“The Hand-To-Hand Combat Is Awesome:” A Tristan Wirfs Appreciation Post
January 15th, 2022
Gets love.
So yesterday Tristian Wirfs, 22, became the first Bucs offensive lineman to be named first-team All-Pro. This is only his second season in the NFL.
Pretty cool that it came roughly 18 months after Wirfs wondered to himself if he could make it in the NFL.
Wirfs was drafted in the first round in 2020. But because of the pandemic, the Bucs never practiced until training camp. So Wirfs was given a crash course into the NFL. Knowing Wirfs would face Pro Bowl slimy Saints defensive end Cam Jordan right off the bat (there were no preseason games last year), the Bucs told Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett they were to do Wirfs no favors. They were to use every tool in their toolbox on him.
And it made for some rough practice for Wirfs, he admitted again this week.
“I’d go back to my apartment last year in camp, and I’d have a rough day against JPP and Shaq,” Wirfs remembered. “And I’d go, ‘I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.'”
And some 18 months later, Wirfs is recognized as the best at his position.
Wirfs said he learned of the award when he was going to a meeting with Tom Brady and Ryan Jensen tipped him off. Wirfs said Brady told him, “Now you have set the standard.”
He sure as hell has.
At 2021 training camp, Joe ran into former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL Network talking head Brian Baldinger. Joe asked Baldinger what he thought of Wirfs. Baldinger sort of scoffed at Joe’s question, not in a negative way but in a display of admiration and appreciation for Wirfs and answered Joe, simply, “The best!”
In Baldinger’s video below, he breaks down Wirfs’ game. Baldinger completely raves and thinks Wirfs, as Brady told him, is the standard for right tackles in the game.
.@Buccaneers @TristanWirfs78 is as skilled at what he does as what his QB does. You can travel the globe looking for a right tackle but be hard pressed to find anyone as consistent as Wirfs. And getting better. @HawkeyeFootball #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/xsPaLXY5hf
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 13, 2022
January 15th, 2022 at 12:06 am
Thank you Jameis, for all the high draft picks.
January 15th, 2022 at 12:06 am
pay this man now!
January 15th, 2022 at 12:08 am
Who is stronger: Vita Vea or Tristan Wirfs?
Two great beast moves by the legend Licht
January 15th, 2022 at 12:09 am
Howard would pay Wirfs but Howard has less money then the Glazers
January 15th, 2022 at 12:10 am
Joe would pay good money to watch those two in an Oklahoma drill.
F’ing Roger Goodell. smh
January 15th, 2022 at 12:52 am
Just don’t mess this up by experimenting with him at LT.
January 15th, 2022 at 12:59 am
Totally agree! Don’t fix something not broken.
January 15th, 2022 at 1:00 am
You can’t pay him till after 3rd season.
January 15th, 2022 at 1:14 am
So impressive!! Really special to see this guy crushing everyone.
January 15th, 2022 at 1:15 am
With our offensive line pretty set and Fournette who depending on his playoff performance which I fully expect to be awesome and Godwin still possibly the Franchise tag again, do you think we can go all defense in the draft?
There are still free agents who are gonna knock our door down again.
Suffice it to say signing all our guys back was awesome, but simply in terms of percentages, it stands to reason that the most uninjured team would face more injuries with the same guys.
January 15th, 2022 at 1:30 am
OK lets see, we will take the BEST RT in the NFL and put him at LT.
Have seen many posters mention this over time, NO, leave him at RT.
Tristan has the RT locked down for the next decade. He is on a Hall of Fame track, 2nd year and all pro already, and should have made the Pro Bowl in his first season.
He will be wearing one of those yellow Jackets one day while making his speech in Canton 5 years after he retires.
GO BUCS!!!!
January 15th, 2022 at 1:47 am
that’s some impressive azz film right there…he’s in complete control…it’s a beautiful thing to see…
the thing about wirfs is he’s build different than the rest of the line…
logistically, he can carry like 30-35 more pounds on his physique if he had to, or if he was asked to by the team…he’s not lean by any means, but his body fat is way below the rest of the group…
he’s so well put together, and a heady guy as well…and so young…!!!
what a draft pick…best lineman to come out last year and he’s our guy…
we are lucky to have him, and tom is too 🙂
January 15th, 2022 at 2:00 am
We are assured by a resident genius that the Bucs can’t build an O-line through the draft and that Wirfs was the first O-lineman drafted by the Bucs since 2007. Must have been luck!
They post among us.
January 15th, 2022 at 2:58 am
right about now, belichik is sitting indian chief style, rubbing his finest voodoo doll of tom brady, and repeatedly chanting in a dimly lit room:
“please tom, don’t do this to me again”
#AsThePlayoffsCommence
January 15th, 2022 at 4:38 am
Thats how big wirfs is
Look at video again. He makes reddick look tiny. I mean he looks like he is 15.
Like Marpet vs every other player in his high school tape
January 15th, 2022 at 6:07 am
Congrats Wirfs you deserve all coming to you, you put in the hard work. I hope the Bucs pay and keep you for many more healthy years to come. Cheers 🍻
January 15th, 2022 at 6:29 am
Another home run pick, I do love how this team is put together, my only concern is TB12 retiring and a very aged defensive front in Suh, McClendon, Gholston. But you just signed Vea and Shaq has some in the tank left
January 15th, 2022 at 7:12 am
How “good” would that money be, if during that Oklahoma drill one or both big men get injured, a concussion, blow out a knee? Alpha Dawgs do get after it, and it is sometimes extremely difficult to get them to stop. Go get the 2×4! Yes, it is no longer used in the NFL and you scoff at Roger Goodell for implementing a plan to try and prevent serious injuries to players in training. SMH indeed.
January 15th, 2022 at 7:19 am
Vea is 347lbs and Wirfs is 320lbs. that is a lot of Prime Rib smashing into each other. You are right Joe what could go wrong? Let them go at it. So we may lose one or both or their career gets cut short, oh well at least we got to see them in the Oklahoma Drill… SMH???
January 15th, 2022 at 7:20 am
Football is a physical game (duh), Rusty. Why don’t we just have them play touch, so no one gets hurt?
January 15th, 2022 at 7:42 am
Nobody said it would be smart, just entertaining.
January 15th, 2022 at 7:44 am
I think he is better even than Gene “look out! “ Sanders
January 15th, 2022 at 8:20 am
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1992/allpro.htm
2nd team All-Pro, which doesn’t exist any longer.–Joe
January 15th, 2022 at 8:34 am
Amazed at his agility for a big guy…….and D. Smith is solid……with a team full of injuries…our LTs stayed healthy.
January 15th, 2022 at 8:35 am
Tackles stayed healthy
January 15th, 2022 at 9:02 am
If we tag Chris Godwin again it’ll be like a slap in the face to him pay him he’s earned it
January 15th, 2022 at 9:16 am
Tampabaybucfan,
I hope and pray that you didn’t just jinx our tackles with your comment. Ugh!!
January 15th, 2022 at 9:43 am
Tristan is so humble; what an admirable human being.
January 15th, 2022 at 10:23 am
Congratulations Tristan.
You deserve it.
Great ability, attitude and consistency.
January 15th, 2022 at 10:46 am
TW is worth his weight in GOLD!! Go BUCS!!
January 15th, 2022 at 10:49 am
Brady having meetings with the o-line? When does he have time to work with the defense?
January 15th, 2022 at 11:11 am
Very humble dude. Adorable beast. Does he even know what a first team All Pro mean?
January 15th, 2022 at 11:11 am
Any coincidence that Brady passes the GOAT mantra to a rookie now second year RT?
I think not. I am gonna go ahead and say it. Based on what I just saw in that video.
Wirffs is the GOAT RT.
Wirffs HOF speech is going to be an epic tale of how he used to block for Brady and if not for him, Brady would have never won 3 Super Bowls in Tampa.
January 15th, 2022 at 11:15 am
Info please, his weight in gold is around $7 million. Suffice it to say that he will average well over his weight in gold when he signs his next contract.
January 15th, 2022 at 11:39 am
Best Draft Pick Ever??
January 15th, 2022 at 11:40 am
For The Bucs I Mean
January 15th, 2022 at 12:27 pm
Infomeplease Says:
January 15th, 2022 at 10:46 am
TW is worth his weight in GOLD!! Go BUCS!!
__________
At the current gold price he’s worth more.
About 9 million right now.
Now if we could only redo Durable Donnie’s contract…….. he’s worth his weight in silver.
January 15th, 2022 at 12:43 pm
Fortunately, BA and crew know how good Wirfs is, and also love Donovan Smith at LT. Only a complete brain dead, football ignorant moron would move Wirfs to LT and fortunately they post here and don’t work for the Bucs.
January 15th, 2022 at 12:46 pm
It was his mother who also put in so much work, raised her kids without help to be respectful and they do respect her. Proud of this kid who will always be a superbowl champ–1st year in the league.
January 15th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
Great stuff. He is awesome to watch on pass protection
January 15th, 2022 at 3:18 pm
Oklahoma drills don’t bother me. The low hits on receivers and linemen like the one that took out Godwin do. They need to make them illegal. Godwin was 100% defenseless on the play. I hate Cheater Peyton and his entire team. That was the best part of seeing the Niners win, keeping those scu_bags out of the playoffs.
January 15th, 2022 at 4:41 pm
Speaking of Oklahoma there was no D like the Leroy & Dewey years. Teams that played against them were lucky to get a Td but we’d lose by a fg. Steve DeBerg n da cream sickles oh how we would pour our hearts out to that ole team