“We Have Some Competition There At Right Guard”
August 23rd, 2015
Is Garrett Gilkey winning the right guard job?
Please-never-again center Garrett Gilkey is in the mix to start at right guard.
Gilkey was the starter there for the Bucs’ preseason opener and was a force early in a successful run game. And then there’s the latest take from offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
On SiriusXM NFL Radio late last week, Koetter was asked how the offensive line was coming along.
Koetter immediately backed off any sort of glowing assessment, saying how in a perfect world an O-line doesn’t have much change and the Bucs already are in flux with injuries and rookies and Gosder Cherilus in the mix.
Koetter went out of his way to say rookie second-round picks Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith are doing everything that could be asked or expected of them. But Koetter added, “We have some competition there at right guard.”
That can only mean Gilkey. Joe considers converted defensive lineman Matthew Masifilo a project, and last year’s starter at right guard, Patrick Omameh, was fully defrocked and is now a backup right tackle.
Joe sincerely hopes Marpet wins the job. He’s been a physical force through the summer and reps for him make more sense on many levels. Yes, Gilkey has been decent at right guard, but Joe just can’t see it.
August 23rd, 2015 at 7:21 pm
Marpet is a MONSTER, let the young guys play. Gilkey has no where near the upside of Marpet. I don’t want decent, I want nasty and awesome. Marpet fits that to a T.
August 23rd, 2015 at 7:40 pm
I agree give the rookies the reps….dont put a damper on the learning process. Let em get theyre butts wooped
August 23rd, 2015 at 7:47 pm
A poster here has repeatedly suggested moving Marpet to center.
I do not know about that. He was a tackle trying to convert to guard. He may have the physical skills but can he snap the ball or would he be as bad as Gilkey.
And he’s a rookie. Who would call the blocking assignments at the line.
Gotta admit though it sure would be a thing of beauty of Marpet could play center.
August 23rd, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Gilkey has terrible technique, bad feet and is constantly beaten, play in and play out. If he starts and fails the team better fire garbage Warhop mid season.
August 23rd, 2015 at 8:15 pm
Personally glad to see good competition along the OLine. Let the best man win. Can only help the Bucs during the season since injuries are a fact of life in a 4-game preseason and 16-game season. Oops, almost forgot the 3-4 playoff games we’ll be participating in. (Hey, you never know).
I think the starting lineup will be a definite improvement over last year, but what we seem to be lacking right now is flexibility in backup positions. We’ve normally had at least one guy who could play 2-3 positions (players like Zuttah, etc). We’ve now got some depth at RG and RT (once Dots returns), but center, LG and LT flexibility … not so much.
August 23rd, 2015 at 8:24 pm
How come nobody is talking about Donovan Smith’s struggles? He really looks horrible out there. Give me 3 trys and I could get him with the inside spin move
August 23rd, 2015 at 8:28 pm
And saying we have completion at right guard has to be referring to Marpet considering Gilkey is our current starter at the position.
August 23rd, 2015 at 8:51 pm
Ali Marpet has won the starting job at RG, but I think that Garrett Gilkey could start at LG next season. This will probably be Vincent Jackson, Logan Mankins, Michael Koenen last season in Tampa.
August 23rd, 2015 at 10:16 pm
Always good to have quality depth
August 24th, 2015 at 12:48 am
Bucnnole- sorry buddy, but that will be your lil secret. He looked Good- meybe even real good- last week.
Its great to have two young guys both looking good. Meybe one can swing to Left guard- and give us talent when Marpet needs a break
August 24th, 2015 at 1:25 am
Gilkey and WR T. king lead the charge to our 2-14 season. Knowing what we know, Gilkey has not gotten any better. He had the botched snap and looked avg. at best. We dont hear much about him. We do hear alot about Marpet. How he is holding his own against McCoy and making holes for our RBs. You dont hear Gilkey is holding his own against McCoy. We tried to justify picking C. Sims by playing him early, when he got back from his injury. My guess is we will play Marpet early to justify moving up to pick him in the 2nd round. Thank you Jesus. True, we havent heard much about LT D. Smith. They are rookies, and there is a learning curve. If he didnt come out this year, and waited to next year he may have been a 1st round pick. Lets hope we got steals in our 2nd, 4th, and 5th round. Wouldnt that be something. Over the usual bad picks in every round.
August 24th, 2015 at 3:04 am
Gilkey is much more improved and a better player at right guard. If they were smart they would leave him there plus I think hes a real tough nasty guy that Licht is looking for in the trenches. Marpet god honest needs the kind of chance to develop into a future leader on that Alexander got on defense at middle lb. Marpet needs a seriously long look at Center . I think Marpet could be the perfect starting center right now if hes taking on guys like McCoy. I mean how much more do lovie, Koetter, and Warhop to put this guy in competition with Evan Smith at that spot
August 24th, 2015 at 12:10 pm
Jason McLaurin
You gotta let Marpet play guard at first in my opinion. He already had to make the transition from tackle to guard during the offseason. I believe it would be expecting a lot of him to get the center position down in a couple of week so he needs I so primary focus ha so been guard. Let him take his shapes at RG while letting him cross train at center and then make the transition to center in the offseason if they believe he can handle it, which they surely do. I believe that him spending the season at RG can only help him at center. Definitely look for the Bucs to draft at least a couple of guard/centers early to mid rounds, that’s just my opinion. I feel like this team is trying to sure up this offense , which has always bee not a weakness of Lovie. Plus with Winston, the team have to do all they can to protect him and give him weapons.
August 24th, 2015 at 12:42 pm
No competition as long as Marpet keeps improving….but his future is probably LG or Center….RG is just testing the waters to see what we have in him. I knew he was going to be a stud for us!
August 24th, 2015 at 1:35 pm
The biggest problem that Winston has had have been rushes up the middle. Our starting Center, EDS, would not be starting on any other team in the NFL, and would have been cut this year except for his generous salary conditions in his contract. We don’t have to wonder whether Marpet could hike the ball because he proved he could do that when he played Center at the Senior Bowl and looked GREAT. The perfect RG is Rookie Smith who is a stud blocker, but his pass blocking at LT leaves a lot to be desired–and that is exactly why Lindy’s Draft Magazine this year said they believed his best position in the NFL is at Guard and not Tackle. Cherilus is a proven LT and needs to be playing there just as soon as he learns all the plays. At RT we need to be starting Pamphile until Dotson can come back and take it over. Next year we take a DE in the first round and a Guard in the second round to replace Mankins in a few years when he retires and becomes out new OL Coach (I hope).
August 24th, 2015 at 6:31 pm
owlykat with that finger on the pulse….I love what you’re seeing there….great idea!