Dashon Goldson Learning To Tackle
March 21st, 2014
Hawk Goldson has reached out to his youth football coach to re-learn tackling.
Joe understands why Dashon Goldson irked some Bucs fans last year. The hard-hitting safety became too hard of a hitting safety in the new football world of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell.
It is simply jarring watching clips of Raiders-Steelers games from the 1970s, which were glorified backalley brawls, with guys getting clothes-lined and pile-driven into Astroturf on every play, dudes spearing knees five yards out of bounds, all right at the feet of zebras who don’t even think of reaching for a flag.
Under the current flag football-like rules of the NFL, half of those Steelers and Raiders would be banned from the game. The difference in 40 years or so is striking.
Goldson is a throwback. He would have been right at home with those teams. Instead of being persecuted, he would have been lauded and celebrated.
But this isn’t 1974. This is 2014. And Goldson has a noted rep as a modern-day headhunter. So much so that even hits that look legal come with 15-yard penalties and six-figure fines.
It has gotten so out of hand that Goldson is re-teaching himself tackling this offseason, types Anwar Richardson of Yahoo! Sports.
Goldson admits the fines affected his play and he hopes to resolve the issue this offseason.
“This is what got me my deal. This is what got me my name,” Goldson said. “This is how you make a name for yourself in this league. You set yourself apart by standing out. What I was doing was making a hit. Just playing hard and playing football the way it’s supposed to be played. I’m hearing fans and coaches coming up to me after the game and say, ‘I love the way you play, don’t change the way you play.’ This is after I’m being fined.
“They’re not being fair because it’s not their money they’re losing, but at the same time, they understand that it comes with the territory, what the safety position is all about, how you play the game. Now they’re trying to take that away from me. It’s the way I make my money. The way I feed my family. Just the player that I am.”
So what exactly is Goldson doing? He has reached out to his old Pop Warner coach and is learning the art of tackling all over again, not just to stop the fines, but so he doesn’t paint his team into a corner with personal fouls.
Now this brings Joe to Goldson and former Bucs commander Greg Schiano. Goldson was truly a leader on the Bucs. The young defensive backs, like Johnathan Banks and Leonard Johnson and Danny Gorrer, followed Goldson all over the place like baby geese would a mother goose. If Goldson stayed late after practice, so too did Banks, Gorrer and Johnson.
Goldson is an intelligent guy. But here he was playing for a law-and-order, fundamentals guy like Schiano and continued to get fined. That tells Joe either Schiano and his staff couldn’t teach Goldson simple tackling fundamentals or that Goldson had tuned out Schiano.
Surely Schiano wasn’t that irresponsible and didn’t try to help Goldson and coach him up. Joe finds that difficult to believe. But it’s not that difficult to connect the dots and and determine that, for whatever reason, Schiano and his staff weren’t reaching Goldson.
Just a hunch, but that won’t be the case with Lovie Smith.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:08 am
Smart move. Shows the league he is trying and maybe he will get targeted less
March 21st, 2014 at 7:10 am
It’s a shame. Love that hard hitting he does but rules are rules.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:11 am
Joe, I have a hunch that someone will be approaching mr Goldson about restructuring that contract shortly… And if he doesn’t don’t be surprised if he’s cut. Thats way too much money for a safety to be making in the new way things are going to be…
The only reason they got rid of Revis WHEN they did was because of the bonuses that would have been earned. It’s coming.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:13 am
Give the man some credit, he knows it hurt the team AND his cash flow. Takes a big man to realize it’s time to make a change.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:15 am
Ironically he is wasting money again. He will get good coaching with this staff. There is no need to hire someone now.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:16 am
In related fast food news, the help at this sandwich place dries her socks in the oven. [Metro]
“The help” what kind of website are you running here…are you serious…it’s 2014!!! What kind of “help” do you have working on your staff????
March 21st, 2014 at 7:20 am
I agree, once Goldson started to checkup on tackles he started missing a lot of tackles. Now instead of a bee-line tackle he has to learn how to corral a receiver, and because of that the receivers were picking up more yards after the catch. Receivers just a couple seasons ago would go straight down when they thought they were going to get lambasted, but now because of the more stringent rules on tackling, receivers are turning up field trying to gain more yardage, without anymore fear. They know if they get hit really hard it will probably result in a penalty against the defenders. So now they are braver.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:23 am
There is nothing wrong with going back and relearning fundamentals. Fundamentals can be taught by any competent coach. If Goldson trusts his PopWarner coach, then more power to him and best of luck. The training will continue during OT and training camp.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:24 am
William Said:
“Ironically he is wasting money again. He will get good coaching with this staff. There is no need to hire someone now.”
Maybe not but it shows his commitment.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:29 am
This is an example of the difference in coaches/Gms…..Goldson is responding to new management and taking the initiative to improve….very smart move. And, I agree….the league will notice as will the officials. I think the refs will be kinder to Lovie’s team. Schiano was the cause for some of the attention to Goldson.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:34 am
Good for him. I don’t see it as a waste of money if it’s something he wants to work on now.
At least he’s not an aspiring rapper.
March 21st, 2014 at 7:57 am
At 9 mil per better learn to cover along with it.
Funny story bleacher report did it’s top 75 safeties based off all scouting analysis and all 22 film. Goldson ranked 65. Keith Tandy ladies, gents, joe : 32. Barron was 24.
The almighty rock star.
March 21st, 2014 at 8:08 am
Yeah, can they teach him to cover?
March 21st, 2014 at 8:10 am
I think Goldson is doing the right thing here, both effectively and politically. He made his reputation as a hard-hitting safety an he didn’t do it illegally. The notion that the rules have made hard hitting illegal is wrong. Kam Chancellor hits just as hard and does not get flagged nearly as often.
The new rules have nuanced the game and penalties are going to occur, but not at the rate that Goldson was being penalized, which I think was being interpreted by officials as intent. This move will politically change that impression!
March 21st, 2014 at 8:12 am
remember Schiano didn’t believe in QB coaches because if you got to the NFL level you didn’t need help with mechanics so why would he believe in teaching any other base fundamental? Dude was a bad coach, in over his head and it extended to his bloated staff.
March 21st, 2014 at 8:23 am
Maybe wait and see how the team actually performs under the coach before you blame all the players performance issues on the last coach
March 21st, 2014 at 8:25 am
Bannor Says:
March 21st, 2014 at 8:12 am
remember Schiano didn’t believe in QB coaches because if you got to the NFL level you didn’t need help with mechanics so why would he believe in teaching any other base fundamental? Dude was a bad coach, in over his head and it extended to his bloated staff.
I think people are taking that and running with it. 9/10 when a qb gets the nfl it’s hard to fix certain mechanics. If you don’t have a fast release, can’t really fix that after how many years?
March 21st, 2014 at 8:34 am
TBBF- Schiano’s fault? C’mon dude, coaches coach and players play.
Personally, I find it sad. Half the hits he was fined/penalized for were bang-bang hits,ike that hit on Sproles. He’s like 5’5, if he ducks his head he’s at your kneecaps!
This is a PR move. A smart one at that.
Keep thumpin’!
March 21st, 2014 at 8:42 am
I like how everyone wants to blame Schiano for everything last year. I guess head coaches are also expected to run, throw, kick, and defend on the field.
Move on people, move on.
March 21st, 2014 at 9:04 am
The last 2 years Shiano ran lots of fundamental tackling drills. Even Barber had said that was the most drills he ran ( check the archives ) . Its like Chris Landry said, “not many coaches could have squeezed more out of this lemon of a roster.”
and it looks like Lovie and Licht agree!
March 21st, 2014 at 9:09 am
^ exactly. Everyone thought the talent on this roster was superb. It wasn’t. It was paper thin depth wise. And too many 1st and 2nd rd busts.
March 21st, 2014 at 9:17 am
The only one that got coached was Gerald McCoy. I’m convinced they didn’t do anything to improve or train anyone else. Blount, Freeman, Goldson, even the maligned Underwood, all just needed/need a little coaching.
All of which was especially disappointing because Schiano as a college guy you’d expect to be great at teaching the game. The X’s and O’s are what you’d expect he might be challenged by. Turns out he couldn’t do any of it.
March 21st, 2014 at 9:33 am
And I actually really admire Goldson for doing that. Tom Brady went to his high school coach I think at one point when he felt his fundamentals were slipping. I’ll be pulling for Goldson.
March 21st, 2014 at 9:44 am
Watch the Seahawks.
They hit hard! But at peoples chests!
Cam Chancellor is a beast of a SS. Hes 6-4 but he gets low enough to avoid fines.
Goldson must adapt. And start hitting people lower. Maybe he will cause more fumbles that way.
March 21st, 2014 at 10:37 am
I don’t see him being able to change the way he has played since he was a kid. He may as well just retire. The NFL does not want his kind anymore.
March 21st, 2014 at 10:43 am
The Mike Jenkins signing was key. I feel that we are now in position to draft the best player available with our #7 pick. Our depth chart may be lean in a few areas, but there are no longer any major holes.
March 21st, 2014 at 12:03 pm
How about instead of trying to be cute, why not figure out who the heII is teaching those heavy hitters in Seattle how to tackle. I’m sure he can afford to pay a “professional” so he can learn what he suppose to know.
I can’t believe we got rid of one of the top 2 CB in the game but decide that an overpaid safety that doesn’t fully know how to do his job while seeking to fix his short comings from an elementary coach gets to keep his? Can someone explain that one to me?
March 21st, 2014 at 1:08 pm
He may be making an effort for show, but those are the words of a man who doesn’t want to change.
“What I was doing was making a hit. Just playing hard and playing football the way it’s supposed to be played. I’m hearing fans and coaches coming up to me after the game and say, ‘I love the way you play, don’t change the way you play.’ This is after I’m being fined.
“They’re not being fair because it’s not their money they’re losing, but at the same time, they understand that it comes with the territory, what the safety position is all about, how you play the game. Now they’re trying to take that away from me. It’s the way I make my money. The way I feed my family. Just the player that I am.”
March 21st, 2014 at 1:10 pm
If we wouldn’t have so much dead money by cutting him, I would so like to release the guy.
March 21st, 2014 at 1:11 pm
i recall hearing that tackling was practiced by brooks, lynch, and co daily well into their HOF-worthy careers. i’m sure tackling will be emphasized by this staff since lovie personally put derrick brooks through those drills for most of his career