Smart Move
March 22nd, 2017
Applauds Jason Licht.
From up on high, word has come down.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht has made the wise move.
It comes from no less an authority than outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal picture-taking, video game-playing, Taylor Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame.
In his weekly column on his website, theMMQB.com, King cited how new Bucs Nick Folk was a good kicker and incumbent Roberto Aguayo was, well, um, less so. And that Licht simply had to sign Folk for the good of the Bucs.
This was a curious and risky decision by Licht at the start, and he knows it. He dealt third- and fourth-round picks to move up 15 slots to choose Aguayo in the second round last year, and the pressure of being such a high pick got to Aguayo. He led the league with nine missed field goals, and he was a miserable four-of-11 from 40 yards and beyond. … But good for the Bucs to not stick their heads in the sand about the problem. If Folk, 32, is better in camp, the 59th pick in the 2016 draft will likely be on the street.
If Aguayo simply wilted under the pressure, then geez. Tampa Bay fans, despite booing him at training camp and their disgust by his drafting , are docile compared to many NFL fan bases. If Aguayo couldn’t handle Bucs fans, it’s fair to say he’s not mentally cut out for the NFL.
Imagine if he kicked for the Jets or the Bears or the Eagles?
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:08 am
AguaOh,no was was so dreadful Koetter and the owners won’t let him stick his head in the sand otherwise he would.
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:09 am
Folk is a grizzled veteran and just might push Aguayo out the door
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:14 am
“If Aguayo couldn’t handle Bucs fans, it’s fair to say he’s not mentally cut out for the NFL.”
Huge understatement!
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:22 am
What we need is more threads about kickers
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:25 am
Again
The last kicker drafted in the second round SUCKED His first year.
His coach begged the GM to let him cut the guy.
The next year, the Kicker smoothed out- and became one of the best kickers in history.
The Coach was Gruden.
The Kicker was Sabastian Janokowski
Will end up in the hall of Fame.
If you arent gonna groom Rookies- why draft them?
Most Rookies suck their first year.
Im all in favor of signing Nick Folk. And he will probably win the job.
And thats cool.
But I would give”The most accurate kicker in college football history” a preseason l, before I give up on him
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:37 am
The most accurate kicker in college football history.
The worst kicker in the NFL in 2016.
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:47 am
If Folk wins the kicking battle can we put Aguayo on the practice squad? I doubt a kicker with a bad kicking rep that just lost out in training camp to a 32 year old would get plucked off the PS.
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:53 am
Capt. Tim you’re exactly right! Why draft the guy if you’re just gonna cut him a year later? If Roberto don’t get it together by the 3rd year then I can see him being cut but for Christ sakes the kid is only in is 1st year
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:01 am
@kansas how many games does he need to mess up before you cut him? Yeah he may have won 2 games but him not being able to make anything longer than 40 yards killed playcalling in key spots as well
He has one job and couldn’t do it. At a position where undrafted players and late round picks make the pro bowl you need him to produce or get outta here
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:02 am
As usual, Capt.Tim seems to be the voice of reason among the gaggle of angry mouth breathers. For some the hatred for certain players crosses over to being personal.
Aguayo didn’t ask to be drafted in the 2nd round. Licht drafted him and if the Bucs fail to make a deep playoff run over the next two years that won’t be Aguayo’s fault. That will be Jason Licht’s fault.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:03 am
You guys know what’s gonna happen right?
We’re gonna let them compete, Folk will win and we will cut Aguayo. He will get picked up by the Pats and ball out for the next decade. Bill will be laughing at us for using our second round pick and he will reap the rewards.
LOL na I have faith Roberto can get it done with us.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:04 am
Capt Tim, Janikowski was a first rounder…
Roberto’s last year at FSU he wasn’t as accurate and couldn’t make the long kicks he wasn’t even the best kicker coming out
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:06 am
@SCbucsFan- HA!
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:29 am
Can’t kick longer than 40 yards = not an NFL kicker.
They almost have to find a way to hang on to him through this season and see if he straightens out though, just based on the investment they made on him. My fear is that the Augoyo pick could make Licht gun shy when the next opportunity to move up and take a difference making player arises. Hopefully he still has some ice water running through his veins because thus draft is full of mid round gems.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:31 am
I find it interesting that everyone continues to drill Licht for picking a kicker in last years draft. If nothing else, this selection along with his struggles indicate what an important position it is. Kickers literally win and lose games in the NFL.
Obviously, Roberto could not handle the pressure last year and that is in both he and Licht. However, this is not a stagnant situation thankfully. He will improve or someone else will get the job. That simple
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:35 am
This should shut anyone up who thinks Roberto was great in college
From PFT
But that doesn’t make a kicker great because making a lot of short kicks isn’t what greatness is about. A great kicker is one who can consistently make kicks from longer distances, and on that score, Aguayo failed. In three years at Florida State, he made just five field goals of 50 yards or longer, the longest of which was 53 yards. That’s really nothing special; Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez, regarded by many as the best kicker in this year’s draft class, made seven field goals of 50 yards or longer in 2016 alone, the longest of which was 59 yards. No one is expecting Gonzalez to go in the first two rounds of this year’s draft.
And even from 40 to 49 yards, Aguayo wasn’t special. In his final season at Florida State he was just 4-for-8 on kicks of 40 to 49 yards. NFL kickers make field goals in the 40-49 range about 80 percent of the time. What were the Buccaneers thinking trading up to draft a kicker who was 30 percentage points below the NFL average from that range?
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:45 am
Win NOW!
Stop it with giving him more time. He’s a freaking kicker for ef’s sake.
When he misses the game winner in the playoffs I want to hear from you then.
Move on from your mistakes, move on even quicker from your BIG ones.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:50 am
I understand that Aguayo might need more time, but the Bucs are ready to win NOW – this is a team on the verge of a playoff run, not a team trying to groom the future of their kicker. He cost us chances last year, maybe even a W or 2… Perhaps Licht thought they were a few years away from a playoff shot when he drafted him, but the signing of competition is a smart move, even in relation to the previous move of signing Aguayo – NFL is a moving animal, things change quickly.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:50 am
the real question here is will Anger have competition brought in as well? Please stop with all the kicker non-sense Joe
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:01 am
Today, I want to talk about kickers.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:39 am
Me too Jim! I heard that the reason 19 struggled so badly was because his laces were crossed right over left moving up the cleats instead of left over right. Jeesh… what was he thinking!?!
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:46 am
Two things for the folks whining about stories on kickers.
1. If few read the stories, Joe wouldn’t waste the time.
2. We’re talking about a second round pick (no matter the position) about to be sent packing before his second season. If that’s not news, then Joe doesn’t know what news is. And given the fact this site is so popular, and even has had more traffic than Buccaneers.com, and Joe’s many years working in newspapers, Joe knows news.
Probably the biggest reaction from fans at training camp Joe has ever seen or heard came last year… about a kicker. So please spare Joe the whining. If there wasn’t interest in this, people wouldn’t be reading and Joe can track every click on this website, lest you forget.
As Abe Lincoln once said, can’t please all the people all the time. If you don’t like stories on kickers, Joe has thousands of stories on this website easily accessible through his (free) archive search you are welcome to browse that have nothing to do with kickers.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:19 am
A lousy kicker is a big story. Yes he is a rookie, who was touted as the best college kicker. Oh wait it was only short kicks he was good at. You mean like extra points. Iguana’s kicking was so bad so often it changed the way Koetter called plays when in field goal range. A lot of the kicks he missed were chip shots by today’s standards. Sit down this 2nd round under achiever and let Folk show him how to handle the position. If he struggles by the end of year 2, send him packing. Set the precedent internally that under achievers will not be tolerated.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:41 am
Amen Joe! Keep up the good work!
Like ’87 said, “WIN NOW!” Stop making excuses for the guy. He either can hack it or he can’t. PERIOD! It doesn’t matter what round he was drafted, his job is to kick. That’s it, kick. He did NOT do well in 2016 and the Bucs can ill afford to wait another year to let him “work out the kinks”.
May the best kicker win. It’s that freaking simple. WIN NOW dang it!!!
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:51 am
Think Licht thought he was going to blow the door wide open picking Aguayo. Pure genius or so he thought. Delusions of a mini Janikowski stolen away from the rubes. They’ll be erecting his statue soon out of play doh.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:11 pm
If Berto gets cut some team will pick him up. Too much potential to not try it out. Should be a good battle and I’m interested to see what RA does since he knows his job is on the line now.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:51 pm
@ Buccfan37 – LMAO!
March 22nd, 2017 at 1:57 pm
If Aguayo truly wilted under the pressure of being a second round draft pick, how is he possibly going to handle having veteran competition for a roster spot?
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:31 pm
We held an active roster spot for a marginal 3rd string QB for 2 full years. Don’t tell me (considering the 2nd round investment) that the Bucs won’t hold onto Aguayo for at least 1 more year to see how he progresses – even if Folk does “win the job” this year.
Folk is guaranteed .75M this year so I would say its likely we will be carrying 2 kickers on the “active” roster for at least a while going into 2017.
Just get used to the idea now so you neggy types don’t moan and whine about it all season long.
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:43 pm
Everytime I hear someone say about a kicker, “he was a rookie and they struggle” I cringe. This is by far the dumbest argument I hear on a regular basis on these threads. Kicker is the one and only unique position that being a rookie means nothing. Please stop saying that. He is mentally weak apparently and the pressure got to him. It is not all the new schemes, complex play calling and speed of the game that got to him. How is kicking a 45 yard filed goal at Doak Campbell Stadium different than kicking a 45 yard field goal at Raymond James Stadium? SMH!
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:52 pm
i wouldn’t be too quick to write off Aguayo. Taking a look at Nick Folk’s career numbers, it certainly offers evidence that Kickers can improve during their NFL careers. even at a “solitary” position like kicker, it’s gotta be a big ask for a guy to come from college to the NFL with just a fraction of a position coach and no veteran teammates to observe or emulate. Young players can’t say enough about how important their coaches and the veterans at their position are to adjusting to the pro game. It stands to reason that a player with none of those resources is likely to stuggle a ton.
Folk has already stated he will only help Aguayo so much, but just having an NFL veteran at your position in the offseason gives Aguayo perspective and example that was non-existent last year.
March 22nd, 2017 at 3:25 pm
I agree with you TouchDown. The “rookie” argument is utterly ridiculous. Maybe, and I mean maybe, you can use it early in the season. Call it “jitters”! Down the stretch, just stop it! He stunk. Perhaps Folk is the fire that lights Aguayo’s behind, perhaps Folk buries him. Either way we need a competent, consistent kicker.
March 22nd, 2017 at 3:49 pm
The crazy thing is he was only 50% from 40yds or more his last year in college. Why did anyone think he was elite???? Oh yeah, he was perfect from the college extra pt distance, which they no longer use in the pros. It’s like when we drafted kyle Moore from USC… he had 2 sacks his sr year of college, but somehow we expected him to be a sack artist in the nfl.
March 22nd, 2017 at 4:59 pm
The last 2nd round kicker was actually Mike Nugent, maybe that story is more likely.
I’ll be rooting for Roberto but that was his 2nd season with a poor kicking performance. The best kicker coming out of college was I undrafted Ross Martin. He is the reason why the Jets felt comfortable letting Folk go.