Center Of Attention
January 6th, 2015
All eyes on Raiders guard/center Stefen Wisniewski
Joe’s not waving the white flag. Joe can’t grin and accept that the Bucs are going play status quo with Logan Mankins and Evan Dietrich-Smith, and hope an average right tackle in his seventh season (Demar Dotson) can magically transform into a good left tackle.
The Bucs need to get younger, nastier and hungrier on that line.
Yesterday, Joe wrote about how the Bucs should take a long look at 25-year-old Bengals guard Clint Boling if he hits unrestricted free agency in March.
And versatile, 25-year-old Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski should be studied in the One Buc Palace film room, too. His contract is about to expire, and his future in a new Raiders regime is unclear.
The 2011 second-round pick out of Penn State comes from a family of NFL players and impressed in his rookie year at left guard — his legendary uncle Steve Wisniewski’s position — before moving to center.
Laugh at the Raiders all you want, but they were an elite pass blocking team this season allowing just 28 sacks.
Wisniewski has missed just three starts in four seasons and has more experience than 28-year-old Evan Dietrich-Smith, and he’s had an excellent position coach in Tony Sparano, in addition to the family lineage.
Again, after this putrid season of Bucs football, Joe believe the Bucs must attack their weaknesses, which are glaring all along the O-line.
Joe has high expectations.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:07 pm
If Dotson was a left OT…he’d have been playing left OT…long before the Bucs declared him a left OT….
January 6th, 2015 at 12:08 pm
Joe, why high expectations? The current regime gave us the current horrible line, and the current coach has historically always had horrible lines on his teams. High expectations is asking to be disappointed.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Even if we bring in a T & a G….that will mean significant improvement…..and we need depth.
I’m not ready to give up on changes to the line simply because we keep EDS, Mankins & Dotson…..way too early to panic.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Could draft center Cam Erving around late first
or one of the best Gaurds coming out…. AJ Cann (mainly LG)
January 6th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
Keep it coming Joe. Nobody will sleep at night if they don’t wash the stink out of this line.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
I’m curious as to why Collins was serviceable for the first few games then just imploded.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
The teams that are noted for their OL usually have some good talent on their practice squads, get creative and sign them up and see what they can do, but we would need a good OL coach and we don’t have one.
For most of the starting linemen, release them so they can go to another team and they can help us win or with our luck, their new OL coach ramps them up to be all Pros.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:31 pm
Raider blood lines. His uncle was a fukn savage in the trenches. This kid is not leaving Oakland.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
WWTTD-
What would Ted Thompson do?
January 6th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
This would be a fantastic pick up, but the Raiders have a ton of cap money, shouldn’t get too hopeful.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Not going to happen.
January 6th, 2015 at 12:53 pm
Richie!
January 6th, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Big difference between high HOPES and high expectations! I EXPECT nothing but continued putridness, I HOPE for improvement.
January 6th, 2015 at 1:40 pm
bang on with Boling and Wisniewski Joe. Iupati from Niners is UFA too, I believe. Noticed the USF trio of Pierre-Paul, Selvie and Nate Allen on FA list….could help too.
January 6th, 2015 at 1:40 pm
EDS probably can only play center IMO to small for OG.
January 6th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
maybe the bucs should wait until the Offensive Coordinator settles in. let the OC select free agent O-line signings. lovie and company did a poor job with the current free agent signings on the O-LINE. let the OC select any O-line draft picks.
January 6th, 2015 at 2:47 pm
L & L are such poor evaluators of talent and then when there is talent they miss on it…imagine if the bucs ahd future all-pro seantrel henderson on the team at LT who was a 7th rounder for the bills….they lock up the left side for 10 years and look like geniouses instead they get collins and look well like they do
January 6th, 2015 at 4:10 pm
He is an absolutely average center. LEts go Lupati at OG.
January 6th, 2015 at 5:15 pm
28 sacks? Didn’t we allow that in one game?