Licht: Logan Mankins A “Solution”
January 5th, 2015
The Bucs’ offensive line was a ghastly trainwreck last year. When Oniel Cousins starts, you have a problem, Houston.
Anthony Collins was a flop and being a healthy scratch in December sure smells like he is trade bait (“Take my offensive tackle, please.”). Or he may get outright released.
Bucs coach Lovie Smith made no secret of how he liked the test drive given to Demar Dotson at starting at left tackle. That all but tells you there will be a transaction.
At left guard, Logan Mankins was far from the All-Pro of his resume. Given that he is due $6.75 million next season, per Rotoworld.com, that’s an awful lot of Team Glazer coin for average(?) play.
In a long-form piece on Mankins for BSPN Boston, Jackie McMullen goes deep into the mind of Mankins, and Bucs general manager Jason Licht doesn’t sound like a guy looking to replace Mankins.
Mankins suffered a knee injury in his first week in Tampa. He stayed late after practices, asked questions and was irritated that he wasn’t helping his new team more. His children were sad and confused he wasn’t home. Yet Mankins kept those concerns to himself.
“If it was hard for him, he didn’t show it,” Licht said. “He’s the same guy every day. No emotion. He never showed any indication of being shell-shocked.
“He’s the first one in the meeting room, teaching these guys how to study the right way. He holds them accountable without having to say a word. He gives them ‘the look’ and that’s enough. We’ve had some issues [on the offensive line], but he’s not one of them. He’s one of the solutions.”
Oh, no indication of being shell-shocked?
Joe thinks highly of Licht, but when Mankins was first acquired and had a press conference at the Den of Depression minutes before a preseason game, Mankins was beyond shell-shocked. Joe has never seen a player so rattled. He had a perpetual glassy stare and just mumbled answers. It was as if someone told Mankins his dog was just run over.
And Joe was hardly the only person there with the same impression. Joe saw it with his own eyes. Shell-shocked? You bet.
Joe has never gotten the sense Mankins actually wants to be here. Can’t really blame him. He is used to playoff football, not playing for the dregs of the NFL. And in this story, nothing seems to dissuade the notion that Mankins’ heart is still in Foxboro.
That doesn’t mean Mankins is unprofessional. Not even close. And when your left tackle (Collins) struggles, more often than not your left guard will struggle, as well.
Hopefully, after a year on the west coast of the east coast under his belt, and an upgrade at left tackle, Mankins will be more like his former All-Pro self.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:08 am
I like Mankins, but not because of this story. In a way, I think the tribulations of this past season will serve to bring the team together.
One thing he did see…a group of players who refuse to give up. He’ll respect that.
He was surrounded by crap. That will change this year.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:15 am
I think with a quality RG and RT added though draft and/or FA, the Bucs will see much improved play from EDS, Mankins and Dotson. This will make this line acceptable, but not outstanding. Every year, the Bucs have to add someone to the line, (at least to develop), so we don’t end up in this crappy situation again.
Just one question? If the Panthers can pick and develop TWO rookie guards and make it work, why in the hell can’t we?
January 5th, 2015 at 9:21 am
Part of the problem, or not, NO WAY is Mankins worth almost $7M next year.
And if the Bucs ask him to take a pay cut? He will say no and go back to the Pats – if he has to play for less money, where do you think he would rather be?
January 5th, 2015 at 9:23 am
Watching the games this past weekend brought me to one conclusion.
Neither of our lines are good enough to contend for anything but the basement of the NFC South.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:24 am
@ Dean
I agree completly……I think Mankins is solid and a couple of new pieces to that line will do wonders. There has been some talk that Pamphile looks pretty good and hopefully he will improve and provide depth. We also have Kadeem Edwards who was placed on IR….
We need 1 or 2 FA olinemen to replace Collins & RG…..or a high (2nd rd) draft pick. I am quite certain the Oline will be a major focus for L&L and the new OC would insist on it as would our new Oline coach…
January 5th, 2015 at 9:27 am
This really has to be one of the worst Bucs trades EVER. Not that Mankins is awful, but he is not the near player he once was. He is WAY over paid, and the Bucs gave up WAY too much to get him – a 4th rd pick AND a promising TE prospect for a damaged, 1-2 year rental?? Ridiculous!
January 5th, 2015 at 9:31 am
Biff barker has never had a positive thing to say about the Bucs that I can remember.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:32 am
Harry well said
Mankins is just like Lovie, a good guy that is washed up and finished. It didn’t take a trained observer to notice Mankins was rattled and did not want to be there.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:34 am
Patriots seem just fine without him. He graded out poorly the year before he was dealt, so he’s clearly in decline. For what he’s being paid he should be cut.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:37 am
@Dean,
The Panthers can do the bc they used their 3rd rd pick on one of those guards as a needed upgrade to their Oline, whereas the friggin Bucs used their 3rd rd pick on a RB they did NOT need. Ridiculous!
January 5th, 2015 at 9:41 am
Maybe Collins could be a better contributor at guard?
January 5th, 2015 at 9:43 am
Mankins may be overpaid for his play on the field but you can’t put a price on experience and as Licht points out that he shows the rest of the line how to study for the next game. This is very important to build a foundation for the offensive line.
Someone asked above why the panthers can make two rookie guards work? Well that’s probably good mentoring from the older guys and I think keeping Mankins is worth it in the long run. He could make the rest of the line better with time even if his play is not what it once was. He’s still good and we have the cap space.
Every new player at the Patriots say the same thing: I have never studied so hard as we do here. Lets hope we keep Mankins and that he can instill the same attitude around here.
January 5th, 2015 at 9:53 am
GMs couldn’t get out of bed every morning if they didn’t practice “revisionist history” on a daily basis.
January 5th, 2015 at 10:01 am
@Lovie will start McCown…
“Mankins may be overpaid for his play on the field but you can’t put a price on experience and as Licht points out that he shows the rest of the line how to study for the next game…”
The rest of the Oline averages 6 years of experience in th NFL. If they need the $7M Man-kins to teach them “how to study for the next game”, then L&L did an even worse job in FA then what we originally thought! I actually had to re-read that Licht actually said that. I guess Licht uses the same bullspit-speak as Lovie
January 5th, 2015 at 10:07 am
You know who was all glassy-eyed and shell-shocked after being given his walking papers for his dreadful performance he gave us in the prior year?… Penn
Penn, after being released, finally woke-up, and had a rebound year in Oakland.
Hopefully, Mankin’s can do the same for us this year. Otherwise $6.7 mil is a lot to swallow for below average play, and it again proves why Beliicheat is a genius.
January 5th, 2015 at 10:13 am
ddneast Says:
Biff barker has never had a positive thing to say about the Bucs that I can remember
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Meh, I’m an optimist by nature by nature but a 2-14 record is a very bitter pill.
Simple as that.
Some bright spots? Jack Smith had a really good season, ditto Banks and McDougal. Evans has exceeded expectations. I thought Lansanah brought some much needed fire too.
Other than that, I really see the same forked tongue HC, in over his head and living in the past.
January 5th, 2015 at 10:19 am
Well said Biff
January 5th, 2015 at 10:34 am
Not to confuse anyone with an optimistic comment but EDS, Dotson and Mankins all have a much higher ceiling than what we’ve seen this year.
With a good OC and OL coach they can be serviceable. I’d really focus on the right side, maybe even take a look at Collins there.
January 5th, 2015 at 10:46 am
I love our business model, trade away 1st, 2nd n 3rd round picks for nothing then sign overpriced ineffective FA.
I read a comment on Bspn yesterday that said “come on bucs the patriots expect more out of their farm team than a 2-14 record”. Lmao yup.
January 5th, 2015 at 10:56 am
AGAIN! We use the #1 pick to grab our franchise QB. (Which one is a separate debate).
We take our 33rd pick, top in the 2nd round and package it with Mike Glennon, other picks, or something of value, perhaps another trade, to move back to the middle of the first. There are several franchise tackles available this year.
We pick a franchise tackle in the middle of the first and use our remaining picks to find at least ONE NFL quality guard. We move Dotson back to the right side.
He’s an experiment that may work on the left, he’s already solid on the right side with some more upside remaining.
There it is. Put Mankins and EDS with three other competent players and everybody’s play is lifted. I do not expect the Dallas Cowboy line by next year. But getting a competent OL is not out of the question at all.
January 5th, 2015 at 11:10 am
Bucs OLine was pitiful all year long, starting in the preseason. From what I saw, EDS and Mankins are both serviceable, and Dotson just keeps getting better and better. So many changes that the OL never had a chance to come together as a unit.
Lovie and Licht share a big part of the blame for creating such turmoil prior to the start of the season by gutting the OL. Tedford’s situation certainly didn’t help, but such is life. Having an unproven OC (Marcus) stand in while he recovered didn’t help either. Tedford really screwed the pooch when he decided not to return after he healed up I think.
But the coach I have the biggest concern with is Warhop, the OLine coordinator. No one seems to mention his performance much, but I would think that an experienced OL coach like him could’ve done a much better job even with the talent that the Bucs had (or didn’t have).
January 5th, 2015 at 11:16 am
Mankins a solution? According to my chemistry teacher alcohol is also a solution.
January 5th, 2015 at 11:58 am
DB55 Says:
Mankins a solution? According to my chemistry teacher alcohol is also a solution.
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For many Bucs fans alcohol is a solution too.
Until Monday morning that is.
January 5th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Biff
Amongst other things like hallow point bullets.
January 5th, 2015 at 12:42 pm
brilliant negotiating tactic by belichick. spend a little time down in tampa, and then tell me a couple million dollars is more important than playing for a solid, winning organization in your twilight years. he will be a patriot again as soon as we cut him (he wouldn’t negotiate with NE where he has won rings and where his family lives, why would he take a discount for this team?), and even if he’s a backup making the minimum when he goes back, he will be loving life and probably performing at a higher level than we ever saw from him here.
January 5th, 2015 at 10:50 pm
Over-paying for Logan Mankins was a Licht move after a series of moves to make the oline much much worse so of course he is going to try and salvage whatever he can of his reputation by talking up Mankins. We all know what we saw and Mankins did not resemble anything like a solution on that oline. Jason Licht does not tell the truth and rightly thinks Bucs fans are stupid. Look at how they bought the McCown, Collins, Johnson, etc show and asked no questions.