Rudy, The Slot And WRs
May 7th, 2017
Sheds light on receivers.
Some interesting nuggets winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter dropped Saturday afternoon after the second day of rookie minicamp.
Seems, per Koetter, the Bucs plan to bring in 11 wide receivers for the start of training camp. Joe will get to that more in a bit. Koetter also shed light on slot receivers.
A lot of fans have suggested to Joe that rookie Chris Godwin could be a slot receiver. Joe suggested the spot is locked up by Adam (Rudy!) Humphries, who the Bucs really, really, really, really like (as in “really”).
Joe was never on the Humphries bandwagon (much to the angst of Bucs types), but to be fair, Humphries had a helluva finish to last season. Enough that it is reasonable he could be if not should be the top slot receiver.
But Koetter seemed to throw cold water on that concept yesterday when he was asked about Godwin playing slot.
“Sure, we play Mike Evans in the slot sometimes,” Koetter said. “Everybody can play in the slot. Typically, when you’re talking about a slot receiver you’re talking about a smaller, quicker guy. You have all kinds of different looks, you’re trying to get the defense to show you coverages. When we drafted Chris, it was with the anticipation that he could play all three spots.”
So Humphries isn’t locked in at slot, eh? Interesting. Perhaps the Bucs want to do at receiver what they have publicly said about the offensive line: get the best guys on the field.
As for the 11 receivers to start training camp? Let Joe do some dart-throwing.
1. Mike Evans.
2. DeSean Jackson.
3. Humphries.
4. Godwin.
5. Riley Cooper.
6. Josh Huff.
7. The misplaced Calgary Stampeder, Donteea Dye.
8. Bernard Reedy.
9. Freddie Martino.
10. Derel Walker.
11. Bobo Wilson.
Bubble: Thomas Sperbeck, an undrafted free agent.
May 7th, 2017 at 1:17 am
@Joe:
A serious question —
How did Dye’s “performance” last year affect the team’s view of him?
Dye seemed to me to have some speed and physical talent. I thought your “misplaced Calgary Stampeder” moniker was needlessly insulting.
Then after he was cut last season the annual VJax tragedy struck and a replacement had to be found in a hurry. Enter Dye. Exit Dye. He had clearly not kept himself in shape (much less in football shape) and made a grand exit, stage training room or injured reserve or whatever. Left me surprised that they brought him back this year (although since he was on the roster at the end of last year maybe that was a forgone conclusion).
Did the brass see that behavior as a problem? Do they have a grudge? and, Shouldn’t they have a grudge?
Love to hear your reporting on the front office’s attitude towards Dye.
May 7th, 2017 at 1:19 am
Wow Joe. Thanks for the late night(early morning) snack.
No shyte. That’s what I was talking about. The QB’s might have to throw to all these guys in TC and preseason, just for some of them to make the what, final six?
May 7th, 2017 at 1:21 am
Joe…are you taking on questions from Lou at 1:21 in the A.M. on a Sunday morning? lol
May 7th, 2017 at 1:27 am
I think we have to give room to the team here and now. Mike Evans and DeJax 4.35. Sure A. Humphries showed A lot, I like him. However this is 2017 and it’s a what have you done for me league. Everyone is starting fr scratch, except the names stated, so may the best Of WRs play for The Bucs
May 7th, 2017 at 1:38 am
Joe is oblivious
May 7th, 2017 at 1:39 am
Lou:
Pretty sure Bucs saw Dye had a limited ceiling. There is a reason they spent cash on DJax and drafted Godwin.
Dye showed some ability to get open but dude couldn’t catch a cold.
May 7th, 2017 at 1:41 am
Interns.
May 7th, 2017 at 1:46 am
Dye as a #2? Really? They spent cash on DeSean to make him a #2.
Godwin? Godwin’s the future baby. Godwin’s going to play in rotation, imo. He’ll replace DeSean when the speedster decides to hang it up.
Dye? Mofo that Joe always calls a CFL talent and nothing more. Really Lou?
May 7th, 2017 at 1:53 am
Yaaaawn.
I’m going to bed.
One more thing.
JoeBucsFan RULES!!!!
May 7th, 2017 at 2:10 am
Jordan Westerkamp may be the sleeper.
May 7th, 2017 at 2:57 am
Now resign VJax to the veteran minimum and we could quite possibly ha e the deepest WRs in the league. Throw in some OJ an Cam and we are gonna be prolific. Doesn’t matter who’s running the rock.
May 7th, 2017 at 3:58 am
Juiceman , your screen name is insulting.
May 7th, 2017 at 4:10 am
VJax hasnt had a decent year since 2014, he’s done. No disrespect he was without doubt the best Bucs receiver we’ve ever had until Evans, but he’s too old, big WRs break down faster than smaller ones like Galloway
May 7th, 2017 at 4:15 am
I cant stand racist pigs.
But I also believe in second chances.
Riley Cooper is a badass receiver.
I am so happy we signed him!!
Now go bring V-Jax back!
May 7th, 2017 at 5:27 am
Humphries can’t get open versus anything close to average NFL talent, he has to pick his spots in zones and hope that is what he sees. Now he does have very good agility and could be a very productive bubble screen guy I think – and Dirk LOVED the bubble screen in Atlanta, it made up 65% of his entire offense there. I think Humphries is helped out dramatically be being lower on the depth chart and going up against less talented players. I wouldn’t want to cut him, I think he’s a good piece to have on the team and who knows, maybe he improves and still gets better, but the lack of separation and the lack of size, it shows up, it’s not made up.
May 7th, 2017 at 5:40 am
Opening Day WR Roster, barring any signings in the future (or trades):
1. Mike Evans.
2. DeSean Jackson.
3. Derel Walker.
4. Humphries.
5. Godwin.
6. Freddie Martino.
And by the end of the year, everyone here will be VERY happy with that lineup.
May 7th, 2017 at 5:41 am
Riley Cooper is camp meat, if he even makes it that far.
May 7th, 2017 at 5:44 am
And my Riley Cooper prediction has nothing to do with racism. It has to do with his age and the direction Koetter and Licht are taking this team vs the limited roster spots.
6 WRs.
5 are locks.
Freddie Martino has shown enough promise and dedication last season and this off season to secure the 6th spot. The only thing that can change that is if he suddenly becomes a bad player, gets in trouble or is injured.
May 7th, 2017 at 5:46 am
Godwin will start off 5th down the WR roster. He’ll have to work his way up during his rookie year.
May 7th, 2017 at 7:06 am
Humph is the man and he raises the bar for the rest of the team with his effort. He should always have a spot on this team….but there will be 3rd and long situations where godwin will need to be out there. Not only.that but now that Koetter is headed into his second hc season he will be much more conftorable and with better wr depth he will be deploying many 4 and 5 wide sets. Rudy will always have a job
May 7th, 2017 at 7:15 am
Martino, reedy, huff and dye are plain hot garbage. I have seen enough. Some young guys should get a chance , especially one that can actually return kicks . Those guys have been on team because of absolutely no depth. That problem is in the past.
Bobo may get a chance. I mean just for that name alone.
May 7th, 2017 at 7:16 am
Bobo is “clowning” guys
May 7th, 2017 at 7:54 am
That slot spot will be a battle between Godwin and Hump. And I would assume a tie will go to the rookie third rounder. IE, Hump better prove he is aboce and beyond the better receiver if he wants to keep his job. I like Hump. I like his agility. He is always focused and is consistent catching the ball. He just struggles to run routes against NFL corners. And his slight frame dosent help that cause. May the best Buc win!
May 7th, 2017 at 7:55 am
R u serious? Freddie Martino n Derek Walker over Riley Cooper. Who r they n what have they done for the NFL lately? Cooper has a chip on his shoulder, is hungry n bring lots of NFL/playoff experience.
DJax
MEvans
CGodwin
RCooper
RHumpries
VJackson-Redzone only
Practice Squad
JHuff- has potential just need to settle down
DWalker
May 7th, 2017 at 8:34 am
Godwin is going to have to do a lot to unseat Hump.
He produces when it counts and has chemistry with Jameis.
Whoever writes him off is clueless.
May 7th, 2017 at 8:37 am
@LargoBuc
Don’t forget that some the plays that AH11 ran were actually were plays for CS34!!!! How is much more “explosive” in those plays!!!! It just shows how decimated we were on offense, and kudos to those possession receiving options that will now be way down in the depth chart for “filling-in”!!!!! But the offense will look way different this year!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
May 7th, 2017 at 8:43 am
C’mon Joe. According to Koetter and Licht they love D Martin, the offensive line, Hump, Brate, and the safeties they had on the roster prior to the draft. They are going to be super positive about everyone on the roster when they are speaking publicly. In the meantime, they are shuffling around the o-line and “hoping” that Sweezy is healthy come training camp, drafting a WR, TE, and safety in the first three rounds. Their actions are what reveals how they really feel about these positions. No coach is ever going to stand up at a presser and say “damn, the guys we have at safety suck so bad, our slot receiver was undrafted so you put 2 and 2 together, and Brate has done well but we are going to try and find an every down and better TE as soon as possible.” As far as I can tell their is one player on this team that they absolutely love. Thank god for that man!
May 7th, 2017 at 8:44 am
There not their
May 7th, 2017 at 9:37 am
buccaneer bonzai i’m sorry you are delusional if u think that walker guy is making the roster let alone #3 on the depth chart??? u are smoking some fine stuff my friend lol that will never happen and he better be hoping for some type of injury if he wants any chance of making the roster judging off of koetters responses to media yesterday after practice it doesn’t sound like a whole lot of these guys have much of a chance at making the roster he said it’s gonna be harder to make the team this year as an udfa because there’s just not that many spots that they are willing to give up. if anyone of this group that tired out is making the roster it is bobo wilson or any of the other guys they have returning right now. that’s just hilarious honestly that you think some guy who couldn’t even get a chance at the nfl is gonna come here and take over for hump and be better than godwin i mean honestly u realize he’s getting a shot just because mike evans vouched for him right? witch he should that’s a friend of his. that’s some great stuff there my friend you should start working on a stand up act because by the looks of your comments you’ve got a pretty empty wondering mind that can go all over the place but not really make any sense. seems like the perfect profession for you.
May 7th, 2017 at 9:47 am
and also why does joe always right about koetters love for hump? pretty sure he loves all his players?? lol you think he’s gonna go out there and say ” oh yea adam didn’t do enough last season so we are looking to replace him” cmon joe u know better coaches are always loving on there players to the media because there’s no reason not to. why would you publicly critize a player when he hasn’t done anything wrong. koetter also loves jameis winston but you don’t seem to right much about that. you want to know why? because he’s a first round pick of course they love him, but because humphries is undrafted joe just assumes that the bucs must just be completely in love when they talk good about adam. cmon joe listen to koetter and licht they talk good about every single player on the team. i mean seriously they talk good about doug martin when there is nothing to love about him!!! you should get the message by now joe you’re reaching with this and have been for awhile if someone performs better than hump in training camp he will be replaced simple as that. is it because he won the slot job so early last year? maybe he won it so easily because he didn’t exactly have competition?? i mean seriously we all saw what was behind him they are all scrubs.. there’s no reason to push this like humphries is the most loved player in the building because you know that’s a lie. they are simply pleased and impressed with what he has been able to do here given his undrafted status. no different than cam brate.
May 7th, 2017 at 10:15 am
#5 and below need to play ST’s.
May 7th, 2017 at 10:18 am
At the end of training camp I think the roster will look like this:
Evans
Jackson
Humphries
Godwin
Huff
Wilson( I think prior chemistry with Winston will prove to be in his favor)
May 7th, 2017 at 10:39 am
How did Derel Walker look? Is he not on the 90-man roster?
If Cooper plays ST—and he was a gunner for the Iggles—I suspect he makes the team.
May 7th, 2017 at 10:46 am
Evans 1
Jackson 2
The rest are role players at this point. They should be shuffled in and out of the lineup to get the best match ups and with play calls to take advantage of their strengths. Rudy hump will be called upon to run screens, since that is all he can do.
May 7th, 2017 at 10:46 am
Do you really want a BoBo on your team with Jaboo?
May 7th, 2017 at 11:05 am
Humphries has proven his chops with his on-field performance. He’s been clutch over and over…
May 7th, 2017 at 11:07 am
what with all the humphries love i really don’t get it seriously i think 70% of his catches were on screens. he made a good couple of plays of those screens but actually running routes down the field i think he struggles to get separation and he’s rarely if ever going to make a big splash play i mean 2 years here he only has 1 and that was a tad bit lucky against the cowboys…
May 7th, 2017 at 11:17 am
Prediction:
1. Mike Evans.
2. DeSean Jackson.
3. Humphries.
4. Godwin.
5. Riley Cooper. CUT
6. Josh Huff. CUT
7. The misplaced Calgary Stampeder, Donteea Dye. CUT
8. Bernard Reedy. CUT
9. Freddie Martino.
10. Derel Walker.
11. Bobo Wilson. PS
12. Thomas Sperbeck PS
13. Nebraska Bull PS
PS- Practice Squad.
After a while you have to let the ones that haven’t developed go and allow others a shot.
May 7th, 2017 at 11:21 am
There is no player — none! — that Joe gets scolded by Bucs types more for writing negatively on than Rudy. Not even close.
Not Charles Sims. Not the misplaced Calgary Stampeder. Not Roberto Aguayo. Not even remotely close.
Infer what you wish.
May 7th, 2017 at 11:23 am
i don’t know if it’s just me but i’d rather have a guy who can separate down the field and make contested catches on the field on 3rd downs.. everyone’s quick to blame the oline for sacks or jameis for holding onto the ball but how about someone other than mike evans gets open?? brate is awesome but it seemed most the time he had to make contested catches because he couldn’t seperate and adam is the screen man and everyone else shouldn’t be on the roster. the biggest additions to our team was by far adding jackson, howard and godwin (to go along with keeping mike smith for our defense that doesn’t get enough love) idc what anyone wants to say about our o line, d line or secondary our skill positions were so severely undervalued and it showed during the last half of the season when our defense was carrying our team. (also went 6-2 during that stretch but people swear defense is our problem) jameis really has gone from working with the worst set of skill players to one of the best (if rookies pan out) jason licht knows what he’s doing and he knows the weakest area of his roster was skill players for jameis winston or else he would’ve went in other directions like oline/dline secondary in the draft in free agency. this should all have people so excited seeing how jameis has been able to work with a cast of standoffs and still make history while taking us on the cusp of the playoffs. now we get to see what he can do with real nfl level talent. elite territory is in the kids near future
May 7th, 2017 at 11:25 am
1. evans 2. Jackson 3.godwin/hump battle 4. derel walker period end of story huff,martino, reedy no chance…martino maybe dye is gone too..riley might make the team
May 7th, 2017 at 11:27 am
And folks wonder why Bucs are good with o-line and massively upgraded speed at WR.
May 7th, 2017 at 11:28 am
OK guys here is a post I do not stand behind LOL. I’m not certain how I feel.
Give me your take.
I feel we as a group frequently obsess on “positions” and “defenses” and “offenses”. Many here are incredibly astute at the various positions…their demands versus each other…X Y Z receivers and all that kind of stuff.
I think however Koetter means what he says when the points out they drafted Godwin to play all three positions. Versatility is always good and I think Smitty will do the same thing on D. 4-3 ? 3-4? Some disguised hybrid? Those three and even more defensive looks?
My point is that I do not believe Koetter has pigeon holed players as tightly as we have done. Koetter will be lining guys up all over the field.
What say ye…will we be a classic offense and defense….or a chameleon that morphs depending on the competition?
May 7th, 2017 at 11:30 am
i believe you joe don’t get me wrong i don’t think you just pull this out your azz and say it lol i just don’t really see it i guess. he must just be that type that coaches love because he works hard and does all the little things. i just figured if there going to through love on an udfa who’s making a name for himself with the team why not brate? he was easily a top 15 receiving tight end last year and came through big for us in some crunch time situations last season. i got this feeling though that they are hoping that howard and this auclair guy can eventually be our new two tight end set after this season if cam gets a nice offer in restricted free agency after next season. if he produces like he did last year it’s going to warrant a big pay day and i’m not sold that the bucs are ready to break the bank for cam with all the other young talent waiting to be resigned and obviously they hope oj we’ll be here for awhile so i don’t know just a thought i had when listening to koetter yesterday talking about the tight ends
May 7th, 2017 at 11:51 am
So please tell me how you got Humpries wasn’t the slot receiver out of that…
May 7th, 2017 at 12:01 pm
bucNation Says
“buccaneer bonzai i’m sorry you are delusional if u think that walker guy is making the roster let alone #3 on the depth chart?? ”
Yeah, okay.
See now, you guys can deny it all you want. I don’t mind at all. You can say I’m delusional all you want.
But come opening day, I’ll be right. And I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
May 7th, 2017 at 12:05 pm
You guys assume that because walker went to the CFL first, he will suck. After all, great players don’t come play in the CFL, Right?
Wrong. Chech the history books. Hall of Famers have played in the CFL.
May 7th, 2017 at 12:06 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/362894-nfl-players-that-began-their-careers-in-the-cfl
May 7th, 2017 at 12:08 pm
i’m sorry but there’s a reason the guy was in cfl and couldn’t get a try out for a single nfl team the only reason he’s trying out for us is because our skill positions where so bad last year and mike evans vouched for the guy. you better just hope he makes the 11 man camp roster before going out and saying this guy is going to play slot for us.. i mean seriously what is it about this guy that makes u think he’ll be any good i watched him play in college a lot and i knew he wasn’t going to make the nfl lmaoo..
May 7th, 2017 at 12:17 pm
and you assume just because we signed him from the cfl that he’s the next cfl star to make it in the nfl😂😂😂 u can spin it both ways my friend i like the optimism but it’s really unwarranted he’s slow and won’t be able to separate against nfl talent simple as that.. why not have high hopes for guys we drafted out for someone like bobo wilson or sperbeck undrafted guys who aren’t about to turn 26 and should probably start planning for there career selling insurance…
May 7th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
joe: links to the negative writing on humps please…don’t believe it!
May 7th, 2017 at 1:19 pm
grafikdetail i mean i’m not gonna say they are lying about it?? they’ve been saying for the longest time that adam is beloved by the bucs front office and coaches. i don’t know why but i’m not going to question that why would they consistently lie about something that doesn’t make sense. i don’t agree that he should be so beloved and i guess i was just so dumbfounded by the idea that humphries could never be replaced by someone else even if they are better than him. i mean cmon how many of this mans catches where screens?? he struggles to separate and contested catches is not his strong suit. enter godwin who is a polished young receiver who thrives at catching contested balls witch is something that is key in this offense with the tight windows & jump balls jameis likes to throw. i don’t see why we can’t be versatile with the top of our depth chart being mike, d jax, godwin with jackson switching from inside & outside to create mismatches. doesn’t mean we don’t run 4 receiver sets with humphries on the field.
May 7th, 2017 at 1:39 pm
I think Humphries is a keeper, if for nothing else, for depth in the lighter/smaller department at WR and special teams (punt returner). True, the Bucs do move guys around, including who lines up in the slot on any given play. For any who can’t member…Dye is fast, but he can’t a cold. For him, I’m glad he’s gotten paid a salary for a few years, but he is simply not an NFL receiver in my view. Cooper is too old, too controversial…with his last year not being very good. But he may still sqeak in as depth. Huff. I don’t even need to discuss him. Not gonna be there in Week 1. The great news is big upgrades by getting DJax, OJ Howard, and Godwin. Obviates the need for VJax (whom I will miss but he’s earned the right to his millions and long happy post-NFL life).
May 7th, 2017 at 1:45 pm
My hope is that everyone stays healthy ALL SEASON.
I think that on-field performance, despite the imperfection of “all things being equal” will seperate the usable talent.
It’s not helpful to quibble over our personal favorites by elevating their past performance against “wildly varying talent”.
So, rather than throw out a lot of “rationalizations” about this player over that player, I’m going to just post my Madden 17 starters.
Note: Despite the best intentions of the game designers, Madden NFL rewards “SPEED” first and foremost while “hands” and “moves” although helpful are supplementary. A fast guy can get there, first.
So, here goes:
WR1: Mike Evans – Chris Godwin
WR2: D. Jackson – Chris Godwin
WR3: Hump/Rudy – C Sims, Mc Nik
TE1: OJ Howard
TE2: Cam Brate
TE3: Antony AuClaire or any Gronk pretender
RB1: J Rogers (until Doug returns)
RB2: Sims (3rd Down RB
RB3: Whomever emerges from the KR/PR battles and/or McNik
May 7th, 2017 at 1:48 pm
Reedy, Huff, Martino, Dye… bye bye
Walker, Sperbeck, Westerkamp, Bobo = new blood
Cooper, maybe.
May 7th, 2017 at 2:36 pm
Godwin is going to get alot of snaps and play the 2 outside and slot wr
Djax will miss 2-3 games and isnt on the field the whole game (red zone)
Not a hump fan whatsoever, but he will play/look better against the 3rd or 4th corner
Last year against number 2 corners, hump was easily man handled
May 7th, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Oh God please spare us the pain of having Dye, Huff, or Martino on the field at any given time.
May 7th, 2017 at 6:13 pm
Because Koetter likes passing the ball to running backs, and because we will play so much in 2 TE formations, I think we are only going to have 5 WRs on the 53 man roster.
May 8th, 2017 at 1:07 am
Koetter has said before he likes the WRs to play at the various positions on the field interchangeable. That means if there is an injury or a guy needs a breather or whatever the next guy up can play at any of the WR positions. Helps with depth and can create mismatches. I wouldn’t look into too deeply regarding who is penciled in at the slot for whoever it is will be asked to play all over the field at WR.
May 8th, 2017 at 1:14 pm
hould be next – actually, tmax should be first.
feelthepewterpower Says:
April 14th, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Samuel isn’t under the radar….but I will tell you guys again who is….and might be the best WR in this class when it is all said and done and that is Ishmael Zamora, Baylor. Similar attributes to both Julio Jones and Josh Gordon….but animal abuse charges and a missed combine has held his stock down and publicity down.
webster Says:
April 14th, 2017 at 9:22 pm
I have heard it/seen it/read it all now. All my life all I have ever heard is in the nfl, they are looking to replace you. The greats like double nickle and ronde barber have said they would go into training camps fighting like udfa because they were afraid of losing their job. Now im reading that adam humphries does not have to worry about competition. Im reading that the bucs love humphries so much that they wont even look to upgrade the slot eventhough it would be very easy to do because no one confuses humphries for steve largent. Oh wait, someone on this thread actually brought up largent while trying to defend humphries. Look I understand alot of buc fans are clueless so i am not suprised if they would not look to replace humphries because they like him. But it would be downright and utterly foolish for management not to look to replace or upgrade the slot if the opportunity presented itself. Liking or loving humphries is no reason to not draft someone if said player is an upgrade and the highest rated player on the board at the time. Its called may the best man win and not may the best man win except for humphries. If that line of thinking about hump is true by the suits as joe says, then we are fooling ourselves thinking we are going to win a superbowl any time soon.
——————”————–
I am confused as to why this was even a question. I know joe believed the bucs were not looking to replace humphries because they really liked him but i said it then and i will say it now….that line of thinking would have been irresponsible on a player that easily is replaceable.
May 8th, 2017 at 1:21 pm
@ feelthepower
I did not intend to include your statement in previous post. I tried to cut and paste from my phone.
webster Says:
May 4th, 2017 at 6:21 pm
Dont look at godwin as strictly a slot receiver. The important thing is to look at him as a top 3 receiver on this team. Dirk will be creative. As dirk says, its about getting the best 11 on the field. You will see desean in the slot which he has played alot throughout his career and evans lined up in the slot at times in order to dictate matchups. Koetter has put vjax and evans in the slot before in the past and im willing to bet he will do it again. Godwin can play the outside when djax or evans is in the slot and in sure he will line up in the slot as well. This roster is about flexibility. Thats why humphries playing time may decrease because he is strictly a slot wr.
———————–
Again i am not sure where this line of thinking came into play about humphries. Its about wins and not about really liking a player.