Goldson Absorbed Lovie Strike Lessons
June 15th, 2014
So Dashon “Hawk” Goldson, has Lovie Smith been able to shed new light or teach you anything about avoiding getting flagged and suspended for illegal hits?
Joe got a chance to ask Goldson this on Thursday.
Surprisingly, the veteran of seven seasons and two Pro Bowls said Lovie did deliver him fresh and valuable perspective.
“Personally, yeah, for me they did. I spoke to Coach Lovie and my position coach Mykal Smith. The shined their insight on hitting and lowering the target and all that,” Goldson said. “I’m sure they’re going to implement that, especially when we get the pads on.”
Goldson shared with Joe some of the hitting nuances specific to his game but didn’t them made public. Joe will say Goldson is optimistic he can avoid the ongoing wrath of NFL officials and Roger Goodell.
It sure would be something if Goldson could return to the outstanding form he had with San Francisco in 2011 and 2012. What an early Christmas gift that would be!
Despite sitting out all spring practices recovering from ankle surgery, Goldson has retained his leadership role. Lovie mentioned last week that he’s always hearing Goldson at practice.
Regardless, Goldson needs a huge season to remain a Buccaneer in 2015 and justify the $8 million-a-year contract. His money is no longer guaranteed starting next season, and the Bucs surely would prefer to go shopping with that cash rather than retain an average performer.
June 15th, 2014 at 10:14 am
It’s the one defensive concern I have – not so much that Goldson is a dirty player – but due to the game changing SO much because of the rules change regarding hitting.
The game actually changed a great deal – particularly for Lovie Smith-type defenses – in my opinion, Goldson plays a LOT like Lynch…if not EXACTLY like Lynch, and Barron was in the same mold and could easily be trained to play that same way…but for the rules changes regarding how the striped shirts CALL it this year – since it is no longer a ‘point-of-emphasis’ season, I’m not sure how much it can/will be relaxed?
The game was changing as Lynch was retiring – and the “Dirty Player” tag was starting to chase him out the door, back then…
June 15th, 2014 at 11:33 am
^^^all true
June 15th, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Joe, Goldson was a penalty magnet in Sanfran as well.
He said h was going to change before the season last year as well. Did he? No.
So forgive me, but I’ll believe it when he strings 2-3 games together without penalties.
I personally think that even if he changes (unlikely), the refs will target him anyway.
June 15th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
Some D players can’t adjust to this much changed NFL.
June 15th, 2014 at 1:00 pm
He’s watched a liiiiitle too much tape of Lester Hayes. Unleash it Hawk…..without the 15 yard penalty please.
June 15th, 2014 at 1:19 pm
I have to agree with White Tiger and Buccaneer Bonzai.
First, because of the rule changes (and more importantly, the *emphasis* of those rules), many players from just a few years ago (Lynch is an excellent example) CAN NOT play in todays’ game. Times have changed and the smart coaches/GMs are choosing players who can fit the new rules (offense and defense). The Lynchs and Goldstons are exciting to watch, but the NFL is being careful with their golden goose.
As far as the officials ‘targeting’ Goldston, it’s complicated. If they are still operating under the same procedures (and I’m sure they are), I can tell you that each crew gets ‘notes’ for their upcoming game. Those notes are from the crews who worked with those two teams the previous week (obviously two sets of notes from two different games). Players/coaches who have a tendency to teeter on the edge of a rule(s), on a consistent basis are noted for the next crew. Conversely, players who show a consistent ability to, say ‘predict the snap’ and have a first step that ‘looks’ offsides, but isn’t. That information is also passed on so that the next crew is slower to throw a flag.
All that being said, I have no doubt that Goldstons’ tendency, to lower his head, was in most (if not all) weekly reports. He likely will be on the first reports this year. But if he plays ‘safe’ for 3-4 games, the targeting will lessen. Each official has so much that he is responsible for that to have to keep an extra eye for an individual is something that they don’t want to do either.
June 15th, 2014 at 1:21 pm
How come I can spell it correctly now? :^)
June 15th, 2014 at 1:23 pm
Whoops, part of my post vanished. The above should have said
*Goldson, Goldson, Goldson* How come I can spell it correctly now? :^)
June 15th, 2014 at 1:36 pm
Goldson is responsible for Goldson…but I must say that I blame Schiano for some of this. I think the Bucs defense was marked after the “Victory Formation” defense that Schiano instituted.
Sure….that shouldn’t happen….Officials making calls for other reasons….but it is human nature.
I think things will be different with a Lovie Smith team.
June 15th, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Hey JOE, think we will try to pick up Flowers or Houston? Both recently cut good CB’s.
June 15th, 2014 at 3:32 pm
A report from PFT says the Falcons might make a move for him
June 15th, 2014 at 3:40 pm
@ Tampabaybucfan
Other teams may have ‘marked’ the Bucs after that play, but the officials couldn’t care less. Officials are there to make sure both teams follow the rules.
It’s often been wondered why teams ‘allow’ the victory formation if the outcome could still be changed by one score. I’m old school. I believe in playing until the last whistle. This is NOT a gentleman’s’ game.
June 15th, 2014 at 5:49 pm
Besides being a hard hitter, I don’t see the comparison to Lynch.
Lynch was a very cerebral safety as well.
I don’t see that from the hawk.
Being a hard hitter in todays game can be done, Cam Chancellor is proof of that.
June 15th, 2014 at 5:50 pm
TBBF that’s a bit of a stretch buddy ahahaha
June 15th, 2014 at 5:51 pm
Kam*
June 15th, 2014 at 6:05 pm
Joe Bucs Fan,
I love what you guys do and the amount of content you all push out but your posts the last couple of weeks have been riddled with typos. This post alone has at least three and I only quickly read through it.
Generally, I prefer JBF to Pewter Report and Bucs Nation because JBF is much better about proof reading and delivering a quality product but you all are slipping. Please step your game up and continue to deliver the high quality product I’ve become accustomed to reading.
Fire the Cannons and Go Bucs!
June 15th, 2014 at 7:12 pm
@ PRBucFan
The *only* comparison that I was making (Lynch/Goldson) is the fact that both like to lead with their head. I, also, think that Goldson is a poor mans’ Lynch.
June 15th, 2014 at 7:24 pm
I think Lovie’s secondary responsibilities rely heavily on a guy with Goldson’s specific skill-set.
Lynch was Lynch because of Dungy’s system – many don’t remember that Lynch was drafted 3 years before Tony Dungy arrived – at the time he wasn’t even thought to be a starting safety by most NFL teams.
If the rule change had NOT gone into effect, Goldson would be thought of much differently than he is now. It’s easy to be thought cerebral when you lay out a player and they stop throwing in front of that particular Safety – or the RB fumbles or drops a pass because he’s being stretched into “no mans land” – right in front of “The Hawk” – Lynch would not be thought nearly so cerebral if he had to abide by these new rules.
In my opinion, the league decided to take too much away from the defense – and I think it’s changed the game too much – an average WR/TE can now take the middle of the field without fear of being given a good “pop” – This change wasn’t because the coaches or players overcame the talent on the other side ofthe ball – this change is directly due to the regulation of making players think before they react. Being more disciplined instead of reactive can’t help but result in hesitation – for fear of penalty. This gives the offense that hesitation they could not attain via talent or running a play to counter it – it’s taken the game out of the players hands and made it more subjective, REQUIRING that the player play to the referee, not the goal of winning the game.
It’s not about player safety – it’s regulation that puts the referee at center stage – how do I know? …Why isn’t the rule applied to RB’s and WR’s who lower their head to finish off a run?
See, it’s a terrible rule that puts defenses like Lovie’s and players like Dashon Goldson at a severe deficit.
June 15th, 2014 at 9:35 pm
In the SuperBowl- both Seattle safeties repeatedly hit helmet to a Helmet. And led with their helmets.
Not a flag or a word said
It’s never, ever, a fair playing field in the NFL. Some teams are favored, because they cross in to the”broad fan base appeal” category. The NFL internally “promotes” teams that draw huge numbers from multiple fan bases.
At the expense of teams that only draw love from their regional area.
June 15th, 2014 at 10:37 pm
I agree with that DJL.
I saw the same thing.
June 15th, 2014 at 11:45 pm
Lynch was unquestionably one of the more cerebral safety’s in the game.
It had nothing to do with people not throwing his way and everything to do with him knowing when and where to be.
With your logic the hawk would be considered a very cerebral player because of how often he has in fact has in the past laid people out lol.
But he is in fact not 😉
June 15th, 2014 at 11:50 pm
*has in fact in the past
June 16th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
There was nothing cerebral about the way John Lynch knocled his own brother-in-law out in a game against Chicago.
I wouldn’t disagree that any Stanford grad is probably a bit more cerebral than the average NFL Safety – but I wonder how much of the Stanford pedigree has contributed to the idea that Lynch was cerebral – verses how much of that went out the window when he brought the wood.
The great thing about the Tampa-Two iterations is – it chopped up the field into more manageable zones. DB’s have a set responsibility for their zone, depending on down & distance, pass/run. etc. Initially, and because the DB’s had less ground to cover while tending to their responsibilites – it allowed us to utilize talent other teams overlooked, because they didn’t HAVE to be as fast as a man-cover corner. That alllowed them to use thumpers in the secondary.
As cerebral as you want to make him, I’ll remind you that John Lynch was buried on the roster for 3 years until Tony Dungy arrived.
Because of this discussion – I’m really looking forward to how well we see Dashon Goldson be less of a negative impact.
@Davey Jones – Great point! I am hoping that perhaps the league was trying to do more than send Goldson a messafe – I think there may have been some frustration over the whole “Victory Formation” fiasco – and perhaps some of the flags thrown at Goldson (at least early on) may have been intended to send Schiano a message about challenging the Victory Formation?
For that reason – the respect that Lovie Smith has in the league can’t help but gain us some goodwill regarding the hits made by “The Hawk”…