“We Felt Like We Needed An Upgrade”
March 22nd, 2016
More action in free agency today.
The Bucs have a new punter!
Joe rarely writes about kickers and punters. They just don’t excite Joe. But Joe needs a break from sitting poolside today at the NFL Owners Meetings hosted by the swanky Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Tampa Bay signed free agent former Jaguars punter Bryan Anger this afternoon.
The Bucs let the price on Anger come down and struck when the time was right. “We felt like we needed an upgrade,” general manager Jason Licht told Joe.
Anger is solid, a four-year vet who was best known for being the 70th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, a ridiculous reach for a punter.
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:39 pm
Now THATS a Super Bowl caliber signing lol
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:47 pm
An Angry signing
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:49 pm
Maziel Madness, while you are joking, signings like these can be the difference between a Super Bowl or not. Field position is probably the most important aspect of the game, and no one has more control over field position on any one play more than the Punter does.
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:49 pm
It’s a MAJOR upgrade!!!
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:50 pm
that’s how teams like the bucs and jags get to where they are. draft a player at a low value position way too early, and then fail to offer said player a second contract
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:55 pm
I had seven players on my list that I had designated at the end of the season should be released. Rainey, Bowers, and Jnekins are gone. Schum was one of my choices because of his pitiful statistics. Sackless George Johnson and 5th sting TE Myers are yet to come.
March 22nd, 2016 at 2:56 pm
I like it!! Upgrading all positions! I read he’s second all time in punting avg only to the great Lechler.
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:01 pm
“Joe needs a break from sitting poolside….” I’ve never heard that from anybody at 3:00 on a Tuesday with the exception of senior citizens. What a life. But on the signing, bucs needed that badly A+ signing in my opinion.
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:05 pm
Now let’s upgrade our kicker and draft FSU kicker Roberto Aguayo in the 2nd round just like Jax picked the punter Anger lol….just kidding…but seriously hopefully we can get him in the 6th, honestly id take this kicking stud in the 5th, won’t need to worry bout a kicker for 15 years
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:24 pm
@bucsblud, i understand your point, but when your punter is regularly making a difference in games (as happened far too often in the josh bidwell and Mike koenen years, sadly) it is a sign of other deficiencies on the roster. look how often the best teams in football need their punter to do something great to alter the game. they have good defenses that dictate field position or they have strong offenses that rack up first downs. either way, talented teams marginalize their punters
when it is crunch time, your offense needs to score or your defense needs to get the ball back. 4 or 5 net punting yards (the general range between the league best & worst last year) can only do so much.
happy with the signing, but i want to be like those fans of the broncos , patriots, or seahawks who probably can’t name their punter because they’re getting so many first downs or making stops\turnovers that consistently set the offense up in or near FG range
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:53 pm
This guy can punt….over a 46yd average……consistently…..good to upgrade where we can…..
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:54 pm
Licht’s history of “upgrading” the kicking game is miserable at best.
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:56 pm
Patience Pick we’ll be there in due time. “Just wait on it”. I wanna know how good he is at placing that ball on punts inside the 10 yard line. Now that does matter.
March 22nd, 2016 at 4:00 pm
What Tampabf just said.
March 22nd, 2016 at 5:29 pm
Typical Buc Mngt. Value hunting. Now that kicker in this yrs draft from Fla St? That’s a kicker. One only need look at our history of paying players and searching the used bins to see where we are and how we have maintained our..Bottom feeder status. Not only from ownership status but in the NFl standings as well.
March 22nd, 2016 at 5:46 pm
Typicle Fan of Depression… Mikes Johnson just can’t help but pee in the bed it sleeps in…
But I like kickers, they certainly can win or lose a game for you… I wish they would kick Mike Johnsons balls…
March 22nd, 2016 at 6:44 pm
say Jabhater..thanks for the compliments. And thanks for reading my post there sir!
March 22nd, 2016 at 11:08 pm
For what it’s worth Pick6, I couldn’t remember the name of our punter. It’s not like I saw more than I’d like of him, it’s just that I really don’t care. Generally speaking, I guess this is an upgrade and probably on the cheap. I’d feel much better once we have a stud to plug in opposite Ayers. Hopefully that comes within the first 2 rounds. I’m going to ride the Hargreaves train if he’s available at 9th overall. I’ll be hoping that I regularly confuse Vernon with Ronde on gamedays. That would be a real good sign.
March 22nd, 2016 at 11:22 pm
I like it, now get Reggie Nelson
March 22nd, 2016 at 11:39 pm
This is GREAT NEWS!!!
March 23rd, 2016 at 3:09 am
Now that we have our punter, lets get a new kicker and not Roberto Aguayo in the 2nd round. First of all we can’t afford to give up that high of a pick on a kicker. Secondly, he is not the right kicker for us. Aguayo can’t kick and make the +50 yards kicks. Made just 5-of-9 field goals from 41 yards and beyond last year. Ka’imi Fairbairn UCLA made all 16 of his kicks last year from 40 yards and in and finished college with a streak of 41 straight makes from 35 and in. Has a powerful leg and made a 60-yard FG. Kickoff specialist with a touchback rate of 70 percent.
Why can’t Jason Licht sign one of these players?
S Walter Thurmond, Eagles. He is only 28 and his ability to drop down and cover the slot as a safety should be hat we need.
DT Nick Fairley, Rams. One of the most-productive defensive lineman of this entire free-agency period. Still not signed
Greg Hardy, DE, Cowboys. He can get after the passer, though, as he totaled 21 combined sacks and hits in 610 snaps a year ago. At only 27 years old he’s still well within his prime. We had an offer on the table last year. What has changed since then? Sign him and if he makes any waves, release him. That would give us the ability to draft Robert Nkemdiche. That would be some front four. If we went to the Super Bowl this year how many would complain? Matter of fact Mr Licht, if you sign Hardy, Thurmond and James Jones Packers and draft Nkemdiche, Shepard, Cyrus Jones and Faurbain, I bet we make it to the Super Bowl.