Is The Cavalry Coming?
August 17th, 2015
So it seems like the knee injury to Demar Dotson is enough that the Bucs are bringing in unemployed veteran tackle Gosder Cherilus to potentially fill the hole in Dotson’s absence.
That was the word from Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times yesterday. Yeah, once upon a time Cherilus was a first-round pick. Yeah, once upon a time Cherilus was a solid if not savvy starter. There is always a reason a guy is unemployed when teams are in the throes of training camp. If it isn’t about money, it’s about diminished skills and maybe both.
Please note Cherilus was given a tryout last month by the Bill, and apparently didn’t warm over Capt. Lou Albano enough to get a job.
Whether or not Cherilus can save the Bucs’ offensive line remains to be seen.
And no, Joe is not pining for Evan Mathis, for whom so many Bucs fans hollered for on Twitter yesterday. First, Mathis is a guard. Last Joe checked, Dotson was a tackle.
Additionally, Joe would be shocked if Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager would bring in a high-priced guy like Mathis, who clearly must not be that good, or he would’t be working NFL intersections holding a cup with an outstretched hand. Why bring in Mathis when he would stunt the growth of Ali Marpet? Doesn’t add up.
So Joe isn’t sure if Cherilus (or Mathis) is the answer. There aren’t easy answers in August. But remember, Licht owns the very first waiver claim on anyone with three three years or less of vested NFL service. Joe suspects Licht will use that option quite a bit in the coming weeks, as teams whittle their rosters down to the final-53.
Joe isn’t quite sure if the cavalry is coming to save the Bucs by pulling dudes off the street or not.
August 17th, 2015 at 5:14 am
Agree with you Joe. Cherilus and Mathis have been on the street for this long for a reason, and it’s not money. Picking up OLine help from waivers and potentially a trade are our best bets at this point.
August 17th, 2015 at 6:16 am
Bucs coaches and medical staff will need a discerning eye on this one. Cherilus is quite a good RT when healthy, but age and injuries must now be considered. He himself is coming back from knee surgery. So if he is truly healthy, and coaches see he can still play, he’s a viable option.
August 17th, 2015 at 6:52 am
Still wondering why the Buc’s didn’t take la’el collins in the 7th.
August 17th, 2015 at 6:53 am
Speaking for TBBF who speaks for Pablo…
Pablo was excited to see this preseason game, until Pablo saw it. Near the end of the 2nd qtr, Pablo had the thought maybe this was a rebroadcast of the ATL game from last year and somehow, someone made their uniforms purple. It made Pablo wonder if someone put magic mushrooms in Pablo’s beer. Pablo is still not sure. That black guy at QB looks better than last years version, but Pablo thinks that is the same bad Bucs D that played ATL, right? And Pablo wonders why they call the one group “special teams” – Pablo sees nothing special about them. And is that Gilkey guy confused? Pablo thinks maybe he accidentally came in from the set of America’s Funniest Videos or something.
Anywho, Pablo thinks maybe the Bucs offseason is better cuz Pablo’s team looks better when they play each other. Pablo did not like how his Bucs played against the Falcons in their purple uniforms.
August 17th, 2015 at 6:54 am
Great crap off the scrap heap….just friekin great. These morons have 7 monthes to get it right and theyve been screwing it up for over a decade. Thanks for making tampa such a great place to be a football fan glaziers!!!!!!!!!
August 17th, 2015 at 7:31 am
Ah, I read these posts and see the panic setting in…..
August 17th, 2015 at 7:50 am
Welcome to reality with our savior Lovie Smith
August 17th, 2015 at 7:57 am
Kevin Pamphile is looking better than Smith at this point so why not leave him at LT and move D.Smith to RT. I think that will be the 2 starters at tackle week 1. Hopefully for only a few games til Dots gets back.
August 17th, 2015 at 8:04 am
Reid Fragel didnt look terrible.
Donavan smith needs to stay at LT. Thats where he has practiced all traing Camp.
Injuries happen, every team has to adjust.
Lets see if a good young Tackle gets cut in next two weeks, as Teams must cut down
August 17th, 2015 at 8:14 am
Maybe we can trade Tim Wright for another lineman this year?
August 17th, 2015 at 8:22 am
The time to do something would have been during the offseason and free agency. Who are we going to get now? Our offensive line sucked last year, and it doesn’t look like it will be much better this year. I just can’t understand how Lovie/Licht could have done so little to fix this critically important part of the team….especially knowing they were going to bring a rookie QB in.
August 17th, 2015 at 8:47 am
Water under the bridge, but I bet that L&L would love to have a do-over on their Penn-Zuttah-Larson decisions.
As it is, we’ve got some guys with talent on the OLine. Too many (Smith-Marpet-Gilkey-Pamphile-Edwards) just lack experience. Only one way to fix that … let ’em play. Baptism by fire.
August 17th, 2015 at 9:09 am
Panic setting in? What, me worry.
August 17th, 2015 at 9:11 am
Its the Rookies first game
Do you guys really know so little about Football- that you thought these guys would look like seasoned vets?
Lmao.
I saw Gaup Grubers first game, and first season
Same with Donald Penn.
both were really shaky in first preseason game- but settled in as season went on. By second year- both were Dominant.
Pamphile and Smith our fighting it out for Left Tackle. With seasoning- both will improve, and be fine. Reid Fragel may be your starting right Tackle
Either way. These young guys are going to have to get playing time to improve
August 17th, 2015 at 9:13 am
“Paul Gruber”
August 17th, 2015 at 9:14 am
Déjà vu.
I have this bizarre feeling that I witnessed a Buccaneers preseason led by incompetent Lovie Smith and his hapless lapdog GM in which the offensive line was so embarrassingly inept that it left fans in panic and forced the Bucs to scour the waiver wire for any biped willing to stand in front of an NFL defensive lineman.
It’s like I have been here before but I can’t quite put my finger on it…
August 17th, 2015 at 9:17 am
I see the Buc’s maybe winning one game this year and that is stretching it a little. go Lovie go !!! OH THATS IN THE PRESEASON…….
August 17th, 2015 at 9:34 am
WHO? Why do we have to bring in some nobody? If Lovie and Licht dont trust their depth then why sjould we trust this team? Im not a Lovie basher but I will call bull spit when I see it.
August 17th, 2015 at 9:36 am
I may need to double up on my ranitidine supply for the season.
August 17th, 2015 at 9:47 am
Oh, probably the same reason 31 other teams didn’t.
August 17th, 2015 at 9:52 am
31 reams didnt need him as bad as us joe.
August 17th, 2015 at 10:00 am
Man bucs fans are depressing. You guys make it seam like we are 0-10 after the first preseason game. Awful, Just awful fans.
August 17th, 2015 at 10:02 am
Whatis there to wonder about?
Collins stated that if he was drafted, he wouldn’t sign any contract, which would have allowed him to re-enter the draft next year.
Its not that hard of a concept to understand.
Exactly….after one preseason game playing against a team that had already had a preseason game.
August 17th, 2015 at 10:19 am
It’s nice to see the Bucs are already in mid-season form. The scabbed together offensive line is already down a player so the built in excuses can start. The special teams is showing it can help maintain 10 yd line starting position for the offense consistently. The punter is still awful. The number 1 draft pick looks like he could give them another number one pick. McCoy and castaways were absent most of the first quarter. In all it looked like the last 5 years of Suc Ball. They look outmatched at every position from coaching to on the field talent.
August 17th, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Whatever we do as Bucs fans lets not ask the HC to have his players ready to compete in the first preseason game or ask the GM to have NFL caliber depth across the board in case a starter goes down. We shouldn’t expect any competence from Lovie Smith or his hapless GM because that just brings such negativity and who wants to be around that? 2-14 felt great and Bucs fans should always appreciate Lovie Smith regardless of record because he is just so darn likeable. He’s a Lovie! How lovable and positive.
August 17th, 2015 at 12:38 pm
“I read these posts and see the panic setting in….” Panic? Really? You may see”panic”, I just see realization setting in. Our offensive line sucks. They resemble Swiss cheese. They are actually truly “offensive”! But that’s not “panic”, it’s just the realization of fact! If you knew the Titanic was going to sink before you even came aboard the ship, and yet you walked on anyway, would that be “panic”, or just the realization that your trip was about to get very soggy no matter what. According to the dictionary, panic is “A sudden overwhelming fear that produces hysterical or irrational thought or behavior”….I don’t see any of that. Just the realization that our O-line completely sucked last year, and those in charge of the team have done very little to strengthen the unit going into this season. That’s not “panic” because it’s not hysterical nor is it irrational. It’s just the way it is. Accept it and move on. 3-13 here we come!
August 17th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
@joe, I think I speak for the Evan Mathis wagon when it say this: we need Mathis. Dotson is down, and is a RT, correct you can ready positions!!! But how much depth do we have behind smith, mankins and Ali? Let’s say smith gets hurt? Gilkey??? 2 fumbled snaps, 1 offsides, -6 total yards of offense. With Mathis, ali can be a swing between center and guard. Cause 1 more injury and James will get IRed from that garbage line.mathis and mankins could easily mentor Ali, while providing insurance and depth on the worst offensive line in the NFL.
August 17th, 2015 at 2:11 pm
I can see the Bucs winning 6-8 games this year. So what? We all can be wrong basing our guesses on the early returns of preseason. I’d still rather have a half full cup than a half empty one because it feels better. So stop with all the bitchin’!
August 17th, 2015 at 2:22 pm
^^^No! Screw that. I’m bitching out loud until our incompetent HC finds a way to start fielding a competetive football team and winning football games.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:26 pm
In typical bucs fashion, they pickup a FB (when we have a stable of RB and a FB) when we have major depth needs on the OL. The two milk cartons from last year are not NFL caliber. They made that clear last year and this year so far. Gilkey looks like is a puss or turnstile.
Joe
If you had to do it over again, you still think Joey Iosefa over Leal Collins? Please tell me your kidding..or looking at things with your #3 glasses on again.
Collins has already claimed the backup RG spot in Dallas and word is he may get the starter spot in week 1 if he earns it.
We blew the pick….get used to losing until we draft much better in the late rounds. Clay is a bust too; when the lights were on he dimmed fast.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:43 pm
Jake Matthews!?!?!?
August 17th, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Err. I mean Jake Long****
August 17th, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Better than a hurt Dotson and whatever scrub was behind him. If healthy this could be a steal. Not huge steal but a solid player
August 18th, 2015 at 7:39 am
I guess next year will be the one that Lovie and Licht start drafting for the O-line. I’m calling now- dumpster fire all year long. Those who claim its to early to make that claim must not have been tuning in the last 5 yrs. If the 2015 preseason football game looks like 2014 regular season game there is a problem.
For one time I would like to see our offense look like they are all on the same page.The Bucs coaching SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!