Fuel For The Paranoid
May 29th, 2017
Rising
One thing that strongly unites many Bucs fans from Lakeland to Largo is a profound fear of the departed talented player.
It doesn’t matter what the player did during his Tampa stay.
Nope, the guy could have assaulted innocent St. Pete cab drivers, or showcased his extreme mediocrity for all to see after getting drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
It’s because these fans (certainly not all) have been haunted for years by players who left and thrived elsewhere. Doug Williams, Trent Dilfer, it’s a long list. And the resulting paranoia escalated in recent years, as seasoned and allegedly reasoned Bucs football men let studs like Michael Bennett, Darrelle Revis, Donald Penn and Legarrette Blount waltz out of the building.
Enter Austin Seferian-Jackwagon, the Bucs’ second-round pick in 2014. He was a growing cancer in Tampa, an overall bust. But he was a talented bust whose Bucs career culminated in a DUI arrest that he seemingly talked his way into, followed by a police video of him yearning to defecate in a cop cruiser.
New York Jets beat writer Rich Cimini of ESPN.com explained that ASJ is in the midst of a physical and spiritual revival. He’s mean, lean and thriving in spring camp with the Jets, ready to dominate in his contract year when he returns from a two-game suspension. (Hmm, sounds familiar.).
Unfortunately for ASJ, it appears Josh McCown will be throwing him the football this season. So those afraid of impending ASJ success might want to relax on this gorgeous Monday.
Also, there’s the fact that ASJ really isn’t that good, in addition to being mentally and physically brittle.
May 29th, 2017 at 11:30 am
Hey Lakeland shout-out. Go Go Ltown
May 29th, 2017 at 11:45 am
Bye AS-Jackwagon. Have fun catching passes in McCown Town while you watch Cam Brate and OJ Howard dominate and lead us to the playoffs and beyond!
May 29th, 2017 at 11:47 am
Bahahahah! This soft @$$ clown doesn’t have me worried. Mr. Feelings won’t do jack once the actual season gets rolling. Make America Brate Again!!
May 29th, 2017 at 11:55 am
He’ll be a super-star for sure.
May 29th, 2017 at 12:01 pm
I blame it on the coaches, they drafted him, should of knew better……
May 29th, 2017 at 12:02 pm
Unfortunately, even if he is successful now, he wouldn’t have been here. He had to get rock bottom to get hungry. But, comparing him to Martin, even indirectly, they are two different animals.
May 29th, 2017 at 12:05 pm
ASJ is looking super-good in the Jets OTAs. He’s trimmed down to 260 LBS, and as fast as ever. The Jets also have two players from Lakeland. CB Darryl Roberts and RB Bilal Powell.
May 29th, 2017 at 12:17 pm
Ah the dreaded contact year strikes again. Perfect time to have a spiritual revival, wow way to work hard for the first time ever in your career. No one wants to hear about this loser he’s been replaced so we’ll see this process on the football field this season when we crush you
May 29th, 2017 at 12:35 pm
MIKE Says:
“I blame it on the coaches, they drafted him, should of knew better……”
Funny…everyone here seemed to like the pick when it was made. Sort of like OJ this year.
May 29th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Often times, A plater does not want to be where he was drafted. ASJ did not want to be in Tampa. You could see it in his speech and overall demeanor. And it takes a bigtime jolt to wake some players up. Maybe ASJ recently..got his jolt. We will have to wait and see. Forward..March Bucs!
May 29th, 2017 at 12:56 pm
Can’t be trusted long term. Felt like the warning signs were there though before bucs drafted him.
May 29th, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Just to put into perspective:
Wayne Haddix had a pro bowl year for the Bucs in 1990 after leaving Cincinnati.
The next year, he got cut.
May 29th, 2017 at 2:25 pm
Wishing him well. Just not against us.
May 29th, 2017 at 2:49 pm
he may get motivated for a new contract, like another poster sugested. But we had some nice pieces being built here last year and he was ever much a part of our future plans. It was O bvisous that winning and playoffs do not motivate this guy and we don’t need plays like that to be key pieces for us.
For Chris sakes the guy was Dancing for a TD with 3 seconds left and us down by 10. es j
May 29th, 2017 at 2:54 pm
Funny how hard players/people will work with money on the line. Just another lazy a$$ trying to cash that check again so he can start taking it easy. Only a matter of time before he starts taking off plays then days off or even weeks off with some fake injury.
May 29th, 2017 at 2:54 pm
This guy is not like those other guys we let walk. He was a huge ass that brought shame to his team and city. We just got an already younger, more mature Howard that may be able to tear it up in the TE position where ASJ was. Good riddance.
May 29th, 2017 at 3:05 pm
The difference is blount, talib, penn, etc were talented and had good seasons here before we let them go. Asj has not had one good year therefore nobody cared. If he turns out to have a good career, good for him which means he needed a change of scenary. Those others were talented and produced here and you knew they would go to other teams and be successful. Our team was not at the point to just let talented players walk. That is why you have not been to the playoffs in 10 years.
May 29th, 2017 at 4:26 pm
Steve Young was terrible in Tampa. Bill Walsh ftaded for him and the rest is history.
May 29th, 2017 at 4:26 pm
**traded**
May 29th, 2017 at 4:38 pm
He won’t be able to stay with it. He doesn’t have a winners Dna
I remember I was yelling at the tv to draft Jarvis laundry.
Jason and his second round brain farts….
May 29th, 2017 at 5:01 pm
He’s a selfish drunk who is all talk. Even if he manages to focus this season because of his contract, he will revert to his true nature the following year once he gets his money.
May 29th, 2017 at 5:19 pm
The New York Jets locker room just doesn’t seem like the kind of place where a player who struggles to take his job seriously learns how to be a better pro. Not that I have much room to talk given how the last decade has gone for the organization that I love, but NYJ has consistently been towards the top of the NFL dysfunction rankings.
May 29th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
He’s surrounded by guys who have failed to live up to their draft status, and some who have made selfish and unprofessional choices like he has. There’s been lots of talk in NY about a 2016 team where nearly all the main guys were looking out for #1. And on top of that, the NY sports media has little problem with driving the knife into a player once he’s exposed as less than adequate. Put it all together and my money would be on him not sustaining this apparent renaissance. Let’s see how serious he is about his craft once it becomes obvious the jets are in full tank mode.
I’ll set the over/under on TD celebrations during horrible blowouts at 2.5. At least he’s less likely to get his team penalized for it under the new rules
May 29th, 2017 at 5:46 pm
The real question is is assferian jenkins bowels still moving or does he still constimpated. assferian hopefully has a full time supply of rolaids to continue playing. 🙂
May 29th, 2017 at 7:16 pm
ASJ’s problems have nothing to do with talent. The guy is just an idiot!
May 29th, 2017 at 7:34 pm
The Jets are a dumpster fire, bigger than the Bucs from ’09-’15. Not worried, though for his well being, I hope he does reform himself.
May 29th, 2017 at 8:39 pm
I hope he catches a Hail Mary against us at the end of the game when we are up 14 points. Sound familiar?!
May 29th, 2017 at 9:24 pm
BuccaneEric, Love it!
May 30th, 2017 at 9:14 am
I do think the guy will ball at some point. he has all the physicality to be very good.
I remember jameis yelling at him in practice. Koetter did not want to let him go, at all! He gave him 100 chances. Very clear picture that koetter wanted two great tight ends.
He has them again. Would have been nice if asj had matured here and we could have used the first round pick somewhere else this season but ill take oj over asj all day everyday so it worked out.
May 30th, 2017 at 11:20 am
Somebody here suggested Steve Young was terrible when he played here. They forgot to mention…the man was always running for his life on every down. I was there at those games. You could just..walk right thru those offensive lines he played behind. Just sayin….
May 30th, 2017 at 11:53 am
To say ASJ has (had?) issues would be an understatement.
I wish he and his family well.
Good Luck, ASJ.