Report: Bucs Will Play Tag & Talk With Donovan Smith
March 4th, 2019
Jason Licht made it very clear last week on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’d be slapping the franchise tag on left tackle Donovan Smith by tomorrow’s deadline unless a contract-extension agreement was reached during talks between the two camps scheduled for last week in Indianapolis.
Today, Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud of pay-per-view TampaBay.com is Twittering that the Bucs are expected to play a version of tag-and-talk with Smith, meaning they’ll slap the franchise tag on him by the deadline and build on those contract talks that went quite well last week.
Face it, Smith haters, new head coach Bucco Bruce Arians has watched the Smith film and wants to pay the man.
For those who refuse to believe Arians adores Smith’s film, then you can believe market forces worked in Smith’s favor and won out over his intermittent loafing and average to above-average play.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:10 am
BA needs to give Smith the Willie Colon treatment!
March 4th, 2019 at 11:13 am
It’s the right decision. It’s foolish to do anything else at this point with the LT position. The 2019 season is *not* a rebuilding year.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:14 am
it is not about his ability…it is about his effort at times….Jesus dude play the game !
March 4th, 2019 at 11:17 am
Just a double edged sword. Jameis fans bash the o-line but according to our head coach the LT is just fine. Personally Smith is gonna cash in his check and play halfway through the whistle. It’s inevitable
March 4th, 2019 at 11:21 am
Arians must believe he’ll be able to motivate Smith and a few of the other underachievers. Good luck BA you are going to need it. Being able to motivate grown men/professional athletes is a skill that has been missing from our last 4 coaches.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:26 am
right decision….
better coaching will improve his play….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 11:27 am
When we pay Smith…..and we will…..there goes all that money for all those $17 mil DEs…….and some of it for LB, S, OG, K, CB, RB & Backup QB.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:29 am
This team is either at the corner or its at the precipice ….
March 4th, 2019 at 11:34 am
“BA scheme and play design will not only help JW but the offensive line play”
Kobe Faker
#Say No to Sweats Chicken legs
March 4th, 2019 at 11:37 am
Tag Smith for 1 year and draft a left tackle. Have the rookie start on the right side and if Smith does not perform well, then move the rookie to the left side next year.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:38 am
813,
Coaching & motivating are two completely different animals! It used to be expected of ALL professionals to be self motivated. Now in the days of hurt feelings and social media the job of motivation is a challenging one for sure.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:42 am
Praying this does not happen. If he loafed the last 5 years , he’s going to change because??? He has been through 2 coaches already. So he and 93 are eating up about 27 million that could be used on getting real players.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:44 am
Yeah no reason to let him walk really in the end.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:45 am
Licht Brain has one freaking job-make the final call on personnel to the utmost benefit of this sinking ship of a franchise. Licht Brain has been abysmal and should have been thrown out with the Koetter bath water. Tolerating at best AVERAGE play and then rewarding said play is why this team is in the mess it is in.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:48 am
I know they need oline help but I think they can get away with another year.
Keep it at Tag Donovan smith for year Wait to see what he does with new coaching.
Bring in Free agent Reuben foster at guard or Iupati as they won’t break the bank . They are older but guards play to 35 .
Draft best Dline man , linebacker (devin white) and corner with 1st 3 picks.
Sign Mathieu at safety and you have new blood at each level on defense.
Let Todd Bowles have the ability to blitz from anywhere on field.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:50 am
Saw the crop of OLine at the combine. Tags don the next business day.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:51 am
Fix the right side of the OL!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 11:56 am
bucnjim
i think he’s motivated enough….he’s had chances to sit out when injured and didnt….that seems like motivation and dedication to me….d.smith just like the entire team needs better coaching….i think he and the team has that now with BA and his staff….we’ll see a big jump in his production…..dirk was soft as hell….BA aint scared to light players a$$ on fire….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 11:57 am
Hope you’re right!
March 4th, 2019 at 12:04 pm
@Bird
You and I subscribe to pretty much the same plan.
FA Oline & S……Draft LB & Dline and no $17mil players…
We should be able to restructure GMC….he has no guarantees…..give him a lower salary for 2 years…..maybe 3…..but with guarantees….he should take it.
Bye, bye to Djax……..
March 4th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
This is the right move to make. Hopefully the new OL coach can light a fire under his a$$ and motivate him.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:06 pm
You guys are acting like Donavan won’t be called out weekly on Bruce’s accountability board we keep hearing about.
Dude is not gonna get away with playing halfway thru the whistle anymore. I hope we stick with the tag cuz if he doesn’t play well his next contract won’t be 14 per year that’s for damn sure.
Donavan is an average lt. He has a high ceiling. Some of u need to STFU cuz I’m sure you guys will be clamoring for Jonah in possibly the best defensive draft in history and he may not be half as good.
I’m gonna be furious if we draft offense in round 1. And I don’t want to trade down. Too much elite talent at 5.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:21 pm
I hope I’m wrong, but I think Smith will get worse when he gets paid. See the difference between he and his partner Marpet is that Ali is a “put me where you want me coach, I just wanna play football” and D Smith is a “nah coach, I ain’t moving to guard or RT, I’m good here at LT” type of player. Clearly for me this was “I’m gonna get my LT money, team be damned”. I don’t like that attitude (I understand it, but I don’t like it). My 2 cents, I would pay honey badger and maybe RG and RT with that money. Draft your LT, he can’t be worse than D Smith. I bet everyone on this board would want Q Nelson on this team, sometimes it isn’t about the sexy pick, it is about the right pick. Trade back a few spots and draft O-line in the first. Tough year to do that with all of these D-line Studs coming out, but you may be able to snag one in the second because there are so many.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:25 pm
AlteredEgo Says:
March 4th, 2019 at 11:29 am
“This team is either at the corner or its at the precipice ….”
Couldn’t be said any better.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:34 pm
Buccernutter
Doesnt matter if u pick at 1, 5, 10, 15 etc. If you get the right guy. All drafts have pro bowlers and hof’ers picked after the first round. The draft is a fifty fifty even for the best of em. The more lottery tickets ya buy the better ur odds.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:44 pm
Darin
Na man that’s failed logic. That’s suggesting each pick has the same chance of hitting. Round 1 is 50/50 and the chance of hitting dramatically decreases each round after.
You are right it doesn’t matter as long as u get the right guy but bosa Williams white and allen are most certainly more sure fire picks then the middle of the first round. It is MUCH more likely to get an elite player in the first 5 then later in the draft.
Go back and look at how many hall of famers were picked after round 1 compared to round 1. It’s a big difference.
This draft has too many great players in the top 10 picks. A small trade down could be okay but I guarantee u coaching will agree that there’s can’t miss prospects at #5 that are hit and miss at 10 or later.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:52 pm
Gotta love this country right, reward a marginal player at best a whopping contract of 14 million. Can you image an employee at staples for example being promoted to manager for being marginal? BA looked at his tape and said “OK that’s good enough for me, pay the man!” This is already a bad hire. #Shame
March 4th, 2019 at 12:54 pm
Bottom line is, there’s to many holes to fill on the roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball, to worry about how to fill the left tackle position if Smith was let to walk away.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:56 pm
If this guy showed NO motivation and NO effort when he was poor why things are going to change now that he is a millonaire??? Pathetic!!!
And Joe please is not about loving or hating…..I don´t hate Smith, is I think he is below average and our Salary cap is not as generous as everybody wants to.
You can´t pay Winston, Desean, Smith, Kwon Hump,GMC bring Tyrann Mathieu, and some other players on free agency…Numbers just do not add…..pure and simple. We have to sacrifice something in order to gain something, and I simply think that this guy is super overpaid!!!!!Is not about lover or hate!!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 1:01 pm
Now with this tag, our starting offensive (both definitions apply here) line will count 41 million dollars against our cap in return for marginal production. Marpet so far is the only one deserving of his salary. But it’s A Bucs Life tho. #Shame
March 4th, 2019 at 1:03 pm
@zzbuc
A FREAKIN MAN!! PREACH!!
March 4th, 2019 at 1:24 pm
What we need to do is allow UNRESTRICTED free agents that will command too much money and that we don’t need as much ie Humphries, Kwon, Fitz and replace them with bargain players or through the draft so we can recoup draft capital. THEN USE THE REPLACEMENT COMPENSATION PICKS (that the Patriots and other sustainably built teams do every year ) and end up with 2-4 extra picks almost every year to trade or stockpile young cheap ammunition year after year.
March 4th, 2019 at 2:29 pm
Question…if they get a deal done before the start of free agency, can they move the tag to another player?
March 4th, 2019 at 2:31 pm
ERIC Says
“What we need to do is allow UNRESTRICTED free agents that will command too much money and that we don’t need…”
That is the usual plan, however your evaluation of who we ‘don’t need’ is way off. We actually DO NEED Humphries and Kwon.
And everyone who is saying to let them walk now will be screaming that Licht should be fired later for doing it.
March 4th, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Also, Eric…the Bucs have been letting players get away for years, and we alost never get compensation picks.
March 4th, 2019 at 2:38 pm
Bonzai get off Hump and Kwon they are both likely gone. Kwon can’t even run right now. The Bucs just can’t afford to stash away a LB for 10M because we got just 1 legit LB on the roster. Kwon will fit better on a team that has a solid defense in place where he can heal up and won’t be desperately needed in game 1 like he would be here.
Hump will likely be released as a byproduct of building up a very strong receiving core. After he’s gone BA will have plenty of weapons left to circulate the ball to. They should also think about drafting another target to replenish our depth.
March 4th, 2019 at 2:42 pm
“Necessary” You say? “The right thing to do”? “Too many other holes to worry about LT too”?? Hmmmm
I present exhibit A as to why Franchise tagging Smith is a bad idea:
Option 1 – $14.5M = Donovan Smith
—–OR——-
Option 2 – $14.5M = Wester + Liedtke + (your new starting RG) Ramon Foster + (your new starting SS and leader of the Secondary) Tyrann Mathieu – aka – Honey Badger!
So in all seriousness – I ask each and every one of you who reads this to consider – which of these options gives the Buccaneers a better chance to win on Sundays in 2019?
March 4th, 2019 at 3:13 pm
Pickgrin. Option 2 don’t have a LT in it. I see a couple backups but whose starting the 16 games?
March 4th, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Jimmy Jack – You draft the best OT prospect you can identify in either Round 1 or Round 2.
Let Wester, Liedtke (both of whom have been here 3 years now) and the rookie fight it out in TC and PS for the starting LT job. Best player starts.
One of those three options will step up and play the spot capably this year. Bet you our running game would improve on that left end as well….
March 4th, 2019 at 4:27 pm
Pickgrin I hate that plan. Now we will have to draft a LT at 5 if you can’t find a trade and it will prevent us from drafting a elite defensive player. We are passing on a potential All-Pro player. This will keep us as a worst place defense for a third straight year. On top of that you probably aren’t even upgrading the LT position…….I’ve heard the experts saying that the top two tackles in this class might wind up playing RT in the NFL……I’ve even heard it said that they might even wind up at G.
It’s a very week Tackle class that really doesn’t warrant any consideration at top five. The ripple effects of overdrafting that position is catastrophic. It don’t improve the team in any area. It’s a downgrade on OL and is a downgrade on defens since we draft no top talent. This plan makes us a worse football team.
I say all that assuming youre not getting a LT in round 2(at least not a plug and play guy). Seems safe to assume that since the top 2 tackles are getting little to no hype.
March 4th, 2019 at 4:32 pm
As far as Wester and Liedkie go I’m sure it’s safe to say that each of them would be a downgrade.
If that’s your plan I ask you to change it and resign Dotson to play LT. He is better them both of them. If they were better they would have won the RT job from in over the last several years.
March 4th, 2019 at 4:34 pm
Donovan Smith played OK his rookie year – and was drafted just about exactly where our 2nd rd pick falls this year.
Even if you only get 85% of Smith’s capabilities/play out of Wester or Liedtke if need be – you are getting that for 10% of the price which is easy math to me….
March 4th, 2019 at 4:46 pm
Not to split hairs or be a wordsmith but I do not believe Donovan is a loafer or doesn’t care about competing.
To me his inconsistency is because he sometimes seems to lose focus. He doesn’t consistently loaf or play lazy…one play can be great the next poor…a loafer is more consistently bad.
Now as to how to fix a player’s focus…that’s a toughie. Maybe BA can get some Ritalin to help with the ADD.
March 4th, 2019 at 4:59 pm
That’s ridiculous. This isn’t 2015 you are getting the same player in round 2. 2015 was a good year to need a T. A few pro-bowl tackles were taken in the first round. That’s rare.
That draft also featured only 1 defensive lineman taken in the top 15. Does this sound like the same draft class to you?
Unsure what 85% means but if that’s the case let’s bring back Dotson to play LT. Since he’s better then them it means hell do better then 85%………Better yet how about we just not downgrade to begin with? I wanna win!!!?
March 4th, 2019 at 5:24 pm
Pick
Cool it with wester and liedtke. You’re overvaluing your analytic skills. If you’re wrong the season is shot with the second most important position on offense.