“His Run Blocking Just Fell Off A Cliff”
June 20th, 2018
New Bucs center Ryan Jensen gets skewered by a Pro Football Focus film guru on local radio.
Nobody is more enamored by the nebulous and borderline baloney offensive line grading system of the PFF Tribe than J.P. Peterson of WDAE-AM.
Peterson worships the work of the tribesmen, which is probably why he brought one of their chief tribal leaders on his show yesterday, Sam Monson.
Joe fully expected Peterson to get choked up. He is that much of a devout follower of the PFF brand of fuzzy grading gospel, especially when it comes to o-line play.
Who exactly is doing the grading for each player in each? What are their qualifications? What was the o-lineman’s responsibility on the play? How is it factored, for example, when a quarterback getting pummeled because he took a nine-step drop instead of a seven-step?
Joe could go on and on when it comes to the o-line grades, which too many fans think are legitimate, just like Peterson does.
(Joe won’t recount the full story again today, but Joe was right there at the PFF Tribe’s company party a couple of years back at St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis during the NFL Scouting Combine. Joe spent time with a currently employed NFL coach in the adjacent lounge and learned plenty about what’s really going on with the Tribe.)
Those who listened to the current episode of the Ira Kaufman Podcast heard Donovan Smith’s response to the PFF Tribe grades. Smith is their favorite punching bag, and Peterson piles on regularly, often suggesting Smith needs competition and/or a new position. Smith explained he once got blasted as garbage by PFF for a game performance but Bucs coaches gave him an “A” grade for the same game.
Telling stuff right there.
Anyway, with that introduction, today Joe will share how Monson told the local sports radio audience that the play of new Bucs center Ryan Jensen was highly erratic last season.
“If you look at his games last season, if you picked the right four games, you could come out of his tape thinking that he’s the best center in the league. And if you pick the wrong four games, you could come out of his tape thinking that this guy doesn’t have any business starting in the National Football League,” And obviously the story is somewhere in between.”
Monson went on to say Jensen had “a bunch of bad games” last season with multiple games of poor pass blocking (rare for a center, Monson said) and “his run blocking just fell off a cliff” about Week 9.
Joe feels bad for the various linemen at the wrong end of these evaluations, which get all kinds of national publicity. Joe remember when the Tribe told us Anthony Collins, based on their grades, was a superior left tackle coming to the Bucs — and Donald Penn was hot garbage.
June 20th, 2018 at 12:05 pm
All I know is the Ravens interior run blocking looked great in late season games I watched but wtfdik
June 20th, 2018 at 12:08 pm
Joe, keeps trying to say how great the Bucs O-line is every year!!!! But then every offseason, there is massive turnover on the Bucs O-line!!!!!!!!
And from some of the highlights I saw of Jensen, the one thing I noticed, was how reckless his play was at times!!!!!! I don’t know how many penalties he got last year, But if he is wearing a Bucs uniform and plays like that, we will see many yellow flags being thrown!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 20th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Jensen only had 4 penalties last year and 3 were in the same game september 10th. You sure you were watching jensen realist?
June 20th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Without knowing the offensive lineman’s responsibilities in a given play it’s impossible to grade them with any amount of accuracy. PFF or anyone else. If a guy is being pancaked by D-linemen over and over and holding at least once a game, a fan or anyone can grade that pretty fast. The rest of it is pure speculation.
June 20th, 2018 at 12:30 pm
So, he has some room for improvement, just like several other young O-Lineman we have on the team.
June 20th, 2018 at 12:45 pm
Everyone gets beat. If an MLB player bats .300 he’s a superstar. 4 great games by our new center is .250. And he said he was outstanding. I’ll take those odds any day. Fuel for the fire baby. Now let’s go kick some saints butt.
June 20th, 2018 at 12:53 pm
It’s very difficult for me to comprehend, although I concede perhaps it’s my comprehension skills, but really.
If you were a GM in Licht’s or any of the other 31 GM positions ready to trade or sign an important piece of the puzzle…a starter expected to make a difference…how much would you know about him?
Would you have reviewed EVERY LAST MINUTE of his gametape on numerous occasions..the ENTIRE season..not just four good games and four bad games if that is even correct. Do you suspect once they zero on a player of interest they have seen EVERY play this guy has ever had in the NFL…they’ve had not just Licht or Koetter but a brain trust inside One Buc who ALSO look at this player’s video…over and over again. Forgive me if I trust the Bucs on this one more than some guy named Sam Monson.
June 20th, 2018 at 1:45 pm
The problem with Donovan Smith is he plays great against higher talent and his mediocre against lesser talent. He is very erratic.
June 20th, 2018 at 1:58 pm
PFF is bunk. I’m sure some miserable pud-knockin’ punk in the Emerald Isle knows all the correct Buc oline blocking assignments and is fully qualified to issue ‘grades’. Right, the very definition of Fake News. Donavan seemed real concerned about the keyboard vomit those idiots spew. I like what our guys bring and I’m confident that Licht made the necessary trench adjustments. Mark me down for at least a wild card and some really dirty NFC QB jerseys this fall. Add in our awesome tight ends and you can forget 5-11. Buccaneer Cove? We’re outta there baby.
June 20th, 2018 at 2:25 pm
Well we do have a knack for making bad free agent moves. Wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up sucking.
June 20th, 2018 at 2:46 pm
Yea I think the same applies for Allen and Curry. Sad.
June 20th, 2018 at 2:51 pm
Seems to me the tribe just likes to trash Bucs. They praise every player before they come to the Bucs but after one season they sour on them. They grade with too much blatant bias for me to take them seriously.
June 20th, 2018 at 2:53 pm
lol….this should be fun….lol…
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES….GO BUCS!!!!
June 20th, 2018 at 3:33 pm
JimBuc2 Says:
“I’m confident that Licht made the necessary trench adjustments.”
I sure hope you are right about that JimBuc. If I see Sweezy rolled out there at RG for game 1 against the Saints – I think I’m gonna lose it….
I like the Jensen addition and Marpet back to Guard makes perfect sense (although a 3rd position change in 4 years IS a bit puzzling). But the right side of the line is a real question mark.
Dotson is fine at RT – as long as he stays healthy. Unfortunately the odds against Dot playing 16+ games in 2018 are pretty high. So who is the legitimate back-up there? We have no idea really. Benenoch did not wow anyone at RT when he got his chance late last year. Wester??? See what I mean? – God forbid both our starting Tackles get hurt at any point this year…. That would be a legit nightmare!
Then there’s the complete unknown which is the RG spot.
Benenoch has been told to train only at that position. Is he ready to start and play well? Maybe – Maybe not. Can Cappa pull a Marpet and go from Sub Div1 player to NFL rookie starter? Possibly – but it would be silly to count on that happening. Evan Smith? No Thanks. – Sweezy? Barf!
There’s too many unknowns right now for me to have anywhere near the confidence you are expressing about the OLine being “fixed” this year JimBuc. Like I said – I sure hope you are right. The Buccaneer Offense is just a good solid Oline away from being Exceptional – Special – whatever superlative you want to throw out there.
June 20th, 2018 at 5:14 pm
I’m sure this Monson guy knows more than Licht and the bucs scouts, who mind you, made Jensen the highest paid center in the league.
June 20th, 2018 at 5:22 pm
Dude is average. But good luck getting anyone to believe it. We build people up around here way too quickly.
June 20th, 2018 at 7:41 pm
Pff?
So thats where some of the stupid Sh*t I read on here cones from!!
Freqently, I read comments posted here, by people who absolutely could not have watched the game. I’ve always wondered where such stupid comments came from!
Nobody who plays football, played football, or knows anything about football would listen to those PFF idiots
June 20th, 2018 at 11:26 pm
PFF makes their money from fantasy players who are desperate for an edge…..