Lay Off Donovan Smith
February 29th, 2020
Target of more hate.
Now Joe isn’t trying to suggest Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith is the most cuddly of NFL players. But Joe would like to know whose cereal bowl he p!ssed in years ago to get half the free world cheering for his demise?
Years ago Joe became convinced people hated Smith — just because. Because they heard so many others say the same thing. Parroting.
Joe is convinced this began before he was even drafted. The source was likely some dude from his Irish dorm room and his part-time employer, Pro Farting Focus (PFF).
Joe isn’t saying Smith is a great left tackle. But he seemed to do OK as a rookie when he blocked for a running back who gained over 1,400 yards and a rookie quarterback who threw for 4,000 yards.
How could either player have accomplished that if Smith was like a broken screen door in a tornado?
Some believe Smith is bad. Oh, what short memories they have. Remember the guy Smith replaced, Anthony Collins, who was so rotten the Bucs told to go home in December and not come back? That, folks, was a bad left tackle.
So it is in the spirit of hating Smith because it’s the hip thing to do to try to look smart, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes the time to replace Smith is in April in the draft with Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas.
From a size perspective, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas is as impressive as any tackle prospect in this class. He checked in at the combine at 6’5⅛” and 305 pounds with 36⅛” arms—the longest among this year’s big names at the tackle spot.
A three-year starter in a pro-style offense at Georgia, Thomas’ experience and powerful frame should enable him to make an immediate impact at either tackle spot in the NFL.
It isn’t a stretch to say he could be better than Buccaneers starting left tackle Donovan Smith the moment he steps onto an NFL field for the first time.
We know this how? Dude hasn’t even stepped on an NFL practice field yet. The guy is more often than not blocking children; it is just a wee bit different trying to lock up Cam Jordan.
Look, Joe thinks Smith just had his best season as a pro. And he has a fat guaranteed contract. It is highly unlikely the Bucs are going to pay Smith $14 million guaranteed to sing to himself as he drives down I-75 North following his release.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:04 am
I’m certainly not a fan of smith. I think he’s lazy, has poor foot and handwork. That being said, he had a decent year last year. Definitely better than previous years. Drafting a LT early on would be a mistake unless they could transition to right tackle.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:08 am
True Joe, there are some Bucs fans that love to hate on some of the Bucs players. The fact that a percentage think ANYBODY else at QB would be better than Jameis is proof of it. They probably thought ANYBODY would’ve been better than Donald Penn, but Anthony Collins was 20 times worse.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:16 am
This is why no one listens to you when you go talking about free agents bucs should target. No one hates smith but there is a reason he was drafted in the second round. He is exactly what they said he was in scouting reports a talented guy who takes plays off. Not sure how that equates to hating when blind arse joe can literally see plays where he didnt play to the whistle and yo boy winston got his head taken off but oh ok let’s call it hate lol. Most teams in college have just a few guys on the field that will make it to the next level. He earned that lazy tag in college not the NFL so no need to try and minimize a guy projected to go in the first round because hes a better prospect. Ridiculous are most of your articles when you take this type of angle
February 29th, 2020 at 9:25 am
I think it’s just muscle memory at this point, Smith sucks, Smith sucks, Smith sucks. He seemed to improve last year, Maybe the coaching improved?
February 29th, 2020 at 9:25 am
Agree w dislocated bucs fan
Smith appears to be lazy and takes plays off it appears.
As a competitor you hate to see that from a teammate
February 29th, 2020 at 9:26 am
deranged oline is perfect Joe is so much more crazy (he must be the one pounding bud lights at 3am) than the joe lobbying for AARP man of the year with his average quote age approaching 93.56
donavan smith is lazy joe you can not “Buc Excuse” that away. there is NEVER justification for lack of effort nor is their justification for fanboys that support lazy players. you know better… what kind of dirt does the oline room have on you sir… did they bust you hitting on that scary girl at the bar late night or something. please share…. with your blind support of the horrendous oline, you are starting to remind me of that low standard Pewter Pelosi and his intense jealously and hatred toward jameis
February 29th, 2020 at 9:27 am
Joe in Talib Controlled Territory
every buc over the last 18 years deserves hate based on the actual on field results…. have you been watching this piss poor attempt at football glazers field year in and year out??????
February 29th, 2020 at 9:28 am
Even the great ones get beat once in a while. Sometimes when Donovan gets beat it looks pretty bad on tape, hence the bad press. Fact is that he’s a solid player and a solid guy. Andrew Thomas may turn out to be a better player, we’ll see. We could do a lot worse than Donovan.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:45 am
Donovan Smith isn’t a bad tackle. He is slightly below average. The problem is he is being paid too much. He is making top 5 tackle money and is ranked @ #20 or so in performance.
He does not have any guaranteed money after 2020 and is due $14.5 million in 2021. Let’s hope he has a career year and earns all that cash next season.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:52 am
Agreed, Smith is being paid too much, IMHO.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:52 am
So I have heard a number of these tackles comment on playing either the right or left side of the line while at the combine. They all say it just takes some tweaking but that they could pick it up if they had to switch to the right side. If Thomas is BPA when the Bucs draft him. Let them battle it out in camp and put the best one on left side, and the runner up on the right. Joe seems to be the only one who thinks it would be impossible to move Smith to the right side. Of course Donovon wants to stay on the left because that is where the big money is. It is not Arians and Lichts problem to make sure Smith gets max contracts for the rest of his career. However, it is their job to maximize the talent on the team.
February 29th, 2020 at 9:54 am
accepting and justifying mediocre performances for players paid elite or top 5 coin is exactly why this franchise has NOT won a meaningful game in 18 years. glazers have trained bucfan well to lower their standards just so they can find something positive to cling too. Cancer93, lvd (1.5 good years very inconsistent and self admitted mentally weak so don’t even try ladies), smith and basically every free agent not named Barrett have been overpaid to underwhelm.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:01 am
I keep wondering why you do this Joe. Appears that one Joe keeps drawing these ‘lines in the sand’ and then shortly thereafter the other Joe will jump over it. Sometimes it’s Jameis, sometimes it’s Donovan. The RBs all get a turn, as do various OLinemen periodically. GMC of course was a favorite to praise, then browbeat.
You make it sound like at least HALF of EVERYONE is against ‘poor Donovan’. Except you of course. Same with Jameis … EVERYONE’s supposed to be either Pro-Jameis or Against-Jameis (more commonly known as ‘The Haters’). Kind of a silly way to look at the world IMO. It’s like saying that EVERYONE is either Far-Left or Far-Right when it comes to politics. Not even close to reality.
Most fans probably think Donovan Smith is ‘OK’. Not ‘Special’ (as in Pro Bowl & All-Pro), just ‘OK’. He gets the job done … the majority of the time. Like the Timex watches, he takes a lickin but keeps on tickin. Not a bad gig for $14 million a year.
Oh and when it comes to the draft, Bucs will HOPEFULLY draft a Tackle in Rnd 1. And yes, a Tackle who can play Left Tackle, as well as Right Tackle, because right now, Bucs don’t have anyone to play RT, nor do we have anyone who can adequately back up Donovan at LT if he should go down. It’s also nice to have COMPETITION for various positions, including LT. And if a guy making $14 mil a year can’t deal with COMPETITION, then he has a problem … and so do the Bucs.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:02 am
Fans Pay !!!
But not to watch 3/4 effort ( it’s simple) Don’t ever ask why again , we all know the answer !!!
February 29th, 2020 at 10:05 am
Defense Rules
competition lol that’s hilarious considering the bucs can’t even put 11 qualified nfl players out of 22 starters on sundays….. get me 22 actual nfl starters before you start crying about competition and backups. when you roll out 11 nfl caliber players and 11 janitors each week you achieve the results this franchise has achieved over the last 18 years.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:07 am
Smith is not an answer
February 29th, 2020 at 10:09 am
Lay off?
How about firing him?
February 29th, 2020 at 10:24 am
The drive killing false starts and giving up on plays is why I haven’t “laid off”
February 29th, 2020 at 10:27 am
The entire line will look better with a competent web who knows how to read the defense and get the ball out
February 29th, 2020 at 10:28 am
smith is soft served froyoooooooo
February 29th, 2020 at 10:28 am
Qb dang autocorrect
February 29th, 2020 at 10:34 am
Anyone notice the poor play of Smiths replacement when Smith went out with injury? Smith is much better then fans give him credit for.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:36 am
not single member of the bucs oline would start on any playoff team period. marpet is the best backup amongst the group of overpaid, washed up and 1 dimensional offensive linemen. cappa showed heart but has not accomplished anything yet. we all love heart but talent wins. marpet and d smith have spent way too much time around dotson, cancer93 and his mentally weak sidekick. they are entrenched in the losing culture and can’t be cured.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:41 am
Since when did Donovan Smith become a replacement priority?…….we have many, many needs for improvement…….RT, S, QB, RB…..
Donovan Smith is way, way down the list.
Do we need to draft or sign a RT…..hell yes……would it be nice to have a young RT who could move to left in a year or two…..hell yes……could we use some quality depth on the Oline….hell yes. Do we need to be concerned with replacing Donovan Smith now…..hell no!!!
February 29th, 2020 at 10:46 am
If one of Wills / Wirfs / Thomas / Becton falls to #14…Would be hard pressed to not draft OT in the 1st…All 4 blew up the combine w/ their work-outs.
February 29th, 2020 at 10:46 am
Tampabaybucfan Says:
bucs could replace the entire 53 man roster every 8 weeks and still achieve or better the actual results over the last 18 years. clinging to mediocrity is what bucfan and glazers do best
February 29th, 2020 at 10:48 am
Smith to right tackle
February 29th, 2020 at 10:53 am
Smith has already stated that he cannot play right tackle. He never has played right tackle and he won’t play right tackle. The reports of Smith being able to play right tackle were made up nonsense. Like most of the crap NFL talking heads spew.
February 29th, 2020 at 11:01 am
Joe
Your a closet Penn state fan or open one. You boost those players higher than they should even Godwin. I bet your itching to write about how Godwin is on HOF trajectory right now and in 2 years he should be in the HOF
Dsmith is below average. Not hot garbage but garbage He makes good blocks. Ok he should. But he is not a stable option and I dont know how you cant see this.
And let’s not talk about the tomahawk force fumbles he allows. Some games the oline just haywire and our oline was completely dominated. But we talk about the Qb everyday and his problems. Looks who around him
February 29th, 2020 at 11:01 am
He doesn’t need replaced unless he can’t increase his effort which is poison for a team !!! He did close the gap last year , minus Cam Jordon Games !!
February 29th, 2020 at 11:03 am
Smith will be the perfect depth lineman tho. As a solid backup and as a coach would love it
February 29th, 2020 at 11:18 am
Smith is fine as a pass blocker. His footwork isn’t instinctive enough to be a run blocker, but that is okay, we have Marpet and Cappa to do that.
A run blocking RT is a much higher need. You can’t rebuild everything at once unless you have a Miami attitude.
In a couple of years Smith will need to be retired, but right now he is fine.
February 29th, 2020 at 11:20 am
@Catcard
Agree completely. If we get fortunate to land one of those four we’ll have succeeded. Hopefully enough QB’s make a move up the chart…and some good defensive players…I’d say we’re even odds.
I saw Wirfs 40 at the combine…dude is very athletic and can run! Sub 4.5
February 29th, 2020 at 11:20 am
Oops…not 4.5 but sub 5.0
February 29th, 2020 at 11:30 am
He’s the 6th highest paid OT in the NFL… and was #5 before Cards just paid their LT. If Joe can’t understand how infuriating it is to watch a Top 5 paycheck take a few key plays off almost every game with the too frequent result being a sack, strip sack or QB hurry, then there’s not much splaining we can do.
Smith simply has a mental play clock that is a second or two shorter than our current QB. If I know that from the stands, how the heck can he not know that on the field? Even if we get a new QB Bruce’s offense calls for longer developing plays half the time.
February 29th, 2020 at 11:30 am
Lamarcus,
Spot on assessment of Donovan.
He should be a backup somewhere.
Maybe we can do a backup trade package that includes JayMiss and Donovan?
February 29th, 2020 at 11:39 am
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you’re bound to get irate
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that’s exactly how hate works and operates
Man, we gotta set it straight
Take control of your mind and just meditate
And let your soul just gravitate
To the love, so the whole world celebrate it
Where is the Love? – The Black Eyed Peas
February 29th, 2020 at 11:55 am
The problem for me with Smith is his appearance of lack of effort or caring. His body language just seems as though he’s going through the motions. I don’t know the guy and have never spoke to him but I’d guess he’s just a happy go lucky type of guy which is fine but on the field you want an aggressive mauling type. I’d hoped like many fans that after Cam Jordan made his statement about Smith we’d see an attitude and fire from him this year but got the same nonchalant demeanor. We need a pure Alpha on that Oline that’s going to get in all their butts when they screwed up. And no Jensen isn’t the one although he’s the closest of all of them.
February 29th, 2020 at 12:12 pm
As I remember it, Dotson was the false start guy, not Smith. I could be proven wrong on this with the penalty stats, I’m too lazy to look it up right now.
February 29th, 2020 at 12:24 pm
https://www.footballdb.com/stats/penalties-player.html?yr=2019&tm=30&sort=fs
February 29th, 2020 at 12:39 pm
The article is about replacing players who don’t need to be replaced, this season anyway. Some of the commentators say D Smith should be a backup somewhere…Who are you replacing him with? You’d rather replace him than Dotson? I fail to see the logic.
February 29th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
@Will … “We need a pure Alpha on that Oline that’s going to get in all their butts when they screwed up.” Very interesting observation Will, especially considering that the Bucs had the most expensive OLine in the NFL when last year started. You’re exactly right, our OLine lacks LEADERSHIP. Marpet & Smith were rookie OLinemen who excelled because that LEADERSHIP was provided by Logan Mankins. He set the standard; he set the example.
That year (2015) our running game (455 attempts) gained over 2,100 yards. Jameis, the rookie QB, passed for over 4,000 yards in 535 attempts, throwing for 22 TDs with 15 INTs, against only 27 sacks. The run-pass BALANCE? Yup, 46% Run VS 54% Pass. That’s near-perfect BALANCE. The OLine did their job exceptionally well.
What was most interesting to me though about that year was WHO actually made up the OLine. LT-Smith. LG-Mankins. C-Hawley. RG-Marpet. RT-Cherilus. One All-Pro, 2 rookies (BOTH 2nd Rnd), and essentially 2 backup-quality OLinemen who were BOTH new to the Bucs. Mankins was in his 2nd year with us, while the OTHER FOUR were in their first year with the Bucs. And yet that OLine probably performed better than any Bucs OLine since our SB year. Why? IMO … it was the LEADERSHIP provided by Mankins that made all the difference.
February 29th, 2020 at 12:57 pm
Good research Joe in Michigan! Will use that for a story.
February 29th, 2020 at 12:59 pm
Just disqualified your entire comment with this line. 🙁
February 29th, 2020 at 1:16 pm
@Defense
Great analysis…I still think that 2015 offensive line was the best Jameis has ever had here in Tampa…And we actually ran the football that year as well…
As far as Donovan is concerned I personally would like to see a guy with his size and athleticism toss people around like a bouncer in a nightclub; unfortunately for us fans and our QBs & RBs he’s definitely proved to be more passive than aggressive…
February 29th, 2020 at 1:26 pm
Joe in Michigan
The article is about replacing players who don’t need to be replaced
based on the results and 8 out of 10 basement titles you can replace the entire organization every 8 weeks and be this bad. every position should be evaluated every year regardless of popularity. never ever should you have players that are untouchable unless they are Selmon or sapp…. the rest were always just coattail riders anyway. bucfan 99.9 % of the time can’t tell the difference between a good player and a popular player. sports entertainment is a business… no place for feelings in business. every player should go into training camp scared to death they will be back at UPS or Publix if they don’t do their best each and every rep…. problem is there is no expectations when you are a buc… there is no high standard to live up to. 6 playoff wins in 43 years proves that especially considering half came during the fluke championship year. given the fact that society frowns upon competition, personal responsibility and accountability there is no reason to expect nfl players to be any different. bucs are feelings first organization success last….
February 29th, 2020 at 1:31 pm
@Defense you’d hope that Marpet and Smith would’ve took what Logan showed them and continue it but that hasn’t happened. I don’t see a rookie coming in and doing it although I haven’t truly researched the linemen in this draft. I’d love to see a free agent from a winning team come in and take control although we know how expensive it would be to this already expensive under performing line. I know many will say the oline performed well if they look at how much the line cost compared to others in the league what they’d think. We all know the run blocking is no where near what it needs to be.
February 29th, 2020 at 1:46 pm
Donovan Smith is a 10-15 tackle in the league
February 29th, 2020 at 2:11 pm
DSmith has said he is not a right tackle and it would not be a good move for him….so here is my plan get a RT in free-agency…Draft the best LT with the #1 pick and let DSmith and the rooki battle it out in camp…if DSmith can’t cut it, I’d move him to LG, Marpet would go to center (where they say he would be All-Pro), Jenson competes with Cappa for RG, if Cappa wins the competition then Jenson can be let go or traded or kept as a valued back up as he can backup Marpet at center and I believe Cappa will one day master all three interiors line positions!!! That my take on this O/lone…shake it up a little something has to be done!!! BUCS 2020!!!
February 29th, 2020 at 2:32 pm
I’ve defended him in years past but he seemed to have actually gotten worse.
February 29th, 2020 at 3:12 pm
I’m sure Smith would get better but Jameis keeps him from getting better, that is the only possibly cause as we all know everything his Jameis’s fault.
February 29th, 2020 at 3:36 pm
Joe doesn’t know sh|t
February 29th, 2020 at 3:58 pm
Joe it is you that has been dragging Donavan Smith through the mud.
February 29th, 2020 at 4:02 pm
Mirror you have it wrong it is Jameis dragging Smith trough the mud cause if something is negative it is always his fault.
February 29th, 2020 at 4:02 pm
tmaxcon: are you actually a fan of the Bucs? Who is your favorite team? The team with the best record that particular year? That’s the only way a team or player would be good enough for you, my friend.
February 29th, 2020 at 4:44 pm
Joe in Michigan Says:
February 29th, 2020 at 4:02 pm
tmaxcon: are you actually a fan of the Bucs? Who is your favorite team? The team with the best record that particular year? That’s the only way a team or player would be good enough for you, my friend.
\
i have been a bucs fan since 78. I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars supporting this franchise since then. I have earned the right to be a bitter prick. after the lovie pr stunt hiring I became a different fan…. you may enjoy the yearly nut punches and false hope dished out by the incompetent glazers but at the end of the day it’s the same old BS….. you can get excited the defense improved for a few games last year that’s your prerogative. by no means is that defense fixed nor is it consistent. I only handout props after their are earned not just over a couple of good plays or meaningless feel good stories. Win a damn post season game then you have my attention until then it’s just the same old galzers peddling their BS and hiring washed up losers to run their minor league franchise. BA has never built a winner NEVER… he actually has a horrible team building record and a horrendous post season record on his own…. so go ahead and drink the kool aid and buy into the latest BS regime but until they win a playoff game they have not earned a damn thing! regular season is for pretenders and the post season is for winners….
you can not be this bad for this long without trying to be bad this long. the glazers have followed the game plan of politicians they assume the fan-base / society are all stupid and you people fall for it every damn cycle. respect is earned on the field nowhere else. they have earned nothing in 18 years.
February 29th, 2020 at 4:45 pm
Amen.
February 29th, 2020 at 5:14 pm
As long as you’re a long suffering Bucs fan like most of us, tmaxcon. People always ask me why/how a became a Buc fan (USC is my college team, followed McKay and all of the guys that played at USC from the early years). I believe it has made all of us tougher and more resilient, being Bucs fans. A little grumpy at times, too. Hahaha
February 29th, 2020 at 6:31 pm
If he weren’t so allergic to run blocking he’d be a better left tackle, but he is right now, just a glorified right tackle, maybe even a guard.
February 29th, 2020 at 6:38 pm
Joe in Michigan
Do you think other billion dollar businesses like GE or Apple are going to let a short timer retired on active with a poor history of team building make long term decisions for the business????
There has been a leadership void since malcom obviously but even malcom hung onto dungy 2 years too long. The point is they have no vision short term or long term. Giving up on a 25 year old QB who owns ALL the franchise QB records based on an evaluation of a retired old guy with a personal agenda, a PROVEN RISKY system coupled with rookie play caller and 20 people in his ear all day that is just a minor league buc like move. sure jameis has his issues but hands down he is the most talented qb in franchise history.
Jameis haters are nothing more than bucfan versions of the mistress of hatred queen pelosi and a reflection of our current society driven by hate and drama. Not too mention the narrow minded review of his picks by every so called expert bucfan whose only expertise is making excuses for this failed franchise. bucs give up on talent and hang onto mediocre choirboys who lose quietly….
it makes me laugh daily, all these guys who spout of about character yet a man of true character would not only support jameis he would be rational enough to accept that jameis has played behind historically worst of nfl defenses 3 regimes that have NO clue what they are doing and an oline even their mothers can’t support. this fan base is as clueless as the glazers.
jpp, cancer93 and lvd have all hurt the bucs more than jameis yet they receive a free pass day in and day out!
February 29th, 2020 at 7:14 pm
Couple of points.
1. In Smith’s rookie year Mollie Hamster ran for over 1,400 yards. How exactly can that happen if the left tackle (a rookie) can’t run block? If you are saying Mollie Hamster did this in spite of Smith, that really shoots holes in the hollering that the Bucs need to upgrade the offensive line for the running game to work.
2. For the umpteenth time, Smith cannot play right tackle. He confessed this to Joe years ago. Just like Demar Dotson was so horrible when getting a test drive at left tackle, the Bucs drafted Smith.
February 29th, 2020 at 8:28 pm
Joe Says:
February 29th, 2020 at 12:57 pm
Good research Joe in Michigan! Will use that for a story.
Glad I could be of assistance to your great website!
February 29th, 2020 at 8:42 pm
wait …you keep saying we need a back that can break tackles cause our backs can’t even get out of the backfield on their own. You sir, don’t know anything about offensive lineman. You have professed that in the past. You said during TC you don’t watch the big nasties cause they don’t interest Joe. Being that is the case, then you have zero knowledge about what makes a good OT. Plus this BS that Smith can’t play RT is just that, BS. The reason why Dotson couldn’t take the LT position is because he wasn’t good enough for LT. Lt is harder than RT, So don’t tell me Smith can’t step down to RT. Smith told you that because he don’t want to move to RT. LT’s make more money than RT’s. And as far as Doug Martin, he created his own opportunities most the time. The one thing you expect every RB to do. Smith sucks at run blocking. End of debate. I watch the offensive line unlike you do.
February 29th, 2020 at 11:22 pm
Smith is a slightly better than average tackle that is grossly overpaid. Drafting his eventual replacement this year is a good idea.
March 1st, 2020 at 1:53 am
But he’s not mean… GRRRR!!!! He doesn’t eat his boogers or anything… I hate him, I need everyone to be mean! GRRRR!!!!
March 1st, 2020 at 1:55 am
Buczilla – Uh, if he’s slightly above average, and he’s going to be like the 10th-12th highest paid LT next year (and he will be when FA ends), then his pay is right in the ballpark of his skill level.
March 1st, 2020 at 5:11 am
@Rod Munch
Uh, according to Over the Cap, Donovan is the 9th highest paid LT this year, he was the 8th highest in 2019, and will be the 5th highest paid in 2021. Like I said, grossly overpaid.