The Questions Begin At QB
March 16th, 2020
Questions.
Joe is cleaning out his recorder. Below is an interview Joe conducted with Kevin Clark of The Ringer, who also once covered the NFL for the Wall Street Journal. Clark is a former Orlando resident so he keeps tabs on the Bucs despite covering the league as a whole.
JoeBucsFan: So you are Bruce Arians. Your defense played pretty well the final four or six games of the season but you have some big free agents who may go bye-bye: Ndamukong Suh. Shaq Barrett. Jason Pierre-Paul. Do you sign all three? And it seems JPP is important to help out Shaq. But Suh was such a huge force stopping the run. Do you swing for the fence and keep all three?
Kevin Clark: I think so much of the modern salary cap depends on the quarterback. What is that going to look like? Do you try to franchise Jameis Winston? Do you swing for the fences and try to get Philip Rivers but does he want big money in the end? I think it starts there. Do you bring those guys back? In a vacuum, you would love to have those guys back. Is Suh expendable? It depends on what type of scheme Todd Bowles wants to run. And I think you have to bring at least two of those guys back. They are good quality players and at positions that are rarely on the market; and, B) they are expensive when they are. C.J. Moseley got on the open market last year and got, what, $50 million? Because he was available. So I think if you have guys you can get on decent deals, you sign that because 10 times out of 10 it can be so expensive to get those guys who are on the free agent market.
Joe: The quarterback position is so fascinating because it can go so many ways. You can sign Jameis or you can sign Rivers and draft a quarterback. Of course with Jameis, you have to solve the interceptions puzzle. Other than that, he has proven he can play at a high level. Another factor is Arians may only have two years, so would he even want to develop a rookie?
Clark: The question is, is [Arians] trying to build an infrastructure where someone like Byron Leftwich takes over [after Arians leaves]? That is the question here. Does it make sense to sign a Philip Rivers and then draft a quarterback to start building a bridge towards [Arians’ successor]? I think so much depends on the tape. What is the reason the Chargers didn’t want to bring back Philip Rivers? He didn’t really play the way we are accustomed to seeing Philip Rivers play before 2019. Both Jameis and Rivers would be short-term, unless you sign Jameis to a five-year deal. You could still draft a quarterback. There are so many variables at play there. But everything, including the defensive free agents’ question, starts with the quarterback. And then you answer the draft questions. The Jameis question sets the agenda for everything else the Bucs do [this offseason].
Joe will have one more cool interview to offer up later today long-time readers of this site won’t want to miss.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:08 am
BEGIN?
March 16th, 2020 at 9:10 am
Bucco Brady bay bay!!
March 16th, 2020 at 9:11 am
There is talk that the Patriots will go after Jameis if Brady leaves. Wouldn’t that be a kicker?
March 16th, 2020 at 9:12 am
sign the defense back, sign conklin, sign teddy….
draft kinlaw….
we cooking with gas!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 9:13 am
bills fans would love to see JW in NE….LOL….
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 9:14 am
My concern is that Brady would suck up so much money it actually weakens the rest of the roster.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:15 am
bonzai
yeah, as a back up…lol…
can you imagine what will happen in NE if the PATS let TB12 walk for JW?….lol…i think it’ll be similar to when schiano got hired and then fired in TENN….lol….
GO BUCS!!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 9:17 am
Jay-Miss is a BUST! Didn’t get tagged and didn’t receive the long term extension. Any team that lets their #1 overall pick test free agency after the rookie deal is finished is telling the rest of the world that player is a BUST!
March 16th, 2020 at 9:17 am
You don’t think the best coach in NFL history could fix the turnover issue with Jameis? He would not be a backup, because if Brady leaves they have no one else.
Which is probably the biggest clue that Brady will return.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:22 am
Buccaneer Bonzai I’ve said the same thing I could see us signing tom Brady then bb picking up Jameis at a reasonable price
March 16th, 2020 at 9:24 am
D-Rome Says
“Didn’t get tagged and didn’t receive the long term extension.”
To be fair, this year is a bit different than previous years. With the new CBA limiting to one tag, the short amount of time for teams to negotiate with their own free agents because of the delay in the CBA and the refusal of the NFLPA to extend the free agency deadline, teams have to prioritize.
Clearly, keeping Shaq was the more important of the two. You do not let 19 sacks walk away, especially after letting Bennett walk years ago.
Jason Licht had 36 hours once the CBA was in effect to sign what? 8 Bucs free agents to deals, on top of figuring out the rules of the new CBA (which NFLN is reporting that teams still don’t have a copy of) and after just finding out the cap number?
The fact that Winston was not signed to an extension yet means little. If you think about it, neither has Suh, JPP, Nassib, ETC.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:25 am
Remember after the Super Bowl when we thought we were going to win forever !
March 16th, 2020 at 9:27 am
Also, D-Rome, for all we know, Jameis could be near signing an extension right now.
I’m not saying that’s the case, but there is still time.
“Any team that lets their #1 overall pick test free agency after the rookie deal is finished is telling the rest of the world that player is a BUST!”
So if they suddenly announce a 3-4 year extension, that means he isn’t a bust, right?
March 16th, 2020 at 9:28 am
D-Rome Says:
March 16th, 2020 at 9:17 am
Jay-Miss is a BUST! Didn’t get tagged and didn’t receive the long term extension. Any team that lets their #1 overall pick test free agency after the rookie deal is finished is telling the rest of the world that player is a BUST!
BINGO!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 9:28 am
@bonzai… I dont think thats accurate. That would be good. I think (fear) he’s signs a for less and goes to New Orleans and sits for a year then could take over for Breese.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:29 am
If the Bucs and Arians want to improve there team quickly, you have to find a QB you can trust and depend on. And let’s face it, it’s not Winston.
Keep your defense intact and sign a QB that doesn’t continually turn the ball over and cost your team games
March 16th, 2020 at 9:34 am
Bonzai,
I disagree with you here. What teams allows the player that plays the most important position on the field test free agency if they believe in him? When has that happened over the past ten years (or whenever rookie contracts became a thing)?
If a #1 overall draft pick is allowed to test free agency after their rookie deal is expired that player is a bust.
JPP, Suh, Nassib, ect… were not draft picks by the Buccaneers.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:35 am
Do u guys know what “bust” even means? Lol
March 16th, 2020 at 9:39 am
you people are simply hilarious. jamies is not a bust nor is he done. he will land on his feet bucs will end up with some washed up has been and head right back to buccanners cover the nfc south basement their rightful place! senile BA and incompetent glazers and licht will set this franchise back a decade with desperate short term decisions that NEVER work out. Brady will leave bucs at the alter within 48 hours. bucs are a laughingstock that others use for leverage.
813 for a dude is right less than Bonzi, who has never right about anything, you sure enjoy looking like a fool pounding your chest…. let me remind you how wrong you were about that pathetic pos vh3bust who you also went all in and down on… should be 813SlupperBoi
Next 48 hours will be awesome watching BA and his failed GM puppet licht screw up this off season. Get ready for your nutpunches fanboys. I look forward to all the excuses and BS when bucs end up getting left out in the cold. BA is a popular loudmouth but not a person people trust their careers with or go all in for just look at the rag tag bunch of assistant coaches who follow him. none have ever accomplished anything but kissing the old ones arse…. Lovie’s staff might actually have been more qualified ….
you people are slobber over a defnese that played well 6 out of 16 games and the competition they played well against was GARBAGE!!!!! Desperate low standard bucfan set the standard for fools.
ba has never built anything and never won anything on his own. simple as that…. look at his Arizona teams he had a good first 2 years and then stunk it up before the coward started crying health issues and bailed before he failed miserably.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:43 am
News is surfacing now that the NFL may delay free agency without the approval of the NFLPA.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:45 am
D-Rome- You nailed it. Winston is toast.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:46 am
joe how about a video clip of ASJ’s latest DUI…. maybe they can put him in the same cell with Jerk Chicken
March 16th, 2020 at 9:51 am
JaMarcus Russell was a bust…JW3 is not a bust.
Comps for JW3 through his 5yr career (as per Pro-Football Reference):
Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly, Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Tannehill, Jay Cutler, Bob Griese, Ken O’Brien, Joe Namath
That’s really not a bad group of QB’s to be compared to…
March 16th, 2020 at 10:01 am
New England would be the ideal place for Jamies…as a starter or backup. He will rehabilitate his image and/or career. Too much sewer water under the Skyway Bridge at this point.
March 16th, 2020 at 10:06 am
Winston is not toast or done. You guys are preschoolers.
Jameis doesn’t avg 30int a year. Why make a big deal.
His ceiling is way high.
30int I get , Bruce Arians offense ? Leftwhich calling plays ? No TE ?
So get over it and watch Winston will be successful.
While we go back to rebuild and start all over after next season is over. Actually half way thru the season when we start 0-6 Bruce will not feel well and call it quit.
March 16th, 2020 at 10:11 am
Clark makes an excellent point when he says “They (our DLine UFAs) are good quality players and at positions that are rarely on the market; and, B) they are expensive when they are.” I’m still convinced that BA meant it when he said that his priority was keeping this defense. He had no choice but to tag Shaq, even if that meant losing Jameis, since we only had the 1 tag to work with. Time now for Bucs’ management to ‘git er done’ and sign the rest of our own UFAs.
March 16th, 2020 at 10:19 am
Defense Rules
the only year the bucs front office “got it done” was also the last good glazer decisions when they sent the ignorant one dimensional dungy the clown packing. gruden deserves credit for cleaning up that mess mckay and dungy called an offense and special teams and sapp earned a back brace from carrying all those backups to the promise land…. 1 great year in 43 does not give one confidence in this minor league franchise….. sapp and gruden’s fluke glory year is proof even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then
March 16th, 2020 at 11:07 am
In a game of musical chairs, he who acts last loses. Expect the dominoes to fall into place pretty quickly.
March 16th, 2020 at 11:07 am
In a little less than 1 hour from now, Tampa will finally be Jameis free!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 11:27 am
The coroner, my concern is the same I hope it does not cost the Bucs big time if they’re gonna try to sign Brady is it worth mortgaging the team to bring in Brady who is 42 and I am sure the short term QB. Maybe the Glazers are looking at what happened with Gruden. We won the Super Bowl but the franchise was left in a mess for the next 10 years with all the compensation given up for Gruden
March 16th, 2020 at 12:23 pm
I notice one thing in common with all the JW comps…they bring up stars like Tarkenton, Manning etc. ONE comp JW supporters NEVER EVER EVER bring up W-L records because no star from the past is even close to a .400 win % at 28-42!!!!!
Oh but I forgot they had better OL’S running game D etc than poor widdle “Blameless” except as tickdr pointed out Aaron Rodgers who won his MVP with LESS help than “Blameless “
March 16th, 2020 at 12:45 pm
https://twitter.com/qbdatamine/status/1239552419677208582?s=21
Could have been 21 mores pics of defenders didn’t drop , that’s the tape
Enough said with this link , joe is out if his Mind if he still thinks 5000 yearns make him above average
March 16th, 2020 at 1:50 pm
tmaxcon Says:
March 16th, 2020 at 9:39 am
you people are simply hilarious. jamies is not a bust nor is he done. he will land on his feet
and VHG didnt “land of his feet” with the texans?…..lol….
and then he came back to tampa, got a W, and went to the playoffs….lol….
JW IS A BUST!!!!!….he was drafted #1 overall and the only way he returns to the bucs is by default….lol….
pull your skirt down and change your pad young lady…..lol….smitty shouldve taught you hygiene instead of cover2…..
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
Adrnagy Says:
March 16th, 2020 at 10:06 am
Winston is not toast or done. You guys are preschoolers.
Jameis doesn’t avg 30int a year. Why make a big deal.
he doesnt average 5k yards but folks love to “make a big deal” about it….lol…
GO BUCS!!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 2:16 pm
I hope they let Jamies go !!! Please !!!!
March 16th, 2020 at 3:42 pm
I see what our Bucs are doing. If if they miss on Brady..and they probably will. They will let jameis see what he is worth then bring him back at a price they want to pay him. Hope it does not backfire on them though.
March 16th, 2020 at 9:27 pm
TRUTH
I hope you revisit to see this. The past two days have been incredibly informative. First Tickdr’s post about how Aaron Rodgers OL and RB’s were far from outstanding the year Rodgers won his MVP.
And now this Truth. I’m late to this thread so I fear many will miss one of the best video links I’ve seen recently. Bring it back later for those who miss it.