Dirk Koetter Puts A Number On Ali Marpet
October 14th, 2018
“Hey Ali, where does this leave me?”
A very interesting and bold call was made by head coach Dirk Koetter on Friday.
The head coach was asked a question about Ali Marpet’s fat new contract and replied Marpet is not only a top-10 guard in the NFL, he’s “a top 10 interior linemen in this league, when you talk about guards and centers combined.”
Whoa! Quite a statement there by Koetter.
Joe likes Marpet, but damn, Joe thinks top 10 is bit of a stretch when you’re looking at the 96 starting guards and centers in the NFL.
But say Koetter is right and Marpet is that good. Well, the Bucs made Ryan Jensen the highest paid center in the NFL this year and Joe has been told many times by intelligent NFL people that Donovan Smith is about the 10th-best left tackle in the league.
So one would think the Bucs should be able to pound the ball consistently when running left, correct? Especially with defenses needing to respect Tampa Bay’s lethal passing game?
Perhaps a balanced Bucs attack launches today against a horrid Falcons defense.
*PROFESSOR DERRICK BROOKS talks about studying “foundational tape,” approaching an elite Atlanta passing game, “stance, alignment assignment” and more with JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman in TAMPA TWO, presented by Caldeco Air Conditioning & Heating. Enjoy!!
October 14th, 2018 at 8:06 am
Maybe the RBS just suck!
October 14th, 2018 at 8:38 am
Anonymous- talent doesn’t equal execution. The OL is not consistent in reads or blocking, rb’s for most part have nowhere to go. Barber, to his credit, makes what little he can, but the OL and TE’s are not executing consistently in unison.
This is on coaching too because they are not making it happen.
October 14th, 2018 at 9:20 am
I really really, like Ali Marpet. But I don’t think he’s a top 10 interior O-lineman in the league, he’s definitely close but not quite there. He needs to bulk up a bit more, because too frequently I see him get the worst of 1 on 1 matchups with the NFL’s premiere DT’s. Maybe he just needs time to actually settle into a position. But I still think he needs to do some more work in the weight room.
Also, Donovan Smith isn’t even close to being a top 10 left tackle. He definitely needs to stop skipping leg day.
October 14th, 2018 at 10:48 am
Read the article and expected statistics about when the Bucs run left – was disappointed.
October 14th, 2018 at 12:04 pm
That’s the problem with this organization they over value their average talent.Marpet is good not great let a long top 10! This clown probably thought Dougie was a top 10 back last year.
October 14th, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Just another reason the Bucs are in the gutter. The team could have found better value.
October 15th, 2018 at 9:00 am
lol @ the comments in here. marpet may not be top 10 IOL in league but he’s not far off it. he’s damn good and one of the top 4-5 guards in this league . as far as jensen goes , ehh haven’t been too impressed. he’s been an upgrade over hawley but no where near his price tag. a lot of run plays are blown up before they get started because either jensen or benenoch are getting blown off the ball . can’t have that. smith i do believe is on of the better LT in the league but just by saying that doesn’t make him elite or even very good . he’s a quality starter but especially in the run game it seems his very high variance in what he gives you. pass pro has been very solid for the better part of 2 yrs now. (ppl will point out the handful of plays where his guy beats him, that happens to everybody. that’s why pocket presence by qb is so important.) right side of the line is where problems lie with dotson regressing rapidly looking nothing like what he was last yr. couple plays from yesterday stick out in my mind where he just got whipped by mckinney . didn’t see that from him last yr. benenoch isn’t a starting caliber player right now and constantly his whiffs are blowing up run plays. it’s s problem. if smith wasnt primary back up center i’d bet he’d be the starter at RG. as far as the comment on the RBs not being talented enough …. lol that sure did blow up right in your face anonymous . peyton barber has long been talented enough to be a starting rb but when you almost have a league high amount of runs being stuffed at or behind the LOS that’s not a recipe for success . then you add the fact that he was barley even getting 10 carries a game how much more do you really expect from the rushing game? what barber did yesterday is exactly what he can give you every week. nothing spectacular but a good effort and constantly picking up solid yardage. hopefully they can get some consistency in run game because one way to hide a league worst defense is by making sure that they aren’t on the field .