Offensive Line No. 27
August 2nd, 2023
Question mark.
Yeah, Joe knows the folks who habitually howl about the Bucs’ offensive line like your neighbor’s dog howls at the moon will love this.
Now most folks, sadly, seem to be hoodwinked into believing the GD dumbass grades from ProFootballFocus.com (PFF Tribe). What is the old P. T. Barnum quote? There’s a sucker born every minute. That fits the nutty offensive line grades dudes in Irish dorms slap on teams for the PFF Tribe.
Joe would much rather listen to someone who played offensive line and has an idea what offensive line calls are and what assignments are supposed to be.
Oh, and the same guy has a Princeton degree.
Ross Tucker recently graded each and every offensive line in the NFL for The 33rd Team. There, Tucker types he’s not impressed with the Bucs’ front line. As a result, he has them ranked No. 27, in the “Below Average Tier.”
Ryan Jensen being back at center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helps them tremendously. Tom Brady no longer being the quarterback and getting rid of the ball in, like, two seconds, doesn’t.
Joe has spoken to NFL players and former suits and they all pretty much say the same thing. Brady was so sharp in calling out line assignments and putting guys in the right place, that alone made a line so much better, never mind his super quick release.
Joe can see why Tucker is down on the Bucs’ liine. And let’s be honest, there is a question mark at every position of the line.
If Ryan Jensen is healthy enough to play and plays anywhere close to what he was before his knee was destroyed, and Tristan Wirfs makes the flip to left tackle seamlessly, the Bucs at worst should have an average offensive line.
August 2nd, 2023 at 4:02 am
From last year starters, there is 5 different starters on the Bucs O-line this season.
August 2nd, 2023 at 4:17 am
It’s wishful thinking to believe our o line will be any better than last year.
August 2nd, 2023 at 4:36 am
I think with an emphasis on quick decisions (2.7 seconds) to throw while also having a QB who can move outside of the pocket will help the oline out this year. Versus just being a sitting target or dirting the ball to avoid being hit.
August 2nd, 2023 at 5:13 am
Wirfs is one of the best O-Linemen in the NFL, Jensen is good, Feiler and Mauch will probably be decent, I don’t know about Goedeke at RT. Even if Goedeke isn’t good, the Bucs should be able to fill that position with a decent player…The key is not just rolling with an underperforming player every week like I’ve seen the Bucs do in the past.
August 2nd, 2023 at 5:46 am
If two of your five are pro bowl calibar, you can’t be ranked 27th. Anybody doubt Wirfs will be a top 3 LT, and Jensen a top 3 center? Add two young second round picks you have enough talent, they just have to gel.
August 2nd, 2023 at 6:38 am
F the national media. It’s Us against THEM.
Just how I like it. We’re gonna shock the F’n world this season.
August 2nd, 2023 at 6:49 am
Hmm, hard to praise the right side of the line with a rookie, Mauch, and a very iffy, Luke G. Should Bucs fans be concerned? Ah, just a little bit.
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:09 am
The comments are fair, by both Jose and Fowler. But they don’t matter either. All that matters is what I say, and what happens on the field. But mostly what happens on the field.
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:15 am
That’s my thing about theses ratings, is that they’ll critique the workers with minimal acknowledgement of the work environment. I truly believe that when Canales said his scheme will be more “OL friendly” he was literally talking about making their jobs easier just by changing the scheme.
Now if this ranking came with a comprehensive comparison of the pros/cons of coming from a duo blocking scheme to now flipping to a zone based scheme, it’d at the very least would highlight how much easier it’ll be for 5 guys to block as one than it is for 5 indiviudals to win their own 1v1s matchups and that’s exactly what we’ll be asking of a bunch of players coming from duo.
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:30 am
Tom Brady not being there will not affect the Bucs as much as some people think. Yes of course he was a great leader, but he wasn’t effective last year. There were the offensive line injuries and reshuffling, there was Leftwich’s ineptitude, and you can’t forget that Brady was distracted with his personal stuff he had going on at the time. I don’t care who it is, that stuff will affect you. Also, at a certain age, those hits start to hurt more than they used to. So Tommy Touchdown starts throwing the ball before the WR gets out of his break and the timing is off. Incomplete. So the defenses didn’t respect the running game, and they didn’t have to work as hard defending the pass. So you get the HARD TO WATCH bs we had to see last year. There WILL be improvement this year over last year.
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:44 am
Joe is really grasping, including his continuing insults of all those intelligent Bucs fans who clearly understand how bad our offensive line was last season, which is disgusting. But then he compounds it by quoting a single guy who, before seeing a single snap of the 2023 season, has already ranked the teams, including the Bucs. Joe – your continuing rants against PFF are completely amazing, because unlike the guy you just quoted, they actually watch game tape and analyze it and don’t project their opinionated BS strictly on the basis of what they manage to pull outta their hindquarters between shots and beers.
Really, you’re embarrassing yourself. You need to retire from NFL analysis (which consists only of quoting other dumb media talking heads and writers) and let the other Joe take over.
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:45 am
Canales has said the potential for Bucs to have a balanced offense with the receivers, versatile TE group and offensive line talent combined with the Defensive talent is what most intrigued him to come to Tampa.
He’s also said this offensive line group is the best he’s worked with.
We shall see…
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:47 am
Hard to rank an unknown.
I’m not offended lol. How do you rank them high when we had the worst rushing attack in the league last year and a bad offense with Tom Brady as your QB?
Jensen is still a “?” because of the knee. I’m more worreid about that than Wirfs moving. Hopefully both are studs and Mauch is instantly good and Goedeke is a solid RT and not just a guy who did decent against Atlanta backups. But it’s a lot of unknown.
I trust in Licht tho I htink we should be at worst average-ish.
August 2nd, 2023 at 7:52 am
@Tim: “Tommy Touchdown” = “Touchdown Tommy” Vardell, Fullback.
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:00 am
@Lt. Dan Ok, how about Tom Terrific lol
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:07 am
Hodad Says:
August 2nd, 2023 at 5:46 am
If two of your five are pro bowl calibar, you can’t be ranked 27th. Anybody doubt Wirfs will be a top 3 LT, and Jensen a top 3 center?
Pretty darn hopeful that Wirfs will be a top 3 LT. Maybe 50 percent.
More like 90 percent that he will be a top 10 LT.
Jensen is another story. He was maybe a top 3 center only one time in his career. He is now coming off a knee injury that he did not have surgery on. And the gold standard is having surgery for the ACL.
I hope he is top 10 of centers, but I do not thing that is even 50% likely.
I really do not feel he will make it through the season with his knee situation.
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:09 am
And in 2020, the DBs were ranked dead last. It was actually only the starting cornerbacks tandem. –Joe Assessments by people selling clicks and headlines outside the organization are absolutely worthless. Also, rankings don’t win games and they never will.
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:13 am
@Tim – well played sir!
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:19 am
Seems like There is a reason they are planning on a boot leg, waggle, misdirection, use every blade of grass approach
Because they likely can’t protect the passer for more than 2.5 seconds and we will get little push in the run game man on man
Have to spread em out, run around them instead of thru them – a lot of 5 yard throws to keep the chains moving
It can’t be any worse than Byron 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:19 am
Right tackle is the weak link
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:22 am
I wouldn’t quite consider me a suit Joe, but thanks
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:23 am
I don’t really do stats Joe…PFF in particular. So we agree.
Stats can be a great tool if they are analyzed correctly and honestly. And they are not based on some MIT algorithm!
Tucker should demand a refund. I have heard several of his takes on NFL schemes and personnel before, and I played O-line for six years. Football for eight. Most of his stuff tells me he got his bell rung too many times.
This years line? Who the hell knows. No need to tell me that the left guard and center were consistently pushed into Brady’s lap last year and that D Smith played like he would rather be in the Bahamas. Jensen’s line calls or not. Brady saved the O-line further embarrassment on every single series last year to include Wirfs.
I believe however my eyeballs and a select few stats like average release time combined with the eyeball test. I don’t base my takes on what some bought and paid for talking head (most of whom I’ve never heard of) says on-line.
BTW Joe I played the game for eight years six on the O-line. So when I see O-line problems they are not as a result of PT Barnum. LOL
Go Bucs!
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:33 am
There is a reason the team blew up the old OL, and created an entirely new one.
Not one position starter from last season is a starter this season.
I’m trying to stretch my memory to remember the last time that happened to the home team.
The real question is: Is this a positive or a negative? I suspect it’ll take 3-4 games with real bullets for the OL to begin to gel.
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:38 am
I like the fact the Bucs named their starting line early, to give them a chance to gel, but I am not high on the line early on. Too many unknowns, I hope they can get the job done, but I do see this as the weakest spot on the team right now.
August 2nd, 2023 at 10:01 am
Yep lots of changes so not even the Bucs know how this line will perform
August 2nd, 2023 at 6:03 pm
One major difference from last year will be a QB without the same quick release as Brady, but also one who can scramble to get the precious 3& 6 yards needed to keep drives alive