Licht Dazzles With Mankins Trade
August 27th, 2014
The celebratory hangover has worn off and Joe remains fired up by the Bucs’ acquisition of superstar guard Logan Mankins.
And Joe’s really liking general manager Jason Licht’s approach: the man is patiently impatient.
Licht burst onto the scene this winter telling fans he and Lovie Smith didn’t think it would be fair to ask fans to show any patience. Win now was the message — because losing had gone on far too long.
Clearly, Licht has walked the walk. But after pouncing on a league-high number of free agents, Licht displayed Gandhi-like patience.
The GM let the Bucs’ wacky guard situation play out, albeit painfully for fans and Josh McCown, all while slowly working over his former boss Bill Belicheat to cough up Mankins, who is still in his prime and has a very team-friendly contract.
Joe’s very impressed.
There’s a still a big question mark at right guard, but keep a close eye on newcomer Rishaw Johnson. Licht’s trade for him with Kansas City last week didn’t just fall out of thin air. Joe will have more on Johnson later. For now, Joe’s going to grill some red meat (early lunch) and think happy Bucs thoughts.
August 27th, 2014 at 10:34 am
Good to see this trade go down, The Incognito thing had alot of people bickering on here and that wasnt cool. About the Johnson guy.. He was supposed to be the cheifs starting right G. On paper that sounds alot better than our two backup guards that we were going to try to start and see what happens.
Man these trades got me pumped
August 27th, 2014 at 10:42 am
Seems like Licht knows what he is doing. Not everyone he signs/trades for is going to work out – that’s the nature of the business. But you can’t win lotto if you don’t buy a ticket! Like the moves!
And yes – Johnson/Mankins looks a LOTbetter on the interior than Cousins/Omameh.
August 27th, 2014 at 10:45 am
So I’m guessing Lovie and Licht won’t be setting up any arrangements to leak info to the press in exchange for favorable coverage the way a certain ex-coach did. “Four wins should be enough!”
August 27th, 2014 at 10:46 am
Where can I buy a Licht jersey. Seriously!
August 27th, 2014 at 10:49 am
Yes I agree Joe, looks like we have are man in the front office in Licht.
August 27th, 2014 at 10:54 am
Just curious as to which of our OL do not make the 53 man roster/10 man practice squad.
August 27th, 2014 at 10:57 am
Masterful job so far.
August 27th, 2014 at 10:58 am
I’ve seen Licht during camp in a T-shirt. Rock star always had sunglasses, pleated pants and a sharpie ready to sign autographs. I’ll take blue collar Licht District any day!
August 27th, 2014 at 11:00 am
I think Licht is an amazing evaluator of all talent except QBs and an excellent wheeler dealer. He has done very well fixing the mistake he made drafting the best player available instead of drafting for need. However, his biggest challenge will be moving up in next year’s draft to obtain a Franchise QB to fix his major error of not getting us one with our first pick this year.
August 27th, 2014 at 11:01 am
Another offseason like this and I’ll be lobbying for a Licht jersey as well. Maybe put him up on the big banners outside the stadium
August 27th, 2014 at 11:03 am
Even with Mankins and Johnson added. It will take time for the OL to gel with the new additions.
Granted both are veterans and both have been in NFL Training camps and are ready physically to play.
I’d love to get a early jump on the season with the issues our 1st two opponents have, we have a decent chance with our defense to get short fields and better scoring chances.
August 27th, 2014 at 11:03 am
@Owlykat – I don’t know that the QB situation is a mistake on his part. He got the best QB available, FA or draft, and one that Lovie was comfortable starting things off in Tampa with. The only QB that was available that has looked better was Bortles and he was off the board before we picked. I’m sure he has an eye toward next year and i would imagine that he is already looking at what needs to be done next year to address the situation. Huge moves in one offseason but you can’t expect him to address every position in one year.
August 27th, 2014 at 11:07 am
A positive about Mankins coming here from NE, Tedford studied Belicheck’s offense intensely during his year off. Gotta think that there would be some similarities between the two offenses that might shorten the learning curve for Mankins.
August 27th, 2014 at 11:15 am
I like the move, however I feel it was a huge mistake letting it get to this point.
Should have kept Zuttah and further addressed the O-Line in FA/Draft.
If Mankins was 27 years old, I’d be doing cartwheels, but to give up Wright and a 4th Rd. pick for 2-3 years w/Mankins isn’t some stroke of genius.
Again, I like the move, but I feel as though it shouldn’t have gotten to this point.
Now, on to some Panther steaks!
Go Bucs!!
August 27th, 2014 at 11:33 am
we got worked on this trade!!
love the site joe and the article, but your on the wrong side of right most of the time, and I suspect this is just another example.
at least we got a great gaurd for maybe a year or two is the only thing good about it.
August 27th, 2014 at 11:44 am
Tedford had Mankind at Fresno State so the linkage is there.
As for Licht, the last two moves are with Hoodie and Andy Reid. He’s worked with both organizations before so he’s seen these players firsthand. Nice job!
I was leaning towards signing Incognito but Mankins is a far superior deal.
August 27th, 2014 at 11:53 am
Joe
As you know I don’t always agree with you but mostly I do. It doesn’t matter how many years we get out of Mankins, what people are overlooking is that we now have at least two, count them two linemen that are from proven winners and are winners that are teachers and mentors for the rest of the OL. I bet there just may be holes of various sizes between center and guard that any of the commentators above could run threw plus the professionalism.
This is a young team that now has leaders on both sides of the ball and I don’t care if we sign Richie or not because if he comes, he will be lead and as I have always said: “Ignorance can be corrected, stupidity is forever.” If you determine that someone is stupid, then get rid of him/her since you can’t correct it and it doesn’t matter what the situation is.
All of you Joes keep stretching our minds and remember, come to Southshore and I am buying.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:02 pm
Love the Trade, love the moves to make the Trade.
Love all the roster moves to date( well, still miss Revis)
Love the Sense of urgency!
Licht is the early leader for Exec of the year. His work here has been brilliant.
Now, we have gone from O-line as a weakness, to O-line as a strength. With Johnson added at the other guard- our interior line just became a very formidable unit.
If Lovie does as much for this Team as Licht- we are playoff bound.
For the first time in YEARS- I know we have a competitive team
Thank You Mr.Licht. Thank you Coach Smith.
L&L! L&L! L&L
Seriously considering getting a custom
“Licht 01” jersey!! This guy gets it done! And love his draft
August 27th, 2014 at 12:02 pm
Yes – Mankins is a rental. Maybe 3 years, but that gives us 3 solid years and gives Licht/Lovie time to evaluate his eventual replacement in the draft. Typically, O-Lineman can come in as rookies and start. It seems like they are NFL ready soon after college.
So we get 3 years. Draft an OG or 2 in the next few years and we will see. Don’t forget Rishaw Johnson is 25. Steal if he works out. And Kadeem Edwards is raw but talented. Someone like Mankins mentoring him wouldn’t be a bad look.
We may have the interior guards of the future on the team already..
August 27th, 2014 at 12:06 pm
Since when is 32 years of age “in your prime” in football?
The guy is a warrior, has been a great player for nine years, but nine years in the NFL, playing on a torn ACL for one year and the observation that he may be breaking down physically toward the end of last year are notable as are the fact that Bellichick doesn’t give up players who have much left very often, or ever. See: the Randy Moss trade.
If Mankins is similar to other HOF level guard’s careers he would have 3-4 solid years ahead of him. If he is breaking down it would be less. Naturally Joe sees a big name player and salivates at the thought of that player like he is still 27 years old. He’s not. This is a short term fix at a long term cost, it just depends on how good the fix is.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:08 pm
Put the breaks on. Up till now he has been unimpressive. Let’s wait and see if Mankins actually works out, or if he ends up on IR, which seems to be the tradition in Tampa when it comes to veterans.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:12 pm
If Dominik was a Rockstar, what will Licht be called Joe ?
How about “Superstar GM Jason Licht” ?
August 27th, 2014 at 12:14 pm
We got a 1 year rental for an NFL starting guard.
Just like Revis turned out to he a rental.
I like it though because there is no sense in waiting for next off season. Try to win now.
Of course that us what the Revis trade was all about too… and see how that fared.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Team Licht.
For the record, this regime is 0-0, so, no one can truly assess how good or bad they have been.
I personally have liked the moves. Ultimately, wins matter. Same thing I said about Dominik. But, if you weren’t complaining about Dominik before game 1 in 2009, I sure hope you aren’t complaining now. They deserve the same time that the last regime received.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:16 pm
Ha. Bucs got worked over. 6 million for an aged guard over 7 million next year? We are clearly in win now mentality. Could have kept Davin for 1-2 and saved a good draft pick. I just don’t see it, if he’s so good why aren’t ANY of the guards we signed or drafted not good enough to bridge the season??? Name recognition doesn’t mean good player still…
August 27th, 2014 at 12:20 pm
I know that every fan base has it’s own collection of dumb fans, but when I read over these comments I really start to question the company that I keep. Can’t help but wonder if the dumb comments on here are a reflection on me because we follow the same team so, in some way, we’re like minded people. I hope not because there are a lot of minds that are not functioning at an appropriate level on here
August 27th, 2014 at 12:21 pm
@Robert9
I disagree with you. Even if we only get Mankins for three soild years it’s a huge upgrade over what we had. We now have solid starters in 4/5 O-line positions and that will yield us far more many wins in the immediate future. Lovie and Licht are trying to build a winning culture now. Tim Wright was a very promising player but ASJ has been tearing it up and is just a far more talented and natural tight-end. As for the fourth round pick, I feel that is slightly high but by no means did we get fleeced. The main reason they got rid of him was cap space which we can afford his salary and cut him next year if it doesn’t work out.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:22 pm
It is now completely obvious what Licht and Love though of last year’s offense. The only players active for Game 17 last year still on the roster are Rainey, Jackson, and Glennon. That’s a massive makeover. Of course, Stocker and Martin were on IR.
Hard to say how much Mankins has left in the tank but he should be superbly motivated to show something good. Wright was on the bubble. Lovie doesn’t publicly criticize many players but he was on Wright’s case big time. The Buccaneers want to run the ball and Mankin has the reputation of one of the very best–top two or three–run blocking guards. New England had a messie re-signing controversy with Mankin and need the cap room to re-sign Revis and a couple of other guys. As for the thought that the Patriots management is omnipotent–don’t tell that to Denver who signed Welker and went to the Super Bowl. So the Buccaneers trade for a guy who instantly improves their offensive line for a guy who is one-dimensional, can’t block, they don’t need, and may have been cut. Very possibly this is a win-win trade; it certainly can’t be deemed a lost for the Buccaneers. Why would Belichick trade a Pro Bowl player, number one draft choice for an undrafted tight end with one good year–anyone remember Clayton? Try saving 7 million on the salary cap and rolling the dice that he has backups that can play guard., and never forgibving Mankins for holding out half of 2010. As for being infallible, he let Vinatieri go and he’s had a great after-Patriots career; he misjudged Hernandez, Branch, and Harrison and the drafting of Boyce has been repeatedly questioned. No personnel guys/coaches are infallible. As for Talib, did anyone in Tampa want to keep him? Is there any rational person who can believe that Mankins doesn’t make our offensive line better? As for a fourth round draft choice. if it’s that important–and I don’t think it is, you can trade a 5th and a 6th and come out just fine. Will Mankins body hold up? Who knows? But this is a deal you have to make especially when you know the guy they want will rarely make the field.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:23 pm
People have to get past the Zuttah trade. He did not want to play Guard, which is why we traded him. It was the right move.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:24 pm
My guess is that newly aquired guard Rishaw Johnson will play tomorrow night. If Lovey doesn’t see what he wants to see, look for a possible signing of Incognito.
August 27th, 2014 at 12:24 pm
Great move! Logan Mankins is a rare difference maker at OG and that tuff SOB has at least 3 years of high level play still in him. Just couldn’t go into this season with two garbage cans at OG and expect to compete. And oft injured, overrated Davin Joseph was not the answer. DJ isn’t half the player that Mankins is. Go Bucs!
August 27th, 2014 at 12:48 pm
@ Tom S:
A 4th rounder next year and an undrafted FA tight end sure sounds like a long term cost… *facepalm*
August 27th, 2014 at 12:54 pm
@Bucamania
People seem to quickly forget that Joesph was one of our best O-linemen and did pretty damn good for a while. He wasn’t an all-pro but right guard was never an issue for us until that really bad knee injury in 2012. In 2013 he wasn’t the same player and reports have come out saying his leg was not nearly ready to go and he was basically playing on one leg. He seems to be a lot more recovered in this offseason and the Rams seem to be high on him.
August 27th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
patrick in VA…..if you spent as much time thinking as calling people dumb you might learn something.
August 27th, 2014 at 1:08 pm
i’m just saying the pats needed wright as much as we needed mankins and NE are better poker players.
August 27th, 2014 at 1:54 pm
^^ And this would be another way to justify one’s love of complaining.
August 27th, 2014 at 2:01 pm
@robert9 – What’s great about your comment is that while you think you’re landing a great zinger, you’re actually proving my point for me. My comment was really me just putting a thought out. I don’t need to call you dumb for everyone to see what you write and connect the dots on their own.
August 27th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
We traded a project and a 4th rd pick which are actually something close to 60/40 odds of being a starter, more of a ST player for a PRO BOWL player at a position of need, and for only $6 mil a season, for a guy who has won, who on this squad has that pedigree? Learn the business of the game.
August 27th, 2014 at 2:25 pm
you ladies need to stick to cutting lawns
August 27th, 2014 at 2:50 pm
How in gods name this a one year rental. Some of you are whacked out and hardly deserve opinions. Orlando pace, Jonathan Ogden were fine when they were 38 yes they were great. There’s a reason the best franchise signed him til he’s 36
August 27th, 2014 at 2:55 pm
Good job L&L!!!
Thank you for doing something to correct your glaring off season mistakes….
We might have a fighting chance now…
Just add Incognito and we have two NFL guards and not just one…
August 27th, 2014 at 2:56 pm
Gawd! Some of you are so f+*¥ing stupid.
We got a top 3 guard in the league.
We lost a TE who couldn’t block, and wasn’t a good fit in Lovies Scheme.
How you fit in the scheme is all that matters.
Without new guards, we would have had a losing season. Don’t even dream of questioning that- don’t do it! The ones we had would have been unable to run block, and gotten our QBs killed
Now – we win now, Draft O-line men next year, and have the best guard since John Hannah to teach them.
And Mankins is good for 3 more years
3 years of dominate run blocking and Pass protecting.
3 years of leading our O-line.
Anyone who doesn’t see this as a great trade is a total clueless idiot. Worse than ussual!!! It saved this season- and gives us a year to tutor next years draft picks(o-line)
We should be carrying Licht on our shoulders in the street.
Cause they are about to burn Belicheat at the stake in NE
Ask them who won!!
August 27th, 2014 at 3:49 pm
The patriots are going to turn Tim Wright into the new Aaron Hernandez. Watch out he will do big things. While Mankins is depressed he has to go from a winning team to us, Tim Wright is probably jumping for joy. Josh McCown to Tom Brady, not too shabby of an upgrade
August 27th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Great move – between Rishaw Johnson AND Logan Mankins!?
Wow – this o-line suddenly became very stout and even more run friendly!
Well done, great commitment by the Glazers!
August 27th, 2014 at 8:12 pm
@ Owlykat
Where we to draft or sign a QB? But then again you are the idiot that wants to bring Tebow in. Please sir drop the crack pipe. Your posts have to be the worst posted on this site.