Tempering Excitement
May 22nd, 2018
Too early?
Yes, the pass defense was so wretched last year Joe is running out of adjectives to properly describe it.
Corners still on the team not named “Brent Grimes” were simply useless. It’s why the Bucs drafted two corners in the second round.
However, it scares the hell out of Joe that some folks are ready to anoint Carlton Davis as the next Ronde Barber based on… rookie minicamp no less! But that’s where we are with Davis types Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report.
M.J. Stewart came off the board first, but Carlton Davis drew rave reviews during minicamp.
[Dirk] Koetter touched on why Davis’ initial performance was special. The 6’1″, 206-pound defensive back with 32 ¾-inch arms wins by mauling wide receivers. His size, length and physicality tend to overwhelm opponents with a level of aggressiveness that defines his skill set.
The ability to excel in off-coverage creates opportunities for defensive coordinator Mike Smith to vary his coverages. Davis is an ideal outside corner, for example, if the coaching staff decides to use Vernon Hargreaves more to cover the slot.
This scares the life out of Joe. Why? It has been Joe’s experience that underwear football warriors are garbage NFL players… if they make a team.
Once upon a time, Tommy Streeter, in underwear football, looked like the wide receiver who could be paired opposite Mike Williams to give Josh Freeman a fantastic duo of targets. Instead, he never made the team.
Then there was kick returner/receiver Solomon Patton. He too sure looked like a keeper in underwear football. Put on a show. He lasted seven games, had more rushing attempts (one) than catches (zero) with a paltry kick return average. The worst team in the NFL sent him packing.
Cornerback Rashaan Melvin was a long corner and a spring darling of Greg Schiano and Lovie Smith. He never saw the field in a Bucs uniform but developed well in 2016.
And of course who could forget Kenny Bell? Dude looked like Lynn Swann in underwear football. Turned heads big time. But when the pads came on in August, Bell vanished.
So the talk of Davis being a stud in rookie minicamp scares Joe. It would be nice to see if Davis can stick with Mike Evans as underwear football OTAs begin today.
May 22nd, 2018 at 9:16 am
Good examples. Had forgotten most of them. Hope springs eternal though, as always. Better to look good in underwear ball than bad, I should think.
May 22nd, 2018 at 9:32 am
I don’t know that I am going to expect Ronde Barber type play from either one of them but I would expect at LEAST one of these 2nd rounders to be an effective starter… I am praying Licht had one of his more successful drafts this time around.
May 22nd, 2018 at 9:38 am
Defense is not our issue. Our entire defense was hurt. They were on the field too much because of poor QB play and turnovers. We will be lights out on Defense this year if we can stop giving the ball away and keep the defense healthy in doing so.
#FreeTheAmishRifle
GO BUCS!!!
May 22nd, 2018 at 9:39 am
Tommy Streeter – 6th Rd
Solomon Patton – UDFA
Rashaan Melvin – UDFA
Kenny Bell – 5th Rd
Carlton Davis – 2nd Rd
“One of these things…. is not like the others . One of these things… does not belong. Can you tell which is not like the others… before I finish this song…”
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:04 am
Agree with Pickgrin 1000%. This isn’t even apples to oranges. This is like, apples to grizzly bears. We’re worried that because a kid did well that means he won’t do well? It’s ok to be cautiously optimistic, but this kind of hand-wringing is just really bad melodrama.
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:04 am
Defense is a major issue and we can’t afford to count on no rookie cbs.
Msmith. Bruh. I thot the dbs played off cuz that’s where they were comfortable. But ur teaching jam and man covers to play off. Prepared to be dead last again
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:09 am
Should be a very interesting TC this year
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:19 am
The alternative is he looks like trash without pads on. I’m sorry, but I’ll take him looking good now versus looking mediocre. Of course it’s different when pads are on, but you’ve gotta start somewhere.
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:26 am
That reminds me of your assessment of JW as a rookie. you had anointed him the next coming of C and that was before he got to Tampa
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:49 am
Jeff Demps and Kareem Huggins….
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:54 am
Not sure which of the Joe’s wrote this – but this line of reasoning makes zero sense. Correlation is not causation!!!
And Joe knows this already. Trying to stir a pot buddy?
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:58 am
Calling last years corners “useless” does a great injustice to the 2011 corners. -E.J. Biggers.
May 22nd, 2018 at 10:59 am
@Pickgrin
Thank you for that, it’s So like the joes take a bunch of udfa’s and later round pick at the wide receiver position of all things and compare them to a second round pick at corner. Who’s fault is it this horrible franchise decided not to waste time on r Melvin?
No one did this much complaining about vh3, we’ve already seen Ryan Smith start so if this guy bears those two out why would anyone be afraid of that with the horrible cornerback play we’ve seen
And Brent Grimes looks like a great corner because he doesn’t have to guard Julio Jones and Michael Thomas, whoever starts opposite of Grimes will draw the best receivers just like last year
May 22nd, 2018 at 11:01 am
Carlton Davis “America’s Cornerback”
May 22nd, 2018 at 11:28 am
wait a flippin minute!!!!!!!!!!!
yesterday, joe wrote:
Recently on WDAE-AM 620, Licht talked about how Carlton Davis, the big, tough-guy, press-specialist cornerback from Auburn is more than just a talent on the field.
now today Bleacher Report says:
The ability to excel in off-coverage creates opportunities for defensive coordinator Mike Smith
im calling BS on someone…..as much as I would love for him to be, no way he’s a “press specialist” and “excels in off-coverage” and was a 2nd round pick at 6’1 205 playing in the SEC…..he would’ve been a 1st round pick if he could “excel” and be a “specialist” at both….
I watched him play several games and I saw him play man press…..same with VHG…..
will smitty force his off coverage scheme on him?…..or play to his strengths?…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
May 22nd, 2018 at 11:46 am
I agree the pads make a huge difference. But, I think the underwear football lends to offensive players more, because they have no fear of getting drilled/creamed out there. As soon as they start getting blasted, they start dropping balls and lose their focus. I think it’s promising to hear Davis is doing so well this early. When the pads come on that only means he can be more physical.
But you never know. A lot of guys would play flag football a hundred times better than full contact pads.
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:00 pm
I didn’t get the M.J. pick.
Jason has a brain lock in the 2nd Round.
Guice will have a far more productive career
We could have solved our running back problem for tor a good long while
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:18 pm
Joe, why do you insist on calling it underwear football? They’re wearing a lot more than underwear. In fact they have as much clothing on as soccer players. Granted they’re not wearing pads but we know that. Is there a reason you insist on calling fully clothed athletes practicing in their athletic wear, underwear football? Just curious.
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:21 pm
Pickvrin what about retell Regis Jonathan banks and vh3????
The defense still sucked and still does suck no matter who you have
IT’S THE SCHEME!
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:21 pm
I always thought highly of Rashaan Melvin. With his size and speed I thought he was worth trying to develop… Looks like he did with the Colts and then he cashed in with the Raiders. Kind of like when I really preferred Al Harris over Floyd Young. Al got cut and went on to have a fantastic career and Floyd Young made the Randy Moss rookie season highlight reel from week 1 of that season.
Add another player or two to the list of underwear greats…. Paris Hilton and Chas Gessner. Hilton had some fans convinced he was the second coming of Sterling Sharpe, people just knew he was a sure fire #1 WR… despite only excelling against 3rd and 4th stringers in the second halves of preseason games.
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Why ain’t there like a 2 page article about Russell Sheppard signing with the giants. We’re doomed!!
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:23 pm
See prior post..
May 22nd, 2018 at 12:41 pm
lol clod, that was a good one. (and so true)
The ‘fearsome foursome’ was more agonizing to watch than our non-existent pass rush last year.
May 22nd, 2018 at 1:30 pm
@813, I feelya bruh. He doesn’t excell in off coverage, at least that hasn’t been proven yet.
May 22nd, 2018 at 2:25 pm
If i said it once, ive said it a million times. We have some dumb fans. What does jonathan banks have to do with this scheme. Revis? None of those players played in this scheme. I dont understand why bring them up. And for someone to say licht should have picked guice instead of mj stewart in the second round makes entirely no sense. Do you not remember the bucs picked rojo already? So you wanted the bucs to pick 2 second round running backs? Come on man??!?!?!
May 22nd, 2018 at 3:16 pm
I still can’t understand why Davis was drafted ahead of Stewart.
May 22nd, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Sorry* why Stewart was ahead of Davis
May 22nd, 2018 at 3:33 pm
too negative ..Davis, and Stewart will be fine
May 22nd, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Just watched our NFC championship game – and I had to ask myself ‘Why (the …) insn’t Ronde Barber our CB coach?’.
Granted Ronde had around a million great games, but that one was just soooo special. He would be a guy who could give tremendous insights to our young guys.
May 22nd, 2018 at 6:52 pm
It’s a joke ronde and 55 aren’t in our organization
May 22nd, 2018 at 7:40 pm
Ronde, Barber and V-Jax ( how well did ME develop with a mentor like V-Jax)
May 22nd, 2018 at 7:40 pm
Ronde, Brooks and VJax
May 22nd, 2018 at 8:08 pm
Carlton Davis was ranked fourth best CB coming into the draft by Walter Football. Like Pickgrin said Kenny Bell was the highest drafted of your listed group in the fifth. Still have to wait but non of those rookies college careers come close to comparing to Davis’.
May 22nd, 2018 at 8:20 pm
Real funny thing Joe is how many posters say how so-and-so would’ve been such a better pick and will be so much better when we’ve only seen rookie underwear football. Licht drafts well almost every year. Stewart is a shut down slot CB with speed and muscle. Something we didn’t have and could be a nice addition.