The Cost Of A Guard
March 6th, 2017
“Jason, tell him the answer is ‘no.’ I’ve bought enough Girl Scout Cookies for the year. Those Thin Mints are too addicting.“
In the next two weeks, we should learn by actions and not words what’s going on with guard J.R. Sweezy.
If the Bucs go out and get a potential starting guard in free agency, that tells Joe the Bucs are not confident right guard J.R. Sweezy, sergeant of the floppy hat patrol, will be full go this fall.
Sweezy, signed to a pricey contract last spring, has yet to take the field for one snap of football with the Bucs. Not a regular season game, not a preseason game, not a scrimmage, not underwear football, not one practice.
Joe is beginning to wonder if he remembers how to buckle a chin strap?
Sweezy’s back turned up lame after he signed and he needed back surgery. Last week, both AC/DC-general manager Jason Licht and winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter, said all the right things about Sweezy from Indianapolis and said he has a green light to begin practicing when the Bucs players filter back into One Buc Palace next month.
Now, this may change if the Bucs go get a guard after the free agent dinner bell rings at 4 p.m. Thursday. And if the Bucs do get a decent free agent guard, it may cost them, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. He Twittered what the going rate is for Packers free agent guard T.J. Lang.
@CharlesRobinson: Multiple #NFL sources are expecting the free agent contract of #Packers guard TJ Lang to land between $8-$10 million per season.
Depending on what you believe, a Pro Bowl guard is just slightly more expensive than a backup quarterback.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:11 am
It is never easy for these big guys to come back it seems.
But if we can get Sweezy back in top form again, our O Line will be all the better for it.
He was known as a real road grader in the running game, back in Seattle.
Much of his contract was guaranteed up front money I suppose, and now I guess we will find out if he has the will to return to football, since he is already a millionaire, may times over.
My company cleaned Carl Nick’s roof, and I got the chance to meet him!
He was selling his home here in Tampa, and going back home.
He was not bitter about his time here in Tampa LOL. After all, we made him a very very wealthy man!
March 6th, 2017 at 10:28 am
It would be nice to get some production out of the acquisition of Sweezy but back issues are tough. I am not too confident he will hold up even if cleared to practice at full speed later this year. First Nicks and now Sweezy. We seem to have a bad track record with free agent guards. Can’t include Mankins since he was a trade and he actually did provide some value though short lived.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:29 am
What is sweezyes top form?
March 6th, 2017 at 10:30 am
Do we owe anything to Sweezy if we cut him? I say let the man go – he wasn’t even that good in Seattle.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:39 am
Why not go after Ron Leary? Consistent part of a dominant O-line and he’s not super old and injured. T.J. Lang is coming off a foot injury that ended his season, and recovering from hip surgery. I seriously doubt we’d trade out one guard that’s an injury concern for another one.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:39 am
I think keeping Sweezy on the shelf for full rehab was a correct decision. Many back injuries can be rehabbed with rest. Rushing him back may have caused many more problems.
Injuries happen, even freak injuries.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:41 am
Game films from Seattle showed what a force Sweezy can be. A grinding ground game opens up play-action, and that is what Winston does best, and what Koetter’s offense is built around.
What Koetter says he’s happy with his OL despite angst from fans, I believe him. That includes Sweezy.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:45 am
couple weeks ago seattle’s gm was complaining how difficult it is to built a OL. He promptly got trounced by Seattle fans for letting Sweezy leave.
March 6th, 2017 at 10:49 am
If he is healthy and plays at the level he did in Seattle that is a huge bonus because you do t think any of us really expected a thing from him going forward.
I welcome it.
They can concentrate on a new center ( I don’t believe in moving Marpet)
March 6th, 2017 at 11:28 am
Just continue to Build A Wall! …..but not in Mexico dumb a$$!! He’s beginning to fall apart! It’s gonna be better than Bugs Bunny Cartoons on a Saturday Morning! Tha Tha Tha That’s All Folks!!
March 6th, 2017 at 12:03 pm
It’s funny how some of you on a number of occasions accused our last coach of bilking the Bucs because his defense sucked and his record here sucked and he lied to the fans and all this garbage then got fired but got us Fameis and Koetter but yet these same people can’t see the true con artist that’s right in front of your faces. It is obvious Sweezy KNEW he needed surgery but if he did he couldn’t get paid. His agent got a dr. who doped up his back for the pain before the workout with the Bucs then got his payday then got his surgery. Where there’s smoke there is a forest fire all around Sweezy. The sign of a true con artist is when he can dupe you right to your face and walk away when he wants. Sweezy will be smiling all the the way to the bank!
March 6th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
If it was that “obvious” the Bucs could have gotten the contract voided.
March 6th, 2017 at 1:53 pm
We won’t be going after a guard in free agency, except maybe a backup later on…
March 6th, 2017 at 5:32 pm
Ok Joe obvious to me. It’s just suspect to me that the problem came up once he signed that big contract. You should ask Licht off the record what he thought of the timing of the surgery and that fat check.
March 6th, 2017 at 6:00 pm
LOL, do we really think Marshawn Lynch did it all by himself ?
Cobraboy is correct, just watch some old Seattle
game films, and you will see what a road grader Sweezy could be, at one time.
The big question that we will all finally have the answer to is, will he have the will to come back, since he got his payday.
I sure hope he decides to really work hard at his comeback, because he could have another big payday left in him, and Tampa could have another good O Linemen.
I do agree that the Green Bay Lineman who is a free agent comes from a good O Line
March 8th, 2017 at 8:35 pm
I agree with DavidBugBucsFan99 the timing was very suspect and would be very interesting to see what Licht’s off the record thoughts would be… It all seemed rather calculated to me.
Sweezy was a good player in Seattle but coming off a serious back injury I would not count on him. Let him compete for the starting spot and bring in depth, through the draft. Get someone in a later round (3-7).