Running Out Of Patience
October 27th, 2018
Thin ice?
Could the Bucs be getting fed up with Chandler Catanzaro’s extra-point adventures or are they trying to get in his head to get off his arse and kick better?
That’s the key question here after Joe’s good friend and long-time NFL insider Howard Balzer reported the Bucs gave kickers Sam Ficken and Cairo Santos tryouts yesterday.
Two kickers on the same day? Hhhmmm.
When the Bucs signed Catanzaro to a three-year contract with $3,750,000 guaranteed, it seemed he was a lock to be on the roster until season’s end. But the last two weeks Catanzaro has channeled his inner-Aguyao, which left the Bucs chasing points. In one game (Atlanta) it cost them. In the second game (Cleveland) only a miracle kick by Catanzaro in overtime saved the day and maybe his job, not to mention the jobs of several people at One Buc Palace.
Many careers are on the line this season (see: Smith, Mike) and this team can’t be farting around with an inconsistent kicker (again) who has already cost the team a critical victory.
Of course, it might help in the future if Bucs coach Dirk Koetter relied more on his No. 1 offense rather than a shaky kicker.
New Bengals-Bucs preview episode
Buccaneers legend Derrick Brooks joins JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman for another must-watch edition of TAMPA TWO! Enjoy the twice weekly show, a joint production of The Identity Tampa Bay and Joe. Proudly presented by Caldeco Air Conditioning & Heating.
October 27th, 2018 at 2:07 pm
I know it’s been said before, but Brian Anger is the common denominator in our kicking woes equation.
October 27th, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Not Nate Kaczor?
Did Jacksonville have this bad of a kicking problem when Anger was there?
October 27th, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Lol @ blaming Anger. We’re the laces in on every kick he missed?
October 27th, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Just looked it up. Except for his final season in Jacksonville (when he was traded to Pittsburgh), Josh Scobee has been one of the NFL’s best kickers.
So not sure Bryan Anger is why Bucs kickers cannot kick.
October 27th, 2018 at 2:24 pm
Yeah, I hear ya, but how could Kaczor cause all the misses?
Long snapper, holder and kicker are the main components.
Or it could just be the curse of Jose Gaspar….
October 27th, 2018 at 2:25 pm
How could Mike Smith cause all of those touchdown passes?
October 27th, 2018 at 2:44 pm
I’m gonna quit now Joe…… you’re killing me!
October 27th, 2018 at 2:45 pm
Dooshlarue- You’re friggen kidding me, get a life
October 27th, 2018 at 2:57 pm
I’ve “run out of patience” with Kaczor! Not just because of our kicking woes either. Our return units suck! If only Dirk had higher standards…
October 27th, 2018 at 3:05 pm
^ Agreed. Special has been good at pinning the opponent on punts a few times but other than that they are very underwhelming.
Hump looked absolutely horrible last week as a returner. And even when he’s looked better, we haven’t gotten enough production on returns whatsoever.
And then there is the kicking game, which has cost us how many wins over the last few years? WAY TOO MANY!
October 27th, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Can we All take a moment just to LOL FSU!
October 27th, 2018 at 3:27 pm
For the record:
I like Anger, he’s solid on punts.
Kaczor doesn’t impress.
And Anonymous….not sure what’s up your azz bro, but have a great day.
October 27th, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Roberto Aguayo
Patrick Murray
Nick Folk
All Bums
All 3 are unemployed
October 27th, 2018 at 4:41 pm
We can draft the kicker from FSU in the draft, Ricky Aguayo. He seems pretty good and will probably be available in the 2nd round. Might have to trade up to get him though!!
October 27th, 2018 at 4:45 pm
In the return game we get a lot of yardage negated because of to many penalties. Remember the DJax long return only to be brought back because of a penalty? It happens to Humphries all the time. He’ll get a great return only to have it called back. Gotta fix those special teams penalties. Once they can learn to stop having unnecessary penalties we’ll begin to see more yardage, and shorter fields.
October 27th, 2018 at 5:15 pm
I actually give Licht and Koetter credit here.
They’re being very patient with their choice (too patient?). You can’t blame it on play call or talent around him. This guy needs to find “it” and I give him about another week to prove he’s going to be our kicker.
October 27th, 2018 at 5:46 pm
@I Bleed Pewter- I agree there have been a few good ones called back, but Hump and Rodgers both looked awful last week on every kick. Bad decisions, indecisiveness, etc.
October 27th, 2018 at 5:57 pm
4 for 4 tomorrow, Baby!!!!
October 27th, 2018 at 7:07 pm
Not finding a replacement for him this week was a mistake.
October 27th, 2018 at 7:15 pm
I’m of the mind to let him correct his yips. It’s not just our kicker missing extra points but it seems to be league wide with some pretty good kickers. This kid has a big leg.
October 27th, 2018 at 7:51 pm
Good chance Licht was gathering some release paper for Cantrazario while he was getting ready to attempt the 59 yarder.
You cannot cut a guy who just did that to win you a game, no matter what happened before it. The kicker possibly saved his job but if he gives us a clunker tomorrow you can’t keep him on the team.
October 27th, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Kaczor was garbage in Tennessee and what do you know he is garbage here. Kaczor is the common denominator in any teams that he has coached for kicking woes.
October 27th, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Anger is not to blame. Chandler Catanzaro is.
And I said he would be a problem the moment he was signed. He was the only signing I never took a liking to. Patrick Murray was better…and he wasn’t great but should have at least been able to compete. Too late now though.
Licht needs to show he is willing to move on.
October 27th, 2018 at 8:00 pm
What happened to our previous long snapper?
October 27th, 2018 at 8:02 pm
Cantanzaro kicked the long game winning kick. Big deal right?
October 27th, 2018 at 8:55 pm
If it’s not the LS or holder then it’s obviously a mental issue with the kicker.
If that’s the case, then maybe our GM needs to seek help from a sports psychiatrist when interviewing a potential new kicker?
Maybe the kicker’s practice routine needs to be revamped and put maximum pressure on them to prepare them for clutch kicks.
Yeah, they moved the extra point distance back a little bit damn….. it ain’t that much further.
WTF?
October 27th, 2018 at 9:07 pm
$3.75 mill guaranteed? Wow, the Glazer loot is being passed out like there is no tomorrow! It figures. Team Glazer loves to pay people not to play, coach, manage, and now…kick.
October 27th, 2018 at 9:16 pm
Roberto never missed a kick that mattered.
Anywho kicking has been an issue nearly everywhere, there are very few solid kickers right now – or more likely it’s people have ridiculous expectations. Connor Barth for example, when he was cut to make room for Roberto, was the 14th most accurate kicker in NFL history – and people wanted him gone.
Licht never should have cut Roberto, had he not he’d be fine by now – but this is what happens when you listen to lynch mobs. The same lynch mob ran Lovie out of ton and set back the entire team by taking Dirk away from the offense and putting him a position he’s clearly not made for. You don’t listen to lynch mobs and you don’t give nearly $4m guaranteed to a career mediocre kicker.
October 27th, 2018 at 9:21 pm
The wind will be whipping here in CIN. Good or bad for kicking. Normally good kickers struggle. We got Bucs fans all over the place here on Saturday nights. “Tampa Bay” chants at the Yard House on the Ohio River. Got a load of disposable raincoats to pass out to keep my fellow Bucs fans buds for the day…in the seats. Section 140 baby, right behind the bench. A kick may very well win this one. We need good karma of Bucs fans watching.
October 27th, 2018 at 10:08 pm
Personally I think is a good kicker, he screwed up three kicks in the last two weeks. A 40 something yard FG and 2 xpts.
Earlier in the year he missed a 40 something yd field goal and an extra point but they proved to be irrelevant. He also had a game where he made all six extra points. Then of course a game-winning 59 yard field goal
I personally think he will be fine but completely understand that if he misses something he should make this week, anything 45 yards in under, they bring in someone else.
Like Joe said, jobs are on the line. The defense showed promise last week and we know the offense can be very explosive.
Can’t have the kicker miss the playoffs for them.
October 27th, 2018 at 11:22 pm
Scream us to victory JT Cross!
October 27th, 2018 at 11:37 pm
spotted catenzarro being teased at pf chang’s the other night
October 28th, 2018 at 12:01 am
Did somebody bring up punt returns? It’s funny because I seem to recall that we have one of the best All-Time in D Jax but he doesn’t get the chance. Let’s be honest, with JW’s inability to hit D Jax on the long passes, does it really make sense to waste the value that D Jax does have by not having him return punts. The entire staff is just more of the same misery that has been being a Bucs fan for the last decade. Talent evaluation and scouting have been a joke. Coaching has been optional. Dirk better get this ship turned around. A little something more than blowing the 2 TD lead against CLE and eeking out an unforeseen OT win.
October 28th, 2018 at 9:30 am
Santos signed elsewhere.
October 28th, 2018 at 10:04 am
@JT, thanks for posting. Wish I could be there rooting for the team. Go Bucs!
October 28th, 2018 at 10:12 am
Remember the first couple games when our offense was unstoppable. He missed extra points like it was nothing. Don’t know why we thought Catanzaro was so good, all I remember is him missing big kicks all the time on the Cardinals.