Halfway There At Running Back
January 17th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
The Bucs aren’t set at running back by any means, but they shouldn’t feel desperate, either.
The emergence of Peyton Barber late in the season should give this coaching staff a level of comfort heading into 2018. Barber is no Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell or Alvin Kamara, but he just proved he can get the job done when finally given a chance.
“Peyton exceeded a lot of people’s expectations,” says Ali Marpet. “Defenses hate getting pounded by a running back and this guy is so physical. He runs hard … he finishes.”
That doesn’t mean he’s a finished product.
Barber has a long way to go in pass protection and he needs to show more skill as a receiver out of the backfield. Still, there’s reason to believe he can emerge as an Earnest Graham clone this fall — and that isn’t too shabby.
The Bucs signed Graham as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2003, but he was buried behind Michael Pittman and Cadillac Williams early in his career.
When Williams tore his patellar tendon early in the 2007 season, Graham got his chance and ran with it. He finished with 898 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games as the Bucs won the NFC South for the third time in six years.
Remember those days?
Braking On Barkley
In the opening playoff round, Graham was Tampa Bay’s best player in a 24-14 home loss against the Giants.
Graham ran wild in the first quarter vs. the eventual Super Bowl champs and scored the game’s opening touchdown before Jon Gruden inexplicably flipped the game plan — relying instead on Jeff Garcia’s arm against New York’s killer pass rush.
The next season, Graham split carries with Warrick Dunn, selflessly switched to fullback and still averaged 4.3 yards per carry as the Bucs soared to a 9-3 record before the December collapse that cost Gruden his job.
Some Buc fans are now clamoring for Saquon Barkley in the draft, but the Chiefs and Saints just proved once again that impact running backs can often be found beyond the first round.
And let’s not forget that Barkley was held to less than 90 yards on the ground in eight of 13 games last season.
Hailed By Hogs
Doug Martin has played his final snap as a Buc and the future of Charles Sims remains uncertain. Tampa Bay’s backfield will look different. No status quo there, thank goodness.
It makes sense to pair Barber with a speedy back and resurrect a running game that has stalled for two seasons.
“I can’t say enough about Barber,” says Donovan Smith. “He’s a big back who showed us he can carry the load. The guy consistently turns 2-yard gains into 7 or 8 yards. For an offensive lineman, that’s huge.”
The ups and downs of Barber’s 2017 season remain a mystery. He ripped off 47 yards in 10 carries against the Bears in the opener. Barber’s reward for a job well done? Two carries in the next six games as the Bucs went 1-5.
In the final five weeks, when it finally became clear to Buc coaches that Doug Martin had no burst, Barber carried 78 times for 335 yards. That’s an average of 4.3 yards as Barber kept patiently following his blockers and falling forward.
No dancing in the backfield, no hitting the wrong hole. Just production.
Barber, 23, is an exclusive rights free agent and he isn’t going anywhere. The Bucs need him back and he needs to show his late-season flurry was no fluke.
Peyton Barber suddenly has a lot of admirers along Tampa Bay’s offensive line.
They block hard for him with confidence he’ll wring out every available yard. In terms of generating an effective ground game, that’s a heck of a start.
Ira Kaufman is the most revered sports personality and writer in town. He has hung his hat at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters since July 2016. Tampa Bay’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, Ira busts out columns here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and his award winning podcasts fire Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also hear Ira every Wednesday on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio at 5 p.m., and see him Mondays and Fridays at 10:30 p.m. on Spectrum Sports 360.
January 17th, 2018 at 2:06 pm
I hope its just the fans who want Barkley, not licht. Theres plenty of rbs who are going to be good in this draft. With lichts record with 5th round and later picks i do think they take one in the first 4 rounds. Id prefer to sign a back in FA and not need to draft one at all. This team needs help on both lines, and lots of it. Weve seen what the coaches can do with the current linemen and it wasnt pretty. The O and D line picks on draft day arent popular but they must be done this year. And Barber did a great job this year considering the circumstances. Doug pulled a fast one on me. No respect for the guy anymore after that effortless season. Give Barber and his new mate some big boys!
January 17th, 2018 at 2:07 pm
Love the kid!!! Runs with pure Heart!!!
Fix the OL and see what he can do.
January 17th, 2018 at 2:10 pm
Not starting Barber all year is the biggest indictment of this staff and Koetter.
But but Doug Martin blocks well so it’s worth having absolutely no run game to have slightly better pass pro by the RB. F*ck off with that justification.
Barber consistently turned plays that would go for 0-2 yards by Martin; to 5-6 yard gains. It was visually obvious any time he got an opportunity. So many runs where he got hit and then gained an extra 2-3 yards; vs Martin immediately going down or stuffing his head in an O-lineman’s a4ss.
The defense even did better it seemed with Barber running well down the stretch. It’s so freaking insane that Martin was even on this team last year. Dude sucked 4ss in 2016; got suspended and is rewarded with a $7 million contract and guaranteed carries despite the results being pure sh1t?
January 17th, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Imagine Nelson with Marpet at guard…..man, two road graders would make barber look like Kamara, Bell, or Gurley 😉
January 17th, 2018 at 2:25 pm
It looks like Todd Haley is out in Pittsburgh
The Steelers won’t give him a new contract
January 17th, 2018 at 2:28 pm
there are some good back available via free agency too and could be good value why not pick up a value free agent ie: jeremy hill, isiah crowell, jerrick mckinnon and STILL draft a back later like rashaad penny or john kelly
January 17th, 2018 at 2:30 pm
I don’t understand why they gave up on Jermey McNichols so quick. They knew he was coming off shoulder surgery, when they drafted him. It sure have been obvious to them that he will fall behind. Especially after missing all of OTAs, I don’t get it. Releasing a 5th round draft pick, before the season even started.
January 17th, 2018 at 2:31 pm
should not sure
January 17th, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Dion Lewis would be great!
And draft a 3rd rounder.
Trade back into the 3rd round again and pick up another safety.
5 or 6 picks in the first 3 rounds!
Forget 5th, 6th and 7th round picks!
They are useless and risky.
January 17th, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Lakeland
49ers didn’t play Mcpocketknife either. Follow the pattern
January 17th, 2018 at 2:46 pm
@Lakeland
Yeah agree. It’s baffling to give Martin 50 chances after he’s already burned the team multiple times; and at the same time cut a kid who couldn’t learn a playbook and give him 0 chances.
I don’t feel like they know wtf identity they even want at this point in terms of the types of players they bring in or let go. There is no consistency to it and I see no philosophy in how they are building anything – other than the offense – so at least that’s nice I guess.
I still can’t get over Licht’s comments right now. Just such a blatant insult to the fans. I’d love to show Licht all the LUV offseason comments over the years – and show how a random online internet poster had better plans for this team every year compared to the actual GM of the team.
The fans aren’t stupid. Many wanted an OG instead of Sims in 2014. Many wanted Rankins or D-line or O-line instead of VHIII. NO ONE wanted Aguayo. In all those cases the fans were in a consensus for the most part about what we should have done – yet he’s going to insult us all like we’re just idiots that expected 50 points a game or some dumb sh1t no one ever predicted.
January 17th, 2018 at 2:48 pm
Barely…
I like Barber but certainly wouldn’t mind adding a back with more dynamic rushing ability and speed. No need to reach for one in the draft, maybe just don’t wait until round 5 (or if you do wait, pick a guy who’s got a little more going on in between the ears).
January 17th, 2018 at 2:50 pm
Great backs will be there in the second or third round, Rashaad Penny, Ronald Jones II, Kerryon Johnson, both UGA RB’s, Guice… I’m also starting to look at Iowa RB, Akrum Wadley. Kid can ball. He’s a good receiver out of the backfield and can return kicks.
January 17th, 2018 at 2:51 pm
No FA RBs, unless it is Lev Bell, aren’t we tired of 2nd and 3rd rate Free Agents, UDFAs like Barber, no problem, let them develop in your system, what we can get in the draft is probably equal to or better than the list of FAs out there and less mileage
January 17th, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Thanks Ira.
I too remember that Giants game, EXACTLY as you described. I specifically remembered Graham was almost into or into the 2nd quarter before he had a run of less than 3 yards. Then Gru inexplicably, as you stated so perfectly, implemented THE losing, pass-happy game plan. Because of this, THEN is when I wanted Gruden fired! Didn’t rap my head around that plan then and I can’t today.
Build the trenches; keep all of our guys; draft 1 RB, sign 1 and let competition sort them out.
January 17th, 2018 at 3:01 pm
keep him….draft guice….GO BUCS!!!
January 17th, 2018 at 3:04 pm
Lake & Lord, the Bucs wanted to move McSnopsBoy to the practice squad and it was Mc that wanted to go to SF. We can blame Licht &Co for a lot of poor decisions but, not giving a roster spot to a 5th round, rookie RB who didn’t know the playbook, seem prudent. Am I remembering that incorrectly?
January 17th, 2018 at 3:05 pm
*seemed
January 17th, 2018 at 3:09 pm
Yeah that ten point loss to the eventual super bowl champs was total justification to firing Gru.
Its all been glorious ever since.
January 17th, 2018 at 3:09 pm
@bringbucsback
You’re probably right actually. Still I’m just p1ssed off in general lol.
January 17th, 2018 at 3:18 pm
To much barber talk in this division here can’t be the starter next year and I honestly don’t want to see another Charles Sims type back. Draft someone who is “THE GUY” that’s comes if the field when they need a rest
January 17th, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Copy that, draft Barkley.
January 17th, 2018 at 3:32 pm
Loved Graham because he always gave you everything he had. Team first all the time. Never whined, just did what needed to be done. and did it well. He was a LOT better than his coaches seemed to give him credit for (based on how much they used him as a primary back). And you’re right Ira, Barber does remind me a lot of Graham. Still baffles me why Koetter didn’t play him more early in the season. But then again, baffles me why Koetter did a LOT of things that he did.
I fall into that group of JBF fans who say that if we beef up the OLine we don’t need to spend a 1st Round pick on a RB. Lots of excellent RBs out there who could run through holes big enough for locomotives to pass through. Injuries are a fact of life though, and we’ve got to have some flexibility in there also. Several good backs who could be drafted in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th round this year to complement Barber. I’d personally like to see us re-sign Charles Sims (2-yr contract, not a lot of $$$) … he’s a lot better IMO than many fans give him credit for, and can be used in several different roles.
January 17th, 2018 at 3:36 pm
It gives us more flexibility in the off-season to address much larger needs.
Barber earned his playing time!
January 17th, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Im not a fan of taking Barkley at 7 but in regards to his most recent seasons stats – his running yardage did go down and he did have numerous games under 100 yards, but his ypc were slightly higher and his reception numbers took a major leap foward. He cemented the fact that hes truly and all around RB in the mold of Leveon Bell
January 17th, 2018 at 4:09 pm
There was one hell of a IT’S RIGHT THERE ON THE SCREEN difference in Martin’s and Barber’s runs, especially during the last quarter of the season. I still don’t understand why it took so long for the coaching staff to see it?
January 17th, 2018 at 4:09 pm
BringBucsBack
Why did they waste a 5th round pick on him in the first place?
They knew he had shoulder surgery in March
That’s my point
January 17th, 2018 at 4:15 pm
You can’t build a NFL team if you continue to waste draft picks.
January 17th, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Even the good teams have already started tweeking their offenses and Defenses. Hiring new DC’s and OC’s. Not us though. We’re holding on to Koetter and his sidekick Mike Smith. Mark my words..8-8 next yr or less. I feel sorry for my Bucs. But then again..I don’t. You get what you deserve in this league. There is no fakin. Smitty gonna be the..last straw.
January 17th, 2018 at 4:36 pm
Barber earned playing time but he didn’t earn the right to be an unquestioned starter. No one was even talking about this guy until like week 8. If anyone was in Jason licht shoes on the verge of being fired would tell me they’d pin their hopes on Peyton barber I’d call shenanigans
January 17th, 2018 at 4:41 pm
I think we’re a quarter of the way there…
1) 3 Down back as your # 1 Starter
2) Barber as your back up 1st and 2nd down (short yardage specialist)
3) 3rd down specialist
4) 3 Down back with upside and that can play special teams.
January 17th, 2018 at 4:43 pm
Dirk Koetter had no intentions of running the football. His game plan was passing the ball not running the ball. How many carries did Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims get?
Jacquizz Rodgers
64 carries
Charles Sims
21 carries
January 17th, 2018 at 4:51 pm
We still need to draft a RB in rounds 3-7.
Licht should be fired for keeping Dud Martin around for $7 mill.
That guy let us down so many times. Licht is garbage. Dirk and Jason are on one year deals as of teh end of the season. Playoffs or you’re fired.
The paying fans have been ripped off for years. Trash product. Trash owners.
January 17th, 2018 at 4:54 pm
A guy who is a pretty good running back, but can’t catch, run routes or pass protect is not the answer. Barber’s pass pro looked like it was improving and he’s a hard worker. He needs to get with Jameis and the other guys and improve his game. He can’t just be a hard runner in the modern era.
On McNichols, when we were coming off 2-14, even 6-10 records, we could stash guys on the practice team and no one would poach them. I think we were trying stash McNichols, like we did with Barber the previous year and Brate and Humphries the year before, but he got a better deal or looked at the depth chart and didn’t see a spot for himself. If we had followed Joe’s recommendation and cut Martin, McNichols would probably still be here. Whether he could improve his cognitive skills enough to be able to read and understand the playbook is another question.
I still think the best way to improve the running game is to improve the oline. If Nelson is there at 7 and Chubb isn’t, take him. Taking Barkley would make a splash and be very tempting for coaches and GMs who have only one year to prove it, but it would be a mistake imho. The last few drafts have been rich in running backs, but scarce in offensive linemen. Some people have even called it (the paucity of quality olinemen) a crisis.
January 17th, 2018 at 4:58 pm
I’m so tired of the “Don’t take a RB in the 1st round” crap. If Barkley’s on the board and there are no stud DE’s available, you better draft him.
January 17th, 2018 at 5:04 pm
@gambelero … “A guy who is a pretty good running back, but can’t catch, run routes or pass protect is not the answer.” Barber in 2017 was 16 receptions in 19 targets (84.2%). He was 5 receptions in 6 targets (83.3%) in 2016. Not many targets admittedly, but his 84% reception rate still isn’t that shabby. Charles Sims, known as a pass-catching back, averaged 75% reception rate in 2016 & 2017 in comparison.
January 17th, 2018 at 5:15 pm
Barkley is worth a first round pick all day long.
January 17th, 2018 at 5:25 pm
Sure we need an upgrade at RB.
But I want to see just 1 article on this site spotlighting the deficiencies provided by the OL this season.
It’s like there is a short list of untouchables on JBF (McCoy, Smith, Winston [Uber’s Quarterback], and the OL) and then a list of everything else that is open season in explaining why those names cannot perform (Defensive ends, Chris Baker, Mike Smith, Martin).
January 17th, 2018 at 6:01 pm
Dunn was long gone before Graham signed they never split carries…
Sorry, but Dunn carried the ball nearly 200 times for the Bucs in 2008. Where were ya?–Joe
January 17th, 2018 at 6:05 pm
‘ fall into that group of JBF fans who say that if we beef up the OLine we don’t need to spend a 1st Round pick on a RB. Lots of excellent RBs out there who could run through holes big enough for locomotives to pass through. ‘
____________________
I agree Defense……I am in that group as well.
January 17th, 2018 at 6:06 pm
Good point Defense Rules. An 84% catch rate is elite. But if most of those are just screen passes and or check downs in the flats and he doesn’t know route concepts and how the offense is supposed to work, he can’t be the (emphasis on definite versus indefinite article) answer. Kamara and McCaffrey ran 120 and 117 times respectively to Barber’s 108 times, but they were targeted more than a 100 times each to Barber’s 19. If he’s going to be the solution or even half of it, he needs to work on that part of his game. He has the work ethic, so Jameis and the coaches need to work with him on developing a total game, pass pro, route running and associated concepts, etc.
January 17th, 2018 at 6:12 pm
Telling you guys now that the OL talent is Super thin in this yrs. draft. If we don’t get one in the first two rounds then there won’t be any worth taking. Maybe we could address it in FA?
January 17th, 2018 at 6:15 pm
I don’t see Barkley being an option. Cleveland with two top five picks getting a chance to get a franchise QB and RB may be too much to pass up. Barkley may be off the board 1st.
If he somehow he does drop to #7 the Bucs must consider him. Barbers a good backup/goaline back but we have a clear need for a feature RB who can make big plays. If Chubb and Barkley is there our DE need is too much higher and they have to take Chubb unless they find something they don’t like about him. The toughest choice IMO is if Barkley and Nelson are still there. All things being equal I’d rather take Nelson.
They need to let go of Sims. I like him a lot but they can’t use him in this offense which is really a shame. We need to pickup a rusher in FA because the draft is a crapshoot. Dump MARtin a s Sims add a FA and rookie.
January 17th, 2018 at 6:21 pm
Defense rules. That catch rate means very little to me. Sims runs a lot of patterns down the field, Barber never. That makes a huge difference when Barber never gets targeted downfield and his only looks are high percentage throws.
That being said Barber does catch his targets and has made some nice gains from them. So has Sims. Just don’t think that % reveals that Barber is a better pass option. Sims is far more elite imo. I don’t know but I would assume Sims Yard Per Reception is much higher.
January 17th, 2018 at 6:26 pm
Our coaching staff sucked this year. They never adjusted their gameplan according to the players that were producing. Examples:
OJ Howard led the league in all tight ends YPC but the Bucs used him as a blocking back and were throwing to Brate, who isn’t going to take it 40 yards after catch like OJ. Why wasn’t he targeted more frequently?
Chris Godwin looked fantastic in preseason, when regular season started he was playing special teams. When he got on the field he played like he is the only WR on the Bucs that can handle contact and still catch the ball. The touchdown vs Saints was an Antonio Brown catch, his left arm was being held and he still pulled it in. Unlike Mike Evans who always is facing Winston when he catches the ball and then goes right down, Godwin gets open and runs with the damn ball when he catches it. Right now, in the brief look we had at Godwin, he played close to what a number one receiver has. He’s not slow either.
Everyone has already said what Barber did, he played his ass off every time he was in the game yet fat Dougie got carries and sucked up the offense.
What kind of coaches don’t play their best players? Dummies!
January 17th, 2018 at 6:57 pm
I agree we need a little scat back to pair with barber. If I were a gm I will still try and slip Detroit a cheap trade for Zenner, love that kid, but I’m not the gm so that provably won’t happen but he carries huge value for a rb that was a healthy scratch to end the season in Detroit and is arguably the best rb on the roster.
January 17th, 2018 at 7:07 pm
Totally agree with DR and SB, I’m in that group too.
Fix the line(s), build up the trenches, the rest will fall into place.
January 17th, 2018 at 7:09 pm
SB Says:
January 17th, 2018 at 6:05 pm
‘ fall into that group of JBF fans who say that if we beef up the OLine we don’t need to spend a 1st Round pick on a RB. Lots of excellent RBs out there who could run through holes big enough for locomotives to pass through. ‘
____________________
I agree Defense……I am in that group as well.
—————————————–
Ditto.
Chubb is the ideal 1st pick for us – IF he is on the board (probably won’t be)
If not then I would much rather have Nelson (or Minkah) than Barkley at #7.
Barber and Quizz are both pretty good and inexpensive back-ups and should both be retained. Sims? Only if he agrees to like $1M-$1.5 per year with little guaranteed.
We DO need a better #1 from somewhere sooner than later – but drafting a RB in the top 10 rarely matches the value that pick holds- especially not when you consider long term ramifications.
January 17th, 2018 at 7:31 pm
Football games are won and lost in the trenches. Our OL and DL are not good. Add Lotuleilei and his brother coming out of Utah in the 2nd round. Sign Patrick Omameh away from Jax(we never should have let him go). Rashaad Penny will fall in your lap because he is only 5-7 165, but if you look at his tape he can freaking play and catch passes. Conte is a liability. Sign Jarvis Landry and add another weapon.
You freaking haters better quit talking bad about Jameis, he is the FRANCHISE.
January 17th, 2018 at 7:34 pm
Reading all these comments makes me think that Jason Licht needs to fire his scouting team & just hire a bunch of us. We’d probably work cheap too.
Pickgrin, I’m not so convinced any longer that Chubb won’t be there at #7. DE is not a PRIORITY need for the teams above us (Browns twice, Giants, Colts, Broncos, Jets). Biggest threat IMO is IF the Browns trade away 1 of their 2 picks. But looking at the priority needs (projected of course) of the various teams, DT seems to be a lot more prevalent than DE this year. Unfortunately, CB is a priority need for quite a few teams. Bottom line to me is that there’s a decent chance Bucs could pick up TWO DEs in the first 2 Rounds … IF that’s our goal. There are several decent DTs hitting free agency this spring, and if Licht was smart he’d grab one on Day One, as well as a top-notch DE. And no, I’m not holding my breath.
And gambelero, good point about Barber not catching nearly as many as Kamara or being used down the field like Chuck Sims is used. Sims is also a fairly decent pass blocking RB. Another reason I’d like to see Licht re-sign him.
January 17th, 2018 at 7:59 pm
Pickgrin, I have to agree with you about drafting a top ten RB when you look at the history of the league. But if you just focus on recent history you see E.Elliot, Gurley, C.Mcaffenery and Fournette. Sure looks like all of those players are living up to their draft status, so far.
Not sure if this is a newer trend with either evaluation or changing offenses in college ball or maybe it’s just a coindence. Either way the DE position is not any safer of a bet when you look at that history. I think the end position can be overdrafted because of its importance, just like QB.
Personally I trust Licht to make solid choices. There’s a lot of directions we could go with all the holes we have to fill. So I think that keeps the options open which is a good thing for draft day, bad thing for the talent level on the team unfortunately.
January 17th, 2018 at 8:08 pm
Hey Guys……… Particularly UB, Pick, and Defense……….Watch highlights of Christian Wilkins vs. Bradley Chubb. I have done so Several times and I think Wilkins is better for us. He can play inside 3 tech and outside DE. He is probably The most Athletic DL in the Draft. I think he is going to BLOW UP the Combine. I am WAY more impressed with his highlights than I am Chubb’s. Even if he stays at interior, if you have him and GMC on the inside then almost Any DE should be able to get to the QB! Given the fact that he can move outside too is Bonus _+
January 17th, 2018 at 8:09 pm
Not to mention that Wilkins plays Fullback, and TE to catch TDs in special packages!!!!
January 17th, 2018 at 9:11 pm
Barber and Graham are living proof you don’t have to draft a got d RB in the early rounds. Fix the trenches and DBs and all will be good in Bucland. Problem is the GM hasn’t gotten the memo for over 10 yrs.
January 17th, 2018 at 9:20 pm
This article illustrates the problem with Dirk Koetter and our coaching staff as it relates to scouting and personnel. If I see Marpet start the year at Center next year, I’m going to have to b-slap the crap out of Dirk. It was stupid when they came to the ridiculous conclusion that they should shift him to center and it would be even stupider to do it next year after it was a colossal failure. It’s not that Marpet wasn’t an upgrade at center or that he played poorly. It’s the fact that he is being wasted while not utilizing his strengths. He is a mauler and he is quick on his feet for those plays that require him to pull. The biggest abuse of personnel idiocy was Marpet moving to center and that was closely followed by Dirk’s loyalty to Martin who sucked eggs all year. Barber ran circles around him but was removed from the gameplan until there was no choice. If these moves that can be easily identified by a couch fan occurred, how many stupid ones occurred that we didn’t zero in on?
January 17th, 2018 at 9:44 pm
People still liking Sims makes me sick, he is garbage, hasn’t shown any consistency and should be gone with Martin and Rodgers. There are multiple FA RBs that are better than all of our current and there will be RBs in the third round who are better than anything we have.
January 17th, 2018 at 9:45 pm
Throw a boat load of $$$ @ Leveon Bell. Rb issurs solved. 8 million martin was due could be used towards that. Bell and Barber not bad 1-2 punch
January 17th, 2018 at 9:47 pm
Id offer up a 4 year 80 million deal in a heartbeat for Bell NO ONE will come close to that kind of contract for a rb n we need to make a SPLASH move
January 17th, 2018 at 9:49 pm
Make the not sexy pick at 7 of the kid from notre dame Lg, move Marpet to Rg draft a center in 4th round and we are cooking with fire
January 17th, 2018 at 9:51 pm
SB only one problem with Wilkins he is going to be playing on a better team in 2018 in south carolina as he is staying put
January 17th, 2018 at 9:55 pm
And everyone stop with this specialist garbage, we don’t need anymore part time players. We need players who can play regardless of the down, distance, formation.
January 17th, 2018 at 9:59 pm
Danbucsfan – we don’t even need to give Bell that much he has said before he wants 15m a season. Bell with a kid from the draft that can learn from him and then Barber and we are set. Our coaching staff could even use Barber in this outdated (I think we are the only team that still uses a FB) FB role.
January 17th, 2018 at 10:05 pm
@Defense Rules
THANK THE MAKER you agree with me about DE Chubb being there at #7.
All of the teams ahead of us have offense as a priority, none have DE
Browns will take a QB or RB at #1,
Giants will take a QB or OT (Eli situation, and they have a massive OL hole)
Colts will take LT or RB (Luck injured 2 years in a row)
Browns will take RB or WR (or QB if not taken at #1)
Broncos can’t pass on QB (Simein?)
Jets must draft QB (McCown again?)
Bucs will draft DE Chubb
January 17th, 2018 at 10:08 pm
You guys who think it’s stupid to draft Barkley at 7 & say you can find a great back in most rounds and that barber and quizz would be fine have holes in your head !
January 17th, 2018 at 10:10 pm
I want to know if I’m just imagining it in my head or if happened or not? Early in the year Dirk was still calling the same offense he called in 2016, which was run up the middle on every first down in the first half of games. No play action passes, just up the gut. Everyone knew it was coming, I could sit at home and see coming, and Dirk just did the same thing over and over and over again. Towards the end of the year when Dirk was coaching for his job he mixed up his play calling and was much less predictable. This sticks out to me since I’d be commenting here early in the season talking about how there are no play action passes for basically the entire game, and would successfully call out what was going to happen on each play – then later in the year I’d type OMG a play action PASS in the FIRST HALF – it stuck out to me which is why I was saying it.
If anyone has any kind of play by play breakdown, how it changed game to game, tendencies, etc, let me know if you know where to find that info outside of just reading every single play myself.
Anyways Barber was fine as a starter, I wouldn’t go into the season putting all my eggs into his basket, but I think he’ll be serviceable. The Bucs should sign a vet as well, someone who can handle the load if Barber flops, which they can do in FA pretty easily.
For Sims he should be back. The guy is one of the best 3rd down backs in the NFL as he’s such a fantastic receiver. In fact as part of the play calling stuff above look at the way the Bucs didn’t use Sims early in the season for some reason, yet let in the season they were using him a lot (probably too much as every 3rd down was a short pass to Sims or a bubble screen to Sims, etc). I don’t know what kind of salary Sims will get, but he shouldn’t be breaking the bank and the Bucs should bring him back.
That leaves Rodgers as the guy out – unless the Bucs want to keep him and still bring in a vet. Rodgers is a do everything guy who isn’t bad in a pinch, but he’s not an every down starter I don’t believe. Personally I’d get another vet and just keep 3 backs, but then again I wouldn’t be keeping 5 or more TEs like the Bucs do.
January 17th, 2018 at 10:11 pm
I hate to burst everyones bubble but they are not, I repeat are not moving Marpet back to guard. Sorry fellas.
January 17th, 2018 at 10:28 pm
I’m not sold on this year crop of D-Linemen in the draft
January 17th, 2018 at 10:43 pm
Here Rod Munch
https://www.sharpfootballstats.com/playcalling-tendencies.html
January 17th, 2018 at 10:49 pm
Thanks Dusthy…………I am all in on Chubb now.
January 17th, 2018 at 10:51 pm
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000907122/article/christian-wilkins-returning-to-clemson-for-senior-season
January 17th, 2018 at 11:59 pm
I think he means Williams. Gruden never coached Dunn.
January 18th, 2018 at 1:17 am
JimmyJack Says:
January 17th, 2018 at 7:59 pm
Pickgrin, I have to agree with you about drafting a top ten RB when you look at the history of the league. But if you just focus on recent history you see E.Elliot, Gurley, C.Mcaffenery and Fournette. Sure looks like all of those players are living up to their draft status, so far.
————————————————-
Elliot and Gurley MAY turn out to be worthy of their draft spots – both are off to a good start. But what will their careers have become 5-6-7 years from now? That will be the true test. Injuries seem to occur at the RB position at a rate higher than most positions so that has to factor in.
Fournette might be at that level too – but its way to early – time will tell.
McCaffrey? No way was he a good pick at #8. He’s a glorified 3rd down back so far. A good one with lots of rookie catches but you don’t draft a RB #8 overall to run for 435 yards. The 80 catches sounds pretty impressive – until you notice that he barely broke 1000 yards combined rushing and receiving – even with all those catches. The majority of those catches went for 3,4,5 yards…
Looking back at the last 25 years – there have only been 3 slam dunks for RBs picked in the top 10. Adrian Peterson #7 – 2007, LaDainian Tomlinson #5 – 2001 and Marshall Faulk #2 – 1994
Edgerrin James #4 – 1999 was a great back as well and close to those guy’s level as was Jerome Bettis – #10 – 1993
Beyond that, there have been just a few very good RBs (Not HOFers) picked top 10 additionally in that time – guys like Reggie Bush #2 2006, Jamal Lewis #5 2000 and Fred Taylor #9 1998.
So discounting the last 3 years because there’s not enough info on those players yet (but conceding that 2 or 3 of them do look pretty damn good so far) – There have been 22 RBs drafted in the top 10.
Only the 8 listed above were “worth” the draft equity spent on them. The other 14 were not. Many of the other 14 were REALLY not worth it – Ki-Jana Carter #1 – 1995, Lawrence Phillips #6 – 1996, Curtis Enis #5 1998, Ronnie Brown #2 2005 and Trent Richardson #4 2012 specifically.
Its risky business drafting a RB so high – that’s the main thing I took away from a close look at the last 25 years of drafting RBs high in the 1st.
January 18th, 2018 at 6:04 am
Exactly, Ira.
RBs can be found later. First things first…
Fix the trenches, fix the Bucs!!!
January 18th, 2018 at 7:24 am
Problem I see with a 1 st round running back :
If there good enough to stand out in college they have often been used extensively and some players such as Dalvin Cook have already shown
signs of injuries on the horizon.
January 18th, 2018 at 8:27 am
The 2 RB’s in the draft I’m most intrigued by are Ronald Jones-USC & Rashaad Penny-SDSU in the 2nd or 3rd round. They are BIG play backs that can also be used on special teams. Let the draft pick compete with Barber for #1 back position. Resign Sims & keep Quizz for experienced backups with limited mileage & experience in the system. Depth, depth, depth, diversity, youth & experience.
January 18th, 2018 at 8:59 am
I wouldn’t bet the farm that Doug is finished in Tampa. We are all SHOCKED arhat the ENTIRE staff NO changes at all is coming back. So I wouldn’t be so sure that Doug is done.
January 18th, 2018 at 1:48 pm
Oline or dline first round and I think if RB Sony Michel from Georgia is there when we pick 2nd rd we have to take him …. After that go online n dline the rest of our picks…. Grab a top corner in FA May be a safety. We’ll be set and hooefully live up to expectations for once