“Looks Like He’s Been There Forever”
August 30th, 2023
Tristan Wirfs
Lots of Tampa Bay fans throw darts and flash middle fingers at one of the team’s esteemed and candid local critics.
That would be former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996).
Joe has no issue with Beckles. He’s been scrutining every Bucs game for decades, and he openly says he’s been a fan of the Bucs since they drafted him. The Tampa entrepreneur and sports radio pundit bellows nowadays on his In The Trenches podcast.
In his recent chatter, Beckles proclaimed that Mike Evans is a beloved beast of the game but he’s taken a big step backward. But it wasn’t all Bucs negativity from Beckles.
He examined all 25 of Tristan Wirfs’ snaps on Saturday against the Ravens and walked away amazed.
“Tristan Wirfs at left tackle looks like he’s been there forever,” Beckles said, noting he can’t think of any left tackle that has the body type of Wirfs.
“I just think Tristan Wirfs can play wherever he wants. I just think he’s that kind of a football player,” Beckles added.
Joe agrees with Beckles. Wirfs sure looked great and comfortable, albeit against mostly Ravens backups.
But will Wirfs be an All-Pro left tackle, as he was as a right tackle? That’s the unknown. If Wirfs this season is, say, a top-12 left tackle in the league, Joe wouldn’t be sure the Bucs accomplished much by relocating him.
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Beautiful covered patio with strong sightlines and audio. Indoors, too! Cocktails, Florida’s best craft beer and more.
August 30th, 2023 at 9:55 am
Future HoF. He’s just special, rare combination of elite physical tools and the right mindset to keep improving on his game.
August 30th, 2023 at 10:10 am
Will he be an all pro LT? Still doubting him Joe? You worried for nothing about moving him to the left. Joe, Beckles loses me when he makes a statement like, Evans took a BIG step backward, really? That’s just a dumb take. Do you believe Beckles there Joe? You’ve been raving about Evans all camp, but Beckles is ready to retire him. You’re at camp every day Joe, is Beckles? You say he’s plugged in at One Buc, but I find that hard to believe. He’s so negative towards the Bucs I doubt very much he has any friends in the building. Beckles ain’t no Ronde Barber when in comes to being welcome in One Buc. Still keep his takes coming Joe, I can always use a good laugh.
August 30th, 2023 at 10:18 am
Wirfs is a giant human with sweet feet. He will be successful at LT.
August 30th, 2023 at 10:25 am
Best athlete on the team by a landslide. How did talent evaluators let him slide in the draft. The dude is on the path to a HOF career !
August 30th, 2023 at 10:50 am
Rest easy Joe’s. The Bucs have their left tackle for the for next 6-7 years, barring injury.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:05 am
Bucs are one draft away from being completely reloaded.
If we win the NFCS this year … look out! Licht just might create a NFCS dynasty.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:20 am
We fixed what was broken….left tackle…
August 30th, 2023 at 11:23 am
If he can stay healthy first ballot HoF type of player. Incredible that so many teams passed on him.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:34 am
Dude slugged a horse, He will always be a d!ck,
August 30th, 2023 at 11:38 am
I met Beckles once. Good dude. But honestly, his takes are no better than the jokers in these comment sections. And just about as informed.
August 30th, 2023 at 11:38 am
I just can’t listen to his pods anymore. So negative. Negativity is low hanging fruit. No creativity at all. Even during the Brady Glory years. Pass. GO BUCS!
August 30th, 2023 at 12:24 pm
He’ll be the best LT too….I saw all of his potential when I was pushing us to draft him but he has no doubt exceeded my expectations.
August 30th, 2023 at 12:28 pm
Because LT is more important than RT. “Joe” seems to not understand that. He also forgets Baker played with Greg Robinson trying to play LT in Cleveland so he rolled right so much it became a game-planning cliche to not allow him to do that. Joe seems to think a magical cheap and good LT was available in free agency or the middle of the first round when that simply wasn’t the case. This all just serves to remind everyone “Joe” (one of them at least) is a nice & tireless aggregator of Buccaneers news; a scout, GM, or coach proxy? Obviously not.
August 30th, 2023 at 1:12 pm
My guess is bc LT make more but not much more than RT. LT are harder to find feel like it was great move. Lock him up when we can. Class act
August 30th, 2023 at 1:19 pm
I don’t think Beckles slugged the horse. He just touched it after he was asked not to by the police. Oh and he was drunk in public. A pretty minor run in with the law by today’s standards. But I’m not sure how a 350lb fat a$$ can talk about an elite athlete such as Evans losing a step when he is only 29 years old. I don’t think that even Warren Sapp would talk about Evans in such a derogatory manner and he has a gold jacket
August 30th, 2023 at 2:15 pm
Joe was wrong about Wirfs.
Joe will be proven to be wrong about Baker Mayfield as well.
August 30th, 2023 at 2:27 pm
If Wirfs is anything but an ALL-PRO LT, then you move him back.
It’s no big deal – just like the team moved Marpet to center, then moved him back to guard where he was once again instantly one of the best in the game and an ALL-PRO.
In any case, the team should have locked him up on a new deal before the move, since a franchise LT cost more than a franchise RT.
August 30th, 2023 at 2:46 pm
Wirfs Rocks
August 30th, 2023 at 3:05 pm
But can he play Center and Left Tackle at the same time? Seriously though, he is the most dominant O lineman in the league. I still can’t get over that huge man jumping out of the pool.
August 30th, 2023 at 3:21 pm
@Joe…ME13 has taken a step backwards per Ian? You’re telling us this is the best camp ME has ever had. Where’s this step backwards Beckles is/isn’t seeing?
August 30th, 2023 at 3:29 pm
Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan Says:
August 30th, 2023 at 2:15 pm
Joe was wrong about Wirfs.
Joe will be proven to be wrong about Baker Mayfield as well.
Not correct. Joe or both Joes on this site were huge Wirfs fans ever since the day we drafted Wirfs.
Unless you are talking Joe from Michigan or some other posters that said that we picked the wrong guy or hoodwinked.
The archives are here to show that the Joe’s have been Wirf’s fans.
August 30th, 2023 at 3:44 pm
Geno: Mostly Peaceful means that one of the Joes felt Tristan moving to LT was a team-destroying risk, when good (or even great) LTs are tough to come by. Tristan is a consensus top-3 tackle in the league, and he’s young enough and athletic enough that a move to LT makes him a top-5 LT at worst. One of the Joes (Lee?) is just a massively negative guy it seems, safe from his perch and not knowing how all the pieces fit together. For “Joe Bucs FAN”, it really is a typical media mindset, I gotta say.
August 30th, 2023 at 3:49 pm
He’ll be top 3 n he doesn’t do #2 or 3
August 30th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Beckles played in the NFL ? That’s strange, because he “never” mentions it every 5 minutes when he talks.
August 30th, 2023 at 3:59 pm
No, Joe thought moving Wirfs may eff up two positions, not destroy a team. The guy was totally dominant at right tackle. Hall of Fame level. We still don’t know what he will do at left tackle (early results seem comforting). Needless risk for such a good, valuable player.
August 30th, 2023 at 4:54 pm
great!
August 30th, 2023 at 5:48 pm
He doesn’t need to be all pro. He’s already infinitely better than what they had last year. And will continue to be.
August 30th, 2023 at 8:53 pm
Wirfs is freakin awesome! and on an HoF trajectory if he plays left tackle near where he played right tackle. He is the best player on the entire team.
August 30th, 2023 at 9:28 pm
Wirfs is going to end up getting somewhere around $26 million annually as a left tackle.
The highest paid right tackle is making $20 million per.
Wirfs isn’t moving back to right tackle. Period. End of discussion.
Why again did so much time get wasted wringing hands over this silly issue all offseason?
August 30th, 2023 at 9:32 pm
maybe big wirfsy is left brained 🙂
August 30th, 2023 at 9:38 pm
8 years 200 mil…
sounds about right to me…
some might say lock him down for 5-6 years…
i say 7-8…make him a buc for life
August 30th, 2023 at 10:05 pm
I’m not sure what would make anyone think that they could jump out of a pool. I don’t think that thought ever occurred to me as a kid and I did some crazy shiite. I did backflips into the pool but never standing in water up to my waist try to jump out of the pool. That is amazing. A generational talent for sure
August 31st, 2023 at 2:40 am
Beckles endorsement doesn’t mean much to most of us Joe. Not anymore.
Go Bucs!
August 31st, 2023 at 8:31 am
If Wirfs becomes an All Pro at LT, would he be the only player to ever be an All Pro at two different positions?