Dotson Details A Changed Mankins
August 3rd, 2015
Let’s add this up. Former superstar left guard Logan Mankins reported to the Bucs revitalized in April with “six-pack abs” (perhaps he gave up grilled meat?) and was called the “father of the locker room” by Tampa Bay management last week.
Then, Mankins talked yesterday about his revived motivation.
Joe soaked all that in and felt compelled to ask right tackle Demar Dotson, who has been around O-line leaders like Jeff Faine and Davin Joseph, what is really different about Mankins this year.
“He’s taken more of a vocal role on this football team,” Dotson said. “That’s one thing he didn’t do a whole lot, you know, last year. He just more led by example; he didn’t say too much. I don’t know why, you know, a guy with that much knowledge and that much playing experience, why he didn’t say too much, but he came back with a mindset that he’s going to be more vocal. That’s what he’s doing.
“He’s holding guys accountable. So, you know, you can’t look at a guy like that and say, ‘He don’t know what he’s talking about [or] know what he’s doing.’ When he’s speaking you’ve got to acknowledge the respect.”
It’s pretty interesting that Dotson doesn’t get why Mankins was so quiet last season. One could speculate all day long and come up with all kinds of conspiracy theories.
But that’s old news.
Bucs fans should be confident that Mankins is a changed man. However, Mankins remains a 33-year-old guard with a history of knee issues. Beating Father Time is much harder than tackling an attitude adjustment.
August 3rd, 2015 at 11:25 am
Football players are humans who do MORE than simply play football. Imagine the interruption to your family, especially pre teens and teens who are most vulnerable, if suddenly you’re jerked from your home and sent a thousand miles away to a completely different culture and climate. He was simply disoriented last year.
Now let’s talk about motivation. Yeah it’s great to play for N.E. or Seattle or G.B. but OTOH you’re nothing more than the latest piece to a winning tradition. You can be a small part of it, but you didn’t establish it.
Perhaps Mankins finally realized he could actually have an even better legacy if he was part of a group that stopped a 30-70 slide and turned a franchise around. How much more satisfying would it be to CREATE something great rather than simply being plugged into something that was already great.
I can see why Mankins is pumped!!! 10-6 baby!!!
August 3rd, 2015 at 12:53 pm
StPeteBucsFan … Agree 100%. Leaving your family, coming into a new locker room just before the season kicks off … and starting … had to be very challenging.
One of the videos I watched of Day 2 practice was taken from behind the OLine and showed Mankins and Gilkey on opposite sides of center. Must say that Gilkey looked quite a bit bigger than Mankins in that video, even though the roster lists them at only 7 lbs difference. Starting to wonder just how much weight Mankins did lose earlier this year. Certainly looks to be in great condition for an ‘older’ OLineman.
August 3rd, 2015 at 1:43 pm
With Mankins taking a leadership role and sharing his wealth of knowledge it just does not make sense to me that he is sharing with Gilkey and Pamphile as our two rookies are off on the second team? It just makes no sense to me that Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet are not with the first team so they can build that camaraderie with Mankins and Smith and Dotson as well. I don’t care about the competition to start. Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet give us our best chance to win. Period.
August 3rd, 2015 at 2:00 pm
I feel much more sorry for the 99% of other people who get separated from family due to work aren’t muti millionaires who can’t afford to keep two luxury homes, 4 months off and can afford to travel at will.
August 3rd, 2015 at 2:07 pm
After playing 9 seasons in New England with Tom Brady and then get traded to the Bucs, it has to be a drastic experience ” mentally” . This season will be different, he had a year to make the adjustments. And the same can be said about EDS, I haven’t been this excited about a Buc team since 2002.
August 3rd, 2015 at 2:34 pm
all the motivation in the world and six pack abs are not going to help that knee of his… if he stays healthy he will be adequate at best nothing better can be expected anything else is pie in the sky dreaming…