Tristan Wirfs More Valuable Than Mike Evans?
July 6th, 2022
Time to open a Big Storm beer and continue a debate that was getting hot yesterday.
Starting Bucs guard of yesteryear Ian Beckles (1990 – 1996) was barking on the WDAE radio airwaves about ranking “untradeable” Buccaneers — after the obvious can’t-touch-this quarterback Tom Brady.
Beckles didn’t flinch. He believes right tackle Tristan Wirfs is a much more untradeable cog than the best receiver in Bucs history, Mike Evans.
Heck, Beckles even implied that Bucs’ 2022 season wouldn’t come crashing down without Evans. But Wirfs, he’s more valuable to the franchise in Beckles’ mind.
“Every team in the league wants Tristan Wirfs,” Beckles began. “There’s not one team in the league that doesn’t want Tristan Wirfs. And I don’t care who you got, you want Tristan Wirfs. Period. You know why? Because you might be able to put him at left [tackle]. … Next in line [as untradeable] might be Vita Vea, if he stays healthy.”
Joe thinks Beckles is off the mark. It’s 2022. A right tackle is not more important than a superstar receiver in his prime that many believe is a top-5 receiver.
Joe’s not knocking Wirfs or questioning his greatness, but he’s still a tackle. Anyone out there know who the Rams’ starting right tackle is without hitting Google?
The core difference is Wirfs likely has nine prime seasons left in his body compared to four for Evans.
Thankfully, nobody at One Buc Palace will have to entertain this summer hypothetical.
As for Vita Vea being the next most untradeable after Wirfs, Joe can’t go there, either. Heck, the Bucs won a Super Bowl with Vea missing most of that season.
July 6th, 2022 at 2:01 pm
Mayfield to the Stinking Panthers.
Definitely an upgrade. Too many people overlook that he took the Browns to their first playoff win in almost 30 years and played hurt a lot.
July 6th, 2022 at 2:02 pm
Maybe a left tackle, but not a right. If you can’t block the other teams best pass rusher, you’re screwed
July 6th, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Baker Mayfield to the Stinking Panthers…
July 6th, 2022 at 2:22 pm
Hopefully we can move Wirfs to LT in the not too distant future
July 6th, 2022 at 2:23 pm
So now the Browns dont have a qb, and they wont have the number one pick in the draft next year, Because the Texans own that lol
July 6th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
I have to agree with Beckles. When Wirfs went down so dod the Bucs.
LOL on Minefield. The Browns got a pair of soiled underwear and an old sock for him. The Panthers may have overpaid.
July 6th, 2022 at 2:59 pm
Mike is Mike. What happened in that right side oline when Wirfs went down? It was very ugly.
July 6th, 2022 at 3:00 pm
^In LAR playoffs game^
July 6th, 2022 at 3:18 pm
Does anybody else think this is a meaningless comparison……Tristin Wirfs vs Mike Evans?
Totally different positions, age……
How about Vita Vea vs Chris Godwin?
Ryan Jensen vs Shaq Barrett?
Blaine Gabbert vs Jamel Dean (oh well….maybe an easy choice there)
July 6th, 2022 at 3:35 pm
An all-pro OT is almost always going to be more valuable than a top tier positional player, because that OT not only keeps your QB alive, he also helps in the run game as well. Between the two, if you could only keep one, then obviously you keep Wirfs, if for no other reason than the fact he’s much younger. But you’re comparing two different positions, and if QB is your most important position, the next most important position on the field is keeping your QB alive, and upright, and all-pro offensive lineman help get WRs open by giving them more time.
July 6th, 2022 at 3:36 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
How about Vita Vea vs Chris Godwin?
——–
Now that’s a hard one… you got a part-time player in Vita vs a player who seemingly gets hurt all the time. Personally I’d take Godwin since, even with his injury history, he plays more than 54% of snaps on offense.
July 6th, 2022 at 4:32 pm
ME13 is up there with Brooks as my top two all-time Buccaneers now but… Great lineman are not easy to find. Receivers in today’s passing NFL are a dime a dozen. I am not diminishing Evans, I love the guy, but it all starts in the trenches
July 6th, 2022 at 4:58 pm
The silly season is rally heating up.
It is a team sport and it takes a whole team, but if I had to trade either of them, it would be Evans. Wirfs is just a bit closer to special than Evans.
July 6th, 2022 at 5:10 pm
Brady left the field tied in Rams game and horrible pass defense coaching allowed Rams to go 70 yards in two plays. Wirfs didn’t play. Fix the pass defense coaching!!!!
July 6th, 2022 at 5:12 pm
chose Wirfs and Vea bcuz they are the best at their positions
July 6th, 2022 at 5:18 pm
Donnie is 6 years in, probably a 7 on a scale of 10. Wirfs would then move over there and be a 10 of 10. Good LT’s are hard to acquire, we lucked out so huge when he fell to us as the last of those 4
July 6th, 2022 at 5:21 pm
They’re both irreplaceable – top 5 at their positions in NFL.
July 6th, 2022 at 5:50 pm
DiehardBucs – You can’t be the best at your position when you’re only a part-time player. If Vita would put down the triple cheese burgers with extra bacon, and just got a double with extra bacon, he’d be able to get down to around 330lb, and play more than half the snaps, and not be standing on the sidelines on every crucial goal line stand.
I really think Vita could be special, if he’d control his weight. No way you can tell me if he dropped 50lbs and got to 330 (no way he’s only 350) that he’d suddenly be less effective or get pushed around. Instead he’d become a lot more like Suh, and would be a lot more than a 1 1/2 down run stuffer.
Speaking of which can any of you Vita worshippers actually name a key play he’s made on 4th down, or on 3rd or 4th and goal? I can’t remember any. I can however remember plenty of times on 1st and 10 at the opponents 40 where he grabs a RB one armed and takes him down – but a huge play in a key situation, I’m open to having my memory jogged. It sounds like I’m down on Vita, but that’s just not true, I just can’t stand those who think he’s a HOFer when he literally takes every other play off.
July 6th, 2022 at 8:23 pm
Vea is the best nose tackle in the NFL rn. I mean, who’d you rather have at his position. Same as Wirfs
Jus sayin could be reason for Beckles rankings
July 6th, 2022 at 9:45 pm
I usually agree with Beckles, but he’s crazy as hell on this one.
July 7th, 2022 at 5:29 am
He has a good point, but due to the quality of the depth!
July 7th, 2022 at 6:51 am
Hey Brady always says it’s a team game. We need Wirfs and Evans. GOBUCS!
July 7th, 2022 at 3:46 pm
DiehardBucs – depends on what you consider a NT, but most NT’s are just 2 down run stuffers and no one knows their names. But those guys also don’t get huge deals, in large part because they’re only part-time players. Vita is great at making highlight plays, which is why people know his name – and that’s fantastic, but he also isn’t even a 2-down player, he’s a 1.5-down player, and that’s where the issue is. My point is that if he dropped weight, I don’t think he’d be any lesser of a player, and he’s be much more valuable since he could play more, and possibly even become a pass rusher.