“Underrated” Jason Licht
June 2nd, 2024
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
The phrasing from this insider really intrigued Joe because he’s been a confidant of Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.
The pride of Seminole High School, Jeff Darlington of ESPN, is one league insider that has an occasional barroom sitdown with important people in league cirles, and Darlington was a regular around the Bucs during the Tom Brady era.
Darlington hopped on NFL Live recently and talked about raised expectations for the 2024 Bucs, specifically the offense, and how much they’ll be relying again on rookies to enhance the team’s win total and profile.
Darlington praised Licht’s April draft haul and said Licht is “once again proving why he’s one of the more underrated executives in the league.”
So Joe has to wonder? From whom is Darlington hearing that Licht is “underrated?”
Is that the scuttlebutt in late-night league circles where Darlington is known to mingle with all kinds of heavy hitters?
How many Super Bowl-winning general managers like Licht are working in the NFL? Off the top of Joe’s head, it’s maybe seven or eight if you count Jerry Jones.
Two years ago, NFL.com ranked Licht as the No. 5 general manager in the NFL. Since then, he’s won two more division titles.
Licht isn’t underrated on these pages, though Joe realizes a small sect of Bucs fans thinks Licht is overrated.
Like most negativity associated with the Bucs, there’s a solid shot it has strong ties to retired NBC Sports NFL guru Peter King. The stunning GM survey results King published after the 2021 season were a shameful slap at Licht and one that King didn’t disagree with in his then-weekly column.
June 2nd, 2024 at 3:01 pm
Jerry Jones, no way. How many SuperBowls has he won? Maybe one when he first picked up the team.
Three SBs for Jones. Bought the team in ’89 and hired Jimmy Johnson. –Joe
June 2nd, 2024 at 3:25 pm
Bucs underrated. Licht underrated. Mayfield underrated. Evans underrated. Lavonte David underrated. It’s just a Bucs life!
Now, I will be worried when BSPN and the rest of the national media jump on the “Bucs are SB bound” bandwagon. Then, I will be buying freeze dried food and lots of ammo. . .
June 2nd, 2024 at 3:35 pm
Jason has done very good for us, been spoiled
June 2nd, 2024 at 3:35 pm
And if he had decent coaches his first few years as a GM who knows how many of those players would’ve panned out?
June 2nd, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Underrated?
If he left the Bucs, he’d have another GM job offer in 30 minutes. Or less.
June 2nd, 2024 at 4:20 pm
Trask underrated? Hmm?
June 2nd, 2024 at 4:27 pm
Because he was new to the role when he was hired, the Glazers let the coaches make the decisions on players. The Glazers decided the head coaching. I’m sure Licht had some say, but in the end he was hired to fulfill headcoaching visions.
Gradually, the Glazers decided to place their trust in Licht…and we saw a SB within a couple years.
When Licht was hired, I was skeptical. I didn’t think he was accountable…but I was wrong. He wasn’t empowered enough.
Now he is, and I personally think he is one of the top 4 GMs in the league…and I cannot imagine having anyone else in the role. He has mostly hit on 50+ percent of his picks, and much better than that in free agency.
June 2nd, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Licht drafted Trask…which is why I think the kid has potential. Trask was clearly not a Bruce Arians pick.
June 2nd, 2024 at 4:32 pm
It was in Lovie’s contract he had final say on all football matters.
June 2nd, 2024 at 4:37 pm
I wouldn’t want any other GM. It’ll be a sad day when he retires.
June 2nd, 2024 at 5:38 pm
So lucky to have Jason as our GM. He brought us Mike Evans and so many other exceptional players. And there was the Brady effect. It gets tiring that he and our team are always underrated, but wait – we will show them all again how wrong they are. We are under 100 days to our first game. Go Bucs!
June 2nd, 2024 at 5:39 pm
Licht is still fairly young. I doubt he’s looking at retirement just yet.
June 2nd, 2024 at 6:09 pm
I don’t understand why Joe loves to talk bad about Lovie Smith being a bad coach? The guy built the Chicago Bears from nothing to super bowl contenders . He actually coached in a Superbowl with Rex Groomsman as his quarterback. He got fired after a 10-6 record and the Bears has been trash every since he left. They only had 1 winning season since Lovie left but he’s a bad coach? Lol 🤣🤣 Joe doesn’t like the guy personal and that’s why he talks bad about Lovie so much. Greg Shaino was the coach that traded away all of our good players on defense. He’s the same guy who killed Josh Freeman career and brought in Mike Glenon as the starting quarterback. But Joe never talks bad about him or Kotter. Kotter was the coach that killed our running game and told our young quarterback to go win a championship without a running game. The moment he left the Falcons Matt Ryan became a MVP and Davonta Freeman became a superstar runningback. And then he went back to the Falcons Freeman regress and Matt Ryan regress. But Joe never said anything bad about him because he likes Koetter personal.
This is silly. Dirk Koetter was a miserable head coach. Strong first year and guys rallied behind him but he couldn’t adjust and was far to loyal to the wrong people. Schiano was a mental patient as the leader of an organization compared to his peers. He was as green as Raheem in Tampa but only in a different way. Schiano wasn’t rude and condescending to reporters, but make no mistake, Joe, like everyone else, watched Schiano lose the support of his players and an organization in a hurry. Perhaps the most unlikeable head coach in Bucs history when you factor in how team employees in various capacities felt about the guy.–Joe
So that’s why I know when it comes to judging players you don’t know if it’s personal or truth . Just look at Kyle Trask a prime exampled. That’s why I know this training camp if Trask is playing better than Baker he will not report it.
June 2nd, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Licht is a great GM and has put together a great staff around him. I’m hoping they can stay together long enough to win another Superbowl.
June 2nd, 2024 at 6:48 pm
Oneilbuc: I know you love Lovie, but do me a favor and look up Lovie’s excuse why he failed as the coach at Illinois…He said he failed because too many college teams where running 3 receiver sets, and he didn’t have a nickel package, he stayed in his base defense. Does that sound like a competent coach? Simple as that.
June 2nd, 2024 at 7:22 pm
Fred McNeil Says:
June 2nd, 2024 at 5:39 pm
Licht is still fairly young. I doubt he’s looking at retirement just yet.
…………………..
Well, dude could do some sit-ups
June 2nd, 2024 at 7:23 pm
Give Lovie all his due for Chicago, but he was not a good coach in Tampa or after. Game passed him by I suppose. Looking back on all of those coaches – feeling pretty good about the Bucs today.
June 2nd, 2024 at 7:26 pm
Jerry and Da Cowgirls are SOOOOO 90s. They haven’t done SQUAT since.
June 2nd, 2024 at 7:40 pm
Joe from Michigan. But at the same time you can’t take away from what he has done as a head coach in the NFL. But you brought up his college record and I understand what you saying but it ain’t like he went to Alabama or USC . Lovie also was the DC when the Rams won the superbowl so he’s not a bum like Joe try to make it seem like. He’s done better than a lot of HC in the NFL and I don’t love any of these guys like that. But once again I brought up the facts. Now do I believe the game pass him by yes it did and that’s why I say those days of having the 02 bucs defense are over because you can’t play that physical anymore. But in Chicago he was a good HC !!
June 2nd, 2024 at 10:15 pm
Not really underrated. He is still a 50% drafter. He has grabbed some good folk, but has missed often.
I admit that some GMs are only 30% drafters, but Licht isn’t that much better; it might be the coaches who screw the pooch, like Trask, but some are truly failures.
June 2nd, 2024 at 11:13 pm
Jason is one of the League’s best, definitely top 5 if not better. Considering they had Brady in 2021 and what they’ve done since. Personnel has not really been the problem. Maybe Todd is maturing as a HC after an embarrassing 2022z. Remains to be seen.
June 2nd, 2024 at 11:20 pm
Leave it to Osqueely’allsaintsfan . He’s a Lovie fan too! Bwaaahahaaa.
Squealer, since you now have the Joes on your negative conspiracy list, maybe it’s time to go underground. Get yourself a shack in some Louisiana swamp and hang out with your JaMiss poster, and I’m sure you could get a Lovie poster on the cheap. Pretend they were with you just spooning and telling you how smart you are about football.
Either that or the toaster idea. Or the light socket idea. Or the tailpipe idea.
You look more pathetic with each new blathering run-on incoherent post.