Davin Joseph Questions Dotson Relocation
January 30th, 2015
Demar Dotson has been an almost average right tackle on an underperforming offensive line for two consecutive seasons.
And now your Tampa Bay Buccaneers want him to shift to left tackle — as he approaches his 30th birthday.
Think Hail Mary pass attempt.
Joe’s take is really no slight on Dotson. There’s no shame in being an almost average starter. Heck, Dotson was undrafted in 2009, when he was a basketball-player project out of Southern Mississippi. Dotson’s career is a fantastic success story. Fantastic! Kudos to his work ethic, and to former Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik for signing him and extending his contract.
But what, however, are Dotson’s odds of a successful transition?
Dotson’s good friend, former Bucs captain Davin Joseph, is no fan of Dotson relocating to left tackle, so he told eye-RAH Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune in Phoenix yesterday.
Dotson and Joseph remained close last season, texting or talking several times a week. Joseph is proud of his role in showing a rookie free agent how to be a pro in 2009.
Dotson is now the longest-tenured Buc.
“That’s my guy,” Joseph said. “Dot’s developed into a leader who can do great things for the Bucs, on and off the field. I hear the Bucs want to move him from right tackle to left tackle. I don’t know about that. Today’s best pass rushers come at you from all angles, not just off the right side. The way I look at it, if Dot’s a standout at right tackle, why change?”
Hmm, so Joseph and Dotson are in touch regularly, and Joseph isn’t upbeat about Doston’s relocation on the O-line? Joe thinks it’s easy to read between those lines.
Left tackle is big deal, especially with a rookie quarterback. That’s one reason the Bucs cut a perfectly good left tackle last season, Raiders star Donald Penn, and signed a veteran from the Bengals who had never started more than seven games in a season. It was that important to solidify/improve the position.
Nothing has changed. Left tackle is still important, and Joe sure hopes the Bucs at least get some competition in the mix for Doston.
January 30th, 2015 at 8:41 am
Maybe we’re going to draft a LT and let him learn on the right side the first year.
January 30th, 2015 at 8:54 am
Baffling…oh wait this is coming from L&L…..
29 year old journeymen/semi starter player….all of a sudden is a starting LT….SMH…crying
January 30th, 2015 at 9:00 am
We still have Warhop…. that is all!
Joe, curious to know what happened to Collins. He played fairly well his first half dozen games or so.
January 30th, 2015 at 9:02 am
Is Davin available as a stop-gap until we get great lineman?
January 30th, 2015 at 9:08 am
Shhh don’t tell anyone, but the master plan is to address LT on the draft with a savvy trade down to #20 with Philly so we can get the Eagles 1st pick+ Nagee Goode back in a pewter Burger King uniform 🙂
January 30th, 2015 at 9:10 am
He’s right. Putting Dotson at LT jeopardize our only good OL. Pamphile might develop good but right now we need to focus to draft or get a LT through FA
January 30th, 2015 at 9:32 am
I guess if you are are hurt alot and dont play up to your potential for enough years in a row so that the incoming coaching staff has no confidence in your abilities and decide to let you go- that it makes you the best one to criticize those left behind.
January 30th, 2015 at 9:47 am
We are not trading down to 20. That’s insane.. Grounds for termination if that happens. Not saying don’t trade down. Saying down to 20 would be stupid. I would have no problem if they took L. Williams. But at some point we need to roll the dice on a QB. Although I think if we had a Strong Oline MG would be fine.
January 30th, 2015 at 9:50 am
Nothing has changed. Left tackle is still important
Sorry but I believe that to be an understatement. In the pecking order of importance and tough positions to fill it usually goes QB, DL with great pass rushing skills and then LT!
Neither of the two QB’s is really worth the top pick in the draft. So trade down and pickup Andrus Peat or Scherff. We would have our next Paul Gruber and be set at one of the three hardest positions to fill for a decade.
Move Dotson back to RT where he was still actually improving despite his age because of his late start to football. I think Dotson could be a better than average RT this coming year if we get some great players around him. Find the best RG in the draft and our Oline could go from a total joke and shoot right past mediocrity to competency with a real shot at becoming very good by the second half of the season when the two rookies begin to pick up the game and the line starts jelling.
January 30th, 2015 at 10:00 am
@ RO
Thought my sarcasm about trading down to 20 was apparent by adding the Nagee Goode comment and smiley face. I’m with you on Leonard W…barring a freak training camp injury (this is the Bucs we’re talking about…bad luck seems to be out lot) I’d wager he’d make the most immediate impact to the team. Personally I’m hoping for a trade down to net another team’s 1st round this year and next while praying said team has a horrible year so the Bucs can draft Hackenberg in 2016. We all have our Buccaneer dreams 🙂
January 30th, 2015 at 10:08 am
I think he can be a better LT than a RT. And I disagree with your assessment, Joe, that he was “almost average” in 2013. He was about the only one on that line who could ball. Last year he was rough, but so was everyone else on that line, and he didn’t exactly have “almost average” players next to him either, which couldn’t have helped.
January 30th, 2015 at 11:49 am
I have faith in Dovie screwing everything. Nothing is going to change as long as he’s HC. He’s already screwing up the off season with putting the OL blame & firing the assistant OL coach. Making him the fall guy & keeping that lousy Warhop. Keep up the good work Dovie you piece of crap.
January 30th, 2015 at 12:01 pm
Dotson’s skillset is far better suited for the left side than the right. He is extremely tall and athletic and struggles with pad level and power… he is made to play LT. He is at LEAST average at RT. Just think about how bad the Oline around him is/was as well as QB play and perhaps more importantly than all of that, playcalling.
January 30th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
even the bucs are smart enough to know they are better off thinking along davin’s lines. create a hole at a position you acknowledge as one of your few strengths, just to have a prayer of filling one of the biggest holes a team can have (LT). based on last year’s scouting, that’s a recipe for being weak at both tackle positions. the bucs have the money. if a top 15 LT is out there, they should pay him to make sure the position is addressed until a draft pick steps up
January 30th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
second sentence was supposed to be a question. “*why* create a hole….”
January 30th, 2015 at 12:42 pm
I’ve been saying this for a while, Dotson is good at RT. Keep him there!
He’s is not a LT. Find someone younger to anchor the line for years to come. If lovie is going to waste half the season to find that out and have another year of terrible o-line play, then he deserves to be fired.
January 30th, 2015 at 4:59 pm
Joe you are allowed to be biased just like everyone here, which makes your site most unique, but Penn and Dom were awful for the Bucs in their last years here. Hence the reason they are no longer here. At least Penn found a second chance with the Raiders, but he wouldn’t stop hitting the buffets in Tampa and was constantly put on blast by opposing D-linemen. Getting cut was a slap in the face that he needed to keep his career going, and it worked out for him.
January 31st, 2015 at 11:17 pm
@toesonetheline
Lol.