Do not hesitate to ask for the Ira Kaufman Discount!!  Shop at BillCurrieFord.com. And remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new & used vehicles. GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He will assist your personally with whatever you need.

BY IRA KAUFMAN

Ryan Jensen wasn’t happy with his first season as a Buccaneer.

He wasn’t alone.

Jensen signed as a free agent from Baltimore in 2018, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid center at the time. When the Bucs went 5-11 in Dirk Koetter’s final year on the sidelines, poor offensive line play was a major culprit. The front couldn’t protect the quarterback and couldn’t consistently open up running lanes.

Ryan Jensen opens up to The Sage of Tampa Bay Sports

What else is there? Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick were dumped 41 times and Tampa Bay averaged only 95 yards per game on the ground.

Take away the scrambling of Winston and Fitzpatrick and that rushing average shrinks to 68 yards. Flash forward two years later and the offensive line emerged as a team strength en route to a championship.

And there’s Ryan Jensen, still right in the middle of the action.

“A lot of it is just getting comfortable,” he says. “My first year outside of Baltimore was a little shaky. I don’t like saying it, but it’s the truth, I got a little big-headed after signing that big contract. I stopped doing things the right way. I wasn’t happy with it and I know they weren’t happy with it.

“I knew I had to get back to what I do. Then new coaches come in the second year and really fit what I do best. We rely on a lot of physical-type plays and that fits my personality.”

I’ve asked several of Jensen’s linemates if they feel added pressure blocking for Tom Brady and the answer is always the same: we do our best on each and every snap, no matter who is under center.

C’mon, man.

Are you telling me that the guys charged with keeping Brady upright don’t share a heightened sense of responsibility, knowing one false move could wreck Tampa Bay’s season?

“You don’t want to get too caught up in who’s back there,” Jensen says. “As an offensive lineman, your job is to protect the quarterback and run the ball. If you get too caught up in the glamour of Tom Brady, you’re not doing your job.”

That doesn’t mean having Brady on your side isn’t a huge advantage.

“I’m going into Year 9, thinking I know a lot of stuff, but Tom’s continually learning,” Jensen says. “The way he sees games, helps me.  Knowing the exact spot your quarterback is going to throw from is huge. People say it’s only half a yard. Well, half a yard is a big difference for a tackle expecting you to be 7 1-2 yards back and now you’re at 8 yards.”

So much has changed since Jensen’s first game as a Buccaneer.

In the 2018 opener at New Orleans, Caleb Benenoch started at right guard and Demar Dotson was the right tackle in Tampa Bay’s startling 48-40 triumph. They’re both gone, along with Koetter, Fitzpatrick and DeSean Jackson, who caught two long TD passes that day.

Now Jensen has Alex Cappa digging into the trenches off his right shoulder and Tristan Wirfs manning Dotson’s former spot.

Jensen knows what star quality looks like in an offensive lineman.

Ryan Jensen talks about the other-worldly presence of Tristan Wirfs

During his career with the Ravens, Jensen was a teammate of guard Marshal Yanda, who made eight Pro Bowls and four times was named one of the NFL’s Top 100 players.

“The kid’s a freak,” Jensen says of Wirfs. “Left or right, he might have been the best tackle in the league last season — with no preseason and no OTAs. He’s consistently getting better, which is even scarier, and his work ethic is wonderful.

“Tristan is one of those generational guys. Everyone in this league is elite as an athlete, but then there are the elites within the elites, guys like Aaron Donald. You have those freaks within the freaks. Tristan is on the right track to be one of those guys.”

Enjoy The Ira Kaufman Podcast, Episode 1 of this week.