Frustration Mounting?
August 23rd, 2020
Not dominating
Right now if you put a gun to Joe’s head and asked for the weakest position on the Bucs’ 2020 squad, Joe would have to confess it is kicker.
Again!
While running backs might be Joe’s kneejerk reaction, at least the Bucs got Shady McCoy, who has a long history of NFL success. Can’t say that about Bucs kickers.
No position in the past six seasons has generated more sales of Pepsid AC in the Tampa Bay area than the Bucs kickers. The Bucs just cannot find a decent kicker. But they have tried, oh yes, they have tried.
Free agents, scrap heap dudes, high draft picks. It doesn’t matter, they all yack on the field of the Den of Depression.
Last preseason and training camp, rookie fifth-round draft pick Matt Gay teased Bucs fans with a booming right leg. But he was inconsistent. He gave fans a rise with his booming kicks and then gave fans the shivers by missing chip shots.
One could easily argue that Gay cost the Bucs a playoff spot with his inconsistent kicking.
In the offseason, the Bucs signed AAF legend Elliott Fry from the Orlando Spurriers. Fry never missed a kick while playing in the AAF, going 14 of 14, though his longest was 47 yards.
Now, not only is Gay, with his job likely on the line, not separating himself from Fry, Fry isn’t doing much to suggest the Bucs should be excited about him, either.
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians was asked about Gay’s struggles today and you could easily tell Arians is about fed up with kickers.
Asked if he has spoken with Gay in an effort to improve his performance, Arians displayed his frustration.
“No. I have not had any conversations,” Arians said. “And they both missed one today. It was a wash today. [The kicker question] will take care of itself so I don’t need to have any conversation.”
But will it? What if Gay and Fry both have equally rotten training camps? Will the Bucs go into the season with a struggling kicker with such high goals and standards for this season, and risk a kicker choking away those dreams?
Whatever file the Bucs have that lists the attributes and qualities they look for in a kicker, a Bucs’ IT nerd needs to corrupt it like last night.
Arians has said there has been kicking practice this summer at the Den of Depression (in private) in the notorious south end zone, the same area Gay has struggled. So we really don’t know how well or bad he (or Fry) is kicking at the stadium.
Joe remembers Dirk Koetter mentioning NFL studies that reveal kicking in the south end zone of the Den of Depression is one of the worst in the NFL.
Joe doesn’t want to hear about the south end zone nonsense. Dome kickers come in here and kick better than Bucs kickers.
August 23rd, 2020 at 2:28 pm
It’s ok joe score tds and go for 2 every time. We got weapons 😂🤯
August 23rd, 2020 at 2:38 pm
Gay did well the first half of last year. I am not sure why he bombed the last two games.
August 23rd, 2020 at 2:43 pm
Youngbucs it’s not ok. And you know better then that.
Joe thanks for the groin kick. Sadly I agree with everything written.
August 23rd, 2020 at 2:54 pm
That’s not a dumb thought at all. In fact you are probably right.
August 23rd, 2020 at 2:59 pm
Jimmy Jack it went right over your head
August 23rd, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Like Youngbucs said!
Doesn’t anyone remember when the Rams were the “Greatest Show on Turf”
Their kicker was struggling/injured they just went for it all the time.
August 23rd, 2020 at 3:03 pm
I thought the You People Movement had run off all the bottom feeding scum….The Who cost us in my 300 voice “Everything” was Mr 5000, oh well back to my plate of shrimp and crawdads!!
August 23rd, 2020 at 3:30 pm
I usually don’t read or respond to kicker stories, because well, kickers. I did glance at something the other day about Gotskowski healing up and becoming available soon. Proven dude that we should try out considering the hot garbage that we have now.
What the hell is up with our kicking game? It’s been horrible for what, the last 6 years or so? Before that we had mostly solid dudes kicking for us. Fix it Licht! Kinda important man. 😛
August 23rd, 2020 at 5:31 pm
Welcome Gostkowski.
August 23rd, 2020 at 5:34 pm
Geez! Not again.
August 23rd, 2020 at 6:09 pm
Gostkowski turned down 2 unnamed AFC teams, according to the media.
Very curious.
August 23rd, 2020 at 7:22 pm
I bet that if the Joe’s ran a poll asking whether we could get either Alstott or Gramatica back in their prime, it might closer than ya think. 😛
August 23rd, 2020 at 7:33 pm
I have to believe that TB12 is talking to Arians about Gostkowski after seeing both a Gay and Fry in action last week.
August 23rd, 2020 at 8:17 pm
That was a bad question because it implied both of them have struggled in camp when all the reports are that Fry has had a great camp and Gay has struggled. Today they both went 3-4. I think the two prep games at the are going to be determined especially if Matt continues to struggle in the south end.
August 23rd, 2020 at 9:10 pm
OMG he missed a kick in practice! That’s it, time to clean house lol
August 23rd, 2020 at 11:06 pm
There is something wrong with how the Bucs evaluate kickers. The Bucs go through free agency for kicker, they stink, they draft kickers, they stink. At this point the Bucs should just go outside their organization and a hire consultants to evaluate kickers, smh.
August 24th, 2020 at 12:01 am
Ever since they moved the extra point back it seems kicking has drastically deteriorated around the league. The stats may show otherwise, I don’t know. All I know is when I watch on Sundays it seems there are a lot more missed field goals from 30 to 45 yards than there used to be.
It’s not excuse for the Buccaneers, just pointing out that they are not the only ones having issues. That hurts in trying to pick up a kicker that wasn’t drafted.
August 24th, 2020 at 8:25 am
Watched the Bucs beat the Rams in December 2000 on TV yesterday. Watched Automatica Gramatica :). Ahh. Those were the days!
August 24th, 2020 at 9:29 am
I would say right now Fry has a slight lead but if Gostkowski is interested I would bring him in for a try out.
August 24th, 2020 at 9:30 am
“OMG he missed a kick in practice! That’s it, time to clean house lol”
Gay lost 3 games for the Bucs last year. Did they sign Shady, Brady and Gronk just to repeat last year’s sh!t show?
Fry has never missed a professional kick and will fit under the cap nicely.
August 24th, 2020 at 12:17 pm
Our Kickers seem to average losing us at least 2 games a year! Why not Gostkowski???
August 24th, 2020 at 12:22 pm
Well, look at it this way. In previous camps kickers did “better”. Perhaps it’s a “reverse psychology” thing this year.
We’ll call for their heads before a single snap, come regular season…perfection!
We can dream!
August 24th, 2020 at 6:34 pm
Gene Deckerhoff voice interpretation
“Matt Gay comes out to kick to give the Bucs their 1st win of the season. It’s Carolina Panthers 23, your Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21 with 3 seconds left on the clock in the 4th Quarter. 35 yard kick. The snap, good hold, the Kick by Gay is, OH! BANGS off the upright it’s no good! And the Carolina Panthers come celebrating on to the field and they’ve come in and broken our hearts and send the Bucs to 0-2”.