Jason Licht Has Stones
May 2nd, 2016
Ballsy move.
Judging the traffic and comments late on a Sunday on this here corner of the Interwebs, the decision of Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to burn two draft picks on kicker Roberto Aguayo has Bucs fans worked up in a way not seen since leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman went mental.
Joe is surprised at the outrage. But perhaps, Joe isn’t as surprised as good guy Andrew Astleford is surprised by the pick itself. That’s what he typed for the four-letter in his analysis of Licht’s draft this weekend.
Licht showed guts: Whatever you think of this pick, you can’t say the GM was timid. Who pegged this one? It was unpredictable. It was interesting. It will continue to fascinate. This much is known: Jameis Winston will be a fan of the move, with him gaining a familiar face in the locker room after the two played together at Florida State. Licht said the Bucs “needed to be bold there, and we were.” Does Tampa Bay have the next Sebastian Janikowski? Licht wants to find out.
In the past three drafts, wisely or unwisely, Licht has showed serious stones, a serious poker-playing method. He passed on Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr two years ago when the Bucs desperately needed a quarterback.
Then, last year, under a mountain of public pressure and untold unecessary influence from the likes of noted quarterback whisperer Father Dungy, Licht chose against the easy route and selecting Marcus Mariota. Instead, he got America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston.
For all those folks who howled about Jameis last year, how stupid do they look right now?
Additionally, Licht traded up in the second round last year to draft a Division-III player. That sure paid off, didn’t it?
While Joe has reservations on the selection of Aguayo, given Licht’s track record, Joe has to trust Licht until proven otherwise.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:05 am
I think if you’re gonna draft a kicker it might as well be the best kicker in college football history. All those games we lost by kicks last year, we needed this guy really. And if he continues his accuracy we’ll be set for years. Hopefully it works out.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:16 am
Stones indeed and he’s creative and thinks outside of the box!!!
I’m beyond impressed with Licht!!! Let’s enjoy him while we can!!! If these picks work out….if Aguayo is a generational kicker….LA or NYC will be stealing our GM in a few years.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:16 am
Not worried excited for my Bucs!!
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:19 am
TOP 3 PICKS ARE LOCKS TO IMPACT PLAYERS THIS YEAR…. What will Joe call it when 2 or 3 more of these guys show up to play ball??? I for one like the chances of the FB… Cult hero in the making there…. Plus this LB we drafted looks like he is gonna be a wrecking ball on blitz and passing downs if used as a rusher… And I really like this move of drafting a cover corner to play safety in this division!!!!!!!!!
we may have just found 6 starters for years to come… Now its gonna be all about filtering and rotating the crop every so many years!!!!!!!!!
We still need some WR help going into this season… Would love to see BOTH Roddy White and Boldin brought in for a look!!!!!!!!
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:20 am
all the people that claim that the bucs are going to need several years to get the pieces in place should realize that is what this is. One more piece of the 53-man puzzle that is an nfl team. You go get the pieces when they are there to get.
You try to get 4 pieces per draft, and keep as many good pieces around as long as possible, and then hopefully you can coach them up and get some rings.
Sure some pieces are bigger than others, but a guy who is solely responsible for 50+ Points a season seems like a big piece to me. The difference between a guy who makes 95% of his kicks and 80% is painful to watch (unless you are Licht’s dry cleaner).
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:24 am
I hated the trade / pick.
I really like this GM!
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:28 am
Everyone “gets” the pick. The reaction is an expression of trust.
Belicheat could do this and everyone would say it was sly. Ozzie Newsome could do it and it would be ingenious. Jerry Jones could do this and it would be crazy — and Jerry wouldn’t give a crap.
The reaction is caused by the amount of draft capital spent on an undervalued position. If Licht had made the same move and then picked a well known safety like Bell, the pick would be brilliant. Or if Vitale was chosen there, it would just be an overdraft. But a KICKER????
Simple as that.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:29 am
Stones for sure….
Light is doing exactly what we need him to do….He is improving our team at every single position……now we have a better kicker….in FA we signed a better punter…..I now feel we have a better CB & DE.
Next year is probably when we draft a WR.
Piece by piece….it’s coming together.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:30 am
Licht…..sorry
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:33 am
Licht also passed on your boy Johnny Foosball Joe.
Now why would you choose to omit that……..?
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:34 am
Over the last 3-4 years, our kickers stunk up the joint. I think it’s a great pick. Guaranteed extra points and a FG kicker you can have confidence in! He can put the ball in the back of end zone at will or he can pin you deep! Crucial part of the game. Great pick and if worse comes to worse, Aguayo is most likely better than what we have now.
These so called experts on NFL Network and ESPN need to STFU and do some research before they run their mouths!
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:38 am
I,think it was a good pick overall but a bit of a reach when I’m almost convinced he would of been there in the 3rd. We could of used that extra 4th to draft another impactful player like a DT or WR, but it is what it is. I think he will become one of the better kickers in the league right away and probably win some games for us. If u consider how many games we lost off the leg of the kicker last season u can see why Licht didn’t hesitate to go up and grab him.
He is the most accurate kicker in the history of college football so that does justify the pick as well. The only thing that worries me is his long range game. 5-10 {50%} is not what u want from your second rnd kicker.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:39 am
If the Bucs’ are building a playoff “winning” team, IMO kicker is a big piece of the puzzle. Ultimately the proof will be found on game day. But if you don’t like the pick, find a Vikes’ fan. I bet everyone of them likes this pick after the heartbreak they went through in the playoffs last season.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:40 am
They should have waited till around three or four. If he was gone by then, so be it.
We won’t know if it was worth until we see if he is a Buc kicker with pro bowls 10 years from now.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:40 am
This is the best comment I’ve read on Licht’s decision and I agree that this decision takes guts. I agree with you this is a major piece. Jobs are kept or lost in part because of a kicker’s leg.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:42 am
I’m talking about we took one of the if not the best corner in the draft. Then turned around and took one of if not the best defensive end in the draft. But we’re in an uproar about where our new franchise kicker was selected. Wow😮.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:42 am
I didnt see any teams drafting aguayo before the bucs picked in the third. I love the pick i just hate giving up the 4th when i dont feel they needed to. Ya never know tho. In that draft tberes gona be alot of 4th rounders playing in the league a while. Take a peek at what the ravens did in the 4th. Wow. Anyway we dont need to draft another kicker for at least 10 years.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:47 am
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:49 am
That was an awful pick. It was a total waste of draft capital.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:49 am
I love the pick!
I used to think Janikowski was the best college kicker I had ever seen until this guy came around.
Janikowski has a slightly stronger leg but not by much and Aguayo is more accurate but not by much.
If both were 22 years old and available to be selected I would go with Aguayo, because of his better consistency.
NFL kicks are easier than college as a result of the closer hash marks which will be another plus for him.
I would be surprised if Aguayo is not in the top 5 of the NFL in XP and FG accuracy as a rookie.
Also if there is a big kick to be made I’d have as much confidence in him to make it as anyone else in the league. If you are being honest there is no way anyone could say the same about Barth or Brindza.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:50 am
Sick of people talking about what we “gave up” to pick Aguayo… We used a fourth rounder that we didn’t have the day beforebto turn our third rounder into a second. Still walked away from this draft with same amounts of picks we walked into it with. I hope he kicks a game winning 50 yarder in week one.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:51 am
I think the Aguayo pick is solid. And I’m excited to see if the FB as well as the OLB we drafted late can develop. I was kind of bummed that we passed over Rankins and Sterling Sheperd, but I’m glad we walked away with Spence. Now it’s time to hope the VH3 develops into an NFL cornerback. When it comes to receiver it’s just kind of iffy… IF Murphy comes back healthy and IF they sign Roddy White then in week one we come out in four wides with VJax, ME13, Murphy, and White. And oh yeah, Charles Simms lines up as the lone back. That’s aight right there, but again those are two pretty big IFs.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:51 am
I have never understood the distain that is cast towards kickers. I think it starts with the players, demeaning kickers because they don’t have as psyhical a job as everyone else, so they count them as not valuable. Makes sense from a player point of view, but despite the brovado of players and the media, kickers do not grow on trees and good ones are hard to find. If you have a punter with a poor average, that impacts field position. That is important! If you have a field goal kicker who is not extremely accurate, that costs points and games. Thats why I like the pick. A good field goal kicker will win you games and Licht might have just nailed that position down for years to come. Thats two years in a row that Licht turned a 3rd round pick into a second round pick. Dominic used to collect 6th and 7th rounders. Licht seems to collect second rounders. I’ll take that any day!n
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:52 am
I agree, Nole. Please watch the YouTube vids on Noah Spence. I’m a Gator so no OSU love in me but watch his tape when he played there. His tackling needs work but HS! his get off is freaky fast. I hope Spence is a threat every time opposition has the ball. He’s not UT/DT but his explosion off the line is Sapp like. You can stand him up, put his hand on the ground, play him left or right in a 4-3 and in 3-4 he can edge or gap rush.
May 2nd, 2016 at 8:52 am
Stones was staying put in the second round and not giving up a pick to get Spence knowing he would fall to us. He is the best! Then he gives up a pick to move up and grab a kicker and now he is the worst? I am a huge fan! Besides, if Pete Prisco gives you an F for a pick, you know it is a good one.
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:20 am
Not a huge fan of the pick but just ask Tom Brady what he thinks of Adam Vinatieri.
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:25 am
Personally, I wish they would have waited and taken this kicker with their last pick in the 6th round. Problem is he’d have been gone. Same with the 5th and almost certainly the 4th round. The third was a crap shoot at best for the best kicker in college football history. Who would strike first? The Bucs had a glaring need and filled with a potentially franchise kicker by moving up to get him in the second. If right it was well worth the price and a savvy move by smart GM.
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:29 am
Stop living in the past. The pick has been made. Accept it. Are we seriously goona talk about the freaking kicker for the next few months. God I hope not. But hey it gets you them clicks, Joe.
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:30 am
I kind of expected the VH3 pick and therefore was not jumping for joy. Day two however was exciting to me at least. I was biting my fingernails hoping that Spence would be there and it worked out which made me leap for joy. Then the Agauyo pick made me leap for joy also. We did not really waste 2 picks on him if you think about it. Would people be so hacked off if we would have used the 74th pick on him? Well, they would have done just that but obviously had some intel that he would be gone by then so they used that 4th round freebie to move up 15 spots to get the best kicker. Folks, I remember being outraged last year by losing games due to an atrocious kicking game. If Aguayo’s game will translate to the NFL which it should, we can probably count on him if not winning some games for us, at least not losing games for us. Now to the concern of not doing enough to address our DL. Well Spence will surely help but I think the bigger X factor that most are forgetting is the coaching they will get with Hayes this season. That guy made Ghost Johnson look like a solid NFL DL before and after he fleeced the Glazers of cash. Imagine what he can do with the underachieving group that we have. I think the DL will surprise many people this season in the same way that the OL surprised us last season. Don’t forget the importance of great coaching.
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:30 am
There are 24 starters on a football team. We got four starters in last years draft, and likely three (at least) starters in this draft. Seems like pretty solid drafting to me.
In Jason we trust!!!
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:33 am
Like Nole said the other day, when this kid is winning games or hitting clutch kicks to bring us back into a game you guys won’t even remember which hypothetical player ” would have been better “. Embrace the young man, he’s going to be our kicker for the next decade.
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:36 am
Go ahead,ask Tom Brady..
May 2nd, 2016 at 9:59 am
What is the over/under on posts about this for this week? At least the Glennon trade posts are gone.
May 2nd, 2016 at 10:17 am
It is important to note repeatedly that Jason Licht likes AC/DC.
May 2nd, 2016 at 10:25 am
Aguayo is much more accurate than Janikoswki ever was in college. A lot is being made about Aguayo “struggling” last year by missing a whooping 5 kicks. Sebastian’s best year at FSU, he went 27-32! He even missed an extra point. Not gonna knock the guy because up until fri he was my favorite kicker but just comparing Roberto to another FSU/NFL great with a high draft stock
May 2nd, 2016 at 10:28 am
Hey, let’s move on now and talk about the kicker pick. That is the big story of this Bucs draft.
May 2nd, 2016 at 10:32 am
I think Jason Licht is a risk taker.
And we’ve been lucky the risks have paid off. Sort of feels like destiny, doesn’t it?
May 2nd, 2016 at 10:41 am
I just want to know why he drafted Ed from “Good Burger” movie?
May 2nd, 2016 at 11:04 am
I agree with you Joe…
I was also surprised that we moved up, spent a fourth rounder and drafted a kicker… However, I felt the same way with the Marpet pick last year and as you mentioned that has gone pretty well… I am going to put a little faith in D. Koetter and Licht and trust they have a solid plan for this team…
May 2nd, 2016 at 11:09 am
I am surprised Joe has not jumped on the story about how badly this guy wanted to kick for Tampa… This is a true BUCCANEER!!!! He will help JW show the boys how they dominated mentally before they ever hit the field!!!!!!1
Last thing I will say about this pick…. HE IS THE BIGGEST IMPACT PLAYER OF THIS DRAFT FOR US!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch and see… 3 points early vs none will make a huge difference late in the 4th…
All we need now is to bring in a (maybe two) impact veteran WRs and we will be set for a SERIOUS playoff run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go BUCS…. So STOKED!!!!!!!!!!
May 2nd, 2016 at 11:19 am
What Jab83 said..bring in veteran WRs and then get ready to draft their replacement in next year’s draft class..
There’s a ton of players getting released this week..and I still have the feeling Roddy will be a Buc for his last season..
May 2nd, 2016 at 12:07 pm
For those who are lukewarm to this pick (like I was!) let me try and convince you.
5 of the top 6 ALL-TIME leading scorers in Buccaneer history are KICKERS! That’s right, kickers! Worth mentioning is the fact that none of them played with us more than 5 years.
Provided that Aguayo stays healthy and is a Buc for the next say 10 years, this is as safe a pick as can be made.
Chant with me:
Roberto!
Roberto!
Roberto!
Go Bucs!
May 2nd, 2016 at 12:09 pm
No Guts, No Glory, and only time will tell if Jason did the right thing for Tampa.
He will either look like a Genius, or the 2nd coming of the Rockstar.
I like the pick.
May 2nd, 2016 at 12:10 pm
The “outrage” over picking the best college kicker in history by using a 3rd and an “extra” 4th round pick to get him is pretty ridiculous.
Aguayo is a generational prospect. A kicker with this kind of accuracy, credentials and background has never been seen before – and those with similar attributes/capabilities comes along about once every 10-15 years.
Yea – maybe he goes mental. loses his confidence and flames out of the NFL. That is a possibility – albeit a small one IMO – so that is the risk. But the much more likely reward is that we have acquired an excellent and reliable kicker who may well turn into one of the NFLs best kickers for the next 15 years. How many game winning opportunities will he have in the next 200+ Buccaneer games? How many yards of field position will his talents gain this team in that time?
The bottom line is – you either trust Jason Licht to make well informed decisions for the benefit of this team – OR you Don’t. Which is it Bucs fans?
May 2nd, 2016 at 12:52 pm
JAB83:
Ahem. Two months ago.
May 2nd, 2016 at 2:01 pm
ITS DONE
If your a fan stuck on this pick.
Get the hell over it already.
If Licht hadn’t made that pick the talking heads would be slobbering over his draft this year as they were right before the K pick was made lol.