“A Giant Freak Athlete”
July 23rd, 2022
New blood.
Yeah, the Bucs lost Rob Gronkowski to retirement (allegedly), but did they find a much cheaper and legitimate alternative?
Every Bucs fan is hoping that’s the case after Tampa Bay signed veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph this week. Joe hasn’t heard a soul rip the move. In fact, it seems to be a universally beloved call by general manage Jason Licht.
Joe has to wonder how much intense and loquacious new Bucs safety/cornerback Logan Ryan endorsed Rudolph after playing with him last season on the New York Giants roster.
Regardless, a guy who faced Rudolph several times in the NFC North is former Packers linebacker A. J. Hawk. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Hawk said the Bucs hit a homerun with the Rudolph signing. What a good signing.
“I’m a fan of Rudolph and how he plays. A giant freak athlete, though, for people that don’t know or have never seen this guy,” Hawk said. “I’ve played against, him like what is he 6-6? Jacked. Super smart. Very athletic. Great feet. Great hands. Perfect signing for Tampa Bay.”
Hawk also went on to praise Rudolph’s ability in the run game and red zone.
No, Rudolph isn’t Gronk, and he’s not the player he used to be, but he should be invigorated by coming to a loaded Bucs roster with a chance to earn his first Super Bowl ring. If the Bucs get the player Hawk described, Joe will do jumping jacks down Dale Mabry Highway.
July 23rd, 2022 at 1:49 pm
Place holder
Gronk will be back if TB is standing and the Bucs are heading to the Playoffs!
Rudolf is an excellent role player and should fit in well with TB
July 23rd, 2022 at 2:20 pm
Poor bastard probably has PTSD after being on the same field with Glennon.
July 23rd, 2022 at 2:27 pm
Goatfarmer,
I still have PTSD from watching Glennon as a Buc! His first start against Arians Cardinals was actually off to a decent start. Then the
4th qtr hit and I believe he threw like 2 pick 6’s to Patrick Peterson. What a prelude for a couple years before America’s QB threw a pick 6 on his 1st pass of his career. Tough memories indeed!
July 23rd, 2022 at 2:42 pm
NC – I knew he was horrible in college. He couldn’t even beat SEC powerhouse Vanderbilt, throwing 4 interceptions, and repeated the feat against Kentucky or somebody. I screamed bloody murder when Dumbernik drafted him with the 3rd round pick. And yet his rookie year was his best in the NFL. He is the worst QB in the NFL right now, even making Goobert look less horrible.
July 23rd, 2022 at 2:56 pm
I’d be a lousy QB for the money he’s banked.
July 23rd, 2022 at 3:06 pm
Glennon easily top 10 worst looking nfl players of all time
Anyways
Put in rudolph tape. He gets a good portion of tds close to endzone. Thats where we need it. Cause evans , godwin , gage and Lenny (others) will do the rest of the way
July 23rd, 2022 at 3:17 pm
Can someone explain the “America’s QB” label for Winston? I think I’ve heard it from more than one person.
July 23rd, 2022 at 3:21 pm
Better than shirtless jumping jacks in the Jets end zone…
July 23rd, 2022 at 3:49 pm
Kyle, Cade, Cam, Cody, Ko…….let’s go!!!
July 23rd, 2022 at 4:40 pm
so gronk is cooked?
🙁
July 23rd, 2022 at 4:47 pm
A downstate Southern Illinois boy used to dodging cornstalks and the occasional mad bull, doing Jumping Jacks down Dale Mabry? Please don’t Joe. You wouldn’t be long for this world. LOL.
July 23rd, 2022 at 4:50 pm
Glennon looked like Napoleon Dynamite out there playing QB
July 23rd, 2022 at 4:54 pm
Adam… if you listened to the Ira/ Joes broadcast, you would know that the amount of the contract is still unknown. And that number would tell us something about the affordability of a return by Gronk.
July 23rd, 2022 at 4:58 pm
I have a theory on guys like Mike Glennon. When you have a dad that played the same position successfully as a pro, and is involved in your life, you get the best of training growing up. If by the time you hit the pro’s, if you aren’t pretty “pro ready”, you probably never will be. Sure, you might develop more as you grow up, faster and stronger into man strength and such. But if you don’t show it, sooner rather than later, you probably don’t have it.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:04 pm
Ah, Chicago guy, eh? 🙂
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:06 pm
Continued… if you are from a small school and family that doesn’t have the program down, you may very well have a great deal of untapped potential, that with the right instruction, training, and hard work, can pay off greatly, and develop a great deal of untapped potential. I think Licht is a master in spotting those kinds of Linemen.
Look at the Watt boys. You don’t think they pretty much had the program down as JJ succeeded in transforming from a HS tight end to a great DL, with the younger brothers following in his footsteps? Sure, they were superior athletes; but I think the guys had it down.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:08 pm
Joe… I thought you matriculated at the Charleston Harvard of the Midwest.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:11 pm
adam from ny Says:
July 23rd, 2022 at 4:40 pm
“I’m done with football.”
You may have heard he retired. Only morons are still hanging on the notion he might return.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:12 pm
We all want greatness from Kyle Rudolph but how much of the hot praise is about what Rudolph used to be? Not much to praise from last season. That’s the Rudolph we have. Hope that he has a nice sunset the way Jason Witten did with Dallas. And that TB12 ignites Kyle to his former pro bowl level.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:20 pm
Joe.. Grew up in the proverbial shadow of the Cat Foundry… the smell of PBR hops brewing in the air… the one-time Whiskey capital of America. Had to drive a few miles to see the corn fields… or apple orchards. Of course, what in Illinois doesn’t have the shadow of Chicago looming over it?
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:28 pm
What number did they give Otton? He wore 87 in college. If he keeps the 87, I think Gronk ain’t coming back chief.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:51 pm
@Hodad
It seems for now Otton has been given #88.
July 23rd, 2022 at 5:55 pm
@Hodad
Jpp #90 already given to Logan Hall
July 23rd, 2022 at 7:23 pm
The kind of morons who held onto the belief that Brady was coming back. Lol
July 23rd, 2022 at 7:27 pm
I hope to see a video of Joe jumping-jack Dale Mabry, almost more than I’m hoping to see a beast in Rudolph.
July 23rd, 2022 at 8:28 pm
Torontobucsfan,
Joe has been calling him that since he was drafted. I have no idea where he got that moniker. It’s obviously a joke
July 23rd, 2022 at 8:44 pm
@ yeah but Brady never retired before, and he doesn’t take the beating that gronk does. So it’s different. Gronk has been through this before, so just take him at his word.
July 23rd, 2022 at 9:09 pm
Buccos Says:
July 23rd, 2022 at 7:23 pm
I’d argue that waiting, hoping, and obsessing about Brady returning was equally mor0nic, regardless of the fact that he did eventually “unretire”… Big phercking waste of time unless you have nothing better to obsess over. I’m glad he did decided to come back, but I wasn’t holding my breath, I was moving on and I was sick of all the stup!d rumors.
One big difference is that Brady was sending out mixed signals. Gronk has been more definitive. I’d say we should all move on and give it a rest and if Gronk magically decides to play football at some point this season, it will be a happy surprise. But I’m not holding my breath and I’m not playing these stup!d sp3culation games… which is no better than going to TMZ for celebrity gossip. Maybe that’s your thing.
July 23rd, 2022 at 9:19 pm
Rudy is a great signing. He’s good at everything, maybe not great at anything but in this offense, along with Brate and the rookies, the tight ends are going to be just fine.
I personally do not think he is washed up. He has been 40 – 60 catch guy every year he wasn’t injured or playing for the Giants. 😂 Of course there was a one year when he had 80 catches.
They have Brate and the rookies to mix in so I don’t expect him to hit 50+ catches but I do expect him to hit 35+
July 23rd, 2022 at 10:49 pm
How cool would it be to get Gronk back around week 6-8 and run double TE formation. You could run the ball with those monsters on the field, or better yet, pass out of that formation with Evans, Godwin and any other receiver….. what team has good enough LB or safeties to cover them at the same time??? Brady needs to call Gronk during preseason and tell him how great Rudolph is and doing things Gronk can’t do…. Get Gronks competitive juices flowing and get em back.
July 24th, 2022 at 12:21 am
@Miller5252-
He retired. It’s over.
July 24th, 2022 at 5:38 am
Bottom line is, at this point we don’t have any great TEs that come close to replacing Gronk. BUT Cade is a huge question mark. He could become the heir to the throne. I’m really hoping he breaks out of the pack and becomes a “young Gronk.” We should know soon enough.
July 24th, 2022 at 9:42 am
Cry Baby is still here. And he has nothing better to do than spend his time watching every article to see if some one is talking about Gronk coming back ant throwing out an insult. Man you have a sad life. And your TMZ Sh!t does not bother people Find a new hobby.
July 24th, 2022 at 9:51 am
^and
July 24th, 2022 at 10:58 am
sasquatch…if you don’t like TMZ…then why are you on JBF all the time?
It’s like baby-TMZ.