Bucs Spared “Overrated”
August 14th, 2015
Mark Barron is among three former Bucs labeled the most overrated in the NFL.
Some good news for Bucs fans on this fine Friday morning (is there such a thing as a bad Friday morning?).
In fact, you may want to raise a glass over the following.
NFL analyst and pleasant Twitter grouch Doug Farrar of SI.com has come out with his annual All-Overrated team. And behold, there is not one Bucs player on the list.
Ah, and you thought Joe was done there, huh? Oh, no. You don’t get off that easy after just two paragraphs. On Farrar’s list is not one, not two, but three players that were on the Bucs roster last year. Three!
Who are they? Ghost Johnson, Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson.
Johnson was released from Tampa Bay after just one season, and he’s back with a Bengals defensive line that put up the NFL’s fewest sacks in 2014. He’s been more of a pressure player over the last two years than a true sack artist. His 11.5-sack season in 2012 was an outlier, and one wonders what he’s got left in the tank at age 28.
The Redskins traded for Goldson in April, trying to upgrade their secondary by taking on some of the salary weight Goldson brings as part of the five-year, $41.25 million deal he signed with the Buccaneers in 2013. The Bucs were eager enough to cut bait that they prepaid $4 million of Goldson’s $7.5 million base salary. He was Pro Football Focus’s second worst-ranked starting safety last season and recently noted that he eased off his aggressive style of play in 2014 after he was peppered with unnecessary roughness penalties. Barron is another former Buccaneer, selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2012 draft. He had a couple decent seasons on a dysfunctional defense, and is now essentially a sub-package linebacker. The Rams, who traded for him last October, declined to pick up his fifth-year option.
What does it say that Farrar asks if a guy has any gas left… at age 28!?!? Talk about gutless!
Farrar’s analysis echoes what Bucs fans have long debated on this here corner of the Interwebs.
The new NFL, where hitting is frowned upon, basically neutered Goldson. It clipped his wings and he became a target of the zebras.
How many folks who comment here mentioned how Barron was a misplaced linebacker? Quite a few. Barron was/is good against the run, and a glorified street light against the pass.
And people wonder why the Bucs’ defense was so lousy last year.
August 14th, 2015 at 7:28 am
Amen! The only overrated player I can think of right now is……hmm, I think they’re all gone now. GO BUCS!!!
August 14th, 2015 at 7:43 am
I’m sure Realist can add more to this mere list of 3.
August 14th, 2015 at 7:50 am
Sure can 87!!! But it is hard to be considered overrated when the team finished dead last in the NFL! and is projected to win 6 games and finish last in the division ( and it is considered one of the weakest division in the NFL)!!!
So how can anyone be overrated???
And is it a wonder that the rockstar has fingerprints as much as any other GM on that list!!! He is so bad that his mistakes still resonate years later in the NFL!!!
Oh yea. Its a football Friday!!! 1 more day and we discuss plays my fellow Buc fans!!!!
August 14th, 2015 at 7:58 am
I can’t wait till tomorrow night either, Realist. I can’t believe I’m excited for a preseason game!!!
August 14th, 2015 at 8:03 am
Goodbye to all the “Squawk” talk….won’t miss it. I’ll take our current crew of Safeties over last year anyday!!!
August 14th, 2015 at 8:37 am
The Joes must have seen the light and are exposing some of Doms blunders. Signing a headhunter and drafting a lb/safety hybrid, great job pop star. Stay at ESPN!!!
August 14th, 2015 at 8:46 am
Wow Surprise you had the cahoonas to mention how rock star’s finger print left this team leading to the first thing a new regime doing was tanking in order to draft a particular player one who gose with out mentioning obviously. I am little baffled by the who and why this roster would be projected to finish last in this division though considering the Buccs have the best roster in the division now but hey prognosticators will be prognosticators. Lord C,David,Snowman,Pick and all other Optimus Primes on here G morning my friends. Can’t leave you out either Couch. Couch my guy y’all.
August 14th, 2015 at 8:58 am
Noleguy-Do you honestly think the Bucs went into 2014 with the intention of tanking? If so why play so many close games? If a few plays went there way early they could’ve started 3-1. I don’t understand the tank job crowd at all.
Now if you think they started tanking after they were mathematically eliminated I’d be more inclined to agree with you. But to say a team and a franchise tanks a full year for a player who could get hurt, kicked off the team, or be a bust just baffles my mind. Let’s face it the success rate of first rounders especially with the Bucs is not good, so the mentality of tanking for a possible bust just makes little sense. I think Jameis will be very good, but this tank job mentality makes me laugh.
August 14th, 2015 at 9:01 am
The tanking began very late in the season, IMO.
August 14th, 2015 at 9:21 am
The tanking began when Glennon wasn’t reinstalled as QB…..and there is absolutely no question they tanked the last game in a major way….
August 14th, 2015 at 9:27 am
nice work DOM
August 14th, 2015 at 9:58 am
Johnson, Barron and Goldson, sounds like a law firm. All unloaded to other suckers. They all tanked. Glory be!
August 14th, 2015 at 10:07 am
Barron overrated??!!??!! Yet we have knuckleheads on here reiterating his “passive” comment. Too comical. You can’t make this stuff up!!
August 14th, 2015 at 10:17 am
@tampabaybucfan- I’d buy that before saying the tank job began at week 1.
August 14th, 2015 at 10:25 am
Do you honestly think the Bucs went into 2014 with the intention of tanking?
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Handing the job to a 12 year career back up without even allowing competition tells me it was either a tank job from the very start or Lovie is just as Incompetent as I say he is.
And whats up Nole!?!
August 14th, 2015 at 10:57 am
Goldson was the epitome of an “overrated” player. He got paid like a star Safety – he had the cool nickname – he had “Pro Bowler” behind his name – the coaches all supposedly loved him and spoke of him as a “coach on the field”. And yet he flat out sucked as a Buccaneer. In 14 games last year he had 0 interceptions and 1 pass defended. In 27 games as a Buccaneer he managed 1 interception. And to top it off he earned 15 yard penalties like 7 or 8 times. Talk about an addition by subtraction scenario…. It’s no wonder the Bucs were glad to pay $4M this year to be done with him forever. I don’t care who plays at FS this year – they will be better than “the Hawk”
IMO the actual “tanking” for Jameis started at about the 2-9 mark or thereabouts. I believe the plan the whole time (from Licht’s point of view at least) – even prior to the 2014 draft was to go all in for Winston in the 2015 draft. Odds were very very high he would be coming out in 2015 after what he accomplished as a redshirt Freshman and having the eye for talent that Jason seems to – he saw star QB written all over this guy – as most who saw all of Winston’s games saw as well. That’s why they didn’t draft a QB with 2014’s high pick. They didn’t see a true franchise QB in the bunch and were holding out for Winston.
Well once the 2014 season was obviously lost (2-9ish or somewhere in there) it was decided to take the easy route to Jameis and just not win anymore games. It was discussed with the Glazers and all at the top of the Bucs executive chain agreed – lets tank the last few games and get some real talent at QB without overpaying. Kudos to all who planned and executed the “Chase for Jameis”.
What’s up NOS-BOS. Glad to be thought of as an OP instead of a Decepticon.
August 14th, 2015 at 11:18 am
McCown WAS the tank!
When McCown injured his poor ill thumb. Glennon went out and won us a game. So they put McCown back in, because the tank was already in effect. Nobofy was in on the tanking. All they had to do was put McCown back in to ensure they would lose.
McCown was the tank.
August 14th, 2015 at 11:38 am
pickgrin- so you are saying at 2-9 the tank was in? Can’t see that either as in the last 5 games they lost by 1 to the Bengals, 8 points to the Bears and 2 points to the Panthers. So that would mean in close games like that the players had to have been in on the tank. I’ll agree the last 2 games were tanked, but it’s quite a stretch that the whole season or a huge chunk of it was tanked to get 1 player who could or couldn’t be good.
August 14th, 2015 at 11:46 am
@TampaTony
Exactly! And if they had started 3-1 imagine how differently the season would have gone?
This team had many deficiencies from coaching on down last year and IMO one of their biggest deficiencies was a lack of confidence. In many ways they were weak mentally, in fact fragile after the bad start.
One of the things I like about L&L’s signings have been the “winner” “competitive” nature of the athletes they’ve acquired, starting obviously with Fameis. But it seems to have filtered down even to the hard nosed vets like Mankins. They added “charachter” and “toughness” in the locker room especially along the d line.
I like this team’s chances.
Here’s a question for all. Who do you see as the biggest threat to win our division if not the Bucs…Panthers? Falcons? N.O.?
August 14th, 2015 at 11:48 am
I believe only 1 player was privy to and involved with the tanking – and that was Josh McCown. The QB touches the ball on every offensive play – and can selectively decide when to hold the ball too long here – or throw an errant pass there. Just enough to swing the tide of the game without being obvious.
Go back and watch those last few games – and I think you will see some evidence of what I’m talking about. It was blatant in the Saints game – but it was happening before that IMO.
August 14th, 2015 at 11:59 am
Some say the tanking began half way thru the season, though they will also tell you how the defense improve which is contradictory!!!
Some say the tank began when Lovie was hired with full roster control!!!
August 14th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Panthers? Falcons? N.O.?
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Defending champs are the team to beat IMO
August 14th, 2015 at 12:31 pm
The Realist is overrated. Can we trade or release him too?
August 14th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Close losses are tricky. All my friends who are Bears fans tell me Lovie had the history in Chicago of coaching not to lose or coaching scared.
Remember in Schiano’s first year he lost 6 games by 7 points or less. He never learned how to win close games. After 7-9, I was thinking the Bucs were on the rise.
All we heard from the media was Lovie learned from his Chicago mistakes. I’m hoping that’s true now. As the tank job excuse is hard to swallow as a season ticket holder.
August 14th, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Thanks for the rebuttal Couch,that’s why I like you you can atleast be reasonable in your opinion.
August 14th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
St.pete I agree with Couch,defending champs team to beat. Pick I love the OP-decepticon thing too cool bro. And Tampa Tony I was told “The Game is to Sold Not told”. I got a strong feeling you’ll feel better about being a season ticket holder here real soon.
August 14th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
“Just saying”too funny man😁.
August 14th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
I always tried to hold out hope for Barron and even thought he did a decent job on Graham last year. I was somewhat upset when we let him go but was in lets see mode if it was a good choice or not.
Then OBJr put that double move on him in the Rams game and BAM hallelujah that man was gone. That to me is his defining play and made me happy to see him out of here. I think the staff really likes this McDougle cat so again I’ll wait and see..
August 14th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
I concur snowman.
August 14th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
Mark Barron joins a long list of Alabama Crimson Tide busts, they are system players. The Georgia Bulldogs send more NFL ready players to the NFL than any team in the SEC. We don’t have any overrated players, because they are rated so low. Even Ron (Jaws) Jaworski has Jameis Winston rated 32nd on his list of starting NFL QBs. But I believe we have a lot of underrated players.
August 14th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
The “Rockstar” Mark Dominik drafted Mark Barron, and passed on Luke Kuechly.
August 15th, 2015 at 1:10 am
Another voice, same message I’ve been saying for two years.
Barron and Goldson had the same dkil set- and niether ciuld cover- critical to our defense
Foster could not cover well enough to work in our defense.
So much more optimisic this year! And preseason is usually my time of greatest pessimism.
With so many young players- im not expecting a great jump in wins this year. I expect a great leap in competitiveness.
As I also keep saying- draft a DE or two next year, and we will beginbfighting for playoffs every year.
Again- good time to be a Buc fan. Finally
August 15th, 2015 at 1:11 am
Sorry” Same skill set, and neither could cover”
Damn big fingers