Lofty Grades
October 1st, 2020
Ali Marpet gets ranked
Bucs fans paying attention have all heard Bucco Bruce Arians claim Carlton Davis is a top-10 cornerback in the NFL.
Joe can’t go that high on Davis. Maybe if he cuts the penalties and gets more consistent.
But now Joe has a new ranking to chew on. Yesterday, Arians was adamant that the sixth-year guard Ali Marpet is one of the top five guards in football.
“I would say he’s in the top five. I don’t know who’s playing any better,” Arians said of Marpet. “I haven’t seen them all play, but obviously he is playing and grading out at a very high level. I would say he’s in the top five for sure, yes.”
Joe hasn’t studied guard play around the NFL to slap a number on Marpet, but he certainly is off to a fantastic start. And it might lead a cynic to think that if Marpet is dominant and Ryan Jensen is damn good, and the Bucs have a threatening passing game, then why are they struggling to run the ball effectively?
The Bucs haven’t had a Pro Bowl guard since Davin Joseph in 2011, and it was Donald Penn scoring the honor in 2010.
Perhaps this is Marpet’s year to break through. What a feather in the GM cap of Jason Licht that would be, plucking Marpet from the Division-III ranks and then watching him in the Pro Bowl.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:09 am
Pretty sure he has always been this good. It is a shame that he was overshadowed by his old QBs stats that made him look bad. I mean how can you give a lineman credit for being so good when your QB is in the mist of set all time records for being the Best Sucking QB ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that we have simply the Best QB ever, other guys can be recognized for being good at what they do as well……………….
October 1st, 2020 at 11:12 am
Why is our run game so bad than?
October 1st, 2020 at 11:20 am
Funny how we have all these “high ranked” players but dont they play like it.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:21 am
We know Smith is nothing more then avg…..seems safe to say Cappa is about the same. Of them all, I think Jensen is the most overrated. He’s an avg center with an edge to him. You need a guy like him but not at the price we paid. We basically have two linemen being paid top 10 money but playing in the middle to lower tiers for starters.
I think the coaches have committed to emphasizing their strength which is in the passing game and accepting the run game to be what it is.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:31 am
I think Jensen does very well. Cappa overachieves for his draft rank, and Smith, well, he’s an average player who is overpaid.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:33 am
On another topic, I got an email with a video link stating the XFL is officially on for 2022.
No other info, projected teams, etc., just that the league will be back in bidniz in 2022.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:33 am
Luke Easterling pointed out that he is PFF’s highest rated guard this season
October 1st, 2020 at 11:35 am
“But…..but……but if Only he were this good last year for our previous QB!”
October 1st, 2020 at 11:36 am
LaMarcus right on, could be the Brady effect of getting the ball out fast, but the bucs cannot run the ball and that has to be a factor in to whether the OL is a good one or not and this is a passing league; it should be easier to run the rock. Maybe it is a bad running scheme by BL
October 1st, 2020 at 11:41 am
Lol Dusthy.
Everytime I see your moniker I can remember. “With my 3 million dollar elbow and my 50 cent blood pack Baby!”
October 1st, 2020 at 11:43 am
Stud.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:45 am
I don’t care how highly a player is rated, if the line can’t run block, ratings mean nothing to me. Our O-line is average at best….Marpet..meh.
October 1st, 2020 at 11:45 am
TIL Donald Penn was once a Pro Bowl guard. Thanks! lol
October 1st, 2020 at 11:51 am
Watch the film..Marpet is a beast. The issue is Donovan Smith. Only takes one bad leaky offensive lineman when you try to run with no FB out of 3 WR sets.
October 1st, 2020 at 12:02 pm
Hopefully Marpet has to decline the Pro Bowl nomination because he has a game to play next week.
October 1st, 2020 at 12:03 pm
Agree that all it takes is 1 missed blocking assignment to blow a running play! More than ever, OL these days come into the league generally proficient pass blockers but no clue as to how effectively do run blocking!
October 1st, 2020 at 12:08 pm
Excuse me….but didn’t Penn win the Pro Bowl award as a Tackle?
October 1st, 2020 at 12:16 pm
oh boy…lol…
folks blaming BL again….
he’s the new scapegoat for when the TEAM doesnt play well….lol…
i wonder why?…
GO BUCS!!!!!!
October 1st, 2020 at 12:30 pm
813
Because BL sucks
October 1st, 2020 at 12:51 pm
Our run game is not bad. The jury is still out. Just because we didnt run on Denver doesnt say much……not yet.
Even the best running games face tough matchups and have hard days…….just look at McCaffrey vs the Bucs run D….or Kamara….or Gordon, Barkley ect.
Give our RBs a few weeks. If we get shutdown vs the Chargers then rip off 3 great weeks everything looks different. You cant judge this week to week…….Especially if you can keep growing and getting better and running with a vengeance in Week 15. Nobody will give a darn about week 3 if we are shredding up running yard in December and January.
So stop freaking whining about running on 1st & 10. Just cause yall dont get it dont mean its wrong………Yall think we are gonna throw all year then start running like legends in the snow?? Assine. We need the freaking reps on 1st and 10 so get used to it and stop crying like a generic fan that just arent getting it.
And right now our running game is churning out positive yard and Fournette is reachimg the 2nd levdl(even last week he did). Our running game is looking better then anybody is giving credit…….Just keeo watching us get better znd enjoy.
My prediction is Vaughn gets his debut Week 6. Fingers crossed.
October 1st, 2020 at 1:09 pm
lamarcus
nawl…
JW SUCKS….
JW IS A BUST!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 1st, 2020 at 1:34 pm
Cobra,
re; XFL,
Is that a official announcement?
I was on the phone last nite with 2 players, one played with the drillers and another is looking for a opportunity for a tryout, asking for info on when the season would start. They heard this year but it doesn’t seem possible. The 2022 date makes sense. Just looking for another source of intel.
Thanks
October 1st, 2020 at 2:07 pm
I don’t want to see Ali in the Pro Bowl. I want to see him in the Super Bowl.
October 1st, 2020 at 2:52 pm
We probably don’t practice running, or don’t practice it properly. Plus, i think our running plays are pretty obvious.
October 1st, 2020 at 3:27 pm
PFF has our o line ranked 5
October 1st, 2020 at 4:16 pm
Our running game sucks because our running backs suck. Worst vision and elusiveness in the NFL. Fournette is one of the most over rated backs in the league.
October 1st, 2020 at 6:29 pm
Jensen graded out top 5 center so far. Hardly average
October 1st, 2020 at 6:44 pm
If Wirfs played next to Ali we would have a dominant side to run too – but our OL is like my little league team – I hide a couple weak players around my best
Smith and Capps are not good, period
We have 3 good lineman, and the other 2 make 80% of the errors – hence the inconsistency in the run game still – every other run play Smith or Capps get schooled, go back and watch the tape
October 2nd, 2020 at 10:13 am
Buc4ever Says:
October 1st, 2020 at 11:45 am
I don’t care how highly a player is rated, if the line can’t run block, ratings mean nothing to me. Our O-line is average at best….Marpet..meh.
Good to know. We won’t lean on you for analysis…ever. marpet meh? You mean on eof the best guards in the game at BOTH run blocking and pass blocking. Blame the scheme,. Blame Donovan Smith. Blame Cappa but faulting Marpet for the O Line’s deficiencies is again…ignorant.