“I Fit Right In”
June 19th, 2023
New Bucs guard Matt Feiler, a veteran of 75 NFL starts, including playoffs.
Joe loves the Buccaneers’ apparent major upgrade at left guard.
The duo of then-rookie Luke Goedeke and replacement Nick Leverett had moments last season but overall was subpar and a little undersized when Leverett was on the field.
That sent general manager Jason Licht, a former offensive lineman himself, to the free agent market. There he found veteran guard/tackle Matt Feiler in April.
Why Feiler was on the street four weeks after free agency started is unclear. He’s 30 and durable with limited mileage on his legs.
Regardless, Feiler was plugged in immediately at left guard in Tampa and is there to stay unless something strange happens.
“I feel like I fit right in, right from the start,” Feiler told FoxSports.com.
“All the concepts carry over, but I feel like I’m picking up on the playbook and the terminology pretty easily.”
At 6-6, 330 pounds, Feiler is a beastly presence alongside left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who stands about 6-5. Joe will say Wirfs’ weight is unclear, though he’s bigger than Feiler.
Size certainly isn’t everything in an offensive lineman, but you can’t teach it or coach it, and it definitely has advantages that the Bucs can exploit if their playcaller is up to it.
Joe is glad Feiler feels he is a great fit. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had said he was still feeling his way around.
June 19th, 2023 at 4:11 pm
I would be shocked if the o line play isn’t better.
June 19th, 2023 at 4:23 pm
Feller against Vea in practice. Whoa. That might register on the richter scale.
June 19th, 2023 at 4:25 pm
Last year due to injuries our line and OC severely hampered TB play. I remember watching Mayfield matching Kansas City Chief offensively in the playoff a couple of years ago.
Give Mayfield adequate protection, the Bucs can reach the playoffs and who knows beyond that.
June 19th, 2023 at 4:27 pm
Glad Licht to a feiler on this guy. Hope it turns out well!
June 19th, 2023 at 4:36 pm
If Leftwhich was still calling plays, he’d run right on every first down.
June 19th, 2023 at 4:37 pm
Were’s the beef?
– LT – Wirfs 6’5″ – 340
– LG – Feiler 6’5″ – 335
– C – Jenson – 6’4″ – 325
I predict a majority of run plays will be to the left side this season…
June 19th, 2023 at 4:39 pm
He should be a major upgrade over what we witnessed last year. Although I would say that Leverett held his own in there and was an improvement over Goedeke. Although Goedeke was better late in the season. It was trial by fire for him. Sink or swim. Hopefully he’s figured it out by now and worked on his body and strength for another year and gained some man weight
June 19th, 2023 at 4:41 pm
Indeed you CAN “coach” size with 12,000 calories a day.
June 19th, 2023 at 4:54 pm
We now have great depth in Hainsey, Leverett & Stinnie…..
Hopefully, this guy is a road grader and helps us in the run game.
June 19th, 2023 at 5:47 pm
This guy ain’t so great – he had a 8.5 mil cap figure and got cut after 2 seasons – wow – way to ignore the obvious- this is a downgrade from even Shaq Mason…
Signed two offseasons ago, Feiler was solid in his first season as a Charger. However, he took a step back this past season. Feiler allowed six sacks, 40 quarterback pressures and 31 hurries.
June 19th, 2023 at 5:50 pm
Has Cody Mauch been signed?
I wonder how much truth there is to him not being able to anchor?
There hasn’t even been contact so how would they know?
Jensens reaction to his pick tells me NO, but he needs to be signed.
June 19th, 2023 at 6:04 pm
Any predictions about O/D-Line play without pads is just silly.
June 19th, 2023 at 6:05 pm
Great to talk about something other than Brady and QBs.
June 19th, 2023 at 6:20 pm
I see Stinnie at RG.
Unless the rookie shows out!
June 19th, 2023 at 6:21 pm
Voice of Truth Says:
June 19th, 2023 at 5:47 pm
This guy ain’t so great
Pretty negative. Some offensive line guys actually do well in one type of system but suck in the next type of system. This system may fit him.
BTW, his 2021 offensive line coach was Frank Smith that went to Miami as the offensive coordinator in 2022. So, he had a new Offensive line coach in 2022.
In the end, you may be right that he will suck. But with neither you nor I ever watching him play before, I will at least give him a chance.
June 19th, 2023 at 6:27 pm
The left side of the line will be good those dudes are huge and can play.
right side is an unknown with Mauck (or Hainsey) and Godecke.
June 19th, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Is it just me or did Joe admit that Tom Brady was “handcuffed” (i.e. handicapped) becauseTodd Bowels did not want to run Bruce Arians Super Bowl winning no-risk-it-no-biscuit offense and not Byron Leftwich?
June 19th, 2023 at 7:11 pm
I would be interesting to hear more insight as to why he’s an instant upgrade, aside from being big. What skills set him apart from Leveret? Why did his play drop off last year to the pint of being waived? Not saying he won’t be an upgrade, but I’d like to hear the ‘why’s’. As we all know, just being big doesn’t cut it.
June 19th, 2023 at 7:16 pm
Maybe should of kept Mason and drafted a Right tackle.
June 19th, 2023 at 8:14 pm
That’s one big Feller. Sorry, had to.
June 19th, 2023 at 8:53 pm
Hc Grover with the idiot comment of the day
June 19th, 2023 at 9:39 pm
Carson Wentz? Story is circulating…. Just sayin…
June 19th, 2023 at 10:11 pm
Umm. I don’t think those giant dudes are going to help Mayfield find targets to the left side of the field. I’m expecting him to make the majority of his throws to the right side of the field. You know, where shorty can see.
Trask on the other hand……….
June 20th, 2023 at 2:28 am
Same as some others here big guy yes but there are almost always reasons they let offensive linemen go. They can say it was a salary cap move but if the guy is a good to great O-lineman they just don’t hit the market.
Hope he proves me wrong. Goedeke and Smith were an abomination for us last year.
Go Bucs!
June 20th, 2023 at 6:37 am
I’m admittedly a huge fan of the big uglies. I absolutely love great OL play. It’s something we didn’t have last year, and the league in general have seen a decline in OL play throughout the years. The OL is the most disrespected position in the league, yet one of the most important components needed for a good team. Does anyone remember how Mahomes looked against us in the SB without his two starting tackles? He looked lost, and he’s a generational talent. I also hate how the OL gets blamed for sacks when it’s sometimes on the QB. You have QBs with bad pocket presence and they will run right into a sack. You have QBs who hold the ball too long. You can’t expect an OL to hold his block forever. Just because a QB can escape the pocket, doesn’t mean the OL will suddenly improve as some have stated.
Baker has bad pocket mobility and presence. He also holds the ball too long and escapes a clean pocket. All of those things have caused him to be sacked more often than say a pocket QB. Marino was a statue, and yet he didn’t take many sacks because he had elite pocket mobility and presence, and of course, a lighting quick release. Reading a defense pre-snap and being able to go through your reads post-snap quickly also reduces sacks. Being able to run around helps, but the mental part of the game is what matters in the end.
June 20th, 2023 at 6:49 am
@HC Grover… you do know they wanted to draft a right tackle in the first, I believe Spytek, who is really “the draft guy” in Tampa pretty much said at his presser.
But after the mid-first round, the quality of true tackles went down quite a bit, where as they found more value in Kancy then a Right or Left Tackle projects that may or may not pan out. Most certainly would not be ready to start day 1. Meaning? Goedeke is better value at Right Tackle for this season than what may or may not have been a reach at tackle in the early rounds of this years draft. Goedeke would have had an edge to start on any tackle we could have drafted given his “pro” starts from this past season, and the action he saw at tackle against first team defense with Atlanta.
June 20th, 2023 at 8:04 am
The Chargers did change OC from Joe Lombardi to Kellen Moore. That may explain why Feiler was allowed to walk, but 6 sacks allowed last year is not great.
I would also like Joe to talk about something other than size when he discusses the merits of Feiler.
June 20th, 2023 at 9:29 am
Yes he allowed 6 Sacks, 40 Pressures and 31 Hurries on a Team that just was not very good last year.
In two games in 2022 vs 49er( #1 Ranked Defense) Rams gave up 9 Sacks (7 and 2).
Four of the Top NFC sack leaders in 2022 played in Rams Division. Bosa, JJ Wa, and a Couple Monsters from SEA
Rams gave up 59 Sacks as a Team in 2022 so 90% were on others along the Line. So you can’t really say this guy was responsible for Rams having the 32 nd Ranked O Line last year. He had plenty of Help. Perhaps his addition to T.B. will move Bus O Line up from 29th.
June 20th, 2023 at 3:13 pm
Donavan who?