Bucs Offensive LIne No. 18
January 29th, 2013
“You are a Buccaneer Man, Demar, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t replaceable.”
Joe thought one of the better units of the Bucs was the offensive line. Let’s think about it: Most teams, losing two All-Pro guards early in the season, losing a starting right tackle to injury (who was later Wally Pipp’ed) and having a starting center move to a new position to fill a hole, would be in deep trouble.
Joe thought offensive line coach Bob Bostad was fantastic. Bostad, in Joe’s eyes, was tied for first with Bryan Cox in production from an assistant coach.
But the numbers crunchers at ProFootballFocus.com aren’t as convinced. They winced at the Bucs’ blocking and ranked the Bucs in the bottom half of NFL squads, so wrote Khaled Elsayed.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stud: He’s not an elite left tackle as some would have you believe, but Donald Penn (+15.0) isn’t the type to let you down often — especially when the cameras are focused on him.
Dud: The Bucs never figured that Jamon Meredith (-9.4) would be required to start. Injury meant that he had to, unfortunately, and he was the weak link in pass protection while offering little in the run game.
Summary: They spent an awful lot of money on guards, yet injuries meant that Davin Joseph missed the entire year and Carl Nicks was limited to 455 snaps. The good news is both should be back next year, while they seem to have realized starting Jeremy Trueblood wasn’t a good idea. Demar Dotson played like a starter.
Joe can’t really quibble with this analysis. Donald Penn, when faced with challenges, is as good as it gets in pass blocking. Jamon Meredith will not be starting next season.
But this analysis also reinforces Gil Brandt’s belief that the Bucs will draft a right tackle in the first round. Demar Dotson was OK in pass blocking but needed a lot of work on rush blocking.
With the Muscle Hamster, Doug Martin, about to tear things up, Joe senses Greg Schiano would prefer a roadgrader at right tackle as opposed to a pass-blocking specialist.
January 29th, 2013 at 11:07 am
I’m worried that Carl Nicks will never be the same again….and Davin Joseph is past him prime….our O-Line may be in shambles with about $150,000,000.00 Dollars tied up in it….Gimme D.J. Fluker after trading down…then TE Zach Ertz….then CB…then OLB…then RB
January 29th, 2013 at 11:32 am
Wish people would stop bashing on Jamon Meredith. The man was ask to change positions from tackle to guard on a moment’s notice and played hard all season. Props and respect to him.
January 29th, 2013 at 11:40 am
With the patchwork of an oline that we had I think we performed well above par and if anything proved we will have some nice depth when we get our regulars back.
January 29th, 2013 at 11:44 am
I feel we will draft on OL at 13. Completely agree.
Though, a DB or two won’t hurt my feelings.
January 29th, 2013 at 11:46 am
Ive read some mocks where Eric Fisher might drop to the 9-12 range. Miami will probably lose Long so I know they’ll get him if he’s still there. I say we trade up to the Jets 9th spot and take him. I think Penn would do great at RT. Then we can trade back into the 1st for CB.
Fisher would anchor that LT spot for years (barring injury). To me, him and Joeckel are the superdraft values of this draft. I know some say Dom doesnt draft O line high, but this would be a very smart decision. You have to think of the future when drafting a rebuild like we’re in. Look at the O lines of Seattle, San Fran and Baltimore.
January 29th, 2013 at 11:47 am
My vote goes with Gil Brandt and the roadgrader analogy. Fact is, I might vote more than once. Show me the angry beef.
January 29th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
It all starts up front…just don’t forget the D-line…
January 29th, 2013 at 12:31 pm
Regardless whether PFF or any other think tank finds Meredith and Dotson as the weakest links, those two did a stand-up job when called upon. Whether they remain starters or not, they have certainly earned my respect, and I’m glad they are, and will be in the rotation going forward. You can never have enough good depth on the offensive line.
January 29th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
I think we are in good shape on the O-line. We have alot of interchangeable pieces up front. We need to keep our depth!
Center-Zuttah/Larsen is to weak to play anything but center) These are the best pullers we have on the o-line
RG-Joesph/Meredith(healthy) decent swing linemen. D.J Fluker would help tremendously
LG-Nicks
RT-Dotson/ Fisher would be a nice draft pick
LT-Penn/Meredith
Joe tell me how this sound for a power run attack!
Pick up Brandon Jacobs make him a 2nd FB. Let him mentor Blount (show him how to hit the hole like 260lb back) Dougie showed us he can handle the load now lets use him wisely before we have another caddy situation. Muscle and Michael should be put out in space and used to change the pace of the offense. Jacobs and Blount will make ANY TEAM tired of hitting them by the 3rd qrtr! With Vincent and Mike Will blocking down field thats a tough cookie.
Pick up Marcellous Bennet and keep Dallas! Why the hell we cant keep Clark with Bennett we got all these other meaningless TE’s. Noble/Drake Duns/Byhum we need depth at all position. Bennet monster blocking at 6’5 260LBS of atheletic beast the play action would kill! Mis-matches all over the field. Rotate all the backs all game long. Buc it! Brandon & Blount can get some pay back playing fullback too. Dougie & Micheal out the backfield ala sporles. Unstoppable!
My point Joe: Jacobs & Bennet ALREADY have experience in the Sullivan playbook.
Im stupid enough to want a elite team! Know it alls!
Its the acid talking!
January 29th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
I could easily see DJ Fluker or Lane Johnson being the pick at #13. Both extremely talented, tough tackles who can pass block and dominate in the run game. I think it’s very possible Dominik breaks his habit of not drafting o-linemen this year.
If it’s not an OT look for the pick to be a DT. But if Bennett walks in free agency you can bet they’ll also look long and hard at DE (Ezekiel Ansah) at that pick, too.
For those who think CB is a lock in the first round you’re probably going to be disappointed.
January 29th, 2013 at 1:04 pm
With the exception of Gil Brandt, I don’t think I’ve seen a mock where Fluker has been picked before #20. The ideal situation if Fluker is a target, would be to find a trade partner before 20 and trade down for a pick. Then trade back into the 1st or the top of the 2nd to get a CB like Rhodes. Who knows maybe Banks will be there (only weighs 184lbs). Lots of options available!
January 29th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
If Bennet walks Dom should never be taken seriously again.
YEARS spent drafting on pass rushers and we’ve finally developed one whose getting better every year only to let him walk???
For what, to continue to draft more pass rushers?
If Dom can pull off getting back into the first and getting a CB, S, TE, or LB im down for a lineman first. If not than i’d say no. It may be a selfish mindset but meh…
I don’t see Dom drafting a o-lineman first though
January 29th, 2013 at 1:12 pm
The problem is we’re all guessing, as we have absolutely NO idea what the Bucs’ board actually looks like. It’s fun to guess but I don’t harbor any illusions that my guess is anything more than pure speculation. I mean, how many Bucs fans had us taking Adrian Clayborn last year? Not many, if at all. Or Bowers in the second round? None that I saw. The probability is that 99% of guesses will be wrong.
January 29th, 2013 at 1:20 pm
I really think we need to move up. I know I keep saying it , but I can’t stress the issue enough. Joeckel would be great. Fisher not worth top 15 in my opinion. You could bring Joeckel in at RT for a year if he can’t jump right to the LT position because we all know D.Penn has one more good year in him and he’s only have 2 more years on his deal after the 2013 year. Honestly just want one fo the following Joeckel, Werner, Lotulelei,or Moore. Take your pick anyone I’ll be happy with.
January 29th, 2013 at 1:22 pm
It’s always fun to guess haha but I hear ya
I really wanted Bowers that year but I wasn’t sure we’d take a shot on him.
January 29th, 2013 at 1:25 pm
If Bennett’s price gets driven up too high because of market demand I think the Bucs could let him go, and I wouldn’t blame Dominik for it either. We already have Clayborn and Bowers, and they could draft a player in Ansah who has the ability to dominate against both the run and pass. Why use up a massive amount of cap space on Bennett if the price gets up that high? It’s not like he’s a pro bowler or a sack artist. He’s good but he’s not great. Just some thoughts.
January 29th, 2013 at 1:34 pm
Just depends on your belief in the guy really.
I say that because I honestly believe he is becoming a pro bowler/sack artist.
I believe he is getting better every year and will be elite.
I may be wrong and we will find out but if that is the case than to me he’s wroth every penny.
Ansah may turn out to be great but we’ve thought that about many of the pass rushers we’ve drafted before too…
I agree though, if I believed as you did about Bennet I can definitely see where your coming from.
January 29th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Just remember guys….Bennett is spelled with a B, two “e’s”, separated by two “n’s” in the middle, and two “t’s” at the end. Trust me…I’ve found almost everyone can remember it that way.
Now that we have that straight, I think Bostad is such a good coach that he can make talent even better than we draft. In other words, I thing Bostad could make a third or forth round O line pick end up playing like a second or third, at least. That being said, if Bostad could find a RT in the third or early forth round, and Bob hangs around, I think we could be looking at a solid starter in the future. Use the first rounder and second at other positions.
January 29th, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Bennett should be Franchised….Bucs have the money & it won’t effect future Salary Cap. He’s the only player this applies to…and is PERFECT for it right now
January 29th, 2013 at 3:12 pm
I really hope we dont go O-line with our first pick.. I do not think thats the best way to improve our team. We either go DE or CB. Dominik loves trades so we most likely will be either moving up or down.
January 29th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
@Sirus
Joeckel is most likely going #1 to KC. We would have to give up the farm to grab him and he would be worth it if we didnt already have Penn. We would have to give up WAY to much though in my opinion when we could wait and grab a good O-line at 13 and not have to give up anything if thats what we wanted.
January 29th, 2013 at 5:01 pm
I disagree with his guy on Donald Penn. Penn is Elite all the way. Look at his body of work since he broke into the starting line up. Penn has been rock solid going head to head with the best DE’s in the league. He rarely gets beat and seldom has a bad game. Peppers, Abraham, Freeney, they all hate going against Penn. Penn is big, nasty and doesn’t play nice at all. Can you imagine how good he would be if he was in real shape. He never misses a game either. The talking heads have the pet Tackles they love, but how many are hurt and miss frequent games? Donald Penn has been rock solid and plays through injuries without hardly missing a beat, like Neil Peart of Ruch.
Rock Solid Baby!!!!
January 29th, 2013 at 5:03 pm
Penn has also never had a guard next to him like Carl Nicks before. When the O Line is healthy come season they are going to be mauling people all over the field and everybody’s numbers will improve.
January 29th, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Ruch LOL Rush haha
January 29th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Sacbuc’s we could save the long distance charge’s.By calling Earnest Graham
January 29th, 2013 at 6:11 pm
O-Line would be a waste of a pick in the 1st round. Bostad is one of the best O-Line coaches in the world. His body of work from Wisconsin and the magical job he did last year to fix up our motely crew d-line was incredible! I hope we lock him up with a nice 10 year contract.
We should ONLY draft a C/G who is a versatile like Zuttah. And hopefully we pick up another solid tackle to backup Penn and Dotson. In FA and maybe later rounds 4-7.
I really think that if we give Dotson another year to develop, this is only his like 4th year of playing football, he could become really great. Players need playing time to develop. I am willing to give Dotson another year. Penn’s health is going to catch up to him in the next 2 years. So we will have to start thinking longterm at the tackle position. Thats for sure!
But in all reality. DEFENSE is still king in the NFL. San Fran and Baltimore are TIGHT KNIT brotherhoods, of players with good character and selfless attitudes. Joe Staley said yesterday, that the 49ers GM drafted “character” guys and that everyone provides a good locker room vibe. NO DIVAS!!! So trust me guys, POSITIVE ENERGY is a much bigger factor than u could possibly imagine!! METAPHYSICAL variables in sports are not adequately understood! And not just from the locker room…but from the fans too!!! As Einstein said, “Its all about energy.”
Dominik is doing the same!! Thank God!! We don’t want a team of hooligans like Detroit or San Diego! Punks, vampires, divas, and talented but shallow “superstars.”
I still hope we draft ALL defense in this draft. We must build depth at every defensive position because INJURIES happen. Its a part of the league.
No depth? No playoffs!
DE/DT first round
LB/CB/FS second round
FS/CB/LB third round
RISK PICK- fourth round (Matthieu, Lattimore, Dyer, Robinson)
RISK PICK-5th round
RB- 6th round
RISK PICK-BPA-7th round
We need to hit on our first 3-4 picks. We need at least 3 guys who can step up and play!
The last 3 picks rarely produce anyway, so its better to take risks on players with high upsides who we can convert to men of character.
Schiano’s mantra of “love your teammate” sounds ALOT like Ray Lewis and John Harbaugh!!
We are on the right path.
Go Bucs!!! Be supportive!!!
FAMILY!
January 29th, 2013 at 6:18 pm
@Teacherman
I disagree when it comes to defense. Offense is King. A good defense certainly helps but not even the best defenses can stop a great offense. Its like they say you cant defend a perfect throw. The league is also rigged so the offenses can score more.
January 29th, 2013 at 7:46 pm
I think if DJ FLuker is on the board at 13, I’d have to take him. The Bucs could use one more stud for the O line and he can play RT for a while or fill in at guard if needed. He is one big body.
January 29th, 2013 at 9:24 pm
Right Bigmac…better value than a cb, thats for sure.
January 29th, 2013 at 11:25 pm
D.J. Fluker weighed 355lbs. at Senior Bowl. Might give Bucs biggest O-Line in NFL