Roddy White Factor
March 7th, 2016
Roddy White would bring depth
Yes, everyone connected dots when they heard the Dixie Chicks cut their all-time leading receiver, Roddy White.
Since Mike Smith and Dirk Koetter are one year removed from coaching White, people assumed it was just a matter of time before the Bucs would sign White.
Joe was among those adding White and the Bucs and coming up with a signing.
Many Bucs fans kvetched White is over the hill. While White is in the twilight of his career, the Bucs signing White may not be as crazy as some believe.
Last night, appearing on WFLA-TV Channel 8 with Dan Lucas and Paul Ryan on the unsponsored “Super Sports Sunday,” Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune explained how adding White is no silly suggestion.
“Look: There is a reason,” Cummings said. “A year ago, if he was on the Buccaneers [roster] he would have been their third-leading pass catcher, their fourth-leading [receiver] in receiving yards. So, that’s not a bad addition if they can bring in a veteran like that.
“They don’t have a whole lot of depth on the outside. He’s not a bad guy to look at and certainly, Dirk Koetter and Mike Smith know him as well as anyone. So if he had anything left, I think the Bucs will take a look at.”
The lack of depth at receiver last year was glaring when Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy went down. And Cummings has a valid point. Even at his NFL old folks home stage, White is better than misplaced Calgary Stampeder Doneea Dye and his embarrassing 36 percent catch rate.
Murphy’s status from a blown ACL and November surgery is a big unknown. It’s hard to make a case that signing White would be a wrong move.
March 7th, 2016 at 11:46 am
putting Roddy aside, i would say that our pass catching depth was superior to atlanta’s – especially when you throw in the production of sims and brate vs falcons’ RBs (freeman was a weapon but hurt for multiple games) and TEs. it’s hard to know the OC’s role in production, but on a team with a QB who’s been throwing to him for years and with arguably similar pass-catching depth, he could not stand out. i’m not sure he adds enough to stand in the way of developing younger players at that position. if he outplays louis murphy, i can foresee a job for him, but his bucs career seems likely to mirror Tim Brown’s
March 7th, 2016 at 11:46 am
Rather have Marvin Jones or Travis Benjamin but White is better than nothing I guess.
Texas Tect. Jakeem Grant or Mike Thomas S. Miss. in the mid to later rounds.
March 7th, 2016 at 11:52 am
No need to be one and done at the WR position
Add White
Add Jones or Benjamin
Hope Bell is more than a good college WR
and add any low round steals in the draft.
March 7th, 2016 at 11:54 am
I’m not even sure why this has to be explained. Vjax is great, lov that dude. But he’s 1 low blow from walking away from the game (hopefully can walk away.)
It’s almost like buc fans want to rid Jameis of any and all weapons as to not spend too much money on the wrong guy. Yet every year the Bucs do exactly that. Although I like Humphries and Bell, White would be an immediate upgrade.
I’m just not sure these young talented guys like Benjamin or Sanu would want to play for the Lions of the south but what do I know.
March 7th, 2016 at 12:02 pm
Poor Josh Freeman was cut again by the Colts… Unfortunately, they won’t be building around number 5…
March 7th, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Pick6
what team were you watching last year. Bucs had ZERO depth at wr last year… ASJ can not be counted on until he EARNS it on the field. Brate is a nice story but puts NO fear in any Defensive Coordinators mind. Evans is not a true number one yet. His untimely drops and bone headed plays offset the yards by far. Vjax basically played half the season when he was out the offense looked horrible…. Dye is a joke and needs to be on a practice squad. No one can say for sure what bell is so far he’s NOTHING… Murphy is a nice 5 or 6th receiver who has NEVER been successful for an entire season… Where is this depth you speak of… Lot’s of hope and prayers but there is NO depth on the bucs wr and one could argue they don’t have a solid 1 or 2 yet… Bucs need to sign Roddy White and go after Kearse or Sanu then they have the luxury of letting bell and humphries devleop. We have a franchise qb now is not the time to play the potential or hope they develop with humbries , dy or asj… Jameis needs experienced weapons not projects and has beens that never were like murphy….
March 7th, 2016 at 12:04 pm
If your going to overpay someone do it to someone else….not a grandpa with dreadlocks. Pay alex mack
March 7th, 2016 at 12:16 pm
NO the dude is a frigging crybaby and is slow and old
March 7th, 2016 at 12:21 pm
@ mac…poor Freeman..UGH..I really pull for him..
Bring Roddy in!!!!
March 7th, 2016 at 12:23 pm
tmaxcon-
take out roddy, and the falcons had julio jones and a bunch of nobodies – hankerson and devin hester might have been the only other guys who had caught a football before – he saw 4 or less targets in 11 of his 16 games. that is stunning when you are catching passes from a guy you used to catch 80 to 115 balls from in every prior healthy season. i did look up devonta freeman’s numbers (73 catches) and have to concede he is a better weapon than anyone outside our top 2 WRs, but that still doesn’t fully explain how Roddy became so irrelevant so fast.
i’m not saying the bucs can’t use him or our pass catching depth is great, my only point is on a similarly talent-starved roster in Atlanta, playing with a guy who’s used him as a career-long safety net, his numbers went off a cliff. not just receptions, but targets. he out-caught Vincent Jackson by 10 balls despite playing about 7 more games
the bucs were profoundly lacking in depth when Tim Brown came to town too. i just don’t think a guy who was a lifer with one team and whose numbers fell off a cliff last year is going to help the team a great deal as a one-and-done 24 year old. this is why i think the Tim Brown analogy is appropriate
March 7th, 2016 at 12:24 pm
*one-and-done 34 year old
March 7th, 2016 at 12:26 pm
I would not overpay this washed up Vet. Butt…his Atlanta hommies (ex-coaches) just might!
March 7th, 2016 at 12:28 pm
also, 11.8 ypc the last 3 seasons after being 13+ in 7 of the previous 8. signs of his physical decline are all over the place. i’m not advocating sticking with what we have, i am advocating signing athleticism and upside over a fierce competitor emphatically in his twilight years (possibly year, singular)
March 7th, 2016 at 12:34 pm
Roddy would be nothing more than a short term rental. May not be a bad depth move, but it’s hard to see him as anything other than a 4th or 5th receiver. I’d rather see Licht go after a young WR like Travis Benjamin from CLE, or draft Braxton Miller or Shepard in round 2 of the draft.
March 7th, 2016 at 12:35 pm
I look at it this way…he isn’t the only WR that we can sign, and we’re not limited to one WR. Really, we have 4 slots that can be improved.
I say bring him in for depth IF the price is right. He may be slow, but he can work the slot like Ike Hilliard did.
March 7th, 2016 at 12:38 pm
Wide receiver has the most players at a position. IT is the one area we have room to bring in multiple players.
And, let’s be honest…no one behind Jackson and Evans should be a lock. Some of them caught a few passes and had a few nice plays last year, but I think a problem for Bucs fans is that they remember the very few great plays and forget the rest.
Or does anyone NOT remember drops being a big issue?
March 7th, 2016 at 1:29 pm
Hey, I’m all for adding depth but Roddy would not be my first choice. Like many have stated he’s old. “Old” receivers are not like older players at other positions. We have a #1 and #2 receiver. What we should be looking for is a #2A. Roddy is a #3 or #4 at best.
I’m not opposed, I just think we can get better AND younger.
March 7th, 2016 at 1:55 pm
Pick6
I agree with you for the most part. My big issue is the team has too many projects and not enough reliable nfl talent. I am tired of losing just like you are I am guessing. Too many times n the last 5 to 6 years bucs have signed choirboys, local feel good stories and projects versus talented and experienced FOOTBALL players. I like both Bell and Humphries and VJAX but the facts are what they are VJAX is one hit away from retirement and Humphries and Bell are unknown projects. I have high hopes that new OC/WR coach will set Evans straight and Winston and he will work hard this off-season to get on the same page that being said, I’d like to see a couple of experienced vets be signed for when vjax misses games the drop off is not so signficant. Another issue last year was Lovie only carrying 5 receivers put the team behind the 8 ball when injuries happened in game I am guessing that Koetter will carry 6..
March 7th, 2016 at 6:47 pm
tmaxcon, i share your outlook for the most part. i just think there are better veteran upgrades than roddy white to be had. i’m not talking about signing 3 of the top 5 WRs to hit the market like some here are, i’m just talking about middling guys like Darius Heyward-Bey, Rishard Matthews, even a guy like lance moore….none of them could touch Roddy in his prime, but they are not dontea dye type noobs or projects, and all of them probably can help the bucs more over the next 2+ years as veteran depth than White. even anquan boldin looks to have more left to give despite being slightly older. Roddy’s decline (even before shanahan got his hands on him) and the fact that this will be his first year as a non-Falcons NFL player both are red flags to me.