Joe Hawley Returns!
March 15th, 2017
Wanted
Joe loves this move!
No, center Joe Hawley is not a special center.
But the presence of Hawley — and Evan Smith — greatly decreases the odds of Ali Marpet getting shuffled from right guard to center. Joe will sleep well tonight.
The Bucs announced this afternoon that Hawley was re-signed. It’s unclear whether he has any guarantees in his deal.
Man, the Bucs’ offensive line is deep, and there’s going to be a lot of competition, with J.R. Sweezy trying to get back on the field at guard and Hawley (last year’s starter) battling with Smith again, and maybe someone else.
This afternoon’s question is where are all the Bucs-fan haters who blamed the O-line for all of Doug Martin’s woes? It seems the organization thinks you’re fools.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:44 pm
I guess Joe was never watching the OL line play when it was getting blown up over and over and Hawley was usually the reason.
Hawley has got a lot of guts and spirit, but he is too small to play center. I am very disappointed with this resigning.
Joe has written numerous times that Hawley was the weak link on the line last year. Just because he’s re-signed, that doesn’t mean he’s the starter. As Joe wrote, it’s unknown whether he even has guarantees in his deal.–Joe
March 15th, 2017 at 4:45 pm
Well Jameis….start running laps now because your going to.need.to be well conditioned. Looks like the old line will be pretty well in tact yhis coming season.
STUPID STUPID STUPID.
HAWLEY is a good guy but man Im dissapointed. Hes not horrible but why not upgrade?
March 15th, 2017 at 4:45 pm
LOL I don’t think there’s any question Bucs are going RB with the #19 pick at this point if our boy Dalvin is there, or close. Only way they can make it more clear is if Dougie is traded or released before/during the draft.
Offense is pretty set at this point other than RB.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:46 pm
And add in the young guys like Gottschalk, Benenoch, and Wester, and this is looking very good for us.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:47 pm
Yeah.. can’t wait to see Nix.. I mean Sweezy play this year.. should be great! 👍🏻
March 15th, 2017 at 4:47 pm
Gencoimports Says:
March 15th, 2017 at 4:44 pm
I guess Joe was never watching the OL line play when it was getting blown up over and over and Hawley was usually the reason.
—–
Seems to me that RT was the biggest trouble spot this year on the line. Because we have a field stretching WR now, watch … defenses won’t be overloading the line as much this year and I’ll bet we see the OL looking a lot better than it has.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:52 pm
The “organization” in this instance is Jason Licht and he is far too proud to admit that the oline he has constructed is not nearly as good as he and bff/biz partners prefer to claim instead preferring to use Martin and his unfortunate off field issues as a scapegoat. Shameful stuff. I guess we are just hoping Winston’s magical collapsing pocket escapability continues in 2017. Won’t be any Martin to scapegoat this year but I’m sure Licht’s pride will find another!
March 15th, 2017 at 4:53 pm
This convinces me more than ever the Bucs are going to draft a running back high in this draft and possibly two during the draft.
The Bucs had perhaps the worst running backs in the NFL last year.
Our starter is an injury prone drug addict
2nd team RB is an injury prone 3rd down back
3rd team RB did not make a roster until we signed him after the regular season started
4th team RB was an undrafted rookie that originally was on the practice squad.
I get it running backs are not as important as the once were, but ours are awful.
If we draft Dalvin Cook or Christian McCaffrey in the first round and either Mathew Dayes from NC State or DeAngelo Henderson from Coastal Carolina in the 5th or 6th round we will have turned the worst position group on our team into a strength.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:53 pm
I bet this line gets Jameis badly injured this season. And Ryan Griffin will be our backup.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:58 pm
I said this before but I think Kevin Pamphile will compete for our starting Center position.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:58 pm
It must be thw other Joe that thought Hawley needed to be replaced this off season. RT and C were obvious weak points on this o line. The RT position literally coat us 1 win. But no, please continue to tell us how the o line is so awesome and sooo deep. Yet we are weak at RT and the depth at Tackle is abysmal. I will say that the interior line is deep. We have a ton of mediocre players to play the interior. Only Marpet is starting caliber but we do have good depth behind him.
March 15th, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Well I will say this much, our O-line is gonna be in serious trouble if we don’t atleast upgrade at Right Tackle.
I’ve never liked Evan Smith. Bad attitude, and he can’t even snap the ball.
And I know that Joe Hawley is a warrior of mind and spirit, and he was battling through injury, but he got blown up on damn near every play last season.
Deep Joe? Depth only matters if you have legit start
March 15th, 2017 at 5:00 pm
Starters.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:02 pm
You can call Licht a lot of things, but “too proud” to admit he’s made a mistake?Not so much. He’s consistently shown the opposite. Moreover, you have no idea what the full plan is for this o-line. Just because a GM makes a move you don’t agree with doesn’t mean his head in the sand. Good lord, the hot takes on this site are just hysterically illogical sometimes.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:02 pm
I think the bucs should keep hawley. But as a back up. He’s a good dude and good for the locker room. He is also a knowledgeable veteran that can be serviceable in a pinch. But to sign him on as the starter would be a mistake.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:04 pm
don’t care how you try to sugar coat it Joe… that line did not perform well last year… especially the run blocking
March 15th, 2017 at 5:05 pm
Good Move, with a healthy RB Hawley anchored a line that was Great in 2015. In fact the 2015 Bucs were 5th best rushing team in the NFL averaging 135 yds per game. Now draft Cook or McCaffrey. In LICHT we trust! GO BUCS!
March 15th, 2017 at 5:06 pm
As you can tell, I really do like this web site. But what is the obsession in Tampa media with branding critics as “haters”? This site and WDAE are exceptionally good at taking any legitimate criticism and making it “hate.” Sure, there are some fringe nutties who want to cut Gerald McCoy. Most people just want him to play better. Stop beating up your customers…we just cheer for our team. We’ve outlasted Sam Wyche, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano and Lovie Smith. We don’t care who’s coaching or who’s playing — as long as they are winners. Sheesh.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:10 pm
TB2055- letting AguaOh,no kick in football games past the 3rd preseason game is a perfect example of how one man’s pride can stand between what should and what one’s pride and ego insists must be done. Licht consistently puts the “organization” first, right after his fevered ego.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:11 pm
It seems the organization thinks you’re fools.
————
1. Your contempt for your readers is really growing strong, nice!
2. To put things into perspective for you Joe New England won more games last year than the Bucs have won in the last three years.
3. Jameis has been sacked 62 times in the last two years and that’s not counting the hits he taken.
I like Hawley’s grit but his knees are done. Next jaboos knees will be done then who’s gonna be the fool? Good thing we got Ryan Griffin waiting in the wings.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Pamphile at center, Hawley and eds as backup
March 15th, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Calling people haters and trolls is hallmark of the lazy mind these days. Expect it from 15 year olds but there you have on display in all of it’s incessantly utilized glory by those who should know better.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
Trubucfan22, RT & C are still obvious weak points on the OLine. I’m glad that Joe Hawley was brought back, but I’m hoping it’s just as an insurance policy (depth). Still don’t have tremendous confidence in Dotson, and at this point no one knows what we really have in JR Sweezy. See 3 OLine players that I have confidence in: Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet & Kevin Pamphile. Hopefully Sweezy comes back strong this year to grab one of the Guard spots, and hopefully Pamphile can do better at RT than Dotson did. But that still leaves us needing a Center. Many seemed to feel that Jeremy Zuttah would be a good fit, but he’s too small like Hawley I think. Would much rather see us draft a true Center this year in the top 3 rnds and see if that solves our need for a bigger Center. If not, we’ve always got Joe Hawley & Evan Smith in the wings.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
Wanted Zuttah back!
March 15th, 2017 at 5:14 pm
Giving the most accurate kicker in NCAA history time to see if he can straighten out his sudden transformation into a stinking pile of crap is not ego– it’s totally understandable having spent a 2nd round pick on the guy (which was and remains dumb). Now, if he continues to suck through preseason and we roll with him this year, then I will grant you Aguayo as an example of pride getting in the way of whats best for the team.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:21 pm
Also for those clamoring for Zuttah, he’s been traded to the 49ers
March 15th, 2017 at 5:22 pm
Hawleys beard looks like his mouth is wearing a ski mask
March 15th, 2017 at 5:26 pm
TB2055- Bill Belichek never lets AguaOh,no see the field past the 3rd preseason embarrassment, much less kick his way to repeated shameful constipation inducing performances through the entire regular season.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:27 pm
Something tells me this means Pamphile or Marpet are moving to Center if Sweezy is healthy this year
I’d still love to see this team sign Latavius Murray (looks like there’s 0% chance of that) and draft either Cook or McCaffery
March 15th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Joe, yes I do recall that you wrote that Hawley was a weak link. So why do you love this move again???? He’s not worth a roster spot.
Ben The Ga Buc, yes RT was also an issue and hopefully Jackson’s presence will cause defenses to stop stacking the box as often. Right now, it seems the Bucs are gambling Sweezy will be able to make an impact.
That said, the Bucs still need to upgrade the line and draft another quality WR/TE. Evans, Jackson, Humphries and Brate is not enough.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Congrats to former Buccaneer Eric Legrand for being named as the Ultimate Warrior Award by the WWE. Very cool!
March 15th, 2017 at 5:34 pm
This does not mean a center won’t be drafted I bet he still has to fight for his job
March 15th, 2017 at 5:39 pm
Gencoimports Says
“I guess Joe was never watching the OL line play when it was getting blown up over and over and Hawley was usually the reason.
Hawley has got a lot of guts and spirit, but he is too small to play center. I am very disappointed with this resigning.”
What fans like you cannot seem to grasp is that Joe Hawley is an excellent Center…when he is healthy.
Unfortunately, because Even Smith is such a horrendous Center, Hawley was unable to take the time to heal up completely. He played injured all last season, and those injuries weakened his game.
And even so, contrary to what some people think, it was RIGHT TACKLE that was the weakest spot on the line, and it collapsed on a regular basis.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:40 pm
Joe you like this move bc Marpet doesn’t have to move over?! This line was horrible last year, and resulted in Winston being hit a record number of times.
I see similarities between our OL and secondary: littered with backups
March 15th, 2017 at 5:41 pm
Games are won up front.. this OL isn’t pushing anyone off the ball
March 15th, 2017 at 5:45 pm
@newtampachris Thats how contemporary mainstream media believes they stay connected to younger demographics, by talking like us. Like you see it everywhere, if it isnt the anchors on air doing the exploding fist-pound(as if that was ever a a thing), theyre making oddly placed pop culture references that either make you feel a bit alienated or like youre at that 1 friends house with the parent trying to prove how “down with it” they are lol.
Speaking of sports news, anybody whos watched any bigger news outlets covering our team this offseason key in on how little these guys know about our Bucs outside of the few noticeable fantasy football options we’ve got on the roster? Or is it just me?
March 15th, 2017 at 5:46 pm
You guys tend to just look at last year. Hawley was healthier in 2015 and the Bucs had one of the best running games.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:46 pm
DallasBuc– Belichick doesn’t wastes a second round pick on a kicker. That was and remains the problem with Aguayo, not that he was tolerated despite poor performance during his rookie season. Belichick (and many others) have had plenty of 2nd round busts over the years. It’s crazy rare that they are cut in year one, much less before the season starts. I’ll use Belichick as an example since you did as well: he drafted Cyrus Jones in 2016 and he was an absolute disaster for the Pats. Arguably cost them 2-3 games by repeatedly muffing punts. And, despite it being arguably the easiest position in all of football to try out someone new in, Bill left Cyrus back there until late December. Contrast that to kickers, where you absolutely cannot afford to carry two on your roster, and it’s completely understandable that Licht gave Agauyo a full season to course correct. So, though I’m not a big Licht defender generally, and certainly not about to defend the Aguayo selection, I just don’t think your particular criticism of him is a fair one here.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:52 pm
NewTampaChris Says
“As you can tell, I really do like this web site. But what is the obsession in Tampa media with branding critics as “haters”?”
Make no mistake, there are a LOT of haters around here. What we see here is probably just a small sampling. Joe most likely gets tweets and private messages through Facebook and Twitter all the time.
I mean, TMax alone can’t go more than 3-5 posts at best without spouting something hateful.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:53 pm
I mean, this move is somewhat disappointing. But it doesn’t outright disgust me like resigning Evan (Dietrich-) Smith does.
March 15th, 2017 at 5:56 pm
And this same organization thought we were good at receiver last year as well. How did that turn out?
March 15th, 2017 at 5:56 pm
TB2055 well stated!
March 15th, 2017 at 6:03 pm
So much for improving the line, let’s keep Doug Martin too, the definition for insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. This is not a move to make this team better, Jeremy Zuttah is a much better C, he was traded for a 6th. Whatever
March 15th, 2017 at 6:06 pm
Btw, Zuttah was never released. He was traded to the 49ers.
March 15th, 2017 at 6:06 pm
If he returns to 2015 form, I would be very happy. Brawley Hawley has got the right attitude, just didn’t have the physical power needed last year.
I still wouldn’t mind seeing us bring in some other competition for center though, but more importantly, who the hell is our starting and backup RT?
@Kangdooley, it’s been that way for quite some time. Most of the talking heads don’t know much about any teams though really, they just parrot the same ‘conventional wisdom’ nonsense from one another.
Although I thought anybody with 2 working eyes could see our o-line was not good enough last year. All RBs struggled except for 2 games against awful defenses, and Jameis was running for his life on a regular basis. I guess we’re all fools though!
March 15th, 2017 at 6:10 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai, the 2015 Bucs OL was only decent, and one of the reasons it was not shoddy was Mankins (no longer with the team in 2016) had a strong year.
The Bucs running game excelled in 2015 more because Martin and Sims were healthy and were able to exploit tiny cracks as opposed to huge holes. They excelled in spite of the OL at times.
March 15th, 2017 at 6:16 pm
One thing that has not occured to me yet that just hit me….joe may be right about the offensive line. The playcalling from koetter was much more vanilla in 2016 than 2015. The oline was horrible in 2014 and improved drastically in 2015 with the addition of two rookies which is when koetter took over as oc. I noticed the drop off in aggresive playcalling this past season and cant blame Koetter for going through some growing pains. I think with djax added as long as he is healthy Dirk will be much less predicatble, more aggressive and will have the same.impact on the oline as it did in 2015. With that said I think Hawley is a step down from Logan Mankins and we need an upgrade for Dotson as well. Two upgrades needed
March 15th, 2017 at 6:19 pm
Koetter being a first year head coach was much more conservative. Vanilla offense will spell disaster for any aveage oline. But good playcalling can make an average unit look good. I dont see him giving up the duties and predict much more aggresive calls
March 15th, 2017 at 6:27 pm
I don’t mind re-signing Hawley for depth. I’m just worried that they will roll out the same starting O-Line they did last season and that does kind of worry me a bit. Sure, a better RB might make them look better but how much does that protect Jameis?
March 15th, 2017 at 6:32 pm
gencoimports you nailed it.
Some of those runs Martin was busting had him jump cutting 2 – 3x behind the LOS before even taking a step forward. Dude was making chicken salad out of chicken sh!t
March 15th, 2017 at 6:33 pm
that said, it was still definitely stronger in 2015 vs 2016.
March 15th, 2017 at 6:42 pm
I know he isnt on the team anymore, buuuutttttttt ASJ just got suspended for the first 2 games.
March 15th, 2017 at 6:52 pm
We must Build A Wall, I believe we have the personnel in place but we must rework and remold this O-Line !! Here’s a question…can Sweezy play center? Just a question!!
March 15th, 2017 at 6:55 pm
Well this cinches it, they’re not serious about competing this year. So I won’t seriously entertain buying tickets again this year. Get ready to run for your life AGAIN Jameis.
March 15th, 2017 at 6:57 pm
dont be fooled. its an insurance move in case we dont get zuttah back. we get him and hawley gets cut.
March 15th, 2017 at 6:57 pm
@tb2055 perfect! Spot on!
It takes time for an o-line to come together. I’m loving Licht’s approach to develop a cohesive unit. Rodgers will have a great year with DeSean making defenses vanilla.
I would love to see the tight end from Miami at the 19th pick for us.
Go Bucs!!!
March 15th, 2017 at 7:01 pm
Still a long way to go, and we still have the draft as well as late cuts from teams!!! I do hope that upgrade a bit on the O-line or shuffle for the best results!!!!! The resigning smells of what is best for this year and not “building” !!! And just like the TE’s joe is wrong!!! a bunch of below average guys that know the system is not depth!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!
March 15th, 2017 at 7:10 pm
Licht is too dumb to admit his Sweezy mistakes now he’s putting his head in the sand and hoping the tackle and center spots get better over night
March 15th, 2017 at 7:15 pm
And yes, I agree with all who say the playcalling was much better in 2015.
March 15th, 2017 at 7:16 pm
And the Bucs have moved up to #10 in the NFL power rankings. Licht must be doing something right.
March 15th, 2017 at 7:17 pm
I honestly hope Brawley starts next season. He Sweez and Mongo will make for one mean and nasty interior.
March 15th, 2017 at 7:22 pm
I dont know…..depth I guess :/ Would still like Elflein with our 2nd or 3rd pick.
March 15th, 2017 at 7:39 pm
I would love for that line-up to work out to it’s utmost potential Nos. Not even gonna front I was a fan of the Sweezy signing, but missing a whole year with an undisclosed back injury has turned his status/ future potential into a mystery.
Love Hawley’s heart and warrior spirit, but whether or not his string of back to back knee injuries will affect his play is another unknown. I applaud him for fighting throw being hurt. Fact is dude was getting blown up play after play.
Ali Marpet will be an all-pro guard tho. Especially if we draft him a nasty beast of a right tackle playing next to him.
March 15th, 2017 at 7:46 pm
You will not convince me that 29 y.o. Hawley is better than 33 y.o. Mangold!
March 15th, 2017 at 8:00 pm
This draft sucks for premium o line… And FA wasn’t fruitful especially for the T position for both FA and the draft. It’s likely any pick we make not having much of an impact or automatically being better than anyone they have
We have a pretty young line… Benecoch is prob going to be groomed at RT and Pamphile can play there too.
It’s been said many many times that continuity and development is key to building a good line … Imo they wanna see what they have in this group and will fill any obvious void in what will be a better crop of O line in the 2018 draft
Also agree with Realist they are drafting a TE at some point pretty much guarenteed
March 15th, 2017 at 8:02 pm
On a bright note Sweezy is well rested
March 15th, 2017 at 8:07 pm
Well rested. And Blake ima best case scenario type of guy so all I ever see is what my heart wishes for the most. We’ll see what’s good next training. Be here before we know it.
March 15th, 2017 at 8:11 pm
∆∆∆ There is always Something good to say about any situation. LOL
March 15th, 2017 at 8:13 pm
Whasssup home!
March 15th, 2017 at 8:15 pm
*home* I hate autocorrect
March 15th, 2017 at 8:17 pm
I give up
March 15th, 2017 at 8:24 pm
While the entire draft is very weak for O-line, there are 2 high quality Tackles to be had in the First round, Garrett Bolles and Ryan Ramczyk.
March 15th, 2017 at 8:26 pm
There’s always room for a man with Hawley’s heart. His talent is decent but he refuses to stay off the field. I love the dude.
March 15th, 2017 at 8:34 pm
No joe. What’s bothered me about Hawley return is that no other team seemed interested. That says alot about our line not the ownership
March 15th, 2017 at 9:24 pm
Even those 2 tackles are not sure things.. Thought Ramsyk had injury concerns and Bolles is already 25 so you may only get 1 contract vs 2 with a player that is 20-23
March 15th, 2017 at 9:34 pm
Best move they could have made at this point for a center. I’m more of the rally around my team and their moves, instead of play Gm and complain that they dont sign a bunch of has beens. Lets hope that the o line gets back the continuity it had in 2015. Smith-Sweezy- Hawley-Marpet-Dotson..with Smith, Pamphile, Benonoch is decent depth.. I think there are worse lines out there, so I am on board with the direction of our team heading into the draft. As a season ticket holder I cant wait till this season starts. GO BUCS…HATERS GONNA HATE lol
March 15th, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Interesting stats on football outsiders, it says the bucs o-line ranked last in power blocking (successful conversion on 3rd or 4th down rushing with 2 yards or less to go @ 45% ) and also ranked last in stuffed runs ( stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage@ 24%). Same o-line= definition of insanity! Sorry weapons for Winston crowd but give me the top olineman in the first round and a good back in the third!
March 15th, 2017 at 9:39 pm
SB what’s good my friend. The moose still sticking around or what???
March 15th, 2017 at 9:41 pm
Maybe it’s just me but we still have an entire draft and a second free agency. Before we should actually kind of make decisions as if we knew what we were talking about.
March 15th, 2017 at 9:59 pm
Apparently Ramczyks surgery/ recover is coming along swiftly. He should be ready to go by the start of the season.
As far as Garrett Bolles age concerns, Andrew Whitworth was drafted when he was 24, and is still going strong at 35. Big Nasties, the good ones anyway, tend to stick around for a while. Keep in mind that Bolles only played 2 years of college ball.
Garrett Bolles is a plus athlete with great power, solid technique, swift feet, and natural movement. Bundle that together with a visible nastiness, and he appears to be the complete package.
March 15th, 2017 at 10:13 pm
Exactly SB. I’m not sold that Hawley will even start. We don’t know that we won’t go for a Center in the draft etc.
Anyway, what’s good SB and NOSBOS. I’ll tell you what NOS, I’m feeling Dalvin in the first. I really am. It’s shaping up perfectly for him to drop to us because of BS stuff a la Warren Sapp. Get Dalvin, Licht. Make it happen.
March 15th, 2017 at 10:36 pm
I think Rodgers running success shows the O-Line was as bad as advertised Martin clearly wasn’t up to par last year with a back with more juice such as Cook, Mccaffery, Kamara, etc along with Sweezy at guard Phamphile moving over to RT should be very much effective
March 15th, 2017 at 10:41 pm
The sad truth is that there just isn’t an obvious fix at center this year. I hope you guys claiming Hawley’s injuries were his problem this year are right, because he absolutely got abused in 2016. If his knees are shot and he’s being counted on as a starter then this will be another long season for Jameis.
I’ll say it again for about the 10th year in a row, this team will go as far as the o-line will take them. Right now it’s looking again like they’ll take us to the middle of the road and leave us there. Obviously the offseason is just starting so improvement can still come. If Licht sits on his hands with this o-line like he did at reciever last year, it will bite his ass again.
Also, Joe, quit calling us out for wanting what’s best for this team. Making a junk signing like this is not the organization saying anything more than we don’t want to have to go into the season butt ass naked at a certain position. If Hawley was the end all be all answer at center they wouldn’t have let him twist in the wind for a week before they re-signed him. Believe it or not, there are a few of us on your site that have played and coached this game for a long time, we know a thing or two about what we’re talking about. I will tell you right now that on his best day, Joe Hawley is an average starter. Gritty? Yes. Tough? Yes. Good team player? Yes. Able to knock guys off the ball and hold up against decent pass rushers? Absolutely not. Nice guys that their teammates like don’t always help you win games.
March 15th, 2017 at 10:42 pm
In 2015 Doug had room to run, in 2016 he did not. It’s really that simple Joe, the O-line had a down year, how can you not see this, everyone else seems to.
March 15th, 2017 at 10:50 pm
Love it, the guy has fire and that is something that players on this team needs. Especially if we want to go to the next level
March 15th, 2017 at 11:12 pm
1) Depth
2) Continuity
3) Attitude
I suspect center will be up for grabs. May the best man win.
March 16th, 2017 at 12:48 am
@Wesley, only a Sith deals in absolutes
March 16th, 2017 at 1:08 am
Hard to find a better backup. Knows the calls, and can set the line
And I agree with you, Joe- and the Bucs
The line played well last year.
It drug Martin that sucked.
And I said it all year!
March 16th, 2017 at 3:37 am
Capt.Tim Says:
“The line played well last year.”
Have another shot of captain – Tim. It might help you see better…
March 16th, 2017 at 4:24 am
@Ben, Wausa,
How does resigning Hawley confirm your belief that the Bucs
are targeting a RB in round 1?
March 16th, 2017 at 6:45 am
I understand the resigning for continuity and familiarity but other than that I really don’t see how it’s benefits us. Yes, it’s nice to have depth on the OL, and competition to push them to be better fighting for the starting job, but Hawley has been one of the worst centers in the NFL. Also, Evan Smith hasn’t been much better on the flip side. I know Koetter and Licht stated that they’re happy wth the OL and didn’t plan to make any moves in that regards, but really needed to solidify the front lines.
Donovan Smith proves that he’s not a starting caliber LT, or maybe not even a RT for that matter. Hawley and Evan Smith have been down right awful at center. Those 2 spots I felt needed to be addressed this offseason. Yes, we’ve helped Jameis by adding DJax but it won’t matter if he’s on his back every other down. Maybe it’s too late now to sign anyone at tackle, seeing that the top tackles in this year’s market are signed now. But, we really need to think about what we’ll do in the draft with the problems at LT and C. I really hope we address at least one of those 2 spots before the start of the season.
And yes I’m happy that we have two centers now because that keeps Marpet at guard, but even if that’s the case we still have a weakness at center. So it was kind of a lose lose situation. Move Marpet to center and we have a whole at guard. Leave Marpet at guard and resign Hawley, now we have a liability at center, with him or Evan Smith starting.
March 16th, 2017 at 7:40 am
If Hawley can not leave every game multiple times for injuries I think he will be OK. However mark me down as extremely disappointed with this offseason. They’ve done nothing to address the center position, they did nothing except sign a backup safety from Dallas at a position where the Bucs need two starters. Sure they got a 30-year old WR whose entire game is based on speed and is oft injured but was able to have a nice year in a contract year. Baker was a solid signing. And… uh. No 3rd WR that can be a #2 when DJ does a VJ impressionation. Nothing at RB, which is fine if Martain will be the guy, but waiting for the draft is a huge risk – as is expecting s rookie to start day one. No depth at corner, no help on the OL, no backup QB. Color me not impressed on the least. But hey, at least the Bucs will have a lot I’d cap room next year.
March 16th, 2017 at 10:26 am
Geez Rod, you must have lofty expectations. We were 9-7 with a poorly performing D to start the year, ONE legit offensive weapon, and an under-performing and injured O-line. Oh, and it’s freaking March!
C’mon! they got another weapon, bolstered the D-line and added continuity across several positions. To which, I might add, has more importance than you give credit for. Good football teams aren’t turning their roster over every off-season. Heck, it’s impossible because you have to have guys that fill those positions that are at the very least, as talented or more talented than the guy you’re replacing.
The sky is not falling bro! Cheer up!
March 16th, 2017 at 10:39 am
I like Hawley. I just remember him getting his leg injured and returning to the lineup repeatedly, unlike many of the defensive line divas. He’s a smart player and when healthy is a solid center. They need these guys to make it through camp and preseason. Js
March 16th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
I think the biggest difference this season in relation to the o line is having sweezy back. Some guy said Licht was ashamed to admit he was wrong on that pick, well that has yet to be determined.
I am confident he will rebound and become a dominant force on the o line. You know what the main difference was from 2015 and 2016? The loss of Mankins. You see how one player effected the entire production? I believe Sweezy comes back and steps right into that role and we return to 2015. Obviously our educated, professional talent evaluators in the front office agree that our squad is capable of playing better than they did as evidenced by no additions to that unit.
Hawley played excellent next to Mankins and I think he will do the same next to Sweezy. Not to mention, the addition of Djax will make life a lot easier for this unit. Hawley is an above average C when healthy and anyone that disagrees missed 2015 or didn’t realize he was playing through injury in 2016 with a rotation of guards coming in next to him on the left side.
March 16th, 2017 at 2:55 pm
Bucsfanman – the sky isn’t falling, I’m just disappointed with this offseason, the Bucs made one big move that I’m not 100% sold on, and the made one mid-level move. That’s about it – that and a backup safety from Dallas. I agree on roster turnover – but let’s say instead of a garbage bin guy from Dallas that won’t do much – let’s instead say they signed a starter. Now I feel good. Also let’s say they sign a 3rd string WR that has the size to be a #2 for when Jackson is injured – now I’m all in on the offseason. They played it really conservative – I just hope that doesn’t haunt the team later.
March 16th, 2017 at 3:03 pm
I wouldn’t call Baker a mid-level move with the production he has had lately. Also, we resigned several guys including ghoslton which is great for chemistry and production.
My mind is blown when people say they aren’t sold on Djax. The guy has led the league in yards per reception two of the last 3 years and was the second fastest receiver in the NFL in 2016.
What is wrong with some of you guys? Unless we pick up Zeke, Antonio Brown, Julio, and Gronk, you’re not happy.
March 16th, 2017 at 3:45 pm
Rod- After our FA debacle 2 years ago, I’m glad they’re not going bananas. If all these players were so good, they’d still be with their respective teams.
I think they’ll look to the draft for that WR you’re talking about. And maybe, just maybe, our D-line will get some pressure for a change. That will help us on the back end with the safeties IMO.