NFL.com: Bucs Were Scared
March 6th, 2019
It seems you won’t find Gregg Rosenthal ever exchanging Christmas cards with Donovan Smith.
In a scathing paragraph as part of a column where Rosenthal documented all the moves and non-moves of teams on the final day of tag season yesterday, Rosenthal mocked the Bucs as “scared” to try to upgrade at left tackle in the wake of news that the Bucs re-signed Donovan Smith to a three-year deal.
Rosenthal, in so many words, typed that the only people who like Smith work at One Buc Palace.
Smith is one of those players whose own team speaks highly of him, even while he fails every eye test. Pro Football Focus has ranked Smith as one of the 11 worst tackles in football for four straight seasons, but he hasn’t missed a snap. This contract is a reminder that it’s extremely difficult to find left tackles, to the point that front offices are acting scared about starting over at the position. GM Jason Licht also could be guilty of overrating his own picks; Smith was taken in the second round in 2015, in Licht’s second year on the job.
Joe was told last year by a trusted source that the Bucs consulted every front office in the NFL to seek input on how they rank Smith. The answers averaged No. 12 ranking among starting left tackles.
Now Joe knows that there is a massive, Grand Canyon-wide gap between NFL folks (you know, the people who get paid very well who work in football operations for NFL teams) and the PFF tribe when it comes to offensive linemen and the tribe’s hackneyed “grades.”
Joe has been fortunate enough over the years to speak with several NFL general managers (one who has a ring) to seek their input on the PFF tribe and offensive line grades. Nothing, and Joe means nothing, gets these guys freaked out like when you mention PFF offensive line grades to them (a close second would be asking them if they plan to sign Roberto Aguayo).
Reactions from these suits range from hysterical laughter to outrage. Once Joe was sitting at a table with an NFL general manager and mentioned the PFF tribe’s offensive line grades and the suit got so animated in his disgust that Joe seriously thought the guy was going to fall over backward. Another suit’s reaction to the PFF tribe’s offensive line grades was sarcastic, “They’re cute.”
Sadly, Cris Collinsworth’s outfit has NFL fans completely hoodwinked that these spreadsheeters are some authority when it comes to football. One would think since they have the answers to everything (that’s a Bill Belicheat line when asked about the PFF tribe once), one of these high priests would be running an NFL organization by now raking in a couple of million dollars a year.
That has yet to happen. Why is that?
Joe firmly believes the PFF tribe has poisoned so many innocent minds about Smith before he was even drafted that no matter what Smith has done or will do it will never be good enough.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:01 am
Overrating his own picks.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:06 am
Joe
“Joe was told last year by a trusted source that the Bucs consulted every front office in the NFL to seek input on how they rank Smith”
So you’re saying we call around to other teams to ask about our own players?
If that’s so we are a more Mickey Mouse operation than I imagined
March 6th, 2019 at 8:09 am
Question – Lets float the idea that other clubs do not have a high opinion of Donovan Smith. Who says they wouldn’t bait Tampa’s front office, with their “generous” evaluation of his tape, to have Tampa overpay for him? This is in the case that Smith does not improve his play the next three years. He will need to in order to properly earn his new deal.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:10 am
It’s a common practice that every team in the NFL utilizes.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:11 am
Here we go. Joe’s bias towards Donovan smith being a legit LT vs a team of people who have devised a system of metrics to measure players performance, to then watch every single play and leverage a grade. But because joe had a conversation with someone who laughed about it, the legitimacy of a widely accepted system gets thrown out the window.
You best believe that given market conditions (weak FA market, incoming new management, Licht having a chubby for anyone he drafted for obvious reasons) the Bucs went about this scared. But the contract isn’t horrible. We are really locked in for two years giving the Bucs the possibility to develop an actual legit LT. But enough of the dog and pony show that PFF is completely worthless when it disagrees with the less educated opinions of this site.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:11 am
Baseball took a while to come around to algorithm metric stats as well.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:12 am
Yea he was scared
March 6th, 2019 at 8:15 am
Not uncommon for teams to do that. Sort of scouting yourself. Teams also talk amongst each other to try to figure out who will draft who in order to build a battleplan for the draft.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:16 am
And look how that turned out. 🙁
It is more than a valid argument by football people that if you don’t know what a guy’s assignment is/was, how can he be fairly judged.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:23 am
Legitimacy? How can something be legitimate when the very industry that this apparatus is supposed to monitor is deemed by the professionals to be horsecrap? If these guys knew what they were talking about, they wouldn’t be working for Collinsworth, they’d be working in the NFL. An NFL owner wouldn’t blink about writing a massive check to have these guys working for them.
If you had to have a wisdom tooth removed, would you go to a dentist or would you go to some guy in a backroom office in a strip mall who claims he has a software program that has dentistry figured out with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a pair of pliers?
Remember, you are trying to defend an outfit that claimed O.J. Howard had the worst “grade” of any rookie last year and that included stiffs who didn’t see the field. That’s just one of many, many examples.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:23 am
I think we see a different Smith this year with the new coaching staff. Dude has to know all eyes are on him now.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:23 am
Rosenthal neglects some important facts to Licht’s reasoning. BA has been doing player evaluations all offseason and has said multiple times he wants to win now. Winning coaches take average players and make them better and I think BA has seen enough of Smith to think that he can make him better. To me, a 2-year deal is more of a prove it deal than anything else. We all assume BA will be here 3 seasons if we are lucky that is right about the time D. Smith would be do an extension. If Smith fails we simply walk away I don’t know why so many people are so upset about this. We have a new coaching staff lets see what they can do they have earned a shot to prove themselves.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:24 am
That’s fair. People give Jameis sort of a pass because he really only had one coach in the NFL. Donovan Smith has only had George Warhop as a position coach.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:24 am
Smith is better than over half the left tackles in the NFL. Add his durability, youth and wanting to play here, signing him was a no-brainer. Plus he and Ali came in the league with Jameis and they are friends who have each other’s back. Let’s get him more coaching and hope he will be a top 5 LT because if we didn’t pay him some other team would have. And it would be sad watching him go to pro-bowls wearing another team’s logo.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:38 am
Why is everyone acting like it was some massive Ground breaking contract. It’s basically a 2 year deal at $13.5M. That’s not much of a commitment. C’mon.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:40 am
Not sure about “no-brainer” but you make a couple of very smart points.
The durability is a trait that NFL people do not overlook. Remember what Bill Parcells said, “Your best ability is your availability?” That’s huge for an offensive lineman much less a left tackle.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:40 am
More tan clear that GM overpaid Smith not because of his talent, just because the lack of LT….pure and simple…..I wouldn´t have pay him, but the contract is signed so let´s move on !!
March 6th, 2019 at 8:41 am
If these guys knew what they were talking about, they wouldn’t be working for Collinsworth, they’d be working in the NFL. An NFL owner wouldn’t blink about writing a massive check to have these guys working for them.
Right, because Collinsworth is paying them with gummybears. And o yea, their metrics have been used outside the NFL. But you’re right, they should cut off those revenue streams from fans so they can work for an outfit who already respects and uses their grades.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:46 am
Smith is here to stay, whether anyone likes it or not. No point in cursing fellow fans by whining over it now.
It was the right move, even if they draft a replacement to develop.
Lict still needs to get Hump, Kwon, Wester, and Leidke re-signed rather quickly.
I suspect he’s waiting to release certain players to freecap space until after the draft.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:51 am
Jason Lichts opinions and evaluations have resulted in a losing 5 year record and now heading into 2019 with the exact same team…sounds like a recipe for 6-10 again
March 6th, 2019 at 8:55 am
Four words in the first sentence tell all “fails every eye test” Most fans don’t claim to know how everything works with offensive lineman or players in general but we can watch a game and know when someone is getting blown off the ball.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:57 am
Jason Lict: so what do you think of our T and Dbs?
All other GMs: They are pretty good, I’d keep them.
Hangs up laughing knowing We will finish in the bottom and won’t compete w any free agents they want.
March 6th, 2019 at 8:59 am
PFF tribe’s “hackneyed “‘grades.”’
Well written. Using a word derived from medieval England is quite impressive—at least to me. Although the word has metamorphosed from a place near London to a horse from that place and is now more and more commonly used as a kind of brainless modus operandi, it hasn’t been sullied by the transformation.
Good job guys!
March 6th, 2019 at 9:01 am
It’s over….move on
March 6th, 2019 at 9:03 am
Not suggesting the tribe work in cahoots with the NFL. Am saying if these guys were on target as much as they claim, they’d be raking in cash working in the NFL. Teams bring in outside people all the time to try to learn. Hell, the NFL spends millions on shrinks to find better ways for their players to learn. Belicheat even brings in high school coaches to pick their brains. If any NFL owners/GM thought the tribe offered value, they’d buy them out.
(Yes, NFL teams contract with the tribe to do quality control stats breakdown — but not for their lame “grades.”)
March 6th, 2019 at 9:14 am
Another mistake by Licht. Why is he still here?
March 6th, 2019 at 9:15 am
Pff didn’t grade jpp well last year and somehow went from giving on Howard a worse grade than John Ross to #2 TE in the league
None of that sh1t matches my eye test the last 2 years lol. Howard improved but also looked good as a rookie lol
March 6th, 2019 at 9:15 am
Gregg Rosenthal….a quality journalistic professional with very good roots, with a very fair take here. Someone frankly, who should be sourced more here, and the REST far LESS. Such circus clowns “referenced/sourced” here many times. Doesn’t have to be that way.
The truth about Smith does lie in Licht overrating his past draft picks sure, and a little of the middle ground on Smith’s play. But where were the Bucs going to go, for his replacement?? #Stuck.
Go Bucs! Get Quinnen!
March 6th, 2019 at 9:16 am
I expect better from Rosie tbh, but I guess this is the season for throwing stones. Listen, he isn’t the best tackle in football, but he certainly is not the problem. And there aren’t 32 capable left tackles in football. Hope this staff can maximize his potential, because he can certainly dominate at times. And at others he just gets lost in his own head it seems.
March 6th, 2019 at 9:19 am
How much thought, time, and film study do you think the other teams put in to telling the Bucs how much they value their player? Not much.
March 6th, 2019 at 9:20 am
Over rating his own underperforming picks is gonna be his downfall
March 6th, 2019 at 9:30 am
That’s all I needed to read to completely dismiss this article. Besides, he used to work for PFF so it’s probably in his best interest to keep pumping up the site.
What’s up with NFL.com anyway? I don’t go to NFL.com to read the opinions of journalists.
March 6th, 2019 at 9:34 am
Good left tackles rarely hit free agency. Better to overpay your own guy who wants to be there than overpay a guy with no loyalty to the team. We’ll see how the NE left tackle looks on a different team next season.
March 6th, 2019 at 9:40 am
The only poisoned minds are those of whom who never watched Smith play and make judgements. That being said, he’s no way shape or form worth that kind of money. He’ll have occasional plays where he excels. I’d argue that 90% of his games are average at best. He has terrible mechanics, can’t win against speed consistently and is lazy.
March 6th, 2019 at 9:47 am
D Smith gives up less sacks per game than the other “best LTs” in the NFL , he’s 25 years old , has never missed a start , and is gonna be playing next to the same LG for consecutive years for the first time in his career .
March 6th, 2019 at 9:48 am
If the FO graded Smith in concurrence with the NFL avg of #12 LT…Why pay him @ #4 LT $$$??? (Avg Yrly Salary = $13.75M)
Because the FO didn’t see a day 1 starting LT @ the combine, that will fall into the Bucs draft slots or fill Smith’s shoes w/o time to develop. Nor is there a better option available in FA, that would come in for significantly less than the 3yr deal Smith accepted.
This 3yr deal solidifies the L side of the Bucs OL for BA’s tenure…It also signals that the Bucs will likely target a RT vs LT in the draft. (Which is flush of quality RT prospects, but short on LT’s.)
March 6th, 2019 at 10:08 am
bucs always settle for the least worst option versus the best option whether it’s coaches, front office, support staff or players. There is a reason it’s been nearly 2 decades without a single meaningful win…. just like with computers garbage in garbage OUT!!!! The results are undeniably pure garbage….
The bucs have made 3 good decisions in 42 years Drafting Selmon, Drafting Sapp and Firing Dungy the ignorant one dimensional clown….
wins are all that matter…. not choirboys, not doing good in the small town community… doing your job on Sunday and winning…. simple as that…
bucs need aggressive throat stomping winners not the least worst option at every position.
March 6th, 2019 at 10:24 am
Yes Licht was scared. Scared to admit he failed once again with a 2nd rd pick.
March 6th, 2019 at 10:34 am
@Joes
Agree with you about PFF grades, I pay NO attention to that outfit. But disagree about signing Smith. He is a well paid marginal tackle at best. Bad move by the Bucs and why we will remain the the NFC south basement.
March 6th, 2019 at 10:48 am
if he would just develop a nasty streak and fin out on players he would be darn good…however these are natural traits, not developed ones…like being a mauler
#HesNoMaulerButNowHesAyeBaller
March 6th, 2019 at 10:48 am
we cant replace everyone with rookies or high priced FA’s….coaches get paid millions to develop these players…..figure out what the player does wrong whether its technique or aggressiveness and coach him up….
we should see a increase in production in numerous players offensively and defensively…..
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 6th, 2019 at 10:54 am
D Smith hate been weird to me IMO. Lot of confused O-line takes in general.
Especially when our RG/RT were 10X worse. Primarily RG.
Smith had his least penalized year in 2018.
5.5 sacks given up in 2018 = one of his worst years.
That’s still only 5.5 sacks lol.. We give up like 40-50 a year and if the rest of our O-line matched Smith’s worst season that # would cut down to 25-30… so try to explain that plz.
LT primary job = pass pro.
Football outsiders had us as a top 15 pass blocking O-line and I trust their general ranks a lot more than PFF individual lineman grades. That sounds about right to me especially given the type of offense we ran. They held up well for the most part in pass pro. But we were bottom 3-10 in most run block categories.
Biggest O-line issue last year was sh1t execution in the run game/ red zone which go hand in hand. At some point you need to get 2-3 yards when the defense knows you need those 2-3 yards – and that is where this O-line sucked. That is why our red zone offense sucked, on top of Koetter coaching scared and not having good play designs for easier scores / easier execution.
We just need to solidify RG/RT and this line is set for a while. Jensen/Marpet should look a lot better with any decent RG upgrade. Also hoping new O-line coach can do more than Warhop did – which seems like nothing in terms of development.
March 6th, 2019 at 10:57 am
Bucs better draft Smith’s hopeful replacement this year in rd 1 or 2 so the youngster can get his feet wet in the NFL at RT for 2 years before taking over at LT.
If they don’t – then we’ll be grossly overpaying our under achieving LT for many years to come….
I laid out multiple reasons why we should have just let Smith walk many times here. Hope I was wrong…..
Time to step up Donovan
March 6th, 2019 at 11:16 am
I would agree that PFF grades on Smith has given me doubt about Smith. But for a guy who is durable, Smith rocks. Also, if a Oline player plays 1000 snaps a year vs. someone who plays 800 snaps, the number would be skewed. I think Smith had 4 holding calls last year playing every snaps, while other left tackles who were rated higher than Smith per PFF might had 2 holding calls while only playing 800 snaps.
March 6th, 2019 at 11:54 am
Maybe Smith is so durable because he doesn’t sell-out when he plays… Too much standing around the pile after being beaten because of yet another display of poor technique. As a little kid, I used to concuss myself making a tackle against larger players because I refused to be beaten. I don’t see that hutsvah from Smith (& others).
I hope all Bucs attain greatness but, Smith’s effort sure leaves many wanting. All hail better coaching! But, how does one teach effort to a lazy player that just got paid?
March 6th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
If Smith were consistent, he’d be a top-5 guy. It’s a good signing
March 6th, 2019 at 2:28 pm
PFF is fake news.
March 6th, 2019 at 9:44 pm
Tmax
I would add Derrick Brooks over the firing of Dungy. He may be the BEST BUC of all time & certainly was the HEART of the TEAM. Not Sapp the loud shallow selfish clown. Proven on many occasions to all of us who have seen him & socialized with him in public. There is NO SAPP DEBARTOLO SCHOOL.. lol….That draft was best BUC draft ever w him & SAPP in first round. Just think DB 55 should be included for sure…. & definitely over SAPP
March 7th, 2019 at 6:00 am
really don’t care what anybody says, I have eyes. d.smith is not a good LT period, RT yes. If we could switch him to the right side I think we would see a guy who is a pro bowl caliber RT. again NOT LT.