“We Kind Of Leaned Into The Uncomfortable”
January 26th, 2024
Bucs assistant general manager John Spytek.
Sure, Joe could nitpick the Buccaneers’ front offfice for their 2023 season peformance, but Joe can’t go there in any significant way. Team Licht did a hell of a job.
The talent was in the house to make the NFL’s final 8, and Joe could argue the Bucs had the players to land in the NFC championship game.
The Bucs rolled with nearly a quarter of the roster being rookies, and plenty of them had big roles. Tampa Bay also was fighting against $80 million in “dead money,” usuable salary cap space eaten up by contracts from the Tom Brady years.
The Bucs had to take chances and make bold moves, such as relocating the best right tackle in the NFL to left tackle, and putting Luke Goedeke in his place after Goedeke struggled in his 2022 rookie year at guard.
Assistant general manager John Spytek summed it up nicely on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
“We kind of leaned into the uncomfortable,” said Spytek, who added that the hunger of the all the Bucs’ rookies combined with the savvy and drive of Super Bowl veterans helped Tampa Bay survive their 4-7 start.
“From a personnel standpoint, [personnel executives] love when rookies play early — [but it’s] harder for the coaches because they don’t trust them as much,” Spytek said. “And they’re right not to, it’s tough. Right? We’d love to have a year every year where you don’t have to count on rookies. That was not going to be this team this year. We all knew that.”
Spytek added that the Bucs’ long-standing focus on signing and drafting players in love with football really paid off this season in helping the Bucs fight through tough times.
Quality players usually improve a lot in their second NFL season, or in their second year playing a new position. If that’s the case for Tampa Bay, the Bucs will be one hell of a team next season.
January 26th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
I wonder when Spytek will be a GM somewhere. Licht and Co. crushed it this year for sure!
January 26th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
I agree. They were two plays away.
January 26th, 2024 at 1:41 pm
We had the players to move to final four but not the head coach!
January 26th, 2024 at 1:41 pm
This guy Spytek is supposed to be a great talent evaluator and salary cap expert.
I wonder if it was him or Licht that actually put this roster together?
January 26th, 2024 at 1:53 pm
Exactly. A quarter of the team were rookies, drafted and undrafted. Todd Bowles and his coaching staff developed them. Thats how you turn around a 6 game midseason crap show into a playoff run. Take that hate and pound it where the sun doesn’t shine. Master class in coaching.
January 26th, 2024 at 1:55 pm
It’s gonna suck whenever we do lose Spytek…
Hopefully he’s been training someone underneath him
January 26th, 2024 at 3:01 pm
Tampa Bay also was fighting against $80 million in “dead money”
———-
Not demeaning Licht in any way … but all they did, for the most part, was spend a bunch of money on next years cap to clear up a ton of space for this year.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not exactly like the Bucs ate a $80m cap hit this year while building a roster, they pushed off, what, $50m to next year, so they ate about a $30m hit this year. Those are rough numbers, so I could be off.
Going through the roster and cap hits for 2024, the Bucs will need to do the same thing again if they plan to compete. And they should, nothing wrong with kicking the can down the road another year, but at some point you’ll want to do a full rebuild and clean up the cap, but that can be put off for a while.
January 26th, 2024 at 3:23 pm
Allbuccedup … ‘We had the players to move to final four but not the head coach!’
I’m guessing that you’re not a Todd Bowles fan (just a guess mind you). You do know, I’m sure, that the majority of the rookie class was on defense, right? TEN defensive rookies got over 2,300 def snaps total, more than enough snaps to fill 2 full-time defensive positions. Do ya think that MAYBE, just maybe, quality defensive coaching had anything to do with getting them to a position where they could actually contribute to Todd Bowles’ #7-ranked defense? Nah I didn’t think so. Keep the hate alive; it’s working so well for you.
January 26th, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Rod Munch … ‘Not demeaning Licht in any way … but all they did, for the most part, was spend a bunch of money on next years cap to clear up a ton of space for this year.’
Danged it Rod, now you let the cat out of the bag. And I’m sure that you’ve upset Joe. Everyone’s convinced that the Bucs will have so much excess salary CAP space in 2024 that we’ll be able to sign everyone we want for as much as they want. Bubble burster.
As far as there being nothing wrong with kicking the can down the road, that would be true IF we were the federal government & could print our own money (and you see how well THAT’S working for THEM). But alas, we can’t, and eventually a reckoning takes place. Ask New Orleans. With an Adjusted 2024 Salary CAP of $246.2 mil, and current Active Contracts totaling $329.3 mil, they START this off-season with a MINUS $86.0 mil CAP space. Yup, their day of reckoning has arrived.
January 26th, 2024 at 3:40 pm
BrianBucs … ‘I wonder if it was him (Spytek) or Licht that actually put this roster together?’
One of the things that makes coaching staff & GM staff STABILITY so valuable IMO is the relationship that they develop. Everything I’ve read indicates that on the Bucs it’s a true partnership between the 2 staffs that’s led to our best drafts. That’s a credit to BOTH sides of the house IMO.
January 26th, 2024 at 5:25 pm
“signing and drafting players in love with football”
They also seemed to add high character guys. In the end that character paid off when the going got tough.
Again football is entertainment. I am not entertained by low charachter idiots like Fameis, AB, Winslow Jr. OBJ et al. Yep winning covers up some of that ugliness…or does it just postpone the inevitable?
January 26th, 2024 at 6:52 pm
Licht Is one of the best GM’S in the NFL! No one thought this year would be successful..
January 26th, 2024 at 7:11 pm
Tsunami Warning….head for high ground. Call FEMA. Man the lifeboats.
January 26th, 2024 at 10:29 pm
Congrats on the following awards.
PFWA Names Baker Mayfield as “Most Improved Player of 2023”
Kyle Trask “Best Looking At Holding a Clipboard on Sideline 2023”
January 26th, 2024 at 10:36 pm
Bakerfan you are an idiot