Would Demar Dotson At LT Backfire?
April 6th, 2015
Caution: This is another in a long series about the offensive line of the Bucs. Naturally, it is not pleasant. Read at your own peril.
So as it stands, the rotten Tampa Bay offensive line is no better. Last seen, it was so frightening Freddie Krueger had an accident in his pants watching it.
There is a hole at left tackle with the jettisoning of Anthony Collins, and there is a hole with the departure of guard/tackle Oniel Cousins, who made seven starts (Yes, a cynic would say there are other holes).
While fielding questions from Twitter about the Bucs, Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com answered a question about Demar Dotson. The Bucs’ right tackle, who Joe has professed is OK but no Dan Dierdorf, might be moved to left tackle, a position where he has scant experience. A Bucs fan wondered why experiment like that with Dotson when he led the NFL in penalties at right tackle.
That’s an excellent question. Demar Dotson has had problems with penalties and putting him at left tackle could make those issues even worse. But it still is not a given that Dotson will move from right to left tackle. He may stay on the right side and the Bucs may use their second-round pick on a left tackle.
Dotson is not a Pro Bowler at right tackle. He’s OK. Keep him there. At least that position is set. Dotson may just melt down at left tackle, and then who do you play then at right tackle? In a sense, the Bucs could be creating two problems trying to fix one.
Joe isn’t fond of players learning new positions at the NFL level. Just ask Garrett Gilkey.
April 6th, 2015 at 5:14 am
There were holes at left tackle and at guard Before cutting Collins and Cousins!
April 6th, 2015 at 6:25 am
What is it Groundhog Day until April 30th? Yawn….!!
April 6th, 2015 at 6:34 am
Love to find a way to get the’the Collins.
April 6th, 2015 at 6:34 am
I’m more worried about the LT position then any other position on the team. I know he has broken down a lot but I would bring Jake Long in for a physical. Still draft a LT in the 2nd
April 6th, 2015 at 6:37 am
Maybe, just maybe he could work out at LT. If he’s been training there this whole off season. If he and Logan can build up some type of chemistry this off season. It might work out. He was better then Collins.
April 6th, 2015 at 6:48 am
Eric Flowers (Miami, FL) or Cameron Erving (FSU) will probably still be available top of the 2nd round. Heck, Peat may even drop to the second. Somethinng to be said about Erving coming unto the team with Winston…..provides a sense of comfortability for both.
April 6th, 2015 at 6:57 am
Flowers is consistently going in the top 20 of most mock drafts, Irving usually in the top 25. They’re very unlikely to be available at the top of the 2nd round.
April 6th, 2015 at 7:13 am
@ Bucrightoff
Well if that would be the case I would imagine the Bucs look at OL, ILB and DE and chose the one highest ranked. We may have to wait till round 3 for an OL then.
April 6th, 2015 at 7:38 am
canadian bucsfan Says
I’m more worried about the LT position then any other position on the team.”
Left Tackle is certainly the second most important spot on the line, but not nearly as important as center.
Center is the most important spot on the line to fix, and I don’t see a quick fix coming. Even if we draft a center in the second round, odds are he’ll need a minimum of a year to develop and adjust to the pros.
The same would be true of a left tackle.
However, drafting a center would allow us to move EDS to guard, where he will hopefully do better. (HOPEFULLY! It still isn’t a sure thing). So we would fill two needs in one pick.
A quick fix would have been in free agency, but getting such a move right requires first a good GM, and second a good prospect. Neither is available for the bucs.
April 6th, 2015 at 7:43 am
we haven’t attempted to even sign a scrub at left tackle for some reason….we’re going to move an average right tackle over to left where he’ll face a better pass rush and protect the blind side of a rookie quarterback…..what could possibly go wrong
April 6th, 2015 at 7:46 am
bucrightoff Says
“Flowers is consistently going in the top 20 of most mock drafts, Irving usually in the top 25. They’re very unlikely to be available at the top of the 2nd round.”
You can never truly go by the rankings, because teams rank differently. Look at the rankings of previous years and look at where players are actually picked. The rankings are always way off after the tenth pick, sometimes sooner.
For example, Trey Flowers, on NFL. com is ranked as the 9th best DE. I really doubt 9 DEs will be taken in the first round. Whether he truly is ranked 9th will depend on each team…teams that are influenced by the desires of coaches and scouts. For example, Greg Schiano had a certain college team he preferred to pick from.
This sort of thing throws off the rankings, so take them with a grain of salt.
Trey Flowers could well be there at the top of the second round.
By the same token, Eric Kendricks is ranked as the third MLB. So it is possible he will be there as well.
Erving, however, is listed as the top center, so I suppose there is little chance of that. Unless the rankings are wrong. And they could well be.
April 6th, 2015 at 7:48 am
@bucs4lyfe
The move to LT could simple be a smokescreen so people don’t think we’ll take one in the draft.
April 6th, 2015 at 7:50 am
I might also add that it is not unusual for a player to drop 5-7 spots.
And Mocks are always way off outside the top ten picks.
April 6th, 2015 at 7:54 am
Oh, and as to Demar Dotson getting penalties, I have yet to see a right tackle that did not get plenty of penalties. It’s the stupid ones that matter.
Like Trueblood taking shots at players.
Kenyatta Walker was constantly getting holding penalties.
Demar Dotson certainly needs to improve in that area, but it’s still not unusual for RTs.
April 6th, 2015 at 8:09 am
It would be awesome to get Cam Erving – but he is unlikely to be there at #34.
Unless the talent doesn’t line up right, or there is a DE or MLB that they can’t pass up in the 2nd round – I would like to see the Bucs go LT in round 2 and Guard in the 3rd round.
Tre Jackson may well be there at the top of round 3 which could help provide some of that continuity for Winston.
Starting rookies up front is risky – but hopefully linemen picked in the top 75 players can handle it and succeed in their 1st year. What other the choice do the Bucs really have other than bringing in some broken down FA?
April 6th, 2015 at 8:09 am
I would not be surprised if the Buccaneers move back up into the first round to pick up a tackle.
Bonzai
I agree the center is the most important position on the line to fix, especially if we select JW as he struggled with pressure up the middle (as most pocket passers do).
April 6th, 2015 at 8:11 am
Who was it that took over the LT spot when Mr. Penn was in his hold out in training camp, anyone remember what Mr. Penn said when he returned about his replacement for that time?
I think he will be good not great at LT we do need to find another LT in the draft or when teams cut veterans after the draft. I’ve been very happy with the play of this undrafted never played OT player he has gotten better every season and is very durable.
April 6th, 2015 at 9:08 am
I seriously cant believe any one takes the.time.out of there day to come chat about the bucs anymore.
Since 1997 and I never gave more of a sh*t less about this team ever as I do now.So I guess this is how the old timers felt in the creamcicle days? Puke.Come back to life Malcom your little Leprechauns are killing our team.
April 6th, 2015 at 9:09 am
The offensive line will suck. It’s the Lovie way. Movie Dotson is flat out stupid. He is average not elite moving him destabilizes two positions not just one.
No way Flowers falls to bucs and I’d be highly surprised if Ervan drops too but he is at least a realistic possibility unlike flowers.
Give the garbage Lovie has collected during this free agent class and the fact in his 10 year history he has never drafted well or evaluated players well and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Lovie is not magically going to figure it out. Lovie will be lucky to get 2 starters out of the draft. The 5 or 6th round pick they get for glennon is not going to do anything maybe help move up a spot or two.
Lovie is a horrible personnel man and will not figure it out in year 10 based on his stubbornness and flat out stupidity. he demonstrates that with his poor decsions daily.
It’s good to dream but until Lovie is gone get used to a horrible line year in and year out that’s the Lovie way and it will not change.
April 6th, 2015 at 9:40 am
I agree with Erik Flowers. Can Erving will be a guard
April 6th, 2015 at 9:49 am
It’s all speculation at this point fellas. I’m a Dotson supporter because he’s still learning. He played ONE year of football in college. Before that it was all hoops. He beat out Trueblood in 2012 he has a whopping 3 years +1 college for a total of 4 years of football! I believe he still has upside although barring dramatic improvement I’d feel far more comfortable playing him at RT and drafting a franchise LT.
Dotson is not all pro material but he could very easily be a very solid performer at RT especially if you got an NFL quality RG beside him and good TE play.
Several posters here have already come up with plausible fixes including drafting or obtaining a center to move EDS to right guard. Lots of creative solutions from you guys.
I just know I lust for a franchise LT in this draft. Because of other teams needs Walter Football has Flowers and Peat going in the top 10. We’re not going to get either of them. and Scherff is also up there so forget about him for guard. FSU’s Cam Erving is projected at 17 as C/G/T. Great lineman but not a “franchise” LT. I’d rather have the freshman who beat him out last year in Tallahasssee.
That “leaves” a group of D.J. Humphries and TJ Clemmings just a half dozen or so picks above our 2nd round pick well within reach.
And on the NFL site several of their selectors have both Peat and Flowers falling as far as 20th. I just have a feeling there will be a franchies LT in reach of our 34th selection even if we have to trade a player or lower pick to move up a bit.
April 6th, 2015 at 10:57 am
It just sucks there were no premier LT or G available in free agency. For everyone complaining; I don’t know who they should have signed? Orlando Franklins is the only main name I can think of and he was expensive LG and we have Logan there. Wisneski isn’t getting signed by anyone depsite tons of visits which is odd.
It’d be amazing if we could land a LT in round 2 or by sneaking back into round 1; and also still add a guard or center in the draft with a top 4 round pick. That seems like the ideal scenario at this point for the line; if not just going all O-line after Winston
April 6th, 2015 at 12:28 pm
IDK he did have a lot of penalties last year, but in 2013 he was one of the better RT’s in the league. I feel Dotson has improved and adapted to holding down each role he has been given in his stage of developing. This is another stepping stone. His first crack at LT was a little overwhelming for him and he wasn’t confident he could do it, since then he has been able to take the RT spot from Trueblood, never let it go and has steadily improved. I know I am in the minority for saying this but I am actually really comfortable with Dotson at LT this year. Give him a full offseason to work the position along side Mankins and the left could be decent if not solid.
April 6th, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Not to mention there really isn’t any true stud LT’s in this years drafts. Most are strong RT’s who “Potentially” can excel at the blind side. At least in Dotson you know exactly what you are going to get, unless the rookie can beat him out in Training Camp.
April 6th, 2015 at 12:33 pm
StPeteBucsFan Says:
April 6th, 2015 at 9:49 am
FSU’s Cam Erving is projected at 17 as C/G/T. Great lineman but not a “franchise” LT. I’d rather have the freshman who beat him out last year in Tallahasssee.
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1st off – there is no sure-fire “franchise” LT in this entire draft. All the top tackles have some improvements in their game that need to be made. IMO, Erving is as good as any of them – and if he hadn’t moved to Center 1/2 way through the 2014 season – he would be talked about as such.
That move was a very unselfish move BTW. It likely effected Erving’s draft position by a good 10 spots or more – thus costing him $. But it also showed how extremely versatile Cam is and that he truly is capable of playing any OL spot you want to work him at.
Erving’s play at LT was very solid for 2 1/2 years – the move to Center was out of necessity as Winston was getting tons of pressure right up the middle the 1st half of 2014. Once Cam moved over, that situation improved quite a bit and the Freshman who took his LT spot played well – so the whole line got stabilized from that move.
To say that Erving was “beat out” by the younger player at LT is ridiculous though – and shows how unaware SPBF is about what happened with FSU’s OLine last year.
Most mock drafts have Erving going somewhere between 20-30 at this point. So if the Bucs want to move up 6-12 spots – they can probably get him if they are willing to pay the price to do that. Erving lasting until #34 is a pretty big long shot – and his stock has continued to rise over the last 2 months – so if the Bucs want him, they will have to give up an extra pick to get him. As much as I like Erving – I’m not so sure that’s a good idea considering all the needs that need to be filled.
April 6th, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Pickgrin
To say that Erving was “beat out” by the younger player at LT is ridiculous though – and shows how unaware SPBF is about what happened with FSU’s OLine last year.
I accept that Erving took one for the team. But I”ve read too many articles..if Joe accepted links I could quickly put up a dozen that Roderick Johnson is a generational LT and is clearly better than Erving. 6’7″ and a “slim” 330 Johnson is a true beast!
Now you could perhaps make the argument that since Erving was versatile and had a great year at center we could select him and build from the inside out. But the move had as much to do with Johnson’s incredible talent as Erving’s need to plug a hole. There’s this from Jimbo himself.
“Because he had to develop and the left tackle was ready to play,” Fisher said. “Over the last couple of weeks, he has put himself in position to play. You never know when Freshmen are ready, and he is an extremely talented young man.”
Ready he was. Johnson showed strong athleticism, power and composure in protecting Jameis Winston’s backside. And he was strong in the run game, as well.
I sense you are a Nole Pickgrin. How about this…take Erving this year and hope we draft high enough to get Johnson when he comes out. It’s only one year but from what I saw Johnson is clearly better than anybody on the board this year and a player with his size and talent will probably go in the top 5 long before we’re drafting in the future….I hope!
April 6th, 2015 at 3:41 pm
I’m not saying that Johnson is not talented SPBF – just correcting your suggestion that Erving was not a good enough LT to keep a talented Freshman from stealing his starting position for 3 years as LT.
Jimbo was smart enough to know that Cam could do well moving positions mid-season and that the move would help shore up an obvious problem the team was having. It was a good move and benefitted all involved (except Cam Erving who’s draft stock took a bit of a dip as a result).
I would love for the Bucs to get Erving. He could start at LT this year – and his versatility is a really big plus. But I don’t think giving up the 4th round pick necessary to move up and get him would be worth the price considering all the needs the Bucs have. And there are a # of other OLine players in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds this year that would represent talent upgrades over what we have now up front.
April 6th, 2015 at 4:53 pm
Jake long at LT ?