High Hopes, Pro Bowl Hopes For O-Line
August 11th, 2020
A former Buc and a renowned Tampa Bay critic has very high hopes.
How good is the Buccaneers’ offensive line?
Some think it’s bad. Others think it can be spectacular.
Former Tampa Bay guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) has been a fierce critic of Bucs offensive linemen since he hit the local sports radio airwaves many years ago.
But Beckles is happy to be positive when he’s feeling the love. And Beckles is feelin’ it right now.
On his In The Trenches podcast this week, Beckles talked about how much he didn’t like Donovan Smith’s game until last year, when he believes Smith took major strides forward. Ali Marpet? Beckles thinks he’s above average and primed for the Pro Bowl this season because of all the national exposure the Bucs will have.
Beckles likes Ryan Jensen “more than most” because of the toughness he brings. On right guard Alex Cappa, Beckles said Cappa has a very strong 2019 for a young player. He emphasized that doesn’t mean Cappa was good, but Beckles said Cappa should take a huge step forward this year as he continues to develop.
This is all super exciting if you believe what Beckles believes, that the season “is going to go as the offensive line goes.”
As for rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs, everyone knows Wirfs will have an uphill climb with just a few weeks to practice in pads before opening day, all thanks to The Sickness. Beckles seems to hope that Wirfs gets a lot of Jason Pierre-Paul in practice in order to ready himself for the Saints, “because there’s no JPP in the Big Ten.”
August 11th, 2020 at 10:15 am
Oh, it’s an article about what Beckles thinks. Pass.
August 11th, 2020 at 10:21 am
Move Shaq over on Wirfs side too JPP and Shaq can teach up Wirfs in a hurry. Right there you have one of the best in the game the last 10 years and a guy who has a zillion moves and was best sackman in the league last year. Barrett learned from Von Miller and others in Denver so all of that finesse will be taught to Wirfs. Hopefully going against those two although I know Shaq plays predominately over left tackle should be what Wirfs needs at least to understand the speed quickness finesse and power of NFL sackmasters.
August 11th, 2020 at 10:43 am
oline will be more than good this year….imo, outside of dotson they were solid….cappa played well….marpet, jensen and d.smith all improved…
and we have a little depth with joe haeg and josh wells…
GO BUCS!!!!
August 11th, 2020 at 11:11 am
Pass protection wise they should rank at the top because the ball will be coming out quicker.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:14 am
Roy T. Agree.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:16 am
That’s SB cause they are going to change the offense, which Arains said they weren’t going to do.
🙄
August 11th, 2020 at 11:19 am
LOL Npuppy keep going. Clowns are funny they are supposed to make people laugh.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:22 am
Ndog how did you find out they are changing the offense? Did you get past the Covid restrictions damn your good even Joe has a hard time doing that. Press is stuck out in a trailer, you must be a player or trainer to know that lmao.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:24 am
nawl…
its because brady wont be holding the ball until he “sees” the WR open…lol..
GO BUCS!!!!
August 11th, 2020 at 11:44 am
Pass protection should be sufficient, it is run blocking that concerns me.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:58 am
Simple question Ndog. Very simple.
Why did 31 teams pass on picking up JW?
Can you answer that?
August 11th, 2020 at 12:03 pm
He was trash talked by the coach is what he will say.
August 11th, 2020 at 12:06 pm
SB they didnt just pass he didnt even get a backup job hes freakin 3rd string to Brees!!!!
August 11th, 2020 at 12:20 pm
Here’s to hoping Beckles is right. Cappa should only get better – very excited for him. We already know he’s tough as nails…didn’t he play three quarters with a broken arm?
August 11th, 2020 at 12:25 pm
I get that Nick2
I am just looking for some more humor from N.
August 11th, 2020 at 12:25 pm
I have answered this question many times and if you don’t know by now there is no point in answering it YET AGAIN.
August 11th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
Because Winston can’t be trusted in crunch time NIdiot! There’s the Answer!! He doesn’t have what it takes within the ears!! Defenses read his tendencies!! Dang NDog is an IDIOT!!
August 11th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
You do realize that the two years before Jameis got here we were 32nd and 30th in yards and in his ROOKIE SEASON we went from 30th to 5th! And 4 out his 5 years here we were inside the top 10 in yards as a team, before him we had done that ONCE in the past 14 years!!!!
Do you people not see what is right in front of you?
In terms of points were in the top 20 every year of his career and the big thing here is it went up pretty much every year, which is what you want, consist improvement!!!
Again and believe whatever you want but the FACTS say you are dead wrong. So fine argue against FACTS but just don’t be surprised when they prove you dead wrong in the long run.
August 11th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Can’t be trusted in the clutch you say. So how about the Cardinals game, Colts game, Giants game, Seahawks game?
You see when you defense can’t ever stop anybody every game comes down to a last drive and the chances the more opportunity there is for failure. So he had some good ones last year and some bads ones but he was MUCH MUCH better than this defense or kicker was in the clutch.
August 11th, 2020 at 1:03 pm
Average Defenses salivated during crunch time with Winston leading us!! They read his tendencies, linebackers dropping to where they knew he was going etc!! 30 picks could have been 40 if it weren’t for defensive drops!! Other than the Saints on a really Crap contract NOBODY wanted him!! Just the facts IDIOT!! Go jump and Join up to a Saints Site Idiot!!
August 11th, 2020 at 1:30 pm
Yes Ndog Jameis Winston looked great and had genuine promist as a rookie. He then proceeded to fall off the wagon with antics on and off the field.
August 11th, 2020 at 2:16 pm
Winston has a crack in his bucket that all the good football falls out of.
Around mid-season, Jameis was looking like he was getting there. Then the defense came around and a running game started to lift its ugly little head.
The Bucs looked like they would have and actual honest to god winning season.
Then Jameis fell off the wagon. It had nothing to do with the line, the defense, or the kicker. He blew it and they didn’t renew his contract. He blew it so badly that the Jags stuck with Gardner Minshew.
The line should be top ten pick this season.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:54 pm
Winston could have stayed on this team had he just sat down with that injury instead he came back and in 3 games was as bad as it gets. The INT in overttime was the supreme icing on the cake. Defensive teammates were not just grumbling but going to leadership and asking for a change. They had turned the corner and Winston was still at the bus stop. He had it all in his hands NDog. He had a chance for $30 mil a year but he coughed it up in a miriad of different ways. His fumbles dont even come into the conversation but when you add those in its hard to see any team succeeding. Winston is the opposite of Alex Smith. Brady is the best of both worlds.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:19 pm
NDog is correct-
August 11th, 2020 at 5:59 pm
Tampabuscsbro Says:
August 11th, 2020 at 1:30 pm
Yes Ndog Jameis Winston looked great and had genuine promist as a rookie. He then proceeded to fall off the wagon with antics on and off the field.
Actually the offense improved every year James was here, you know what didn’t defense kicking and coaching huh. But I know it’s all the quarterback’s fault.
August 11th, 2020 at 7:36 pm
Loved Winston. Acknowledge both his plusses (many) and minuses (turnovers that didn’t always cost games but always made it harder). He’s gone now. May want to move on. Go Bucs!
August 11th, 2020 at 9:34 pm
Sounds also like the OL had better coaching last year under the new regime. Good players upped their performances.
Wirfs’ college resume from Iowa (highly respected for the o-linemen they churn out) gives hope he will blossom sooner than later. We’ll soon find out!
August 11th, 2020 at 11:11 pm
Cappa is going to get Brady killed!
He is not a starting guard in the NFL!
He has no lateral movement. He has heavy feet. He plays too high. He gets juked or pushed back into the pocket.
He as a LT! Now hes playing RG?
Trade OJ Howard for a Pro Bowl guard!!