Bucs Need Evan Dietrich-Smith To Be A Stud
July 21st, 2014
If guard Carl Nicks can’t go, then C Evan Dietrich-Smith quickly becomes a critical player.
With training camp but four days away, lots of people are pumping out lots of lists (not including Joe’s Worst 20 Bucs nightmares). Of course, Joe always tries to be different.
So too may the Bucs be trying something different: winning with subpar guard play.
Bucs blogger Pat Yasinskas of ESPN has a top-five newcomers list. And the guy he has last on the list Joe really believes should be much higher is Bucs center Evan Dietrich-Smith.
He was signed as a free agent from Green Bay. Dietrich-Smith wasn’t a full-time starter until last year, but the Bucs see him as an anchor on their offensive line. At 28, Dietrich-Smith may be just entering his prime.
As Joe types right now, the probability of left guard Carl Nicks returning is unknown. Joe has heard both good and bad prognostications from reliable folks. Right now, it’s just a guessing game and, frankly, only Nicks knows the true answer.
If Nicks can’t go, then the Bucs are in a world of hurt. And that makes EDS even more valuable. If the guards are suspect, and your starting center then goes down, then the middle of the offensive line becomes a sieve that harkens to the dark days of Sean Mayhem.
No, EDS may not be the most important offseason acquisition. But if Nicks can’t go, then EDS now becomes the lone element between the Jeff Tedford offense humming and a total collapse.
July 21st, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Haven’t heard from Shaun King lately….so I’ll make up a post in his honor.
Last pic I saw of Shaun….think he could play guard if we needed.
“Shaun King, one of two Buc Quarterbacks that lost a NFC Championship Game when his defense gave up 11 or fewer points.”
July 21st, 2014 at 5:32 pm
I’m sure we will all have the answers very early in camp. I can’t believe Smith or Licht would leave is so weak on the offensive line. Bringing in a new QB and drafting playmakers on offense just to have it not work due to the line play doesn’t make sense. I’ll leave it up to the coach and GM to know what there doing and unless I see otherwise I’ll trust were in good hands. Speculating otherwise is just a waste of time.
July 21st, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Center is where it all starts. maybe the second most important O-lineman.
As for Nicks, what kind of shape can he be in? Hasn’t run 10 yards in two years, has he?
July 21st, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Joe, where are we at with our salary cap?
We never heard of any June Cap Casualty signings like we were hoping to. Is there still a chance any O-Lineman get cut from teams for budgetary reasons?
July 21st, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Geno: According to Over the cap.com, the Bucs have $10,395,967.00 in available cap space. If they cut Bowers, that adds $900,768 saved and cutting Nicks would save $2,286,000 in cap space. I have been following the NFL transaction wire and no good guards have become available. The team will have to wait through training camp and into cuts, to see if there is an experienced guard available. Teams that drafted rookie guards in the draft, may look to unload higher priced vets at that position. That seems to be our best bet, unless someone like SanFran may want to unload their starter, and we can afford to pay him what he wants.
July 21st, 2014 at 7:02 pm
Geno:
Here you go.
July 21st, 2014 at 7:12 pm
I thought it was completely unnecessary to trade away Zuttah for a pack of gum when we could have a starting caliber guard next to EDS and a starting caliber center in case EDS goes down. Dumb move Licht. I find the guy a little too cocky for someone that has not yet achieved anything in this league as a GM
July 21st, 2014 at 7:59 pm
@Joe or any poster that wants to take shot at answering this question.
Who played on the OL that helped Doug Martin to those records his rookie year?
I’m being serious not snarky. I’m honestly trying to remember those no names.
Obviously Donald Penn was the only “name” on that list. Wasn’t Zuttah shuffled around in that line. If he was at center I can’t remember the guards or the right tackle. Wasn’t Trueblood gone by then?
Somebody help me out. Name the starters on the line that led Martin to that incredible year. Where are they now?
July 21st, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Dean….you need to start your own website….good stuff.
July 21st, 2014 at 8:40 pm
DallasBuc, ever consider that Zuttah doesn’t fit the new scheme, or, that we have capable and cheaper alternatives?
What do your sources at OBP tell you? 😉
July 21st, 2014 at 8:48 pm
$7 million and he can’t run.
July 21st, 2014 at 9:10 pm
FanofBucs- do you have specific information that a highly versatile, reliable and competent oline vet Zuttah was not a good fit for this mysterious offense? Is lack of depth, rookies and 4thrate free agents a better fit? Is that what your sources at OBP tell you?
July 21st, 2014 at 9:42 pm
All I can do is trust that Lovie and Licht’s info is better than ours, since they both work and observe these players behind closed doors.
Maybe you can give them some benefit if the doubt?
July 21st, 2014 at 10:03 pm
FanofBucs- in this case and a few others I do not give them benefit of the doubt. Lots of people get paid all the time to do a job and they do it poorly. Seen this quite a bit as a bucs fan for a lot of years. Sending quality football players packing and anointing FA mediocre players to starting positions like, I don’t know, QB!
July 21st, 2014 at 10:32 pm
@StPeteBucsFan asked
“Who played on the OL that helped Doug Martin to those records his rookie year?”
____________________________________________________
does this help?
G 68 Derek Hardman
C 62 Ted Larsen
July 21st, 2014 at 11:06 pm
Robert Herron > Stick of Gum
July 21st, 2014 at 11:16 pm
Stanglassman- hope you are right. Right now starting caliber guard/center help seems a higher and wiser priority than some 6th round WR that will struggle to make the final 53, much less the 45.
July 21st, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Don’t get me wrong I’ve said all along that I don’t see why Zuttah or Watson were let go, esp JZ smart, great attitude and versatile. Those are the type of players you want on your team.
July 21st, 2014 at 11:42 pm
StPeteBucsFan Says:
July 21st, 2014 at 7:59 pm
@Joe or any poster that wants to take shot at answering this question.
Who played on the OL that helped Doug Martin to those records his rookie year?
I’m being serious not snarky. I’m honestly trying to remember those no names.
Obviously Donald Penn was the only “name” on that list. Wasn’t Zuttah shuffled around in that line. If he was at center I can’t remember the guards or the right tackle. Wasn’t Trueblood gone by then?
Somebody help me out. Name the starters on the line that led Martin to that incredible year. Where are they now?
——————————————————————————-
I only checked the first two games from 2012, but I learned about a cool new feature at NFL.com which I had not seen before.
First to answer your question:
Game 1 vs. Panthers featured LT 70 Penn, LG 77 Nicks, C 76 Zuttah, RG 62 Larsen, and RT 65 Trueblood. Martin had 95 yds that day.
Game 2 vs NYG had same first four, but RT 69 Dotson. Martin ~ 65yds that day.
For the stataholics like me the cool new feature I learned about is GameBook(PDF), which as you would expect is a PDF file of practically everything about that game listed over many pages of info. This includes stuff like the weather, attendance, and other fluff, but also includes the play by play, time of possession for drives and by quarters, the half and the whole game. It also lists every player that played and the percentage of snaps they were in the game, and much, much more stuff.
If anyone is interested, go to nfl.com; then scores, then pick season and the year, and finally go to GameCenter for the game you’re interested in.
when it opens you’ll see the score and a video screen with choices for highlights, post -game pressers etc. But, if you close the video player you’ll see the GameBook PDF link, which is downloadable and printable like any other PDF file. A trove of info for the stat geek.
tickrdr
July 22nd, 2014 at 1:29 am
Look for Jace Daniels to compete at guard as well as being the backup center. He has Zutah’s bright mind, was also a LT in college like Zutah so he is athletic like Zutah, but he is stronger than Zutah and 315 lbs. and a heck of a lot cheaper than Zutah! L & L are not worried like a lot of our fans are.
July 22nd, 2014 at 6:32 am
@tick
THX! Great NFL to some stats as well. I’ll have to go there and see the starters the last six games.
July 22nd, 2014 at 8:09 am
Jace Daniels over Zuttah?… Yeah, count me in as a worried fan. And since when is Buc fan worried about saving the Glazer’s dollars and cents? Laughable stuff!!!
July 22nd, 2014 at 8:23 am
Zuttah’s ability to play center and guard made him quite valuable. When you put his trade in context with our lack of depth at guard, it makes you scratch your head.
@Owlykat- I hope you’re right about Daniels, frankly I don’t see any choice short of Nicks returning. I just don’t like the idea of starting a rookie at guard. Didn’t Cousins also play guard at one point? He might be a better fit.
Joe hit it on the head, EDS is going to have to ball until we get comfortable on the o-line.
July 22nd, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Dean and Joe, thanks for the info.