Devonta Freeman And The Bucs
January 31st, 2017
Talks Bucs and the draft.
The NFL draft fascinates Joe on several levels.
One is how with so many resources and millions (yes, millions) of dollars spent by teams annually on research and scouting, NFL scouts and front office staffs totally whiff on draft picks. And your average Budweiser-swilling, bar-dwelling football fan could see said player wasn’t worthy of a pick.
Recently, the case of Dixie Chicks running back Devonta Freeman has Joe mesmerized.
Even though Joe talks to scouts and NFL suits, Joe doesn’t know one iota of what these guys are specifically looking for in prospects.
Just being a college football fan, Joe could sense that a guy who ran for over 1,000 yards on a national championship team in a pro style offense and demonstrated an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield could do something in the NFL. How a guy like this, Freeman, lasted until the fourth round stunned Joe at the time, and now looks even more bewildering three years later.
This past season, Freeman rushed for over 1,000 yards for 4.8 yards a carry and caught 54 passes for 462 yards. He’s a key cog in the offense of the NFC champs.
Joe had a chance to talk to Freeman last night during “Super Bowl Opening Night” (nee: Media Day) at Minute Maid Park in Houston and asked him about his draft experience.
When Joe asked Freeman how in the world he could slip to the fourth round, Freeman wagged his head back and forth, looked down and grimaced as if someone showed him a nude photo of Rosie O’Donnell.
“Some things you can’t control,” Freeman said. “What you can control is the opportunity.”
That he has. During Super Bowl Opening Night, only a select few players on each team are afforded podiums, roughly eight per team, including the head coach. Freeman was one of the chosen few.
“Where was Tom Brady drafted at?” Freeman rhetorically asked with a smile, clearly a jab at NFL talent evaluators. “Look how great [Brady] is. He is a dog!”
Where Freeman was drafted continues to equally irk and haunt Joe. Playing in the NFC South, Joe often sees Freeman and wonders what if.
In 2014, same year Freeman was drafted by the Dixie Chicks, the Bucs selected a running back who played for a gimmick offense in Houston and later in a no-defense league at West Virginia, a full round ahead of Freeman. That’s oft-injured, unable to run between the tackles, dance aficionado Charles Sims.
Freeman will be playing in a Super Bowl Sunday night and the Bucs are in the market for a running back.
Joe asked Freeman how involved the Bucs were with him in the draft process, and Freeman seemed to believe he wasn’t on the Bucs’ radar.
“They didn’t call me in for an interview so I don’t know how much interest they had,” Freeman said.
Sad. Irritating. Befuddling.
(This is not a specific knock on the Bucs. The entire league, Bill Belicheat and Packers yoda Ted Thompson included, whiffed on Freeman.)
Such is the inexact art of NFL scouting.
January 31st, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Rosie O’donnell. Good one. Im glad Anger had a great year this year. Since we arent in the market to draft a punter maybe we can get 2 damn good football players for 2 selections, toward the top of the draft. For the second year in a row…speeeeeed baby speeed. Get the safeties deeper. John Ross looks the part. I was hoping for corey coleman last year. Cmon licht, light it up.
January 31st, 2017 at 12:50 pm
And to think. Dalvin cook is 4x the back freeman ever was.
January 31st, 2017 at 12:52 pm
Who was the idiot that picked Charles (who?) Sims at RB in the third instead of D Freeman?…oh yeah
January 31st, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Sad the Bucs didn’t even call Freeman
January 31st, 2017 at 12:53 pm
That’s part of the reason I’m not high on Mixon being a high round pick. He’s talented but watching him run untouched most times in that gimmick offense it’s hard to evaluate how his talent might translate into the NFL when he has to pound it up the middle or break a few tackles just to get 3 yds.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:01 pm
draft d’onte foreman!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
January 31st, 2017 at 1:11 pm
The scouts was saying that he’s too short and slow.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:12 pm
3 words Mister Lee. Get over it.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:27 pm
Here we go again
January 31st, 2017 at 1:27 pm
joe and other posters you guys disgust me at how you guys want to hate on chuck Sims this much hell no he isn’t perfect but he’s a damn good YOUNG player our offense has no YAC ability besides him and people act like they want him gone plus he’s shown he can run the ball and block and sorry to break it to you guys dirk and licht love him and he’s only gunna develop more if he stays healthy his health is my only concern about him and yes he does need to hit the hole a little harder sometimes but he’s young he’ll get there you guys will see this guy is a freaking X factor weapon case closed
January 31st, 2017 at 1:28 pm
Trying to figure it out.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:37 pm
“LakeLandBuc Says:
January 31st, 2017 at 1:11 pm
The scouts was saying that he’s too short and slow.”
Honestly that was my worry with him and I’m a big FSU homer. I think he’s the RB I’ve been most wrong about in recent memory.
My issue was I just didn’t think his body could ever hold up to an NFL workload; so he’d have to be a complimentary back at best; but one that is not a power back or a back with elite speed; kind of leaving him in a no mans land of “what is he?” as a RB in terms of how you typically project them
5’8 200 lbs and ran a 4.6 40 RB – will typically never go in the top 3 rounds
Also – he’s best off as a 1-2 power punch with Coleman. When he was the pure feature back he faded pretty hard in the 2nd half of 2015
January 31st, 2017 at 1:45 pm
Until the Bucs find a guy of equal or better value than Freeman, ain’t gonna happen. Joe doesn’t believe in forgetting the past.
January 31st, 2017 at 1:50 pm
I don’t feel like the Buc’s management screwed up by not drafting him. After all 31 other teams passed him up for 3 rounds. Granted he had a good season at Florida St, but were the Buc’s looking for a short back, especially after they landed Sims in the 3rd. The draft is a crap shoot, and one teams bust can be another teams super star. It is not an exact science. What is important is that the Falcons took a shot at him and he worked out. After Doug Martins rookie year we that we had a home run.
January 31st, 2017 at 2:03 pm
will we EVER be happy with our picks? It is no way that all 7 pics will be great players especially on the bottom half of the draft. they are hit and misses. Educated guess picks and hope they work out so every year it will be people saying why we didnt draft so or so. HELL most great QB’s were slept on by teams. No i dono not like Simms running style but he is who we have right now. enought with the IF’s and BUT’s
January 31st, 2017 at 2:08 pm
ol jason licht the smartest guy in the room drafting an FSU k and a nobody RB,as opposed to a guy who plsyed and started at a nationslly ranked high school and then a ncaa champ… just another licht screw up
January 31st, 2017 at 2:27 pm
John Lynch would had picked Freeman. Lol
January 31st, 2017 at 2:47 pm
Is it me or do all of our recent skill position players have great early career success then fade fast, Mike Clayton, Cadillac, Mike Williams, Doug Martin, Josh Freeman are the main culprits, 2015 Mike Evans looked pointed in that direction, hopefully Evans and Winston can continue his early success, we have nothing else to get excited about, Hump and Brate are both a average talents, UDFAs, Sims and Shepard aren’t much better, the offensive talent is horrendous once ASJ, VJax, and Dougie decided to end there Bucs careers last year
January 31st, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Guzzie … “Is it me or do all of our recent skill position players have great early career success then fade fast.” Good observation on offense Guzzie; not-as-much on defense. Offensive skill positions tend to look only as good as our OLine performs I think. Martin in 2015 is a classic example. OLine played very well that year and Doug put up bunches of yds. Then along comes 2016 & our OLine didn’t look nearly as good … neither did Martin.
Have also seen a number of Bucs draftees who had great rookie yrs (Clayton and yes, Cadillac Williams among others) but then were just meh after that for the most part. Tend to think that once defenses get enough tape on them, they figure out their tendencies and stop them better the 2nd yr unless the player himself makes some adjustments to counter that (Clayton never did in my opinion).
January 31st, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Freeman is a better than average running back. He is only good because defenses are more worried about stopping the pass than stopping the run. Doug Martin was better than Freeman. Doug Martin would be first team all pro if he played for Falcons
January 31st, 2017 at 3:19 pm
At least we didn’t draft Johnny Football. You win some. You loose some. Lol
January 31st, 2017 at 3:22 pm
We’ve had many good draft picks in the past, we just didn’t implement schemes to get the best out of them. Which is why so many players we didn’t keep are successful on other teams.
January 31st, 2017 at 3:41 pm
For those who blame licht. It was lovie who compared simms to being his forte
January 31st, 2017 at 5:00 pm
Well, maybe Sims should give Joe a reason not to “hate on” him.
Joe doesn’t “hate” Sims, but very much hates the lack of production. No apologies.
If Koetter is in love with Sims so much, why has Koetter repeatedly stated the Bucs need to get Jameis weapons?
January 31st, 2017 at 5:13 pm
…because jameis is a passing QB? We could have Glennon in there if he’s only gonna hand be ball off. #weaponsforwinston is directly related to the WR/TE positions. If we have studs on the outside it won’t matter who our RB is… Defenses won’t be stacking the box every down..
January 31st, 2017 at 5:58 pm
@joe if you call leading the NFL in yards per touch in 2015 lack of production idk what you think you know no body called him twinkle toes in 2015 when the line blocked much better running wise I’m really starting to think you have something against him either personally or just some weird quirk like idk maybe just how salty you are that we didn’t take freeman instead
January 31st, 2017 at 6:13 pm
Give me a break.. no one was complaining about Martin and Simms in 2015. It took Freeman 4 seasons to break 1,000 and he’s only avg’d 600 yards a season and now he’s Emmit Smith. Move on….
January 31st, 2017 at 6:14 pm
@Kstoges
What did he do in 2014 and 2016? Besides get hurt…
January 31st, 2017 at 6:21 pm
Can’t really make a case for a guy being “productive” if he only has 1 healthy season? Sure, maybe he can be productive, but it is hard to be when you arent on the field.
January 31st, 2017 at 6:35 pm
We all saw what a healthy Sims could do in 2015. Dude’s got GREAT receiving skills for a RB and can make some pretty impressive and dynamic plays when given a bit of space to work with. He’s a good complimentary back who you can split out as a good slot receiver option. What more do you realistically expect from a 3rd round pick? His biggest “sin” or negative is not being healthy 2 out of 3 years which of course no one that wanted to draft him could have predicted.
And I’m pretty sure Tedford had a good bit to do with the Sims pick that year. He fit the “speed in space” idea pretty well for a draftee coming out.
January 31st, 2017 at 7:07 pm
@ Bucsfan 7423
You said “Freeman is only good because defenses are more worried about stopping the pass”
Umm remember last year when the Falcons had no passing game and Freeman still had a breakout season.
January 31st, 2017 at 8:01 pm
I’ve said this a million times about Sims…sorry to be a broken record.
Google Lennie Moore football…there is a Lennie Moore musician as well.
He was a better runner than Sims but he also was a great pass catcher. From Wiki…
Moore was both a great runner and receiver, lining up in the backfield as a halfback and split wide as a flanker, and was equally dangerous at both positions in the Colts’ offense run by quarterback Johnny Unitas. Moore averaged at least seven yards per carry in three seasons, and has a career average of 4.8 yards per carry. He had 40 receptions for 687 yards and seven TDs in 1957, the first of five years in which he would have 40 or more catches. In an era of pounding running games, Moore was a glimpse of things to come in the NFL, with a career average of 30 receptions per year out of the backfield.
The worst part of Sims play to this point has been his lack of avail ability.
He’s been too fragile…another Luck Stocker…efficient when healthy but not healthy enough to make an impact. I haven’t given up on him yet but if he can’t stay on the field this year…….
January 31st, 2017 at 8:18 pm
Freeman isn’t anything special – the guy runs through holes the size of buses because everyone playing the Falcons plays the pass. He’s not even the best runner on the team, Tevin Coleman is.
January 31st, 2017 at 8:23 pm
Tbbucs3 – In 2015 Freeman rushed for just over 1000 yards @ 4.0 yards per carry – this year he rushed for just over a 1000 yards in the top passing team and got wayyy up to 4.7 ypc, or worse than Martin last year. He had a lot of receptions in 2015 and that was way down in 2016. He’s absolutely nothing special, just a average running in a good offense.
January 31st, 2017 at 8:34 pm
And As I keep saying. Im sure there isnt one falcons reporter that is reporting how the falcons took tevin coleman over David Johnson. Or how the bengals took Gio Bernard over Leveon Bell. This is such a dead subject Joe. Come on man
January 31st, 2017 at 8:34 pm
Sims wasn’t exactly a first round pick. We supposedly had a sstater in Martin. Sims was drafted for depth. Not to be a starter.
And as depth he isn’t bad.
Anyone can look back and pick player that teams missed out on or whiffed on. Hind sight is 20-20. It serves no real point harping on the past.
January 31st, 2017 at 8:39 pm
Sims is fantastic at what he is meant to do – if he could stay healthy. He’s an excellent 3rd down back receiving back, he is not however an every down running back and he proved that last year. If you pair him with a lead runner, even a basic north/south runner, he does really well. However again health is the big concern with him. He is a very good receiver, which is why the team was playing him at WR. Play to his strengths and he’ll be great, until he gets hurt again.
January 31st, 2017 at 8:56 pm
Joe fails to see how this is a “dead subject” when Freeman plays against the Bucs twice a year and is in his prime and now playing in a Super Bowl yet the guy picked a full round ahead of him has missed virtually half his games due to injuries and is pretty much a one-trick pony (receiver) and the Bucs have a massive hole at running back.
What is Joe missing here?
January 31st, 2017 at 9:05 pm
Joe – Sims isn’t a one trick pony, he can run, he’s just not an every down back. Health is really the only thing that hurts him – he has a legit claim as the best receiving back in football, and in today’s football that’s a huge weapon to have.
January 31st, 2017 at 9:42 pm
I wouldn’t of expected Licht or most GMs to draft Freeman at the time. Nobody expected Freeman to be this good when he was at FSU. In college he was always good not great, it was hard to evaluate him. I expect Dalvin to be even better.
January 31st, 2017 at 10:01 pm
This article is just another Veiled attempt for Joe to express how much he wants Dalvin Cook.
Chuck Sims is not a great all around/ starting caliber back. But that’s not what he was drafted to be. Also believe that Lovie/ Licht thought Sims could be for the Bucs what Forte was for the Bears.
And don’t get me wrong Joe, Injury prone players grind my gears just as much as the Next fan. But I seriously think you need to listen to Ira on this subject and just give it a rest.
1000 yards from scrimmage in a limited role circa 2015. And he was looking pretty strong in week 1, In his natural role as 3rd down back. Before Martin went down and he subsequently got injured.
Yeah we get it. Freeman’s been a lot better up to this point. We heard you say that 6 months ago.
January 31st, 2017 at 10:10 pm
Also, Just as a side note, you more than all should know that the Draft/ Player Evaluation is a crap shoot. You were vehemently pining for Johnny 8ball in 2014 dude. And we all know how that worked out.
How many pot shots did you hurl Adam Humphries way?
You said it yourself in this piece, the entire league passed on Freeman 3 times. The Falcons lucked out. Simple as that.
January 31st, 2017 at 10:12 pm
Also don’t recall you begging and pleading for the Bucs to Draft Freeman. Hindsight is very much 20/20.
January 31st, 2017 at 11:27 pm
im with joe- sims has his abilities but they are not enough to warrant a spot on the roster- theres a million charles sims in free agnecy and the draft hes nothing special and there are backs we can have with similar traits at less price and will stay healthier- the only backs i would even keep at this point is quizz rodgers and peyton barber as the practice squad back
February 1st, 2017 at 9:03 am
Your like a bitter woman at this point who’s stuck in a relationship with someone she hates but has nowhere else to go!!! It’s kinda getting pathetic and I want the bucs to draft a running back high just so you’d kill the freeman vs Sims whining. Great you got to speak to your man crush freeman now please move on with life
February 3rd, 2017 at 12:06 pm
We goin be ready for 2017 season..hope we can get dalvin cook..it will be greatful for cook to reunite wit winston..being in the back field an expliod..wit another fast wide receiver..lets go bucs