The Propaganda Of Weekday Warriors
April 30th, 2024
We are now in NFL propaganda season.
Joe is not a practice squad guy. Joe understands there is a cult out there who burn valuable minutes daily wondering about practice squad players. Such a waste of time.
Why is Joe an anti-practice squad? Because the players are not on the team! Sure, they are getting a paycheck for being human tackling dummies, but they are not on the Bucs’ 53-man roster. So they cannot play in an NFL game unless they are activated.
Joe’s better off drooling over a cheerleader or staying up late dreaming of a college star on the Bucs roster.
This is not an indictment of practice squad dudes. Just make the team, that’s all. Make the team, do something and Joe will write about you. No more complex than that.
The fallacy that practice squad players are worthy of fans’ stress came to a head today for Joe, and it should be a beacon for fans.
As most know, this offseason the Bucs traded their best corner, Carlton Davis, to the Lions. So that opened up a hole. In the following weeks, Bucs coach Todd Bowles and Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht sang the praises of backup Zyon McCollum and that he is ready to take over.
Last weekend, the Bucs did not draft an outside corner. Bucs defensive backs coach Kevin Ross today was asked what that said about McCollum. His answer was clear.
“It says we believe in him,” Ross said.
So this brings Joe to José Ramirez, a guy Joe was high on and geeked over last year when he was drafted in the sixth round.
NFL Network stats princess Cynthia Frelund said Licht picking Ramirez was her favorite pick overall on the third day of last year’s draft. So Joe was hyped.
However, Ramirez didn’t do enough to make the team (a team that was beyond desperate for an edge rusher). The Bucs did keep Ramirez for the almighty practice squad.
With Ramirez slated to make a huge jump this year, if you believe Bucs officials, the Bucs invested in a veteran edge rusher in free agency, Randy Gregory, and invested a second-round pick in an edge rusher with the selection of Chris Braswell.
Today when Bucs defensive assistants were made available to the local pen and mic club, Joe heard more than one coach talk up Ramirez as a guy who gave Tristan Wirfs fits during the week last season.
Yet despite this, a team lucky to buy a sack from an edge rusher, the most important position on defense, wouldn’t activate Ramirez. (Neither did any other NFL team — teams have the right to pluck any practice squad player from another team).
To paraphrase Ross, the moves with Gregory and Braswell demonstrate the Bucs don’t yet believe in Ramirez.
Does Joe hope Ramirez blows up in training camp, destroys quarterbacks in the worthless preseason games and makes a major impact for the Bucs? Damn right, Joe does!
But Joe’s done with hearing how much of an impact Ramirez has made on weekdays. At most the Bucs practice in pads once a week come September.
As Joe heard from former NFL suit Michael Lombardi on his podcast “GM Shuffle” while driving to One Buc Palace today, the NFL has transitioned from Lying Season to Propaganda Season on the NFL calendar. It’s a time when every team boasts how its roster is littered with future Pro Bowlers.
Beware of the propaganda.
Joe defies anyone to find a person outside of Ramirez’s family who really expects the guy become the next Simeon Rice. The propaganda sometimes runs a little too thick.
April 30th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
Irony
April 30th, 2024 at 12:38 pm
“Joe defies anyone to find a person outside of Ramirez’s family who wants to see the guy become the next Simeon Rice.”
I think you meant something different than what you wrote. ALL Bucs fans should want him to be the next Sim.
April 30th, 2024 at 12:42 pm
I guess we’ve beat up on JTS enough, Ramirez the new punching bag Joe? Let’s at least wait till we see him again during OTAs before we start throwing darts? Saw a good piece on youtube covering Bartons draft day. Highly reccomend it. You’ll be even more happy he’s a Buc.
April 30th, 2024 at 1:20 pm
Preseason games may be worthless to Joe but not to the players trying to make the team. Yes scrimmaging other teams is effective for many aspects of the game but, it’s a scrimmage. The preseason games still have a scoreboard and guys trying to impress, make the team and win.
Why there will always be at least 2 preseason games.
April 30th, 2024 at 1:47 pm
If you sren’t JPP, Joe thinks you are worthless trash.
SSDD
April 30th, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Worthless preseason…..worthless practice squad players……
Cam Brate & Adam Humphries were both on the Bucs practice squad at one time……and, there are many more….too many to count.
If a player is on the Bucs payroll, they are important to TBBF.
April 30th, 2024 at 2:05 pm
Geez Joe – give the young man a break.
Blood pressure rising because coaches are saying good things about a late 6th rd draft pick trying to fight and earn his way onto the roster?
There was and is good reason to have optimism that Ramirez can become some grade of a diamond from the rough….
Mainly because his athletic ‘Measurables’ sparkle for such a lowly lump of coal as a late 6th rd selection. 40 time, vertical and broad jumps, ten yard, shuttle and 3 cone measurements all in the 81>93% range.
And his production the last 2 years (JR and SR years) at Eastern Michigan was impressive as well.
98 Tackles (75 solo) – 83 Pressures including 55 QB hurries – 20 sacks
I mean… obviously he wasn’t playing against SEC opponents or whatever every week – but those are some solid #s.
A late 6th rd pick typically has about a 10-15% chance of “making it” in the NFL and signing a 2nd contract – so if Ramirez can develop behind the scenes into anything more than a practice squad dude – he will be doing well….. as will the Bucs.
Its a big jump from Eastern Michigan to the NFL for most any rookie. Lets just wait and see what a full season’s worth of work behind the scenes and a full offseason program + OTAs + Training Camp + Preseason will net for Jose Ramirez in 2024……
April 30th, 2024 at 2:06 pm
There isn’t much to talk about until the end of July, so maybe going player by player, each individual on the roster should get their own column.
Not being a smarta– either, it would be interesting to hear some takes on everyone – and not stupid ESPN garbage where it’s about how they were raised by a single mom and their dad was a pimp who was shot… I don’t care. I just want to know football, what coaches are saying, what role they could possibly play. That would be fun.
April 30th, 2024 at 2:10 pm
The practice squad is a pretty good idea if you ask me. If someone gets hurt or pulls an Antonio Brown you’ve got guys who already know the system. Heck, it even comes in handy for just resting regulars once in a while. Yeah, they make good tackling dummies too.
April 30th, 2024 at 2:32 pm
It’s less so about the kid than the liars who are trying to manipulate us
April 30th, 2024 at 2:51 pm
Another garbage report from Joe
April 30th, 2024 at 2:55 pm
I think the Joe that wrote this needs a bong hit and a little chill time
April 30th, 2024 at 3:13 pm
I think the Joe that wrote this had already hit the pipe.
April 30th, 2024 at 3:18 pm
You know coaches and other talent evaluators make mistakes from time to time. Sometimes a players draft status will have an undue influence on how a player is judged, even by guys who should know better. Some guy on a team’s practice squad may actually be better than a guy who made the roster, but because of prejudiced minds, we may never know it.
April 30th, 2024 at 3:20 pm
Maybe the guy is a terror when there’s a coach nearby telling what to do? In other words, maybe it isn’t his physical tools but his NFL IQ and once he gets that part down, he will be able to contribute?
April 30th, 2024 at 3:23 pm
Ramirez, Braswell and Gregory. I’m tired of seeing anything Nelson and jts. Yes I’m hoping those guys along with watts push JTS and Nelson off the roster or at least make JTS a special teamer or trade candidate
April 30th, 2024 at 3:40 pm
My thoughts exactly Willie …. as with alot of other players…
April 30th, 2024 at 3:41 pm
Maybe no one is coaching these guys on fundamentals because they are lost in the quantum mechanics and chaos theory courses to learn the mastermind genius’s defensive playbook.
And then they need the post-doctorate course on how to implement game day.
April 30th, 2024 at 3:50 pm
😂😂😂😂😂
April 30th, 2024 at 3:53 pm
Joe, the bullets in the gun are not the whole armory. Ya gotta have a box of shells that you know fits your gun handy on the shelf in case you need a reload… even if you only paid discount for em.
April 30th, 2024 at 3:57 pm
Considering the practice squad allows us to have players in development, maybe find diamonds in the rough, I think it is a great thing.
And personally, I wish every player on the squad would become like Simeon Rice.
April 30th, 2024 at 4:03 pm
However – JTS, Logan Hall and Ramirez will all likely be pursuing a different profession in 18 months or so.
Two Bucs curses – never sign a drafted QB to a second contract, and never expect a drafted pass rusher to succeed.
Some things are simply embedded in the laws of nature.
Add on top of that the intricate, genius level of the DC/HC/team psychologist and the probability actually goes to the square root of a negative number.
April 30th, 2024 at 4:25 pm
“there is a cult out there who burn valuable minutes daily wondering about practice squad players.”
shucks . Theres even some that go as far as using valuable minutes posting on blogs about practice squad players
Even when no one asked them to.
April 30th, 2024 at 4:34 pm
RumDude Says:
April 30th, 2024 at 2:55 pm
I think the Joe that wrote this needs a bong hit and a little chill time
And I thought Gregory was just brought in to Influence the young players.
April 30th, 2024 at 4:34 pm
I think it’s the word “squad” that’s got Joe triggered. Which makes me wonder about the college protesters: are they the practice squad for the actual squad?
April 30th, 2024 at 4:53 pm
Agreed. Remember Joe Dirt?
April 30th, 2024 at 6:41 pm
When I was a kid I used to be subscribed to a weekly newsprint publication called “The Buccaneer” if I remember correctly. It would arrive on Thursdays and I would wait for the mailman on the porch to check who got bumped up or down to the practice squad each week. The mailman wasn’t shy about laughing at me every time. I can’t recall any practice squad player ever making any sort of an impact on Sundays then or at any point since. Orie Lemon is one of my favorite of the non-factor Buccaneers of all time. That man must have been cut an resigned by the Bucs a couple dozen times. He should be inducted into the Ring of Honor then promptly cut from it a few days later.
April 30th, 2024 at 6:52 pm
I’m pretty sure there is a past or present practice squad player giving you the bird right through the computer. Might not mean much to us, but it’s a dream for some of these young men trying to make it.
April 30th, 2024 at 6:58 pm
Nothing wrong with a kid dreaming. Joe just wants to live in reality, not someone’s dreams.
April 30th, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Earnest Graham maybe? But the list is long. Demar Dotson, Adam Humphries and Cam Brate. Donald Penn was once on a practice squad, and more.–Joe
April 30th, 2024 at 7:32 pm
Ok. Those are some real contributors. I stand corrected.
April 30th, 2024 at 8:30 pm
Of course practice squad players are important, stash a player with upside, bring him up when necessary. I find it naive that anyone would diss guys on the practice squad.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:05 pm
Practice squad helps development, depth, and keeps roster guys from banging heads every week.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:34 am
Shaq Barrett started out as a practice squad guy. Do I think Ramirez is the next Shaq? No, but he might be able to carve out an NFL career.
May 1st, 2024 at 9:13 am
LOL Joe!
The media and coaches are a bunch of Liars and BS artists?
Now you are getting it Joe…I am sorry to say. And since we now have virtually no access to One Buc practices, I suspect it will continue to get worse. Some of these folks are the ones who would rather that Joe not hang around One Buc at all. Not gonna name any names.
At least Jason Licht will occasionally drop a tidbit of truth on us. Bowles and company…Yeah D White is my best player comes to mind. Some of his former coaches are gone because they spoke words of truth IMO. Other so called journalists?
Umm yeah we are the 16th ranked team a day after the draft? Cellar Dwellers last year wasn’t it? Yeah that just screams integrity! Don’t it?
BTW I am curious about Ramirez and whether he can make the 53 this year.
Go Bucs!
May 1st, 2024 at 9:18 am
BTW Ramirez probably should have at least been activated at some point last year just based on JTS’s lack of production.
Go Bucs!
May 1st, 2024 at 9:44 am
What a bunch of native haters in here, he’s a 6th round prospect from a small school, listen to all the whining because a coach made a positive comment about him