Donovan Smith And The O-Line
March 25th, 2020
Bruce Arians has his back.
It seems Bucco Bruce Arians has a novel suggestion for what folks can do with youknowho’s grades on his offensive linemen.
Let’s just say they would be a fine substitute as America grapples with a shortage of toilet paper.
Arians understands folks who gloss themselves as football’s intelligentsia don’t care for his offensive linemen. And these folks get fans whipped into a froth over Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith.
Arians, on a conference call with the local pen and mic club, went to bat for Smith — and didn’t think there was a glaring need for a right tackle when specifically asked.
“I don’t think so,” Arians said when asked if drafting a right tackle is a high priority. “When you go back and look at the grades last year — I don’t put a lot of stock into what other people grade our guys — but we were graded pretty high.
“I thought Donovan got a lot better. I think he will get even more intense with Tom [Brady] back there at quarterback than he has been. But I thought he played extremely well last year. He made the most improvement on the things we asked him to do than anyone up front. Now he’s solid.
“Ali [Marpet] is solid. Ryan [Jensen] had a heck of a year. [Alex] Cappa had I thought a fantastic year for a young guy, playing with a broken arm and got better and better.
“Joe Haeg is a solid right tackle. We will see what happens in the draft. I think we need some depth. … I don’t see it as a glaring need but you are always looking to upgrade somewhere.”
Perhaps Arians was playing tight-lipped about right tackle as he doesn’t want to tip off other teams when it comes draft time. Joe noticed Arians didn’t invoke Demar Dotson’s name so it sounds like the Bucs are moving on from the team’s long-time starting right tackle.
Joe would have to agree with Arians on Smith. Joe thought Smith had his best season as a pro.
March 25th, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Nah, he’s being honest!!! I reviewed tape of Haeg and think he will do fi e replacing Dotson. Depth at OT will be there as well!! Don’t be surprised if we draft a skill position! RB is in play!! WR is in play! Defensive line is in play! And so is safety….(I like Kyle Dugger personally in the 2nd rd)
March 25th, 2020 at 4:31 pm
imo the entire oline improved except for dotson but that was to be expected….
i though our best and most consistent lineman was cappa…..
he was very physical and didnt seem to be lost 1 bit…..
hats off to cappa…..
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 25th, 2020 at 4:33 pm
They’re going to take an OT basically regardless, but are trying to avoid reaching on one R1 if the top 4 are gone.
March 25th, 2020 at 4:36 pm
yeah i think he’s being honest too….
we will draft a lineman but it wont be before the 3rd or 4th round…..
im starting to warm up to the idea of trading down and grading an RB early….
would love to see the DE/OLB from LSU in pewter and red…let him learn from shaq and jpp….
GO BUCS!!!!
March 25th, 2020 at 4:39 pm
ndamukong suh returning to bucs on1year 8m deal
March 25th, 2020 at 4:40 pm
Nope….we still need to draft a RT high….(1st 3 rounds)…….we need to continue to make investments in the trenches…..
March 25th, 2020 at 4:49 pm
I still like Kinlaw if the elite tackles are gone. If he’s gone as well possibly Chaisson from LSU.
March 25th, 2020 at 4:58 pm
Better step it up Donovan….. act like you mean it EVERY freaking play!
March 25th, 2020 at 4:59 pm
maybe they’ll be motivated by protecting an NFL legend and future 1st ballot HOF’er. I hope so for his sake.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:01 pm
Pre draft smoke! …RT is what we really need, DS is good enough, Dotson bless his heart is finished and not to be counted on.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:05 pm
I’ve heard the same line about D. Smith every single year…it was the same thing with VH3
March 25th, 2020 at 5:08 pm
I agree with TampabaybucFan. We do need a Tackle in this draft. And likely Top 3 Rounds.
You gotta wonder how high they think of their Haeg guy. They might be just fine with letting him win the RT spot. But either way you have to get a quality player behind him or maybe even outright beat him for the spot. If you can get one of them Top guys great. But I love the idea of not being desperate to draft RT round 1…….It opens the whole Round to get whoever will make the biggest impact………I hope that’s the plan.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Regarding the cap, Pittsburgh is in salary cap hell. They did a 2nd round tender on Matt Feiler – their right tackle. He has been a top 5 right tackle the last two years. I would love a 20 million three year contract for him. Don’t think Pittsburgh could match it. We would give up our 2nd round pick but we would have a starting right tackle.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:09 pm
As an added benefit if we don’t take a RT in Round 1 many comments will likely have a meltdown. That alone is a reason to root for us not to draft OL @14
March 25th, 2020 at 5:10 pm
nice idea Geno.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:14 pm
@JimmyJack
Exactly – how could the Buc’s have a different idea than all the posters on this site that we have to draft a right tackle in the 1st round.
All the Licht hate will come out again.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:17 pm
I say move back in the 1st for a team that needs a QB and get a 1st, and (2) 2nd rounders. Get a OT, RB and S
March 25th, 2020 at 5:20 pm
1st OT Becton, 2nd RB Dobbins, 2nd S Delpit
March 25th, 2020 at 5:56 pm
There will be a run on olinemen early, Kinlaw will go to the 49ers, they need another disrupting presence in the middle of that defense since they traded away Buckner. Chaisson will be the pick, can’t have enough pass rushers.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Dotson, on a cheap contract, would be good to have back as a backup who could start if needed. Light has had good luck with rookie offensive lineman – but boy, if you swing and miss and don’t have a legit RT on the team they are in huge trouble. The Bucs have little cash available so he’d have to be cheap, but they should at least make known they want him back on the cheap.
March 25th, 2020 at 5:58 pm
In my opinion many of the Licht haters don’t understand what are the responsibilities and roles most NFL general managers have.
Most successful NFL GMs have a mixed bag of success and failures if you check them out over time. They do have to do well overall. The unsuccessful get the boot within two or three years typically.
March 25th, 2020 at 6:18 pm
BA is always honest. Its who he is. Now he may not always tell you everything he knows, but what he says he believes to be truth.
March 25th, 2020 at 6:32 pm
Think our next tackle, may be fighting to get out of Washington right now.
March 25th, 2020 at 6:41 pm
Brady makes our line better because he reads defenses faster, and gets rid of the ball quicker.
March 25th, 2020 at 7:08 pm
Rod Munch……I think I would rather take Watford back then Dotson. As I recall when we signed Watford last year it was said he could swing out to Tackle if needed. Plus we got Haeg. If he and a rookie can battle for a spot we might not be looking so bad to have a starter and somebody decent behind them at Tackle.
Can Haeg play LT if needed? We need one of those because Dotson cannot handle that position. You bring Dotson back and all’s he can do is backup RT? We might be better off finding somebody who can help more then just backup one spot on the line. I just think there may be better options then Dot out there.
March 25th, 2020 at 7:09 pm
Oh dear, this sounds like the return of the coach I saw blaming all the INTs on the receivers. Did he not see the 2-3 plays per game Smith just took a rest on last year?
I hope this ends similarly and he’s desperately negotiating for Williams while pining for Thomas or Wills in the draft. If he really does believe this, pleases trade back and still get some OL help… maybe the Houston OT and an extra pick or two? Please don’t get cute with RBs or WRs before day 3… please.
March 25th, 2020 at 7:14 pm
I’d love it we got 2 OL in this draft
March 25th, 2020 at 7:48 pm
Joe Haeg is a hit or miss. It doesn’t appear that he ever right out won a starter role but placed into it by injuries to other members on the line. Maybe he just needs a better opportunity like Barrett got last year.
March 25th, 2020 at 7:52 pm
Concerning Running backs, I am reading there is not much differences between a second round RB from a fourth round RB. Now that we have Suh, I am hoping Licht drops down 10 spots in the first round and pick up another second. From here, he could draft a couple OL, a DL, RB, S and WR in the first four rounds.
March 25th, 2020 at 8:14 pm
I keep hearing about Trent Williams. Is everybody sure he’s healthy? He’s certainly going to be very, very expensive.
He’s also a bit of a problem child although in fairness the Redskin training staff misdiagnosed a cancerous growth on his head that could have killed him. Sympathy on the side of Williams.
But when and if Trent Williams plays his next competitive snap of football, he will be 32. His most recent action came on the second-to-last day of 2018. He last played as many as 14 games in 2015, last played a full season in 2013, just one of three seasons in a 10-year career in which he didn’t miss at least some time with injury.
Is it realistic for a player with that resume — even with seven Pro Bowl appearances — to believe he’s worthy of being among the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league for years to come? IMHO It’s not.
March 25th, 2020 at 8:30 pm
Westchap, taking a running back early in the 2nd round wouldn’t be getting cute. We have one RB on the roster. We need to have an effective running game next year if we are going to make a serious playoff run. I think Swift would be perfect. Would prefer to wait for him but if they took him in the first I wouldn’t be mad.
March 25th, 2020 at 8:47 pm
Haven’t read one comment. Said it yesterday Brady will make our o line better. Less holding calls when you know how long you have to engage. Brady will get the ball out. It’s simple math. And we have some tough guys up front that will go to war if they believe in what there hearing. No more eating Wwwwww. 🤦♂️
March 25th, 2020 at 9:37 pm
I think we need to get Akers in the 2nd he is the sleeper
March 25th, 2020 at 9:38 pm
I’m not a D Smith hater, but you always try to get better. If trading Donovan for Trent Williams gets us better for the next 4 years, you do it. Donovan has 1 year left on his contract at $14.5M. Trent has one year left at the same amount. So there shouldn’t be a cap impact.
Trent wants a long term contract at around $18M a year. If he’s healthy, his performance shows he’s worth it. You could have Williams on contract for the next 5 years at the same time as the drafted OT is on a rookie contract. By the time the new Right OT is ready for his next contract, Williams will probably be retiring. Then you draft his replacement. So you are never paying 2 Tackles big money at the same time. So you get better, makes sense financially short term and long term. What does it cost? A day 3 draft pick. Get the deal done.
March 25th, 2020 at 9:38 pm
Akers place at FSU with no line or QB and still rushed for 1,000 yards every year.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:21 pm
Donovan Smith is OK ..just wish he were more aggressive at run blocking but I think he will protect Brady’s blindside in pass blocking well.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:49 pm
TouchDown, perhaps I was a bit hasty on the RB… getting caught up in all the RBs are less valuable talk. I’d still be a bit ticked if they used a 1st on a RB as OL or DL would be so much more valuable but hard to find too many RB gems that were picked outside of first 3 rounds in recent years. So, day 2 it is.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:18 pm
We need a running back in the 2nd and a Offensive Tackle in the 1st
March 26th, 2020 at 10:25 am
Unless we have 5 all pros on the line, I will never complain about drafting another one high. We could use a right tackle for sure and someone to compete with Cappa at guard. Contending teams usually have at least decent depth on the offensive line.
March 26th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
BA why do you try to BS the fans about D Smith who was one of the worst LT in the league. Just call a spade a spade an be honest & quit covering up for the crappy players. What kind of excuse will you use when lazy ass Smith gets TB sacked & possibly hurt?