The Bucs “Have A Plan” For Trey Palmer
May 10th, 2023
Bucs rookie WR Trey Palmer.
This is usually the real estate for sports radio or some talking head ex-player who just showed up to a studio to punch a clock and didn’t do any research.
Joe just read the Bucs “have a plan” for speedy sixth-round pick, receiver Trey Palmer from Nebraska.
Yes, a guy working for the four-letter actually typed this, Jeremy Fowler.
The Bucs have a plan? You don’t say! You mean the Bucs just didn’t throw a dart at a board between beers in their draft war room and wherever the dart meant they did research to see how the guy hit may fit on the roster?
In all seriousness, Fowler believes Palmer is the new Scotty Miller.
Despite having three entrenched starters at wideout, the Bucs will have a plan for intriguing sixth-rounder Trey Palmer. Tampa is hopeful Palmer can pick up some of the slack left by Scotty Miller, who signed with Atlanta this offseason.
Joe assumes (always dangerous) one of the “entrenched starters at wideout” Fowler is referring to is Russell Gage. No way Joe could type “entrenched” when referring to Gage.
Last year Gage was a no-show consdering his $10 million salary. There wasn’t one Bucs player that underwhelmed last year more in Joe’s eyes than Gage. Not even Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Sure, Joe knows the guy was hurt from the moment he opened the players’ entrance door to One Buc Palace. That’s a big part of it. You cannot impact the team standing in street clothes.
As far as Palmer replacing Miller, Joe sure hopes so. Miller virtually disappeared on the Bucs’ roster with the exception of some fine special teams plays.
Quick, name an impact play Miller made as a receiver since he caught that bomb from Tom Brady in the 2020 NFC Championship game.
The only play Joe can think of was a nice catch over the middle against Seattle last year, which Miller damn near dropped because he reverted to that dumb habit of always jumping for perfectly thrown balls.
Had Miller not jumped (having to stop to secure the bobbled ball) he may have scored on the play.
Joe sure hopes Palmer can have a better impact at receiver than Miller did the past two seasons. And how awesome would that be if Palmer catches a bomb for a touchdown in a playoff game?
May 10th, 2023 at 4:09 am
Don’t mind any national guys saying stupid things like Gage being entrenched. They look at the small teams in a broad light, see where he was on the depth chart and how much he’s making and make stupid comments like that. Gage completely underwhelmed and every Bucs fan knows it.
May 10th, 2023 at 5:58 am
Gage was uncoverable during training camp last season before getting injured. For sure his production was hugely disappointing during the season.
I’m going to withhold judgement though on his value untill I see how he plays when healthy. Clearly our scouting dept saw some serious skill before the Bucs offered him 10 million/year.
May 10th, 2023 at 6:24 am
Gage could’ve asked for his release, but didn’t he restructure to stay here. I think with a more mobile QB you will see Gage step up (not saying he had one in ATL with Ryan), but on roll outs and busted plays, he will show up
May 10th, 2023 at 6:52 am
Hopefully this plan involves teaching him to catch with his hands. 95% of his highlight reel was letting the ball come to his body. But hey, at least in the HL reel he caught those passes… would just be nice to see him use his hands i.g. to bring it in.
May 10th, 2023 at 7:03 am
hopefully it means lots of runs out of ace formation or 10 personnel. I’d love to see runs out of spread formations, if they have the answer at running back
May 10th, 2023 at 7:04 am
The Bucs haven’t gotten a lot of production out of so called speedy Day 3 draft pick receivers the last few years. They don’t cost a lot, so it is affordable to miss on such picks. So sooner or later one will pan out and earn a significant role in the offense. Maybe Palmer will be that guy? It would certainly help.
Gage was obviously hurt last season and hurt players don’t generate a lot of protection. What Joe and his other critics seem to miss or gloss over is that with our grossly underperforming, mostly occupied by scrubs offensive line giving TB-12 little time to throw, one of his more reliable targets on short yardage dumpoff passes, along with Leonard Fournette, was Russel Gage. He caught most of the balls thrown his way (51 caught of 70 targets – about the same as Chris Godwin and significantly more than Mike Evans). But with Brady throwing the ball faster than any other quarterback in the leagues, in order to save his own life, you’re going to get a lot of short passes. Brady only managed 6.4 yards per pass attempt, way below his previous two seasons with the Bucs at 7.4 and 7.6 YPA.
May 10th, 2023 at 8:01 am
A little harsh on Gage, I think…..he performed well when he played….and he played hurt.
May 10th, 2023 at 8:09 am
Man plans, and God laughs.
May 10th, 2023 at 8:14 am
My hope is he’s batter than Miller was when he was making plays for the Bucs. Miller was used primarily to stretch the field as a go route guy and the occasional screen/end around. Palmers size and speed could make him better at it.
May 10th, 2023 at 8:23 am
It will be good to have that deep threat WR in the offense to keep defenses honest. I can see them running a lot of 3 WR sets Palmer and Evans on the outside and either Chris Godwin or Gage running in the slot.
May 10th, 2023 at 9:06 am
Uhm… I mean gage is pretty entrenched I’d say we’re not going to release him. We only have 3 wrs that have played more then 1 season and gage is one of them next to mike and Chris. We’re not going to release gage and then have all 1st and 2nd year late round picks/undrafted players behind them.. seems pretty entrenched to me his spot is almost as safe as mikes and Chris
May 10th, 2023 at 9:45 am
A lot of “hope” talk. Hope is not a strategy – LOL
May 10th, 2023 at 9:48 am
Don’t blame Gage’s production entirely on Gage. He’s a product of Leftwich game-planning.
And Leftwich may be the worst OC in the history of the NFL.
May 10th, 2023 at 9:49 am
At one point Scotty Miller was the leading receiver for the Bucs in 2020, that changed however, when the Bucs signed AB. Later in the year Scotty made some impact plays but after that he an afterthought. He was a just a one trick pony.
May 10th, 2023 at 10:42 am
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, Deven Thompkins
May 10th, 2023 at 11:00 am
Hope the plan is to teach him to catch, the bucs have drafted a crappy team full of these dudes
May 10th, 2023 at 11:20 am
Thompkins couldn’t separate from NFL defenders for some reason. Palmer has a size advantage, and should have better success with contested balls. Thompkins was amazing in college. Hopefully he can adjust this year. Rotating two speed guys on one side of the field could wear a defender out.
May 10th, 2023 at 11:23 am
Joe, and everyone else, seems to forget that Gage was injured pretty much all year, and write him off as garbage. Typical.
A healthy Gage is a high quality 3rd receiver, probably good enough to be a number 2, with speed to get deep and YAC ability.
A-holes gonna a-hole.
May 10th, 2023 at 10:45 pm
Not to mention that devastating neck injury late in the year. I’m relieved he’s still able to walk much less play football. He caught a ton of balls and showed a lot of roughness playing though the injuries throughout the year. Agreed to take less money to stay in Tampa and still getting crapped in by the local scribes.
May 11th, 2023 at 6:16 am
Bucs seem to have signed a lot of injured veteran free agents.
Part of the cap problem.