“Impact”
March 30th, 2019
Bucs LT Donovan Smith.
So free agency is virtually over. The only players left are either scrubs who have an over-inflated sense of worth and are waiting for Chucky to get drunk and offer them an outrageous contract, or dudes who are about to face the grim realities of forced retirement from the NFL (read: nobody wants you).
So looking back at the free agency feeding frenzy, Jenna Laine of ESPN offered her take as the biggest move the Bucs made the past few weeks.
And yes, it was a big move for a big man. She believes the most significant transaction the Bucs pulled off was re-signing free agent left tackle Donovan Smith.
Most impactful move: The Bucs re-signed left tackle Donovan Smith, let linebacker Kwon Alexander walk and traded wide receiver DeSean Jackson to the Philadelphia Eagles. But the biggest “move” the Bucs made was one they didn’t actually make — rather than freeing up $13 million in salary-cap space by cutting or trading 31-year-old defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, they chose to stay put for the time being. Coach Bruce Arians was noncommittal about McCoy at the NFL owners meetings, but sources told ESPN the Bucs would entertain a “wow” offer for him. Keeping McCoy during free agency, though, limited the Bucs’ ability to bring in impact playmakers.
Joe understands this move absolutely rankled the crowd that habitually stomps their feet about the offensive line. Not only did the Bucs retain their left tackle, they brought back their started right tackle, too (Demar Dotson).
So the crowd that cannot stand the Bucs’ offensive line sure looks like it will have another year of slamming empty beer mugs on the bar in suppressed rage.
The Bucs have all but been broadcasting they believe the problem with the team the past two years wasn’t personnel, but coaching. We will soon find out if this analysis is accurate or not.
March 30th, 2019 at 3:11 pm
Yet she is quoted saying the biggest “move” is keeping gmc?
March 30th, 2019 at 3:18 pm
Remember when one of the biggest off-season “moves” was to extend Mike Smith’s contract?
March 30th, 2019 at 3:56 pm
@Joe … “The Bucs have all but been broadcasting they believe the problem with the team the past two years wasn’t personnel, but coaching”. Perhaps another take Joe? How about ‘We have no money to improve our personnel situation so we’ll go with what we got and pray a lot’. Pretty sure that IF the Bucs had sufficient salary Cap room they would’ve signed a veteran FA Guard (since we don’t have one), RB (to complement Barber), MLB (since we don’t have one), CB (to start opposite Davis), Safety (to provide a veteran presence in the room) and very possibly a few others (like Hump?). But alas it was not to be, so ‘What you saw is what you still got’.
March 30th, 2019 at 4:28 pm
jason licht has been throwing koetter under the bus, saying his picks are all winners just need the right motivation…. OK
March 30th, 2019 at 4:30 pm
The past two season I went in with expectation we would do 9-7 or better. It was based on the talent that I thought I saw. My opinion was swayed by those I deferred to in their judgments. Some would say that the Bucs looked good on paper only.
Anyway, I finally came to to the realization somewhere in mid-season that the problem was the coaching starting at the top. Smith was not the only problem.
Now, I will go with the fact that BA has expressed his conviction that he has the core talent to begin with. He has asserted that he is retooling not rebuilding.
If we go less than 9-7 this year I will finally be convinced it was the talent level and not previous coaching. Only then will I join the anti-Licht crowd.
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Go Bucs!!!!!!!!
March 30th, 2019 at 4:36 pm
I agree we didn’t set the market on fire this year but like Defense Rules Says we didn’t have our usual bundle of Cap space to blow and we got rid of some FA’s (esp. Hump) that stung a little. Love GMC but it’s time for him to go but why we are waiting on our $13mil cap boost is the mystery of the offseason. But wait, while we are all bitching and complaining like we do every year there is a guy referred to BA out there and he is happy as a pig in sh*t. He loves Perriman, he loves Jameis, he loves Barber, he loves Godwin, Hell he thinks the Defense will have no problems with a new scheme and the dude is laughing about everything. While the others spent fortunes on bust he’s bragging about his kicker being the best offseason acquisition. Hey ya can’t feel bad about that kinda coach and his huge band of merrymen.
March 30th, 2019 at 4:42 pm
“for the time being” is the operative phrase there.
Based on BA’s recent public comments – GMC is either getting traded, or he’s taking a pay cut if he stays a Buccaneer. One or the other….
March 30th, 2019 at 4:42 pm
What was the Radio’s famous line? I will tolerate you until I can replace you? I think that is how McCoy and Dotson are being used right now. Let’s see what happens between now and September.
March 30th, 2019 at 4:53 pm
I’m glad we kept the offense in tact for next season.
The way I see it all’s we lost was hump. DeSean was a bad player for the Bucs so we it’s not a loss.
We can easily make up for Hump with the young passcatchers we have taking on bigger roles. I’m sure OJ and Chris will excel in bigger roles.
Keeping what we on Offense have and building with it was a good call by Bruce. This offense is defientaly good enough to compete in this league.
Let Bowles rebuild his defense to a 3-4. Give him the #5 pick and a few more rookies to get it going. If it works and our defense starts changing games we will be a tough team to beat.
First let the Bucs get good then we can be great!
March 30th, 2019 at 4:59 pm
I’LL second what JimmyJack said.
March 30th, 2019 at 5:01 pm
Just start playing solid football and I will be a happy fan. I love watching competitive football. It will be a far cry from the last two years where the Bucs were so uncompetitive that the games were turned off by halftime. Multiple games were listened to on radio while doing yard work……..Doing yard work was literally more entertaining then watching this patheic unprepared garbage the Bucs called football.
Start playing some solid football then we can start talking about wins and records and playoffs.
March 30th, 2019 at 5:42 pm
Joe, this line hasn’t looked the same since Logan Mankins left. Dotson can’t run block and neither can Benenoch. That’s a valid criticism and not a cop out.
What is a cop out, however, was blaming Doug Martin.
March 30th, 2019 at 5:48 pm
1. What coincided with Mankins leaving?
2. Doug Martin stunk. Saw with own eyes *many* times him not reading holes. Gil Arica documented several of these with video. There’s a reason why he’s still unemployed (currently a free agent).
March 30th, 2019 at 5:58 pm
What a tired article. Long way to the 25th…
March 30th, 2019 at 5:59 pm
Getting rid of Djax alone should net at least 3-4 more wins. Cancer is a terrible disease that affects the entire body. Philadelphia will find out too, very quickly, that he’s the worst kind of Diva, only after a big check. His problem resides in him. He was more of a problem than crappy defensive coaches.
March 30th, 2019 at 6:10 pm
you blame Djax but Fitz sure did like him and Fitz had a better completion %. Would you want the last of your career playing for a qb who isn’t good throwing to a small window with a losing team.
March 30th, 2019 at 6:15 pm
If he restructures, he WILL be traded! I imagine he knows this. GO BUCS!!
March 30th, 2019 at 6:37 pm
Chris Landry does not agree with what appears to be Licht’s and Arians’ assessment. He thinks the Bucs are lacking in several areas. I tend to listen to him because he was one of a few national figures who didn’t get all caught up in Bucs mania.
March 30th, 2019 at 7:05 pm
Donovan Smith is a stiff.
A turnstile masquerading as a LT.
The Bucs were stupid to commit so much money to a guy who isn’t anywhere close to being elite.
March 30th, 2019 at 8:05 pm
You are right TB22! He is not athletic enough to be trained to stop speed rushers and we need to bring in competition for him for BA to hold him accountable enough to force him to play to the whistle. However he needs to be moved to LG and become a road grading Guard to get any worth out of him.
March 30th, 2019 at 9:41 pm
So if the Bucs’ brain trust knew that most of the issues concerning the OL were tied to coaching (and I think this argument could be extended to the whole defense to boot), then why the heck did Team Glazer allow Koetter to bring back stiffs like Warhop and Mikey Smith when they gave him the extra year to right the Pirate Ship????? This does not add up unless one is to infer that the front office and the Glazer lads were cool with letting a suspect coaching staff try to improve upon an 11 loss season and after the amazing 2-0 start the predictable happened. Perhaps the Bucs knew that getting a quality replacement at head coach would be difficult with the suspension hanging over Winston or perhaps they were all in on the Chuckie stakes but thankfully tapped out when the price got too high but all that is in the past and now we fans have to put our faith in Bucco Bruce…..
March 31st, 2019 at 1:28 am
I’LL second what JimmyJack….. had to drink!
March 31st, 2019 at 8:42 am
C.j. Anderson should not be a free agent! And is a good player.