Ryan Smith Not Yet Ready
October 7th, 2016
Still learning.
Joe is well aware of Chris Conte hate has reached such extreme levels some Bucs fans want a lazy, suspended running back who hasn’t practiced a snap at safety since he was a junior in college to start in Conte’s place.
Simply put, that’s not happening.
But that is the state of mind of Bucs fans who have become unnerved by Conte, who they deem is single-handedly dragging down the defense. Joe thinks that is unfair but understands the frustration.
No, Keith Tandy is not a better option. If he was, he’d start. But a guy to look out for is rookie Ryan Smith. The corner from North Carolina Central is a converted safety. But hold up, you likely won’t see Smith playing safety, barring injuries, for a few weeks.
Joe had a chance to speak with Smith yesterday to ask him how his transition is going. Unfortunately for Smith, not as quickly as he would like.
“Not close enough,” Smith said about getting on the field as a safety. “Not where I want to be. Not to where the coaches want me to be right now.
“My time will come. I’m still learning. They are still trying to develop me. I understand that. My time will come.”
So there you have it, Bucs fans. If you were hoping for Smith to displace Conte, it might be a several games
So what does this all mean? The anti-Conte crowd will have to accept he is your Bucs starting safety for the forseeable future.
October 7th, 2016 at 9:07 am
Last year’s coach of the year has thrown a rookie CB in the lineup to replace a top 5 pro bowl player. The result was terrible last week (see Julio Jones’s numbers) but I bet that kid will be starting Monday night. He will probably get some 1 on 1 against ME13. Rivers isn’t an idiot, he knows that the best thing he can do for the team is develop the kid by letting him play. I bet no one considers that kid a liability by week 14. If Smith is healthy let him play. It will speed up his development and let the coaches know what they have in him, or if they need to look elsewhere for next season.
October 7th, 2016 at 9:15 am
The Safety position and a speed WR were glaring needs in the draft or FA for Licht…..we had the cap space…..Licht dropped the ball here. Hopefully the $10 mil freed up by Vjax and the $6 mil from Verner will help us to find a couple of additions next year.
October 7th, 2016 at 9:17 am
Its more the pass rush…… But CC23 is not helping, and I would be surprised if he is a starter in the NFL next year!!! He is was too inconsistent!!!
October 7th, 2016 at 9:19 am
this guy was a projected 7th rounder not a 4th rounder
his college coaches thought he was too skinny to play safety and switched him to corner…now jason gump wants him at safety?
draft anaylsts states he is too skinny and cant gain weight and is a ankle biter…cant tackle
we are in big trouble with jon robinson gone to tenn. jon has a great mind and he will build a superbowl team in his future. we are cursed because we had him in 1 buc place and we let him go. why cant we have nice things. our timing sucks
October 7th, 2016 at 9:32 am
I’m not sure it’s a good thing that CC is second on the team in tackles. Might just mean teams have exposed him.
October 7th, 2016 at 9:35 am
Why is Banks not being converted ?
October 7th, 2016 at 9:47 am
@TBBF:
“…The Safety position and a speed WR were glaring needs in the draft or FA for Licht…”
TBBF, please don’t leave off the more DE help (since we haven’t had a good one in a decade – maybe doubliing down like rockstar used to do would have been wise) draft another DE, instead of moving up for a kicker, like JAX 3rd rd pick Yannick Ngakoue: 3 sacks, 3 FF, 1 INT and 10 tackles
October 7th, 2016 at 9:55 am
So, if he’s not even there enough to be backing Conte up, I’ve got a feeling we’re more than a couple weeks from seeing Smith in the game. If he can’t beat out Tandy as the #2 then he’s got a long way to go before even being passable, much less an improvement.
October 7th, 2016 at 10:02 am
How can you go into a Mon’s Game without a freakin running back, How is this even possible? Conte isn’t half the problem , you have a team that can’t run the freakin offense because they don’t have a running back!!!!! This really is as big a joke as any ( ever) under the Buccaneer umbrella !!! Think about it :an NFL QB and Coach that can’t run their freakin offense because the GM has failed . Hundreds of thousands of Buccaneer fans that have to spend their hard earned money and time rooting for a team that can’t even run there freakin offense !! For The sake of Hugh Culverhouse get a freakin running back that can carry the ball 20 times and also get a yard on third and one !!! BTW even when Martin returns you still have a dire short yardage problem and when you can’t get third and shorts converted it’s a Big Big Problem !!!! What in the hell is this organization Thinking !!!! How does the Media not see this !!! It’s sickening for the fans and players !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 7th, 2016 at 10:14 am
Hate conte
October 7th, 2016 at 10:32 am
Sometimes instincts trump knowledge, or at least counter balance. Put him in.
October 7th, 2016 at 10:33 am
Kobe once again displaying his ignorance and proving he isn’t qualified to comment on jackchit.
Kobe Faker Says:
October 7th, 2016 at 9:19 am
Faker claim – “a projected 7th rounder not a 4th rounder”
Facts – Smith was “one of the most-talked about small-school prospects in the 2016 draft class – a projected 3rd-4th round pick”
Faker claim – “now jason gump wants him at safety?”
Facts – The COACHES decided the best position for Smith was at Safety. Not the GM.
Faker claim “is a ankle biter…cant tackle”
Facts – Smith led his team in tackles from the CB position and set several school records with 168 solo tackles.
Additionally, Smith has very good coverage skills with 31 passes defensed and 7 interceptions in College. The Bucs have clocked him at a sub 4.4 40 yard dash and love his potential at safety because of his speed, coverage abilities and solid tackling.
Faker claim – “we are in big trouble with jon robinson gone to tenn…we had him in 1 buc place and we let him go”
Facts – The Bucs didn’t “let him go” Kobe – Robinson was an assistant to the GM and was offered a GM position by the Titans. There’s no way to keep an NFL coach or front office exec from accepting a legit promotion from another team.
October 7th, 2016 at 11:02 am
When he starts to come around,I at least want to see him get some decent reps by the end of the season so we know where we need to go with the position
October 7th, 2016 at 11:42 am
The best option was Vonn Bell, but we drafted a BUM kicker instead..SMDH
October 7th, 2016 at 11:46 am
I believe we are aways away from being a good team, and I’m not confident we have the people who can turn it around. Like the commish said , we really don’t have any elite players, no game changers. We have a DE that’s not ready to be a starter, a safety that can’t beat out Conte or Tandy. We are not building the talent in place to win.
October 7th, 2016 at 11:47 am
I’ve already beaten the kicker thing to death, I’m not even going to mention it anymore.
October 7th, 2016 at 11:51 am
Tandy is better than Conte. Tweety bird is better than Conte. A blind dog is better than Conte.
October 7th, 2016 at 11:52 am
Pick grin , he may be factually incorrect, but do you think Ryan Smith will be a player for the Bucs, no….do not see a 180 lb skinny DB becoming a safety. I am really soured on Licht. I think he’s over rated by you supporters of all things mediocre. Strikes out on FA, his drafts have made no impact on the team. Of course, if you’re thinking like you, we have to wait 5 years for them to develop. Yeah, all the relevant teams take 5 years for their drafts and pickups to become competitive. Smh at you people that accept this crap. Of course you probably supported Richard Williamson and Leemen Bennett.
October 7th, 2016 at 12:02 pm
@ Chris – I disagree with your position. We were a team that was roundly outclassed by most teams in the league and had a dearth of talent. Most decent teams have solid players throughout and significant holes in some spots. We had decent players in some spots and mostly holes. We have had far too many players get cut from our starting lineup and not be able to find work in the league anywhere else even as backups. Licht has been building and I don’t fault him for it taking him time to get us there. He’s not impervious to the same draft misses that all GMs encounter. That doesn’t make him bad at his job. He’s certainly made enough deposits in the bank to earn himself a few withdrawals.
October 7th, 2016 at 12:17 pm
^^^^That BACK/STABBER don’t deserve any time, he wanted the LIME/LIGHT now is the time to SHOW&TELL! 12 more games to play with 8 more games to win to show improvement over the last REGIME!!
October 7th, 2016 at 12:35 pm
@ Chris
Remember a guy named Tanard Jackson?
He was also a skinny 180-lb corner converted to safety…
And I think we all can agree that T Jack could flat out ball at the safety position.
October 7th, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Chris Says:
“Smh at you people”
LOL – Ross Perot flashback with the “you people” reference.
Trust me – that sentiment is more than mutual. Those who can’t see that Licht is doing a good job improving the talent level of this team don’t carry much credibility from my viewpoint.
I don’t know if (190 lb) Ryan Smith will be a good safety for us in the future or not. But he has the desired intangibles and I certainly trust the pre-draft evaluating capability of our very capable GM and his scouts a good bit more than those of a handful of negative nancys in the comments section of a pessimist magnet like JBF.
October 7th, 2016 at 1:07 pm
That capable draft evaluator went up to nashville tenn…all we have left is a kicker picker and a beer can model
October 7th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Oh yeah what happened to TJack again? Very capable GM? Until we turn this turd fest around, no GM , coach or player is free from scrutiny. You don’t carry much credibility of you think this team is even close to competing. You disagree we are not going in the right direction? ASJ? FA busts? Trading picks for a 2nd kicker? Mike Evans is the one guy with the stats and true potential for justifying his draft position. Everyone on defense , Winston, Sims , we all subject to true scrutiny. We can’t win at home vs anybody for crissakes. Home field in the NFL is a huge advantage. Well, except for us and the Browns. What are you Jason Licht or a family member?
October 7th, 2016 at 1:37 pm
Only clevland and maybe chicago and san deigo has worst talent than tampa
“Blame the guy in the beer can” kobe faker
Like i said , in 3 years no one in the 2016 draft will in the tampa bay roster
**vh3 is a mediocre corner. People dont talk about how he gets clearly turned around at least 2 times per game…he has been very very lucky he wasnt torched for 3 tds already
Seems like he is tough kid and works hard, but he doesnt have the quick twitch explosion like the elite #1 corners
October 7th, 2016 at 1:40 pm
Where is our ” invisible ” CRAPPY GM ?. He’s in hiding, he’s to ashamed to show his stupid face.
October 7th, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Chris
I don’t think – I know that this team is “close to competing”. You are judging this “turd fest” more on history than on reality. Our roster on paper is much better than the last 3 games indicate and the new HC and DC just need a bit more time and a few more good young players to transform this team into a legit contender.
Anyone who thinks that – Evans, Sims, Pamphile, Winston, Donovan Smith, Marpet, Alexander, VH3, Noah Spence, Aguayo and Ryan Smith – does not constitute a good 3 years of draft picks and also a very good young nucleus upon which to build a winning team – doesn’t know much about football.
Within the next 20 games – the Buccaneers will be transformed into a winning franchise. Much to the chagrin of “fans” like yourself who relish badmouthing them I’m sure. In the meantime between now and mid-next year, there will be ups and downs. Flashes of greatness that win games and face palming mistakes by talented young players that lose them as this team learns how to win and win consistently.
October 7th, 2016 at 1:52 pm
Thank you pickgrin for bringing some sanity to the conversation.
Hard to find around JBF these days.
Kobe Faker will continue to posts his complete lack of knowledge on every thread, and then Chris will show up right after screaming that the sky is falling, everyone sucks, the GM and coach are horrible, the world is going to end, blah blah blah…
Seriously Chris, Mike Evans was the only good draft pick?
What about D. Smith? (2nd round)
What about A. Marpet? (2nd round, traded up)
What about K. Alexander? (4th round)
What about J. Winston? (1st round)
What about K. Pamphile? (5th round)
What about V. Hargeaves? (1st round)
A little early to call R. Smith or N. Spence a bust since it’s been 4 frickin games…
BTW, Jon Robinson was only here for 1 draft, which saw us take Evans, ASJ, Sims, Pamphile, and Kenny Bell…. But keep complaining you whiney little b!tches
October 7th, 2016 at 2:10 pm
Jason gump throws away 10 mill to damaged goods sweezy and now we are praising his backup pamphile?
1-7 last 8 games
October 7th, 2016 at 2:28 pm
unbelievable – Robinson was not here for the 2014 draft. Jon was hired in May 2014 and the only draft he assisted Licht with was the stellar 2015 draft that netted 4 rookie starters – Winston, Donovan Smith, Marpet and Alexander – all of whom appear to have very high ceilings and all of whom Licht claims were rated as 1st round talents on the Buccaneers draft board. I would say its hard to argue with that claim and 2015 will likely ultimately be considered the best draft in Buccaneers history at some point in the future.
I’m sure that Robinson played his role well in that draft process – but for Kobe to claim that he was the brains of the operation is laughable as is the contention that we are “cursed” for “letting him go”.
October 7th, 2016 at 2:36 pm
For every one wanting to blame our lack of talent on someone, while Dominick deserves some blame, there real damage was done during the Gruden/ Bruce Allen days. Name one player from their time that became a competent player. I’ll give them a pass on C Williams because of injury. Gruden liked vets and buried this team in old guys. Never even really cared to develop young players.
October 7th, 2016 at 3:10 pm
Conte Piscateli – Allen and Dom were both terrible GMs who couldn’t spot young talent if it bit them in the a$$. Which is exactly why the Bucs have mostly sucked the last 12 years. Gruden was practically a magician to get 9-7 type results out of those rosters his last few years considering the Glazers mandated that this team be the lowest paying franchise in the entire NFL for 8 straight years from 2004>2011. If your GM sucks and can’t draft – and you can’t spend $ on quality free agents – you are F’ed which is pretty much what this franchise has been since winning the Super Bowl.
Jason Licht is the right man for the job when it comes to identifying and acquiring young talent. He has been quite hampered thus far in the win department largely because the talent cupboard was so bare when Dom left and also because Lovie sucked as a HC.
We literally had 5 good players on the team when Jason Licht was hired – McCoy, LaVonte David, Doug Martin, V-Jax and Revis. And the later player’s salary was so ridiculous it was beyond crazy.
Now – we have at least 12 “good” players – having added Evans, Winston, D. Smith, Marpet, Alexander, VH3, Ayers and Grimes to the 1st 4 names from above .
4-5 more “good” players acquired over the next 1-2 years in key positions like DL, Safety, WR and TE will put us right where we need to be talent wise in order to legitimately compete for Championships year in and year out. This team will be built to last once the winning starts which I believe will happen much sooner than later.
October 7th, 2016 at 3:46 pm
Ah pickgrin you’re right, I thought Robinson left before the start of last year…
October 7th, 2016 at 5:18 pm
@kobe…VHG is #28 not #24 or #21…….he hasn’t been targeted because he he’s rarely out of position….he’s in the wr hip pocket….he’s the best cb or db for that matter on the team….GO BUCS!!!
October 7th, 2016 at 8:13 pm
I actually think tandy would be better than conte
October 8th, 2016 at 5:50 am
Conte P.o.s.cateli blows!!! (He makes 3mil for this display) that’s what Dj Swearinger & dashon Goldson make combined playing elsewhere this year. I’d take either of me over this lost boy. WE HAVE 3more years to go it seems, smh. HOLES EVERYWHERE