Now Allergic To Florida Kickers?
December 16th, 2018
Shames the Bucs.
Like a lot of folks who think Bucs coach Dirk Koetter is in hot water, so to do many believe the seat beneath Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is not exactly air conditioned.
Like Koetter, who would have a helluva tough time defending his decision to bring back defensive coordinator Mike Smith for the 2018 season after he guided the NFL’s worst defense 2017, Licht also has a tough question to answer if Team Glazer decides to probe him.
Licht would have to explain away how it is that he and his staff cannot find a reliable kicker. The position has been nothing short of comical the past five seasons.
Licht took a major roll of the dice three drafts ago and selected Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round. It blew up in Licht’s face, and perhaps as a result he was so burned he forced himself never to watch another Florida kicker again.
Well, last night watching the Browns beat the Broncos on the road (if somehow the Browns (6-7-1) make the playoffs, the Bucs would become be the team with the longest playoff drought in the NFL), Cleveland rookie kicker Greg Joseph booted a 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10 late in the first half and the Browns won 17-16.
Why is Joe bringing this up? First, Joseph has missed only two field goals in 12 games. Hell, the Bucs are lucky as hell if their kickers don’t miss two field goals in one game!
The second is, the rookie kicked for Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, four hours from here. There, Brown became the all-time leading kicker for the Owls. Joseph was signed by Miami in the offseason, cut by the Dolphins in September and signed by the Browns two weeks later.
Here is a guy right under the Bucs’ noses in the same state yet the team couldn’t have been bothered to give him a test drive.
This is why Joe suspects Licht was so burned by an in-state kicker, he is gunshy about signing any kicker who played college ball in the state of Florida.
December 16th, 2018 at 9:01 am
Fire Licht
December 16th, 2018 at 9:07 am
Well if that’s the case I don’t think we will draft another QB from FSU.
December 16th, 2018 at 9:08 am
The GM outsmarts himself too often- instead of staying patient in the draft he is always jumping up to take risky prospects and far too often passes on far better players in the process
Too many position switch players also
He seems to react to public opinion rather than having a solid plan for the ENTIRE roster –
Top heavy at TE and barren on the Oline and secondary
Special teams is a joke all around
Weak depth, risky FA and draft signings
Far more misses than hits
Time to move on from this entire group in the FO, scouts included
December 16th, 2018 at 9:17 am
Licht likes to get cute later in the draft with risky picks……his second round picks have been a disaster….and last year may be no exception. These Oline projects have got to stop…..just draft consensus players….there is a reason why most select them……
I totally understand the Aguayo pick….didn’t like moving up…..but if he kicked the way he should have we would have a solid kicker for many, many years…..did’t work out but you can’t fault Licht for his choice….only the draft position.
December 16th, 2018 at 9:32 am
No idea what the scouting department did or didn’t do as far as due diligence. I saw a Brows CB make a great play on a flat route last night. I bet if you pull the string we could have had him too. Just another stone on the GM and HC gravestones. Right? Go Bucs!
December 16th, 2018 at 9:37 am
1 of those missed field goals cost them the game against the Saints in week 2 after the Bucs beat them.
December 16th, 2018 at 9:39 am
^Agree with John B
Tries to hard to find diamonds in the rough…Too many times they switch positions multiple times, never develop. Hasn’t effectively addressed holes in roster. The team still lacks an identity in big games, we aren’t consistently effective at anything. The record is an accurate reflection of his skills as a GM….ONE five game winning streak in a decent season but overall hot garbage. About the same with his drafts and fee agent signings…A few flashes but mostly complete whiffs.
December 16th, 2018 at 9:58 am
I think everyone is overreacting about our current kicker. First miss last week was on him but I swear only a gust of wind could have kept that second kick from going straight down the middle.
December 16th, 2018 at 10:12 am
Switch holders…try something else
December 16th, 2018 at 10:30 am
They all look good in tryouts…
December 16th, 2018 at 10:55 am
Licht is awful at evaluating talent overall, his record speaks for itself. He has had a few good picks, but as they say, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. This is why a head coaching change alone will not do the trick for this franchise. We need a real pro in that position of GM and a team of people who really know and understand how to evaluate talent,, heart, and whether someone is the right fit.
December 16th, 2018 at 11:38 am
I knew santos would miss kicks and I knew the media would drive the over reaction train. Honestly is the sign of a good kicker to never miss kicks? No we’ll why can’t our kicker miss? Because of the kicking percentages before he arrived? Dude will be fine and it was one game. He was perfect before it so wait for a pattern to emerge before stupid articles like this one
The kicker we fired hit a game winner against Cleveland so yea even bad kickers have game winners