Koetter Talks “Cheatin’ Danger” & “A Developmental Linebacker”
May 5th, 2017
Talks personnel gamble
Winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter was talking about linebacker gambling, and Joe was paying close attention.
Specifically, Koetter jumped on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently and explained how the Bucs were daring the football gods in 2016.
“Daryl [Smith] was our starting SAM linebaker, but Daryl could play all three linebacker spots,” Koetter said. “So we were kind of cheatin’ danger a little bit last year that we didn’t have [depth]. We only carried five linebackers on our 53-man roster because in Daryl we had a guy that could start at SAM but start anywhere.”
Smith was solid but has hung up his cleats at 35 years old. And that drive the Bucs in last week’s NFL Draft, where they traded up to snag LSU linebacker Kendall Beckwith with the last pick of Round 3. Beckwith blew out his knee in mid-November and had ACL surgery.
“We really felt like we needed to get another developmental linebacker,” Koetter said. We drafted Devante Bond in the sixth round last year, and he missed the entire season. And so he’s kind of the guy on paper right now that you would think would plug in and play the SAM linebacker for us.”
Koetter praised veteran Adarius Glanton for his special teams and fill-in linebacker work last season, and he stressed there will be serious competition at strongside linebacker (SAM).
But the head coach likes the rookie and what he might bring when healthy.
“But in Kendall Beckwith, if you’ve watched his tape, this guy is a downhill, hit-you-and-knock-you-back linebacker,” Koetter said. “He’s a good blitzer. He’s coming off an injury. So that’s one of the reasons he was available at the last pick of the third round instead of probably going maybe in the second round if he was ready to go right now.”
Yes, strongside linebacker is a part-time role in the Bucs defense. But it would be a full-time nightmare if whoever playing there is bad.
Joe has no expectation for Beckwith this season. It just seems unrealistic and unfair for a guy coming off a late-season ACL. Hopefully, Bond and Glanton can stay healthy and rise to the great opportunity in front of them.
May 5th, 2017 at 10:34 am
when healthy, this kid is great….GO BUCS!!!!
May 5th, 2017 at 10:44 am
he may be great one day but the bucs needed bodies on the field this year that could contribute either on special teams or backup to starter, but kooky licht has to do this every year
May 5th, 2017 at 10:46 am
“Kooky Licht”?
May 5th, 2017 at 10:47 am
I would imagine Beckwith would start the season on the PUP list.
May 5th, 2017 at 10:58 am
Hawaiian, I’m thinking that Beckwith starts the season on the PUP also, and may well never see the active roster this year (hopefully we’re both wrong). But if that ends up being the case, wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bucs snag an experienced LB when preseason cuts happen (a Daryl Smith clone perhaps who can play all 3 LB positions?). Anticipated that the Bucs were counting on Bond to win the SAM job, but since he missed all of last year, he’s really just about a 6th rnd pick rookie this year. I like Glanton, but more-so on STs & as a backup LB than as a starter. But you never know, one or both might surprise us.
May 5th, 2017 at 11:16 am
Both Beckworth and the Buccaneers believe he will be ready for training camp. I’m going to go with that one unless I hear otherwise.
May 5th, 2017 at 11:20 am
The Bucs brought in a ton of Lbs in UFA. I’d like to see JBF do a breakdown like they did for the cbs.
May 5th, 2017 at 11:30 am
At no point have the Bucs stated he “will be” ready for training camp. That would be irresponsible. Licht has said he “could be” ready for training camp. Below is Licht’s direct quote.
May 5th, 2017 at 11:59 am
Alexander and Beckwith have experience on the field together. I think that they will communicate very well. One of the things that made our hi draftSuper Bowl defense so great was that everyone was accountable for their responsibility and knew with the chemistry they had, where the other defenders would be. I think Beckwith and Kwon will form quick chemistry. When he is cleared from his recovery, he may prove to be a steal.
There may prove to be so many steals by the Bucs in t
May 5th, 2017 at 12:06 pm
I just don’t think he’s special enough to spend a 3rd rounder on a part-time player coming off a major injury and might not be available.
At this point, Licht has been great drafting on the offensive side of the ball. His major misses were with character (ASJ) and one dimensional players (Herron, the Hawaii FB) drafted late. Defensively, he hasn’t done so well. Kwon and Noah have been very good so far. Hargreaves might be good… but Devante Bond, Ryan Smith, and the latest draft picks just might turn out to be garbage.
May 5th, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Alexander and Beckwith have experience on the field together. I think that they will communicate very well. One of the things that made our hi draftSuper Bowl defense so great was that everyone was accountable for their responsibility and knew with the chemistry they had, where the other defenders would be. I think Beckwith and Kwon will form quick chemistry. When he is cleared from his recovery, he may prove to be a steal.
There may prove to be so many steals by the Bucs in this draft that someone will have to do some time behind bars. 🚓
Happy Friday Cinco De Mayo!!! 🍻 🇲🇽
God Bless America!! 🇺🇸🦅
May 5th, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Guess we will find out in Training Camp. If the guy can play all the snaps from day 1 he could make the team. If he ain’t there it is no way he will be able to catch up to speed with the rest of the bunch.
May 5th, 2017 at 12:23 pm
Joe- I may have confused Beckworth recovery timetable with McNichols more optimistic one.
I still believe and hope that Beckworth will be ready to go by the start of the season. He only had a partial acl tear, most players with torn acls don’t walk off the field on his own like he did. Also encountered by reports that he is running and cutting already.
May 5th, 2017 at 12:25 pm
I like the competition for SAM! Glanton, Bond, and Beckwith…..may the best man win!!! Go Bucs
May 5th, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Play action against our SLB is going to be an adventure this season.
How would deploying a 3/4 defense (Mike Smith’s new Multi-defense system) be any better considering the quality of our LB depth..??
May 5th, 2017 at 12:44 pm
I believe Kendell Beckwith will be ready for TC. But when Jason Licht traded back into the 3rd Round. I was sure it was for Auburn DE Carl Lawson. I believe he will be the ‘steal’ of the draft. A 1st Round talent drafted in the 4th round. Adrius Glanton is from Lakeland, he’s a really good LB. The best to come out of Lakeland since Ray Lewis. Kendell Beckwith will be just fine, he will be a star for the Bucs.
May 5th, 2017 at 12:46 pm
For a professional athlete, even a full ACL repair in November would not prevent competing in August of the following year at full throttle. No chance of PUP list unless something else goes wrong or he re-injures it.
May 5th, 2017 at 12:59 pm
Rayjay
Agree with your remarks about the chemistry between Beckworth and Kwon as former teammates.
I think in fact that is one of our team strengths and I think it’s still improving…”Team Chemistry”. This is a team that is easy to like right now and I just get the sense that these guys like and respect each other. I sense a TEAM starting to emerge.
May 5th, 2017 at 1:09 pm
Stanglassman, good to hear it’s a partial tear. I had a partial tear and the bad thing about it is it doesn’t really heal as that kind of tissue doesn’t rebuild itself, so the tear remains. I’m not a doctor but after years of an ACL injury going back and forth on my right knee I have turned into quite a knowledgeable person about the subject.
What normally happens after a tear is that the leg muscles start to support the ACL and do it’s job. The ACL is there so our legs don’t bend backwards like other species have it, it’s one of the things that helps us to stand straight. Football and Basketball put a lot of pressure on this part of the body and that’s why it’s a common accident, the same way elbows get effed in tennis or the ischiotibial muscles in soccer.
What makes this a risky pick is that there’s few and diametrically different possible outcomes:
1.- The muscle support in the player’s leg is enough and the guy has a long career thanks to that. Let’s give it a 49.999% chance as we don’t know the severity of the tear.
2.- The muscle support in the player’s leg is not enough and the ACL breaks, he needs surgery. 49.999% chance again. (After the surgery there’s a new opportunity to come back in full form and rehab science is getting very good at it, but the factors to that determine the success of rehab are so variable that I won’t get into that.)
3.- The muscle support is so good that the ACL is not necesary anymore. Sometimes the ACL disappears completely and some players have had careers without even both ACLs. 0.001% chance.
IMO, this was like Licht trading up to bet his pick on roulette. I hope he’s lucky.
May 5th, 2017 at 1:30 pm
Nice comment Vico. Thanks for the info.
May 5th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
Lakeland – when we traded up to the very end of the 3rd (which would actually have been like the 11th pick in the 4th if not for all the comp picks) – I thought for sure we were doing it to get Perine at RB – and was SHOCKED we moved up to get a LBer.
I’ve since come to understand what a brilliant move this might have turned out to be though considering we also got a RB they like in the 5th round.
Considering the value we got on the player (2nd round talent who fell to the top of the 4th due to a serious yet non-major injury) and also the value we got on the trade up (paid 9.5 value points with our 6th rd pick to move up 33 value points in position) this Beckwith could become another excellent LSU LBer draft choice that was stolen for a good price – just like Kwon in the 4th (2015) and Deion Jones in the 2nd to the Falcons in 2016. This guy is in the same mold and comes w/ similar skillset and attitude. I like the pick now that I understand how irresistible the value became – and we DID need another good LBer prospect. Beckwith provides solid insurance at MLB as well and will be cross trained.
Nice Job Jason Licht.
May 5th, 2017 at 2:55 pm
Beckwith’s 40 speed is only 4.82, he is injured, and is a short area athlete and could never roam sideline to sideline like Kwon so would not even be adequate as a backup at MLB even if he is healthy. Lindy’s had him pegged as a 5th rounder so we could have once again wasted draft picks moving up for him. He also has tight hips and is not good in dropping back for passes.
May 5th, 2017 at 3:11 pm
Kendell Beckwith is a big run-stuffing LB, that’s what we missed last season. LVD and Kwon has the speed to run from sideline to sideline. But last season they was getting push around at the LOS on running plays. Mike Smith want a big LB like Beckwith. I’m not sure where that 4.82 come from, Beckwith didn’t run at the combine or LSU pro day. I know that he played QB and DE in high school, and he played in the Under Armour All American game as an athlete. Every game I watch him play, he showed more than 4.82 speed.
May 5th, 2017 at 3:29 pm
I think Pro Football Weekly do a good job of grading, better than most sites. And this is their profile and grade on Kendell Beckwith………………………http://www.profootballweekly.com/draft/2017/prospects/kendell-beckwith/
May 5th, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Owlykat,
Lakeland caught it and so did I. Where did you get a 40 time?
If you’re suggesting a 4.8 with an injury, don’t know how you
that info either. Help us out and identify your source.
The idea He’ll never be a sideline to sideline roamer is another bizarro statement. Who exactly said that was what He has been drafted for or projected to do?
Here’s a huge fact for your next post, He can’t punt or kick and will never be an elite slot receiver. He lacks sufficient arm strength to make elite level throws. Back up QB at best. Insightful?