Lovie Lauds Jeremy Zuttah
October 9th, 2014
The young veteran Tampa Bay didn’t think would be a better right guard than Jamon Meredith, Oneil Cousins, Patrick Omameh and, apparently, Bucs newcomers Rishaw Johnson and Garrett Gilkey?
His name is Jeremy Zuttah, starter of the Baltimore Ravens, who face the Bucs in Tampa on Sunday.
Yes, Zuttah plays center for the Ravens, but he played both guard positions in Tampa when the Bucs had a stout running game (Earnest Graham 2008, LeGarrette Blount 2010, Doug Martin 2012.)
Without being asked, Lovie Singled out Zuttah yesterday during a conference call with Baltimore media.
“On the [Ravens;] offensive side of the football, there’s a commitment to the run. I think the offensive line is playing good ball, especially Jeremy Zuttah– a player that was here for many years,” Lovie said.
“But to us, we need to be able to stop the run [defensively] and try not to let them get where they can run the football and pass the ball. Steve Smith … Steve Smith Sr., I guess I should say, has been a great player for a lot of years in our league. It seems like despite every year I’ve been coaching with one team or another, he’s been on the other side of the ball, and he’s just been a special player in the league for a long time”
The loss of Zuttah represents a bit of a finger in the eye to Joe, given that the Bucs still have millions in unused cash available under the 2014 salary cap. Zuttah is one of the most versatile offensive linemen in the NFL, which is why personnel guru Ozzie Newsome was willing to cough up a fifth-round pick for him this spring.
What would have been so wrong with having Zuttah on the current Bucs competing for a job?
October 9th, 2014 at 1:05 pm
Football Outsiders rated Zuttah as the number 32 Center and only an average guard. Vastly overrated. No upside.
October 9th, 2014 at 1:11 pm
That’s why they’re outsiders 🙂
October 9th, 2014 at 1:12 pm
Jeremy Zuttah from “all together now” Rutgers.
October 9th, 2014 at 1:12 pm
Im just glad we have our savior Lovie making all the personnel decisions for us.
Can you say loser Lovie.
October 9th, 2014 at 1:28 pm
lobama smith…….we love you zuttah-right side of his mouth/we traded you-left side of his mouth
October 9th, 2014 at 1:29 pm
This was probably the one move that I strongly disagreed with. Still, watched him when the Ravens had that prime time game, and he had a plenty of good moments and bad moments all in one game. It is what it is, just going to have to make due without him. On a separate note, did anyone see some guy named Gilbery playing at RG for us vs the saints? thought I saw him in there when that drive from hell happened and it definitely caught me by surprise. Wonder why he was in there.
October 9th, 2014 at 1:37 pm
Andrew 1, you mean Garret Gilkey. He rotated in at RG for Omameh for a few drives.
October 9th, 2014 at 1:41 pm
It’s one thing to trade Zuttah, but for a 5th rounder? We got fleeced.
October 9th, 2014 at 1:45 pm
@ 1bucfan88
Thanks. Yea I was looking at the bucs roster and it is Gilkey. I’m thinking if they are having to rotate the RGs, they must not be satisfied with it.
October 9th, 2014 at 2:03 pm
I predict the bucs will win this week.
they were huge underdogs on the road the past 2 weeks. they beat pitt and took the saints to overtime. now they are back in their house still not getting any respect. they are still underdogs. the buc players have to be angry being at home and not being the favorite after the way they played the past 2 weeks.
October 9th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
He kept saying, “but we were 4-12”. That’s basically saying Schiano was a great coach who just needed better players. That is crazy.
I’d really like to know in an alternate universe what happens if the Bucs keep everybody from last year and Lovie and his guys coached what we had.
Cause everybody they’ve brought in has been a downgrade it would seem.
October 9th, 2014 at 2:13 pm
Zuttah is a decent player and sounded like a nice locker room presence and can help establish an identity for the offensive line. Given his past play at multiple o-line positions, it shouldn’t surprise any of us that he is now playing the position which usually requires the most offensive knowledge (other than QB).
As for Gilkey replacing Omameh, that to me was a cry for trying to establish the run. We were hurt by the fact that the Saints had a nice attack package in which safeties and linebackers were already moving toward the line as the ball was snapped. Hopefully the delay in play-calling is touched upon and those instances can be dialed down some.
October 9th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Trading Zuttah for a 5th rounder was the worst move of the offseason.
October 9th, 2014 at 4:22 pm
I thought giving Mike Williams away was another idiot move. Relying on an old VJax, and a rookie in Evans, with NOTHING else. Every move Smith has made has been a mistake so far, IMO, though Verner and Collins haven’t been horrible. The lack of urgency in getting o-line together, and the lack of depth and talent at WR, the absolute disaster of McCown, and, to this point, the mis-judgement of Johnson, has not helped this team in any way.
October 9th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
Is the word nitpicking getting my comments moderated? I’ve used it twice before this. It means to be critical of inconsequential details. If this is also moderated, it must be that.
October 9th, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Zuttah ‘s wish was to remain at center. Lovie did him a favor.
October 9th, 2014 at 7:13 pm
I too think it was a “semi-mistake” to have dumped Zuttah, (and Joseph for that matter) but I don’t think that our OL has been the major problem with the Offense so far this season. Call me the eternal optimist, but I’ve seen improvement each week, (as well as a few setbacks…..It’s called growing pains).
Like Andrew1, I saw the Ravens (I think it was) Thursday Night game a couple of weeks ago, and there was both good and bad from the Ravens O-Line; I alsos saw Flacco on his posterior and Zuttah standing there looking goofy as the play progressed, so I’m not sure that keeping Zuttah was the answer.
October 9th, 2014 at 8:26 pm
LOL football outsiders – you’re joking right? Who the f*** has heard of football outsiders. HAHAHAHAHA. we all know Zuttah is better than every single Guard/Center on the Bucs roster and you cant argue otherwise unless youre a fool……..
October 10th, 2014 at 12:47 am
Probably a few hundred thousand people, that’s all. BSPN has bought their content for their website for years. NFL Network has had their guys on the air as well.