Barron Was “Shocked,” Down On Lovie’s System
October 30th, 2014
Pretty telling stuff was revealed when the St. Louis media dove into their end of the Mark Barron trade to the Rams.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety, along with Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, had plenty to say.
First, Fisher raved about Barron and revealed Barron was caught off guard. Here’s a nugget from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
“He’s a smart, instinctive football player,” Fisher said. “He’ll hit you. He understands angles. Gosh, he was a first-round pick (in 2012) and for whatever reason it didn’t work out or they felt like he didn’t fit in the system.
“We’ll find a way to fit him into our system at some point. I don’t know whether that’s a week or six weeks or next year. But we need depth at the position and we’re banged up a little bit.
“I spoke with him (Tuesday) night after we put the deal together. Obviously he was surprised and shocked but excited about a new start. He’s got a lot of catching up to do. I think he’s going to be, in time, a very good player for us.”
Barron shared he was no fan of Lovie Smith’s defensive style.
Head-coaching changes often lead to massive personnel changes, and Barron didn’t seem like a fit in the more passive Cover 2-based scheme under new Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith.
“Yeah, it is passive,” Barron said. “That’s kind of the only thing I didn’t like about it a lot of times. I had to sit back and I couldn’t really be as aggressive as I wanted to in that system. So yeah, I would most definitely say that.”
There’s more via the link above, including how Barron learned of the deal through the media because he didn’t answer his phone or return a call from the Bucs.
Joe’s not surprised Barron was down on Lovie’s system (he played like it), and Joe got a good laugh at Fisher thinking Barron is angle-savvy.
It sure will be interesting to see whether Barron, 25, thrives in his new surroundings.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:08 am
I am sure Barron will have a very good & long career in St. Louis. Everybody knows Lovie’s defense don’t work in the NFL anymore. Us along with the players will just have to endure the suffering.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:09 am
Whatever angle Barron took, it was never the right angle.
Thank you, thank you. I’m here all week.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:12 am
Dear Mark – – – say LESS and play MORE
October 30th, 2014 at 7:17 am
The Bucs are the worst defense in the NFL.
It’s not all on the players.
Hope Barron goes on to have a good career, it simply wasn’t going to happen in Tampa Bay.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:17 am
Good ridens.
Players have to be on board with “the chain”.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:20 am
I’m guessing next year we’ll finally see Barron live up to the #7 pick used on him. Ashame it will be on the Rams instead of the Bucs.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:22 am
Passive, soft, weak, pathetic, take your pick. It’s outdated and if Lovie doesn’t adapt it’s gonna get him fired. The best coaches adapt to their talent, but then again Lovie certainly doesn’t qualify as one of the best coaches.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:23 am
Yeah, He will be a perennial All-Pro now that he’s not here.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:23 am
Hey Barren ( sic deliberate to assess talent) you must accept that you suck, Dominitwit drafted you. There is no more accurate indictment of incompetence
October 30th, 2014 at 7:28 am
“Joe got a good laugh at Fisher thinking Barron is angle-savvy.”
Hey Joe, and how many teams have you taken to the Super Bowl…
Completely irrelevant. –Joe
October 30th, 2014 at 7:31 am
Am I the only one who remembers he sucked in the PREVIOUS defense too?
October 30th, 2014 at 7:35 am
Barron is simply just another example of the
“my way or the highway” attitude here.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:35 am
Knoing fisher, he will make Barron look good and then trade him back to us when we have a new HC for a 2nd round pick.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:36 am
“Joe’s not surprised Barron was down on Lovie’s system (he played like it), and Joe got a good laugh at Fisher thinking Barron is angle-savvy.”
Fisher most like knows more than Joe or LovieDovie whether or not Barron takes bad angles or is a good football player. When do-no-wrong Lovie and his lapdog GM sent all those good football players packing that now start for other teams Joe had nothing to criticize except for the obviously bad Revis purge. I wouldn’t be so quick to declare who got fleeced. More than likely it was the Bucs and Buc fans that are taking it in the poop chute for this one.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:38 am
“Hey Joe, and how many teams have you taken to the Super Bowl…”
…Burn?
October 30th, 2014 at 7:45 am
I think in time Fisher will turn him into a beast.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:46 am
Why do you guys continue to say the defense is outdated, knowing there are several teams that run it and run it successfully? Dallas runs the Tampa 2 more than we do. 99% of you probably think we run the Tampa 2 ever snap, which couldn’t be further from the truth. We play man to man more than we run the traditional Tampa 2, but I’m sure you guys already know that.
As for Barron, really? It didnt’ seem that passive when John Lynch played it. It didn’t seem that passive when Dexter Jackson won the Super Bowl MVP playing safety. Maybe he’s just wasn’t good enough. Any player that complains about the system just plain isn’t good enough. A great player can play in any system. Anyone think Lavonte David or GMC would struggle in a certain system? Of course not. Great players are great anywhere. Bad players complain. And for the record, Barron was lousy in Schiano’s system too. Maybe he should keep his mouth shut, stop worrying about people sitting in his seat, and take a little accountability for his play.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:51 am
This quote here….: “We’ll find a way to fit him into our system at some point.”
Interesting.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:53 am
@DallasBuc,
Let’s look at it this way: Do you agree Barron can’t cover? I mean, he pretty much said it himself that he can’t. Any argument there? If not, how valuable can a safety be in today’s NFL that can’t cover? What do you think would happen if he had to play against Peyton Manning and he can only play in the box? Shredded! You just can’t play that way, especially not in today’s NFL.
Name me one good safety that can’t cover. The only one that I can think of over the last 20 years is Bob Sanders (although Sanders was much better than Barron at coverage). Make no mistake, Barron is no Bob Sanders. Point is, how is he going to be successful if he can’t do what safeties do? I was worried about Talib being great when he left. I was worried about Michael Bennett. I was even worried about Blount. I have absolutely no worries about Barron.
October 30th, 2014 at 7:55 am
I don’t think Barron was worth the top ten pick, but for what Fisher gave up, they won’t be able to find that kind of potential in the fourth round of the draft. They aren’t going to ask him to sit back in a soft zone all day, so he’ll probably be pretty effective. Supposedly they are going to keep him near the line of scrimmage and send him on lots of blitzes.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:00 am
Fisher > Lovie
October 30th, 2014 at 8:06 am
I liked Mark Barron coming out of college. I think (in the right system) he will be a good player. I’m still not quite sure what happened to him this year. If anyone saw him in training camp, he looked awesome (when healthy). He had a bunch of picks (off McCown & Glennon granted) and looked really sharp. It’s a shame it didn’t work out. I wish him the best of luck in St. Louis.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:12 am
Funny. Harrison smith who Vikings took in 1st round has over 200 tackles in career and they always speak well of him. Barron has many more tackles and passes defended yet he’s a bust? Time will tell. How can LOvie say this was to help win this year and not the future. Was he not man enough to just sit Barron if he was so bad and play his son major wright? They cut major wright once this season now he’s the 2nd coming????
October 30th, 2014 at 8:28 am
John Lynch thrived in the system and no one in his right mind would call him passive.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:31 am
Just 2 comments if I may. I believe the position is far more difficult (passive) with the new NFL rules. They should rename both SS,FS and CB for all teams the Lovie position. Unlike the days when Lynch and other head (Tatum) hunters roamed NFL defensive back fields. Second, what would you expect Barron to say? He just got traded……
October 30th, 2014 at 8:39 am
“Second, what would you expect Barron to say? He just got traded……”
——–
I expect him to say absolutely nothing, just like 99% of the guys that get traded. Have some class and keep your mouth shut. He never said 2 words to the media or the fans while he was in Tampa, why start now?
As for the position being more difficult, probably. However, those guys from Seattle tend to be just fine, and they will knock your head off. There are tons of hard hitting safeties that have been just fine, and they can all cover too! Do you not think Stanford grad John Lynch could have adjusted? Easily.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:45 am
“Funny. Harrison smith who Vikings took in 1st round has over 200 tackles in career and they always speak well of him. Barron has many more tackles and passes defended yet he’s a bust? ”
——-
That’s an easy one. Harrison Smith has 8 INT’s to Barron’s 3. That’s a huge difference. And actually Smith has one more pass defended. He’s even got one more forced fumble. He’s forced 6 more turnovers than Barron. They’re not even in the same league.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:48 am
Well said HawaiianBuc….Barron has shown especially this season that he can’t cover…If anything, Barron should have been nicknamed this season Mark “Toast” Barron! Just as important, Barron has shown that he can be burned (easily) whether he was in the Cover Two scheme, or playing man-on-man! No doubt, Barron has been a big disappointment since we drafted him. That’s just a fact.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:50 am
Quit trolling, kid.
If you’re serious you mean to tell me zone coverage doesn’t work anymore. Gimme a break!
October 30th, 2014 at 8:55 am
I understand as Buc fans we naturally think players are going to leave us and be excellent, but in reality, that rarely happens. Most of our draft picks are just bad players period.I tried to give Barron a chance, and really only gave up on him a few weeks ago. He never showed me anything to prove he was a good safety (not a great safety, but a good one). If we all took off our blinders and forgot we was the 7th overall pick, we would cringe anytime he got on the field. He really was that bad.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:56 am
Off topic, but am I the only one that is freaked out by the second guy in the Dolman law Group ad? His face is almost as green as his shirt.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:58 am
I don’t think anyone think’s he going to excellent, just no one is going to be surprised if he does. The current regime’s talent evaluation skills have been poor at best, so it’s more than fair to wonder if this isn’t a case of selling low.
October 30th, 2014 at 9:06 am
So I guess John Lynch was a passive player in the same system? Bullspit!
October 30th, 2014 at 9:06 am
I disagree. I think most of us who have actually seen him play would be shocked if he turns out any good. Don’t forget this guy struggled mightily in Schiano’s system too, which by no means was passive. If you can’t cover, you can’t cover. It’s not like the job of a safety varies that much from system to system. They all pretty much require you to do the same thing. You could put him in the box more, but he’s still not a consistently good tackler. You know when your signature play is tackling Steve Smith after a 30 yard gain, you really haven’t done squat.
October 30th, 2014 at 9:08 am
Next on the block….Adrian Clayborne.
October 30th, 2014 at 9:08 am
The truth is, that Mark Baron couldn’t learn the “angles” to Lovie’s defence. He just didn’t do what he was paid to do, and thats why he’s gone. He didn’t fare too well in Schiano’s defence either.
October 30th, 2014 at 9:14 am
But to also be fair St. Louis has twice as much defensive talent as we do. Would it really be shocking if he looked better playing with better talent? Most players do.
October 30th, 2014 at 9:33 am
Thanks again Dom…
“Rockstar”!
Go Sucs!
October 30th, 2014 at 9:53 am
Barron will be bette wearing a Rams jersey. Period. There u go Hawaii buc. Why are parading on Barrons downfall? Fisher will do him justice
October 30th, 2014 at 9:56 am
Barron > wright, goldson, mcdougle (whoever that is)
October 30th, 2014 at 9:57 am
Barron stunk. Get over it.
October 30th, 2014 at 9:59 am
phil Says:
October 30th, 2014 at 7:08 am
I am sure Barron will have a very good & long career in St. Louis. Everybody knows Lovie’s defense don’t work in the NFL anymore. Us along with the players will just have to endure the suffering.
———–
You’re an effing idiot and a clown. The Seahawks just won the Super Bowl running this system and the Panthers won the division. The Cowboys have one of the best D’s in football using the same system. The biggest suffering I can see is having to endure stupid fans that have no idea what they’re talking about and having no problem spewing out their nonsense.
October 30th, 2014 at 10:01 am
Barron will be a hell of a player in st louis, tampa 2 is so garbage. And we were mad with schiano, about the dline stunts, THIS IS WHY. Change the system, not the players. GMC will play well in a 3-4, with lavonte and lansanah coming off the edge. Lavonte would easily have 15 sacks. Great Defensive Lineman play well in any system. :see jj watt:
October 30th, 2014 at 10:04 am
BUCTROOPER Says:
October 30th, 2014 at 7:31 am
Am I the only one who remembers he sucked in the PREVIOUS defense too?
—
Not at all. I’m with you. Am I the only one the doesn’t think there is EVER a reason to draft a safety in the top 10? They NEVER live up to their draft status. Barron was a reach to begin with.
October 30th, 2014 at 10:08 am
Our defense is just soft. We don’t jam on the receivers at the line and as Barron said, “we just sit back” nobody is aggressive. It hurts. Wish we did play more man defense and blitzed more, but we don’t have the team for that and obviously Lovie doesn’t know how to use a defense anymore.
October 30th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Wasn’t good in Schiano’s defense.
You don’t have to be a head coach to watch film and tell someone is taking bad angles or can’t get off blocks
Great hitter who was run over by Saints RB in overtime foe game winning TD. Physically abused on the play.
John Lynch is now going to change his name to Jane Lynch.
Knock on Baron in college was he couldn’t cover, still remains.
Didn’t like Cover 2 and was probably vocal about it and his play pretty much proved it. See ya.
I listened to this guy talk on the scoreboard during the last game and if he has a degree from college it must be in Recreational Education.
Anyone who thinks this guy is going anywhere other than a summer recreational supervisor at a grade school level is a real Lovie hater.
October 30th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Do you really want a passive Defense? #AndThatsWhyYellowMakesMeSad
October 30th, 2014 at 10:58 am
“…we need DEPTH at the position and we’re banged up a little bit…” – Fisher
Translation: “He was a starter in Tampa, but here, he’s only good enough to be a backup. We’ll somehow work him into the rotation.”
October 30th, 2014 at 10:58 am
The Tampa 2 is not garbage, Lovie’s Tampa 2 is garbage.
October 30th, 2014 at 11:03 am
Barron was just fine in Schiano system, remember we once called thus legion of boom with goldson and barron but obviously he doesn’t look good in lovies system.
October 30th, 2014 at 11:15 am
Barry Says
“Do you really want a passive Defense?”
Baron’s meaning of passive is that he was being asked to cover his assignment without jumping off to make plays.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, Barry, but many of the secondary issues have been because the players leave their assignments too soon. If they were to stay in their zones, they would be there to stop plays.
A good example is a fake run. A Safety might buy the fake and jump off his assignment, only to have the guy he stopped covering catch a pass and make a play.
It’s a pretty obvious issue when you watch the games. There are instances where it is just our player being beat, but mostly, it is leaving assignments. Being patient.
That would be construed as “passive” by a guy like Baron. And if that’s the case, it explains a lot.
October 30th, 2014 at 11:16 am
Pawel Says
“Barron was just fine in Schiano system, remember we once called thus legion of boom with goldson and barron but obviously he doesn’t look good in lovies system.”
And, if you remember, they had league leading penalties as well.
October 30th, 2014 at 11:39 am
I’d love to know who you’d say Schiano drafted…
I won’t say he sucked, but he definitely hasn’t lived up to his draft status.
It does seem like I’M the only one that remembers all the “fans” wanting him gone from the team, and now that he’s gone, its become an indictment on Lovie.
hilarious.
DallasBuc Says:
October 30th, 2014 at 7:36 am
Fisher most like knows more than Joe or LovieDovie whether or not Barron takes bad angles or is a good football player.
I hope you’re speaking on the fact that Fisher was a DB coach and Lovie a LB coach, cause basic research shows who has a better win percentage.
October 30th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
@brandon, you are wrong technically. Seahawks run a cover 3. Also, based on what I read they use multiple defenses during game. Prob with Lovie is the d hasn’t been effective dead last from #15 from last year and he hasn’t adjusted during games.
October 30th, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Earl Thomas, polamalu, rod Woodson, lynch, I’d spend a top 10 pick on those guys in a heartbeat.
October 30th, 2014 at 2:07 pm
the teams IQ just went up…
October 30th, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Mark Barron didn’t want to be here. Along with…….
Donald Penn
Jeremy Zuttah
October 30th, 2014 at 5:10 pm
i like how all the Bucs fans a say the Tampa 2 is outdated and this and that, yet before the season everyone was happy to have it back. And the fact that numerous NFL defenses run a Tampa 2 base defense and every defense in the NFL plays a cover 2 scheme in some way.
The defensive scheme works. But the main thing you need to be successful in the Tampa 2 is a great pass rush with just the 4 d lineman. That is obviously where this defense is failing for the Bucs. We really do not have the right players for this scheme. But don’t blame the scheme because the players aren’t good enough.
I will say that Lovie needs to get off the Tampa 2 for this season. Our d line sucks at pass rush, which makes the entire defense suck. He needs to change for this season and come back to it later if he does get the right people in the future.
October 30th, 2014 at 6:49 pm
“We’ll find a way to fit him into our system at some point”
Why can’t bucs coaches do this?
October 30th, 2014 at 7:59 pm
Mark barron will be better because the rams defense is better. Simple. Their defense has a pass rush. Their defense has quality cbs that have adapted to their scheme. Their lbs are even above average, noghing but up for Barron.
October 31st, 2014 at 4:25 am
The NFL is down on aggressive DB play. The zebra’s only allow specific teams the ability to bring the wood….Barron and The Hawk no longer fit in todays NFL.
I think it’s sad.
October 31st, 2014 at 8:58 am
Hawaiianbuc . Thank u , because i’ve been saying all along that the Tampa 2 works perfect, & we definitely don’t use it most of the time. And alot of teams do use it. Baltimore & Seattle both won Super bowls using that defense. Even N.O. saints beat PM in SB with that same D! Bottom line that shit works . Our personnel is what doesn’t work. ( We Suck Again )
October 31st, 2014 at 9:26 am
I wish all the best for MB gone to Stl Rams. Can i b honest here excuse the language but (Fuk’em). He ain’t did sh*t for us . If you’re our # 1 pick in any draft u should b a difference maker immediately! No matter how , either on or off the field, locker room leader, or in the huddle . So basically we can’t miss what we already didn’t have. 2012 draft 1st round to be honest just about every other guy was a miss.