Mason Foster And The Saints
March 9th, 2015
Target for NFC South rival?
Updated 2:29 p.m.: As Joe has written for months, the days of Mason Foster playing linebacker for the Bucs are numbered. Joe does not write this with any glee.
Joe likes Foster. One of the best guys in the locker room. And who doesn’t like his devotion to Ric Flair?
Problem was, the Bucs didn’t like Foster’s pass coverage skills in Lovie Smith’s defense. In Lovie’s defense, you could be the next Dick Butkus but if you can’t defend in pass coverage, you are no good.
Well, if the rumblings down the Gulf Coast are to be believed, Foster may not play for the Bucs any longer, but he won’t be a stranger to the Den of Depression.
It seems the Saints are interested in his services. A couple of guys who cover the Saints believe Foster very well could be a target. Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune and Mike Detillier of WWL-AM 870 seem convinced the Saints will make a play for Foster.
Joe wishes Foster the best of luck. He’s a good dude. Loves the Tampa Bay area. Even moved here full-time from his San Francisco home. Has roots here now with his children. He’s just, apparently, not a good fit for Lovie’s defense.
Update: Per BSPN, the Bears also are interested in Foster.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:21 am
great he will end up sticking it to the bucs twice a year.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:29 am
yep, that dude was on the cusp. Look how many coaches this dude went through. not his fault
March 9th, 2015 at 11:31 am
There’s enough holes on this team without creating more. After all, isn’t that what Lovie did with the OL last year getting rid of Penn and Joseph?
RE-SIGN FOSTER LOVIE!
March 9th, 2015 at 11:32 am
Getting rid of Penn and Zuttah. Joseph was on fumes last year with the Rams.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:33 am
He is the only person at mlb. If we let him go it would be a huge mistake. And when I say he is the only person at mlb I’m saying that because our depth sucks at that position. If he goes to the saints he will remind the bucs of just how stupid they truly are twice a year. Please don’t let him go. !!
March 9th, 2015 at 11:33 am
OK with me…..Mariota will burn him in coverage and outrun him too…
Mariota 4.52
Foster 4.75
March 9th, 2015 at 11:34 am
I agree keep him!
March 9th, 2015 at 11:36 am
Joe. Yea he may have been running on fumes but if our old o-line were together we wouldn’t have as many holes that we do now. Zuttah, pen, and Joseph knew how to play with each other, trust each other…….TRUST! That is something this O-line does my have. Let alone skills to give the quarterback more that 3 seconds to go through his progessions. Our o-line last year was a joke. I would have taken these three than the clowns that go overpaid to look like Sh!t.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:39 am
Tampabaybucs fan: it doesn’t matter if mariota is faster. One false step and he’s lunch meat. He will be the next Vick. Including all of his injuries: broken leg( complements of warren sapp) broken thumb, broken collarbone, and a bunch of other injuries that he had to endure. The moment he gets laid out mariota will second guess his decision to run. Do I think mariota will have games with a lot of yard using his feet. Hell yea. But what I worry about is him getting laid out by some defender and not get up.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:41 am
foster is faster than Winston? lol.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:41 am
Wish we would keep him, he hasn’t done a bad job fillign in for Barret Ruud. My concern would be Lovie’s replacement.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:45 am
I hear Atlanta wants Foster and Clayborne. It makes sense now that Raheem is the DC.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:46 am
agree JOE! should have kept zuttah and penn.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:50 am
Letting Foster walk is a mistake. Lovie Smith is not a smart man and neither is his little lapdog Licht. Watch his kick Foster to the curb and replace him with a lesser player. See every single offseason move from a year ago and the pattern is clear.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:51 am
@TbDEPRESSEDFAN
So….slower is better?
March 9th, 2015 at 11:52 am
still do not think lovie should make the calls on players. the bucs should have hired a GM. FIRST and I don’t mean licht.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:54 am
Just 2 years ago foster was intercepting passes and running them back for 80 yards but hey if he doesn’t fit he doesn’t fit.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:56 am
No tampabaybucs fan. Slower is not better but that speed is with no obstructions. Do linemen chasing you. Closing up running lanes. Oh and that is also after mariota goes throw all of his professions. So that less than a half of a second difference means very little. However if mariota can escape te pocket and the cb’s and safety the. He has a chance.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:57 am
that’s why the bears would not let lovie be COACH & GM his talent evaluation is not good hence last year proves it.
March 9th, 2015 at 11:57 am
I bet he pick-6 us next year if we let him go.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:00 pm
If Dan Quinn’s answer to fixing his woeful defense is to sign Foster and Claiborn….great…So far all we know about Quinn is that he was GIVEN a great bunch of talent to work with. If this is an indication of evaluation tlaents…GREAAT (for the BUCS). JOE I am surprised you said he was a “GREAT DUDE”…who cares? All I want is a MIKE that can drop into coverage when asked!
March 9th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
They never figured out that Foster is an OLB…….played outside in college….always a risk to move guys out of their college position where they had the good film that got them drafted in the first place…..
March 9th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
report joe. hoyer to sign with Texans 3 year deal lovie better sign a back up for whoever before there is nothing worth signing.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Better keep Foster until you find someone better.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Chest master. I truly hope that he gets two pick 6’s on us twice a year of he goes to the saints. That would serve L&L right. Lovie already made a dumb ass move getting rid of an O-line that looked like Pro bowl caliber linemen compared to these overpaid so called pro football players that we had as our front line. If he gets rid of mason who out there can replace him. The free agency market is gettin line really fast. Not to mention there aren’t many mlb free agents.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Gee WS99, I can only rembrr Foster intercepting one pass in four years and that was against Bree’s. One INT in four years, wow. Guess we might as well start reserving a place in Canton with that type of production.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:10 pm
Joe says
“Joe has written for months, the days of Mason Foster playing linebacker for the Bucs are numbered.”
Wish someone said this last year! oh wait, I did. Thanks for wasting time Lovie!!!
March 9th, 2015 at 12:11 pm
You guys saying stuff like, “I hope he gets Two INT’s against the Bucs,” really demonstrate that you aren’t and never have been fans of the Bucs.
I mean seriously, what true fan of a team would say that.
After Manning left the Colts, you think any fan of Indianapolis sat around saying, “I hope when Manning comes back he puts a 50 burger on us.”
You guys really are such fakes and trolls.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:13 pm
That is true Edrington, but when the Dummymeister drafted him, he touted him as a true ILB and the puppets called a media repeated it like parrots.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Jason Williams is weak side right? So that leaves us with Lansanna lemon and fletcher. Is that Lovies lb corp? Can you say Denzel Perryman? Nah, he prob too bad ass for lovie smiths defense.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
@ WS99
Rumors on PFT….Patrick Willis to Bucs….announcement tomorrow.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
The inactivity is scaring me. Iupati could mean Mariota :). It will be more clear what we do once this week is over.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
2013 Foster had 3 Ints, 1 more than Darrel Revis. He returned 1 for a TD, also 1 more than HOF Darrel Revis. He has 5 Ints for his career. Last year was his first without an interception. So theres that, and don’t mess with me DD out of respect for my fellow posters I ignore you. I suggest you do the same. Good day sir.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Tbbf
He’s retiring according to nfln
March 9th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
But how awesome would that be? LVD Willis Lansanna.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:25 pm
Am i missing something? Why don’t we move Foster to his natural position SAM….Lansanah or your draft pick of choice move into the middle and Foster can put those 10lbs back on and thump people…Definitly a mistake
March 9th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
Jacko101 Says:
March 9th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
“The inactivity is scaring me.”
Its not “inactivity”. Its free agents hanging up the phone while laughing at the Bucs!!!
March 9th, 2015 at 12:33 pm
The person who will really be happy about Foster in NOA or ATL is ASJ who will have two games a year to exploit Foster’s inability to play any pass defense.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
willis is to retire tomorrow per NFL NETWORK.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
Horrible mistake to let foster go sign him to a 1 year contract and let him compete healthy expecually when it was his first year in that system
March 9th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for the stats WS99. Don’t mind acknowledging I might be wrong when you can back it up with facts.
Still not sold on him but he seems to be better than anything that is available in FA.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
@WS99- but yes that would be awesome would have been.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
I get that Foster isn’t a good system fit but there aren’t many options in free agency. The draft has a few options but the Bucs have so many other needs. Kendricks looks like the best option but he’ll be long gone by second round. MLB is a key position in Lovie’s defense, hopefully they have a plan.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
..if Willis retires, the 49ers still have the rights to him. He can’t just go out and sign with another team. If he wanted to be traded, he would just ask for a trade instead of retiring.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Tell me about this Lovie defense that some good players can’t be fit in to. L’s D must get some amazingly high grades throuhout the business. Do tell.
March 9th, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Get ready for another season under 500. We are slowly becoming the Browns….completely irrelevant.
March 9th, 2015 at 1:03 pm
I doubt Lovie will find anyone better to play mike.Here’s a thought maybe Lavonte has the speed and instincts to play middle. Plus he’s worn the headset before.
Having a good will is nice but means very little if your mike cant cover deep.
March 9th, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Foster’s INT for a TD in the Saints game was one of the highlights of the 2013 season for me anyways.
I had season tickets and Raymond Jameis was rocking after that.
Then Lindell missed the easy FG and Bree’s launched a bomb to Colston, they kick the FG, game over. Depressing.
March 9th, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Neither was the best cornerback in football a good fit for Lovie’s defense which tells you a lot about the coach and not the player.
March 9th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Can you pathetic souls stop about Mariota. Like a team brings in a local product for 3 days on March then drafts a system QB. Like seriously can we just start talking about building the line around winston already. And shoring up the promising defense. Let’s stop talking about Mariota as if there is a chance in hell. Bucs said themselves why would we smokescreen we dictate the draft. Oh Ya here comes the “they are smoke screening their smokescreen even tho nobody can move ahead of them”. Thats the same thing as Mario Williams getting signed pre draft and people saying “dude its a hoax they’re gonna pull the contract and draft Reggie Bush”
March 9th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Lovies defense is a dying breed. Its not a bad defense per say but more college defenses are using a 3-4 base with complex blitz packages that rarley give the same look more than five times a game. All to counter the spread most offenses are employing.
What that means is finding natural 4-3 players who are fluent in Tampa 2 is becoming more difficult every year. These basketball TE’s can come in and dominate even the best Mikes and without some sort of help from a safety over top its a mismatch every time.
Mikes arent being asked to cover as much. Their primary task is to blitz and overload the 0’s and 2’s. So the Tampa 2 Mike, just like the 4-3 DE, are becoming more uncommon.
Creating multiple sub packages for 4-3 and nickel with different LB’s covering deep could potentially create mismatches and might be more practical than an everydown Tampa 2 mike that covers every passing down.
Lovie has to evolve with the new NFL. I noticed two looks Tampa usually showed opposing offenses last year. Tampa 2 from a 4-3 and loading the box showing blitz (which EVERYONE knew was a bluff). If we dont mix it up our defense will be good at best but will never get it done in todays NFL.
March 9th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
Quite catchy if you humm it along to the old Elton John song “Benny and the Jets”!
March 9th, 2015 at 2:17 pm
It will be just another mistake for the BUCS to not re-sign Foster. At worst, he would be a quality back-up and at best, continue his leadership role with the organization. I am quickly about to jump off the Lovie Smith bandwagen!!!
March 9th, 2015 at 3:20 pm
@Broy34 – If it’s that much of a sure thing, why didn’t Winston leave Tampa with a contract? What happens when Mariota comes to town in a few weeks and there is a nice video of him walking around One Buc? Is it a smoke-screen then? Or are smoke-screens only bull$hit when they don’t support your opinion?
March 9th, 2015 at 3:40 pm
Foster was the one player I really wanted us to keep. Even move him to SLB if that’s what it took. It’s not like he is gonna command a big pay day and he is a legit starter on the cusp on something special. I’ve always felt MLB wasn’t his strength.
Danny Lansanah can easily handle the responsibilities of the MLB and Foster would be an above average if not pro bowler at Strong side. We should keep him if for nothing else at least solid depth. Not many other options in the FA or Draft to replace him TBH.
March 9th, 2015 at 3:42 pm
I feel letting Foster go will end up being like when we let Michael Bennett go.
March 9th, 2015 at 4:10 pm
[…] Foster is a free agent, and all signs point to the Bucs letting him walk. Danny Lansanah, an outside linebacker, could play in the […]
March 9th, 2015 at 5:16 pm
@largo ….
Lovie’s inability to adapt and keep up with the trends in the NFL is what will damn the Bucs under his tenure.
March 9th, 2015 at 6:23 pm
If Lovie’s Def system is so outdated why did it rank 4th in the league 3 years ago and #1 two years in a row a few years before that? Has the NFL changed that much in 3 seasons?
March 9th, 2015 at 8:33 pm
I think releasing Foster is a great idea.
What could go wrong?
March 9th, 2015 at 9:02 pm
LMFAO- TOO funny great commercial.
March 9th, 2015 at 9:41 pm
foster will have a distinguished career IMO, but i do get this move. square peg, round hole – he’s not such an incredible talent that you modify the scheme to keep him around, but he fits plenty of other people’s schemes just fine. this is some of the collateral damage of so many coaching staffs in a short period of time
March 10th, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Let this guy go…Bucs fan really need to stop falling in love with guys because they once wore pewter and red. You can bring up zuttah and penn and everyone else that we released who had an ok to good season..and I can name 5 per name you come up with that are either out of the league or almost there. This guy has played with us many many years, and has played well enough to be a back up, plus hes been stricken with injuries. And dont give me that “he played for so many different coaches” bs…so did Levonte David and Gerald McCoy…and so did J Banks..didnt stop them from progressing did it? They all got better right? Theres star level talent, theres starting lineup talent, and then theres reserve level talent and Mason fits the latter. If someone in our division did sign him, it will only be short term, just long enough to milk Mason for intel on Lovie and Fraziers defensive schemes so they can beat us twice a year and he’ll be cut. Bringing Mason in will just be an information move…Mason is a good football player, but nothing to be worried about having to face twice a year, hell, nobody else has.