Important Meals Return
May 23rd, 2023
Smart dining for Kyle Trask.
After the Bucs’ miserable 2014 season, veteran stud left guard Logan Mankins explained that one reason the Tampa Bay offensive line had such a brutal year was because Mankins was traded to the team in August and couldn’t manage to host bonding barbecues effectively.
Joe was flabbergasted. Who knew the power of grilled meat ran so deep?
Obviously, it was a lame excuse by Mankins. But off-field bonding is taken very seriously by offensive linemen.
Bucs offensive line coach Joe Gilbert noted recently how impressed he is that Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask already have gone out to dinner a few times with their new offensive linemen.
“I think that’s awesome that those guys are hanging out together and doing stuff around the city and building that camaraderie,” Gilbert said. “Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”
Yeah, Joe gets the camaraderie. But that only goes so far. Tom Brady wasn’t exactly hanging out with his offensive linemen, and Joe didn’t see O-lines fall apart during The Sickness, when group hangouts weren’t happening.
Mayfield has earned about $50 million in the NFL plus another load from endorsements. So Joe wonders if Mayfield paid for any of these O-line dinners to, you know, help his cause as the team leader.
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:31 am
When you don´t have TB12 in your team, camaraderie in between QB and OL could be very important Joe…..Let´s get some positive vibes…to negative energy around our beloved team…ESPN, Peter KIng, and some negative post in here…..COme on now!!
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:32 am
Brady didn’t need dinners with his Oline….being the GOAT was enough motivation for them to protect him.
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:34 am
The offensive line is a team within a team, camaraderie is a good way to build synergy and when you have an OL they can all be separate like fingers on a hand, but play as one unified unit then you’re cooking with gas and kickin a**. It’s going to be pretty cool hearing which OL personnel combination ends up being what we go with heading into the preseason. I’m just hoping we can stay as healthy as possible
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:38 am
Brady was so much older than his teammates with much more off the field responsibilities. I can’t really see him being the old guy hanging out at the club. By all accounts, he was able to fit in with the younger crowd. I don’t really care about dinners. I want a competent OL this year. Joe made a great point about how the Covid restrictions didn’t hinder the OL play in 2020
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:42 am
We’ll need all the bonding available this year. QBs going out to dinner with the o-line might not help, but it certainly can’t hurt.
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:42 am
@Dooley. You’re spot on. I’ve always had an infinity for OL. It’s such a thankless position, but one of the most position groups on the field. It’s all about synergy and communication, especially between the QB and C. I think the quality of OL play has really been bad. I miss the days of Anthony Munoz and Larry Allen.
May 23rd, 2023 at 9:48 am
I wonder if Donnie Smith is having dinner with Pat Mahomes and his perverted brother…
May 23rd, 2023 at 10:07 am
@Bucsfan13
I was taught growing up that the OL is the hardest working, smartest, and most important group of players on a given team. Partly because they make a living in the trenches while also being asked to have their own grasp of the playbook and being the point of attack for any functional offense/special teams unit, but it’s also the most thankless job in any stage of the game. There’s no OG/OT highlight reels, players don’ get incentives for seal out blocks or pancakes or being ferocious pullers, but those are the types of actions that make and break some of the most exciting plays in football and the OL is hardly praised for it. I’m all for QBs that do things to curry the favor of their OL.
Love Brady & Jensens” relationship because they sound like their language as teammates was just two guys who just busted eachothers balls for fun lol. There’s a “Below The Surface” where the guys are standing in the tunnel and there was a ballad being played from the 80’s over the PA System Jensen says to Brady “what’d this come out when you were 32 years old?” Tom replied “Go F*** yourself” lol loved that from those two
May 23rd, 2023 at 11:04 am
Brady was a unicorn which doesn’t lend itself to typical comparisons. Imagine if Brad Pitt joined the local high school Glee club. He probably wouldn’t be spending the majority of his time hanging out with them and having beers. Assuming they were of drinking age, haha. Seriously, most other quarterbacks even high-profile ones. Probably do this type of thing. But Brady came to this club as his own TB. 12 method franchise. He had a full life outside of football, though he knew how to dial it up during the season.
May 23rd, 2023 at 11:34 am
@Dooley. Great analysis. I know Brady and the defense received a lot of credit for the SB, but our OL was great! Brady had plenty of time to execute the offense, and they were opening up holes in the running game. I attended some training camp practices last year, and I had a feeling this team was doomed to fail. Yeah, we brought in shiny skill players, but our OL was lacking. I saw them getting pushed around, mainly Goedeke and Hainsey. All QBs hate pressure, especially interior pressure. Interior pressure has always bothered Brady a little more throughout his entire career. We went into the season with two new interior guys protecting Brady. Just a recipe for failure. Also, the loss of Marpet was bigger than Gronk, imo. Marpet was a leader and cleaned up Donnie’s mistakes.
May 23rd, 2023 at 11:38 am
Joe, they were eating W’s.
May 23rd, 2023 at 11:48 am
@Bucsfan
I’ve been of the mind the loss of Gronk was basically like losing a 6th OLmen who was an eligible WR on a given play, also served as Toms’ security blanket when he saw no outs in coverage he could always come back to Gronk and due to him being such an enormous target just get the ball in his vicinity to offload the ball, move the stick and/or score. I think our collection of talent improved this year, whether or not it’s as good as 2020/21 remains to be scene, but I also think the scheme change will help.
Nobody probably gave it the weight it deserved, but Tipsy Bruce Arians pointed out how rare it was that our entire OL stayed healthy in 2020 and really added to a perfect storm in terms of them being consistent enough for the skill guys to gel down the stretch and part of that was because of the consistency we had in the trenches.
May 23rd, 2023 at 11:57 am
SAME WITH EVERY BUSINESS
I have team dinners and outings all the time. Genuinely liking, or at least understanding, the person you work with every day makes a difference in culture. Don’t overthink it.
May 23rd, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Joe why do you always talk about Baker like he’s trying to win over his teammates by undermining Trask? Like when we signed him you said who will the team show up for if both QBs ask the players to hold off campus workouts? As it turns out Baker didn’t do any of that. Now we find out both QBs are getting along, hanging out together with their mates. Yet there you go, did Baker pick up the tab trying to win favor to become the team leader? If that’s the kind of guy you think Baker is, having an agenda with a bag of tricks to win his teammates over he’s no real leader. This hopefully will be a good QB competition. Stop trying to make it out to be a dirty cat fight.
May 23rd, 2023 at 1:44 pm
JOE quit a few successful Buisness I’ve bin a part of go out to eat together and do other activities outside the office and work place to make for a better work environment or atmosphere. From my personal experience I do believe it helps but I will say just because you do this doesn’t mean you automatically win games. Should be helpful tho
May 23rd, 2023 at 1:53 pm
Curious, is it possible to go 1 thread without the mention of Tom Brady? He ain’t gonna win you any games this year. The more germane view is the the windshield, not the review mirror.
May 23rd, 2023 at 2:03 pm
Mayfield and Wirfs also attended a Tampa Bay Lightning playoff game together. There was also another Olineman there, but I don’t recall who that was.
May 28th, 2023 at 8:39 am
Played O line for 6 years.
It is indeed a team within a team. You are the guys that only get mentioned if you screw up. No Game balls for you, even when your QB doesnt get sacked and your RB goes for 100 yards. You bond more on the practice field and games. But BBQ is never a bad thing! LOL
May 28th, 2023 at 8:44 am
BTW WTF is Baker Mayfield being mentioned in the article about bonding!
He’s been here 5 minutes and has not been through any training camp yet!
That’s where bonding happens Joe! Not running your mouth about how confident you are in yourself!