The Joe Mixon Sitdown
April 10th, 2017
Al Davis move.
So Friday, AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht decided to light a bonfire under Bucs fans to awaken them from their pre-draft doldrums by bringing in notorious Oklahoma woman-punching running back Joe Mixon.
A number of Bucs fans frankly don’t give a damn what kind of rap sheet a player has. All they care about is if he can play football. He can terrorize a community all he wants and outrage a neighborhood with mattresses in the front yard and stripper poles in his living room to his delight so long as he helps the Bucs win a Super Bowl.
And while these same fans were doing shots of Patrón in celebration Friday night after learning of the Licht-Mixon sitdown, perhaps Joe is too cynical for his own good.
Joe senses the hand of Al Davis at play here.
Few folks in the NFL were as devious as the legendary former Raiders owner. Espionage was his forte. It was common for Davis to pretend to like someone, interview them only for the purposes of intel, and to try to pry state secrets from them. Anything to gain an edge.
Joe has a hunch this is why Licht interviewed Sean McDermott last year after Team Glazer told lazy Lovie Smith to pack up and get the hell out of town. McDermott, at the time, was the defensive coordinator of the Stinking Panthers.
Joe is suspicious that is what is at play with Mixon. It is not unreasonable to believe Mixon could wind up with the running back-needy Stinking Panthers. So why not try to get inside the guy’s head and figure out what makes him tick? It’s actually a smart move by Licht, made famous by Davis and practiced regularly by Bill Belicheat.
And guess who used to work for Belicheat?
Think about it: the Bucs (here comes the broken record) needed a pass rush a couple of years ago (still do!) when sack artist and documented woman abuser Greg Hardy was there for the taking. It came down to the Bucs and Cowboys when Licht publicly pulled out of the running, citing Hardy’s sordid past.
Hardy, initially, was found guilty of throwing a woman around his residence. He skated when the case was tossed during a new trial, largely because the alleged victim found bundles of cash in her freezer (think Luca Brasi meets Sara Lee) with an order to disappear. With no witness to sing in court, Hardy was free and charges were dropped.
Given Licht’s background, Joe would be more than surprised if Mixon ever wore a Bucs uniform.
April 10th, 2017 at 5:36 am
Or this could be the same thing as the member of the Bucs personnel having dinner with Dalvin Cook. They could be interested in the talent, but need to justify being interested in the person.
April 10th, 2017 at 5:51 am
Or it could be professional coaches & managers doing their professional due diligence. Oh the horror!
April 10th, 2017 at 6:13 am
So let me get this straight. Joe doesn’t want Joe Mixon , which I’m in agreement with, due to his domestic violence case, yet wants dalvin cook who also has a domestic assault on his hands but yet because there is no video of it, it’s ok to have cook over Mixon? Both have off the field issues that I wouldn’t touch. And in a pool of Running backs that run 3 rounds deep of starter talent, I’d pass.
Honestly, hunt from Toledo is probably the best back that no one talks about. He has the best vision and ball security in the draft. His patience and explosion through the hole is more reminiscent of Leveon bell than any other back. Hunt doesn’t have long range speed but he can be a three down back with polished pass protection and a good receiver out of the backfield.
April 10th, 2017 at 6:25 am
3rds of running back in this draft tells me there is NO reason to take one at 19! With so many team needs ….
April 10th, 2017 at 6:45 am
Go get those hidden gems Licht!
You make the Bucs GREAT!
HHMMM Billycheat knows the formula for a dynasty.
Are we on our way? We got the franchise QB already.
Watching Licht build a solid foundation already brings Joe favorite word to life….HOPE.
Icying in the cake would be having Koetter and Smitty here for the next 10 years. One can only dream.
My……my……my…..how things shift when you bring Licht into the situation.
In Licht we trust!
April 10th, 2017 at 6:53 am
Still waiting on the highest rank defenses he faced..
April 10th, 2017 at 7:02 am
Joe, as much as I am disgusted by violence against women, this was considered by a judge to be contributorily negligent on her part. They had words outside the restaurant, and it continued inside…she hit him first, he decked her…the beating was dismissed by a judge, however he was judged for his attitude. Legarret Blount retaliated to a similar situation twice and yet you sing his praises…..if she was a guy, there would be no case …..no doubt he could have and should have walked away, but he was a 17 year old kid who made a horrible choice. Has been tried in a court of law, in the media, and served his judgement. He stood up for himself overzealously and paid the price. He served his suspension, and returned to team. He has lost the financial opportunity that an early draft pick gets, kept his poise throughout the experience and now earned a chance to prove his worth. If her case was so clean especially with a tape of the altercation, how did he walk?
If the Glazers sign off on him, you need to allow him to come to town and earn his keep. Granted it should be a contract loaded with clauses for behavior, but he has earned the opportunity to play, especially with how he has had to face scrutiny for his actions as a kid.
As a player he is a stud, I don’t want him dating my daughter, but I don’t want you to either…
April 10th, 2017 at 7:06 am
Nobody supports Mixon rearranging the face of a female, he had choices once she spit on him, he made a bad one, but fans and people know this is a forgiving country, for the most part… anybody wanting Mixon or Cook are just hoping they have turned the corner on maturity and not only produce on the field but also in the community. The only question I believe teams are concerned about is the backlash, not that he would repeat what happened.
April 10th, 2017 at 7:40 am
I agree with Chris, there seems to be a double standard here… If we are going to forgive one for past mistakes then we need to forgive all.
“Florida State running back Dalvin Cook turned himself into Leon County Jail Friday night hours after the State Attorney’s Office charged him with misdemeanor battery for allegedly punching a woman several times outside of a downtown Tallahassee bar June 23.”
SEVERAL times!
April 10th, 2017 at 7:45 am
I can see interviewing a coach of a division rival, but a potential draftee?
Dubious that any useful info could be obtained. What are you going to do, interview every kid the panthers, saints or Falcons might draft?
Much more likely they like the kid but want to assess his character before considering drafting him.
Cook is way better though, hands down.
April 10th, 2017 at 7:46 am
Joe….are you going to blow a gasket if the Bucs draft Mixon? Are you going to root for him? It could happen, teams don’t waste one of their 30 visits for other team info, they do them to get to know the player. Are you really comparing Mixon, a 17 year old to a grown man making millions like Rice and Hardy, I tend to think the 20 year old with no further incidents (everyone gets mad about tickets, and taught so from opposing fans is frustrating but not a big deal), deserves a 2nd chance
April 10th, 2017 at 7:58 am
That was a pantload of unfounded speculation. More of nothing to see here.
Make Mixon a Buc
April 10th, 2017 at 8:01 am
Keep it in perspective fellow Bucs fan this is the same Joe who stood on the table for Johnny Train Wreck an another alledge women puncher I will say this one more time if you kick, call someone the N Word or spit on someone( but she is innocent) male or female your azz better be prepared for the consequences! It’s obvious she wasn’t!!
April 10th, 2017 at 8:12 am
LOL @ all the people on here who think they know anything about the Dalvin Cook case from 2015. He was acquitted in 30 minutes after the trial. The on scene cop took the stand and told the court that the girl in fact had not been punched in the face several times by a man. That her group of friends were so intoxicated some couldn’t given written statements. The one who did was incoherent. An independent third party witness saw the entire situation unfold and testified that Dalvin was no where near the girl at any part of the argument. Look up some facts before saying “there was no video” and that is why DC got off. People ARE SO LAZY
April 10th, 2017 at 8:16 am
The only reason he was even charged was due to the pressure Willie Meggs was under after not charging Jameis with anything. He was not going to do right by FSU or DC after the scrutiny he faced for correctly not bringing charges against JW. Anyway, Im all for the Bucs kicking the tires on Mixon. We need to take the BPA in all rounds and not move up in the draft in the first. I would love Cook or McCaffrey in the first, but only at 19. If not, grab a DE or WR and keep it moving..
April 10th, 2017 at 8:22 am
What could make him tick? And because of this we will be better able to defend him? Joe has been eating the spiced chocolates this morning.
April 10th, 2017 at 8:23 am
We need beasts, not thugs.
April 10th, 2017 at 9:06 am
Why is it not unreasonable to think of him landing with the Panthers?
Why is it then unreasonable to think that we’re actually interested in drafting him?
I will say this, you have an active imagination.
April 10th, 2017 at 9:15 am
Shouldn’t we be having a sit down with Fournette then?
April 10th, 2017 at 9:23 am
Draft Njoku in first and trade up to take Mixon at the end of the 1st ot beginning of 2nd round. He made a mistake and seems remorseful. We all have made mistakes, and don’t forget she was not innocent and without blame.
April 10th, 2017 at 9:26 am
Well well well well well well well… There’s definitely a double standard here with Joe’s love for some players and hate for others. I personally am against the Bucs WASTING a 1st round pick on a guy with multiple surgeries on his shoulders. Mixon is going to be a better RB than Cook but u could snag Mixon in the 3rd.
April 10th, 2017 at 9:33 am
Well, there is always that.
April 10th, 2017 at 9:40 am
Chances for the Bucs drafting Mixon will obviously increase if we come out of the 1st round without a RB.
April 10th, 2017 at 9:42 am
Mixon won’t be there in 3rd round. He won’t be there when we pick in the 2nd round. Don’t let the smoke screens fool you, Mixon will go early on the 2nd if not the first.
April 10th, 2017 at 10:00 am
I needed a good laugh this morning thanks Joe
April 10th, 2017 at 10:13 am
@Nosbos
The 2 best rush defenses Oklahoma faced last year:
Houston (4th ranked rush defense): 6 carries for 40 yards (6.7 YPC) 1 TD, also had 5 catches for 77 yards.
Kansas State (11th ranked rush defense): 19 carries for 88 yards (4.6 YPC), also had 3 catches for 34 yards and 1 TD.
April 10th, 2017 at 10:23 am
Eric Says:
April 10th, 2017 at 8:01 am
Keep it in perspective fellow Bucs fan this is the same Joe who stood on the table for Johnny Train Wreck an another alledge women puncher I will say this one more time if you kick, call someone the N Word or spit on someone( but she is innocent) male or female your azz better be prepared for the consequences! It’s obvious she wasn’t!!
Very well said Eric…
April 10th, 2017 at 11:12 am
This is a conversation Licht had to have. If a player like Mixon with an unquestioned physical package at a position of need is going to be available somewhere in the second round due to a questionable character and you don’t bring him in, you are not doing your job. Based on that interview, Licht can properly weigh the players talent, his character and the firestorm caused by drafting him. Without the interview, he’s just a little bit more informed than us.
April 10th, 2017 at 11:24 am
I will say this, it is disappointing that so many are willing to write off what this young man did just because he plays football and is at a position of need. The NFL did him a huge favor by not inviting him to the combine. It made him a sympathetic figure in the eyes of many. I’m not saying “PUNISH HIM’ like so many are because of his past transgressions, rather weigh them against his talent.
There will be a pr cost in drafting him. It has to be weighed against where you draft him and how much he contributes. I’ve seen his interviews. This isn’t Jameis Winston. Jameis is still followed by a firestorm of negativity and he is polished, charismatic, charitable oh.. and productive. He is slowly putting that to bed but he is working so hard on it.
Mixon does not have the talent and the skills in any of those areas as Winston. It may not be fair, but it is just the way it works. The more charisma, the more help your image receives. Some people still think OJ is innocent after all.
April 10th, 2017 at 11:47 am
Louis Says said it very will. A lot of people said not to take Jameis because of his pass. This team has done a good job in the most part giving second chances to many players in the past. We would have jails on top of each other if the courts did not give second chances. The NFL would have a lot less good players without second chances. I do not like what Nixon did not at all. I have three daughters and I would have asked them what they could have done to keep something like that to happen to them. I am going to show them the video so they learn something from it. Do not get me wrong if he did that to one of my daughters cops would taken me to jail after I got a hold of him.
April 10th, 2017 at 12:21 pm
I think Mixon is drafted by the end of the 2nd round. Not by the Bucs.
April 10th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Joe, I doubt the Panthers, of Rae Carruth and Greg Hardy fame, draft Mixon … if I had to bet $$$ I’d bet the Bengals or Lions draft him … if the Bucs don’t 🙂
April 10th, 2017 at 1:00 pm
This is another preposterous notion brought to you by JBF. The amount that could be gleaned from the kid, to give the team an edge if they face him, is negligible if not non-existent.
They interviewed him because they wanted to find out about him because they may consider drafting him if he checks out as a person. The only possible subterfuge I could imagine would be deception on draft day. The idea that they might pick him could make someone jump ahead of the Bucs and push someone else they like down the board.
April 10th, 2017 at 1:11 pm
Best RB in this draft is Joe Mixon. Draft him in the first.
April 10th, 2017 at 2:00 pm
Mixon is a “turd.”
April 10th, 2017 at 2:50 pm
TGE kid (MIXON) makes a screw up @ 17 yrs old and then all of sudden he is a Thug…and Joe consigns this type of backwards ass thinking, what’s the purpose of all this? To kill this guys chance of a career? I’m encouraged by the thought that not everyone thinks like BoJim and his cosigner….jackass is a word I use a lot these days, it’s the only word I can think of if you can’t see that MIXON will bring the SWAGG back to this team, he is the best player at a position of NEED on this team, if this is the guy you want, then get him, I would pull the trigger on him in round 2! HE IS THAT DAMN GOOD!
April 10th, 2017 at 3:40 pm
@BigHog- The guy is not entitled to a football career.
I agree that it should not be a death sentence for a guy with “issues” but lets be frank, there are 100’s of kids, if not 1,000’s that come out every year without a single tarnish on their record. Mixon happens to be a very good football player and he will get his chance.
Nobody should shed a tear for the guy if he “slips” in the draft. He’ll make his money if he’s as good as advertised.
Football is a game. It’s a privilege NOT a right.
April 10th, 2017 at 3:49 pm
Uhhh…No.
This is the Bucs evaluating one of the premiere RB prospects in the draft who can possibly be had at non-premiere prices. This is how one gets a leg up on the rest of the league – getting supremely talented prospects on the cheap.
Don’t waste a first on an RB. Hope Mixon is there in round 2.
April 10th, 2017 at 4:02 pm
Lovie was a TURD Mixon just made a horrible mistake. I’d take mixon and his desire to win over choirboy career loser mccoy every single sunday.
April 10th, 2017 at 4:36 pm
Entitled: Ooo yes he is…. If he is good enough… Maybe those hundreds of other unblemished prospects can’t cut it! I can’t understand why you wouldn’t want him, then again I do, WITH THE 19th PICK THE TAMPA BAY BUCS SELECT JOE MIXON! That’s a great value pick!!
April 10th, 2017 at 6:30 pm
Big Hog, you said take him in the second, and followed it up by saying take him at 19. Plus called what you think is a top prospect, a value pick at 19. You do realize you can’t even agree with yourself right?
April 10th, 2017 at 6:48 pm
The joes are wrong. Licht pulled out of the hardy chase because it became known he was using the bucs as leverage to raise his salary because he wanted to play with the cowboys. Anybody who thinks licht will not draft mixon due to his past is fooling themselves. He was very instrumental in drafting the honey badger in arizona. He drafted spence with his background. He drafted jameis knowing there may be a huge pr backlash. Mixon is definitely on the board. If the bucs interviewed 70+ people to vet winston, you better believe they have vetted at least 45 for mixon. Licht knows what he is doing. Honey badger, spence nor winston has had any problems. If the bucs draft mixon, im sure he will be fine too.
April 10th, 2017 at 7:43 pm
No way in hell Jerry Richardson would draft him. Not gonna happen period. I hope we do though. The Panthers may have the pick of all 3 RBs at #8. We aren’t that fortunate.
Mixon in the 2nd would be great value. But only if Licht and Koetter agree to it first of course.
April 10th, 2017 at 10:37 pm
CarolinaBucFan: this guy is what I believe is a top 10 pick (with out this run in with this woman) so to get him with the 19th pick is a value pick …..no sarcasm, I see that I was all over the place, like MIXON I stand before you and apologize!! BUILD THE DAMN WALL! DRAFT MIXON! HE’S THAT DAMN GOOD!!
April 11th, 2017 at 12:08 am
Jesus Christ Joe… you just did an article with the Glaziers… and he/they responded that each case was different and they had to do their do diligence and really research each person’s controversial past beyond the headlines…
April 11th, 2017 at 12:13 am
And now all of a sudden you are comparing Mixon 17 to Hardy 26???
April 11th, 2017 at 4:41 am
Arguably the greatest RB of all time, Jim Brown, threw a woman through (not out) his second floor bedroom window on to his front lawn, and he was a grown man when he did it, not a 17/18 year old kid. Somehow that’s not an issue for anyone. He’s still honored and respected for his achievements as a Cleveland Brown. By comparison a single punch thrown in retaliation in the heat of the moment, appears rather insignificant. As long as a player has paid his debt to society, and is out of jail, all I care about is his ability to contribute to the success of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
April 11th, 2017 at 11:46 am
@BigHog- It’s not that I don’t want him, it’s that people act like because he doesn’t go in the 1st round he’s being punished. Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t but he’ll be playing football. If he plays for us, I’m all Mixon. I’m not going to cry for him though if he drops out of the 1st and 2nd rounds, which I doubt.