Mike Smith: Salary, Draft Status Won’t Matter
May 16th, 2018
Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith was at the podium before Joe and the Tampa Bay media today and was peppered with a variety of questions.
Joe pressed Smith on the direction and status for Vernon Hargreaves.
Joe will have more on that answer later, but Smith was adamant that there will be wide open competition at cornerback and he specifically said that draft position and money won’t matter when it comes to who plays. Smith implied this will be the case across the defense.
Not every coach goes there. And it’s rarely true across the NFL. (See Chris Baker 2017.)
So Joe found that quite noteworthy.
Frankly, the Bucs don’t know what they have at corner outside of Brent Grimes, who should be in bubble wrap all preseason.
May 16th, 2018 at 12:07 pm
“Don’t worry about the rain, and F your circumstances! We don’t got no circumstances! All we know is ball and ball is life!
So much fun. And Joe loves the mindset. This year, the Bucs have enough talent and the coaching to win — to hit 10 wins and get to the playoffs. “F” the circumstances, the schedule, the excuses, the inevitable injuries. It’s time for a breakthrough season.
***************************************************************
joe…
you should’ve asked him with the new additions to the dline, will we still play that awful off coverage scheme…..then you should have told him,” the Bucs have enough talent and the coaching to win — to hit 10 wins and get to the playoffs. “F” the circumstances, the schedule, the excuses, the inevitable injuries. It’s time for a breakthrough season.”
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
May 16th, 2018 at 12:12 pm
Draft position and money doesn’t play into it?
bwaaahahahhaahaha
C’mon Smitty why the BS?
May 16th, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Coach speak.
May 16th, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Money and draft position played into it in 2017……Guess getting his ass handed to him might have changed his mind to make that comment. Just hope Smith sticks to his guns and puts the best players on the field this year!!!!!
May 16th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Thought that it was pretty obvious, when they demoted VHGIII last year!!!!!!!
And I would like BG24 to be bubble wrapped for preseason as well!!!! Despite joe “status whine” campaign, Ryan Smith did improve from game snaps from the preseason to the back half of the season!!!!! I would like to see a decent rotation of the new stable of CB’s to get the experience and opportunity!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!
May 16th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Filing this in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” category.
This is normal coach rhetoric, but last year Sweezy and Martin played all damn year so….
May 16th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Swaggy* and Martin
May 16th, 2018 at 12:39 pm
Glad to hear it. May the best man win.
We already know Hargreaves can cover the slot pretty well. So as long as Grimes is healthy – there’s only 1 starting spot that someone needs to step up and earn.
Between Ryan Smith, Stewart and Davis – I imagine we can find some semblance of a starting quality NFL CB out of 1 of them this year.
The secondary is quite young – so “mistakes” are inevitable. But as long as we see steady improvement from at least 1 or 2 of these young CBs – I think we will be relatively OK in the secondary this year.
Some don’t seem to see it or share the same opinion (Cough – Joe) – but I thought Ryan Smith improved significantly last year. Smith looked really bad early on when he got thrown into the fire game 2 and obviously wasn’t quite ready for that. But his coverage ability and ball skills and confidence all improved noticeably as the season progressed. That’s what I saw at least.
Davis may not have as easy of a task beating out Ryan Smith as some are assuming….
That said – I LOVE the Davis pick and have very high hopes for that very young Buccaneer.
May 16th, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Birdman…..And Conte and WeedWhackerWard and can’t tackle your Mam Maw Evans!!!!!
May 16th, 2018 at 12:47 pm
Good Joe–glad you put that line of questioning out there, If our rook second round Cb’s are playing at a higher level than VH3 then they should/will get their opportunity.
Have a feeling VH3 might be feeling himself with all this competition–whatever, whoever is best on a game by game basis.
May 16th, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Agree….unless Grimes likes the reps on the preseason, let the less experienced guys have those reps and keep Grimes healthy/fresh. Probably could do the same for McCoy, JPP and Dotson…..We know what we have in those guys and they have considerable mileage on them.
May 16th, 2018 at 1:08 pm
@ Birdman , sounds like Facts vs fiction and you are correct !! Must be an attorney!!!
May 16th, 2018 at 1:16 pm
I’m sure you let Smith know your opinion that his DB coaches can’t develop young CBs……I’m curious how he answered as to why they are still employed.
May 16th, 2018 at 1:46 pm
In related news…being best friends with a loyal head coach won’t save you even if your defense finishes dead last. Or will it?!
May 16th, 2018 at 1:52 pm
@813
Smitty was asked about off coverage and again he said grimes does that because that is what he is comfortable with. He said the rookies play more press man. He said the players have the flexibility of playing where they are comfortable. So again this narrative that smitty wants them playing off coverage is false. The players have the flexibility but yet fans continue to blame smitty. Dont know how many times i have to point this out.
May 16th, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Webster,
If I had to guess….1mil or more. Why, because some people don’t let facts ruin a good story.
May 16th, 2018 at 2:07 pm
Joe..How come you did not ask Smith if he..is going to make a guest appearance on the football field on gameday?
May 16th, 2018 at 2:42 pm
I believe Mike Smith much more than Dirk Koetter when the two of them are talking. He came off sounding like they are gonna be having a good, tough competition in training camp between all these players to find the best player at the position. They have good depth to be practicing tough. He speaks the truth about how he knows how sh!tty his defensive players and coaching was last year and how much it needs to get better. This defense needs to be playing nasty as hell every play. Anyone that knows about him as an HC in ATL knows he is a psycho every game. If it weren’t for Smith’s huge chances of having a heart attack on game day, I would love to see him and Buckner both running that D on the sidelines instead of him in the box.
May 16th, 2018 at 2:52 pm
I always assumed the coaches determined where the players lined up and such.
They may have a tough competitive training camp but to say draft status and money doesn’t enter into it is silly.
You mean Vea isn’t going to play if an undrafted rook might look a little better?
C’mon man. High picks play period. Same with high cost free agents.
May 16th, 2018 at 2:53 pm
Get Smith a huge wicker hat for the sidelines. That would be a true hardass look.
May 16th, 2018 at 3:00 pm
Smitty is the worst person part of that defense. Last year anyways. Lets hope he holds himself just as accountable
May 16th, 2018 at 3:49 pm
Webster
smitty said a lot of things last year that turned out to be not true…..dirk as well…..
remember him saying “we’re close”…..I think not….
smitty also said last off season we have a chance to be a very good defense…..was he telling the truth about that?….I think not….
the narrative aint false……you are….don’t know how many times I have to tell you silly rabbit….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHEBUCS!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
May 16th, 2018 at 4:55 pm
@ 813
Last year? He addressed off coverage again TODAY and what i posted was his answer TODAY. The same answer he gave during the season last season. Not really that hard to understand.
May 16th, 2018 at 4:57 pm
@ 813
Oh yea, you are an idiot. But you can choose to ignore the man’s answers for your own uneducated takes if you like but fans like you look like a total fool for spewing false narratives. But from many of your post, being a fool suits you.
May 16th, 2018 at 7:23 pm
Agree with grimes and bubble rap.
He has been in league long enough. Been there done that. Keep them 34/35 year old legs fresh.
May 16th, 2018 at 8:45 pm
talk is cheap. Let’s see what happens during the actual season.
May 16th, 2018 at 9:56 pm
I don’t want a professional coach saying they play where they are comfortable especially a rookie. This is exactly the problem, why in the hell do they have a first and third base coach in baseball , seriously this is a beyond rediculous comment and the exact root of the problem !!!!! How in the f ing hell can a guy get better , this is unbelievable and this is why the Jack Wagon is in the f ing booth. Again this clown is a scheme consultant and makes coaches better with x’s And o’s but he just isn’t a d coord, Licht wake the F up it’s your job. There has been example after example of this guy being a bafoon with development and communication of young players. Starting with him hiding in the box , go ask Kirby Smart to go in the box , not a chance ,,,,,, he is to busy directing and teaching young players and being an on the field leader not being a bafoon in the box. What in the hell is Licht thinking , I’m sure Parcells told his corners to line up where they were comfortable so o coordinators had a really really easy time !!! This is unreal , I mean absolutely comical !!
May 17th, 2018 at 12:34 am
@ issic
You would be the first poster stating the bucs coaches are screwing up because they are not coaching to the player’s strength. Do you remember the bucs asking vh3 to be more aggresive all offseason? He did not press coverage until he moved to slot becauae thats the number 3 receiver. When he was playing against the two outside receivers, he played off because he was not confident/comfortable against them. You build your scheme by the players you have. You will see more press coverage because davis and stewart are comfortable there just like grimes has always played off coverage. He has had a very good career. Yea smith had grimes in atl
May 17th, 2018 at 12:53 am
@ issic
You think coaches told deion where to line up? No, coaches tell you your ASSIGNMENT. What area you started from to fulfill your assignment is irrelevant. If kwon’s job is to blow up the b-gap, who cares if he attacked from the left or right just as long as he filled the b-gap ie his ASSIGNMENT. These players have to start executing period. Its a mentality at this point. Ask derrick brooks about him and ronde changing a coverage on the field base on their film study. They got a pick on that play. When they ran off the field, kiffin asked brooks what was that? Brooks thought kiffin was up set. He was not and that coverage became a staple in the tampa 2 coverage. Its called knowing your ASSIGNMENT. Off coverage or press coverage, you still have to get to read your keys and get to your spot
May 17th, 2018 at 12:57 am
You still have to read your keys and get to your spot
May 17th, 2018 at 3:07 pm
We are not talking dion or an experienced Grimes , we are talkin a clueless V Hardgraves that needed coaching and guidance that he didn’t get and he a worse player outside now than his rookie year. How can you even run certain def against down and distance when your corner is always 13 yards off the ball. Dude what you are saying has some truth but it is the very poison that made out DB s worse . Even Grimes needs to be reminded and told what to do !! Yes Dion was told all day long his first few years where and how to line up and btw he may be the best corner ever !!! Think about it !!!