Seeing What Is Not There
October 8th, 2015
LT Donovan Smith credits a certain veteran offensive lineman who is instrumental in his development.
Joe already touched on how the rookie offensive linemen of the Bucs are bucking a trend.
In an era of limited padded practices, NFL insiders wail it is killing the development of young offensive linemen.
Yet the Bucs have two rookies doing the opposite under the same circumstances, left tackle Donovan Smith and right guard Ali Marpet, both second-round draft picks.
Yesterday, Joe spoke with Smith and asked why he and Marpet are flourishing when other young linemen are not. Smith sort of reinforced a previous story Joe had that left guard Logan Mankins is like a player-coach.
While Smith, obviously, selfishly, doesn’t want more padded practices because he doesn’t enjoy getting beat up, he understands how they are beneficial.
“When you come to the league, it is supposed to be about the mental,” Smith said. “You don’t want to beat up your body and not perform.”
But most of all he is getting help from Mankins, who is guiding Smith to recognize various defensive schemes and coverage, blitzes and stunts Smith admits he would never pick up without Mankins tipping him off.
“He sees things before I can,” Smith said. “He communicates with me. ‘Hey, watch out for this. Watch out for that.’ It helps a lot and takes a lot off of my plate so I can settle in and just play. [Mankins] being here for, what, a 10-year, 11-year vet? That helps a lot. Yeah, I stand true to ever word [Mankins says], I figured out.
“[Mankins] will see things and say, ‘Hey, watch for this coming.’ It does help. I don’t think he has been wrong once. I challenged him once and I said, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said,’Just do it!'”
To hear guys like Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian and former NFL front office man Pat Kirwan scream about how a lack of padded practices are ruining offensive lines and allowing quarterbacks to get beaten to a pulp, the fact Smith and Marpet have become not just starters, but productive starters on the offensive line just four games into their careers is remarkable.
Thank goodness it sure seems Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht knows what he is doing in the draft.
October 8th, 2015 at 3:07 pm
Sounds like we found our new oline coach. Sweet!!
October 8th, 2015 at 3:08 pm
So maybe Jason Licht was right to keep Mankins around even at his high salary? The BBQ yearning punching bag of the Joe’s might be proving his worth? Might the Joes have been wrong about Mankins?
This is why Mankins is great to have, even if his play isn’t exactly what it once was.
October 8th, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Joe,
PLEASE inquire as to who is doing this on the roster for Jameis?!?! Mostly, Im referencing Jameis’ film study. Mankins provides great film study for these guys. Who, on the team can do that with Jameis? Glennon?
October 8th, 2015 at 3:31 pm
“Sounds like we found our new oline coach. Sweet!”
And to think that they are performing this well in spite of George Warhop!
October 8th, 2015 at 3:34 pm
Wait til Next year…
October 8th, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Now if can jus find a coach.
October 8th, 2015 at 4:08 pm
I agree, Joe. I give draft credit mostly to Licht. Lovie even admits he finds offensive scouting boring. If he finds it boring, no way do these last two drafts SEEM to be good drafts so far. If Lovie stays around for another year or two, we are sure to have more defensive lopsided drafts. Maybe his crappy defenses can get better with good young guys instead of old retreads. They did pretty good with the only defensive player they’ve drafted too. I know a lot of people disagree, but if the Glazers start canning people, I kind of hope they keep Licht for a while yet. At least let him hire a coach before I fully judge him, anyways.
October 8th, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Hopper
Licht is alright in my book.
October 8th, 2015 at 4:42 pm
Coaching is vital….Lovie is the HC and he finds offensive scouting boring….well may be he should go back to being a defensive backs coach or special teams coach and have the Buc’s find a HC who is concerned with all facets of the team!
Jose is smooching all over Licht but I am no fan of his draft choices….What would Licht do if he was picking 26-32nd? If Licht does not score a large number of excellent draft picks when he gets the first pick in the draft…first pick off of waivers….then he will never be able to pick talent.
If you watch teams with Bruce Airans, Pete Carroll, and Belichick who find people who are not high round draft picks and coach them into superstars…or adjust your scheme to fit their skill set. Watching the Patriots change their scheme from run heavy one game to all passing the next game to take advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of the weekly opponents makes me sure that until Team Glazer hires an inspired HC, we are subject to tough games.
October 8th, 2015 at 4:48 pm
Sure would like to know what kind of rating system Licht & Lovie used when they were grading Famous JW’s college interception stats? Gotta give JW the support so that he does not keep making mistakes at this rate or his confidence will be damaged….7 interceptions…6 touchdowns….not all his fault but some are bad choices….Hopefully….Amerijoe’s Quarterback will be here and productive for the next 10 years….but not if he keeps getting the snot beat out of him each week and if he goes to the Kapernick school of confidence!
Look at Andrew Luck and RGIII….getting stomped cannot be good for the body or the confidence!! Protect Famous JW so he lasts a while.
October 8th, 2015 at 5:28 pm
Yes I agree keep Licht.
October 8th, 2015 at 7:04 pm
The Patriots sart THREE Rookie Linemen
two 4th rounders at guard and an undrafted free agent at Center
and they are 3-0
October 8th, 2015 at 7:40 pm
Keep Jason Licht? Ha! What has he done other than bungle, let down and disappoint? If you look at this team from the outside looking in, it is a rock bottomless pit of bad decisions and HORRIBLE talent evaluation. IMO the 2014 draft is on the brink of being a complete disaster. Would an outsider compare Mike Evans to AJ Green, Megatron, Julio Jones or Antonio Brown? The 2015 draft is still to new to come to final conclusions however there is a legit concern that the most important pick in franchise history has “bust” written all over it. Yes, Ali Marpet and Kwon Alexander have the look of success but Donovan Smith has still yet to show he is going to make it as a tackle in this league. Two of this years picks did not even make the team. That is two possibly three picks out of 13 in two years? Then he/they (who ever is really in control?) have dropped the ball so many times in FA your head begins to spin.
October 8th, 2015 at 10:53 pm
Pasco Jim,
That reminds me of Jimmy Johnson saying get your tackles in place and the rest of the line will take care of itself
October 8th, 2015 at 11:52 pm
bucsbedabest Says :
“The 2015 draft is still to new to come to final conclusions however there is a legit concern that the most important pick in franchise history has “bust” written all over it. Yes, Ali Marpet and Kwon Alexander have the look of success but Donovan Smith has still yet to show he is going to make it as a tackle in this league.”
Legit concerns over rookies? I don’t get why this fanbase can’t give rookies until atleast 3 years before they call them a bust. Hell YOU won’t even give a rookie 4 games and you got it all figured out, not even full season. Pathetic!
Seems a bit ignorant to me. Yet it’s been happening for years now. So why stop now?
October 9th, 2015 at 12:08 am
Easy. Dirk Koetter.
October 9th, 2015 at 12:11 am
Schiano:
Duh. Draft Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet.
October 9th, 2015 at 8:05 am
Greg Schiano Says
“Coaching is vital….Lovie is the HC and he finds offensive scouting boring….well may be he should go back to being a defensive backs coach or special teams coach and have the Buc’s find a HC who is concerned with all facets of the team!”
OMG…you are such an idiot.
He drafted only one offensive player over the last two years! The man IS addressing the offense. In fact, it is pretty safe to say that once the players develop, Lovie will have done what the drones claim he cannot do…build an offense.
And don’t give me this crap and say the GM does it. If that;s the case, you cannot blame Lovie for not building one in Chicago…the GM failed to do so!
But regardless…Licht laid it out this off season in an interview…Lovie gets whoever he wants in the draft. Lovie tells Licht his needs in free agency, and Licht seeks out players to fill those needs.
So blaming Lovie for bad Free Agent signings, for example, is completely ignorant.
The bashers need to recognize. If you want to blame Lovie for something, do it over the things he has a strong role in. THE DRAFT. And he’s done extremely well in that.
When Lovie was hired, everyone here thought he would focus on defense and recreate the Bears (he hasn’t). He proved everyone wrong two years in a row by putting offense first (like you all freaking wanted). You got your way, people…so don’t complain the defense sucks. You are the ones that wanted offense first.
Now give him time to fix the defense as well as he has the offense, and Tampa will be elite.
Replace him and you bring in a new coach with a new vision. You lose Koetter (he doesn’t want a head coaching role) and our offense will take ten steps back.
There is reason to dislike last year’s results. I’ll give you that. But good lord, both Lovie AND Licht moved on. They cut the dead weight, stuck to the plan to build an offense, and fixed the offensive coordinator problem they had because of Tedford.
This is why I say Tampa fans don’t deserve a winning team. Even if they buy the tickets…which most of you who claim to really don’t do. Speaking as someone who owned TEN SEASON TICKETS for 4 years straight and took small kids clubs to the games, I can tell you I am sick and tired of the constant turn over. Nothing gets accomplished because no coach is given the time to do so.
Take away Jon Gruden’s superbowl, and Lovie has done more for this team than any coach from Gruden on. None of the others built an offense. He’s a defensive coach…the defense will come now that he has addressed the offense.Unless you idiots get your way again. Then we are right back to square one.
October 9th, 2015 at 8:07 am
“He drafted only one defensive player…”
October 9th, 2015 at 8:10 am
The winning will come.
And, btw…even the mighty Jon Gruden never built a good offense. Love has. It just needs time to develop.
It’s only 4 games so far under the new system and new OC. Time, people, time.
October 10th, 2015 at 3:13 pm
@Buc1987 Says – “I don’t get why this fan base can’t give rookies until at least 3 years before they call them a bust. Hell YOU won’t even give a rookie 4 games and you got it all figured out, not even full season. Pathetic! Seems a bit ignorant to me“
I thought that by the way I commented on my opinion that the “the 2015 draft is still to new to come to any final conclusions” was worded in a way that it was clear that I was in no way calling anyone a “bust” and that regardless of my opinion it is to early to come to any “final conclusions”?
How is that pathetic or ignorant?