“I Got A Man Crush On [Parker]”
June 14th, 2012
Years ago, teenage Joe attended a basketball clinic that had a particularly frenetic high-energy coach. Joe remembers this guy because said coach screamed in Joe’s face to make an example out of him. Joe can still feel the spit hitting his face and hear the words, “Why am I working harder than you?”
Bucs wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck at practice, Joe can’t help but think of that hoops coach. Fleck maintains such a passionate intensity that Joe can’t imagine any Bucs wideouts slacking off — and getting away with it.
Joe tried to take you into Fleck’s wild world last week, and cool guy Bucs beat writer Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger offered a Fleck nugget yesterday.
One of the coaches who have a high-amount of energy is receivers coach P.J. Fleck. He’s verbal on every individual receiver and there’s no mistaking his stance on an issue.
Take Wednesday, after receiver Preston Parker ran this drill particularly well, this is what Fleck said, “I love it! I love it! I got a man crush on (Parker).”
It’s that kind of energy that is infectious toward a young team.
As Joe wrote yesterday, Parker is getting an awful lot of love this offseason, from Greg Schiano to Josh Freeman to a new contract to becoming Fleck’s man crush. Frankly, it seems Parker has matured, so a new Buccaneers.com feature story details, and he’s responding to Fleck’s style.
Joe’s hardly sold on Parker as a return man, but he seems on track for big numbers in 2012, especially if Vincent Jackson is stretching the field and demanding a lot of attention.
June 14th, 2012 at 11:25 am
hmmm it seems Parker could be moving in on Benn’s position..haven’t heard to much on Benn.
June 14th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Parker sucked in the return game, but he was a huge bright spot in the receiving game last year. I’d love to see him never field a punt again, but I think he’s going to own our slot receiver position this year.
Benn better step it up. He’s going to enter bust territory if he can’t get it together this year.
June 14th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Fleck looks gay (gay: also means Happy)
June 14th, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Benn could go down as yet another failed draft choice from Marcell Dumbinick. I know we needed receivers in that draft and all but Benn really didn’t put much on tape to be thrilled about. Considering Dumbinick decided to roll with unproductive Roy Miller over Mike Wallace we would’ve never been in the situation to so desperately need receivers, Wallace and Freeman could’ve started their careers together and we would’ve been set.
June 14th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
FreemanBomb5.. Did we really pass up Mike Wallace for Roy..? Wow! Just looked it up, Roy pick 81, and Wallace pick 84.. That’s crazy..
June 14th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
PJ Fleck is flamboyant
June 14th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Well, I’m not sure Benn could play slot…obviously Parker can as he did last year. If Jackson and Williams are the wide out and flanker, then Benn is next up at those two positions. Even if Parker sucked, Benn wouldnt be in at slot I dont think. Although Williams could be moved in there. Anyway, its not a ladder..its all positional.
June 14th, 2012 at 1:23 pm
make no mistake raphael, as of now, Preston is the deffinitive #3 ahead of Benn
June 14th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
Fleck: “I Got A Man Crush On [Parker]“
Joe: “Fine, Just keep your hands of off Mark Dominik.”
June 14th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Benn is dumb with brick hands (too bad b/c he’s built like a Greek God…..Sincerely, PJ Fleck)
June 14th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Freemanbomb…I thinkt the Bucs had Antonio Bryant at the time? I beleive we needed help on the D line as well. It is all a crap shoot anyway…maybe MW would not have been as good here. Hindsight in 20/20 as they say. No need too live in the “what if” world, you will just go crazy.
June 14th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
@McBuc So very much agreed. It is a crap shoot every year. Benn hasn’t been bad, but he wasn’t worth that second round pick as we see it now. At the time he was rated from the end of the first to the middle of the second and I thought we got a nice bargain pick out of someone that was rated up into the first.
I think you will see Benn be a great insurance guy behind Williams and Jackson. Benn was not drafted to play a slot type position and with both starting jobs filled, he’ll move into the backup behind Vjax and Williams.
He improved on his 2010 numbers last year, doesn’t fumble, has good/excellent speed, and had more TDs than Winslow. Not lighting the world on fire, but not bad either.
June 14th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
It amazes me when people try to say if we drafted so and so we would of been much better. Ex. Wallace over Roy W. You are seeming to forget Wallace is on a team with an experienced QB and a roster loaded with vets and a coach who knows what he is doing… That is a much different situation than he would of had to work with here to think otherwise is.. well, dumb?
June 14th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
I suspect Benn will step things up this year. Usually this time of year coaches like to give the players that need the most improvement attention to see if they can bring more out of them.
Parker is a slot WR…Benn is not. Benn will be a depth WR if Williams steps things up. In the short term, Williams has the most to gain from Jackson.
But in the long term, Benn might benefit more so.
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Dini’s Biceps Says:
Benn is dumb with brick hands
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Benn isn’t dumb…and all the WRs but Parker had brick hands last year…and Parker had loose hands.
.
If Parker and Blunt solve their fumbling issues, we could see massive improvement in both units.
June 14th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Benn use to play in the slot in Illinois a lot were he got a lot of his numbers
June 14th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Bellichick was so stupid that year too… drafted WR Brandon Tate the pick before the Steelers took Wallace. Of course, the Steelers were pretty stupid that draft too. Taking Tackle Kraig Urbik (0 games played to date) 2 picks before the Bucs took Miller. Dallas took Robert Brewster, Arizona took Cody Brown, Chicago took Jarron Gilbert, Miami took Pat White, Cleveland took David Veikune… ALL before Wallace was drafted. Dom is SO stupid….
June 15th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Thomas made a joke! And it was funny! Whoo!! It is possible for him to be a real person sometimes. Awesome. Thomas I know I bust your b*lls alot, but I gotta give you props on that one. : ) One thing we can all agree on GO BUCS!