Evan Smith Out; Possible Alex Cappa Debut
November 2nd, 2018
The Bucs’ offensive line will lose some flexibility on Sunday but it certainly will be more intriguing.
Veteran guard/center Evan Smith, who plays about 25 percent of the snaps at right guard (don’t get Joe started), will be out Sunday with a hip injury, Dirk Koetter announced today.
It’s the first significant injury to the Buccaneers’ big-6, aka the O-line.
So who will be up and active to fill Smith’s shoes? Joe sure hopes it’s rookie Alex Cappa, the third-round pick.
It would be nice to see what this guy has to offer, and given that Smith played about a quarter of each game in a weird right-guard rotation with Caleb Benenoch, it seems like a perfect fit for Capp.
If there is an emergency at center, Ali Marpet can always move over. And Benenoch did get some snaps at left guard in 2016, so he’s not a virgin on that side of the line.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Liedtke…
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Finally, now we might actually get some PUSH from the O-line for once.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:25 pm
His 1st time against grown men?
Hope it works out, still I’m a little worried about our QB.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:32 pm
Another 1st half blowout coming on Sunday. It’s too bad so many fans here are still delusional.
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:43 pm
How has he looked in practice?
November 2nd, 2018 at 1:53 pm
Cappa/Ronald Jones/MJ Stewart/ Vita Vea instead of Derwin james (and missing out on Quenton Nelson.) What a god awful, disgusting, horrible draft. Seriously, just what in the actual F is that
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:03 pm
2 flags on his number….
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:05 pm
I agree with Joe Blahak above. Liedtke subbed so well when D. Smith was out at LT, it was downright stupid when Warhop continued starting Benenoch at RT when he knew that Liedtke’s main position is Guard and not Tackle. I also have no faith in Warhop to develop any OL. When Cappa was being trained as a backup Center Warhop got a former retired Center to train Cappa. Cappa has shown no ability til now to play Guard so I don’t think he is suited to play there now. He is a former Tackle and should take training during the week from Dotson to play RT. So if Dotson gets hurt Cappa can come in and play RT. I think with proper training Benenoch should be able to play RT or RG but he has been terrible at both spots. Warhop is useless!
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:07 pm
Uh oh. Against the Panthers, always.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:22 pm
Can’t hurt to get him some reps. See what he has. Benenoch is pretty much garbanzo
Agree on liedeke
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:41 pm
Let the next coach decide what to do with Benechot but for crying out loud get that bum off the field. It been long enough to know this guy is not NFL ready. Time to hits the streets and find a half retired guard cause I can’t stand watching this guy get his ass kicked anymore.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:49 pm
And I’m tired of Dirk doing this to his interior line. He has no idea what he is doing with the middle of his line.
And just go look up the team Dirk took over. We were a friggen top 5 rushing team I think!!!!
Friggen Dirk completely destroyed the middle of our offense. Need this scrub gone before more damage is done.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:50 pm
We had a much better offense before Dirk took over.
I’ll take that offense over this phony #1 ranking hands down.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:57 pm
Why is Benenoch even in the NFL? He’s so bad. Oh, I forgot, Jason Licht. Never mind.
November 2nd, 2018 at 2:58 pm
Agree with the guys calling for Liedtke. I never did understand what happened there…he played well in his brief opportunity.
As the season progresses if we can’t turn it around it will be audition city for a lot of guys. It’ll be all we have to look forward arguing about…this new guy…that new guy.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:02 pm
Evan Smith has been horrific this year, and if he’s better than Cappa, this is gonna be a disaster.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:07 pm
BigMac……We said the same thing about Kevin Phampile last year but didn’t he win a job for an AFC team? I wonder how he’s doing?
Alls I’m saying is with Dirk’s track record with his interior line I wouldn’t rule out coaching as the bigger issue. Time will tell.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:10 pm
I’m down with Liedtke too. Did a nice job at left tackle in preseason, he was a guard originally. Unless thy have him working out at Tackle nowadays. I would like to see Cappa get his feet wet. I am mightily tired watching Caleb “the Matador” Bennenoch. I get he’s just starting out in the league after only a partial year last year, but man, it’s hard to watch.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:11 pm
Made zero sense to dump Phampile who had seemed to be getting better and was one of the better offensive lineman – and wasn’t expensive, they could have locked him up for like 3 or 4 years at a really low rate and he’d have been a starter or the top backup, and it would cost less than what they’re paying Evan Smith, who hasn’t looked good in 3 years.
Anywho, with that said, Phampile went to the Titans, looked good, won the job, then promptly got injured and is on IR.
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:22 pm
throwing cappa in against the panthers dline….this could get ugly in a hurry….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:24 pm
show us what you got young rook
November 2nd, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Pamphile signed with Tenn but is on IR now.
November 2nd, 2018 at 4:01 pm
Cappa/Ronald Jones/MJ Stewart/ Vita Vea instead of Derwin james (and missing out on Quenton Nelson.)
November 2nd, 2018 at 4:02 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lost Buc fan. Please claim.
November 2nd, 2018 at 4:12 pm
You Better askFitz what it can hurt because what I saw in preseason from Cappa was some of the worst play ever . This guy was so over matched thereis no way he makes another squad !!! Licht loves to think he’s the o line wizard and you wait til this guys in the game and gets absolutely run over !!! I predict he actually makes a tackle going backwards !!
Boy I hope he’s improved and I am wrong !!
November 2nd, 2018 at 4:17 pm
Cam newton,
Please dont make this a blood bath sunday.
Take it easy on our defense. They really suck.
November 2nd, 2018 at 4:25 pm
40-31 bucs, you heard it here
November 2nd, 2018 at 4:28 pm
OL is a ‘hot mess’ on the right side according to some in the know.
What if TB had drafted Mike McGlinchey instead of Vea?
McGlinchey is going to be a All-Pro very soon(he is dominating this year) and could have helped the Bucs on the right side. Immensely.
They also could have had Derwin James. How nice would he look right now in our defensive backfield?
Instead they draft Vea….and Ronald Jones… I think the AC/DC lovin’ GM needs to go …..and before the HC does.
November 2nd, 2018 at 5:32 pm
@JimmyJack-
I think your memory is deceiving you. When Dirk was hired as OC in 2015, THAT is the year we had an amazing rushing attack. In 2014 it was horrendous, and everyone wanted to run Warhop out of town.
Since Logan Mankins left, the line has never been as good at run blocking, though they have looked improved over the last few weeks (of course that could just be the opponents we were playing). Regardless, Benenoch has continued to look horrible. The Panthers D-line will destroy him on Sunday.
Smith and Marpet have also not been consistent this year.
Consistency… hmmmm…. seems to be an issue with a lot of positions on this team, not just QB…..
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:19 pm
In 2015 you had Lovie telling Dirk what to do and had a very balanced attack because of it, and you had a top 10 defense as well.
However with this passing game you don’t need to run the ball and any moron that thinks the offense is the issue when your defense is giving up 33 a game, well they’re a moron.
But for Cappa, he looked terrible in the preseason, really really bad. He had the combine of an UDFA that would be lucky to get a combine invite, which is why I don’t understand why the Bucs took him so high – I think he’d have still been there in the 6th. It seems because they hit on Marpet, who had an awesome combine, that they can pick random guys and hit on them. This kid isn’t anything close to Marpet, he was one of the worst performers at the combine, and the only thing people said about him is that he’s mean. GGGRRRRR… he’s mean. Very very scary to NFL lineman. But as we know from the McCoy haters, if a guy is mean and frowns and smells and eats his boogers, he’s a future HOFer, but if you’re not mean, if you smile, if you’re an all-pro and a year in and year out pro bowler that you’re garbage that should be cut (oh and if you lead the #1 offense in football you have no talent and need to be cut). So I guess they’re totally in on this guy.
Anywho I don’t want yet another busted pick and I hope this kid can prove all the doubters wrong and get it done on the field.
November 2nd, 2018 at 6:30 pm
The draft report on Cappa was C as in creampuff. Benenoch is a sh*tshow where ever he is as others on that line are. Donovan Smith is a career, solid just-above-average right tackle who apparently, we are going to pay a whole lot of left tackle money. All of us should not be allowed to comment given the nasty, physical nature of the position but in relative terms, we have a bumper crop of weenies. Having said all that, I still don’t see much justification for Jameis’ crapping his diaper week in and week out.
November 2nd, 2018 at 8:10 pm
Play Liedtke. Hell, Start Liedtke
November 2nd, 2018 at 9:19 pm
Fitz needs a clean pocket and without that good luck
E smith is out and Benenoch full time…… JW should of start and I bet Koetter is sleepless right now
November 2nd, 2018 at 10:04 pm
We will never have a good interior line so long as Dirk is here. His first order of business as a HC here was to promply ruin a very good interior line with awful decisions that compuond annually.
This dude is slowly getting our team because he cannot evaluate his own players……things like making Benechot a starter. Decisions like those stand out.
November 2nd, 2018 at 10:14 pm
Unbelievable…….What I said was when Dirk took over as HC. I don’t care what he did as an OC because as soon as he got his grubby hands on this team the completely changed everything we were doing on offense.
Losing Mankins wasn’t cool but come on man. Are you really going to think that one guard has a bigger impact then a new HC? Let’s not get silly.
Dirk took a top 5 rushing team and ruined it. He took a balanced offense and ruined it. This is hardly debatable……there’s no reason for a rush attack to fall off a cliff because of one guard.
Dirk effed it up dude that’s all there is to it. And to add salt to the wound he hasn’t been able to fix it since. Now adays it just looks like he’s given up to run the ball…..He ce Barber averaging 2 carries per quarter.
November 2nd, 2018 at 10:46 pm
I also agree with Joe Blahak top comment.
Why throw the rookie Cappa up against one of the best front 7 in pro football when he’s a prototypical lengthy leg 6’6″ tackle. Michael Liedke played well during the preseason at tackle but he is suited for the guard position which is typically 6’2″ – 6’5 shorter, and stout like a bulldog.
Who knows, Michael Liedke could be our new version of the 2010 Ted Larsen. After the way he performed in preseason I think he deserves first crack.
November 2nd, 2018 at 11:54 pm
Trench War….We should trust that our Coaching staff knows which play is better prepared to be active on Sunday.
Unfortunately Dirk has made nothing but mistakes at the guard and center position. Just like last year when we needed multiple injurys to see our team run block.
The arrow is pointing down for any C or G playing under Dirk.
November 2nd, 2018 at 11:54 pm
Player*
November 3rd, 2018 at 6:28 am
Jimmy,
The arrow is pointing down for G and C.
Why is that. DK.
Can’t be. He didn’t sign marpet thinking center. Didn’t sign Sweezy who guarded this bench and entire season.
Didn’t run off mankins or Hawley. Who knew that two 50yr old vets might retire.
Biggest loss no one accounts for…Cherilus.
Top 5 rushing to crappie under DK.
Hummm..Doug Martin contract year 16 games starter.
Next year….Doug Martin, paid…8 games and 400 yds vs 1400.
Yep it’s Dirk..I see it