Clock Ticking On RoJo?
March 7th, 2019
Fish or cut bait already?
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht has said the biggest thing he learned working for Bill Belicheat was to admit your mistakes early and cut your losses.
This philosophy was placed into action when, during the 2017 preseason, Licht released kicker Roberto Aguayo, who Licht traded up for to select in the second round of the 2016 draft.
Aguayo couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn and was shoved out the door of One Buc Palace before entering his second season in the NFL.
Reading the words typed by Marc Sessler of NFL.com, it seems running back Ronald Jones could meet the same fate.
Jones was simply awful last year. And no, Joe isn’t buying the offensive line laid down for Jones like Bucs types tried to push last week in Indianapolis.
The Bucs offensive line last year was surprisingly healthy. Only Demar Dotson missed a start on the line. He otherwise started 15 games. So other Bucs running backs ran behind the very same offensive linemen (good and bad) and they didn’t throw up on themselves as badly as Jones did, or have hands of stone trying to catch a ball.
Sessler seems to think the clock is already ticking for Jones.
Bruce Arians thrived in Arizona with David Johnson operating as a do-everything workhorse. The Bucs lack Johnson’s equal — to put it kindly — but general manager Jason Licht made it clear at the combine that “nobody’s given up on Ronald Jones,” saying the team expects the second-year back to make a “big jump” in 2019. Last year’s 38th overall pick flatlined from wire-to-wire — and could be cut if he doesn’t improve — but the intent is to make Jones a bigger part of the attack.
Joe has heard through the grapevine that Jones struggled with former coach Dirk Koetter’s playbook — where have you heard that before?
If the Bucs do draft a running back next month in the draft, hopefully Licht or Arians gives the guy a playbook literacy test before spending a valuable draft pick on the guy.
March 7th, 2019 at 8:48 am
i will never get Rojo over Guice. Rojo still would have been availible in the 3rd round.
March 7th, 2019 at 8:50 am
Licht and his inability to be wise with 2nd round picks….
March 7th, 2019 at 8:53 am
The clock is ticking slowly. He’s no kicker that can’t kick, no one is giving up on a second round running back. Only reason they can write this stupid article is it’s before his second training camp. Dude will be fine
March 7th, 2019 at 8:55 am
If he goes into training camp and still can’t catch a ball, they should move in from him
He abviously struggled last year so if he wasn’t working on his hands all offseason then that means he doesn’t care /doesn’t want to get better /doesn’t want to work hard.
I mean he couldn’t catch a 10 yard soft screen pass. Dline and olimeman can make that simple play. My sister can make that catch.
March 7th, 2019 at 8:56 am
Lets just get a FA back–big and proven. Sell djax to pay for it.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:02 am
Well seems to me that GM made many more mistakes than Aguayo…..
March 7th, 2019 at 9:05 am
There ain’t no hope in football…..but gawd do the Bucs need a miracle with this draft pick….running the freaking ball is the easiest transition in every level of football…not talking pass protection…just getting the ball in your hands and making something happen…that is what RB’s have done all their playing life….not making excuses but the kid did get stuffed every time…he did have a few nice gains called back by penalty as I recall
March 7th, 2019 at 9:14 am
He cost us relatively nothing. He stays through camp. If he can make the 52 will be up to him. If he were a later round pick it might me different but for now he gets preseason to show his talent to BA and Co..
March 7th, 2019 at 9:17 am
Yes like paying $43 million for a lazy Tackle
March 7th, 2019 at 9:20 am
maybe RoJo is spending too much time with Snoop Dog. RoJo is another bust in the long line of Bucs misfires from Licht. Licht is the problem.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:22 am
I really wonder how good Jones could be in the AAFL or XFL? I think he is destine for it.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:23 am
Might wanna give him another year. Just sayin.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:23 am
Pretty darn good terms for Donovan Smith.
2019: $7 million guaranteed base salary, plus $5 million guaranteed roster bonus.
2020: $14.5 million guaranteed salary.
2021: $14.25 million salary, non-guaranteed.
Decent move by Greenberg, considering we were stuck.
Go Bucs!
March 7th, 2019 at 9:23 am
Just imagine. Coulda had Nick Chubb
March 7th, 2019 at 9:28 am
Shouldn’t the headline be “Clock Ticking on Licht” ??
March 7th, 2019 at 9:29 am
miken
i agree….
i really thought guice was the pick and when they announced rojo, i said,”WTF?”…..
rojo had the same production as guice without the injury…..
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 7th, 2019 at 9:31 am
Really like Miles Sanders, size 5’11 217, speed 4.49, strength 26 reps, excellent receiver, probably need to spend our 3rd, but he’s a complete back
March 7th, 2019 at 9:33 am
Listening to the ira podcast and how licht is running off at the mouth over crazy things…its a shame that licht is still the gm, because he 100% cannot evaluate talent and has not signed 1 FA that has helped the bucs. Bucs should cut bait with licht because this team is so far away from being good and is now in a cap dilemma and the season rests on a qb who is 50/50 in his 5th year as to whether he can be a top flight qb and win meaningful games
March 7th, 2019 at 9:39 am
You really don’t know that. Most people said Aguayo would be fine in his second year and he never recovered. If it’s more of the same for RoJo in training camp then he will be released.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:45 am
Yes they had the same O-line but you can’t tell me they used him the same way as Barber or on the same designed plays, so really not a fair comparison especially with what scarce touches he got IMO. The screen passes especially didn’t fool anyone when RoJo was in.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:46 am
I hope Rojo bounces back like devanta Freeman did in Atlanta after koetter left . Freeman saw no time his rookie year with Koetter as OC then when Kyle Shanahan came in freeman exploded in year two.
March 7th, 2019 at 9:56 am
@miken
You mean the Derrius Guice who did absolutely nothing in 2018?
March 7th, 2019 at 10:01 am
Why is Jason Licht still here?
Since he is, he should be locked in a closet without a phone during the draft!
March 7th, 2019 at 10:02 am
Irony: Rojo had better stats than Derrius Guice.
lol.
Seriously though…I think people are making two big mistakes here. First, Rojo was not brought in to be a workhorse back…he was brought in to replace Sims, who played a specific role.
Don’t take his rumored struggles with a playbook to heart. Lots of players struggled with Jon Gruden’s playbook and still produced.
Second, Todd Monken refused to use Rojo. Rojo never got the playing time to determine if he was a bust or not. He literally had only 23 run attempts and 7 passes for a total of 30 plays…in 16 games.
No running back is going to look good that way.
So don’t give up on him just yet. So his first plays were duds. Anyone remember Jameis Winston’s first play?
March 7th, 2019 at 10:04 am
bonzai
guice did the same thing rojo did….NOTHING…..but guice was due to injury….cant say that about rojo…..we wouldve been better off with guice…
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 7th, 2019 at 10:08 am
Trade McCoy for a 2nd round pick(frees up cap space by $13m & we gain a pick.) And trade DJax for a 3rd or 4th(and free up $10m as well.) That equates to $23m total and we can go sign Ingram or Bell and pair them up with Barber.put RoJo on the practice squad and promote a WR from practice squad to replace Humphries. You sign Bell say at worst $14,and you have $9m left and you can go get Weddle or Goskowski. Easy fix,you get a proven RB and you can draft a Defensive star in the draft to plug in and don’t forget it will be Veas first OTAs so let’s see how he does this year. He could replace GMC,after all he looked pretty good the last half of the season last year
March 7th, 2019 at 10:09 am
Everyone talk about rojo bouncing back… lol. How does one bounce back that was never anything to begin with?
March 7th, 2019 at 10:18 am
@ Buccaneer Bonzai – First, Rojo was not brought in to be a workhorse back…he was brought in to replace Sims, who played a specific role.
Unlike Sims, Rojo had terrible hands both in College and in the NFL.
@ Buccaneer Bonzai – Second, Todd Monken refused to use Rojo. Rojo never got the playing time to determine if he was a bust or not.
Rojo did horrible in Preseason where he was given chance to lead the carries in 2 games. I think he averaged about 1 yard in preseason.
March 7th, 2019 at 10:23 am
El_Buc941 Says:
March 7th, 2019 at 10:08 am
Trade McCoy for a 2nd round pick(frees up cap space by $13m & we gain a pick.)
hey brain surgeon who is the dumbarse gm you will con into giving up a 2nd rd pick for an over 30, often injured, career loser with a great first step to nowhere that no longer exists… NO ONE IS GIVING UP ANYTHING FOR CANCER93 OUTSIDE OF A 5 OR 6th rd pick…. gurden is the only dumbarse that gives up picks for washed up has beens that never were.
March 7th, 2019 at 10:27 am
Bonzai, guice was the pick 100% and licht screwed it up. now the bucs are stuck with an RB that cannot comprehend an nfl playbook nor catch a nfl pass
March 7th, 2019 at 10:34 am
Why don’t we just say it, Rojo is dumb.”
Happens.
March 7th, 2019 at 10:34 am
Let;s get some perspective:
2015
• Jameis Winston – Good Pick
• Donovan Smith – Good Pick
• Ali Marpet – Good Pick
• Kwon Alexander – Good Pick
• Kenny Bell – Bad Pick
• Kaelin Clay – Bad Pick
• Joey Iosefa – Bad Pick
2016
• Vernon Hargreaves – Good Pick
• Noah Spence – Bad Pick
• Roberto Aguayo – Bad Pick
• Ryan Smith – Bad Pick
• Caleb Benenoch – Bad Pick
• Devante Bond – Bad Pick
• Dan Vitale – Bad Pick
2017
• O. J. Howard – Good Pick
• Justin Evans – Good Pick
• Chris Godwin – Good Pick
• Kendell Beckwith – Good Pick
• Jeremy McNichols – Bad Pick
• Stevie Tu’ikolovatu – Average Pick
2018
• Vita Vea – Good Pick
• Ronald Jones II – Unknown
• M. J. Stewart – Unknown
• Carlton Davis – Good Pick
• Alex Cappa – Good Pick
• Jordan Whitehead – Good Pick
• Justin Watson – Unknown
• Jack Cichy – Unknown
2015 was a very good draft I think. Four good picks out of seven…that’s extremely good. Few teams get 50% of their picks good, and Licht did better than that in 2015.
No doubt, 2016 was an absolutely horrible draft. Vernon Hargreaves is the only one to come out of it, and he has no paid off yet. He plays well in the slot, so he’s useful and that makes him a good pick, even if that was not the hope for him when he was drafted. Slot CBs and Slot WRs are more important these days. Most passes go to the slot, so defending it is a big need.
2017 was another very successful draft. Four of six picks have worked out.
2018 is too soon to tell since it was last year, but Vita Vea, Jordan Whitehead and Carlton Davis are looking good, Alex Cappa, I believe, will be a starter soon (which I predicted all last year for this year). MJ Stewart is a press CB who was used in off coverage. That will change this year and he will look better. Justin Watson at WR never really got much exposure and Rojo didn’t either. So too soon to tell. Which leaves Jack Cichy, who had moments last year, good and bad, but then got injured. So 2018 is shaping up to be another 50% successful draft.
That makes three very good drafts and one bad one.
It;s free agency where Licht’s biggest weakness lies, and hopefully, having Arians and his staff will change that.
March 7th, 2019 at 10:37 am
I’m not saying Rojo will be great…I’m saying we don’t know enough to be sure yet. Arians could completely change things for him.
And Rojo could have come to some realizations and gotten more serious about learning the playbooks this off season.
Anything can happen this early.
March 7th, 2019 at 10:37 am
“could be cut if he doesn’t improve”
Bucs would have to take a $3.2M dead money cap hit if they release Rojo this year. Which is obviously NOT HAPPENING.
Drives me crazy how those supposedly in the know can’t even bother to look something up before they go spouting off (or publishing) such nonsense…..
March 7th, 2019 at 10:40 am
@813bucboi
I was joking, but in the long run, you will probably be right. Maybe.
But, Rojo had at least some stats in 2018. Guise had none…which means Rojo had a better year. 😛
March 7th, 2019 at 10:41 am
Bonz
You are 100% delusional….. vh3 good pick lol… you can’t fix short, slow or stupid… kwon sucks… he can’t tackle and is almost as fragile as cancer93, beckwith will never play again how is that a good pick…. bottom line ma’am the results prove all the veterans and draft picks SUCK or they would not be in basement every year. Bottom line is the entire organization sucks. on field results prove that 41 out of 42 years…
March 7th, 2019 at 10:57 am
@SB
Nick Chubb was gone when we selected.
Like saying we could have had Penny or Michele.
Problem with Rojo was where he played. Sure he is fast but Chubb, Michele, Guice all played against good defenses.
Hell 3 of the Top 5 picks will probably be guys from SEC defenses.
March 7th, 2019 at 11:09 am
@bozai… how is hargraves, evans , cappa, a good pick???
You are calling jameis a good pick? You have #1 pick in the draft and you are going to take one of two qbs…. its the pick everyone makes. Vea a good pick? I hope so! There was a pro bowler siting there at a need position though.
March 7th, 2019 at 11:27 am
Bonzai- You might want to use “Unknown” or “OK” a great deal more. 90+% of the players you mention drafted still have a lot to prove.
As far as VHIII, I kind of side with tmax. It was an awful pick IMO.
I hope better coaching translates into better production out of these picks. I can’t help but think about how Jason Licht even has a job!
March 7th, 2019 at 12:35 pm
bonzai
you right….he was barely better guice which is sad….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 7th, 2019 at 12:45 pm
What NFL team cuts a 2nd round RB pick in year 2 and the dead money associated? None. If we do, we should rename the franchise the Bad News Bucs.
I think JBF needs to cool the brakes on all this RoJo cut stuff. I have been saying its too early; RoJo learning disability goes back to HS so it was a known factor. The kid is 20. I recall hearing many many many excuses for another #1 draft pick from 2015 due to his youth….RoJo gets no such slack. Be consistent is what I am saying.
March 7th, 2019 at 2:17 pm
Sb Chubb went about 5 picks before we drafted Rojo. I am pretty sure he was the first pick in the second round. But looking back I would have loved to have traded the pick we used on MJ Stewart and Rojo tothe Browns to move up and draft Chubb. Would 7 days out of the week rather have Chubb over Rojo and Stewart. And would have saved us a couple of million towards the cap. With one less 2nd round picks guaranteed contract. What would have been even better would have been drafting guice or Johnson that Detroit drafted in Rojo spot. And in the Stewart pick get the corner that Carolina drafted and still got Davis. Would have got a starting three down running back. And two starting corners. And have heargraves as are starting nickel. And are secondary would be looking a lot better.
March 7th, 2019 at 2:26 pm
You don’t draft a RB when you have Chris Conte starting for your defense. I hate the pick then, and I still hate it. It was stupid. With that said let’s see what happens with Jones. He literally had no way to shine under Dirk, he was constantly getting as soon as he touched the ball – and the good plays he did have (and he did have a few between the regular and preseason) were all called back on offensive holding calls.
Anywho the pick made no sense as no one had Jones ranked as high as the Bucs did. Just think if the Bucs had taken a right tackle of the future, or another guard, or God forbid a safety.
But what is done is done and I hope Jones rebounds and looks like a 2nd rounder.
March 7th, 2019 at 2:31 pm
Donuts,
Solid as heck take. Thanks…I feel slightly more optimistic about the fans.
March 7th, 2019 at 6:52 pm
Oline was healthy Joe but were taught to pass block even on run plays. Passing 65% of the time didnt help. The mind set will be different this year. Not saying RoNo played great but the run blocking was awful. We will see how he fares with a new staff, if he makes it that far.