DJax And Consistent Routes
May 17th, 2018
Frank chatter.
Was Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken sending another message to DeSean Jackson?
Last year Monken made national waves by suggesting Jackson, then a newly signed free agent wide receiver, needed to earn his hefty Bucs salary.
Of course, it irritated many Bucs fans that America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, and Jackson never quite got on the same page in 2017.
Today in his first pen and mic club appearance since the 2017 season, when asked about Jackson’s subpar season, Monken seemed to indicate Jackson wasn’t blameless, that problems getting the ball to Jackson wasn’t all on Jameis.
“We have to be consistent in our throws. We have to be more consistent in our routes,” Monken said. He added more work to iron out the wrinkles is needed.
This has Joe’s mind whirling. Joe has heard some Bucs fans kvetch about a perceived lack of fight by Jackson for the ball. Joe noticed a couple of times Jackson doesn’t always adjust to the ball in the air. This does not suggest Jackson can’t get open.
So is this just Monken being real or is it just a motivational tactic? Or both?
May 17th, 2018 at 1:49 pm
D-Jax is not that type of player to kill himself for the ball. Didn’t see it in Philly nor Washington. For some reason coach didn’t use D-Jax speed. May be a few slant plays where he can just burst up. The one thing I’m really glad about is his maturity. D-Jax was branded a diva he should last season to be a team player by not string the pot.
May 17th, 2018 at 1:54 pm
Djax is a nobody. Gets tons of articles written about him yet barely puts up better numbers then Adam Humphries……Hump actually produced more as a #2.
Care less what Jackson did in Philly as a Buccaneer he is a stiff.
As a football player Djax is overpaid garbage til proven otherwise. Put up or get out dude.
May 17th, 2018 at 2:18 pm
Like I said. It was a bad addition when it happened. Djx is just not a fit. Supreme athlete. But not for a Koetter offense
May 17th, 2018 at 2:30 pm
I’m not sure how anyone could be okay with a receiver “not adjusting to the ball”.
That’s literally their f@kin job. 🙄
May 17th, 2018 at 2:34 pm
I would assume both?
It definitely is real, Jameis missed a few, but there were 100% multiple times that Djax didnt adjust to a ball that was definitely catchable / didnt bother diving or jumping, etc etc.
May 17th, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Lol
What would anyone on this site know about making adjustments in air as a receiver when you have 4.35 speed. Classic.
Didn’t have problems with deep ball routes in Washington or philly.
May 17th, 2018 at 2:48 pm
He wasn’t a fit here? LOL! The excuses for our QB deficiencies are amazing.
May 17th, 2018 at 2:54 pm
“What would anyone on this site know about making adjustments in air as a receiver when you have 4.35 speed”
I know that in the Redskins highlights I watched before Djax came here; which were broken down by an analyst; he adjusted and caught a ton of poorly thrown Cousins balls that were typically behind him or to the left/right of him. It was actually rare that he was just hit perfectly in stride in the highlight reel.
I didn’t see him adjust to one deep ball all of 2017 – and there were multiple passes between both Winston & Fitzpatrick – that were the same type of balls I saw him catch with the Redskins – that were either slightly under thrown or to the side of him – and he made absolutely no adjustment or effort.
So that’s my opinion based on what I saw comparing apples to apples. We’ll see how 2018 goes.
May 17th, 2018 at 2:58 pm
We don’t have the pieces in place to have the D jacks of the world on the roster. He is a final piece. By the time we need him he will be to old
May 17th, 2018 at 3:02 pm
Bird nailed it as far as I know
“Didn’t have problems with deep ball routes in Washington or philly.”
so why now? ..could it be QB play? Could DJax be a little spoiled by little more accurate QB’s from his past where he didn’t have to work for every single catch? We all know DeSean’s suave attitude in the past. Does he expect every pass to be perfect for him to make an attempt? I hope that’s not the case. Let’s hope DJax will help us out this year.
May 17th, 2018 at 3:03 pm
We didnt draft a QB that can pass a ball accurately past 30+ yeards
May 17th, 2018 at 3:44 pm
ufour20 Says:
May 17th, 2018 at 3:03 pm
We didnt draft a QB that can pass a ball accurately past 30+ yeards
Yet the only receiver he had a problem with more the one or two times was the guy who has been a diva AND does not show up to the off season program. Yeah you’re right its all on the QB.
May 17th, 2018 at 3:49 pm
I don’t know how any of what you just wrote pertains to any facts about what is to blame for DJax and Jameis being on different planets yet still on the same field…
If I had to guess, this is Monken attempting to motivate DJax… hopefully he isn’t so much of a diva that he takes this tactic as a jab and tries to stab back…
May 17th, 2018 at 4:07 pm
Let’s not forget the Bucs were en route to being gifted a 3rd round compensatory pick with the Glennon signing last year until Licht had the itch to give a boatload of cash to a 30 year old speed receiver so he could put the finishing touches on his 5-11 football team.
Just one of those underratedly bad moves by Licht that many in the media forget about.
I hope we all enjoy DJax second and last season in Pewter this year.
May 17th, 2018 at 5:37 pm
This guy is not a good coach …just a toes on te line wanna be!!
May 17th, 2018 at 6:24 pm
He got the money and lost the effort. Our defense was a touch demoralizing . I thought he was just what we needed. It looks like I was wrong. A player with skills is useless without the desire to succeed.
May 17th, 2018 at 6:33 pm
Djax lost his hunger and drive. He has obviously become content with not winning a super bowl and doesn’t care.
Shoulda signed stills for less than half the cost for double the production
May 17th, 2018 at 6:50 pm
Remember Cyndi Lauper’s 80’s hit? “Money Changes Everything”.
Let’s hope that DJAX hasn’t just cashed in at the end of his career. I give him this season to dispel that fear. Perhaps like everybody else he got caught up on all the hype and hoopla and HK and simply thought he’d be able to walk in and immediately hook up with “America’s QB”. So perhaps he simply made the same mistake as the rest of the team.
This year the press clippings are bad not good. Let’s see how much pride DJAX has. He may have a giant bounce back year.
May 17th, 2018 at 7:01 pm
The interview was codespeak for there were many overthrows but our WR could have at least made an effort to go for the ball.
Even after all that codespeak the overthrows were too far even for D. Jackson to catch up with them.
May 17th, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Bottom line DJax isn’t worth the money this team is paying him for that position. A trade for possibly a very good OL or S while still saving money unloading his gigantic contract. No doubt in my mind he will be gone next year to make room for our young stars that will be getting big contracts.
May 17th, 2018 at 7:49 pm
And it’s been made very clear that Godwin is getting a lot more playing time so we’re pretty much gonna be paying a rotational DJax $11 million this year. JUSTIN WATSON=2018 CHRIS GODWIN!!! Sweet.
May 17th, 2018 at 8:40 pm
Trade him we don’t need djax Chris Godwin should be the number 2 wr.
May 18th, 2018 at 1:47 am
NDog :
Passes to Evans are up for grabs not in target. As many were to Benjamin in FSU. Go back watch the long throws.explain how when a Jax caught slants he was off and running (under 30yrd pass)
I like Winston but don be blind to his diffenciency. DJax has shown he can play in league and catch balls. He had trouble hitting VJ on long ball.
2008-2017
7 seasons 900yrd plus
3 seasons 700yrd leas (injured ?)
But somehow peoplenhere say he can’t catch
May 18th, 2018 at 1:49 am
Excuse the mistakes this cell phone is killing me
May 18th, 2018 at 4:37 am
Djax is a great player and was a good teammate from what I saw last year. With that said he’s the only receiver not here putting in the work with JW. I don’t care that your in Cali working and you met up for one week in the offseason. M.Evans, Godwin, Hump, Howard, Brate ,are building chemistry with JW. 5 weeks of running routes on air might not seem like much, but it helps.
May 18th, 2018 at 5:25 am
I think DJax is way overpaid. I’ll admit that I was surprised he didn’t go all diva last year, but I do think he distracted Jameis in trying to get him the ball. That took away from other big playmakers, especially the emerging Godwin who would barely get any looks. Jameis has always been great at spreading the ball around and finding open guys, star player or not. That didn’t happen as much last year and it wasted plays.
And I have definitely been on the bandwagon that DJax didn’t put forth effort to catch balls last year. He wouldn’t adjust or get physical. He would just watch the ball drop on several occasions. I also noticed misrun routes where Jameis was looking at him like “c’mon man”. Yet here he is again hanging out in Cali when he could be practicing with the team.
Which as much talent at receiver as we have, I thought for sure the Bucs were going to cut DJax, but it wouldn’t have made financial sense without a trade. And nobody wants to pay him that much. Especially after last season. He’s not a TB community guy, and his interests are in himself or elsewhere. I hope we get the most out of him this season. I don’t expect to see him back next year.
May 18th, 2018 at 5:47 am
Jackson should be in the slot getting those quick screens with Godwin outside. Winston isn’t accurate in his ball placement in general but particularly on the long ball.
May 18th, 2018 at 8:33 am
Motivational tactics, if they are going to be useful, almost always involve a bit of truth to them. I think we will see a very different offense this year now that we hopefully have a running game.
May 18th, 2018 at 9:29 am
Cut djax and his 12 mil
Sign dez bryant for 1 year 6 mil
Sign experoenced corner for 6 mil
Kobe Faker
May 18th, 2018 at 10:04 am
I hate DJax being on this team. I don’t think he’ll ever pay off for the Buccaneers. I understand why Licht brought him in, but I think it was a mistake.
Case in point, having him made everyone else’s game worse. Why? Because Jameis was so busy trying to connect with him that he had to neglect other players (like Mike Evans).
The bottom line is this…stop worrying about DJax. If he doesn’t run the routes right, or doesn’t catch the ball when thrown to him, then ignore him. Let him implode on the sideline. Then tell him he’ll get the ball more when he earns it, like everyone else.
Two people earned it…Mike Evans and Cameron Brate. They should have been used more.
But then again, if we had not lost so many games last year, we would not have Vea, who I think will end up being one of the best picks in Licht’s career here.
May 18th, 2018 at 10:05 am
Kobe Faker Says
“Cut djax and his 12 mil
Sign dez bryant for 1 year 6 mil”
Much as I want DJax gone, that would be a stupid move. DJax has too much money hitting the cap this year. Next year he can be cut clean.
And Dez Bryant is washed up.
May 18th, 2018 at 11:57 am
Trade DJax for a Tackle good enough to replace Dotson when he retires or gets injured. Godwin is a better speed receiver and needs to start this year in DJax’s Place. Sign Shepherd to return as Captain of Special Teams and to be a Reserve WR backup along with Watson. DJax is a mouthy Prima Dona and just won the Swaggy Award for missing OTAs.
May 18th, 2018 at 7:38 pm
Anybody who actually ATTENDED Bucs games could watch DJAX run routes and immediately tell if the play was coming to him or not. He’d give a half a$$ effort and any Safety would know he’s not the hot WR. And he was the ONLY WR on the squad that was that predictable. Making business decisions instead of a desire to be in the playoffs and win will get us the outcome we got. Pretty Boys don’t make good football players. Godwin should be the number two, Hump 3, and you Philly fans can see YOUR BOY when we line up 4 wide, which is 3-5 plays every other game.