“He Is Soft As Tissue Paper”
September 1st, 2015
A key member of the Bucs offense drew the ire of a former Buccaneer following Tampa Bay’s beating at the hands of the Browns.
Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) went on an extraordinary tirade on WDAE-AM 620 this afternoon, slinging daggers at many Buccaneers, including Gerald McCoy.
But the greatest barb was reserved for Tampa Bay’s second-year tight end, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, one of the prized “Dunkaneers.”
Beckles says he’s seen and heard enough.
“If I hear one more time how good Austin Seferian-Jenkins is, I’m going to be sick to my stomach and throw up in my mouth,” Beckles told his big audience on the Ron and Ian show. “I watch him on plays, he is soft as tissue player. He can’t block a lick. If we think our starting tight end is going to be that soft and that we’re going to run the ball or be an effective offense, we’re wrong. It’s never happened.”
Joe is not about to say Seferian-Jenkins is a good blocker. That’s not his game, and he’s developing.
But for Exhibit A that Seferian-Jenkins can, in fact, block, Joe will point to Doug Martin’s touchdown run against Cleveland, the lone Buccaneers score Saturday. It’s clear that the tight end was successful at the point of attack and blew back his man to help free Martin. Here’s the video on NFL.com.
Joe charted another strong block by Seferian-Jenkins on Saturday, but again, Joe wouldn’t call him good at blocking. Not yet. There is bad film, too.
Joe talked to Seferian-Jenkins in the locker room after the Browns game specifically about his block to spring Martin and his blocking in general. Seferian-Jenkins said he’s improved as a blocker, and he said he has absorbed more coaching this year from coaches and the Bucs’ offensive tackles.
Being a big, reliable target, however, is why Seferian-Jenkins was drafted early in the second round by the Bucs.
The NFL has had plenty of successful tight ends who don’t block much. Kellen Winslow was made the highest paid NFL tight end by the Bucs, and he couldn’t block anything. But Winslow never missed a game here and caught a whopping 218 balls in three Bucs seasons. He even was the primary target on a 10-6 team. Imagine that!
If Seferian-Jenkins can become the next Winslow, sans the public masturbation issues and me-first attitude, then the Bucs offense likely will be in fine shape.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:02 am
Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane….
September 1st, 2015 at 8:03 am
@Joe
You’re forgetting to include sans the black briefcase filled with adderall that ruins your QB’s brain and gets u fired by ur next coach.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:27 am
Winslow could catch the ball tho. I haven’t seen too much of that from ASJ. Hopefully he improves on catching the ball then he can upgrade his other skills.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:30 am
Sometimes I think Beckles is jealous….
September 1st, 2015 at 8:36 am
What a shame if he doesn’t start showing up and becoming the beast that he should be. We know Jameis wants to be great, we are already hearing comments from Kwon “I want them to feel me” Alexandar. ASJ? Where is his head at? I have not heard or seen anything from him that indicates he has any fire in his belly at all. We have seen a few good catches, to many drops, but overall not enough physical play yet to make you think, Wow! This kid is going to be really good. There is still hope but so far its not looking good.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:38 am
He had a nice edge block on that martin td
September 1st, 2015 at 9:05 am
@Joe
I can find a video of Sabby Piscitelli catching an interception, Does that make him a good safety!!! These players on the bucs need to start making plays on a regular basis, or all the gassing them up during the offseason and training camp means nothing!!!!
We have been crowning these players after practices or when they make one play during a season and claiming how talented players are around here, And it needs to stop!!!!!
September 1st, 2015 at 9:07 am
Beckles rant just shows how badly he wants this team to be good. As a season ticket holder I felt exactly like he did
September 1st, 2015 at 9:07 am
“If Seferian-Jenkins can become the next Winslow…”
Wow, Joe, that is the biggest “IF” I have ever seen you type! I am losing hope ASJ is worth the 2nd round pick we used on him. He is showing more signs of being the second coming of “Stone Hands” then “Vaseline hands”.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:24 am
Lets face it folks, the buc’s in the past have not drafted well. AS I remember we took a safety so we could move up and get Barron and left some linebacker to another team. Keechly, Kookley, kacchly or some name that no one renumbers, “tongue in cheek ” who is all everything.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:25 am
Beckles was on a real tangent. He also said that at this point, Jameis is “a liability”
September 1st, 2015 at 9:25 am
“If Seferian-Jenkins can become the next Winslow…”
would ASJ have to get a motorcycle and that mysterious duffel bag that was full of stay that would magically appear at the team’s hotel that would make Tanard Jackson and other smile (allegedly)!!!
and also bully the rookie QB so he will get his numbers even if it mean a loss for the team???? No thanks!!!
September 1st, 2015 at 9:27 am
I his second year I don’t see any major improvement in ASJ’s play even as a pass catcher. In the first preseason game JW attempted to get him the ball with no success. One on one ASJ hasn’t shown any fight for the ball at least that I can remember. He’s just Big for no reason.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:34 am
i’ve posted it elsewhere, but i’m surprised the alarming number of overhyped TEs in the league hasn’t scared people off of continuing to bang the ASJ drum. almost all of these “freakish mismatch” TEs have some glaring weakness. the ones that can actually hold onto the ball when it’s thrown their way seem to have issues staying healthy (graham, gates, gronk’s drawn out injury problems), and the ones who stay healthy and learn to block turn out to have hands of stone. here’s a fun contrarian prediction: ASJ is not the second coming of tony gonzalez, he is the second coming of Luke Stocker
September 1st, 2015 at 9:39 am
*graham, gates and definitely gronk are not overhyped, aside from their inability to play 16 games without injury. on the truly overhyped (“this is the year!”) are guys who never live up to the lofty projection like vernon davis (2 good seasons and 8 mediocre ones at this point), tony moeaki (“if this guy ever stays healthy…..” every year), kyle rudolph, gresham, pettigrew, the list goes on and on. i don’t think people have realized that the “mismatch TE” they are chasing is not an actual skill set. it is a body type being mistake as a skill set
September 1st, 2015 at 9:40 am
Ass ferian sucks. Dude is way way way overrated by th media and fans of this team.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:42 am
Winslow also ruined the classic Jamaican jerk chicken for some of us. only took a few strokes to ruin a classic. It will never be the same.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:43 am
@TBBF
Sometimes I think Beckles is jealous….
You are not alone.
Sometimes I also wonder if Ian posts here under the name Buc Realist? 🙂
September 1st, 2015 at 9:49 am
@stpetebucsfan
I don’t know about Mr. Beckles, But I am jealous, jealous that other teams have good head coaches! I am jealous that other teams will have good, exciting seasons and the bucs will have a top 5 draft pick!
September 1st, 2015 at 9:56 am
I think there is a problem with NFL players named Jenkins, they are always hurt.
I’m a little disappointed, I thought someone in the media was finally going to call out GMC for being soft. Someone needs to get in his ear. Guys got talent but plays like he doesn’t care.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:59 am
I’ve kept the faith that ASJ will shine for the Bucs. I’ll wait.
September 1st, 2015 at 10:00 am
@Destro
Yeah I’m with you. I like GMC…he clearly has talent…and frequently he plays his arse off….but then there are other times he just seems to disappear.
I know..double..triple teamed yadda yadda…Nobody makes those excuses for SUH or Geno Atkins.
Here is the ONE thing I would love to see from GMC this year. Not even spectacular…how about some CONSISTENCY?
September 1st, 2015 at 10:09 am
Beckles is a fool loud mouth!
September 1st, 2015 at 10:16 am
Ok, the block was a base block for one. The DE attempted to “string out” the play thinking martin was going to bounce outside. This allowed ASJ to turn his hips and seal off the inside lane. The reason the DE fell, is because realizing his mistake tried to make a play inside, lost balance and fell with slight help from ASJ. Look how high ASJ was, no leverage, if the DE was trying to set the edge or bull rush him over. To commend him on a defensive players mistake is ridiculous. Right place right time to play paddy cake.
September 1st, 2015 at 10:25 am
I got 2 words for Ian. Jimmy Graham. I’ve seen that guy block I think maybe 3 times in my life and all 3 blocks were accidental as he was pushed into the block. ASJ wasn’t brought here to block. He needs to be able to be competent as a blocker but nothing more. He will get better at it but I have no concerns here.
September 1st, 2015 at 10:35 am
Buc Realist I am with you and Ian is spot on…with much of his evaluations….ian played in the NFL when it was a tough guy league so he knows whats going on and he has the pulse of the team through sources
September 1st, 2015 at 10:41 am
Ian has some good points occasionally but his obvious bitterness at not still playing or directly at the Bucs taints those observations. I take his comments like I do any other member of the press or the so called experts…with a grain of salt!
September 1st, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Beckles concepts on football are antiquated. Hes made no effort to keep up with the evolutions of the NFL.
Ask Jimmy Graham to block! Or Antonio Gates! They’d be demanding a trade. Modern TEs often are WRs in tall body. That creates huge mismatches for defenses. They are more Slot reciever than in line blocker.
Beckles opinions are lazy and outdated. I only listen to him, if i wanna be MISinformed. Hes sadly typical for on air sports journalist in this area.
If you dont demand qualified, informed reporters- and hold the bad ones accountable!- then rehashed outdated ex jocks is what you get.,
Of course- im not saying Safarian- Jenkins is Jimmy Graham!
And the best TE, the hated Gronk, damn sure will put a body on somebody!
So does the equally hated Jason Witten
September 1st, 2015 at 3:39 pm
After sitting through almost 3 quarters of that hot mess at RayJay, I left with a much better appreciation of The Buc Realist… I saw Stocker lined up in front of a Defensive lineman and when the ball was snapped, he moved to the right and let the guy right in. The only thing missing was Stocker pointing to where Jameis was located.
If it weren’t for the Martin touchdown or Kwon making McClown feel him at the end of the half, that game would have been a complete waste.
September 1st, 2015 at 7:03 pm
GMC has been living this year on his past glory. This year he is like Sampson with a buzz cut that stripped his strength, except in GMC’s case it was his foolish loss of weight that stripped his strength. Here is the good news–he can gain his weight again and start sacking again. He is making way too much money to be letting his team down like this. Beckles was just stating the obvious–give him a break! I told you about it first.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:58 pm
Oh yeah, well I was at Five Guys, and the waitress who brought my burger out told me that Brandon Myers got two orders of fries, meaning of course that he is going on IR with an eating disorder