Encouraging Words For Auclair
May 30th, 2019
Liked by Bucs coach. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
When Joe gets asked what/who is sticking out during underwear football practices, Joe says one offensive player has caught Joe’s eye.
That is backup tight end Antony Auclair.
Two years ago Auclair was camp meat. The Bucs seemed to have enough tight ends. They also drafted O.J. Howard in the first round that spring.
Auclair played college football in Canada. An NFL source told Joe a few years ago college football in Canada is basically bad Division-III or NAIA ball.
But Auclair proved to be a good blocker and made the 53-man roster out of his rookie training camp. He doesn’t have the greatest of hands, though he has caught all but one of his nine career targeted passes.
More than once this underwear football season Joe has noticed Auclair making nice catches from America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston. Of course, Joe has to qualify everything knowing this is glorified flag football.
It seems Auclair has caught the eye of Bucco Bruce Arians as well.
“He’s one of those guys – this is good for him as far as the skill level stuff, but he’s going to be a blocker,” Arians said. “Really, until I see him in pads, it’s hard [to judge]. I know he’s tough because he’s doing it already and he’s got tape of being tough. So, just continuing to learn footwork and little things that it takes to play tight end in our offense, which isn’t easy.”
Joe has sensed a pattern with Arians. He likes tough, nasty guys. Arians had that wonderful cat-ate-the-canary smirk on his face the other day talking about the rap Ndamukong Suh has for being nasty if not dirty.
This is a window into Arians’ past. Bear Bryant, who Arians once worked for, just loved tough guys over flashy athletes. And of course, Bryant enjoyed and demanded players play to the whistle if not beyond.
So too did Bill Cowher, another guy Arians worked for.
And we all know Arians isn’t bashful about getting in a guy’s grill.
Joe is starting to think Arians has more Bryant in him than he leads people to believe.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:04 am
At least half the roster gets cut once the pads come on.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:07 am
BA’s love for tough guys certainly flys in the face of all the GMC apologists who were happy with soft losing.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:08 am
What’s the over/under on Brate getting cut?
May 30th, 2019 at 9:09 am
Great to hear confirmation of what we hoped for… A coach who knows what to do and how to do it. I’d still place money this was our best off season pick up (probably even the last 10yrs)
An identity is brewing… And I can’t wait to see it on the field.
In BA I Trust!
May 30th, 2019 at 9:12 am
Todd I think Brate and Auclair play two different positions – blocking vs, receiving TE. With DJax and Hump gone we will need players to catch balls, unless we get something good for Brate I don’t see him going anywhere and I certainly don’t see him cut.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:14 am
Say it ain’t so 55!
May 30th, 2019 at 9:16 am
Solid backup, good to keep around.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:17 am
No way they cut or trade Brate.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:20 am
The key to Brate is his health…..if he’s healthy, he’s tradeable & playable. If not, he needs to be cut to save the $7m and bring in another player.
I will say this, If OJ goes down….we desperately need Brate…..so, I’m all for keeping him.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:42 am
Depends on JPP’s health, but I could foresee Brate getting traded for a DE like Leonard Williams if the Bucs think JPP is not coming back this season.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:42 am
Fear not sheep!!!!! Between the bad gm once again paying too much guaranteed money and brate’s injury, he has no value!!!!!!! He is untouchable for cutting!!!! And to Tampabaybucfan’s point, if OJ gets hurt, they double ME13, who will the below avg qb stare down then??????????
Intern Zach says: Mr Realist???
The Buc Realist says: “Yes Intern Zach”!!!!!!!!!!!!
Intern Zach says: “do sheep cry”?????
The Buc Realist says ” They do in Tampa”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 30th, 2019 at 9:43 am
The sad thing in the league today Joe is your not allowed to have nasty players. These greesball owners care about one thing. Money. You accomplish that by keeping your Tom Brady’s healthy by ways not physically possible to sack QBs and BS tackling rules and now. How many times have you seen a RB called for leading with the crown of his helmet??? Never yet it happens a lot.
Flash. Pizase. TV ratings. Fantasy Football. Money.
Might as well all be underwear football.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:44 am
Trade Brate, any pick really, and work a trade for a pass rusher.
May 30th, 2019 at 9:57 am
I don’t think you could trade Brate, coming off a hip injury.
They can’t cut him, his money is guaranteed.
They should use him with OJ, with one shifting into a slot position, creating mismatch nightmares for the opponents.
May 30th, 2019 at 10:13 am
All coaches love tough football players… getting them to play tough on losing teams is the tough part… especially 2019 NFL players that shut it down and turn their heads off to demanding coaches
May 30th, 2019 at 10:19 am
Good depth at TE. Nice to have.
May 30th, 2019 at 10:23 am
Ghost—
“They can’t cut him, his money is guaranteed.”
Right. Forgot it was guaranteed.
May 30th, 2019 at 10:42 am
Salute to whichever Joe did this one. I love when the underdog guys get some pub. That’s why I go so hard for them. It’s time get back to the rugged. BucBall ish. We had a mantra y’all,and everybody in the knew what it meant when the term “BucBall” was stated. We gone kick all of your @$$ on defense and run that rock str8 down y’all throat an ain’t much y’all gone be able to do about it.
May 30th, 2019 at 10:43 am
Ant Auclair epitomizes BucBall.
May 30th, 2019 at 10:48 am
And Sport,you d$&@ right an identity is forming. Quickly I might add.
May 30th, 2019 at 11:15 am
@Nos
I came here to see ya comments bruh… thanks for calling for this and puttin us on to the youtube vid.
I too root for the underdawgs… my sleeper is the undrafted WR from last year[ who was FLAT OUT balling in preseason before he got placed on IR for the year. I think he’s gonna push and be in mix w Miller/Bobo/and UB WR for that 5/6 spot.
Go Bucs!!
May 30th, 2019 at 12:12 pm
Brate is no blocker and BA wants TEs that do both. Watch for BA to play both Auclair and Howard as his two TE set so that Auclair can chip block speed rushers to help D. Smith. You should still keep Brate as backup to Howard if he is hurt but Licht needs to ask him to restructure his deal first. 7 Million for a backup TE who cannot block is too much. Auclair is just as good a pass receiver as Brate and is much taller.
May 30th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
BucAllNight Salute my G..
May 30th, 2019 at 12:21 pm
BA Fan he absolutely should be asked to restructure. My concern for Brate is the hip injury itself. Sport science medicine hasn’t to my knowledge licked that one yet. I just keep thinking about how a hip injury grounded one the best athletes in common era history. Bo Jackson.
May 30th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
somebody gotta get Auclair to cut down on the many many penalties he gets and stop dropping the ball
May 30th, 2019 at 1:41 pm
Todd it is Zero – None that he gets cut. How can we depend on 80 he has been hurt every season. Do we want to just have Auclair as our backup TE? Is Brate not a worth TE in your view? He has caught the most TD’s of all the TE in the NFL the last 3 seasons. But we should cut him in your opinion? Why?
May 30th, 2019 at 2:42 pm
Is Auclair the next Luke Stocker? Block but can’t catch?
Say what you want but Stocker was a helluva blocker.
May 30th, 2019 at 2:57 pm
I love nasty players, to win in the NFL you need Dogs no Cats.
You can be a nice guy and play nasty, IE John Lynch, 55 are good examples. But I am not mad a guys like Sapp. So what he is an a$$ off the field, dude could take over the game from the DT position.
May 30th, 2019 at 3:06 pm
bye brate!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
May 30th, 2019 at 4:19 pm
Interesting – since on the field he’s been a complete and total non-factor in the passing game and has had butter fingers when the ball has been thrown to him. Now, with that said he didn’t exactly get a ton of opportunities, but he’s never really stood out in any case. Anywho, if he is figuring it out and showing something, that will make moving on from Brate next year even easier.
May 30th, 2019 at 5:02 pm
This new Realist is actually funnier. Even more delusional.. but funnier.
May 30th, 2019 at 5:19 pm
“cat-ate-the-canary smirk”
definition: demands respect after imposing his will on his prey
May 30th, 2019 at 6:41 pm
Didn’t Joe write that Auclair caught all but one of his nine balls thrown his way? What’s with the butter fingers talk.
May 31st, 2019 at 7:47 am
@Zach, watch out buddy. I think Realist is having fantasies about you. Don’t be picking up soap in the shower…