Will Jason Licht Be More “Hands On?”
March 25th, 2020
The NFL seems determined to hold the NFL Draft on time, which means it kicks off in 27 days as a made-for-TV event in a studio rather than in Las Vegas before hundreds of thousands of fans.
For those paying attention to national news, NFL general manager’s aren’t pleased.
Reports have said the consensus in the GM community is to delay the draft so teams can work out prospects, do face-to-face interviews, etc.
The NFL, apparently, has told them all to suck it up and rely on their scouting and online interview skills. Hall of Fame executive and NFL scouting godfather Gil Brandt touched on this a bit over the weekend.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta explained to the Baltimore Sun that he would be “more hands-on” in this draft than ever before.
“This is a challenging time,” DeCosta said. “We can’t do the things that we’re accustomed to doing, we can’t be meeting with these players, we can’t be working out players, we can’t be visiting with players, so what are the things that we can do?
“… Rest assured, I’ll be watching every single player in this draft and go back to my days as the college scouting director. And we’ll work together, and we’ve got a great staff of people. And even if we can’t be together [at the team facility], we can get on the phone, we can work remote, we can video-conference each other, and we’ll make the best decisions that we can for this club.”
This got Joe thinking about whether seventh-year Bucs GM Jason Licht will have the same mindset. Would Licht being more hands-on, aka more influential, be a good thing or a bad thing?
Joe can’t answer that.
It’s apparent to Joe that Licht didn’t call all the shots during Lovie Smith years. Joe can’t imagine Licht, of sound mind and body and fresh off working under superior head coaches and executives, believed his first team should be led by career loser Josh McCown. How could Team Glazer have approved of that nonsense? Baffling!
Still, Licht had lots of influence and input. And then he was a true power lord during the 2016, 2017 and 2018 drafts before the new sheriff in town arrived.
Those three drafts certainly were a mixed bag: 2016 was a colossal bust, 2017 produced a Pro Bowler from Round 3 (Chris Godwin) and two promising players that had major injuries (Justin Evans and Kendall Beckwith), plus underwhelming O.J. Howard. The 2018 class has much more to prove — and the team still needs a No 1. running back.
Certainly, Licht’s staff is being tested in a big way right now, and Joe knows of no major changes to its core team.
Joe’s wondering today how much not being able to work out and spend time with quarterback prospects will affect the Bucs’ draft. Joe believes Tom Brady’s successor should be chosen next month, but if you can’t do all your proper homework on the guy, then maybe it’s best to wait until next year. Maybe.
March 25th, 2020 at 9:44 am
Maybe just let Mel Kiper assign players to each team , can’t take chances with this Coronavirus thing !
March 25th, 2020 at 9:47 am
Are you sure you want Leftwich coaching the rookie? Last 2 qbs he coached looks to promising to backups within the same year
Pass on the Qb until Leftwich is gone
March 25th, 2020 at 9:52 am
This is a time to not take chances on the picks……take players from the big conferences who haven’t been injured and have reliable production…….stay away from the small college gambles that Licht likes…..
I’d go with the SEC primarily….perhaps the Big 12 & Big 10……play it safe….
March 25th, 2020 at 9:53 am
Either this year or next for a solid young QB to learn is fine with me.
I still want to see our priorities taken care of
Resign Suh
New starting RT
Additional RB
Additional Safety
New third receiver
Then backup QB
In BA I Trust!
March 25th, 2020 at 10:05 am
“The NFL team that signs JW will receive a 2nd/3rd round pick
Starting next year teams will play 17 games
Backup QBs will be very very important and expensive position
With another game, the backup QB will double the about of time playing compared to the avg time in the past
Starting next year there will avg 7-10 backup QBs starting at the end of the NFL regular season
Ben roethlisberger had his season ending injury on the 2nd week. The Steelers had a great defense that almost led them to the playoffs even with the incompetent pathetic QBs they had. Pittsburg would have traded a 2nd round pick for backup Winston.
Kobe Faker had a vision last night. As he was awaken by his pet goat,
Kobe Faker saw JW in a saints uniform”
Kobe Faker
March 25th, 2020 at 10:10 am
I can answer that.
We have all witnessed Backstabbin’ Jason Licht’s “hands on” approach with his drafting of players like VH3ust, Noah Spence, Roberto Aguayo, Justin Evans, Jay-Miss wINsTon, and really that entire 2016 draft. Between the 2016 draft and free agents brought in for 2016 and 2017 he set this team back a long ways. It’s had to take signing Tom Brady and bringing in Bruce Arians to save his job and end his reign of terror.
Thanks but no thanks.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:22 am
This draft will end up having the least early round bust in recent memory. Do to it going back to how it should be. Relying on the 3-4 years of college tape the player has versus watching a player run around in underwear and answer questions in person for you. So I feel there won’t be a lot of reaches in the early rounds. And a lot of guys that the so called experts draft guys have going first second round will slip down into the 4-5 rounds where they should be picked and therefor not be thrown into starting and get the year or two to learn and become a solid pro. You see it every year now a guy blows away coached with his underwear and interview and they draft him 2 rounds to early to ensure they get him. But I have this feeling 31 other teams will do this and licht will still be taking lenoir Rhine players in the second. And middle Tennessee Chattanooga player in the 3rd.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:25 am
Best of Licht
– Mike Evans – that was easy
– Jameis, Ali, Donovan & Kwon (Brate & Humphries)
– trade for JPP
– Chris Godwin and Vita Vea
– free agent Shaq (got lucky), Perriman
– there’s still hope for ROJO, Cappa and OJH, CDIII
– Devin White, SMB
– Tom Brady ???
March 25th, 2020 at 10:31 am
Just ban Licht from picking in the second round or drafting a kicker, we’ll be ok.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:37 am
Licht more hands on? As in stirring the cream and sugar into everyone’s coffee, making sure he not only takes the orders but is the one ensuring the orders are correct and handing them out individually with a mint, cleaning up after everyone has left the meeting room and carrying everyone’s notebooks from meeting room to meeting room?
This sounds great! He could definitely take on a more expanded “coffee boy” role since he has been relieved of so much responsibility of the GM position now that Brady is here.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:39 am
This is probably where he is more hands off and relies on his scouting reports and/or input from BA. They made their board awhile back and it gets very few adjustments after the combine he has stated before. The signing of Brady has probably changed the board a bit but that’s being ironed out now. Signing of Suh and or another tackle might tweak it again but it’s probably close to where it’s going to end up as of now. Not that hard to follow your board and just call your picks in. I imagine trading of picks might be more frequent before that draft than in years past so teams aren’t scrambling day of. Just a hunch
March 25th, 2020 at 10:46 am
This definitely will be a different lead up to the draft. But that shouldn’t give Licht a free pass to screw it up.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:01 am
John Elway rode TD to a few SBs….Not a bad approach to consider for a 40+ yr old QB. Question is value….I believe a linemen will trump a RB if all things are graded equal in Rd 1. After that….we snag a RB…QB…OL
March 25th, 2020 at 11:14 am
keep jason licht entertained during draft days how pam kept creed busy when he was named manager.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:26 am
Hey, they have had the combine, years of game tape (that is by far the most important indicator) and tons of personal data beginning in high school. Besides a good percentage of picks will never play a down in the NFL, so Have the Dam draft and Licht with his scouting team can earn the money we pay them to make good judgement decisions.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:28 am
Licht gets no credit for Vita Vea. Weird. If that was just forgetfulness on your part, Joe, how about being a pro and going back and editing that paragraph a little bit? Or are you going to stand by what you wrote and not include Vea as already proving to have been a very good pick?
March 25th, 2020 at 12:03 pm
licht will lean on his coaches just like he did last year during the draft….
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 25th, 2020 at 12:10 pm
lamarcus
do some research….lol…
BL only had rosen for 7games…lol…ken whisenhunt was the OC who helped pick rosen and then coached him during OTAs, TC, PS and thenin the regular season until he got canned…..
hard to blame BL when he only had half the season to work with rosen…..you wouldnt blame duff for the lousy defense after we fired smitty would you?….
BL also guided a top5 offense with a QB that tossed 30INTs…..red zone, first down, scoring….BL called those plays…..
are teams sure they want JW as a QB?…..
he’s gotten 2 coaches fired……
GO BUCS!!!!!!
March 25th, 2020 at 1:03 pm
For once Goodell and the stuffed shirts in New York got it right.
It’s freaking 2020. How hard is it to set up “virtual” interviews. The TV nets are literally using air talent in their basements interviewing guests on Skype.
It’s been a long time since any secrets were located in the draft. These players have been scouted for years.
I applaud the NFL. Our country is in misery right now and needs some escapist SAFE entertainment. The NFL draft is ideal. Do we need to see a bunch of hulking dudes waiting to hear their names called…or are we more interested in the video their highlights anyway.
March 25th, 2020 at 1:31 pm
In 2 season Licht has signed the sack king and greatest QB to ever play. He is top tier right now. His status leans on team record in 2020.
Bucs win then Licht is elite.
March 25th, 2020 at 1:52 pm
With lack of scouting and interview resources, we should see more draft day steals than ever. Although I’m not too sure Licht will partake in said robberies.
March 25th, 2020 at 3:14 pm
They’ve done a goof job filling holes and re-signing the D. There’s one big move to make and that’s trading Donovan Smith and a day 3 pick for Trent Williams.
Then you only have 3 real needs in order Right OT (1ST rd), Safety (3rd rd) and Running Back (4th rd pounding back). All of your other needs are for next year or later, so the pick this year can be a rotational/situational player and this gives them a year to grow – DT, DE, G/C, WR.
March 25th, 2020 at 6:15 pm
God let’s hope Licht has no input in anything! His drafts have sucked … free agents have sucked. Look at the dudes record as a GM.
March 26th, 2020 at 1:42 am
@JimmyJack there is nothing elite about 32-64 other than elite in the annals of worst records of all GM’s in NFL history.
You don’t miss the playoffs for your first 6 years, bust on your top overall pick, lose approximately 2 out of every 3 games and get called elite because your 70th free agent signing turned out to be a linebacker who played out of his mind for one year and hoping that even at 43 years of age the GOAT still has it in him to lead a team to the playoffs.