Licht Dynasty?
May 1st, 2017
Columnist anoints.
It may not be the Ming Dynasty, nor the roll that Bill Belicheat is on, but it seems some Belicheat magic may have rubbed off on a disciple.
It seems humorist Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Bay Times believes Bucs fans are witnessing a rare run in Bucs history, where a general manager seems to be hitting on the draft like a hot poker player in a Bahamas casino. Fennelly is, of course, referring to Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
Outside of a few hiccups (ASJackwagon and a kicker — who may still pan out), Fennelly documents how Licht has been uncanny with the draft, which is a big reason why the Bucs seem poised to end their playoff drought.
I think Howard was a no-brainer pick, but give general manager Jason Licht credit: One day we might be looking at his four-year run of first-round Bucs picks — Mike Evans, Winston, Vernon Hargreaves and now Howard — as the best in franchise history. Seriously.
Now this also comes after a 2015 draft Joe deemed “The Grand Slam,” when Licht pulled off a heist rarely seen, selecting America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet and Kwon Alexander with his first four picks.
The best way to build a lasting contender is to hit on the draft. It’s hardly an exact science, but thus far, Licht seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to the draft.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:03 am
my only complaint is Licht didn’t draft an edge rusher. Should have got on in the 2nd (DeMarcus Walker) – hope S Evans works out.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:04 am
Agreed!!!!
We are rolling!
#WeaponsforWins-a-ton Accomplished!!!!
In Licht we Trust!!!!
Now go get VJax!
May 1st, 2017 at 9:05 am
DeMarcus Walker isn’t an Edge rusher. He’s a bull rusher who will be best at LDE or DT against the run. He reminds me of Adrian Clayborne (bust).
May 1st, 2017 at 9:06 am
Yeah!Genco I wanted Walker too.
We can’t win them all.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:09 am
Let’s hold off on any dynasty talk until we see the results on the field
Evans-great pick
Winston-Going into year 3 is still turning the ball over at an alarming rate and has a lot to prove going into his 3rd year. Lots of promise but let’s quell the franchise qb talk until it’s proven on the field.
Hargreaves-only going into year 2 and the jury is still out on him as well, not enough production to believe he’s a great pick but too early to tell if it was a bad pick
Howard-has yet to play a down for this team
While Licht drafts much better than Dominik let’s pump the breaks until we see the production on the field and some wins. Maybe back to back winning seasons first
May 1st, 2017 at 9:12 am
Joe why is everyone worried about,”Licht didn’t draft this,Licht didn’t draft that.”uhh. ..hello. …teams will still be cutting players!who says Licht won’t pick one up later this year?!
May 1st, 2017 at 9:13 am
Obviously the #1s are crucial….but I grade a GM on some of the mid-round successes……let’s see how we do with players like Smith, Bond & Benenoch…..Licht gets high marks for Pamphile.
Dominick, on the other hand was a complete and unarguable failure.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:14 am
He’s great for me because of who he doesn’t draft………sorry Cook fans.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:14 am
@Tampa Tony
I’m convinced Jameis could win us a superbowl, but if he threw a pick during it or got strip sacked you’d still come back and say, Jameis needs to cut down on his turnovers.
The kid is a baller, and is a rare caliber leader of men.
Jameis is working harder right now to improve his game than he ever has before, and I’m so confident that the kid is going to be the best he’s ever been in a Bucs uniform this year.
Just watch.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:16 am
He has done good
Not great
May 1st, 2017 at 9:20 am
What’s with all the butt lichting? I like him and koetter, but this is crazy. Your making them out to be Vince Lombardi and Bill polian, is there more room on rushmore?
May 1st, 2017 at 9:23 am
@tbtd I would be shocked if they resigned VJax at this point.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:24 am
Its a damn shame to see how much damage Mark Dominik – did to our franchise.
Probably take Licht at least two more drafts – to wash away the stench.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:25 am
Evans is a wildcard from this draft class. Huge athletic ability and big playmaker. If he can develop that talent into a polished NFL player, this draft could be another home run.
Overall draft grade A-
Go Licht!!!!
May 1st, 2017 at 9:26 am
Agree that he drafts extremely well. And also agree with the comments that he likely has his eye on a good pass (bull or edge) rusher at DE during the training camp and cap issue releases. I would count on that. Licht is a savvy, experienced GM. I trust him.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:30 am
@Tony
@Den … Quit being so fu¢kn negative. GO ROOT FOR ANOTHER TEAM you guys are a$sclowns!!! EVERYTHING is looking positive with the teams direction. Lead by #3 n #58. Yes we’re free as fans to be extremely hopeful this season. Don’t give me that “I’m a realist” shtick. That’s BS.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:32 am
@Tampa Tony … “Let’s hold off on any dynasty talk until we see the results on the field.” Couldn’t agree more. Bucs have had one winning season since 2010. Before we start talking D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y maybe we should win a playoff game or two? Maybe even a Super Bowl? Maybe even several Super Bowls? Potential is a wonderful thing, but right now that’s all everyone has to hang their hat on: potential. Dirk Koetter knows better … like he preaches, all that matters in the NFL is WINS. Folks need to hold off on the dynasty talk until all this POTENTIAL has been turned into WINS.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:33 am
I get it that folks don’t like Dominick- but he is Ron Wolf compared to the dumpersterfire that was Bruce Allen. Dominick at least drafted guys who made the pro bowl. There was certainly more talent on this team when Dominck left then when he joined. The reason Gruden didn’t win another super bowl is thanks to Bruce Allen. I guess the point of all of this though, is that LIcht has done a better job than either of them, and that is why the Bucs are an ascending team.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:37 am
Blake is right about Jameis. Look what he did with the minimal talant he had last year. Outside of Evans and Brate he had nothing. When he had all his weapons against Atlanta the first game of the season he shined. He is the only QB to start a career with 2 4000 yard seasons…before turning 23 years old. I expect a Dynasty is being built and would be surprised if it started with a win against the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Koetter said he wanted a bad ass team, let’s do them the way our old Bucs did San Francisco when Sapp took out Young and Rice. That was our coming out party and it’s time for the 2nd coming!
May 1st, 2017 at 9:37 am
When you look at it that way, he has been fantastic.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:43 am
What impresses me about Licht is the fact that not only do we finally have a solid core if football players, but all those players came in the draft. Think of hiw little we had under Dom. We had Freeman who eventually flamed out and a couple solid picks in Mccoy, Lavonte. But far too many busts. And the last two years under Dom we were banking on a few high priced free agents carrying a crappy team. And the first three years there were no high money guys, just a crappy team! Its really impressive what we have now after dour Licht drafts. We may not be close to elite but damnt we have a foundation in place. And that’s when it becomes worth while to spend big in free agency, when you can add some elite talent to complement your foundation. Even if we dont make the playoffs this team is being built via the draft from the ground up.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:47 am
@Defense… C’mon big homie. This is an article that’s aimed at pumping up the FANBASE. Why come on this post and be negative? Let us enjoy our team for once as a united front! Do you not believe? Is there no hope for you in your team? Yes wins are all that matter. The league be dammed far as I’m concerned. I like us EVERY Sunday!!!
I posted before that WE THE FANS are the heart of this team! #3 n #58 plays like that. They’re getting the rest of the team to follow suit. Whether on blogs, social media or at the game. Let’s show our team, WE’RE ALL IN
May 1st, 2017 at 9:49 am
Tampa Tony Says:
May 1st, 2017 at 9:09 am
Winston-Going into year 3 is still turning the ball over at an alarming rate and has a lot to prove going into his 3rd year. Lots of promise but let’s quell the franchise qb talk until it’s proven on the field.
^^being a Buc fan, it must be difficult to spot a Franchise QB when you see one.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:57 am
While Winston has not fully arrived and we don’t know if he will be great or simply good, if you don’t realize he is already the Bucs franchise QB, your not paying attention. While he is certainly not Hall Of Fame ready, where he goes the Buccaneers (players and coaches) will follow. Jimbo Fisher was on Goodmorning Football show before the draft talking about FSU players coming out, he was talking bout Cook and Walkers work ethic, staying late, watching film and he said “they have been doing that since Jameis, he started that around here”. Two years after Jameis left FSU, his leadership is still resonating with the players still there. When asked about Jameis, Jimbo lit up like a christmas tree talking about when Jameis is around, everyone says that guy right there is our leader and we are following that guy. Point of all of that is, we have already seen the exact thing with the Bucs. Jameis is already our Franchise QB.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:58 am
The Saints, Panthers and Falcons had their chance while we were the door mat. Those days are done. Now the Panthers can enjoy being in last while we take playoff berths from the other two.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:00 am
Guys please ignore Tampa Tony he has been a Winston hater from day one and it will not change. Heck even if we win it all he will find a way to make it sound like we won despite him, cause you know he turned the ball over when he was blinded sided.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:01 am
Who were you going to takes snaps away from if they drafted a DE early? Spence, Smith, Ayers, Smith, Gohlston, Russell, Johnson, Jones. Not sure what you think a Rookie 2nd or 3rd rd DE will have over the guys we already have on the roster, regardless of what your unprofessional eye thinks of the depth we have.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:02 am
A+ draft for Licht
ALOT of other GMS would have given picks to move up to get OJ
Credit goes out to Licht and the scouting dept for figuring out what other teams were thinking and drafting before us
Yes ,licht was fortunate, but he displayed great crafty patience of a veteran GM
**No, im not sick or ill. Give the man his due
May 1st, 2017 at 10:07 am
“a kicker who may still pan out”… lol. how idiotic. Kickers are free – see nick folk. And we paid a 2nd round pick for him.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:14 am
Winston will be great because of Dirk. Dirk will be great because of Winston.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:16 am
`Tampa Tony Says:
May 1st, 2017 at 9:09 am
Winston-Going into year 3 is still turning the ball over at an alarming rate and has a lot to prove going into his 3rd year. Lots of promise but let’s quell the franchise qb talk until it’s proven on the field
^^ Well lets look at the numbers…. Below you will see numbers of the first two full seasons of attempts and INTs for Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and #3. Here is your alarming rate for the first two seasons.
INTs
TB – 413-12=34.4 and 601-14=42.9
PM – 575-28=20.5 and 533-15=35.5
#3 – 567-18=31.5 and 535-15=35.6
Fumbles Lost
TB – 8
PM – 4
JW – 8
I would say he is doing fine by comparison to some of the greatest. Relax and stop thinking he can’t turn it over at all.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:28 am
@blake
You’d be wrong I’d never complain about a championship
@ ndog- my same criticisms of #3 are what Ira writes and other NFL analyst. It doesn’t make me any less of a fan or supporter of our qb. The label of franchise qb gets thrown around too easily let these guys earn it. When my criticism matches what Koetter and numerous others say then I stand by it. Cut down on the turnovers and he will definitely earn that label.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:50 am
The bucs are 17-31 in his tenure as GM, might want to hold off on bucs ring of honor yet, the OL is still up in the air and gamblin on sweezy playing and marpet winning at center not to mention the RT is garbage and the LT protecting the franchise is average at best, then DL? I thnk howard along with evans and jameis are no brainer picks, hargreaves not sure time will tell
May 1st, 2017 at 10:59 am
Tampa Tony says:
“Winston-Going into year 3 is still turning the ball over at an alarming rate and has a lot to prove going into his 3rd year. Lots of promise but let’s quell the franchise qb talk until it’s proven on the field.”
ROFLMAO. Not a franchise QB??? That is the funniest thing I have ever heard!!! Please tell some more jokes!!!
For everyone else who is not into comedy, Winston is a true franchise QB with off the chart intangibles as a leader, motivator, extremely dedicated, extremely intelligent field general with an intense desire to be great and lead his team to greatness. A guy who has shattered records in his first two years. We are so lucky to have him. Imagine if we were 2-14 last season and had to pick our QB form this year’s group. We were very fortunate to be 2-14 when we were. Timing is everything.
Go Bucs!!!!
May 1st, 2017 at 11:02 am
I really don’t understand the reluctance to jump onboard by you folks. This guy is obviously doing a great job. If you want to hold the Lovie Smith era over him as though it was somehow his fault that those teams didn’t perform, I think that says more about you than it does about Licht. He’s clearly a great talent evaluater, he’s got a really good staff beneath him, as evidenced by the fact that his lieutenant went on to Tennessee and is doing really well and we’re still rolling smoothly down here. There’s trust in this team for the first time in a long time, and I’m not sure why so many of you are resistant to that. Why is it part of it for you that you need to denigrate what’s happening and what’s being built? Maybe it’s not perfect. Maybe we’ll lose some games. Maybe we won’t even get very far in to the playoffs this year. But why do we still deny the fact that it’s being done better than it has in a lot of years and why do we still need to disparage what is obviously the most talented front office and coaching staff that we’ve had in as long as I can remember?
May 1st, 2017 at 11:23 am
Patrick I want the bucs to be a super bowl caliber team every year, but either Licht has been the GM since day 1 or he hasnt, some people want to give licht all the credit for jameis, evans, etc and then blame lovie for all the negatives, cant go both ways…lovie didnt draft the K and the DB last year who cannot make the field, time will tell with the “licht era” how his picks work out…on paper OJ Howard seems to be a can’t miss and I think a great pick by Licht, the rest from 2016 and this year we will find out
May 1st, 2017 at 11:32 am
Dynasty? That’s like putting the cart ahead of the horse. A playoff spot, now you are talking real.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:35 am
“Dusthty Rhothdes Says:
May 1st, 2017 at 10:50 am
The bucs are 17-31 in his tenure as GM,”
2014 – 2-14 (and when Jameis was within reach, they didn’t exactly grasp for the wins)
2015 – 6-10
2016 – 9-7
They’ve improved steadily with Licht. It’s not like he was given the keys to a shiny Mercedes. He got a Gremlin that hadn’t seen an oil change since Reagan. There’s a reason the 49ers took a guy who’s never worked in a front office over Dominik.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:48 am
I would say calm down on the dynasty talk, but licht once again drafted very well….I only wish we drafted d.walker in the 2nd instead of j.evans…not saying that I don’t like j.evans because he was a player I wanted just not over walker and not in the 2nd round….thought we could’ve got him in the 3rd….but I like everything about the draft and the way we attacked it….GO BUCS!!!
May 1st, 2017 at 12:13 pm
@Rayjay- the one constant I hear from NFL people in describing a franchise qb is they give you a chance to win every week. Can’t do that if you turn the ball over every game. Especially in close games in playoff races
May 1st, 2017 at 12:19 pm
I like him. I just keep wondering how we went into the deepest draft in a long time with so few picks. Seems there could have been a better view from his perspective.
May 1st, 2017 at 12:41 pm
I think this Goodwin kid is gonna be great for us. Looks like a baller for sure.
May 1st, 2017 at 12:57 pm
To be 100% fair things have broken his way pretty good too. Jameis or Marriota… I like Winston too.. 10000% but Mariotta wouldn’t have been terrible. The Evans pick.. nice pick overall. His story is still being written. Arguably his best first round decision. But to be fair, Odell Beckham and Aaron Donald still on the board. (I wanted Evans so I am biased.) VHIII, looks good so far but we will know in three years on that. OJ Howard.. I can’t believe he dropped in our lap. I don’t know what the Titans were thinking at 18. That was a no brainer pick…. saying that tho.. Robinson screwed it up and Licht didn’t.
May 1st, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Tony, there is a condition in which people say outlandish things on message boards, just to elicit a response. Makes them feel more important. Congrats.
The FACT is that Winston is a Franchise QB by every definition. Having him makes everything much easier.
Can anyone imagine having no Franchise QB for this years draft?
May 1st, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Tampa tony says jameis is not a franchise qb. To many turnovers etc.
Translation…..im still butthurt that the bucs did not pick mariotta and i so much wanted mariotta and i thought like an idiot that jameis would be a bust. In order for me to revitalize my image, it is imperative that jameis flames out.
May 1st, 2017 at 1:13 pm
I hate to be negative, but when I see Demarcus Walker I see D’Quan Bowers coming out of college. Bowers Height 6033..Walker Height 6036…Bowers Weight 280.. Walker Weight..280..Bowers Speed..4.92.. Walker Speed..4.88..Bowers Arm Length..33.13…Walker Arm Length..33..Bowers Hand Size..10.25..Walker Hand Size..10 1/2..Bowers.. Bench Press 22 Reps..Walker Bench Press..20 Reps.. Bower Sack Total 15.5…Walker Sack Total 16.0..They both played in the ACC. They both are Tweeners in a 4-3 defense..Too small to play the 3 Tech..Too big and slow to be an Edge Rusher in a 4-3 defense. Lack of upper body strength, Vic Beasley did 35 Reps at the combine to go with his 4.5 speed. But i would say that Walker is a solid pick for Denver as a DE in their 3-4 defense. But he would have been a bad fit in Tampa Bay 4-3 defense. Jason Licht made the right pick with Justin Evans, he’s a solid SS or FS with excellent range, and excellent coverage skills. His tackling will improve, he made 165 Tackles in 2 seasons at Texas A&M. So he wasn’t that poor of a tackles, it was about taking the right angles.
May 1st, 2017 at 1:15 pm
@webster you might wanna check the archives…
I was 100% anti Mariota, turned out to be wrong there and when healthy he looks pretty good.
It’s funny how some posters ignore logic and reason and even what trusted analyst and writers say. Just because you don’t like the constant turnovers doesn’t mean you’d wish the player off the team just you want to see him and the team realize their potential. I’m hoping the added weapons help erase the turnovers or keep them to a minimum
May 1st, 2017 at 2:17 pm
“Tampa Tony Says:
May 1st, 2017 at 1:15 pm
Just because you don’t like the constant turnovers doesn’t mean you’d wish the player off the team just you want to see him and the team realize their potential.”
So, you were equally skeptical of Peyton and Luck in their first few seasons? They had similar turnover numbers.
May 1st, 2017 at 2:51 pm
tampa tony u are completely wrong and tripping about this whole turnover thing lol look at jameis career and when these turnovers come and how they are coming. so let’s go back to last year because counting jameis first season would be pretty dumb not many qbs have come in and played as well as jameis did his first season so last season jameis had 4 games with 2+ ints & 11 total ints in those 4 games those games were @ arizona were if you can remember correctly our defense was getting lit up and dirk had jameis still in a blow out game in the 4th quarter and he throws a hail mary that gets picked on the last play of the game. next we got the broncos who have a very good defense and jameis was asked to do too much that game with the complete lack of running game even against a poor run defense that the broncos had last season. hard to blame those 2 games on jameis, he’s trying to make things happen and trying to get back in the game in 2 blowout games. next you have to go all the way down to the dallas game before jameis had another game with multiple picks. 9 games apart. and again in that game 2 of his picks came late in the 2nd half and if you don’t remember correctly and i’m sure you don’t based of your idiotic arguement , jameis had no time to throw that game! that is the game when gosder cherilius ethced his name in tampa bay history for single handily ruining any chance we had at a comeback. than finally u have 1 weeek later where jameis has 2 picks against the saints and again if you can remember correctly (probably can’t again) dirk koetter called a horrible play on the 1 yard line calling all verts trying to catch the saints in press man and jameis got bum rushed up the middle and threw up a prayer to avoid the safety that got picked. the other pick was just a bad read by #3. so moral of this all is stop doing lazy azz couch qb scouting just going on google and looking at jameis numbers and saying he throws too many picks. take away those 4 outlier games and jameis has 9 int on the year to go along with 22 tds…that’s sounds pretty fckin good to me so quit b*txhing and realize what your actually seeing with your eyes not what the numbers or media is saying jameis was doing all this with a bunch of cast offs and udfa to go along with mike evans…i expect better from u tony don’t act like you don’t know that jameis was willing us to victory last season. the last thing i’ll stand for is useless bashing of our qbs because some of you are seriously so dumb to realize that without jameis we would be picking in the top 5 if we got mariota we would still be in the basement of the nfc south. lmaoo give me a break complaining about turn overs while completely ignoring the fact that jameis literally might have had the worst supporting cast around him last season even with having mike evans.
May 1st, 2017 at 3:25 pm
It’s not just the INT’s it’s 24 total turnovers
Jameis has admitted he needs to work on his ball security why does everyone ignore it when even he admits he needs to fix it?
May 1st, 2017 at 4:02 pm
We need to continue to cut down on our turnovers if we want to be a complete, competitive team. We had a -5 ratio in 2015 and we went 6-10. In 2016 we had a +2 ratio and went 9-7. On the other hand Carolina had a +20 in 2015 and went 15-1. In 2016 they had a -2 ratio and went 6-10. You take the 2016 NFC Champs Atlanta Falcons. In 2015 they had a -7 ratio and went 8-8. In 2016 they had a +11 ratio. So if we’re going to take the next step then we will need decrease the turnovers and increase the take-a-ways.
May 1st, 2017 at 5:11 pm
I still think we might regret taking VH3 over Tunsil.
I do agree that Jameis needs to stop the turnovers. However, I do think part of that was because we had no running game last year. Jameis still turns the ball over way too much to start the year though. He starts the season too amped up and makes bad decisions.
Keep this in mind though folks. He’ll start the season at 23.
Thats the same age as Andrew Luck and Derek Carr as rookies. He’s projected to have a much better year at 23 than those guys.
If he keeps progressing he can be an all time great. We’ve got weapons Jameis. No need to try to carry the team. Just make the smart throw.
May 1st, 2017 at 5:34 pm
The turnovers isn’t just on Jameis. There’s a combination of things, Jameis getting hit from the blindside. WR running the wrong route, WR failure to get separation. Jameis throwing the ball before the WR get open, due to pressure etc.
May 1st, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Tampa tony……i was 100% winston
Translation……let me throw out smokescreens to make it seem i like winston eventhough i constantly talk bad about him on every article…….even the articles that have absolutely nothing to do winston…….smokescreen!!!!
May 1st, 2017 at 5:45 pm
Fyi…..jameis blames every lost on him whether it was poor coaching or even worst defense. Thats just jameis. Btw….he never takes credit for any of the wins
May 1st, 2017 at 6:53 pm
he’s young and has plenty time to learn he’s the best thing to happen too happen to this franchise in sooooo long i’m talking all the way back to #55 & #99 in the same draft but he’s young he’s got time and we all know he’s working hard no ones going to outwork jameis and he has the passion and will to be great just enjoy the ride tony every roller coaster has its bumps but believe me you’ll enjoy this one in the end. this guy is the best quarterback we’ve ever had in town and one of the best leaders we should all embrace him instead of picking at his imperfections. let him acknowledge what he needs to work on and applaud his honesty and commitment to work and move on.
May 2nd, 2017 at 2:18 am
I would be interested to see/read/hear how many season tickets were sold on Monday after the draft and how many are sold throughout this week. Should be an exciting team to watch this season.