Improving The Secondary
February 10th, 2015
Is safety Hawk Goldson worth his salary?
Joe still shakes his head thinking about how Lovie Smith professed his love in training camp for twice-cut cornerback Mike Jenkins, despite fellow healthy corner Johnthan Banks clearly showing as much if not more skill.
Despite Jenkins missing virtually all of training camp and preseason to an injury, Lovie was adamant Jenkins would be his starter opposite Alterraun Verner.
Good grief, even Joe knew Banks was a better corner. How come a defensive guru of a coach couldn’t see that?
As we all know, Jenkins became a distant memory (Joe can barely remember him playing in the season opener, though he did get torched), and Banks had such a good season Joe considered him a darkhorse Pro Bowl candidate.
So when looking at the Bucs secondary, Joe sees only one area of concern. It seems Andrew Astleford sees the same. The lone question in the secondary seems to rest on the shoulders of Hawk Goldson at safety.
In their attempt to improve secondary play, the Bucs will likely need to decide if safety Dashon Goldson remains part of their plans. He has underwhelmed in his past two seasons with Tampa Bay after signing a five-year, $41.25 million deal ($22 million guaranteed) before the 2013 campaign.
Joe likes Hawk, but is Goldson worth the $7.5 million (+ $500,000 workout bonus) he is to receive the next two seasons (per Rotoworld.com)? The answer is no.
Now if Goldson would be wiling to rework his contract, Joe could see him staying. It’s hard to image the Bucs not finding a suitable safety looking for work next month when the free agent dinner bell rings — for half the price of Goldson and the same level of play.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Joe has made a great case for Lovie’s inability to judge talent …..
Simple as that….
February 10th, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Chit I can play safety better than major wright.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:19 pm
Pass Rush…will improve the secondary…..Hardy Time
February 10th, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Isn’t Lovie’s son the safety/secondary coach?
February 10th, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Goldson is due $8mil next year…..4 million in cap space is saved if he is cut….4 mil dead money.
Unless there is a significant restructure….he is likely gone.
As for Lovie & Jenkins…..I think Lovie used Jenkins to light a fire under Banks….I don’t think Jenkins would have started more than one or two games if healthy.
Lovie does like veterans, though!!!
February 10th, 2015 at 4:29 pm
i prefer the old hawk picture, i always crack up when i see that hawk tongue
February 10th, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
As for Lovie & Jenkins…..I think Lovie used Jenkins to light a fire under Banks….I don’t think Jenkins would have started more than one or two games if healty.
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The McCown experiment suggests that you have greatly underestimated the stubborn side of Coach Smith. 🙂
February 10th, 2015 at 4:45 pm
We need a ball hawking safety and the Hawk is not that, time to cut our losses and move on.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:45 pm
Rahim Moore and Devin McCourty in FA would be nice or Cody Prewitt in the draft.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:59 pm
@ Biff
I did say….Lovie likes veterans….
All of this is hindsight…..Jenkins was injured….we have no idea how he would have played in his home town…..He did make the pro bowl….
All of this is pure conjecture…..
February 10th, 2015 at 5:08 pm
You guys remember when Warren Sapp said. ” If the Offense just gives us 17 points a game we win!”? That was when our D was allowing under 12 though.
Guess how many points our Offense averaged this yr? 17.3.
Problem is our Defense gave up 25.3. Not a good formula for winning no matter what kind of dress you put on it.
In my opinion sinking all we have in a Solid OL and Shoring up the D with an edge rusher and some secondary depth is the best way to go.
A top 10 OL should net us an extra TD a game in the Points for column
Shoring up the D, along with most of the important players entering the second yr should take away about 5 pts a game
Any way you go that puts us back on the positive side of the equation.
Second scenario is that we roll the Dice with a QB, go all D in the draft and count on FA to shore up the OL (scary after last yr)
I don’t get paid to make these types of decision tho so I will roll with what I get
February 10th, 2015 at 5:14 pm
Classic Joe. Continuing to milk the Jenkins storyline. Do we ever let sh1t go?
February 10th, 2015 at 5:41 pm
Lovie’s problem is that he doesn’t recognize talent that is front, to the side or behind him. If Frazier stays the DC, let him decide since he got it going with what he had and his orders from Lovie. I think the Glazers must have stepped in and told him to let his Coordinators do the selecting.
For those of you that think McCown will start, I believe Koetter will start Glennon, cut McCown and bring on the draftee.
February 10th, 2015 at 5:55 pm
We have a handful of under-performing, grossly overpaid players on our roster that every fan would love to see their salary renegotiated to their level of play, but what are the chances that Collins, Goldson, and Johnson would accept a pay cut when they have guaranteed money in their contracts? Collins and Johnson can even claim injuries and a new coach attributed to their poor performance in 2014.
Do we even have a chance that any of these guys will take a pay cut? I really hope so, but it just doesn’t seem likely.
February 10th, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Yes Joe, you could clearly see Edwards was the better corner. Just like you could see Manzell was the best QB in the draft.
The all knowing all seeing Joe.
February 10th, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Is Tanard Jackson available? He may only be available for 4 games until he gets popped for the sticky icky again but that’s equivalent to the amount of games Goldson shows up for. And at a much lesser price.
February 10th, 2015 at 8:52 pm
I want us to sign fairley or hardy
February 10th, 2015 at 8:56 pm
Can Goldson play middle linebacker in tampa 2 coverage?
February 10th, 2015 at 9:37 pm
OB Says:
For those of you that think McCown will start, I believe Koetter will start Glennon, cut McCown and bring on the draftee.
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Yes please. Do not start McCown. I beg you. I beseech you.
February 10th, 2015 at 9:47 pm
“He has underwhelmed in his past two seasons with Tampa Bay “.
Well that’s a nice, friendly way of putting it. Goldson is being paid like a top safety – yet I cannot remember one big play he has made in 2 years aside from a handful of big hits (some of which drew 15 yd penalties).
I’m quite sure we can find better production by signing someone else for the $4M we will save by cutting Hawk. Someone who can actually cover please.
February 11th, 2015 at 12:57 am
I’m not in the MG8 mob. I would like a bit more time to decide for sure. Unless Winston comes in here and lights up the Earth in preseason, Glennon deserves a legit shot. I maintain that I don’t think that will be in Tampa. I happen to think there’s a good chance the Bucs land a 3rd for Glennon in a trade. May end up being a draft day trade. I’ve also been pushing for a trade down. We could land a big splash for a Mariota loving team and hopefully drop only 3 or 5 spots at most and still have a chance at Winston or L Will. More will be known as we get closer to Draft Day but I really believe Winston could slide if we trade out and if he’s there for us at 4 or 6 then boom. I would take the risk and try to get more pieces to make this team competitive.
February 11th, 2015 at 1:53 am
@tampabaybucfan
There is no dead money for cutting Goldson. His contract only guaranteed the first two years. That was the Mark dominick way of structuring contracts (the one thing he did do right). If the bucs cut him now, they will still have 8 mil cleared off the books. You are thinking of a signing bonus structure. The bucs do not write contracts like that any more. They haven’t in 5 years. Keep up…
February 11th, 2015 at 2:58 am
Tiny Tim has a Tiny Mind.
You should do more research. We stand to gain Nothing really by keeping him in terms of replacing him. Jeesh
February 11th, 2015 at 2:59 am
Meant the opposite…………too many of the beers I stole from Joe.
Keeping him makes more sense than releasing him.
February 11th, 2015 at 7:01 am
Banks, according to just about everybody’s admission, didn’t have a great camp, and then he didn’t start out 2014 well. He came on very strong after the bye week and he even said he was starting to get it…. do you think that just maybe, Falcons and Ravens games being examples, Lovie wanted somebody that “got it” out on the field? This is a foolish point to keep bringing up. Banks clearly wasn’t ready at the start of the season.
February 11th, 2015 at 10:03 am
The answer is coming out of Michigan state his name”Kurtis Drummond”.
February 11th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
KnuckleDragger is incompetent and his comprehension skills are even worse. My argument was not whether or not we gain or lose anything by releasing him. My argument was he would not count against the cap. Let me know when that sinks in. Nice try though. Keep up…….