He Said; She Said
November 12th, 2015
“It messed my whole day up,” says Demar Dotson.
Little bit of fun over at One Buc Palace yesterday. Well, not so much fun for offensive tackle Demar Dotson.
Just like former starting center Evan Smith found out the hard way, Dotson, who was penciled in to start the season at right tackle, injured a knee in preseason and was placed on injured reserve/designated for return.
Problem for Doston was, the guy who replaced him, Gosder Cherilus, played just as well and perhaps better than Dotson. But the big picture is the offensive line developed into the team’s strength without Dotson (and Smith). Not wanting to fix something that is not broken, Lovie Smith has decided to keep Cherilus starting.
But here is where wires got crossed. Dotson claims Lovie told him last week that he would start.
“I know that I won’t be starting at right tackle,” Dotson said yesterday. “It is disappointing, especially when you were told last week by the head coach [I would start]. You quickly realize it is a business and you accept that. It is kind of disappointing and hurting. You kind of take it as it is.
“It messed my whole day up.”
Dotson repeated, again, that Lovie told him he would start.
A couple of hours later during his daily presser, Lovie scoffed at the notion that he told Dotson he would start, bluntly stating otherwise.
“Demar Dotson was told last week that he would be active and he would be ready to play this week,” Lovie said. “I don’t give out starting positions a week in advance. I don’t know exactly where he got that. He was told he would be active and he practiced today.”
Like juggling the secondary searching for a mix that works, Lovie hinted that the offensive line is working with the current setup.
“We’re not going to keep something going just for that sake,” Lovie said. “But if we like what we’ve seen when someone has gotten an opportunity to play – and a lot of times that’s the case – we will go with that.”
Look, Joe likes Dotson a lot. Great guy. But Joe has advocated for not messing with the best unit on the team: the offensive line. Leave well enough alone. Why foul up the works and risk maiming the franchise, America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston?
Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has said repeatedly an offensive line gets better as the unit as a whole learns to work together. Dotson hasn’t played since Aug. 15.
If Dotson was a consensus Pro Bowler, that’s a different story. He isn’t.
To hear more from Dotson and/or Lovie, click the arrows below. Audio courtesy of Joe’s friends at WDAE-AM 620.
November 12th, 2015 at 7:35 am
Once again…sh*t that should be handled in house. Dotson shouldn’t be trying to call out his head coach and Lovie shouldn’t respond giving u guys details on conversations between him and players. This team has the personality of females mostly. Stop getting caught up in your feelings soo much Dotson. Do u think u deserve to start? Not by choice, but u haven’t been there and Lovie…just keep quiet and talk to ur players before u lose this locker room.
November 12th, 2015 at 7:48 am
Heck, Lovie told us they were good enough to go 8-8 last year, so Dot should know Lovie is full of it……
November 12th, 2015 at 8:10 am
Maybe Dotson will be starting….just not at RG…….He will start at DE….
November 12th, 2015 at 8:26 am
I agree that Dotson should not replace the Gos and with Dave, this should never make it outside the four walls of OBP.
However, you kind of have to feel bad for Dotson. Think about, towards the end of last season he was given a chance to start at left tackle (the big money position on the O-line) and now he’s riding the bench. That’s gotta do a number on his state of mind. Time to be a professional and make sure you’re ready when your next game action comes, be it at left tackle, right tackle or even guard.
November 12th, 2015 at 8:54 am
Dot is an idiot. It’s more about him than it is the team. He needs to go after the season is over.
November 12th, 2015 at 9:04 am
Dotson should be practicing with the Jugs machine to show Lovie that he could be available at TE
November 12th, 2015 at 9:17 am
Start him at defensive end, anythings better than our current starters
November 12th, 2015 at 9:32 am
Who would have ever thought that before the season? Just an incredible job those guys have done
November 12th, 2015 at 10:03 am
I remember the 8th grade when I tried out for a youth league..not LL..baseball team. I was very small and not that talented at baseball but I should have made the 20 man roster. At the final cut the coach picked his son for the 20th spot even though it was pretty clear to all that I was better than his son.
When I went to my father whining about how the coach picked his son when I was better he told me to S T F U. It was MY responsiblity to be good enough to not find myself in that situation to begin with. IE play better and the coach won’t be able to cut you.
That’s where it is for Dotson and Evans. Clearly they are not demonstrably better than the players who replaced them. Sad that an injury gave their replacements to opportunity but if Dotson and Smith were All Pros their talent would have them back on the field.
Stop the whining!
November 12th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Maybe he should play harder and win his spot back.
November 12th, 2015 at 1:28 pm
Haven’t listened to it, but I have a question.
” “It is disappointing, especially when you were told last week by the head coach [I would start].” – Quoted
Now, is the part in the brackets something Joe assumed he meant but did not actually say?
November 12th, 2015 at 4:31 pm
For a guy who supposedly is a straight shooter, Lovie sure makes a lot of veiled statements. All week long he said things like, “The best 5 guys will start no matter how the unit is playing,” which sounded like he was ready to make a move of Dotson over Cherilus. It appears the players are hearing the same confusing stuff.
If you can’t be clear in your message, it is no wonder the team looks like a poorly coached mess.
November 12th, 2015 at 6:34 pm
Demar Dotson was a basketball player in college where he also played on the defensive line. He played his first season of football in 2008 after spending the previous two seasons (2006-07) as a member of the Southern Miss basketball team. He appeared in six games on the defensive line. At 6-9 315, his wingspan alone would make it like throwing over the Burj Khalifa for opposing QB’s. Anyway, at the end of the day with Dotson now activated it will elevate the play and hopefully reduce the penalties from Gosder Cherilus. Having two starters on the bench (Demar Dotson and Evan Smith) and another second year Lineman (Kevin Pamphile) looking like a future starter, the competition has never been better and there is no better motivator. Next time we are in the red zone on a third and one, I want to see a seven OL front Dotson, D Smith, Mankins, Hawley, Marpet, Cherilus and E Smith. Stack em baby.