Demar Dotson Cleared
February 21st, 2018
Good news.
A big piece of the offensive puzzle just got a thumbs-up.
Right guard Demar Dotson, who missed all of December due to a knee injury and closed the season on injured reserve, was cleared today by team doctors to resume all football activities.
If there were a game tomorrow, Dotson could play. Dotson talked about his recovery and a whole lot more on Thursdasy’s Ira Kaufman Podcast. It is well worth your time.
Yes, Bucs players do not have to report to One Buc Palace until OTAs begin April 16. Players are allowed to go to One Buc Palace and work out on their own, though coaching is not permitted until their official reporting day.
So whenever Dotson feels like beginning serious preparations for 2018, it seems his knee should be just fine for any type of workout.
February 21st, 2018 at 11:18 pm
Good news, now just go get some high quality guards and we will have a solid Oline
February 21st, 2018 at 11:27 pm
The Bucs should draft an offensive tackle, they can’t continue to rely on Dot. And they need to groom the young tackle to play both tackle positions. I need to see more from Leonard Wester. Demar Dotson will be 33 in October , and he’s missed 18 games during the past three seasons.
February 21st, 2018 at 11:47 pm
Caleb Benenoch could be the man with more work.
February 21st, 2018 at 11:52 pm
That’s why they drafted Benenoch.
February 22nd, 2018 at 12:32 am
Please… Benenoch is a backup at best. Let’s get real here.
February 22nd, 2018 at 1:31 am
^^ Ever heard of player development?
February 22nd, 2018 at 2:44 am
I think Benenoch has the ability to be a top guard but I don’t see him as ever being anything more than a below average tackle … I hope I’m wrong though as I was a fan of the Benenoch pick … I just thought they were going to play him at guard …
February 22nd, 2018 at 4:13 am
@bucs_365 … “Ever heard of player development?” You’re exactly right, but Bucs GMs have used that as an ‘excuse’ for not drafting BEEF high enough for years & years. As in ‘We’ll draft a 5th, 6th, 7th rounder and y’all can develop them, then we’ll be fine.” Sorry, but as Dr Phil says “How’s that working out for ya?” Mediocre OLines year after year, followed by crappy W-L records year after year.
There’s no substitute for T-A-L-E-N-T. Guys like Joe Thomas get drafted high (Rnd 1) for a reason: they have more T-A-L-E-N-T (and potential) than those who got drafted in the 5th, 6th or 7th rounds. Granted that sometimes you can find (and develop) that diamond in the rough, but more times than not it’s the top picks like Joe Thomas who stay the course.
February 22nd, 2018 at 5:25 am
Marpet’s move to center….maybe or hopefully we begin to see some dominate play from the center position this season! Sweezy…maybe he gets his swag back this season, just not the player he was in Seattle! Doston….should be getting forced to the bench by better play from Benenoch! D Smith should be moved to right guard…which would leave us to draft the best Left Tackle! CONTINUE TO BUILD THE WALL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BAY!
February 22nd, 2018 at 5:55 am
Smith and Marpet were both 2nd rounders (2015).
February 22nd, 2018 at 7:52 am
@BigHogHaynes
While I agree with your sentiment, I think that all we will see added to the O-line is a free agent Guard and the D-line will get the draft picks and big free-agent!!!!!!! D Smith is interesting, because he has 8 games where he looks like a Tackle and 8 games where you think he should be a guard!!!!!!!! I think this is a huge year for D Smith to take another jump!!!!! Last year he greatly cut out penalties out of his game, going from the 2nd most penalized player in all the NFL down to the 26th!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!
February 22nd, 2018 at 7:56 am
The Tampa Bay Bucs and players development don’t go together. The players actually get developed when they leave Tampa.
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:09 am
Nothing to get excited about dotson should have been upgraded years ago. Just an average to below average rt that commits far too many drive killing penalties. Not to mention he like the other hold overs, he has no clue or drive to be winners. These are the type of players you upgrade or you stay in basement…
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:27 am
Benenoch has some advantages that you can’t really teach or coach up.
Speed. He was the fastest lineman at his combine…Marpet was the fastest at his.
Our OL is starting to get some athletes.
Benenoch came to America as a soccer player. He’s athletic. Benenoch was a key member of UCLA’s record setting OL.
Perhaps he needed more time to develop. But I gotta believe this should be his year to show what he has.
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:33 am
We need to draft guys that play the position that we need filled….If its Nelson, stick him at LG and leave him. We cant expect consistency with constant musical chairs on the line. Marpet….is by far the better guard yet we switch to C to try to save face for another free agent bust in Sweeney.
This is just a portion of what i say all the time about Licht as a GM….yes we have talent but he doesn’t know how to build a roster, particularly one to develop a QB that struggles with consistency and slow starts. The o-line should be THE strongest graded unit on our team by now…..Instead wide receiver or LBs is likely our best….What has that got us? Young QB needs solid line play with an effective ground attack….We have multiple holes on the o-line and a RB unit that is in need of a total rebuild.
February 22nd, 2018 at 10:48 am
Defense Rules Says:
February 22nd, 2018 at 4:13 am
@bucs_365 … “Ever heard of player development?” You’re exactly right, but Bucs GMs have used that as an ‘excuse’ for not drafting BEEF high enough for years & years. As in ‘We’ll draft a 5th, 6th, 7th rounder and y’all can develop them, then we’ll be fine.”
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using JT was a bad example…..he was a #1 pick…..I doubt you want the bucs picking that high in the draft year in and year out……and when it came to development, you had no problem with that because you were confident this staff could develop players…..
Defense Rules Says:
July 23rd, 2017 at 2:33 pm
StPete, some of the guys Licht, Koetter & Smitty brought in off-the-street were known quantities … to them. Rodgers, Hawley, Cherilus, McCain for instance. Plus several others they said they’d ‘followed’ for years. But other Bucs’ HCs have done the same thing (Schiano & Lovie for instance). Where I’m convinced our present coaching staff will make the biggest difference is in player development.
so now that you’ve seen this staff cant develop players, you want them to draft players of JT’s caliber so they wont have to develop them….but players of JT’s caliber are top 5 picks……so do you want the bucs picking in the top 5 year after year or do you want a staff that can develop players and put them in position to be successful…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…..GO BUCS!!!!!
February 22nd, 2018 at 2:09 pm
When you want a real LT you don’t spend a second round pick and spend three years trying to coach him up. You move down and get LT Orlando Brown in the first round to protect Jameis from another injury and won’t get holding penalties like Smith. Just move Smith to LG where he can thrive. You can get a great Center in the third round from Arkansas, Ohio State, or Michigan State or get Jensen in Free Agency from Baltimore. Benenoch will never be a top tackle but he is a decent backup Guard. Pamphile is a good pass blocker but was stuck at Guard which is not his forte. Licht does not know how to get a great line. Sweezy after his back surgery will never be good enough to start because he does not have the flexibility to get low enough. Seattle was able to sell Licht a pig in a poke and Warhop is an awful OL Coach who didn’t know the difference either. Marpet should be back at LG and Dotson at LT. Then get RB Cherry with one second round pick and one of the five DEs that are 250 lbs and can be moved to OLB in a 3-4 with the other 2d round pick. Get another RB in Free Agency from the Browns and get a new OL Coach like we have gotten a savy DL Coach to fix the DL.