Should Alex Cappa Start Worrying?
August 22nd, 2021
Starting job in danger.
Either Bucs right guard Alex Cappa is on the verge of losing his starting job or Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians fired a shot across the pirate ship for Cappa to get his tail in gear.
Cappa, who last year at one point was leading the NFC in Pro Bowl votes at right guard, seems close to getting benched in favor of Aaron Stinnie.
Arians had this stunning statement today, documents Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Bruce Arians just said that the battle between Alex Cappa and Aaron Stinnie is “closer than you might think.” He said Cappa needed to play last night to shake off some rust and that Stinnie played really well in the postseason. “It’s Alex’s job to lose,” he said.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) August 22, 2021
Arians later added, “Stinnie played really well in the playoffs. … Cappa needs to play because he missed all that time [with his broken ankle]. It’s a nice thing to have. There’s a little bit of a battle.”
Now Cappa broke his ankle in the playoff game against the WTF’s in Washington to begin the postseason. Is he still slowed by that ankle?
The Bucs last year had one of the best offensive lines in the game and Cappa was a big part of that. Less than a year later, it seems Cappa’s job apparently is teetering in the balance.
Did Cappa enjoy the fruits of being a Super Bowl champion too much in the offseason?
This comes as a surprise to Joe, though Rondé Barber said the same thing on the WFLA-TV broadcast last night.. But maybe that sack the Bucs offensive line gave up early in the first preseason game (it appeared that Tristan Wirfs had passed off Bengals pass rusher Joseph Ossai to the inside for Cappa to pick up but Ossai was never picked up and Ossai leveled Tom Brady) may have been a signal something wasn’t right.
That’s what it looked like on video. Joe has yet to get an explanation of the play.
Did Cappa yack on the play? And is that part of the reason Arians thinks Cappa’s on thin ice all of a sudden?
Rondé Barber hints there's a real competition between Alex Cappa and Aaron Stinnie.
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) August 21, 2021
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:03 pm
If you take a close look at that Brady sack, you’ll realize that the culprit wasn’t Wirfs, it was Cappa. Cappa had a brain fart, he was supposed to fall back during pass protection but didn’t, which opened a lane to the Brady for the DT.
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:05 pm
Stinnie is massive & powerful. Just how your right guard should be. Bucs should know who’s better right now. Play the best guy
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:08 pm
Cappa is a tough guy, he can take it. I’m actually rooting for Stinnie on this one, he stepped up big time when his number was called. May the best man win
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:12 pm
Miss a assignment that causes Brady to get sacked is the quickest way to be benched. However as BA said he may need to just knock off some rust so Houston game will give Cappa a chance to step up.
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Joe good call on that sack given up. Fans have debated who was at fault there but only the coachs know truely what the responsibilities were for the Lineman. Makes a lot of sense that it was Cappas job to pick up that block and the blown assignment is a contributing factor here.
Either way this is only good news for the Bucs.Competition for the job will only bring out the best from both players.
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:17 pm
It did stand out to me that Cappa was the only starter playing last night…….Another thing that stood out was that Jamal Dean didnt play. He was in longer then the other defense against Cincinnati and some of us were wondering whether his starting job was at risk.
Looks like Dean is safe for now and hopefully he plays well next week.
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:24 pm
Off topic, but. It begins…NFL Network just announced. Vrabel just tested positive for Covid
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:33 pm
Nice problem to have really. I like how Arians is throwing the gauntlet down on Cappa, Hudson, Tyler’s Johnson, et.al. Man it sure seems like there is a bigazz SB hangover enveloping the team right now. I’d rather see crisp than slop at this point but realize it’s the silly season.
BTW – does Goobert ever suck or what?!
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:36 pm
Cappa looked terrible on a sack he gave up last night. Got completely turned around and missed an easy blitz pickup.
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:38 pm
Just good coaching, Pat the 2nd stringer on the back and kick the 1st stringer in the ass.
Dividend is 31 other teams read it and if in a injury bind might offer a juicy trade .
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:40 pm
Cappa got hurt as a starter, so ‘tradition’ says that in this new season the job is his to lose. Reality however is that BA will put the best-performing 5 OLinemen out there in Game 1 to make sure that his franchise QB has the best protection possible. Let the best man win. The other will provide quality depth, and we’ll almost surely need it before the season ends.
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:58 pm
The Glazer Kids waiting till last week to give the players their Superbowl Asteroid sized rings was a huge mistake. The guys are feeling themselves like they just won it again
August 22nd, 2021 at 3:00 pm
Not a bad problem to have……competition for starting positions…
Cappa/Stinnie
Rojo/Fournette
Whitehead/Edwards
Brady/Gabbert
Suh/GMC
August 22nd, 2021 at 3:31 pm
That’s funny ^^^^^^^^
August 22nd, 2021 at 3:41 pm
Cappa will be day 1 starter. He played a few snaps last night just to buzz the tower. Nothing to see here. Cappa played unbelievable last year before injury. Not sure he gave up any sacks but i could be wrong
August 22nd, 2021 at 4:26 pm
BRADY/ Gabbert? Did you slip that in to see who is awake? Gabbert looks like a geek compared to Brady. Made me laugh tho.
August 22nd, 2021 at 4:30 pm
Part of Arians job is to push and motivate. Competition sharpens the sword. .Cappa vs Stinnie should be good for both. Nice “problem” to have.
August 22nd, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Vrabel with Covid. Did he just infect our entire team? He sure was Yukkin it up with TB and his son, up close and personal.
August 22nd, 2021 at 7:17 pm
Any lineman not protecting Brady sure as he’ll should be worried.
August 22nd, 2021 at 7:53 pm
IMO I know arguable is the fable of a starter not losing his job due to an injury! Yes it stinks but the best should be out there. Period.
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:17 pm
We can never have too much depth on the OL. Love all of this.
August 22nd, 2021 at 10:00 pm
Best man wins.
Guys been back two preseason games. If Cappa held up Ossia than the DE that ran around Don would of got to Brady. Draft another Wirfs for the left side Jason.
August 23rd, 2021 at 2:24 am
I knew Stinnie was gonna be fine in the postseason because he came in for Ali at one point and literally pancaked Aaron Donald right away.