Bucs Sign WR Louis Murphy
March 26th, 2014
The Bucs added veteran talent — a Lovie Smith trademark — to their receiving corps today.
After a visit earlier this month, Louis Murphy is now a Buccaneer. The former Florida Gator spent three seasons in Oakland before catching 25 passes with Carolina in 2012, and six with the Giants last year.
Joe doesn’t see Murphy as an attractive, dangerous option to become the Bucs’ No. 3 receiver, but he certainly represents an experienced, young (26) body to fight for a roster spot. And no, this doesn’t spell doom and gloom for Mike Williams.
Joe is pleased. Murphy should be an upgrade — at least — to Chris Owusu and others at the bottom of the Bucs’ receiving depth chart last year.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:02 pm
This is a nice pick up.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:11 pm
Wasn’t he a return man too?
March 26th, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Where’s the production? Are people liking this signing just because he’s a Gator? I mean, he’s young and has talent, but it’s a projection in a big way to say a guy who caught 6 passes last year is a 3rd receiver candidate. Is he an upgrade over Ogletree or Tiquan? Remains to be seen.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:27 pm
@orca
Exceeding Ogletree is not much of a bar to surpass.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Orca, I feel the same way about Demps. I don’t see any reason to jump up and buy a Murphy jersey…yet. We’ll see. My thoughts….depth.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
No one said he’s an option for 3rd WR. Just decent depth.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:32 pm
I wonder if this is another hint to our offense…. isn’t he a product of Meyer’s spread offense?
March 26th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
A big old meh on this one. Doubt he makes much of an impact at all.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:42 pm
nice pick up. we’re going to need him. MW will get arrested and/or suspended before the season even starts.
can’t fight the trend!
March 26th, 2014 at 3:46 pm
^^ Hoping that getting stabbed in the leg is a little wake-up to Williams. I’d still rather have him on the team, fully focused, than let him go.
March 26th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
good pick up.much need depth…
March 26th, 2014 at 4:06 pm
yo?
March 26th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
If this light just a small fire under MW19s a$$….it will be well worth it.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Good pick up. There’s nothing wrong with having competition or depth (See Martin, Doug).
March 26th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
One word: speed. Dude ran a 4.3 at 6-2 and 200 lbs!!!! Has physical traits who knows when light bulb will come on, hope its with us.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Orca Says
“Where’s the production? Are people liking this signing just because he’s a Gator? I mean, he’s young and has talent, but it’s a projection in a big way to say a guy who caught 6 passes last year is a 3rd receiver candidate.”
Joe said it wasn’t for the 3rd WR spot.
Here’s the thing. Even the Bucs WR depth sucked last year. The only depth one that produced was Underwood…and I think he’s gone. The CB depth was bad as well.
Still, he is only 26, so he has room to improve.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:31 pm
robert6 Says
“nice pick up. we’re going to need him. MW will get arrested and/or suspended before the season even starts.
Wishful thinking on your part. Mike hasn’t done anything wrong outside of scratching paint on a door. The judge will drop the charges for that and it will become a civil matter (which won’t even go that far because he will pay for the repairs).
The house damage was a grease fire, and it was coincidence that it happened during a party. No criminal charges filed there either.
The truth is that everyone that wants Watson is nervous he won’t be picked by the Bucs, and they figure cutting Mike Williams will force the team to make a move to take Watson.
Sorry to disappoint but Lovie Smith simply DOES NOT pick WRs in the first round under any circumstances. Never has, never will. He feels they are worth no more than a 2nd rounder, and usually less. All you have to do is some research to figure that out.
But every person that wants Williams cut has voiced the desire to draft Watson since before this happened.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
“yo?”
No relation.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
Underwood is a stinking Panther now.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
He played with the raiders for three years….that’s where his production went! Might be a good return guy. Good competition.
March 26th, 2014 at 4:51 pm
just to be clear bonzai.
I do not MW cut. I hope he get’s it turned around. great player. and he toughed it out last year.
I don’t follow the draft, so there is no underlying reason. this just smells like jfro 2.0
i.e. he does not give a $hit. if he did he would have checked himself in the 1st few incidents.
March 26th, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Nice to get a gator added to the team. Yeah I’m liking him just because he is a gator. Chomp Chomp.
March 26th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
Maybe next we bring in Tim Tebow ??
March 26th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Shawnbucfan….I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
March 26th, 2014 at 5:48 pm
Yes, Tebow time 🙂
March 26th, 2014 at 5:59 pm
yeah sign sign tebow. he can help father dungy give last rites to the glennon mob when the bucs draft Johnny Football.
March 26th, 2014 at 6:57 pm
This is great news! Unlike Underwood who would drop passes if he was about to take a hit and only showed great hands when he outran the secondary, Murphy is just as fast but he is tough enough to make a catch in traffic and take the big hit without coughing up the ball. For those who don’t like taking Gators just remember the last time years ago when the Bucs had a dependable slot receiver who could really move the chains–it was another Veteran Free Agent who had been another Gator star. Also New England prefers taking Gator players and their Coach even showed up at the Gator Basketball game against Pittsburg sporting a Gator visor. This gives an insurance policy if Williams won’t change his ways and gets cut for poor production like he showed
at the first of last season before he was hurt.
March 26th, 2014 at 7:18 pm
@ Owlykat
Are you referring to Reidel ‘Gator-arms’ Anthony, or Jacquez ‘What’s a ten-yard out?’ Green? :^)
March 26th, 2014 at 7:43 pm
Makes a good flanker
March 26th, 2014 at 8:01 pm
Talking about Ike Hilliard!
Unfortunately, he’s a different type WR than Ike when we got him. Ike was shifty, crafty, and skilled route runner. Murphy is a speedster, good hands though. He did well as a 3rd we in Oakland, but not a slot guy. In New York, he was buried on the depth chart behind some good players. No playing time equals no production. I have confidence he can play a role for us, great signing! Still could use a slot guy with quicks though, maybe Page is the plan?
March 26th, 2014 at 8:02 pm
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we added a WR with some speed and NFL experience, still young. But if he only caught 6 passes last year, I have to wonder if he’s even going to make the team. Maybe the WR coach will coax more out of him and he can be a contributor. Would be nice… But the fact that he’s a Gator isn’t a real good reason to support the move.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:04 pm
Hawk,I think Owlykat is talking about Ike Hillard.
March 26th, 2014 at 8:06 pm
Ike?
March 26th, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Qualify signing for depth. Should be highly motivated coming home and playing on a one year contract with his chances running out to play with the big boys. Probably ends up being the fourth guy up but could catch a little fire and play like his early Raider days.
March 27th, 2014 at 1:20 am
Murphy is Underwood’s replacement, and a slight upgrade. Underwood lacked athleticism and wasn’t much of a threat after the catch. Murphy is capable of getting separation and can get some yac.
somebody mentioned Urban Meyer above, and guys like Murphy and Demps are projects for Tedford, who I think had the closest thing to a pro-style spread offense than anyone in the NCAA. Meyer always struggled to develop a running scheme that was anything more than a gimmick or just straight option dives. But Tedford, meanwhile, was changing his playbook and changing his style around guys like Lynch, Jackson and Best.
I think Tedford is going to have a blast in the NFL, with all of these different kind of playmakers that he can plug in certain plays where he knows they’ll be successful. This isn’t an overreaction to the signing of Murphy, just excitement to see some creativity and and plethera of
March 27th, 2014 at 1:21 am
Of playmakers to watch on offense.
March 27th, 2014 at 11:47 am
Did someone bring up Reidel and Jacquez?! Holy smokes! I’ve been drinking for the last 15 years trying to erase those memories! Thanks a lot!
Ike was the man though!