No Catch For O.J.? No Problem.
August 11th, 2017
No need to sweat.
The heralded first round draft pick of the Bucs this spring layed a big ol’ goose egg tonight. And Joe is OK with that.
In the passing game, O.J. Howard was a total non-factor. He didn’t have a catch. That’s fine. Just one ball thrown his way.
Not that Joe didn’t want to see Howard haul in a pass or that Howard himself didn’t want to have an impact in the game. But anyone who has seen Howard in training camp practice knows this guy is special. Barring an unforeseen injury, he will be just fine.
A lot of NFL folks suggest tight ends develop slowly; they rarely have an impact as rookies because the position is so difficult. Howard will make his impact with his blocking this year at least.
Besides, Cam Brate played lights out tonight.
Tight end is not an issue for the Bucs.
August 11th, 2017 at 11:26 pm
He was man handling folks at the line though
August 11th, 2017 at 11:27 pm
He had some great blocks tonight, which is just as important to the team
August 11th, 2017 at 11:48 pm
Looking at the running game tonight…… yeah. Dalvin Was the Pick.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:25 am
I agree and trust that OJ will get a few targets come game 3.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:16 am
I dont think O.J. got a single target. And i didnt see him in any of the redzone packages either. I would have liked to see him get some opportunities near the goal line next week.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:43 am
No big deal, it’s game one of the preseason.
Game one.
Preseason.
If he still has a goose egg in week 4 I’ll start to worry.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:27 am
The planets must be in some sort of weird alignment: I actually 100% agree with Joe on a topic. I think that I might be in shock.
August 12th, 2017 at 7:26 am
Blocking icon.
August 12th, 2017 at 8:16 am
We’re hiding OJ and Godwin in the preseason.
August 12th, 2017 at 8:34 am
OJ Howard is worth the attention the opponent puts on him. That is less for Evans and DJax. And vice versa. I look forward to seeing this young man open when teams are trying to handle Evans and DJax. Two Tight-End Sets with two (oir even three) WRs? Holy cow, licking my chops. Evans, DJax, Brate, Howard (and then maybe even Rudy/Godwin). NO WAY to cover all these guys. I have seen this OJ at practice and he is a consistent playmaker. Joe is right. NO PROBLEM.
August 12th, 2017 at 9:18 am
BW I’m right with you.
Lets keep playing very vanilla.
And please no more passes in the middle of the field for DJax!!! Save those for the regular season and keep working on that in practice. He got his bell rung last night.
August 12th, 2017 at 9:35 am
Man how about Austin Johnson? He made a few nice grabs and also contributed nicely on Special Teams! Don’t know if we’ll carry a true FB but if he can play that hybrid TE/FB, he can compete with Cross who also made a few plays last night.
August 12th, 2017 at 9:59 am
I imagine DK won’t get too cute in preseason with his plans for OJ and 2 TE packages near the goal line. Like he’s said, focused on Miami.
I had to watch the game on NFL preseason pass and Cincinnati announcers. Apparently it’s their 50th year in the league and it sucked. They kept trotting out past players to chat during the game. No replay should of any decent Bucs plays lol.
After reading a lot of comments on previous posts, some of you guys need to smoke something and relax. Getting all wound up about preseason game 1 is silly.
Go BUCS! Going to be a fun season
August 12th, 2017 at 10:19 am
Everybody connected with the Bucs…GM…coaches…fans…knows what we have in OJ.
The kid’s talent has already flashed and he’s undeniably going to be a very good…potententially great TE.
I’m not concerned about OJ at all!!! In addition while the rest of the league is aware of his talent I’m not sure that DK wants to confirm their suspicions before the season begins. There will be plenty of time to work OJ into a game plan.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Lmao we actually have someone saying that Cook was the pick. Give me a break. Cook will be retired while Howard is in the playoffs and pro bowl.
August 12th, 2017 at 7:00 pm
Why put our secret weapon, not really a secret, O. J. Will play and make plays throughout the season and playoffs, even ASJ made plays in his rookie season under DK, he just couldn’t stay healthy.