Jason Licht’s A+ Grading
August 12th, 2020
This is a post about accountability.
The Buccaneers have an especially fine collection of talent on the roster. A cupboard of quality ingredients, however, doesn’t always mean victories.
It’s a lesson you learn watching Guy’s Grocery Games, as well as Bucs football during The Lost Decade.
Team building and winning are more than just collecting resumes.
Joe brings this up because general manager Jason Licht was on FOX Sports Radio yesterday trumpeting the greatness of the Bucs’ coaching staff, the largest in the NFL.
Jameis Winston used to love using the adjective “amazing” over and over. Yesterday, Licht was stuck on “incredible.”
“Todd Bowles is an incredible coach,” Licht said. “I think he’s going to be a great head coach again some day. He’s an incredible coach. We have an A+ coaching staff. Bruce has put together an all-star staff here. They’re just incredible to work with.”
Incredible coaching and a loaded roster. We all know what must come next.
Joe prays to the football gods daily for the Bucs to not only have a winning 2020 season, but to end their seven-year streak of opening the first half of the season with a 3-5 record or worse. Like so many of you, Joe’s 24/7, Bucs-fan life is much better in every way when the team is good.
And there are simply no excuses this year.
Jason Licht says the coaching staff deserves an A+. Bucco Bruce Arians loves the staff so much he made zero significant changes to it after a losing season.
Anyone paying attention knows the Bucs have more talent than most teams. Certainly the leadership is elite with Tom Brady, and Arians is in his second season in Tampa. So Joe and every other fan should demand results.
No more excuses! None!
Dirk Koetter won nine games with minimal weapons and no pass rush or kicking game.
Raheem Morris had a 10-win season with 10 different rookies making starts, which was an unprecedented youth movement.
Joe hopes Team Glazer wrote a clause in the contract of Arians that triggers a resignation after two consecutive losing seasons, and that Licht has one that sends him packing if he’s eating 7 or fewer Ws through four straight years. That would have been the humane thing for long-suffering Bucs fans.
Joe feels good about this season and is fired up like the rest of Bucs fans. But this is the end of the line — again.
If this roster can’t win with this coaching staff, then, well, Joe will stop thinking about that potential horror.
Just win already.
August 12th, 2020 at 5:56 pm
I give Licht credit for the Arians hire…..but it mostly stops there…..I give BA & Bowles credit for the 2 drafts…….and FAs Suh, Shaq & Perriman…..
I’m quite sure that White & Wirfs will be great 1st round picks and I also have confidence in SMB & Winfield.
I give BA credit for Brady although I think Brady is here mainly because of the weapons.
Licht’s greatest picks Mike Evans, Chris Godwin & Vita Vea…..so, I guess Licht gets a slight bit of credit for having the weapons for Brady.
August 12th, 2020 at 6:03 pm
Just win I agree joe
August 12th, 2020 at 6:15 pm
Best staff since Dungy/Gruden.
Joe you are a beaten down trampled fan. We’ve all been there. But firing and hiring coaching staffs every year you decide to put your foot down is ridiculous.
Did you not see a change in this team from the previous year? If not, you’ve got problems.
This staff can coach. I too expect vastly different results this year, we’ve improved in every aspect except 2. Special Teams and Penalties. That needs to be fixed this year to win consistently.
In BA I Trust!
August 12th, 2020 at 6:20 pm
Sport:
Only one coach that Team Glazer has hired has survived two straight losing seasons. And that same coach won the franchise’s only Super Bowl.
Bucs are all-in for this year, next year the salary cap drops. Very likely some very good starters won’t be here.
Brady well may have bought Arians an extra year (2021). If Bucs don’t make playoffs and have another losing record this year, and some $15 million has to be shaved off the roster, not sure why keep a lame duck coach around (does anyone believe Arians is going to stick around and develop a young quarterback in 2022 at age 69?)?
Team Glazer fired a guy who had back-to-back 9-7 seasons and who won a Super Bowl for them. Arians doesn’t (yet) have that kind of street cred.
August 12th, 2020 at 6:24 pm
Good article and I agree. Unless there is a boatload of injuries, this season will be a failure if we don’t make the playoffs.
August 12th, 2020 at 6:45 pm
And queue Ndog talking about how JL f’d up by booting Mr. 30/30 in 3 2 1.
August 12th, 2020 at 6:53 pm
Just win baby!
August 12th, 2020 at 7:39 pm
If the Bucs lose this I don’t see how we can blame Licht. Prior seasons were on him but given that there is a salary cap, he’s done about all that he could to stack talented players. W and L’s are on Bruce and the guys on the field.
August 12th, 2020 at 7:46 pm
SB
I think ndog is running late today, he’s got therapy on Wednesdays and Fridays….
Something having to do with daddy issues….
August 12th, 2020 at 7:57 pm
Most people think GMs call all the shot on draft day. Truthfully the head coach strongly recommends what is best for the team and the GMs just pulls the trigger. GMs get all the bad rap and brownie points for how the draft picks pan out even though they may not have been involved in scouting the picks.
August 12th, 2020 at 8:07 pm
I’m not wanting to fire a HC again after only two years based solely on record. How this season plays out is a big part in such a huge decision……..A huge part of the factor is Bowles who Licht pointed out. Todd had his work cut out for him last year and took over for a historically pathetic defense. There were some real signs of progress. If our defense keeps improving I’m putting my foot down. No way no how your firing Bowles….which basically means no touching Bruce. I refuse to go back to the helpless pathetic defense era……….We will see if Bowles 3-4 can live up to expectations. That hasn’t happened just yet.
August 12th, 2020 at 8:11 pm
TBBF, just curious if Licht only gets credit for Atians and Bowles but not the credit for the playera that Arians and Bowles picked, would you agree that Lovie, Dirk and Smitty should get credit for the bust picks before? In my opinion Jason Licht wasnt a gm unt he fired Kotter. That was his first real day on the job
August 12th, 2020 at 8:12 pm
Alabama……I think you are right that Licht is not really calling the shots on personal. But also note that the GM/HC dynamic is different from team to team. Some Head Coachs have very little power. And on a lot of teams the owner plays a heavy role in player recruitment.
August 12th, 2020 at 8:32 pm
As George Allen said…”The future is now.” Who knows what the NFL will even look like in 2021?
In 2021 it’ll be the same thing..who knows what 2022 will produce.
This team is ready right now!!! Hopefully we’ll be ready next year…and hopefully a winning tradition will develop to carry us forward no matter whose playing.
August 12th, 2020 at 8:41 pm
Just win now!
Yesterday is gone and there are no more tomorrows.
In BA I trust!
August 12th, 2020 at 8:41 pm
Having a QB that doesn’t actively sabotage the team with incessant and needless turnovers should allow the embarrassment-of-riches that is our offense (and our rising defense) to shine. I’m optimistic for the first time in a while!
August 12th, 2020 at 8:53 pm
Only the Bucs would grade a coaching staff that had a team that led the league in penalities as an A+.
You can’t make this stuff up.
They have lied so much they now actually believe their own bullsh*t.
Unreal 😂😂🤣🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
August 12th, 2020 at 8:54 pm
All good points Joe. I’d venture to say a losing season is the biggest threat. I’m not as worried about a salary cap dip as you are. The league might just rewrite a rule for Covid circumstances and poof, the cap issue goes away. As a last resort, our front office is diligent about no dead money and not extending contracts into the future (backloaded). Because we have a lot of green grass on that front, I have a comfort level of keeping what we need.
As far as the previous guy who got fired after 2 9-7 seasons and a SB. The guy wore out his welcome. Hated developing young guys (especially QB’s), hand picked an equally arrogant and overrated GM. Had terrible drafts and essentially started losing the team. His schtick wore off. Ask some of the vets that were there for the SB and following years. His playbook was too damn complicated.
Total speculation – he did something to piss off the Glazers. Why else would you fire a HC that brought you a SB?
I’d like to know what it was. Plus at that point in his career, he was at the height of his ego trip. And it was (is) a doozy. No way he was going to take advice or direction from ANYONE. That’s a great way to get fired.
In BA I Trust!
August 12th, 2020 at 9:17 pm
Sport:
You pretty much covered it.
There are rumors — none ever confirmed because the only people in that room were a Glazer or two and Chucky, and neither are talking — that Chucky told the Glazers in his final meeting with them, after they once again told Chucky he needed to draft and develop a quarterback, that they should quit asking and the would run the football end of things and they should butt out of the football side of the building.
Never a smart idea to tell your employer, who also happens to own the company, how they should run their operation.
August 12th, 2020 at 9:19 pm
So glad that the Bucs have moved on from Dotson and Winston. The guys most responsible for all those penalties. Who doesn’t think our penalties will be less this year?
This coaching staff coaches up the players who get it. Then they let go the guys who make the continual mistakes over and over like Hargreaves, Dotson MJ Stewart and Winston.
Give a guy with talent a chance but move on when they make the same mistakes. Let them go be 3rd stringers somewhere else. Denver, Houston, Cleveland and New Orleans. Are any of those guys paid like they are worth something this year?
This coaching staff made a second stringer like Barrett into an all pro’s – guy who lead the league in sacks.
This coaching staff convinced guys like Suh and JPP to come back because they believe in the defensive system now. This coaching staff turned Brett Perriman from just a guy to a coveted player in the league. This coaching staff in one year turned us into the best run stopping defense in the league. In one year made guys like SMB and Dean into excellent players. By the 2nd half of the year, this defense was better than most in the league in putting pressure on the other teams offensive line.
Whether they are an A+ coaching staff or something less, this staff can assess whether a guy will work in their scheme. In 3-4 years from now we can decide whether this is an A-B-C- or D staff. I personally like the start in year one from this staff and the start in year two with who they got rid of and who they retained.
We have a chance with this coaching staff and this current group of players! Glad we got rid of the dead weight of Mike Smith, Dirk Koetter, Vern Hargreaves, Jameis Winston and Demar Dotson.
August 12th, 2020 at 9:45 pm
Nice Rimshot Dooshlarue
August 12th, 2020 at 9:47 pm
Geno711 good point but one problem you a wrong. Shaq Barrett was brought back for HUGE $ but was #2 in the NFL for offsides penalties and tied Dotson for the team lead with 10.
August 12th, 2020 at 9:55 pm
Also Jameis had 6 penalties last year, which was in the first year in a system, and one was ORDERED by the head coach to “help our kicker”. So really he committed 5.
Brady committed 4 penalties last year in the 19th year in the system.
Yes sir you’re right that one is going to clean up our penalties for sure cause that one penalty is just going to change this franchise in every way.
🥴🙄🙄
August 12th, 2020 at 10:28 pm
Ndog please go be a Saints fan.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:29 pm
So Brady committed 33% less penalties than JayMiss…… that is what a FACT looks like idiot.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:37 pm
Well Jameis did have 6 penalties – no doubt – not 5 as you seem to suggest. The 6 penalties were: Intentional Grounding (4), False Start (1), Illegal Forward Pass (1)
I.e. the team also had 10 other offensive penalties to unnamed players.
Delay of Game (6), Illegal Formation (3), Offensive Too Many Men on Field (1), Illegal Shift (1).
Just one of those delay of game penalties were on BA. Most of those other penalties, are to the QB.
I like that Jameis is gone.
I think if Barrett continues with 10 penalties this year and does not have 10 or more sacks – he will not get the long term deal. That is fair. You cant have as many bad plays as good plays.
Like Jameis and 30 interceptions and 12 fumbles although only 5 fumbles were lost. Also, his 6 to possibly 15 total penalties agreeing that the BA delay of game is solely on BA.
So that puts Jameis down for 42 mistakes of fumbles and interceptions, plus up to 15 penalties up to 57 mistakes. Plus most of the smart football analysts and watchers of the game suggest that Jameis caused many of the 47 sacks that the bucs had last year. If you take 15 of those 42 sacks –
That makes 72 bad plays from Jameis last year. An all time record for bad plays from a quarterback in NFL history. That is why although he has talent, he is 3rd string on some one else’s team.
Thank God!
August 12th, 2020 at 10:45 pm
I just can’t wait to see who y’all blame this year. It should be entertaining.
I just love how all of you act like no one else on this team made mistakes. It is hilarious that you have actually convinced yourselves of this, hilarious.
Yes it is 100% all one players fault, every penalty, every TO, everything.
I love you guys you provide so much fictional entertainment.
Watching games with you guys would be unbearable. I can see it now you’re always yelling at the wrong guy cause you have no idea what you’re watching. Ive seen it at the stadium so many times and I just shake my head, just like I do at you.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:45 pm
By the way, Brady on NE last year:
They had 3 offensive penalties to unnamed players last year:
Delay of Game (2), Illegal Shift (1)
Above I said bucs had 10 penalties to unnamed offensive players. They actually had 11.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:55 pm
Ndog. Tyrod Taylor is a starting QB in the NFL!!!!!!!
If that doesn’t tell you something then nobody can tell you anything.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:02 pm
F-N A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You SOOOOO Much for answering my question Geno!
August 12th, 2020 at 11:04 pm
Ndog Says:
August 12th, 2020 at 10:45 pm
I just can’t wait to see who y’all blame this year. It should be entertaining.
……….
Do you not think your blame is entertaining to us?
August 13th, 2020 at 5:08 am
Bottom line is that JW led the NFL in total offense, passing yards, passing yards per game, was #2 in TD’s
He may spend some time around Drew Brees and come back on fire when he gets his chance, even eventually light up this clown show twice a year for the Saints.
It’s only fitting that the Saints capitalize on how dumb this franchise is.
Jameis is explaining the no Risket no Brain offense to the Saints coaches as we speak.
Will be an interesting game 1
Is the grass greener? We shall see.
Check yo sheets!
August 13th, 2020 at 11:00 am
Clean House.. your the person that needs to “Check yo Sheets” with NDog and JayMiss playin around in your Bed!! Clean House been getting him SOME!
August 13th, 2020 at 12:18 pm
Raheem should have gotten coach of the year for those 10 wins. Then instead of adding talent our GM further gutted the team for the next year. If you followed general growth property bankruptcy at that time I am pretty sure the Glazers were in the same boat. Massive amounts of equity in their properties but zero liquidity as the bonds they must roll every year had no bank to roll them. Thus all cash available had to be used to keep from going under. So Dominic had zero pay roll for a reason and he didn’t throw the glaziers under the bus.
August 13th, 2020 at 9:37 pm
Can we all admit if TOM BRADY comes out and underperforms with this roster! Jameis winston was treated unfairly and deserves another shot? Especially if our secondary and kicking played like they played ALL LAST SEASON we should give jameis another shot