Get A Pass Rush!
March 1st, 2014
It’s sad when Daniel Te’o-Nesheim is considered one of a team’s better defensive ends.
It gets Joe just angry to think about. How many years did Bucs former rock star general manager Mark Dominik try in vain to land a strong defensive end? Draft picks galore, money spent, and nothing. Poor Gerald McCoy is getting abused he has so many offensive linemen ganged up on him and not one Bucs defensive end can take advantage.
It is sinful.
Of course, it’s hard to rush the passer from the edge when you have arguably your best defensive end covering the likes of New Orleans running back Darren Sproles in the flat. There simply isn’t enough alcohol for Joe to down to someone accept the notion that Clayborn guarding one of the quickest guys to ever snap on a chin strap is sound strategy.
Even the stat geeks over at Pro Football Focus can see through their spreadsheets and determine the Bucs need a pass rush, as they listed a defensive end No. 1 in Bucs needs. And not just a warm body like sackless Kyle Moore, but someone who will make a quarterback eat dirt.
The Buccaneers won’t miss free agent Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, who earned the worst grade of any 4-3 defensive end in 2013. Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers were once highly-touted draft picks, but have yet to live up to the hype. Clayborn earned the fourth-worst pass rush grade of any 4-3 defensive end in 2013, and Bowers can’t manage to stay healthy. William Gholston showed some promise toward the end of his rookie season, but still had some games where he appeared virtually invisible. It’s unacceptable for Tampa Bay to enter next season without seriously upgrading this group.
Free agent fix: I’m sure the Buccaneers are kicking themselves for letting the underappreciated Michael Bennett leave last offseason. A reunion is unlikely, and Tampa Bay should take a page from his new team by going for volume over home run at defensive end. Two good value options with upside are Willie Young and Everson Griffen. Both have played their entire careers in a 4-3 system, and Smith will be familiar with them given his time in the NFC North. Both players have shown flashes of brilliance in backup roles, and were among the Top 25 at their position in Pass Rushing Productivity this season. The Buccaneers are more than one player away from fixing this position, and adding either Young or Griffen would give them a promising young end in his prime, while still allowing them to spend money to add more depth to the position.s
Your damned right the Bucs ought to be kicking themselves for letting Bennett go. Joe wanted to dropkick his neighbor’s cat he was so hacked off about Bennett being allowed to bolt for no good reason. Now Joe is a kind, sympathetic soul (so long as he is not served warm beer) so Joe is willing to give Clayborn a slight pass because he was misused and it is likely Clayborn wasn’t 100 percent coming off his knee surgery. He seemed to play better in December, which may reinforce that point.
The Bucs can forget about Greg Hardy who got tagged by the Stinking Panthers yesterday. Free agency is a mere 10 days away. What the Bucs do in free agency will directly tell what the Bucs do in the draft. Joe is of the mind to go get Jared Allen (only sign him to a two-year deal) and pray that red flag defensive end Jadeveon Clowney falls to the Bucs.
That way, if Clowney starts clowning around and taking off games, Allen, being the team-first solid guy that he is, will threaten to put a helmet up Clowney’s backside, sideways, if he doesn’t put out each and every play.
Then, hopefully, Clowney will learn to be a professional and the Bucs will actually be able to breathe on a quarterback once in a while.
March 1st, 2014 at 8:18 am
Clowney won’t be there…..we might get Mack…we will have to go to FA to get a sure thing. Continual whining about Michael Bennett doesn’t solve the problem. I’m good with Allen and Young or Griffen….and, even getting them, I still see us drafting Mack if he’s there.
March 1st, 2014 at 8:33 am
That’s what happens when you try to save your cap $$. You get what you pay for. Spend the Effn money if it’s there.
March 1st, 2014 at 9:20 am
half of us fans could do a better job than number 50. he flat out sucks
March 1st, 2014 at 9:39 am
Hindsight is what it is, but I wasn’t a big fan of the Goldson signing, NOT because I don’t think he’s a good player, but because we already have a very similar style SS in Mark Barron. It was obvious he important Earl Thomas was to ‘Hawks D, we needed a true FS, and may have had $ to get a better DE, in the process.
March 1st, 2014 at 9:50 am
Hey I didn’t mind the way Schiano manufactured pressure with the line stunts. Hey Raheem sent the linemen straight ahead and we didn’t ever have constant pressure on the QB when he was the defensive coordinator. Sacks/pressure went up a little when Schiano took over. If Lovie wants pressure with just the front four, he needs almost all new players. Minus Mccoy.
March 1st, 2014 at 9:55 am
Mark Dominik was a bad GM. He left this roster with more holes than Joe’s underwear!
No TE
No slot receiver
No defensive lineman worth a crap (except McCoy – how many draft picks?)
Josh Freeman? Let’s build around #5? Really?
Overpaid underperforming Oline (refuses to draft offensive lineman – really?)
Signing safety Goldson to a huge contract
Letting Bennett walk
Resigning Michael Clayton
Resigning Trueblood
I could go on and on… What a f##ing joke this franchise has been…
THANK GOD HE IS GONE FOR GOOD!!!
March 1st, 2014 at 10:01 am
Really, the D-line and O-line should be the only focus of the front office this year. With the current roster, it is extremely difficult to tell what the Bucs have at other positions due to the deficiency on the lines.
March 1st, 2014 at 10:15 am
Allen-FA
Griffen-FA or maybe Tuck
Ware, Peppers if they are cut
Watkins 1st rd
Donald 2nd rd
No matter what we have to add DE in FA
March 1st, 2014 at 10:17 am
I can’t believe we let Bennett get away from Tampa.
March 1st, 2014 at 10:19 am
2008-20012 was one of the more painful periods in bucs history.
It’s amazing to watch the local media, most in bed with rock star, go from the “the team is immensely talented” to an honest assessment and conclusion that they aren’t.
Fans I can understand, but for supposedly knowledgeable press members it’s been disgraceful and agenda driven.
But a turnaround is coming with Lovie, given time.
March 1st, 2014 at 10:30 am
@Eric
I just heard yesterday, on the “flag ship” radio station just say how the pop-star left this team in a great position. Its not even laughable anymore, Its just sad. And they still think it was a Coach and Qb that were the only problems that held this team from a playoff run.
March 1st, 2014 at 10:37 am
With Lovie now on the job, I expect this vital position to be addressed posthaste. We have to have a big rush.
March 1st, 2014 at 10:50 am
Yea that “teo” guy was a waste of space on our D-line I bet other teams were laughing at this guy on game day… The guy isn’t even all that built to play the position either… But then again, what can you expect?? “It’s was the ol coach piano’s idea in the first place” smh…shows that much more how much of a retarted coach Greg was and poor evaluation of talent
March 1st, 2014 at 11:11 am
Im going to puke if we draft Clowney unless we’ve traded back to #15 or more and then get him….ugh! Theres a reason he gets gassed so quickly, especially under Tampa heat and humidity…and theres a reason he didnt want to partake in the other drills of the combine.
So much hype pushing his draft status all because of a play from a missed assignment by a TE from Michigan (because Lewan had been handling him 1 on 1 all game, so they decided to focus him on the DT). Did I love it, of course! Im a Gamecock! But Im also a Realist and know what Ive watched, especially this past year with him.
Yes, he’s blazing fast for his size, and as long as he’s fresh and unblocked, you’ll see spectacular plays (in college). He wont be able to handle NFL blocks…watch and see!! He’ll be a bust!
March 1st, 2014 at 11:11 am
The_Buc_Realist Says
“I just heard yesterday, on the “flag ship” radio station just say how the pop-star left this team in a great position.”
That wasn’t the flagship station, it was on the fm station. And you are taking it out of context. He meant in regard to salaries and the way contracts are structured.
And he was right.
We may be overpaying Revis, but the contract is structured so that we can get rid of him any year and free up $16 million. We can cut others aand free up a bunch as well. The only bad contract is Nicks.
March 1st, 2014 at 11:28 am
As to the defensive line, fans are overreacting. Only Bowers spot needs upgrading. Spence was good enough in his rookie year. With good coaching he’ll become as good as Booger was, which was good enough.
As mentioned above, Clayborn was misused and had injury concerns. With good coaching and health, he will be great.
There is no need to replace anyone but Bowerss, and then add ssome better depth.
The real issues are on the offensive line, and there are not many option in free agency this year. People suggessting moving Zuttah back to guard are forgetting that he wasn’t that good at guard. He is good enough at center.
Penn at LT needs upgrading, but it will have to wait a year. At least he stays healthy. We are stuck with Nicks unless he retire, which is not likely. I actually don’t mind because when he is on the field the whole line plays better. We need good depth at Nicks spot.
With Joseph, he is also acceptable IF he stays healthy. Due to his age, as with Penn, we need a better option, but finding one is the issue.
RT is the biggesst need.
Now, we could free up a lot of space by trading Penn and Joseph. And we could get a second for Penn, maybe a third for Joseph. That’s the route I would go. It would remove their entire salaries and give us picks to replace them with.
March 1st, 2014 at 11:40 am
@ BuccaneerBonzai
Davin Joseph is acceptable at OG?
He was rated as one of the worst lineman in the entire NFL last year… Really?
That is acceptable? Wow – how low can our standards get? Plus there is no way in hell that a GM will give us anything for Joseph if he is up for trade not even a 7th rounder…
March 1st, 2014 at 11:40 am
Oh christ. This time last year I heard quite a bit of playoffs or bust. What has changed? Glennon is taking snaps and certain units are vastly underperforming. The FAs didnt translate into a winning record, so Dom subsequently got fired. The cap is in a great situation and all around the league the words being used to describe the Bucs roster is untapped TALENT. We are not the Jacksonville Jags or the Oakland Raiders. There is plenty of talent to rest your hat on. Dont give up on Adrian Clayborn just yet
2 years sounds perfect for Jared Allen before he rides into the sunset. Bucs need to snag him first day on the free agent market, so 1) no one else can and 2) it is going to be a seller’s market. With Hardy off the board, the rest of these eh players are gonna get PAID. Couple that with Khalil Mack (I seriously doubt the Falcons are gonna snag him. Their O line is in worse shambles than ours.) and a couple cheaper FAs and we got something going in the pass rush department.
March 1st, 2014 at 11:53 am
This team is bad.
And even worse, it’s in a state of denial.
It has a few Probowl talent. Very few.
A couple of young guys that look like they have potential.
And a bunch of players that have been hyped- but can’t play.
Joseph was a great player. Now? A liability. He can’t do it anymore.
Foster isn’t a Middle linebacker. Didn’t play MLB in college, can’t do it here. Took Lovie 10 days, to figure that out. Dom and company never did.
Foster is so bad at coverage- he makes me miss Barrett Ruud!
If Barron was a good strong Safety- why sign Goldson?
Because Barron, so Far, is a Bust. Dom kept hyping him. But if we look in the mirror- truth is the kid can’t cover anyone!! Kept changing coverage packages, to cover Barron’s posistion. Frequently pulled Lavonte David into TE coverage- because Barron couldn’t do it.
I’m still not giving up on Clayborn and Bowers. Achilles is the slowest injury to recover from. And Clayborn was obviously affected by the ACL, which was a bad tear. Coaching also killed them
I’ll give them a waiver until this year. But if not now- then no more excuses
Akeem Spence may be strong- but he sure got manhandled a lot!
It he was a rookie- it takes a couple years to get adjusted.
The Oline is getting too old- and other than Penn, has always underachieved!
The D-Line is still two young, without enough Veteran leadership/ experience.
Depth at all positions is terrible. Meybe RB. The rest have no Depth. If McCoy gets dinged- who takes his place?
Smith has gotta be pissed with what he inherited.
Oline needs 5 new starters. D-line has only one proven starter.
Gotta be giving him migraines- especially when he keeps getting asked about playoffs next year!!
March 1st, 2014 at 11:56 am
Football experts have said that Clowney is the best player to come a long in a decade.
Almost every play run by S Carolina’s opponents was run away from JC. 10% were run directly at him with double and triple teams.
When Clowney would pursue the Backs sprinting away from him, lagging blockers were instructed to dive at JC’s ankles or knees.
The Gamecock’s Marcus Lattimore suffered one of the most horrific knee injuries we have ever seen the year before last. That injury cost that kid at least $20 million. Mr Clowney witnessed 1st hand young Lattimore carried out of the stadium in tears as his grief stricken family watched in shock and horror.
Marcus represented the meal ticket for his mother, father, sisters, brothers, cousins, baby momma and even close friends. He went from being a top rated 1st round pick to a lowly 4th round pick. His compensation from South Carolina was next to nothing.
I am sure JC knew the family and was aware of their hopes and aspirations.
Jadaveon Clowney had to be affected by this human tragedy. His mission became survival and getting paid.
You could see it at the combine, he wasn’t about to break an ankle or a leg jumping over parking lot bumpers or running some stupid shuttle cock drill dreamed up by some fat guys drinking way too much beer at Hooters.
Mr Clowney and his family have survived every thing thrown in his direction in order for him to be drafted where he is slated.
Imagine the money he would already have if he could have gone directly in to the NFL directly out of high school and played for the highest bidder?
March 1st, 2014 at 12:31 pm
lol, you’re funny “Clowney”. Obviously you didnt follow the games as closely as I did. Much of what you said could very well apply.
So, whats the excuse you care to give for him getting gassed so quickly and pulled from many plays so he can rest? hey, dont worry, you dont have to answer….is what it is. I hope we pass on him.
Btw, I was on record here saying get rid of Freeman when it was very unpopular, and firing Schiano and Dom when it was unpopular. So I think I’ll stick with my gut 😉
March 1st, 2014 at 12:33 pm
and my gut says trade back and pick Lewan 😉
March 1st, 2014 at 2:03 pm
@ Clowney
I totally agree. People who pass on that talent will totally regret it.
March 1st, 2014 at 3:39 pm
So why does any college player try than?
They should all half ass it, to save themselves for the NFL.
Hell.. get rid of the NCAA all together!
March 1st, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Rookie contracts aren’t that great anymore. Clowney better keep dogging it, until he signs the big payday contract a few years from now.
Once a players loses his competitive fire, to become his own account- it doesn’t ussually get re-lit.
See”Albert Haynesworth”, among many others.
If he’s all about the money in college- it’ll be worse when he gets to the Pros.
Talent and potential don’t always equal success. I don’t doubt he’ll be decent, but think he’ll be busier studying everyone’s contract, then he is studying play books.
I think there’s a risk. Every year teams get burned by signing bad character/ bad attitude players- hoping the money will improve them.
Seldom works. See” Aqib Talib” among many others
March 1st, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Shows how bad the media is in this town that they backed dom and never called him out- big were they on the wrong side of history
March 2nd, 2014 at 12:50 am
Sign an aging proven Free Agent while Gholston develops to a permanent starter. Forget Clowney because he won’t be there at 7. We have a great DL Coach who even may be able to finally develop our Clemson chronic underachiever.