Cade Otton Rising To The Occasion
November 4th, 2024
The message to Joe directly, and to Bucs fans in general, couldn’t be clearer.
It was the night after the Bucs lost to the Crows. And in the same game, the Bucs lost Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. There goes your offense.
The Bucs locker room felt like a funeral. Players appeared “shell-shocked.”
The very few who would talk parroted an old, overused if not empty cliché. “Next man up.” Like Joe told one player, ‘Well, that next man up isn’t a Hall of Fame receiver.’
Tight end Cade Otton, who is one of the nicest guys Joe has ever had to deal with, wasn’t buying the “next man up” line.
Joe asked Otton a question and told Otton a lot of his teammates were saying, “Next man up.” Otton didn’t want to hear that. For the first time, Joe saw Otton bristle. He’s too polite of a guy to go off but he wanted to.
Otton stared right in Joe’s eyes and with sort of a clenched jaw said, “We all have to step up.” And boy, has Otton ever done his part.
The past two weeks, Otton has put up some of the best numbers in the league for tight ends — 17 catches for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. One could say Otton is Baker Mayfield’s best receiver and No. 1 target until Mike Evans returns.
Joe asked Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen last week about Otton’s rise. Coen couldn’t say enough good things.
“When you look at him, you see just this model of a kid, you know, All-American Boy,” Coen said. Otton is “one of the best guys I’ve been around, but he’s tough. He’s a tough football player.
“He has risen to the challenge. He’s made the plays when they’ve been able to present themselves.”
Coen said a mouthful about Otton being tough. In the loss to the Crows, as Mike Ditka once said, Otton got the snot knocked out of him. He got hit ferociously and each time Otton got up as if it was no big deal.
If taking 97 percent of the offensive snaps last year wasn’t a tip off that Otton is tough, the loss to the Crows certainly was.
November 4th, 2024 at 8:10 am
Improving every year. Gotta give him props.
November 4th, 2024 at 8:53 am
Most underrated player on this team right now. One of the only reasons we’re able to compete at all! If the defense shows this much heart we’d be winning more games.
November 4th, 2024 at 9:00 am
He’s a stud. Glad we got him.
November 4th, 2024 at 9:05 am
Baby Gronk is turning into a big boy out there right before our eyes.
November 4th, 2024 at 9:51 am
Plain and simple. He’s a Man.
November 4th, 2024 at 9:57 am
There’s a song I think it goes “ he’s a real man, he’s a mighty good man”.
November 4th, 2024 at 10:08 am
Dennis Allen has been fired.
November 4th, 2024 at 10:25 am
Agreed, tough as nails. He showed another level of skill & toughness in that Crows game.
November 4th, 2024 at 10:36 am
Cade is now Baker’s number one target. I hope he gets 100 yards tonight but the Chief’s D is better than the ATL or Ravens so it could be tough sledding for him.
November 4th, 2024 at 10:46 am
I was constantly ragging on the TE group as a whole at the start of the season. I was one of those that called Otton “stone-hands”. I think the TE position is often over looked when considering value contribution to the offense. Look what 49rs, KC do with theirs.
Otton has improved immensely since last season. Go get another one in the draft.
November 4th, 2024 at 11:19 am
He is tough and definitely has risen up to the challenges. So glad we have him on our team.
November 4th, 2024 at 7:27 pm
I think it was the falcons game I noticed Cade has a new stache. His strength may be coming from it! Lol let’s hope so because I think he’s since cut it off.
November 4th, 2024 at 7:28 pm
*let’s hope not *