The Transformation Of Mark Barron
September 23rd, 2016
From rotten Bucs safety to stud Rams linebacker.
It just astounds Joe looking back over the past two years at mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake made by the guy who controlled the roster for the Bucs.
That would be the same guy with the worst home winning percentage of any coach in Bucs history, one Lovie Smith.
The lastest jogging of Joe’s memory is Rams linebacker Mark Barron. Sure, Barron was a bust as a safety. But Joe finds it interesting how Jeff Fisher — a fine defensive coach but a terrible head coach — saw enough in Barron that he actually traded for the Alabama product, moved him to linebacker and Barron has thrived since.
Barron racked up 116 tackles last year, and he talked earlier this via conference call to the local pen and mic club about his transformation.
“I feel like it’s good because like I said earlier, I’m closer to the ball,” Barron said. “I feel like I was always a guy that was always around the ball, even from a safety position. So now I’m just closer to it and I can get to everything faster, which allows me to make more plays.”
Imagine that. Make plays. Simple as that.
There is no question Barron’s best days for Tampa Bay were playing for former commander Greg Schiano. With Lovie, Barron was really bad.
So how come Jeff Fisher could see this from St. Louis, that Barron was a misplaced linebacker, but the friggin’ guy in charge of the team seeing him practice every blankety-blank day couldn’t see this right under his nose?
Darrelle Revis, Donald Penn, Jeremy Zuttah, Mason Foster (tied for NFL lead in tackles with Kwon Alexander) and Barron. All guys who couldn’t play for Lovie but sure as hell can for other coaches who seem to have a clue how to use their talents. Just unreal!
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:08 am
Revis, Penn, Zuttah…a hat trick of deletions that hampered any kind of team progress…Foster couldn’t play the cover 2 MLB so that was understandable…Illinois sucks, Lovie sucks! …simple as that
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:12 am
@joe
Please archive my comments. I was calling for this in the preseason!!
I knew he would make a nasty linebacker!
He looks bigger than LVD!!
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:14 am
Joe, that most certainly is a rhetorical question right? The answer is stated in the story… Because Lovie Dovie is the absolute worst coach the Bucs ever had. He is a great human being but he couldn’t motivate draw up plays or evaluate talent to save his life.
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:21 am
Imagine LVD, Kwon and Barron at LB for the Bucs, instead we traded Barron for a 4th round pick…people say he was so terrible, but Schiano did play him closer to the line of scrimmage esp on 3rd downs, in his first two years with the Bucs he did have 176 tackles, 16 pass defended, 2 sacks, , 7 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 3 Ints. Just sayin’
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:22 am
Amazing! Wow, no mention of Jason Gump
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:29 am
Better safety than Chris conte
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:40 am
It’s amazing to fathom the idea that our franchise could have been run into the ground worse than what Morris and schiano did. Yet, lovie did exactly that. Aside from the chase for Jameis. Greg started looking really good about 15 days into the lovie era. Man that guy sucks the big one
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:41 am
Will U please stop crying about freaking Darrelle Revis.
The Greatest Coach in the universe – didn’t wanna resign his arse.
Granted the dude had two or three great years – but he’s been living off the hype ever since.
If he’s not in man coverage – he’s an average corner. Matt Bownen recently said for a guy thats suppose to be great – All around corner. He’s discipline in zone coverage is terrible. You can’t blame that on dismissing skills. If he can’t put his hands on you – its a wrap. That’s why Lovie couldb’t use him in his scheme. An that’s why he struggled the 1st half on the season in New England in off man coverage.
So stop belly aching – about a guy – that was part of one of the worst trades in franchise history.
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:59 am
Yep…if never fails we let quality guy walk to pick up f#@king trash….SMMFH!!! I definitely hated to see Mase Walk. Mase Foster was a beast at LB
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:00 am
Mase Kwon and LVD….WOW what could have been….SMH
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:42 am
Where are the Lovie Lovers..???
Yes another FACT THAT HE SUCKS AS A COACH
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:44 am
Good chance that if the Bucs had retained the players who are starting for other teams right now that we’d win our division and go deep into the playoffs. Bennett, Talib, Foster, Barron, Zuttah, Revis … the list goes on. Lovie certainly made some bonehead personnel moves, but he didn’t do it in isolation. Ownership & our GMs … all of them … deserve equal credit.
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:50 am
I Know Why
Love your imagination and I think we’d all love to see Kwon, LVD and Barron.
I may be mistaken but I think that trade is what ended up getting the 4th round pick that nabbed Kwon.
Heads up I’ll still take Kwon over Barron.
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:54 am
Schiano is still the Best defensive coach the Bucs have had since Kiffin quit on the Bucs. David hasn’t been the same since he left
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:33 am
Come on Tony. Schiano best defensive coach ever? Remember that pass defense in 2012? And wtf did Schiano win? You have no basis to call Schiano the best defensive coach we ever had, not when we won a super bowl with defense. I think a Lombardi outweighs a number one rush defense and hitting hard. Sorry, I respectfully disagree.
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:37 am
Oh sorry Tony, you said “SINCE Kiffin quit”, in that case I agree. Schiano was better than both Rah and Lovie in terms of defensive game plan and his talent evaluation might be the best we’ve seen under the Glazers.
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:37 am
A real coach knows a players sttengths. The writing was on the wall. Slow safety equals lightning fast linebacker. Duh
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:42 am
The 4th round pick acquired from St. Louis was used to draft Kwon Alexander.
I’d rather have Kwon Alexander than Mark Barron. I’d rather have Kwon Alexander as a MLB than Mason Foster. Both Barron and Foster were terrible in coverage.
Simple as that.
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:45 am
Actually, I stand corrected with my last statement. The Bucs used that 4th round pick to get Ali Marpet and Kwon Alexander. I’d rather have both of them than Mark Barron.
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:46 am
The thing that irks me is when some of us here suggested he be moved to LB, we were mocked. Told we were idiots. Who is the idiot now?
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:48 am
Kwon is the better deal though. So is Ali Marpet.
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:49 am
Tony is right, David was allowed to flow to the ball with Schiano and the Lovemaster set him back for 2 seasons. In fact, I believe Lovie may have been on the sidelines in AZ last week. That is what i keep telling myself anyway….
Baron always had a problem with angles and wasn’t fast enough to play safety, he was an in the box safety who lined up close to the line of scrimmage most of the time at Bama. Kudos to the Rams for figuring out how to use him but if you looked at his college tape it shouldn’t have been that hard to figure out he was more a hybrid player. Plus, the league crackdown on big hits from safeties worked against him. Rams bring the wood for sure. We need to be ready Sunday.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:17 pm
I said it then, I’ll say it now.
Barron was the worst pick of the Dominik regime. Period. The only way it would have been a good pick was if Barron became Ronnie Lott, and he didn’t.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:22 pm
Nope, sorry. Only morons cut Hall of Famers still in their prime. Joe is not one to bury his head in the sand about turrible moves like that. No one should ever forget how Lovie wrecked this franchise (or set it up for future success by drafting Jameis and Joe isn’t sure if that wasn’t ordered from the very top).
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Hardly. Barron showed he can play if put in the right position. He was OK with Schiano.
DaQuan Bowers easily the worst pick.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:39 pm
Here I go, let me defend this bunch of BS, LOVIE wasn’t looking for linebackers he was looking for a safety and we all know he could not play safety at a high level, it’s good that you all have hindsight but can’t see that if Barton was here now we would still be a 1 win, 1 lose team, make him take on Sims in the passing game and watch him struggle! Simple as that! News flash cutting Revis was a cost cutting move by the General Manager Jason JACK/ASS Licth!!
September 23rd, 2016 at 4:49 pm
You are..Correct there BigHoghaynes! Wonder if Joe’s gonna turn on Koetter if he starts losing like he did ole Lovie and schiano? Besides its all good cause Licht is suppose to be the greatest Gm since the man walked on water!