Gambling Man
March 26th, 2014
Jason Licht explained his gambling ways in projecting part-time players as full-time starters.
Joe has pointed out the Bucs currently have a projected starting left tackle who has never started half a season, let alone a full season. And a possible starting right guard, Oneil Cousins, in the same boat.
In short, this makes Joe nervous. Then again, Joe’s not much of a gambling guy. It seems, however, Bucs general manager Jason Licht likes to wager on players.
Speaking with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club yesterday from the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Licht explained his Vegas mentality on giving staring jobs to guys who never started a full season, noted Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.
“If you see a guy who is able to do something well in a limited amount of plays, there’s cause for you to believe he can do it as a full-time player,’’ Smith said. “So, I’m comfortable they can make that jump.”
Joe’s only comfortable now with two guys: Evan Dietrich-Smith at center and Demar Dotson — who the Bucs claim is a rock, but let’s be honest; he’s at best an average player.
This is why Joe will not be shocked whatsoever if the Bucs draft an offensive tackle at No. 7.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Eagles just put all pro G Evan Mathis on the Trade block hes currently making 5 Million but wants more…. If he is released maybe Lovie could charm him to take less to come to Tampa
March 26th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Manziel is a heck of a gamble Joe
March 26th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Snake Eyes!
March 26th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Forgot to mention that he is 33 though
March 26th, 2014 at 10:36 am
Wasn’t hope our strategy last year at guard? How’d that go?
March 26th, 2014 at 10:40 am
Seems to me that a player who has performed at a high level for even half a season in the NFL is less of a gamble than a draftee – who by definition has zero experience.
After the FA signing of Collins, tackle makes no sense at seven.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:53 am
they can still kick collins inside to guard if they draft a tackle, although that’s carl nicks money and i doubt collins grades out as a top 5 G
March 26th, 2014 at 10:58 am
Oneil Cousins is terrible. He better not be starting or whoever the QB is can look forward to a trip to the IR.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:02 am
There are only so any available resources (players) in free agency.
If Peyton Manning isn’t there, then you got to sign the next best. We could only muster McCown… he was more or less what the head coach thought was the right fit out of the few available QBs.
The offensive line… there weren’t too many available linemen, yet the Bucs pretty much signed who they targeted. Orlando Pace w’t available, sorry.
You can either do nothing, or do something. That’s how free agency works.
We do need to draft well of course.
But what the experience coaches noticed about the Bucs… is the offensive the offensive line was underperforming. They had to out right cut these guys.
Mark Dominik proved that he didn’t know what he was doing. I guess Shaun King was right afterall.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:06 am
If Jason Licht is a gambler, Mark Dominick needs to attend Gambler’s Anonymous. I don’t even need to elaborate.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:13 am
I get the unease with players that haven’t started for a fill season, but a rookie, stud LT or not, would be in the same boat. At least with a veteran, they have experienced the league and playing tougher competition. Keep calm, Lovie knows best!
March 26th, 2014 at 11:14 am
Its better to Gamble on guys who might be able to step up, rather than keep guys that cannot step up.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:19 am
If I recall Dom went “all in” on Freeman as QB and a coach from Rutgers who had never won the Big East.
No risk at all there.
“Rock” solid!
March 26th, 2014 at 11:20 am
“Joe’s not much of a gambling guy.”
wait wait wait… this from the guy who pines to burn the #7 pick of the draft on Johnny Football?
there’s a disconnect here
March 26th, 2014 at 11:23 am
For all the hemming and hawing over this lack of starts you continually neglect the fact that Collins is better and cheaper than Donald Penn. And don’t tell me Penn wasn’t that bad, anyone who says that watch the Rams tape and tell me he’s not bad.
That’s the only thing that matters is that we’ve upgraded at that position.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:23 am
If we’re being honest, Joe. Dotson was easily our best lineman from last season and even at his age is improving every year. Profootball Focus certainly seems to like him. Personally, I’d rather see him on the left side, matched up against the faster/weaker DEs.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:44 am
You keep coming down on Dot, and I don’t think that’s particularly fair. He’s a hell of an athlete; an ABOVE average pass blocker, who sometimes gets pushed around in the run game….the same exact things you can say a out Deitrich-Smith. I think Dot could excel at LT where his lack of strength wouldn’t be as glaring and he could use his quick feet to help neutralize speed rushers. Unfortunately it looks like Collins is our LT for now, so I guess we’ll see how this all shakes out for real in TC.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:48 am
In the Words of Donald Penn that might ring true. The Left and Right Guard play hurt this team. Penn said he had nobody next to him that could play. And this may have been reason #1 for the the line play last year. IMO if you have great STUD Tackles and put turnstiles at guard how have you improved the line? This is where the 4 th and 5th round selections that you have to find Depth. Depth has always killed many teams but it seems to be a chronic BUCS disease.
March 26th, 2014 at 11:56 am
Demar Dotson was ranked 4th best Right Tackle in the NFL by Bleacherreport. That’s a little better than average, don’t you think?
March 26th, 2014 at 1:11 pm
They may draft an OT and play him at guard.
March 26th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
COUSINS IS GARBAGE!! Please don’t slate this bum as anything more than a camp body.
March 26th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
Eric-
“Seems to me that a player who has performed at a high level for even half a season in the NFL is less of a gamble than a draftee – who by definition has zero experience.
After the FA signing of Collins, tackle makes no sense at seven.”
I would have to agree with everything Eric just said here. You don’t pay a guy $30 million dollars and then draft his replacement with your extremely valuable 7th overall pick. How does that make any sense Joe?
March 26th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Joe would do well to get a PFF subscription and incorporate their data into this site. Dotson is well above-average according to that site and Collins has the best pass blocking rating of any OT over the last 3 years. Quit whining about the OL, it will be better than last year’s. We just need a RG so maybe we will will trade up into the late 1st to get Su’a-Filo, or maybe pick Bitonio in the 2nd.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
Nothing that Licht has done is in anywhere near the same league as the extreme reach Dominik made to bring Revis in last year. A first rounder, plus the 3rd/4th rounder and 12% of the cap? That’s insanity. Licht, on the other hand, has made reasonable projections and has gotten good middle-tier to upper-tier players for *at worst* market value, and in some cases below market value. And I tend to think he’s a he11uva lot better talent evaluator than Dom.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Licht already realizes that Dotson may be better at LT because he already has said they will give some snaps this preseason to Dotson at LT. I believe that will be his best position. Plus Collins has played at RT before. We know already we have improved at Center. If we get Nix back we will be excellent at LG, and we already know Meredith has been good at RT before, so we should have a good line. Right now I think the problem is depth for the OL. I believe between the draft and picking up players cut by other teams we should be able to find a G/C and another Guard (such as a G in the draft from LSU in the 5th round) as backups.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:42 pm
Meredith will play RG this year or could be a backup Tackle if needed.