Snap The Damn Ball Right!
August 20th, 2015
How do people expect Bucs QB Jameis Winston to shine if he can’t even get a decent snap to begin with?
Joe’s about ready to turn a bottle of Bushmills upside down and fill his gullet; Joe’s so hacked off at what he sees of the Bucs centers snapping the ball of late.
In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, “What the hell is going on out there?”
We all know that last year’s virgin center Garrett Gilkey can’t snap. He has demonstrated that time and again, even in practice with nobody on him or no one defending him, he still can’t snap. Instead, he rolled the ball back on the ground in a shotgun formation like a little kid at a bowling alley.
That’s bad enough. But this also is occurring for starting center Evan Smith. Today in line drills, Smith, too, with no one on him or no one defending against him, rolled a ball back to an assistant coach.
Damnit! It’s one thing for this to happen in a regular season game. It’s another for this to happen in a preseason game. It’s yet another for this to happen in an 11-on-11 scrimmage.
But for this to continue to happen when you are not even facing a defensive tackle or a linebacker and you are just snapping the ball so defensive ends and offensive tackles can ram each other, what do you expect to happen in an actual game?
If this was happening at Clearwater Central Catholic, the kid would likely have to run laps every day. What the hell? And this is going on in the NFL?
Joe can sort of understand Gilkey doing this because, prior to last season, he never snapped a ball in his life. But Smith is a seasoned pro.
And people wonder why “America’s Quarterback,” Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston, was struggling early on Saturday night. Geez.
August 20th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Joe, get out there and show them how its done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 20th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
I’m more of a Jameson guy myself Joe…but I agree with you wholeheartedly about our centers. When our rookie 1st round QB is banged up and on IR after 6 weeks, maybe then Lovie/Licht will begin how badly they’ve managed this offensive line. 3-13 here we come!
August 20th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
As I noted last year, high priced free agent EDS failed more than once at 2 of the most fundamental jobs a center has:
1) snap the ball on time
2) snap the ball correctly
It’s embarrassing. We’ve had centers who are lousy blockers, but never tolerated centers who are lousy snappers. Now suddenly we seem to be collecting them. Am I missing something? Is there another top pick worth tanking the 2015 season for as well?
August 20th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
To think that’s not the only problem if it really is a problem that can’t be corrected. What can’t be corrected is the Lovely D. Lovie and Leslie’s D. I’m calling it the Lovely D the rest of the way.
Don’t worry about Jameis and that gawd awful o-line play as much as the Lovely D. That makes me worried. Where’s the pressure?
August 20th, 2015 at 1:01 pm
Jeagan1999 …take it easy bro. 4-6 wins tops.
3? Man that’s a bleak outlook….
August 20th, 2015 at 1:03 pm
You have to put the lid on for the pressure cooker to work.
August 20th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
“Joe’s about ready to turn a bottle of Bushmills upside down ”
That’s Protestant Whiskey.
-Det. Jimmy McNulty
August 20th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Smith had bowling ball snaps like that in games last year. He better get that chit straightened out. Inexcusable like you are saying Josephs.
August 20th, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Like I have been preaching Marpet needs to start at center while we ride Evan Smith contract out using his money to pay others as well as the. Dotson, Mankins, and Cherilous deals in the next two seasons but Evan Smith has a tendency to struggle with snaps as well and is not a starter type anyway. All of those free agents from last season were replacement level players last that got paid for overacheiving. Marpet has the speed and power to his game to excel at center to go along with the experience from college. Gilkey looks damn good at right guard until Edwards is proven ready to start which will happen. Mankins should be healthy for the season but I’m surprised Evan Smith hasn’t passed out yet because he is by far the most out of shape lineman we have. Kevin Pamphile just needs time to be fully healthy so his development to being a starter should come at right tackle though behind Cherilus and Dotson once hes healthy because those guys may or may not be back next year
Starting offensive line for this season should be:
Center: Ali Marpet
Left guard: Logan Mankins
Right guard: Garrett “yes” Gilkey
Left tackle: Donovan Smith
Right tackles: Cherilus and Dotson once he’s healthy in a season long rotation.
August 20th, 2015 at 1:35 pm
Typical Warhop/Lovie bush league BS
August 20th, 2015 at 1:36 pm
Time to move Zuttah over to Center, Full Time.
Oh Wait…
August 20th, 2015 at 1:40 pm
This ineptitude is going to be the death of me.
August 20th, 2015 at 2:00 pm
@Buc1987:
Glad to see you have tempered your expectations for this year. “Under-promise and over-deliver” is one of my favorite maxims.
Another minor issue for our “most NFL-ready” QB to learn:
After a fumbled snap, do NOT try to reproduce the fabled “fumbled snap and then throw an interception play”, as immortalized by Josh McCown last year.
I hope they teach him to throw the ball into the seats, rather than take a sack like the 1st pre-season game; once he’s outside the “tackles box”, of course.
tickrdr
August 20th, 2015 at 2:06 pm
Blame it on the humid heat, sweaty palms, momentary lapse of reason, fumble fingers or something besides incompetence.
August 20th, 2015 at 2:23 pm
Perhaps we’re just taking the art of snapping the ball to a whole new level. Confuse the defense with this wild trickery. This is art.
August 20th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
If this was happening at Clearwater Central Catholic, the kid would likely have to run laps every day.
************
Why aren’t they running laps? Cuz it’s the NFL? Psst, JJ Watt ran laps in front of everyone at a public practice for jumping offsides. Sounds like something the bucs could benefit from. No one is above reproach.
August 20th, 2015 at 2:27 pm
@JOE
How do you know it wasn’t planned? How do you know that they aren’t preparing for the season like this? You know dammmm well that the roll snap will happen again during the season. Might as well prepare THE MESSIAH for it right now. 😂
August 20th, 2015 at 2:39 pm
@DB
Welcome back! Shiiiiit yea. I saw that episode. Not to mention its his first time jumping offsides in practice since Bill got there. Meanwhile, #93 takes the opportunity to jump offsides at the very first snap. That’s the difference between good and great.
August 20th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Ray
Yes sir! The kinder gentler 99. I must be careful with my words. It’s an opportunity to mature and I’m thankful. 🙂
August 20th, 2015 at 2:50 pm
@DB
Wait till the season starts. Until then enjoy the new you! LOL
August 20th, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Bushmills, Jameson whatever. I’ll drink just about anything when the Bucs game starts. We all know I’ll need it.
August 20th, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Where is Warhop? How come no-one is holding their feet to the fire? Where is the accountability? Where is the pride? I’m disgusted already and the season hasn’t even started.
August 20th, 2015 at 3:31 pm
We need a Guard Backup who can play Center in a pinch–that should be EDS until his contract expires. Move Marpet to Center NOW! Then let’s see whether Pamphile outplays Smith again this week on pass blocking. If he does move Smith to Guard. Gilkey needs to be cut not promoted for his incompetent play in games last year and this year!!! If we made players accountable we wouldn’t have so many mistakes. They see Gilkey screwup incessantly and he is still here with no penalty. Ridiculous.
August 20th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
Then a running back with our best yards per carry fumbles once in the Falcons game and was in Lovie’s doghouse the whole season. Lovie needs to be consistent in his discipline. But WarFLOP protects Gilkey no matter what and Lovie lets him get away with it. Lovie should have axed both WarFLOP and Gilkey at the end of last year and made an example of both.
August 20th, 2015 at 4:03 pm
@DB55 or WS99 (ODB too?):
I’ll second Ray’s “Welcome back”. By whatever name, I always like your posts, and usually agree with the “truth” that oozes from them.
tickrdr
August 20th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
JW needs to use some leadership skills and command EDS and Gilkey to knock off the bs and focus on snapping correctly. War will break out, EDS will get his ass kicked by Marpet and D.Smith, Gilkey wil opt out.
August 20th, 2015 at 4:27 pm
The best Center play we had and it was only in 9 of his starts, was by Jeremy Zuttah. I still do not understand why we did not keep him. He was a solid Guard and Center.
August 20th, 2015 at 9:20 pm
You my boy Tickrdr Ty sir.
August 20th, 2015 at 9:43 pm
Jeremiah Warren … Give me a better alternative.
August 20th, 2015 at 10:35 pm
We have a lot of talent on this O-Line. This is preseason and the postion coach and the head coach are really just trying to feel the players strengths and their weakness. I would bet anything that it will be a lot better, once the season starts. Right now i’m just waiting on the first cuts, then I would have a better picture of our future. But regardless, we will win the NFC South this season.
August 20th, 2015 at 11:25 pm
@Realist I usually disagree with most of your statements. But damn that was good! Lol
August 21st, 2015 at 2:53 am
It is very disappointing to be hearing of such problems at this stage. This is not EDS first rodeo. Didn’t this guy used to start at Green Bay getting Aaron Rodgers the ball? WTF happened that he is having problems doing that here?
Not trying to be a Debbie Downer when I say this but it is not looking good at all for us right now if we can not accomplish consistantly the very basic of things on the football field up to and including snapping the ball to the QB. Training camp level or no training camp level. This guy is a veteran!