“Man, I’m So Proud Of Him, Hooh, Very Proud Of Him, Because That Kid’s Taken Some Abuse”
September 17th, 2018
The object of a moving Dirk Koetter postgame address
Yes, Joe is the guy who dropped the dreaded Myron Lewis comparison on Ryan Smith five weeks ago.
Smith had earned it based on his cornerback play in preseason on the heels of last year’s mess. And look, it wasn’t just Joe. Back in March, cornerback icon Ronde Barber was on local sports radio saying Ryan Smith looks like he can be a solid No. 4 cornerback. Keep in mind Smith had just made 10 starts as a 24-year-old. And then the Bucs went out and drafted two corners in the second round.
Fast forward a few months and Smith was stinking up the field in the 2018 preseason.
But yesterday, it seemed like Smith had a breakthrough on defense. His coverage was much improved from Week 1 and his tackling was very sound against the Eagles.
After the game, Dirk Koetter appeared to get choked up for a half second talking about Smith’s big day after a series of “abuse.” (It’s unclear whether Koetter was talking about media beatings, wide receiver schoolings or both).
“I thought that was Ryan Smith’s, easily his best game of his career,” Koetter said. “I thought he was aggressive all day. Not only that, but he made two really big plays on punt cover. And I’m just so, man, I’m so proud of him. Hooh. Very proud of him. Because that kid’s taken some abuse. You know, for him to hang in there and keep battling.”
Smith led the Bucs yesterday with seven solo tackles and two passes defensed. And as Koetter said, he was a standout on special teams, as he often is.
Joe can’t predict the future for Smith. But if he can become that strong No. 4-caliber cornerback that Ronde Barber thinks he can be, then that’s good enough for Joe. On Sunday, he was much better than that.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:03 am
I take back every bad thing I ever said about this guy
He straight balled out yesterday…….
September 17th, 2018 at 10:08 am
It also says a lot about the concert that is coverage and pass rush!!!! Which some had tried to explain to the so-called fans!!!!!!!! It is always great to see someone get a chance to shine after being so embattled!!!!!!! The R Smith has lined up every time even when pushed in due to many injuries and has shown effort!!!!! It was not an easy process to be trotted out last year, give max effort and then be eviscerated in the local media every week!!!!!!!!! This is also another example of how wrong the “they can’t develop” and what was the quote from the podcast last week ” that they can’t develop, let alone light/hold a candle”??????? was so far of base!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great job, and great ” fortitude” ( that should be your word of the week wacky joe!!!! Look it up) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:10 am
Geez I hated him for so long but damn after yesterday wow Great Job I’m sorry let’s keep the Wins coming !!! Get better everyday !
September 17th, 2018 at 10:10 am
Ryan Smith was good yesterday and great on punt coverage. I can see him being our next “Russell Shepard”- outstanding special teamed/#4 on depth chart.
No shame in that. I am proud of the kid for continuing to battle.
Even on Mike Evans fumble, it would’ve been easy for mike to get pissed off and give up on the play, but he’s so focused that he hustled and help make the tackle, then proceeded to get rightfully pissed off.
This team needs to close out better when they have a big lead and make it less interesting, and they are playing damn hard! Go Bucs!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:12 am
Confidence can do crazy things for an athlete. There was a nice sequence during yesterday’s game when he looked the part of an NFL corner-with fluid movement, good eyes and break + solid tackling. He got away with a PI and might still be a beat slow on recognition/break, but overall, Coach is 100% right. Yesterday’s performance should be a big springboard for him!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:12 am
There isn’t a single very good team out there that doesn’t have 2 or 3 Ryan Smiths on the team — average NFL talents who bust their a$$ on special teams and play hard on regular downs.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:14 am
Good for Smith man, finally playing with an edge and some confidence. That tackle on the punt near the end of the game was huge. Here’s hoping he can keep it up.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:18 am
The kid showed some character. We were in a pinch with our two starting CBs and Conte out. Smith played like a veteran in the backfield, and man did we need it. Great leadership. Joe, do you know who got the game ball? Godwin earned it on O, but Smith deserved it more.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:19 am
Fresh hot Crow – now being served for damn near everyone. Eat up folks.
Joe you need a Second Helping for throwing out that Myron Lewis label – and I’m not talking about Lynyrd Skynyrd…
September 17th, 2018 at 10:23 am
The man can tackle….and if there is any kind of pass rush, he can cover also….he stepped up….but we desperately need Grimes on the field…..
Ryan Smith can play….and, Joe….it looks like the Bucs coaches are developing young DBs……(they have to, because that’s all we have)
September 17th, 2018 at 10:24 am
Not sure he isn’t most physically gifted corner on the roster after watching Stewart’s and Davis’s speed limitations yesterday. He has had his growing pains for sure but agree with many of comments here…..confidence is a powerful tool for athletes. Let’s see if he can continue to develop but all the tools are there for him to be a starting corner. Let’s see if the mental side can catch up to the physical tools…..I think they can.
September 17th, 2018 at 10:28 am
the young guys in the secondary was thrown into the fire yesterday. they looked pretty good all things considered!
lookes like several ronde barber clones, hell might even have lynch’s brother from another mother at safety!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:37 am
r.smith played great yesterday…..ive noticed a lot more man press coverage as well….a welcoming sight…..
#TUNNELVISION!!!!…GO BUCS!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 10:41 am
Not sure he isn’t most physically gifted corner on the roster after watching Stewart’s and Davis’s speed limitations yesterday.
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I mostly agree – I don’t see speed limitation in Davis. He caught Michael Thomas from behind without an angle, and Michael Thomas isn’t exactly slow. Davis is a legit outside corner. MJ Stewart on the other hand, while talented and physical, will never be more than nickel (which is totally fine!) but he got absolutely smoked by nelson agholor, anda gholor isn’t exactly known as a burner, but to your point I agree that Ryan Smith is prob the best “athlete” of the DB’s along with Grimes and Evans
September 17th, 2018 at 10:53 am
He played damn well yesterday that tackle on the punt returner wow I was surprised he didnt cough up the ball
September 17th, 2018 at 10:56 am
Players play, coaches coach and fans are fanactics with sometimes impractical expectations, short memories and quick player reactions!
September 17th, 2018 at 11:04 am
The light bulb has come on for Smith, which is awesome to see. He has the physical gifts with size/speed, but from the neck up has been the question mark. I think he definitely proved he belongs and can be a force for the Bucs in the secondary and that he is learning and growing every day.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:08 am
Smith had a good game. We’re going to need that to continue as we limp into the bye week in a couple of weeks.
Overall, Smith, Whitehead, Davis, and Stewart held their own yesterday. Just think, these are all VERY young players with room for improvement!
Not too shabby!
September 17th, 2018 at 11:14 am
Ryan Smith strength in the draft was his speed (4.4) and his footwork . Not sure why we made him a safety considering he isn’t all that physically big for a safety. He has the body type to be a CB. Glad to see him finally catching on.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:14 am
Not only did Ryan Smith look better, but the rookie corners are starting to pick it up a little better. A few slips, but that’s to be expected. And then there’s the complimentary play of the D-line and D-backs. That should only improve (I say should), with the eventual return of Vita Vea on the D-line and Brent Grimes at corner.
I know why Fitz was wearing the shades – sun’s finally coming out and it’s starting to get much brighter. Consider the atypical mistakes yesterday – OJ losing the ball after a nice throw from Fitz, ME13 dropping a ball right in his hands and then later losing the ball after a nice pick up. I think the score would have been even higher in the absence of those mistakes from these superb athletes. We just need a way of keeping the other team from getting back in the game at the end.
I think next week’s game with Pittsburg should be a good barometer of where the BUCs stand. They’re coming in winless and need a win badly. If we play like we have the last 2 games, eliminate those offensive mistakes, and the D continues to improve, I think we can play with anyone!!! Go BUCs!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 11:20 am
This team has lost for so long that some of the fans (and media) are quick to eat their own without giving these young players time to develop. Some were already turning on the 2 rookie CB’s before they’d even played a regular season game. ..and not to mention the amount of abuse that has been spewed on Licht.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:29 am
Last year, I thought Ryan Smith had the talent and was an apologist. Consider he switched positions….then he was a playing on a defense that literally had zero pass rush and couple that with a scheme where he was playing a mile off the opposing receiver, Joe. You could see flashes in him of his athleticism. The kid was a returner in college so he has playmaking skills.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:30 am
CB is a weird position. Sometimes a guy who has sucked his first couple years just gets it and their athleticism/instincts finally are in sync. Hell some dudes break out in year 5 or later even.
VHIII was looking good before injury as well. I’m all in on drafting D-line next year as these guys continue to develop. A top 5 pass rush = we can start terrible CBs and be fine
September 17th, 2018 at 11:34 am
off topic but alluding to playmaking above – notice how many of the great receivers in the NFL were excellent punt return guys in college? Antonio Brown (who was drafted low because he had a poor combine measurables)…great return guy in college…Diggs…great return guy….Keenan Allen…great return guy….Tyreek Hill….great return guy. List goes on and on….look at their background and they likely were great return guys in college. Same can be said of the running backs….Kamara is a great returner.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:44 am
Thats because we live in a microwave society. If a player is not richard sherman in his prime by year on then fans want to give up on him. When did that start? I remember watching a player develop and envisioning what he could be in 2-3 years. If it came to fruition sooner then all the better. Some of you guys are way too impatient and it really adds to the false and bogus narratives that follow these players. Allow them to develop. That goes for rojo, vea as well and even a 24 year old qb.
September 17th, 2018 at 11:46 am
@Lord of Corn
The Bucs might have to trade up in the draft to get one of those DE, which I have on my list as most likely position to draft!!!!! And even though the position is supposed to be deep!!!! The Bucs will have to trade up to get to around to the middle of the first rounders!!!!!!
Also to note is that Wil Gholston who most thought was hanging by a thread at DE is actually playing very well as the backup DT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 11:53 am
PPL come on yes the kid played well for one game. ONE GAME. So I’m not ready to totally buy in….yet. If he can string along a series of games and do this then ok give him his props. BTW did you see how often he was playing 10 freaking yards off WR’s sometimes?! TEN FREAKING YARDS?! WTF?! But until I see that I’m not going to overact. Remember, Philly was one dimensional, no A.Jeffrey, had Ajayi for one half, lost their deep threat (if you can still call Mike Wallace that) for most of the game, no D. Sproles and lets remember Foles isn’t Brees, hell he isn’t even Wentz. They are hurting on offense and scare no one. And this defense still gave up over 400 total yards of offense!! This time around they did just enough to win and wasn’t as embarrassing as last week. But a win is a freaking win so I will take it all day. Go Bucs!!!
September 17th, 2018 at 11:56 am
Not that I am hating on an excellent game he played yesterday, but he’s done this a lot playing CB where he’ll have one good game and then many other not so good (terrible) games. I think it’s just he is good at playing against one team’s certain scheme. But hell yeah I’m rooting for him to become better now that he has showed he has potential to play well.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET A HEALTHY GRIMES BACK SOON, ALSO.
September 17th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Ryan Smith has always had great speed– it’s why he has been such a great special teamer. But yesterday was awesome to see him step up and play like a solid CB for the first time.
He will be getting another huge test on monday night against Big Ben and Antonio Brown though.
Will Gholston also looks like a completely new player this year. It started showing in preseason and has continued into the regular season.
I think the entire team realized how much potential they had last year that had gone to waste, and have really bought into Coach K over the offseason. You can hear it in their interviews. They know last year was a lost opportunity and are working harder to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Tougher training camp definitely helps too!
September 17th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
I also need to apologize to Ryan Smith! Kid straight BALLED out yesterday! I’m hoping he can continue to develop and play consistently! Great job Ryan Smith!!
September 17th, 2018 at 12:35 pm
Again….they finally played much of the game closer to the line of scrimmage more than any other game in Smitty three years here. Tighter coverage equates to tighter Windows, throwing off timing etc. EVERYONE BENEFITS!!!
ONLY TOOK THREE YEARS TO FIGURE IT OUT MAN SMITYYS A FAST LEARNER HUH?
September 17th, 2018 at 12:35 pm
This is year two at CB, don’t know why everybody was so down on a guy who was a Mike Smith experiment at safety. It was year three when Ronde finally got it and he had a much better defensive line and a great scheme to thrive in.
September 17th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
nice story, but the guy is here to be a difference maker on special teams and not to play defense. the sooner he’s doing that exclusively (due to play\health of better CBs), the better off the bucs are. Hope we get grimes back in time to deal with Antonio Brown, Juju, and the rest of Pitt’s weapons because their skill position guys are on a different level than the guys lining up across from the bucs yesterday
September 17th, 2018 at 1:36 pm
Now I know why Josh Robinson was let go. Smith can play both D and ST. Smith may not be Mark Cotney, Mike Washington or John Lynch, but he did his part. Jordan Whitehead is going to be……something else!
September 17th, 2018 at 1:53 pm
Uh… Ryan Smith was getting beat over and over again, the issue was Foles stinks. He did make some plays for once, but anyone thinking this is a turning point, go back and what that series, I think in the 3rd quarter, where Smith is supposed to be covering Ertz in the endzone and just gets caught once again flat footed. Foles had a wide open TD to him, but Foles is Foles. If you listen to and believe the Eagles press that was at the game, Smith was getting beat deep, like he always does, but Foles wasn’t throwing the ball (I don’t have anything but the TV view so I don’t know if that’s true or not).
Anywho the guy stinks, I’m not changing my opinion anytime soon.
September 17th, 2018 at 5:44 pm
No credit where credit is due Rod. You had the game on but didn’t see. Coaches and some of his toughest critics did. But you’re right. Go Bucs!
September 17th, 2018 at 6:20 pm
He played like a legitimate NFL starter, albeit against a less than stellar crew of receivers…by far and away his best game at CB and we need him badly for the rest of the year with VGIII down and Grimes having a natural progression of more injuries at his advanced age for a CB
I like the rookie corners and the Whitehead kid after a couple games, you can see the talent they possess -the secondary may be pretty good after some time together and exposure to NFL level talent week in week out, JEvans is a beast for sure, dude hits like a mack truck and is super quick to diagnose and pursue
If we can get healthy, this D could get pretty good…Vea/Unrien/Beckwith/Grimes/Hargreaves DNP – 3 starters and two key rotational guys..wow
September 17th, 2018 at 10:19 pm
Wait – the same people that say Doug Martin stunk all last year – now believe what the coaches say? LOL! Last year the coaches said Doug was getting hosed by terrible o-line play and people said it was all on Martin and the coaches were dopes for playing him and lying about him being no good. This year however they think the coaches are the most truth worthy people since George Washington. It’s alsmost like people just believe what they want to believe – and repeat whatever others are saying. This was by far Ryan Smith’s best game – and with a good QB going against him he gives up 3 TDs. That’s the issue, his best day is the worst day for 90% of the NFL.