“Coaching Matters”
September 2nd, 2021
Bucs GM Jason Licht explains.
Generally — not always as there are no absolutes — teams with few games lost to injuries on their offensive lines have good seasons.
The Bucs bucked this trend in 2018 and 2019 with few injuries up front and it continued last season.
But with the NFL entering its first 17-game schedule can the Bucs bank on injury luck to the offensive line again?
Well, if the Bucs have injuries to the offensive line, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht believes run game coordinator Harold Goodin and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert will have the backups ready to rock and roll.
How can Licht be so confident? You only need to look at last year, he told Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio recently.
Pat Kirwan: Let me take the offensive line as an example. Your starters (on the offensive line) I think missed a total of four starts (in the regular season), of the whole group. So consequently, what’s behind them are kids and guys that didn’t play a lot. How do you use this summer to make sure that Lineman No. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are the right guys?
Jason Licht: Yeah, and I think the way we did that last year with the way Bruce [Arians] set up his practices and Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert … they did a great job because we had some games where A.Q. Shipley had to step in. Now he knew the offense inside and out from being with Bruce. But then Aaron Stinnie had to play the entire playoffs for Alex Cappa and he did a phenomenal job. Those guys were ready to go. No offense to the starters who were out but because of the way they were coached, and the way that we schemed it up, we almost didn’t miss a beat and that’s a big credit to the coaching staff. We have a phenomenal coaching staff and coaching matters.
And Joe will also Tristan Wirfs in this group as well. Why? Well, the Bucs had their star rookie right tackle ready to play right off the bat with no offseason or worthless preseason games.
Coaching matters? Woo, boy does it ever.
Just last night on Twitter Joe read a former shot-caller in the NFC South (not named “Mark Dominik”) suggest if the Saints played outdoors at home more often they would be lethal in September and October.
Yes, the Saints, when not evacuating due to a storm, play home games in a climate-controlled dome.
When Joe read this from the ex-NFL suit, Joe remembered vividly the last coach the Bucs had who embraced the heat and humidity. He practiced in the dead of Florida summer afternoons and didn’t win one friggin’ game at home his first year.
And in his second year, he opened his home schedule with his defense getting curb-stomped by a gimmick rookie quarterback the team was ill-prepared to play.
So yeah, coaching matters. It’s why the Bucs are champions today.
September 2nd, 2021 at 2:48 pm
Indoor Practice Facility is The House that Jameis built. Pete doubts TB12 would’ve signed here w/o one so Bucs fans can thank JW for our Superbowl ring
September 2nd, 2021 at 3:01 pm
We can thank JW for all 30 picks that ran him out of town!! Oh yah, and for the fumbles too!!! Ok maybe he was responsible for only 25 of the picks.. end result still the same. Can’t wait to play the Saints this year. Move forward!!! Don’t look back!!! GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2021 at 3:07 pm
This is a very under appreciated point but the difference is night and day with our current staff on the Oline…..Look at Alex Cappa as a perfect example. He couldnt beat out Caleb Benechot until Bruce got here and he is now an above average starter.
Dirk Koetters staff didnt develope a single lineman while here. Its obvisoud now it was due to poor coaching. Take it a step futher and looking at the difference in coaching and developing in the defensive backfield. The difference is amazing.
Aside from that this current team has shown a great ability to find really good backups and role players…….Just looking at OL you can look at Shipley, Stinne, Haeg, Watford, ect. Constantly getting solid players in here, thats not just luck……….Look at the difference in drafting too. Ever since Bruce got here we seem to be nailing our picks. So why are some of yall hating on Trask? The odds seem to be agianst you.
September 2nd, 2021 at 3:41 pm
Agree with coaching resumes. Kirk Ferentz at Iowa (forever) has consistently trained and turned out first rate OLs for years. His record is there for all to see on the NFL rosters.
September 2nd, 2021 at 4:43 pm
This is why I love the large coaching staff. I’m not a teacher, but coaches are. So for all the teachers out there, are you a more effective teacher with 35 kids in your class, or 20? Just curious. Lol.
September 2nd, 2021 at 4:49 pm
How far we have come. I remember not too many years ago when some posters would argue that point…oh..it is all the players…the talent…the draft choice. They are grown men…they don’t need coaching. Saying bad coaching is an excuse for bad players. But maybe it is more like the other way around…bad players is an excuse for bad coaching. I believed the later is more true, than the former. Many times, these guys measurables are pretty similar… a good player and a poor player. Great players are usually a combination of both great talent and great coaching.
September 2nd, 2021 at 5:12 pm
Where would we be without Brady???
September 2nd, 2021 at 6:26 pm
Man, we’ve had so many bad coaches over the years, it’s easy to tell the difference when we get some that are special. Dungy got us out of a black hole that we had been in for years and turned the team around. Gruden added some players to an already great team and we won it all with his short lived brilliance. Arian’s did both of those things and we won it all again. I despise the dry spells, but dude, when it’s good it’s freaking awesome for our team.
September 2nd, 2021 at 7:00 pm
JimmyJack:
Solid points.
September 3rd, 2021 at 12:12 am
If jack helped you off the horse — would you help jack —
Personally I think cutting Rudy Carpenter was a travesty.
September 3rd, 2021 at 2:53 pm
Jason looks like he’s dressed as Belicheat on Halloween in that pic. He needs a video camera in one hand though.