“Like Who The Hell You Doubling?”
July 24th, 2022
New Bucs manbeast defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.
Joe loves hearing intelligent former NFL defensive players scream “upgrade” when it comes to how the Bucs replaced Ndamukong Suh.
Joe always stands up and yells, “Amen!”
Suh can’t seem to find a job and Akiem Hicks is in his place. He’s a few years younger than Suh and stands 6-5 about 335 pounds. Put him next to Vita Vea, who hovers around 350 or 360, and that’s two massive and elite athletes that may have no NFL rivals at defensive tackle.
Bart Scott was an NFL linebacker for a dozen seasons and has spent the past five years as a major voice on New York sports radio. Joe tuned into Scott talking all things Bucs on ESPN Radio last week to hear what he might say about Todd Bowles. Scott played for the Jets and witnessed the rough Bowles years as an analyst.
To Joe’s happy surprise, Scott expressed zero concern about Bowles. And he’s very bullish on the Bucs winning 12 games. However, Scott thinks the Saints are very underrated and may win the NFC South with 13 wins.
Regardless, Scott thinks Hicks and the good health of the linebackers behind him will mean a special rebound for the Tampa Bay defense this season.
“You put Hicks next to Vita Vea; like who the hell you doubling?” Scott barked. “Like you talk about trying to pitch the ball out of a well. You have two the biggest [interior linemen] outside of, like maybe Philadelphia can make that claim with Fletcher Cox and their rookie [Jordan] Davis.”
Scott talked about the Bucs pushing the pocket on opposing quarterbacks and getting a bounceback-to-greatness kind of year from Shaq Barrett.
Of course, the concern with Hicks is health.
Scott talked about how crazy motived Hicks must be after arriving in Tampa following years with the Bears. Might that mean Hicks will be in better shape in Tampa, and subsequently be more durable? Joe sure hopes so.
July 24th, 2022 at 5:08 pm
Vea and Hicks = WMD’s
Should be fun to watch.
July 24th, 2022 at 5:12 pm
Thats why I was pushimg for us to sign him!!! Its gonna be fun to watch hehe.
July 24th, 2022 at 5:25 pm
No the Saints aren’t winning 13 games. 🙄
July 24th, 2022 at 5:26 pm
I hope I’m wrong but this guy reminds me of Swaggy Baker. And a little Albert Haynesworth.
July 24th, 2022 at 5:42 pm
We won the SB the year we dumped Winston, had only one winning season with Tampa. JW is garbage, they’ll be lucky to win 9 with him as QB.
July 24th, 2022 at 6:13 pm
I have never thought of Hicks as a seamless replacement for Suh, and still don’t. They should try to get Suh back, if he isn’t pissed off and is willing to play for a reasonable and short contract. Or give Sheldon Richardson or Brandon Williams a call. Why not a 3-headed monster? Hall needs time to learn, and he’ll get plenty of opportunties, especially in pass rush.
In case you didn’t see, Eddie Goldman decided to retire right after the Falcons signed him. So they are back in the market. Hope they don’t sign Suh.
July 24th, 2022 at 6:19 pm
A Chris Baker in the making…
July 24th, 2022 at 6:22 pm
When it comes to the health of a player it’s difficult to predict…..but Suh, D Smith……iron men……
July 24th, 2022 at 6:36 pm
Sure would be nice to have Suh for one more year. I will be very surprised if Hicks makes it through the entire year plus playoffs without injury…
July 24th, 2022 at 6:38 pm
The difference is Swaggy the Bucs to collect a check with a perennial loser. Hicks joined a loaded roster with TB12. I imagine with a shot at a Super Bowl run he might play through nagging injuries this year.
July 24th, 2022 at 6:39 pm
I would feel better about this if Fart Scott wasn’t such a loser.
July 24th, 2022 at 6:40 pm
It’s not just Hicks, Vea also has sometimes had difficulty staying on the field.
Fingers crossed for health because it that’s good it’s ALL good.
July 24th, 2022 at 6:53 pm
Sign Suh also and rotate him with that out of shape vita Vea and that broken down hicks
July 24th, 2022 at 6:54 pm
I’m don’t think the Saints will be all-world this season. No Alvin K for the first few weeks, no Sean Payton, and a hobbled Winston for the first few games?…yeah right …good luck with that N.O….or better yet,no good luck for them punks…
July 24th, 2022 at 7:05 pm
No chance Hicks goes Swaggy swoop on a paycheck. He’s played and won with Tommy before. I think he’ll give it what he’s got.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:13 pm
Scott … ‘“You put Hicks next to Vita Vea; like who the hell you doubling?”
He makes it sound like Vea AND Hicks will be on the field TOGETHER for every defensive snap. Gotta call horsepuckey on that one.
Suh was with us for 3 years & gave us 2,377 def snaps in that time. Vea gave us 1,579 def snaps in those same 3 years. Hicks gave the Bears 1,291 def snaps in those same 3 years.
For reference, the Bucs had a total of 3,189 def snaps from 2019-2021. Suh’s availability was 74.5% (not bad for an old man). Vea’s availability was 49.5% (not quite HALF). And if Hicks had played for the Bucs, his availability would’ve been 40.5%.
So to answer Scott’s question about who ya gonna double, the answer is … the DT who actually makes it onto the field. Can I get an ‘Amen’ to that Joe? Now, re-sign Suh, and stop pretending like every DT in the league has 100% availability.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:14 pm
In my mind, Hicks is an upgrade from Suh.
Suh has grossly overvalued his services, and we were wise to let him go.
That he hasn’t caught on anywhere else tells me that we made the right decision.
Suh was not a pass rusher, and Hicks is. Plus, if you look at the stats, Hicks is also good against the run.
Because Suh was not a real threat on passing downs, other teams doubled Vita Vea. With Hicks, they will no longer be able to do that!
I think this may be a breakout year for our defense, I really do.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:27 pm
Brady would never allow any player to go Swaggy Baker.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:47 pm
DR nailed it again. Agree with you too Cobra.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:51 pm
For all the banter on here, you would think Suh was doubled nearly every snap last year. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He was hardly doubled at all. His PFF grade ranked him in the middle of the pack for D tackles last year. Yes, he was out there a lot, but that doesn’t equal production. His grade was almost 20 points lower than Fletcher Cox, who had a comparable number of snaps.
Hicks, even if he plays 12-13 games, will easily surpass Suh’s production. He’s been stuck with a crappy team, and nothing to play for. The bucs D line will be improved this season, not a doubt in my mind. Suh can’t find a job, because no team is stupid enough to pay him what he’s asking. If he wanted to come back here on a one year, incentive laden deal for 3-4 million, I’d do it in a heartbeat. My guess is that he’ll retire before he plays for anything less than 7 million.
July 24th, 2022 at 8:09 pm
GOB … ‘For all the banter on here, you would think Suh was doubled nearly every snap last year. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He was hardly doubled at all.’
I read back through the comments, but I didn’t see anyone mentioning Suh being doubled or not doubled. You’ve got a lot deeper football background than I do, but I don’t even know if anyone keeps stats on that kind of stuff. What I do know is that Suh led the Bucs’ DLine in sacks & QB pressures in BOTH 2020 & 2021 … the only 2 years the Bucs have made the playoffs since, well, a long time. THOSE STATS are in the books.
None of us have any idea what Suh is asking OR what he’s willing to play for. But as I’ve said before, that’s not my problem. Let’s let JL worry about that. We’re lacking DEPTH in a number of areas, and that’ll bite us in the ass if we don’t address it before all the decent players are signed by others.
July 24th, 2022 at 9:08 pm
Suh.
July 24th, 2022 at 9:08 pm
Tried to tell you guys about the player that Hicks was. He was a disrupter. Is he still that player? I don’t know. But if he is… Wow.
July 24th, 2022 at 9:13 pm
Suh never missed a game, Hicks many missed games because of Injury
SUH > HICKS
SUH is a known
Hicks is a mystery
If Hicks can stay on the field, maybe he will fill Suh’s spot, BUT…thats a BIG Maybe
I hope Hicks plays great, but the greatest ability is AVAILABILITY.
Hope all goes well.
GO BUCS!!!!
July 24th, 2022 at 10:03 pm
I just don’t know about Hicks. He jumped around from team to team and was injured quite a bit. Some say he just wanted to play for a better team and that will make him play better and his best for the Bucs. Well, I would ask Mike Evans and LaVonte about that. On the other hand, I really don’t have to. I do hope he surprises me, though.
As an aside, I have two burning questions: WHY did the Bucs let Suh go, and WHY are there no videos of Trask in the past 2 days of QB school?
July 24th, 2022 at 10:13 pm
I wouldn’t say that Suh isn’t a pass rusher because 6 sacks is pretty good for a DT. He was also a stud against the run and forced fumbles when we needed them most. He was a tone setter for a Super Bowl Champion and I would be glad to resign him. You can’t tell me he wouldn’t be an upgrade over Steve McClendon.
July 24th, 2022 at 10:55 pm
There really is no reason to get in a hurry to sign anybody right now. There will be some surprising players dropped during August. Lots of guys who still have a couple years left and are dropped because of contract problems might take a drop in pay to chase a ring with the Goat. It happens every year.
July 24th, 2022 at 11:16 pm
So many suh d riders of course u all know more then any other team in nfl
July 24th, 2022 at 11:17 pm
There are several people who almost daily ring the bell, screaming for the Buccaneers to resign SUH. Someone please explain to me why? Other than leadership, which the team does not need at this point.
Did they watch the Buccaneers last year? If so, you had to have seen SUH get progressively worse against the run throughout the year, without any injuries. You had to have noticed he was nonexistent in 14 or 15 games when it comes to pass rush.
I loved Suh but he’s done. He hit a wall. At this point he is average and Hicks is an upgrade.
July 24th, 2022 at 11:24 pm
I also want Suh in the rotation.
Cut his snaps in half.
He could be a rotational guy for 2 more seasons as Hall gets stronger.
July 25th, 2022 at 12:16 am
The word “and” is a powerful word.
Suh AND Hicks. Nice ring to that. For a ring.
July 25th, 2022 at 1:03 am
Vita only plays half the snaps…horrible article
July 25th, 2022 at 1:05 am
@billyboy…I know to double the rams best receiver…how bout them apples
So many casual fans on here
July 25th, 2022 at 2:00 am
My guess is Suh could have signed with most any team in the league. I believe he doesn’t want to leave Tampa. The Bucs will probably have injury issues and Suh will step right in the rotation. He may not be what he once was, but he’s still better than ninety percent of the DTs in the league. Cap space might be an issue, but I’m sure that can be worked out at the time.
July 25th, 2022 at 4:07 am
maybe suh and jpp will bite the bullet and come back for one last year on super team friendly deals because they complete this defense up front…
and no other team really wants them to this point…
and going somewhere else would just be a money grab and most likely a waste of a last season for either of them…
come play with tom on the cheap and ring chase like a mofo and then just be out…retire
#OneSeasonToChaseTheRang
July 25th, 2022 at 4:09 am
image for them, going somewhere else, into a new system as an old man by nfl standards, and looking over your shoulder every week at how the bucs are doing, and knowing you could have been part of it…
#PotentiallySomethingGreat
July 25th, 2022 at 5:03 am
David … ‘Did they watch the Buccaneers last year? You had to have noticed he (Suh) was nonexistent in 14 or 15 games when it comes to pass rush.’
Yes I did watch all the Bucs games last season David, and what you just wrote is you reinventing history. Suh played in ALL 17 games PLUS 2 playoff games.
o He had 6.5 sacks, produced in 6 of those 19 games.
o He had 17 QB Hits, produced 9 of those 19 games.
o He had 33 total tackles, produced in 15 of those 19 games.
His best game on the season? The playoff game against the Rams … 0.5 sacks, 4 QB Hits, 6 tackles, 1 FF. I like guys who can ‘play big’ in the big games.
I personally loved the Akiem Hicks signing, but I don’t expect him to play every game like Suh did. I love Vita Vea, but again, I don’t expect him to play every game like Suh did. I’m much more concerned about our DLINE DEPTH over a 20-21 game season, and that’s where Suh comes in … rotational player, fewer snaps. I could care less about how much money he makes doing it. That’s JL’s problem. IF we’re gonna win the ring in what is probably Tom Brady’s last season with the Bucs, we’ve got to truly be ALL-IN. Right now, our Achilles Heel is DEPTH.
July 25th, 2022 at 8:17 am
You guys seem to know nothing about Hicks. Comparing him to Baker is ridiculous. I guess the good news is you all will be pleasantly surprised.
July 25th, 2022 at 9:02 am
Suh.
Rotate the three beefs & better chance all stay healthy.
Or Maybe Flowers also–I’d not be sad there. DT vs DE, but would be a great piece.
July 25th, 2022 at 9:28 am
Suh still has a lot of game and NEVER MISSES A GAME , let me repeat that NEVER MISSES A GAME!!! Suh will not play for chump change and nor should he as he has produced at a HOF level his entire career. Suh can afford to wait as the injury bug will bite starting DT’s and when that happens his phone will ring and his bank will go cha ching. Bucs will miss Suh.
July 25th, 2022 at 10:01 am
Yeah Stanglass. Ive seen the guy play as well as you have. If he stays healthy, we will be reading what a great signing this was again by Licht halfway through this season.
Think they were wanting a little more pass disruption from that position. Suh probably wanted too much money. And I don’t think he was going to accept a backup rather than a starting role.
July 25th, 2022 at 10:40 am
Hi buccaneers iam your biggest fan let’s resign Ndamukong suh an Jason Pierre Paul with the left money over . An with if we have a little left let’s get Richard Sherman back
July 25th, 2022 at 3:11 pm
Haha William. Sign all three geezers? What you smoking dude?
July 26th, 2022 at 8:15 am
Cox is small for a DT.