“Brilliant Move”
May 3rd, 2020
Lauded.
A number of Bucs fans freaked during the first round of the draft when Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht traded up one spot to get Iowa right tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Well, one national writer referred to that move as “brilliant.” And that would be Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report.
In an article about what each team’s rookie class can do to help their team, Knox cites two rookies who will benefit Tom Brady, Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Wirfs, in addition to Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Trading up for former Iowa right tackle Tristan Wirfs was a brilliant move that should pay immediate dividends. Adding former Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn should help take some pressure off of Brady, while former Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. can help keep Brady out of shootout situations.
Reading a variety of sources within #DraftMedia reveals a mixed opinion on whether Vaughn can block or not.
But damnit, how about having a running back who, you know, can friggin’ run the ball! Wouldn’t that be nice for a change?
Sure, it would be nice if Vaughn can pass block. But if he can run effectively and maybe — gasp! — run for 1,000 yards, Joe has a hunch the Bucs will be in the playoffs come January.
If there is a season.
As far as Licht trading up to get Wirfs, Joe is good with that. Hey, draft people always say if you ID your guy, go get him. Well, Licht ID’ed his guy and went and got him.
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:13 am
Getting Trubisky’d is not brilliant. Trading up for this years combine darling whos tape shows he doesn’t have the feet to deal with fast passrushers and will end up at guard is another big strike on Licht’s resume.
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:23 am
Playoffs or bust!
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:35 am
All hype and he may turn out to be like Jeremy McChicken….
……you all remember that guy?????
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:36 am
This is stupid, Ronald Jones would have easily….EASILY had a 1000 yard season if he had been given a heavy workload. The guy was the undisputed best back on the field and sat on the bench when Dare Obwunmawbi was out there. Rhe playcalling last season was swayed so heavy in 5/7 step drops backs and runs up the middle the players excecuted well but the predictability led to defenses keying in on run plays.The best part about Brady coming here is that he will outrank leftwich on play calling
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:49 am
It is stupid…..calling for Vaughn to have 1000 yards when Rojo could have easily done that……..4.2 YPC projected to 15 carries per game would be 1008 yards…..
So….if Vaughn can average 4.2 yards per carry and get the ball 15 times per game…….BINGO….do the math…..he will have 1008 yards.
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:57 am
I know Brady is much older now, but he has made a name for himself by elevating the play of the skill position players around him. I am very excited to see how he uses Rojo. Vaughn IMO is a bonus if he brings more to the table but I believe Jameis didn’t really use his RBs as creatively as TB will. RoJo has the tools. Let’s see them utilized. Go Bucs!
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:58 am
Rojo will be starting running back, don’t get it twisted. He’s going to own it this year too. Rojo gonna show out this year. No doubt in my mind! You can see how bad he wants it now. You didn’t see it in his rookie year and you seen glimpses of it last year but the tape on him through the offseason is showing a man who is determined beyond recognition. The fire in his eyes are alive! Go Bucs!
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:01 am
Weill it’s in the street that lynch was going to take Kinlaw and not trade out
The good news is, usually Jason trades up for a guy that won’t get drafted for 3 rounds
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:09 am
I must admit that initially I was in disagreement with the selection of Keshawn Vaughn. However, after my research of his college career, I have a change of heart because this guy is phenomenal. As a true freshman at Illinois, his rush average was 4.6 yards a carry. He didn’t play many games in 2016 but he still averaged 5.0 yards. I do not know if the reason he played less in 2016 was due to injury or frustration to transfer because he transferred and sat out 2017. After sitting out and transferring to Vanderbilt in which the SEC which is known for great defenses, he still averaged 7.9 yards in 2018 with one game against Baylor in the Texas Bowl in which he rushed for 243 yds, that same year he had 4 games of over 146 yds. His rush average in 2019 was 5.2 yds. This guy played for two different teams with no offense but remained consistent throughout his career. There has to be something good about his character because while sitting out he was humble and patience and pick up where he left off once his number was called. I think we got a steal in this guy.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:23 am
Wirfs is going to be our starting RT for the next decade. Nobody will care about that 4th round pick after this month.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:23 am
He will probably be a pretty good blocking back because he is willing and wants to be a good blocking back !
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:24 am
Vaughn and both Rojo will have good years they both will be effective. Too many people look at the individual and not the situation, bringing Brady in will give a accountability to the team meaning that the line will provide better running situations for both, Vaughn is a very direct runner he doesn’t hesitate and Rojo is better at doing the same. Now with Brady having a multitude of different choices in the passing game and getting everyone inline on their blocking schemes for each situation it will make both of them effective, this doesn’t mean that they are going to have outrageous numbers because our offense is very diverse so it will be hard to limit it to one area. I would like to have a bruiser like Blount, but letting Vita come in as a fullback lead block could be quite good on short yardage situations as it would keep the defense off the field. Hopefully we will find someone for kickoffs and punt returns who is reliable, but as long as we stay healthy it should be a good year.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:27 am
Totally agree with you dmatt, Vaughn sure does show up on game day against whoever is on the other side of the field.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:34 am
Rojo will be the starting RB!!! Vaughn will spell Rojo at times. Calais will be in the game sporadically as well. With 60 offensive snaps, I see Rojo getting 30-35 snaps/game (18-25 carries), Vaughn getting 15-20 snaps and Calais making the team and getting 5-7 snaps.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:36 am
Wirfs and Gronk instantly make our run game so much better!!
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:40 am
Both our running backs are going to surprise people this year. The o-line has improved…and we have a QB that will check to the right play.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:44 am
Isaac, you may want to pull up some of his film. He appears to be much more than a “blocking” back. The Bucs did spend a 3rd rounder and draft him ahead of supposed better backs to come in for a small role in the offense. If they are right him and Rojo should be a very good 1-2 punch despite what Joe says.
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:44 am
did not
May 3rd, 2020 at 9:58 am
Dmatt good post
May 3rd, 2020 at 10:10 am
dmatt – Also agree about Vaughn. Had hardly heard of him but you summarized his college career perfectly. I now think he is a steal. Having RoJo and him is great.
May 3rd, 2020 at 10:20 am
Brady > Winston
Wirfs > Dotson
Vaughn > Barber
Gronk
No playoffs means GM, Head Coach and all his staff will need to get the AXE!
Start from scratch…………………….
May 3rd, 2020 at 10:23 am
Well brilliant is not the word….great pick ..but he had no other choice and was in a corner
May 3rd, 2020 at 10:37 am
I guess the Vaughn pick will be questioned every day. I guess that’s better then being told we should have drafted Allen every day.
May 3rd, 2020 at 11:09 am
We could have had Cam Akers in the second round.
May 3rd, 2020 at 11:19 am
I think RoJo will be our man ultimately. Vaughn can go either way at this point. He could be a wonderful spell and backup to RoJo on third downs. Vaughn has 3rd down wrote all over him so I just don’t see what the fuss is about. They should’ve drafted Moss but hey they really believe in RoJo making the leap to feature back so they took Vaughn who will rotate on third down with RoJo. RoJo has not shown me to be a third down guy and I don’t think he will ever manifest into one either which will lead to his departure eventually. Calais is another sleeper who could challenge for the starting job. I just feel they should put Calais on the practice squad or backup RB behind Vaughn and Rojo instead of on the return unit. Would rather see the team sign Ginn for one year exclusive to Punt return and Kickoff return. I am done talking Winfield just ready to see him play. Wirfs again I feel should be our guy at LT he’s our most athletic lineman along with Marpet. Haeg and Cappa are athletic and versatile as well. D. Smith is not. He needs to move position or move on period.
May 3rd, 2020 at 11:19 am
Brilliant! I don’t think so. Brilliant would have been not giving away a 4th rd to get. Wirfs. Brilliant would have been drafting Dobbins or Akers instead of Winfield. Brilliant would have been taking Moss instead of Vaughn. Brilliant would be for the Glazers getting rie of loser Licht. Of course I don’t think BA is any better when it comes to the draft.
May 3rd, 2020 at 11:44 am
Wirfs is a mauler. A bear of a player.
He will be an upgrade at RT.
After another year of experience at high level competition, Cappa will be ready to slide out to RT NEXT season, where he will be a pro bowl level Tackle.
Then NEXT season, Wirfs will move to RG. Where, hopefully, he will be a monster for years to come.
Cappa is a prototypical RT. Just needs another year of experience playing against the big leaguers. I know the Bucs nixed this idea, which makes it even more likely
May 3rd, 2020 at 11:44 am
RoJo can run for 1000 yards, all he needs a little more coaching and a RT who can run block.
May 3rd, 2020 at 12:12 pm
Vaughn isn’t running for 1000 yards. Let’s dispel that talk immediately to not raise expectations.
Rojo is the starter. If he remains healthy, he should be productive and he could easily be a 1000 yard back with enough touches. He averaged 4.2 per carry this year and that could easily go up. If he gets 15 carries a game, he’ll have 1000 yards.
The reason Vaughn is here is for depth and to develop as an all-around back and maybe become a 3rd down option, which is why pass-blocking is expected. If you’re a 3rd down back you better be able to catch and block.
May 3rd, 2020 at 12:15 pm
If we had not have traded up to the 49ers, the dolphins were. Trading with the Bucs the 49ers were still been able to get Kinlaw. Kinlaw probably would have been gone at the dolphins 18th pick.
May 3rd, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Phil Says:
May 3rd, 2020 at 11:09 am
Really? Are we gonna do this?
We also had a need at safety, and Winfield will be an impact player. He would’ve been a first rounder if he was a few inches taller.
You have to make choices. If we had drafted Akers, another contingent of fans would be screaming about how badly we needed a safety and that Winfield was on the board. Post draft second guessing is a waste of time.
May 3rd, 2020 at 12:58 pm
ItzOK Says:
May 3rd, 2020 at 8:13 am
Getting Trubisky’d is not brilliant. Trading up for this years combine darling whos tape shows he doesn’t have the feet to deal with fast passrushers and will end up at guard is another big strike on Licht’s resume.
I THINK ILL TAKE AN ACTUAL SCOUTING REPORT BEFORE AN ARMCHAIR GM LIKE YOURSELF. HERE IS WHAT HE SAID:
The first thing I have to talk about if Wirfs’ pass-set. It was obvious from the first play I watched that Wirfs ability in pass protection would get him selected high in the NFL Draft. He’s incredibly smooth, and for someone his size to be so nimble is truly impressive. I raved about Cody Ford and his quick feet for his size last year; well, Wirfs has easily surpassed Ford at this stage.
To combine with his excellent feet, Wirfs is also adept at hand fighting. These two things are what I constantly preach as the most important traits to have in a successful pass blocker. Your feet keeps opponents in front of you and your hands keep them off of you. Wirfs showed in excellent ability to do both of these here.
May 3rd, 2020 at 1:06 pm
Maybe Joe missed the fact that ROJO was 2nd in the league in long runs per attempt.
May 3rd, 2020 at 1:20 pm
A giant % of what makes a great blocking RB is simple want to. Is he willing to stick his nose in there?
One of the first comments from Vaughn after being drafted was how comfortable he felt blocking in pass pro and how IMPORTANT he realized that now has become for him with the GOAT at QB.
May 3rd, 2020 at 1:38 pm
People really freaked out because we traded up one spot to get the guy we wanted and the position that literally almost EVERYONE wanted (and almost everyone thought the top 4 OT’s would be gone already by then)?! Shows you just how stupid and outraged most people are. Damn, we sure do live amongst some hate-filled rejects, and severely unintelligent people don’t we.
It’s laughable.
In the words of Dennis Reynolds talking about Charlie in Always Sunny In Philadelphia, “kid’s an idiot”…to whom ever thought this and truly believes it. The ones doing it for attention and just to hate because they have nothing of substance, well, that’s a whole other can of worms. Those ones are just silly and easily ignorance though. It’s the idiots that truly believe this, or don’t see why that get me.
May 3rd, 2020 at 2:09 pm
I think 49ers were bluffing but so what a 4th rounder for Wirfs is definitely worth it! The 49ers were picking Kinlaw, his grade was much higher than the next couple DTs but we couldn’t afford to miss out, we had to come out with a Day 1 starter at RT.
Lol I think Rojo will have several 150 yard games and will be a fringe Pro Bowler. Dude is incredibly agile and elusive at ~230lbs. Plus we’ll be able to run to the right side of our offensive line this year with Wirfs And Gronk over there.
Wirfs’ floor is an all pro guard, he will most certainly be our RT for next ~10yrs and be one of the best in the league.
May 3rd, 2020 at 3:18 pm
I cant wait to see a short and goal, 4 yards to go….Auclair or Gronk is set, busting through behind Wirfs, and behind them is Big V with the ball for the score!
May 3rd, 2020 at 3:31 pm
Why are people obsessed with 1000 yards? Who cares? If Ronnie has 800 yards and Vaughn has 700 yards and some other back has a few hundred yards – that’s more than 1000. It literally doesn’t need to come from one guy. The Bucs just had the highest scoring team in team history and people think the running game was an issue… anywho Ronnie had a 4.2avg – the same David Johnson has during his big breakout year in this offense. That’s good – we literally have a good back. Ronnie looked great at the end of last year, so if they are obsessed with hitting a stat they can just hand him the ball more and they’ll get 1000 yards.
May 3rd, 2020 at 3:50 pm
There will be a season and the Bucs will be in the playoffs. Not so sure about Vaughn. He doesn’t need to be an every down back. The Bucs were most impressive when they had 2 really good RB’s. Remember those years. We started the year knowing we were going to the playoffs. Let’s go Bucs!
May 3rd, 2020 at 4:07 pm
Excellent draft analysis from TheBucsAnthem (aka Mel Kiper the 3rd) and TOM McShay. Bucs receive an F- grade, as all of the Bucs draft picks will be cut in training camp, according to them. TOM McShay predicts Zach Moss will run for over 1,000 yards in his first game. Sounds reasonable.
May 3rd, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Marine Buc hit the nail on the head. If Wirfs is the real deal nobody is going to care or even remember about a stupid fourth rounder in a year.
You get good players and you do what you gotta do to get them. You can second guess all day who we get without trading and you know you don’t know……….And while almost all fans were begging for OL with our 1st round pick it is 100% certain that if somebody else jumped us in the draft and stole Wirfs you guys would be ten times harder at Licht them you are now.
Guess who else we traded up for? Marpet. Does anybody care that we gave up picks for him? No cause he’s a good player. Focus on what’s important. If Wirfs is any good.
May 3rd, 2020 at 5:16 pm
Rod Munch…..It’s a good point. How about instead of worrying about rushing yards we worry if we have a RB who can make plays in the passing game…….Which falls back to the point about blocking since if these guys can’t block then we will probably see Dare on the field some more…….That’s a obvisous spot to upgrade and if Vaughn fills that need it was a good draft pick.
And it’s also probably why RoJo didn’t get all the carries like many here are asking. The guy missed blocks and they didn’t trust him. You can’t extrapolate 4.2 yards per carry for a guy they don’t trust. You will not get the carries from the bench.
And I disagree with anybody who doesn’t value blocking. Case in point look at Scotty Miller’s lone TD. That don’t happen with subpar blocking from the RB. If your a RB in a passing offense either learn to block or ride the pine. Simple as that.
May 3rd, 2020 at 5:18 pm
I think people are forgetting about the fact that Joe Staley was going to retire and if you think Lynch didn’t know that you’re a fool. He also probably had a good idea that he was going to be able to pull off the trade for the Tackle from Washington but again wasn’t 100% sure. What he was sure of was that if he traded with Miami he could lose Staley, the trade for Trent fall through and not get Kinlaw. He played it marvelously. Did our GM get played just a bit sure but we got the guy we wanted. Maybe Jason could’ve used a later round pick to give to the 49ers but other than that I have no problem with moving up that 1 spot.
May 3rd, 2020 at 5:30 pm
I hope that Vaughn is good out of the gate, but banking on a rookie chosen in the 3rd round is risky. Sign Devonta Freeman Licht! Hell, I’ll even settle for any free agent running back that has proven that he can be consistently effective. Rojo is not the answer until he proves that he is. Backup plans are a hell of a thing Licht and we need one at running back.
Brady is better than Winston, but that’s not saying much considering how utterly horrible Winston was at times. We are not getting the Brady of ten years ago and he needs all the help that he can get. Solidify the running back position and we can do some serious damage. There’s a chance that Rojo or Vaughn will break out, but I wouldn’t be willing to risk it.
May 3rd, 2020 at 7:27 pm
Buczilla……Signing Freeman would not be a bad move……But just pretend for a minute that we can sign just one player. You can either get a RB or a rotational Edge player. I’ve heard Clay Matthews name banted around so just use that.
Are you getting Freeman or Matthews if you only get to pick one? No contest for me give me the passrusher.
Point is I’m sure they are looking to add a player or two. Just not so sure RB is the first position they will look at……Depth at almost every defensive position could be in play as well as OL……….Another point is that if you go I to the season and your RBs cannot do the job history shows it to be one of the easier positions to fill midseason……CJ Anderson being a midseason add for the Rams is a recent example I can remember.
May 3rd, 2020 at 7:52 pm
LOL. Poor Joe. Every year he bangs the drum for a RB, and he never gets the one he wants.
May 3rd, 2020 at 10:03 pm
I think Jason did what he had to do. The plus, is that Tristan has the potential to be a 10 year mainstay regardless of where he does end up on the line. He’s got work to do on his technique that hopefully our line coach can iron out but the lack of team practice may pigeon hole him into the right guard position for now while pulling Cappa out to compete with Haeg for season starting RT. I believe this may happen because of Haeg’s NFL experience compared to the lack of time Wirf has to settle in. Cappa will become backup T/G
May 4th, 2020 at 12:10 pm
I see a lot of fans on here understand football and don’t just shout Stuff out cause it sounds good…. Yes rojo was an excellent runner last year and I don’t remember him ever dropping a pass…. Joe has screamed running game running game because he really doesn’t understand football and it gets more obvious the longer I read his stuff…. Rojo had I don’t know how many break away runs called back, he never got the ball in the second half when the defense was worn down (except the last game where SURPRISE he ran for over 100) then Joe was acting like oh he did it at the end of the year finally proved he could run 100 yards duuuuh….. If he’d have ever gotten the ball in the 2nd he would have dominated!! ….. Remember this is the same guy writing this stuff that wanted to sign Winston to a 30 Mill contact!!! He has to feel like an absolute fool after the coaches that know what they’re talking about only paid him a mill
May 4th, 2020 at 1:16 pm
RoJo could have easily had 1000 yards last year if he was given full playing time. Yes his rookie year was abysmal, but he looked much better last year.
It also didn’t help that he had at least 7 or 8 huge runs called back for holding on Dorian or one of our tight ends, especially when many times that holding took place on the opposite side of the field and didn’t contribute to the run!
May 4th, 2020 at 1:17 pm
*Dotson ^
Ugh, damn autocorrect has been killing me lately.