José Ramirez Says He Can Always Be Better
August 18th, 2024
Second-year edge rusher José Ramirez.
A man stuck in the desert dying of thirst can’t be picky about what kind of cold beer a Good Samaritan offers him.
That’s sort of the way Joe feels about José Ramirez dominating a worthless preseason game against dudes who will be Waffle House short-order cooks, cybersecurity interns and high school substitute history teachers in two weeks.
The Bucs are so barren for a good edge rush that even a guy who was a weekday warrior last season on the practice squad who gets a couple of sacks (three actually) in a game that will be fully forgotten in three weeks, Joe is ready to embrace as if Julius Peppers showed up at One Buc Palace.
Ramirez, a sixth-round draft pick last year out of Eastern Michigan who didn’t make the final-53 cut, exploded last night with three sacks.
For Ramirez, his improved play is the result of listening to Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
“I just trust in Coach every week,” Ramirez said.
Still, despite the big showing against the Jags, Ramirez said he is nowhere close to a finished product.
“There is always something I can get good at,” Ramirez said. “Even though I got three sacks, I know there is still work to be done. There is still stuff I can get better at in the run and the pass.
“I mean, there is always something to get better at. So I will go back to work when we get back to [One Buc Palace on Sunday].”
It says something about Ramirez that the Bucs saw enough in him that they kept him on the practice squad. Still, like all Bucs outside linebackers, they can’t live on sacks alone in Bowles’ defense.
So Ramirez worked and worked and right now, Joe doesn’t see how the Bucs don’t keep him when cutdown day hits a week from Tuesday.
August 18th, 2024 at 8:56 am
Jose played better than Braz. Not bagging on Braz, either. Props to Licht and co. for finding and developing this guy.
August 18th, 2024 at 8:56 am
Did not see the last sack. To me the first was ok. Mostly missed assignment by the OLineman. The 2nd one seems like a luck one you get every 10 to 15 games.
So, good on him. But if he is not the least bit stout against the run and essentially can only get sacks in total break downplays then let’s not get excited about him after this 2nd preseason game.
Fine by me, if you do. Just not me at this point.
August 18th, 2024 at 8:57 am
Ramirez is going to keep improving which is exciting to see.
August 18th, 2024 at 9:12 am
Well, the second sack was kind of sad — QB tripped over his own feet — and his second sack should have been shared. Jose did drop into coverage and did seal the back side. So there’s that.
Still, didn’t see Watts or anyone else stepping in the gap. Ramirez was the one to watch when there was so little else to see.
Have wondered if Bowles bases some of his strategy on the short passing game tactics most OCs are using. If QBs are trained to try getting the ball out in between 1 and 2.2 seconds, the rush is not going to get there much. Some linemen have complained how they waste a lot of energy pushing against granite while the play is already away. Wonder if that is some of the reason Bowles has focused so much on nimble DB and nickle coverage.
August 18th, 2024 at 9:14 am
*** third sack ***
August 18th, 2024 at 9:26 am
Cybersecurity interns?
LOL no.
Amazon delivery drivers I’m thinking.
August 18th, 2024 at 9:46 am
Whats with cybersecurity interns? It took me a lot more education than what you have ever done Joe. Do some research first. Those players may actually open blog, all it takes is internet and a computer not much education needed.
August 18th, 2024 at 9:53 am
What happened to the open thread from last night game? You know Joe the one that rod Muncher and others took over. Censorship? This needs further inv6
August 18th, 2024 at 10:03 am
Whose this d tackle Browning? He seemed to be around Jags backfield a lot.
August 18th, 2024 at 10:16 am
Assuming that the Bucs go with 25 on defense, I think Ramirez may well have earned himself a spot on the final roster Joe …
o 6 DLinemen (Vea, Gaines, Kancey, Gholston, Hall, plus 1)
o 5 OLB (JTS, Diaby, Braswell, Nelson, plus 1)
o 4 ILB (LVD, Britt, Dennis, plus 1)
o 10 Secondary (Dean, McCollum, Hall, Thomas, Winfield, Whitehead, Izien, Smith, plus 2)
As of right now, I think the 6th DLineman will be Earnest Brown (he impressed me last night). Looks like Ramirez has a leg up on the 5th OLB spot, although now that they’ve released Gregory we MIGHT end up adding a veteran OLB (with starter potential) when the cutdowns happen. Same with ILB; that position group is REALLY THIN IMO, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see us add a veteran ILB (with starter potential) before Game 1. Looks to me like we’re pretty well set in the Secondary; the 2 additional spaces will likely go to Merriwether (if he’s OK after last night’s injury) and Thunderburk (he still impresses me).
August 18th, 2024 at 10:21 am
This kid has something man
August 18th, 2024 at 10:26 am
JTS9 better be looking over his shoulder!
August 18th, 2024 at 10:52 am
Ramirez did well!
August 18th, 2024 at 10:58 am
I rewatched the game this morning.
You know what’s scary?
How much Ramirez can actually get BETTER with “effort”.
Watch the game again. There were MANY plays where he gave pursuit a half-effort. You could tell he was tired. Almost looked out of shape.
I thought, “Man, do we have another Devon White on our hands?”
So imagine wants here REALLY gets I to shape or makes the decision to not go half-effort on some plays.
He could have had at least two more sacks.
August 18th, 2024 at 11:14 am
Give Ramirez & Watts more playing time. Forget Tryon. Hopefully Braswell can do something because I wasn’t too big on him or Dallas Turner from the beginning.
August 18th, 2024 at 11:33 am
Maybe he can play deep middle zone. No one else can.
August 18th, 2024 at 12:13 pm
Wish we could get Tryon to say that. I guess he feels like he doesn’t have to get better.
August 18th, 2024 at 1:23 pm
Braswell has been a huge disappointment.
August 18th, 2024 at 1:52 pm
Under Bloweszo, regression is the norm. Tykee Smith already can’t cover a stationary blade of grass. Britt is a natural born leader who can’t cover a pass, but at least reminds us of Barrett Ruud after he started sucking. We are told the pass coverage busts are due to “communication.” Hello, Mike Smith. Nice to see you came out of retirement to challenge for the worst pass defense since the Rod Toast Jones days. Bucs are tough except they’re not, except they are after a two hand touch practice. Don’t play the starters, but we’re gonna play the starters. Let’s hope Liam Can take the offense into a private room and tell them not to listen to Bloweszo the Clown’s babblerhea before Washington comes to town.
#AsBloweszoReturns.30ppgFor8wins
August 18th, 2024 at 2:06 pm
Not My NFL … ‘Braswell has been a huge disappointment.’
And you can tell that just by watching him play his 2nd NFL preseason game with a bunch of wannabees playing sandlot football? Have you hung any Jason Licht dolls in effigy yet?
August 18th, 2024 at 2:52 pm
You’re not getting 3 sacks in a game and sneaking through to the practice squad, he’s earned his game day check.
However, we still need to see what he can do vs starters in real games. He’s very undersized, and on Sunday’s those guys tend to get eaten up by starting tackles. It’s too bad Todd has refused to play his starters, since teams like Jacksonville respond to that by sitting their starters – and in addition to the non-competitive Camp Cupcake practices, who knows what we have.
But it would be a huge find if the Bucs got a pass rusher out of the 6th round. That’s a lottery ticket pick if there ever is one.
August 18th, 2024 at 2:54 pm
Defense Rules Says:
August 18th, 2024 at 2:06 pm
Not My NFL … ‘Braswell has been a huge disappointment.’
And you can tell that just by watching him play his 2nd NFL preseason game with a bunch of wannabees playing sandlot football? Have you hung any Jason Licht dolls in effigy yet?
———-
I watched a breakdown of his week one tape, and he actually looked quite good – just plays didn’t go his direction and Todd mostly had him standing around in a zone. But on a couple of pass rushes, he showed some good technique. I didn’t notice him last night, but I did notice Britt looking slow – that fact he was playing with the 2s was worth noting.
August 18th, 2024 at 3:24 pm
“ Todd mostly had him standing around in a zone.”
Patented masturmind genius defense. Stand next to air rather than a player, meanwhile, don’t allow a guy who you might want to occasionally put pressure on a QB to get experience rushing the passer against NFL level competition.
Brilliance like this is rare.
August 18th, 2024 at 7:14 pm
Dave Pear – It’s hard to take much from the preseason when you’re not game planning or putting in your real defense, still, I worry from last year when the team was playing a ton of soft zone, and then you get rid of Davis who is a man-to-man defender,and White who stinks playing in zone — those two moves tell me Todd is going to be all about that soft garbage zone this year.
August 18th, 2024 at 9:05 pm
OK Rod. Sure. You’re such a Todd fan. You protect the boy, and you only criticize him. That’s the rule.
August 18th, 2024 at 9:09 pm
Dave Pear – did you actually read what I wrote? Can you read?
August 18th, 2024 at 10:50 pm
Rod, man — whatever. No I can’t read, I’m illiterate. Maybe, check yourself.
August 19th, 2024 at 6:26 am
According to their depth Chart, JTS is a starter at OLB.
Then we dont really have a pass rush from that Starter.
Licht is betting the farm on Yaya and Ramerez.
Betting the running game on Bredesem and Mauch.
I sure hope hes right. Hasnt been the last 2 years
August 19th, 2024 at 10:41 am
Did Logan Hall do anything against the Jags?
August 19th, 2024 at 11:49 am
@defense rules”and you can tell that thru only 2 preseason games playing sandlot ball against a bunch of wanabees” LOLL….Pretty dumb take there buddy I mean 2 preseason games in and he hasn’t done anything also if he’s playing sandlot ball against wanabees then he should be making plays all over that sandlot he’s a 2nd round pick man and so far looks like a another potential wasted 1 so maybe change your name from defense rules to clueless rules.