“It’s Totally Fixed”
May 31st, 2019
The biggest and most uplifting Buccaneers news of the day was delivered by Bucco Bruce Arians.
What a glorious day this is.
Arians was hit with a very simple question after practice. A reporter asked him to name a position, following 10 days of OTA sessions, that jumps out and makes Arians say, ‘We’re not as bad as we thought at that position.’
The head coach had a quick answer.
“Yeah, probably secondary, we’re really, really good,” Arians said with extra energy in his voice. “With Carlton [Davis] and Vernon [Hargreaves], we knew we had two solid corners. Now we got five solid corners. Ryan [Smith] came along. So yeah, earmarked as a problem set back in January, it’s totally fixed. Just knock on wood they stay healthy.”
Bucs fans should sleep very, very well tonight. Carlton Davis, Vernon Hargreaves, Ryan Smith and a couple of rookie corners have the complete confidence of Arians’ accomplished staff.
Joe might even start drinking early.
May 31st, 2019 at 12:54 pm
Were better just by Brent “Im not being paid enough to cover a number 1 receiver” Grimes is gone.
May 31st, 2019 at 12:55 pm
Yea.. They back there mirroring our guys. They may be young but they won’t be a weakness I assure. Ask Carmen.
May 31st, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Come on man Ryan Smith will be amongst the first cuts along with VH3. Not buying this but I’ll happily buy you a beer or three. 🍻
May 31st, 2019 at 12:57 pm
Again Carmen says these young legs are forcing “All” our QBs to go the checkdown. If they’re step for step with ours they’ll be step for step with whomevers.
May 31st, 2019 at 12:58 pm
55 Ryan Smith ain’t going no where.
May 31st, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Were better just by Brent “Im not being paid enough to cover a number 1 receiver” Grimes is gone.
That’s the one thing his mom could not defend him on
May 31st, 2019 at 1:00 pm
That’d be sweet if Bowels could come in and turn Ryan Smith’s game around. Please don’t put VH3 on the outside. We’ve watched his past tape of that when he wasn’t injured and it didn’t go well. He looked like a good nickel CB last year even if it was for only two days.
DEAN FOR #2 OUTSIDE!!!
May 31st, 2019 at 1:03 pm
So nice to hear. Is it too early to have an ice cold brew to that comment/news?! Here’s to hoping they stay healthy and keep progressing….cheers 🙂
May 31st, 2019 at 1:05 pm
Yep I like this. I did scratch my head at the draft when the choices were made but I like the idea of having a good(it better be!) young & cheaper secondary. Kinda like what we did with our WRs and how we keep drafting them keeping us strong.
Just keep drafting and developing and those position should remain strong.
Then you spend your big investments on the lines and at other positions………As much crying as y’all do about our trenches both lines have been addressed. We have a 3 man DL with a Top 10 pick and a $10 million man leading the way……On the OL we have three guys making mega dollars…………Rather then whining about last year’s performance I’m going to expect these players to play to the potential they ate being paid for in 2019!
GO BUCS!!!!
May 31st, 2019 at 1:06 pm
Not buying it. They wouldn’t have used 2nd and 3rd round picks if they had any faith in any of those guys.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:07 pm
Weren’t we just talking about how Hargreaves was next to go out the door after GMC? Now all the sudden he is good to go.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:08 pm
Everyone’s a solid corner!!!
Arians and his 275 assistant coaches will make every Bucs fan’s wildest dreams come true!!!
May 31st, 2019 at 1:08 pm
…and albeit very early in the offseason, it’s nice to hear such positivity from BA regarding the TWO positions I was worried about the most heading into the offseason; DB and RB. If this holds true, I feel very confident heading into the year that we can compete and hopefully WIN some games this year.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:09 pm
Ryan Smith can tackle….and is great on ST….
I think the addition of Bunting & Dean (speedy & speedier) have made the big difference.
We needed the speed and we needed the depth….
May 31st, 2019 at 1:09 pm
DB55
I’m gonna have to go with NOSBOS on this one. Not a starter, but Ryan smith is very good DB depth having experience in both the safety and CB position and he is better than Javion Elliot or Isaiah Johnson. Kick those two to the curb along with VH3 and JPP so we can get a lil bit of dough.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:16 pm
Ryan Smith was quietly our best graded corner last year per PFF.. over VHIII/Davis/Grimes in about that order. All were bad grades tho lol
Looking forward to seeing this group the most because that’s where we need the most improvement. It’s also exciting because who knows who the starters might be and any combo won’t surprise
Guessing they want it to be VHIII/Davis outside with Bunting at nickle and Dean/Smith backing up the outside spots, but who knows what will play out via competition. Just going by body type / speed Bunting has the mold of a #1 on the outside more so than Hargreaves who has historically been very good in nickle.
Either way the nickle CB/S is playing 65% of snaps so we will need 3 legit guys out there most plays
May 31st, 2019 at 1:18 pm
I love Ryan Smith!!! As an ST ace… Plz keep him off the defense, PLEASE!!!!
May 31st, 2019 at 1:28 pm
Ryan Smith was always regarded as a man press CB coming out of college, no surprise when asked to play to his strengths he excels.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:30 pm
All were bad grades tho lol
————-
Lmao. Exactly.
Ryan Smith will not make this team fellers. You guys are funny man, really really funny.
But again wtfdik
May 31st, 2019 at 1:31 pm
I still can’t believe the whole Mike Smith thing.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:45 pm
I really think bruce arians feels bucs fans are backwoods trailer park embeciles who do not know what winning football and good players look like. Ryan Smith, CMON
May 31st, 2019 at 1:47 pm
Ryan Smith is a nice depth player to have.
If we ever do get into a big game and one of our corners goes down it can be a very scary thing relying on a bench Corner. If R.Smith was the guy we were looking at I wouldn’t be scared. I’d be confident he could perform his job……..That’s not a easy thing to say about a depth guy.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:49 pm
All fixed in underwear football. Nobody can touch anybody. No real pressure. Ok then what ever BS you want to try to feed.
May 31st, 2019 at 1:59 pm
The Bucs are right on schedule. BA isn’t missing a beat. March through July, blow smoke. August to December, put out fires. In January, start cleaning up the ashes.
May 31st, 2019 at 2:00 pm
“Joe might even start drinking early.”
Drink out of joy, drink out of sorry. Just drink.
May 31st, 2019 at 2:01 pm
^^^^sorrow
May 31st, 2019 at 2:12 pm
Kool-Aid all around.
May 31st, 2019 at 2:16 pm
Joe should write an article about when a reporter asked BA about the mentality of the team under the ‘previous head coach’ and how they ‘found a lot more ways to lose games’ and Bruce brushed it off as chump sh!+. He said “It’s gonna start at the top, and if I feel that way it’s gonna permeate down for sure”
It was very telling.
Teams become a reflection and take on the mentality of their head coach and his staff. Soft, confused, unprepared and weak willed were all things that defined the Bucs under Dirk Koetter. This youthful secondary is no exception to that rule. They will play physical at the line and benefit from a defense that is built around simple communication and concepts.
“disrupt the line of scrimmage and cover your guy, i’ll take care of the rest, yes indeed baby!”
May 31st, 2019 at 2:26 pm
PriMech I agree. And I have also heard Bruce say he likes to have multiple leaders on the team. To have leaders within all the position groups.
The DB position worries me with leadership. I’ve heard good things about Mike Edwards and TBH he sounds like our best hope. He is also a guy that is a rookie 3rd Rounder and I have never saw play once in my life. Let alone play for the Bucs…….Leadership from our Secondary sounds bleak at best.
May 31st, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Wait and see, but the scheme they will be playing in will help the secondary a lot. I’m going to be optimistic at this point.
May 31st, 2019 at 2:34 pm
LOL I was open to believing Davis and Hargreaves could do well but when he added Ryan Smith to the list that takes away all credibility of his assessment. Sure Bruce, Ryan Smith is great now because of some underwear football practices. Never mind those first 45 NFL games were he looked like a CFL player ran on the field and started covering the other team’s best receivers.
You know who looks forward to seeing Ryan Smith in the defensive backfield next season? Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. They are probably more fond of Smith than Bucco Bruce is.
May 31st, 2019 at 2:36 pm
I wonder about the glazers. Why do they always look out of town for HC’s and GM’s?
There is such brilliant material right here that post on your site that the Glazers could hire from Joe.
May 31st, 2019 at 3:05 pm
What a difference coaching and a new scheme can make.
Does Mike Smith have a job?
May 31st, 2019 at 3:09 pm
I take great comfort in that the defense can’t possibly get MUCH worse. So, illogically, it has to get better. Or go sideways. Which is an improvement over worse. So better.
May 31st, 2019 at 3:30 pm
A zone based defenses primary mission is to keep the ball in front and not allow the BIG play while relying on the secondary to make the tackle. With the goal that an offense cannot march down the field without making a mistake.
A pressure defense with man press primary mission is to delay and redirect the WR to where the defense wants them to go and deny them a completion. With primary goal being the defense will not allow the completion.
The difference in the type of CB’s needed or either defense is as big of a difference as there is for OL in a offense that runs a Zone running versus Man power.
May 31st, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Good !…and it should be a position of strength will all the high picks addressing the back end…all youngsters too….
May 31st, 2019 at 3:51 pm
Todd Bowles will bring the house.
At least it will be fun to watch
May still need another year / draft / FA to get next level
The Bucs have never been a blitzing team
May 31st, 2019 at 4:31 pm
Oh God… if we’re still relying on Ryan Smith, then we already know the outcome.
May 31st, 2019 at 4:51 pm
I’m worried about you, Joe(s). You drink when you’re happy. You drink when you’re sad. Intervention, anyone?
May 31st, 2019 at 4:57 pm
Everyone hating on Ryan Smith but I have seen that guy play his tail off in a scheme that was just destroyed by every OC that faced it. I like Ryan and he sure has taken his lumps in the past, but some coaching and a more aggressive scheme could turn him into a reliable player either starting or as depth.
May 31st, 2019 at 5:11 pm
Passthebuc!
A little comedy on a Friday is very nice.
May 31st, 2019 at 5:14 pm
Hey cobraboy what do ya think about the new kicker?
You looked into him yet?
May 31st, 2019 at 5:56 pm
Is it me, or was Ryan Smith playing man scheme when he was setting records and winning awards at safety and CB at NCCU? Coming out of a small school but now with a couple years in the NFL under his belt, maybe Bowles secondary scheme can return him to playing lights out football. Enjoyed that comment BA.
May 31st, 2019 at 5:57 pm
@jimmyjack absolutely man, leadership is definitely key especially in terms of communication and ‘quarterbacking’ that secondary. Honestly, something that I feel isn’t being talked about is that Buccanon will spend alot of time getting snaps in the secondary and could help the youngins
@bigpoppa I second that notion as well, when Ryan was played in a press fashion he has had a few games where he was ranked very highly out of all corners for that particular week. I’m sure Bowles has seen the film and will look to replicate that
May 31st, 2019 at 6:16 pm
BigPoppaBuc Says:
May 31st, 2019 at 4:57 pm
Everyone hating on Ryan Smith but I have seen that guy play his tail off in a scheme that was just destroyed by every OC that faced it. I like Ryan and he sure has taken his lumps in the past, but some coaching and a more aggressive scheme could turn him into a reliable player either starting or as depth.
____
Agree 100% Smith was decent when playing to his strengths. Mike Smith’s D was terrible for everybody. I think Hargraves will be much better being more physical. I was against drafting a small slow CB that high but literally every Bucs fan signed off on it. Then Mike Smith put him out on an island 8 yards off his receiver… absolute recipe for failure. Joe Haden is similar in stature and speed as Hargreaves and succeeds when allowed to press. Ronde Barber succeeded in a press zone scheme despite being even smaller and slower than VHIII. The fact that most of you knuckleheads breathed a sigh of relief when Mike Smith signed an extension in 2016 tells me how little most of you know anyways. His scheme was garbage then too but you idiots wanted him back while I prayed some team was dumb enough to make him their HC. I hate always being right.
May 31st, 2019 at 6:54 pm
I honestly do not think we had a talent problem, it was a coaching problem. Mike Smith thought it was still 1991.
May 31st, 2019 at 7:19 pm
So according to DB55 the CBs that are going to make the 53 over Ryan Smith (other than the 4 we know are locks) are DeVante Harris or Jalen Allison. lol.
May 31st, 2019 at 8:12 pm
Last year Derp was asked the same question.
His reply: “I like our trainer and the water boy is killing it”.
May 31st, 2019 at 8:31 pm
Neal
No, I don’t think they’re on the roster yet.
May 31st, 2019 at 9:32 pm
If we are so good at CB why did we waste a whole draft on more of them?
May 31st, 2019 at 11:12 pm
@Dom<Licht
Because they needed to turn a position of weakness into a position of depth and strength very quickly. And they didn't waste a whole draft, genius. They invested a couple second round picks on two guys with legit speed who fit the defense.
May 31st, 2019 at 11:15 pm
After drafting 99 DBs in the couple of drafts they should be better, but I have zero confidance in the worst GM in the league.
May 31st, 2019 at 11:39 pm
Nice!!! Can we finally put to bed you don’t draft for need, you take the BPA. We loaded up on secondary in this draft (and last), and BA just basically said we drafted for our greatest weakness….and it worked. Thank you and good night.
In BA I Trust!
June 1st, 2019 at 8:03 am
Ryan Smith is quick and not afraid to tackle. Just what Bowles is looking for. Smith had the greatest learning curve of any DB on this team, now take that with a terrible scheme and terrible coaching, it’s like ROJO, confidence is huge. The only way Smith is not on the team is if they bring in a vet CB like Claiborne or PP
June 1st, 2019 at 2:59 pm
Nice.. If these guys ball out, will be a team to recon with. Dosent underwear football favor the offense though? 7on7 stuff? Thats good to hear we have some decent competition. It should help the receivers get better.
June 1st, 2019 at 3:21 pm
Big time!
Again, it’s flag football without the flags but with helmets. No hitting. No tackling. Quarterback always has time to throw. No one in his face.
June 2nd, 2019 at 8:26 am
This team is 27-53 in Jason Lichts 5 long years as GM. Thats an average of 5.2 wins a year. Last two years 5-11 thats about as good as its going to get with this clown in charge. BA and TB might squeeze out. 6 or 7 wins thats about it. The Glazer boys don’t care about winning its all about smoke screens to sell tickets. Look at the oil spill fiasco.