Koetter Calls Out A “Deepest” Position
June 2nd, 2016
Lots of center today for Ali Marpet
The historic tale of the virgin center changed Joe forever. It was that shocking.
But Bucs fans can breathe extra easily tonight. The Bucs fixed that problem last year and Dirk Koetter is committed to keeping the good vibes rolling.
Ali Marpet was snapping the ball today in practice, so was Kevin Pamphile. which is no surprise. Pamphile talked to Joe last month about his hard work at center.
The Bucs have more snappers, too, including a pure battle for a starting job between centers Evan Smith and Joe Hawley.
Koetter is loving it, he said after practice at One Buc Palace.
“I’m really fired up about our depth at center. Not only Joe [Hawley] and Evan [Smith], but Ben Gottschalk – a guy we brought back that we had here for a while last year. And then I’m sure you noticed today, Ali [Marpet] was taking reps at center and [Kevin] Pamphile was taking reps.
“You can never, we only got seven O-linemen up on game day. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have enough guys to snap the football, so we’re really fired up with the versatility of our cross-training on guys. You know, depending on how the injury thing shakes out down the road, I mean, center – we talked about D-tackle not being as deep a position – center might be our deepest position right now.”
Yes, proficiency in snapping the ball is critical. As for Marpet playing center, it’s something to keep an eye on as this season develops. Joe Hawley is a free agent next winter, and Smith turns 31 next year and is due to earn $4.5 million in 2017.
Marpet could be the center of the future, as Jason Licht said minutes after Marpet was drafted last year.
June 2nd, 2016 at 4:44 pm
Depth on the line looks good. I wish Benenoch could be with the team right now.
June 2nd, 2016 at 4:48 pm
OL appears to be our deepest position group overall -when has that EVER been the case…
June 2nd, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Sounds like someone will get their walking papers. My guess is Smith.
June 2nd, 2016 at 6:05 pm
So Marpet discarded the floppy hat.
June 2nd, 2016 at 6:25 pm
Hawley will be our center for a presidential term if he plays well enough. If not then we Draft one. Serviceable centers are like liberals in California. F$&@in everywhere
June 2nd, 2016 at 6:47 pm
Gilkey is still on the team, right? At which position is he practicing?
June 2nd, 2016 at 9:03 pm
Hawley was excellent last year and had the mentality of Marpet and Sweezy— they are all maulers.
I see Marpet as a pro bowl OG for years to come but… Getting another OG in the next year or 2 is a lot easier than getting a center.
I’d still rather him stay at OG
June 2nd, 2016 at 9:45 pm
Centers must be very smart players. Being deep at center might be the best position to be deep at. If your guards and tackles can play center that means you have some intelligent beasts on that line.
June 2nd, 2016 at 11:18 pm
I would like to see Marpet stay at RG. He is a mauler. Centers have a lot to deal with. I would prefer to see Marpet maximize his natural talent and just destroy defenders on a play to play basis. I think moving to center would slow down his aggressiveness and attitude. Also he would probably prefer to stay a guard, they make more money.
June 3rd, 2016 at 12:49 am
I want Mr. Marpet to be where he’s best suited. Guard would be ideal and earn him the most. But its all according to how he’s recovering from his injury and its lingering effects (from last year). But he will make one hell of a Center if thats the way it plays out.
June 3rd, 2016 at 8:01 am
Don’t worry guys, Marpet is gong any where. That’s just in case both of our centers go down and we need a emergency center, then maybe he slides over, but as of now we have plenty of depth. And if he did have to slide to C the u would have Benonoch or Pamphile filling in for him wich are both solid backups that would start for most teams in this league. Hopefully Hawley picks up were he left off from last year and continues his high play at C so we can resign him in the offseason, he could very well be our future at C at only 26 yrs old.