Battling For Positions
June 24th, 2014
The nerds over at Pro Football Focus believe Bucs CB Leonard Johnson will win the battle for nickel back.
It is the NFL siesta season. Therefore, the nerds over at Pro Football Focus are pumping out all sorts of thought-provoking content to get NFL fans over the hump until training camp opens in 32 days.
The latest is Pro Football Focus’ Buccaneers depth chart with interesting nuggets for pondering put together by Gordon McGuinness.
* The first one that jumps out at Joe is the only fullback Pro Football Focus believes the Bucs will keep is Lonnie Pryor. Joe never noticed Prior working with the first team this spring. It’s been Jorvorskie Lane catching passes and working with the top unit.
* If the Bucs keep six running backs (including Pryor), then Jeff Demps is the odd man out. (Umm, who keeps six running backs?)
* Brandon Myers and Tim Wright will split duties as starting tight end depending on personnel groups.
* Leonard Johnson beats out Mike Jenkins at nickel back. (But Leslie Frazier named D.J. Moore?)
* It appears Da’Quan Bowers will battle Steven Means for a roster spot if the Bucs keep but four defensive ends.
* Akeem Spence beats out Clinton McDonald to start at defensive tackle.
* Kadeem Edwards is listed behind Oneil Cousins at guard. That’s not what Joe saw in spring drills.
Again, there are all sorts of nuggets in this mythical depth chart to chew on. Hang in there Bucs fans. Less than five weeks to go. We’ll get there.
June 24th, 2014 at 7:06 am
I think he picked names out of a hat on some of these positions.
June 24th, 2014 at 7:14 am
I think everyone is rooting for Leonard Johnson to make the team. He’s a local kid and I think he does have some skills.
June 24th, 2014 at 7:31 am
Trash
June 24th, 2014 at 7:40 am
I feel like these are a significantly less popular, but equally mandatory, part of sports writers’ jobs as mock drafts. The summer lull depth chart seems like something that wouldn’t be worth the time of someone that spends any time around football (which, I’m assuming is a qualification for a sports writer) but it gets clicks in the football starved summer months when everything that we had to look forward to is over aside from the start of training camps.
June 24th, 2014 at 7:46 am
I just looked at that depth chart and also noticed that they have Keith Tandy as an average started rated higher than the “below average” Dashon Goldson! Is that some type of joke? Who would say that Tandy is better than the Hawk?
June 24th, 2014 at 8:32 am
Thinking most teams carry a total of 7 or 8 D-Linemen… McCoy, McDonald, MJ, Clayborn, Gholston, and Spence are locks to make the team(unless AC gets traded..) that leaves one or two spots for Cummings, Bowers, and Means.. I think Cummings might be a practice squad guy if they want to keep everyone(no guarantee that someone doesn’t swipe him from our practice squad though)..
With the running backs I think we keep 4 in total.. Dougie Fresh, Sims, James, and Lane or Pryor(should be Lorig but whatevs)… I can only see them keeping 5 if Demps shows us something when the pads go on and in TC(hope they do).. I personally think Rainey is being overblown because the kid popped an 80 yard run.. He went over 100 yards twice during the season and if the blocking or run game got more improved then why did he only run for a 4.0 ypc or over three times(Atl not surprising, Mia, and Buf ).. For everyone that was bashing Doug last season he only avg UNDER 4.0 ypc TWICE last year in 6 games (Jets and Mike Noodle Arm Glennon’s first game against the Cards so go figure why on that one..)
I really think the NFL should change the rule where the whole 53 man roster dresses for game day btw such a stupid rule..
Okay I’m done ranting.. It’s been awhile since I commented on here because alot people on here continue to beat the same drum(HELLO MGM, Glennon haters, Dom haters, and Schiano draft gurus guys most are MGM btw) and use opinion as fact… Just be excited for the season and if you are a TRUE Bucs fan then root for whoever lines up behind center to start this season.. Now if the other comes in during the season and its not injury related then that obviously mean we likely aren’t going to the playoffs(again) and gonna have another losing season(again)..
Kinda random but I just ordered my LVD(Pewter) and Mike Evans(White) elite jersey’s last night… I’m pretty stoked! Kinda wish they had the LVD jersey in white though(would’ve preferred his white jersey to Evans because of how the numbers look)… GO BUCS 🙂
June 24th, 2014 at 9:09 am
Wow, not one of Domicick’s pick was over “Poor Starter”. Thank goodness Coach Schiano took over, and Thank goodness Lovie is in charge now.
#rockstar_worst_bucs_gm_ever!
June 24th, 2014 at 9:15 am
Depth charts are all over the place this time of year, but I’ve always preferred Ourlads.com
June 24th, 2014 at 10:00 am
Leonard Johnson makes plays and will probably perform way better in a tampa 2 and without Schiano’s ridiculous stunts giving qbs valuable extra seconds for release. He may “lack speed” but his pick-6s are still fresh in my mind and he has good hands.
June 24th, 2014 at 10:02 am
I appreciate some of the folks over at PFF and what they do but it really grinds my gears when writers who obviously don’t know anything about a team simply start throwing $h*t at the wall just to see what will stick. If this guy read even one article from a local beat writer, or even bothered asking any of the organizations that cover the Bucs on a DAILY BASIS a question or two, maybe his article would be slightly more informed.
June 24th, 2014 at 12:00 pm
Glennon seems a bit better than a below average starter, in my opinion.
June 24th, 2014 at 12:18 pm
Agree with them on Spence winning the starting roll over McDonald. Nature of the NFL, coaches and GM’s bring in FA guys and name them starters based on expectations but then things can change once practices start. Best player to help the team win should get the job…go Spence, only grass in your future should be on your face mask after you’ve put a ball carrier on the turf.
June 24th, 2014 at 12:20 pm
Was interesting to see an eval of starters. I think his placement of Nicks as a starter is a testament to his lack of knowledge about what’s going on here. The rest of it was meh.
June 24th, 2014 at 12:31 pm
McDonald will start – more pass rush.
Leonard Johnson may not even make the club.
Daquan Bowers won’t even be in the mix.
Mike Jenkins has not been working as a nickel, which is a different set of techniques in Lovie’s D.
Jeff Demps doesn’t deserve a roster spot unless he can learn to hold onto the ball.
June 24th, 2014 at 7:13 pm
There is no predetermined formula for how many players will be kept at each position. I could easily see the Bucs keep six running backs, but the guys not playing much on offense have to prove useful on special teams.