Koetter On ASJ: He’s Gotta Play Better
August 3rd, 2016
Falling behind
Is Austin Seferian-Jenkins going to have a job with the Buccaneers on opening day?
Through six days of training camp, Seferian-Jenkins has been rather invisible, not bad not good — just not much. Today he had a bad drop, as Joe noted in the detailed Day 6 camp notes and observations.
After practice, Dirk Koetter was asked about Seferian-Jenkins and said he’s “fighting” for a gig, not words associated with many 2014 second-round draft picks.
“Austin’s working at it. That’s all he can do right now. He’s just got to work. That’s all a guy, anybody that’s fightin’ for a job, that’s all he can do,” Koetter said of Seferian-Jenkins.
A reporter followed up and asked Koetter, ‘So he’s got some catching up to do compared to Harvard tight end Cameron Brate?’
“Well, I mean, the guys that are playing the best are going to play. Catching up for some guys is knowing what they’re doing. Catching up for some other guys is, ‘You gotta play better.’ And I’d say [Austin] falls into that category.”
Tough talk there for Seferian-Jenkins, who didn’t know what he was doing one day during spring practice and got booted off the field by Koetter.
Frankly, though, this is not surprising. Joe’s written countless times that Seferian-Jenkins had the third-most snaps among tight ends when he returned to action last season, and he doesn’t play much special teams.
Joe sees Seferian-Jenkins working hard in camp. He’s giving strong effort (evidenced in the videos below), but he just doesn’t look like the super talent he was when he arrived as a rookie.
August 3rd, 2016 at 11:53 am
Pretty much the deal is done.. Brate is the number one TE! ASJ might not be the number 2 either..
The chemistry with Brate and Jameis..it’s a wouza one..love it!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:05 pm
i am a licht supporter but man that draft class is looking rough… granted he did not have his staff in place and was stuck with bunch of bad buc retreads in scouting dept. last year was great lets hope this year turns out. not sold on vh3 but warming up
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:18 pm
@Tmaxcon
Its all relative!!! If the popstar had drafted ME13 and CS34 the sheep would have made the popstar retire so he is eligible for the Hall of Fame, changed his nickname to “mark demiGod” and would consistently being screaming at eye-RAH Kaufman as to why he is not in the Hall yet!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:29 pm
I think his days are numbered. It’s sad, I hope he can turn it around.
@Realist and tmax- It’s a shame that you can’t look into these guys hearts. I guess you can’t get them all right, eh?! At least they’ve done OK with Brate and a couple of other FAs.
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:38 pm
Can’t hit on them all. ASJ probably just needs to go, maybe a change of scenery would do him good, maybe he just doesn’t have it. Either way, it just isn’t happening in Tampa.
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:41 pm
There was something in Austin’s demeanor last yr that gave me the impression his heart was not in Football. I still hold that impression. Some guys flash, collect 1 or 2 yrs of salary and disappear into the sunset. its just how it is. And some after an injury rethink whether ballin out in the NFl is all worth it. Some, recover and play even harder. I got ASJ..ridin off into the sunset not realizing his potential.
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:44 pm
I agree wit you gotbucs. Licht the truth as GM man but we’re fooling ourselves if we think every draft over next ten years is gonna always pan out.
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:48 pm
Would be an shock if he is just flat out cut after only 2 injury plagued seasons in the league and being a 2nd round pick. He’d have to be one horrific character in the locker room because the guy has ability.
I think he’s just trying to motivate him. If he doesn’t step up he will likely be traded or gone after this year I’d think though.
As for the 2014 draft. Not amazing but as Realist said it was better than most Dominic drafts by far. Dominic’s Martin & Lavonte draft is the only good one he ever had. The rest got like 1 starter or contributor typically per draft if that.
Mike Evans = legit #1 WR. ASJ = potential bust or potential weapon still. Charles Sims = 1000 + all purpose yards last year. Kevin Pamphile = capable starting OG.
If you get 3 starters from a draft that’s a solid draft. ME / Sims / Pamphile look like they could be long term guys. Sims is a starter imo. As much or more than a 3rd WR considering the amount of touches he gets. Pamphile isn’t a starter but I imagine he might be in the next year or 2 and a long term player for the team.
So 2 starters and a valuable O-line swing backup. Not terrible but not amazing. If ASJ pans out then and becomes a force then it’d be one of our better drafts in the last decade still considering how bad most have been. 2015 = GOAT draft. Really excited for Kwon/VHIII/Aguayo from this draft along with Ryan Smith and Benecoch’s eventual development.
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:49 pm
Asj is our te version of Josh Freeman.
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:03 pm
That 1st draft by Lovie’s lovable lapdog Licht sure is starting to look suspect with a high round 1 receiver that can’t stop dropping passes and a head case 2nd round pick that also can’t stop dropping passes. Both getting shown up by hard working undrafted players in Humpries and Brate.
Uh oh, I can see the Licht Mob now getting all panty-wadded!
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:06 pm
I don’t think ASJ likes it here with the Bucs either. He likes himself though, sort of like a self absorbed prima donna type who thinks his crap don’t stink. Possibly his pre draft hype was over blown, I don’t know. It’s now or never ASJ to prove your worth to the Bucs, I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:11 pm
We passed on soooooo many good players to take him in the draft
My question is if you spent 5 minutes with the guy how would u take him with a 2 ??? 7th okay I get it
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:11 pm
Got paid, didn’t learn how to play……Brate learned how to play and will eventually get paid…..it’s the way of the NFL…
Ass-tin Sufferin-Junkins, just never “got it” so it will soon be time for those famous words:
“Hey Ass-tin, Coach wants to see you, and bring your playbook or your play-tablet or whatever the hell it is they use these days…”
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:18 pm
I wouldn’t say that JW is our defacto GM, but it’s pretty interesting that the two receivers he talks up the most — Hump & Brate — end up having starting gigs now even though they may not be the most talented. (Yes, I consider WR3 a starting gig)
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:23 pm
Keep wearing that hat ASJ,
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:23 pm
I doubt ASJ will be cut…..we need multiple TEs…..and he has 2 more years on his rookie contract……He might be traded….there are always coaches out there that think they can coach a player up to his potential……we won’t get much for him…perhaps a 6th round pick….but I doubt we cut him.
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:25 pm
WT and TE for the 2017 draft!!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:27 pm
I keep telling people that Jason Licht cannot draft players, the man don’t have a clue.
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:27 pm
Tampabaybucfan
unless he earns a spot and licht cant steal a pick from another team he will be cut. i cant see koetter carrying dead weight because its a cheap rookie deal that is peanuts and hardly relevant…
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:43 pm
Licht told Duemig a couple of weeks ago that second round picks had a 50/50 bust rate.
Thus far Licht’s second round picks are ASJ, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Roberto Aguayo and Noah Spence. Not counting the rookies, Licht is 2 for 3.
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:45 pm
@CreamsicleBananaHammock
I can see your reasoning. It makes perfect sense Jameis the GM
3 white guys playing starting together
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:53 pm
@Joe
The NFL rate would be higher for hitting on second rounders, But mark dominik was in the league for 5 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 1:59 pm
So according to Coach Koetter, ASJ has to play better to catch up. Apparently Coach concedes that ASJ knows what he’s doing (now), he simply has to play better. Might be Dirk just trying to motivate him, or it might be an indication of what’s to come. Quite frankly, ASJ might be a 2nd round pick but he’s not that good.
ASJ’s played in 16 games in 2 seasons … I know he’s been hurt, but that’s not very encouraging. He’s caught 55% of the passes thrown to him … not very impressive. Look at our 3 other TEs. Luke Stocker: 5 seasons, 65% reception rate. Brandon Myers: 7 seasons, 69% reception rate. Cam Brate: 2 seasons, 77% reception rate.
Coach Koetter hit the nail right on the head: ASJ has to play better if he expects to win a spot on this team.
August 3rd, 2016 at 2:10 pm
@tmaxcon
I didn’t mean the cheap rookie deal was meaningful to the Bucs…..but meaningful to other teams wanting to take a shot at him…
Also…..there is a difference between a 3rd or 4th string TE & dead weight…..I consider ASJ a 3rd stringer…..
August 3rd, 2016 at 2:21 pm
“We passed on soooooo many good players to take him in the draft”
These are the guys that went after ASJ:
Marqise Lee WR
Kyle Van Noy LB
Lamarcus Joyner S
Jordan Matthews WR
Weston Richburg C
Cyrus Kouandjio OT
Paul Richardson WR
Stephon Tuitt DE
Trent Murphy LB
Timmy Jernigan DT
Jace Amaro TE
Jermiah Attaouchu LB
Ego Furguson DT
Troy Niklas TE
Davante Adams WR
Bishop Sankey RB
Jeremy Hill RB
Cody Latimer WR
Carlos Hyde RB
Stanley Jean-Baptiste CB
A lot of these guys haven’t even played a ton of meaningful snaps still. Only a couple starters and the only good players that have flashed a bit are Mathews / Hyde / Hill and even those 2 RBs have dissapointed. Most are average joe players up to this point if that. The other 2 TEs from the same round haven’t done sh1t in this league. Eric Ebron; picked 13th overall; hasn’t had a breakout season or anything and been pretty average.
This is a good reality check on draft expectations lol
August 3rd, 2016 at 2:25 pm
Those guys I listed aren’t random names form the draft they are all 2nd rounders from 2014.
If Light sucks at drafting then every GM sucks at drafting by those standards.
2 starters from 2014. Potential for 4 based on ASJ/Pamphile
4 starters from 2015. Winston was not some slam dunk decision to most ppl as many wanted Mariota. Winston ended up in the pro bowl and Mariota on IR with much worse record. Both O-lineman weren’t hugely popular to most media. Kwoan Alexander was in running for the f*cking defensive player of the year for christs sake and was a 4th round pick.
6 starters at worst from 2 drafts = solid unless you don’t understand the history of the draft and the NFL. And that’s assuming ASJ / Kevin Pamphile are completely worthless.
August 3rd, 2016 at 2:32 pm
@Lord C- “This is a good reality check on draft expectations lol”
That could not have been said better. The draft is a cautionary tale most of the time. It’s why I don’t agree with trading Glennon for a 3rd or 4th round draft pick.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:04 pm
So when Licht misses on draft picks he can hide behind bust rates. Looks like some free passes getting handed out by the beholden media for GMs not named Mark Dominik.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:16 pm
The sentence should just say:
“He’s got to play.”
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:17 pm
ASJ gets sent home from practice and his response was 10 hours of twitter. Not much more you need to know. Doesn’t matter why but he just does not have the mental make up to be a winner in an elite league that requires elite effort. Any driven person would have spent those 10 hours making sure they got themselves back up to speed. Time to move on to those guys who want to play.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:20 pm
“So when Licht misses on draft picks he can hide behind bust rates. Looks like some free passes getting handed out by the beholden media for GMs not named Mark Dominik.”
What are you talking about man? Bust rates are a fact. He brought up the fact of how many players will bust when talking about his move up for Aguayo. It’s a fact and was not brought up in addressing a bad draft pick he has made – i.e. not made as some excuse of anything. Reading comprehension.
The media hasn’t really been critical of either of those GMs. I don’t recall a ton of Dominic bashing articles at all when he was GM. Links to all these anti-dominic articles and pro-light articles?
Let’s compare their drafts tho:
2009 – all gone now. Freeman had a couple decent seasons but that’s it. Ended up setting us back if anything because he never became a franchise QB.
2010 – Gerald McCoy and that’s it. Mike Williams had a couple OK years but never any like Mike Evans rookie year.
2011 – Only guy left is Luke Stocker. Clayborn & Foster at least contributed but weren’t special at all and there were better players available.
2012 – His best draft – Barron/Martin/Lavonte. His best draft was 3 solid starters. Keith Tandy not too terrible as backup late rounder
2013 – Revis trade. Johnthan Banks who may not pan out. No starters currently from this draft.
So in 5 drafts we have 3 good starters right now in McCoy / Martin / David. Could have had like 5 if we kept Barron. Stocker/Tandy contributors
Compared to the last 3 drafts from Light netting potentially 9 starters and easily 6-7 at worst.
QB Winston
WR Mike Evans
RB Charles Sims
OG Ali Marpet
LT Donavaon Smith
MLB Kwon Alexander
CB VHIII
DE Noah Spence
K Roberto Aguayo
We can revisit this when Light has had 5 drafts but the early results look more promising.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:21 pm
2013 draft did net Spence & Gholston. Some potential there.
Dominic wasn’t absolutely terrible but he wasn’t that good. Below average. So far Light is above average.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:22 pm
So DallasBuc, you want to fire Licht because ASJ is a bonehead? Licht has made plenty of mistakes so far. Plenty of good decisions too. What matters at the end of the day is wins and ASJ doesn’t have the eye of the tiger.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:22 pm
Marquise lee is good just been hurt. What is the bust rate of gm’s? I’d say if you don’t hit on your first and second rd picks you won’t be around long.. A blind old lady could have picked Evans and yes he’s good despite drops. I never liked asj heard he was immature head case. I thought all along it was a bad pick. Also it was a high 2nd not a late 2nd. Bad pick by licht, please no more excuses. Just admit it. I wouldn’t cut him I’d give him some more rope.
August 3rd, 2016 at 3:54 pm
During the 2014 NFL draft, a lot of Bucs fans wanted Aaron Donald in the 1st and Allen Robinson in the 2nd. But Jason Licht drafted Mike ‘ Butterfingers’ Evans in the 1st and Austin ‘Softie” Jenkins aka ASJ in the 2nd. Losing has got so bad in Tampa that Bucs fans are mistaking mediocre as greatness. SMH
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:03 pm
Me!!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:05 pm
BTW, those are 2 PRO BOWL PLAYERS. Also Jarvis Landry, went to Miami in the 2nd round of the draft ( who also is a pro bowl player). We reached for Mike Evans in a draft that was DEEP with WR’s. Allen Robinson and Jarvis Landry both went in the 2nd round AFTER ASJ.
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:18 pm
I wonder if anyone ever crunched the numbers.
Career path for very young (1-2 year) NFL players with an injury and significant time away form playing. Did that high draft paycheck along with the downtime ruin what might have been good player?
I am not going to fault Jason for ASJ, nobody bats a 1.000, Jason did find Brate.
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:42 pm
Creamsickle is correct. #3 will have a lot to say about who gets balls thrown their way and who he wants on the field.
Brate and Hump figured that out on day one! It’s #3’s world right now…the rest of just just live in it.
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:43 pm
Also took a chance at a Division III dude in the second round. That’s balls. More importantly, it worked.
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:55 pm
ASJ–Go Big or Go Home, your time is running out. Your words are cheap unless backed up with actions.
August 3rd, 2016 at 4:57 pm
By the way ASJ the NFL Network touted Brate today for Fantasy Footballers to consider. You were not even mentioned!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 5:51 pm
@Lakeland
Hindsight is always 20/20. Aaron Donald is great but to spend another first round pick on a DT would’ve been dumb. I don’t care how great he is, team composition plays a part in drafting. Gerald McCoy was coming off a 9.5 sack season in which he played all 16. So in our system Donald would be playing in a different spot on the line with different responsibilities, he wasn’t kicking all-pro mccoy out. Who’s to say he’d even be the same player with us at NT, he’d probably end up having a Booger-like career playing next to McCoy.
Same goes for Allen Robinson, who wasn’t a lock to be great anyway, he easily could’ve been the next Arrelious Benn. But now that you see he’s good, of course it would’ve made sense to draft him in the 2nd. I’m still willing to bet that in 10 years, Mike Evans will still be a #1 starter in the NFL, and nobody will question his draft spot.
August 3rd, 2016 at 6:02 pm
“During the 2014 NFL draft, a lot of Bucs fans wanted Aaron Donald in the 1st and Allen Robinson in the 2nd. But Jason Licht drafted Mike ‘ Butterfingers’ Evans in the 1st and Austin ‘Softie” Jenkins aka ASJ in the 2nd. Losing has got so bad in Tampa that Bucs fans are mistaking mediocre as greatness. SMH”
Donald is great but why are you done with Mike Evans man?
Robinson had a better year last year but so much of his #s were in garbage time as the Jags were playing catch up and lost more games than us with an even worse defense than us. ME killed him their rookie years when Robinson struggled with injuries (which could easily be a red flag if you want to go that route).
ME has 142 catches for 2257 yards and 15 TDs
Robinson has 128 catches for 1948 yards and 16 TDs
Way to have a kneejerk reaction to one NFL season lol. Can we wait like 5+ years at least with stuff like this?
August 3rd, 2016 at 6:37 pm
tmaxcon Says:
August 3rd, 2016 at 12:05 pm
i am a licht supporter but man that draft class is looking rough… granted he did not have his staff in place and was stuck with bunch of bad buc retreads in scouting dept. last year was great lets hope this year turns out. not sold on vh3 but warming up
———————-
how was it rough? they at least hit on 50 percent of their picks in Evans, Sims, and Pamphile. Herron, and Edwards were late rounders….and you can’t always expect them to make the team. Pamphile can start if need be and he was a sixth rounder…that’s depth. ASJ has been the only disappointment when we could of had a guy like Allan Robinson in the second round that year to compliment Evans…etc. But ASJ may still develop into a probowl TE….
August 3rd, 2016 at 6:41 pm
@Joe and other fans……CONSIDER THIS when evaluating rookie/2nd year tight ends (ASJ was hurt both seasons and still essentially a rookie with all the time he’s missed)…..
Since the days of Shockey (early 2000’s) there’s only been ONE TE to go over 600 yards in a season, and that was John Carlson (who?). It’s brutal for TE’s the first season or so….
That position takes time to develop.
August 3rd, 2016 at 6:42 pm
only one rookie tight end, rather^^ since Shockey did it to go over 600 yards in one season. Steep learning curve in the NFL at the TE position.
August 3rd, 2016 at 6:52 pm
Feelthepewterpower – IF it takes so long, then why is Cameron Brate doing so well? Last year was his first year!
August 3rd, 2016 at 7:18 pm
BY FALISHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2016 at 7:22 pm
Reguarding the 2014 draft its pretty easy to see they had a plan in place withthe players they took.
We all knew this team needed a QB and it seems obvisous they looked forward to the 2015 draft. They didnt see the options they felt good about for a franchise QB in 14′ so they did the next best thing and picked up a few future weapons for their future franchise QB.
It was a good plan and it worked……lookat the difference of Tenn. Offense(with no weapons) compared to ours……..One of the biggest factors in all of this is how we completely fixed our O-Line in one offseason. That was a stroke of genisous that still baffles me. O-Lines just dont get fixed in one offseason!
Anybody crying about Aron Donald is neglecting the fact that the Bucs use a plan when they draft……..If an all-world cant miss prospect falls to them then yes, their plan should change. Just dont freaking kid yourself and act like Donald was a cant miss prospect. Im only going by paid analysists hre but thre wre plenty of negatives on Donald coming out(size the biggest if memory serves).
August 3rd, 2016 at 7:33 pm
Dreambig that dude is never happy but proved himself a touch crazy by saying Hump and Brate has out worked Evans. In what world did this happen? Everybody has to be perfect like he is. It’s ridiculous. I never understood how is Licht Lovies lapdog? He’s made some head scratchers but also has made some good picks.
August 3rd, 2016 at 7:35 pm
If your going to lynch-mob Licht for ASJ yourbeing ridicilous. Fact is the dude has skilld that translate nicely tothe NFL and thats the toughest part. Hes only had two drafts see the field but it is very obvisous that Jason has an eye for talent.
Ive always thought that you have to give a player three years…….If they havent shown anything by then they likely nevr will. Call mecrazy but Im going to give ASJ 3 years. Aside from Jenkins we still have a couple other players on the roster from that draft class. That in itself is an accomplishment, not tomention they have sen the field and produced.
Dont kid yourselves into thinking 2nd round picks are get rich quick schemes. If you want to be that critical over a singular pick then take it a step further and look at the success rate of 1st rounders………There have ben hundreds, if not thousands of busts from the 1st round over the years….And there have been tons of only average players or backups from those premium picks. At the end of the day a draft should be graded as a whole and it should even include UDFA.
August 3rd, 2016 at 7:38 pm
BTW Cornelius, awesome job with that list of 2nd rounders. Im sure it was ignored by some. But for anybody who believes 2nd round players are get rich quick schemes your list should set them straight……if they care to analyse it.
August 3rd, 2016 at 7:40 pm
Don’t write this guy off! Talent wise he is our best TE! He may be a third-stringer right now but it is a long season, and preseason hasn’t started yet.
August 3rd, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Agree BigHog………Dirk says ASJ needs to play better. Yeah I already knew that. I guess some fans didnt know that, they are taking what Dirk said and assuming that AsJ is going to be cut……..hahahahahana
August 3rd, 2016 at 8:14 pm
Brent- that’s interesting. I missed that scouting report on ASJ. I’d love to see the source.
August 3rd, 2016 at 8:50 pm
We needed wideouts and allen Robinson and lsu Jarvis were sitting there for us
August 3rd, 2016 at 10:10 pm
Destinjonny-We did need a wideout in that draft. Then they drafted Evans. Remember?
August 4th, 2016 at 12:03 am
@stranglassman I had no reason to not want him read it a couple times in draft magazines. He had 1st rd talent but considered immature.
August 4th, 2016 at 1:31 am
I’m not going to give up on ASJ. Gotta find a way to positively influence him, unlike the way some of our more retarded fans have been treating him.
August 4th, 2016 at 9:23 am
Ya who would want either of those two over austin?? Um every team in the nfl
We still have a wideout depth problem but even more so then.
This year we had a d line issue and the deepest d line draft in 20 years
We take one
August 4th, 2016 at 9:47 pm
TE version of Free Free
Ha lolol gonna have to do a hell of a lot worse things to even come close to that nasty poison.