ball back with the short field.
Watch the games again!!
May 12th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Joe,
I know you are better than to think (much less argue out loud) that the only reason Caddy played on third downs and key downs late in games all year was because Blount came here in week 1 and not at the beginning of camp.
If time was the only issue, why did they then seek out Lumpy and hand the same job to him, instead of Blount, after Blount had been here for a year.
Do you want to know the truth about Blount Joe, or do you want to keep your head buried in the sand?
Read articles about his history at Oregon – and I am not talking about the punch. Repeated problems with being late, missing workouts, detrimental conduct, not fulfilling team obligations and on and on and on.
That is why Fisher exposed him, why Rah and Dom didn’t trust him, and why Schiano traded up into the first round to draft his replacement.
If you can’t see that then you may want to try opening your eyes or putting down the substances. Doug Martin is many times the player that Blount is – ask every talent evaluator.
May 12th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Btw – I would not be shocked if by week 5 or 6 if the RB rotation is much more Martin and Smith than Martin and Blount.
May 12th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Joe here,
Keep on blubbering Thomas. Your fans enjoy it.
May 13th, 2012 at 10:33 am
No matter what anyone says bad about Blount, thank God Greg Olson is gone. He is has to be the worst OC ever, and I am totally baffled that the Jaguars hired him. He is the absolute worst ever, bar none.
When an offensive line lets 2 or 3 defenders come blasting to the QB, I could see how a RB might get a little confused about who to block, regardless of the assignment. Jeff Faine could not block to save his life. He didn’t run block well. He didn’t pass block well, and I never saw (with my own eyes) him do anything well. The replacement O line of 2010′ was much better than the reinserted healed starters back in 2011′. It is no wonder Freeman had a bad year, along with everyone else. The O line was pretty sad for the vast majority of plays, IMO.
May 13th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
@bigmac
No matter what anyone says bad about Blount, thank God Greg Olson is gone. He is has to be the worst OC ever, and I am totally baffled that the Jaguars hired him. He is the absolute worst ever, bar none.
My vote is for Mike Schula.
May 14th, 2012 at 6:51 am
I really like Blount, but Joe it sounds more like you’re a Blount fan than a Bucs fan. If Martin is better….that’s who I want on the field more. I have no problem with everyone saying Blount is better. It’s not just game tape that has created Blounts reputation for protection and route issues…there are also practice/camp tape which I’m sure Schiano scoured over. There is also “The Rock Star”. I’m sure he told Schiano about Blounts issues.
If Blount is better, then he will get more touches. However “better” may simply be who brings more to the table. I’d say that’s Martin. Blount is not a great receiver out of the backfield (yes I’m aware that he had one huge catch last year)…Martin is. Blount is not a great pass protector….Martin is. Blount does however run the ball downhill GREAT! More than likely Blount will get most of his touches in the second half of the football game, which is where he starts breaking off big runs. To me the offense is being built very similar to the NYG offense. Martin and Blount seem like a younger, more talented Bradshaw and Jacobs combo.
In the end I trust the coaching staff to kow who the best personel for the best situation is. Being that the Bucs spent a first round pick on Martin, it’s not hard for me to think that they REALLY believe in him and REALLY have some questions about Blount.