“I Think Jason Licht’s In Trouble And I Think Jason Knows It”
November 8th, 2018
“Dear football gods, please make sure the Glazers know I don’t call high school lateral plays when needing a score from the Falcons 20 yard line, or fake punts in the second quarter.”
It appears the Bucs coaching staff would benefit from a PODS discount code after this season. Tampa Bay is on a 9-18 run and a lot is going wrong.
But what about the guy who buys the groceries?
That man is fifth-year general manager Jason Licht.
If Team Glazer were deciding on Licht today, Joe is certainly Licht would be out the door. Too much has gone wrong in too many key areas.
However, if Team Glazer is willing to be patient, things could change drastically for Licht. For example, if the pass rush revives and Justin Evans makes the second-year leap Bucs officials expected, or if a couple of the 2018 draft picks shine, or Jameis Winston himself looks like a franchise quarterback again, Licht could end up with passing grades from ownership.
Wins, of course, would help immensely.
But that’s a lot of ifs, and CBS Sports NFL senior insider Prickly Pete Prisco isn’t upbeat a Licht return in 2019, he said today on WDAE-AM 620. “I think Jason Licht’s in trouble and I think Jason knows it.”
Prisco is no stranger to One Buc Palace and was there in August.
Joe believes Team Glazer will consider two broad but simple questions when it comes to Licht: Are we on the right path to building a Super Bowl team? And how does Licht stack up against his NFC South counterparts?
Back in March, Joe cornered Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer on how he evaluates a GM.
JoeBucsFan.com: Can you talk about the evaluation of a general manager, how difficult that is and what goes into that when you have to figure out, ‘Are we on the right path but we’re 5-11’?
Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer: A lot goes into it and, you know, I think one of the positive signs in any situation is re-signing your own players. And when you start getting on a trend that you’re re-signing your own players, that means you are drafting well. If you’re drafting well, generally that means you’re going to start having success. So you saw Cameron Brate and Mike Evans [re-signed]. We got a couple of young guys with contracts that are coming up that we know we’re going to want to keep. So that to me is the most positive sign of, you know, what’s happening with the general manager. There’s lots of aspects to the whole thing, not just drafting, there’s free agency and ultimately your record. So it’s one of those things that tells its own story over time. Again, we’re frustrated. I know a lot of our fans are frustrated. And when you get in this cycle of it’s been a while since we’ve had success, the magnification and spotlight get so great year to year and they want to change directions and change things. And I get it. Listen, we got to remind ourselves sometimes. You have to have some patience and look for the positives. People like to point to coaching; well, you also have to have the players. Injuries play a factor, and all these things. So Dirk [Koetter] was 9-7, all the positives coming out of that season. We had last season, which was below anybody’s hopes and expectations. We’re focused on this year and we’ve added clearly in areas where we needed to add, and we still have the draft.
November 8th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
He needs to be FIRED!!! Totally incompetent his drafts suck! So he got lucky on a few players. Big deal, he misses more than hits.
November 8th, 2018 at 12:40 pm
The mans an idiot! Chose the wrong qb, obsessively surrounded him with receivers, ignored the defense. When he finally addressed defense he went after fat slow guys that cant pass rush. A monkey can see the issues with this team!
November 8th, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Knowing Glazer’s mantra on resigning players, wouldn’t that be funny if that’s the biggest reason why we re-signed Brate? It kinda didn’t make a lot of sense to me and looks asinine now.
November 8th, 2018 at 12:43 pm
And IF wishes were horses beggers would ride. The IF crap has gone on far to long.
November 8th, 2018 at 12:44 pm
Licht has made some horrible decisions that has his team in the cellar again. Should have done much better than this by now. He has been here for this many years now and his roster is still full of holes and underperforming players. Not to mention a losing record.
Just not acceptable
November 8th, 2018 at 12:47 pm
I think Licht has done a good job of drafting and understands that side of things, so canning the GM is not really a good idea. He has to get another year. Bucs need a solid, veteran defensive coordinator more than anything. Offense is in place despite QB issues. 2019 is all about defensive repairs…
November 8th, 2018 at 12:52 pm
Been saying this for 3 years that this guy has ZERO clue on FA or the draft, pretty evident the first year of 2014 with who he let walk out the door and who he replaced them with in FA a total F and the draft has one player left from that year and that is Mike Evans, who is a great addition, but you draft Aaron Donald and build a defense in the right way through high picks imagine where the bucs may be right now, but his throwing crap against the wall in some kooky way to pretend he knows more than anyone else turned out TOTALLY false he doesnt know jack squat but how to decimate the entire franchise
November 8th, 2018 at 12:53 pm
I’m so sick of seeing Ronald Jones put fear into opposing defenses and breaking off big runs.
Getting boring.
November 8th, 2018 at 12:55 pm
From the day he was hired he looked to be in over his head. We need a smart g.m. and Jason is not it.
November 8th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Some of these guys could look a lot better with a competent coaching staff….esp. #3.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Are poor practices Licht’s fault?
The team is soft from discipline and fundamentals perspective- that is on coaches and if Licht chose the coaching staff, then he should bear responsibility.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:10 pm
Too many FA and high draft pick misses.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Obviously he has had his issues. Noah Spence and Aguayo were terrible misses… now, Spence was graded out by most to be a 1st round pick by many… I don’t think you pin that one on Licht, the value was there, it just didn’t pan out. He did land us: Evans, Brate, OJ Howard, Godwin, Marpet, and D. Smith. The jury is still out on Kwon, Justin Evans, and a few others. He has given us a good talent base that hasn’t been here in Tampa for a while. I think he might get another year. He has NEVER been able to hire his own coach. Lovie was hired BEFORE him… Dirk Koetter was chosen FOR him as they wanted Winston’s offensive coordinator to stay with him. If he survives, and he might, the coach he hires would be his first. Perhaps him staying would be enough to lure a winner, like Bruce Arians, out of retirement. Arians has proven he can make chicken salad out of chicken spit. He won with an over-the-hill Carson Palmer, freaking Drew Stanton, and others. He could surely win with Winston, Fitzpatrick, or QBs that might be available next season in Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum, Ryan Tannehill, Blake Bortles, David Carr, The man can flat out coach. He alone would make holding onto Licht worth it. He has already expressed an interest in the Browns job, saying it is the only job he would consider…. technically, it is the only job he CAN consider because it is the only job open at this time. I’m pretty sure he would jump at the chance to coach the Bucs no matter who is the QB.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:24 pm
I’ve been saying he should be fired for the last year.
He has had SO many high profile FA busts. His drafts are terrible net of a few players. Selected Mike Evans in a draft full of WRs and could have selected a HOF DT instead. Whoop-de-do.
The biggest mistake is giving Jameis, a qb who is known to throw picks, more pass catchers than we can even use, zero running game, and a god awful defense… that equates to 40+ pass attempts a game and a losing record.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:24 pm
OH AND HES DRAFTED 3 DLINEMAN IN HIS ENTIRE TENURE. NO WONDER WE HAVE NO PASS RUSH. THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:26 pm
You don’t see Licht calling fake punts deep in his won territory……Just saying
November 8th, 2018 at 1:28 pm
His record speaks for itself. Should’ve been fired last year. All his ‘groceries” are spoiled and past their expiration date! He’s clueless.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:31 pm
Give Jason Licht another 5 years
Atlanta Falcons Fan
New Orleans Saints Fan
Carolina Panthers Fan
November 8th, 2018 at 1:38 pm
There are so many teams that have turned their franchises around in the FIVE YEARS Licht has been trying….He simply hasn’t got the job done…and for that you get fired. That’s how the NFL works.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:39 pm
@Greg
———————–
Short , precise , and enough evidence to fire him. Totally agree.
November 8th, 2018 at 1:54 pm
If it’s we don’t have the players, fire Licht. If it’s we don’t have the coaching, fire dirk.
I think Jason’s drafts stack up rather well tbh. I think you guys need to look around the league. Drafting 40% hit rate would be best in the league. You toss out guys he has picked late in the draft that are still in the league. Pamphile, clay etc. he has had some missteps, but every single GM EVER, has as well.
November 8th, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Greg
The wrong QB WAS NOT CHOSEN. Give it a rest! Too many 2nd round BUSTS!
November 8th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
I think Licht is lost. Philosophically, you need to force the qb out of his comfort zones in this pass-happy league. You do that with speed on D in your front. It really doesn’t exist here. We don’t have any defensive speed at all except in a couple of LBs, and one of those is injured. It’s a speed league and this guy hasn’t drafted for it at all on defense. Plus, the free agents we signed were slow. That’s why double reverses work. We have to be one of the slowest defenses in the league front to back.
November 8th, 2018 at 2:07 pm
Jason u have to go bro
November 8th, 2018 at 2:07 pm
When your three division opponents all have QBs that are in the range of solid-to-great, you simply shoveling excrement against the tide.
November 8th, 2018 at 2:21 pm
I am in favor of a TOTAL CLEANING of this team Top down……
November 8th, 2018 at 2:23 pm
We need a new GM and a new scouting department if indeed they are the ones evaluating the talent of the free agents we have brought to Tampa in the last 4 years. The GM’s defensive player misses in FA and lack of drafted defenders has set us back for years to come. It is unlikely this highly productive offense will ever have a complimentary defense. The offense will “phase out” or slow down in production before a defense can be built (rebuilt). The two sides of the ball did not “grow” or progress at the same rate, and now the defense has to catch up… but how? Free agent bandaids or draft? Either way, it does not look like our GM is the guy to make these decisions.
November 8th, 2018 at 2:24 pm
Say what you will, but here are Joel Glazer’s words:
“You have to have some patience and look for the positives.”
November 8th, 2018 at 2:38 pm
After 5 years we’re no closer to beating division rivals than when he started. They think the locker room is good, they think the o line is good. They think they have far the best roster they ever had but 7 points at halftime for a “top 10 offense “ I think this offense will end up middle of the pack by the end of the year even if Fitz is playing. Dirk is out of tricks which is basically catching people off guard at the beginning of the year which is why the team sucks after the first quarter of every season
GM’s in this town don’t seem to have the power to hire and fire head coaches, that would have saved licht
November 8th, 2018 at 2:58 pm
Tony Dungy for team president.
November 8th, 2018 at 3:07 pm
Joe, that caption may be your best one yet.
Sorry, there is no defense for Licht. Everyone is mentioning the obvious that the offense is decent and well ahead of the defense, which is true. However 1/2 of the offensive line is putrid and we don’t have a running back on our team that would start or even play second string for any other team. It is a large-scale, systematic failure on his part. Oh yes, I think we need a quarterback too.
Not like we will ever forget but, he traded two picks (2 FOOTBALL Players!) to move up into the second round to draft a kicker!?!? That was the worst draft pick EVER in the history of the NFL! No SOCCER player is worth a second round pick in the NFL draft, especially for a perennial loser!
November 8th, 2018 at 3:12 pm
If the glaziers hand out brown paper bags at the next home game, I’ll continue to support their decisions as well as this franchise. #itsabucslife
November 8th, 2018 at 3:14 pm
Is there any real question about terminating him?
November 8th, 2018 at 3:19 pm
I wish we had a Pro bowl level saftey on this
Team like D.J swearinger , Oh wait …
November 8th, 2018 at 3:20 pm
Jonathon banks and Daquan bowers said that Tampa’s the worst organization in football and I’m starting to agree
November 8th, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Glazers sure DON’T know how to run a business!
November 8th, 2018 at 3:49 pm
Record and draft picks is all you need to see. He should be fired…
November 8th, 2018 at 3:51 pm
We had a huge opportunity this draft with the tradedown, but that only matters if you make good picks. We got Vea, Jones, Stewart and Davis out of tradedown. Which of those picks look good right now? Maybe Davis?
November 8th, 2018 at 4:16 pm
I think the Glazers bought into the continuity thing. Teams that change coaches every two years don’t ever have success. And while that is true, what the children haven’t come to the realization of, is that lousy organizations keep on hiring lousy GMs and coaches. That’s why they have to keep changing them.
I’m in favor of copying the Jaguars’ model, and bring in a Tony Dungy, or a Bill Cower, or a Bill Polian, or a Rich MacKay, or a Mike Holmgren, or a Bruce Arians, to direct all aspects of daily operations, and the Glazers moving to England to cash their windfall paychecks.
November 8th, 2018 at 4:54 pm
Licht should be in trouble. He has consistently missed on free agents, for the life of him he can’t find a kicker and he can’t find players to build a competent secondary; but his major flaw is that he overcompensates for weaknesses of the team while ignoring other positions. For example he would focus on getting players for the skill positions while ignoring the d-line, this season he focused on the d-line when he should’ve brought in another veteran presence to the secondary.
November 8th, 2018 at 6:05 pm
@greg wrong qb? You do realize Mariota has more turnovers than games played right? Sure you dont though.
November 9th, 2018 at 8:50 am
Until they hire a team president with a football background this team is doomed. The Glazers do not have the expertise to make the right football hires and that is not their fault as they do not have a football background. However, a good ownership would recognize that and bring somebody in to make those decisions, like Vinik did with Yzerman. Unfortunately, I think they are too arrogant and cheap to make that decision.
November 9th, 2018 at 10:27 am
What are the odds? Here is the thin thread holding Koetter and Licht’s jobs.
The ONLY way they get to stay is if Fitz gets shaken up, Jameis comes in and plays lights out. Jameis leads us to the playoffs.
IF that happened, everybody gets to keep their jobs.
What are the odds? LMAO
November 11th, 2018 at 10:05 am
Cgmaster,
But so does Winston.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:45 am
Licht should quit, he knows he is in over his head, his drafting and free agent picks are terrible. Look at the players he bypassed and look at how they are doing with other teams. We knew cornerbacks were a problem last year, so what did we do? Draft 2nd and 3rd round corners that suck. I like Grimes but he has slowed. 1 pick in 9 games, thats almost impossible to do,however when you play 10 yards off the ball you can see why.