“If You Can Do Your Job, You Can Do Your Job”
September 11th, 2020
No need to be mean.
The Bucs once had a defensive end that fully blew up NFL stereotypes for his day.
In an age when football was more of a back alley melee than it was a game, Lee Roy Selmon was more of a preacher than a brawler. He played like he was scared to hurt quarterbacks.
And Selmon ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Guys like Mean Joe Greene and Bill Belicheat consider Selmon the best 34-front defensive end who ever lived.
Selmon was a gentle giant. And perhaps the Bucs have a young offensive version of Selmon?
A few decades after Selmon retired, the NFL is really watered down to almost flag football levels by comparison. Enter defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who came to town with a “have fun” reputation and he made six straight Pro Bowls.
Yet many Bucs fans couldn’t wait to run GMC out of town. Why? Mainly because he wasn’t a knuckle-dragging monster who stomped on quarterback’s legs and spit in offensive linemen’s faces. GMC even had the gall to help up opponents off the field.
The nerve!
What does Joe take away from all of this? That football is different strokes for different folks. Some players excel by whipping themselves into a rabid dog froth while others take care of business in a quiet, efficient, assassin-like manner.
If Bucs rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs develops his game into a long career, he said he is determined to excel his way. And that’s not to be a mean, “p!ssed off” animal.
By his very nature, Wirfs is a laid back, quiet dude. And Wirfs admitted in a Zoom conference call today he doesn’t understand why it is necessary to be a slobbering mongrel to play football at a high level.
“I’ve gotten that ever since I was a little kid,” Wirfs said. “My mom tried to tell me that, ‘Oh, maybe there is a switch you flip on and off?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know?’
“If you can do your job, you can do your job,” Wirfs said. “When I started playing sports, my mom told me to have fun. To do my best and have fun. I never saw how being mean fit in to [being your best]. I’m going out there and putting guys on their back[s] and protecting the quarterback.
“If I can do that without being mean, I’m fine with that. I don’t know. It is a crazy topic. I’ve been asked about it quite a bit.”
Take the Bucs, for example. To Wirfs’ left is center Ryan Jensen who has said in the past he has to play like he’s in a barroom brawl in order to succeed. Then to Wirfs’ right is a total goofball like Rob Gronkowski, who will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and likes to rub his girlfriend’s feet and sing children’s songs, perhaps not at the same time.
Different strokes for different folks.
Wirfs brought up his new teammate Gronk as an example. Wirfs pointed out how the future Hall of Fame tight end has helped him learn to be an NFL player and how Gronk is a strong blocker. And yet Gronk doesn’t have a mean streak in his body.
“You said guys always have to be p!ssed off… I’ve never understood that,” Wirfs said. “I’m not mean or anything when I play. If you can do your job, you can do your job.
“I want to do a good job and [Gronk] wants to do a good job. With his personality, he’s fun to be around. And he gets his job done. It’s awesome to have him out there. He lifts everybody’s spirits. His laugh is pretty contagious.”
As for Jensen, Wirfs said the veteran center doesn’t appear to be PO’ed at Wirfs because Wirfs doesn’t play PO’ed.
“I think he is cool with my personality,” Wirfs said. “He hasn’t said much to me about it.”
It takes all kinds. Ray Lewis had to work himself into a total frenzy to play at a Hall of Fame level. Then there was Reggie White who would shame a left tackle and bury a quarterback and bless the guy as he got up.
As long as Wirfs can learn to keep his man away from park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring Tom Brady, no one will care if he goes to church on Sunday mornings or has to be bailed out of jail in order to play in a game.
September 11th, 2020 at 3:14 pm
Lol. They’ll care if he must be bailed out. Depending on what for, everyone with tweet fingers could be offended
September 11th, 2020 at 3:15 pm
folks on the saints blog said IF the BUCS win, JW has to GO!!!!!!…LOL..
28-23 BUCS!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 11th, 2020 at 3:22 pm
we will find out in about 48 1/2 hours, fire them damn cannons, let’s get ready to rumble, and beat dem dirty taints
September 11th, 2020 at 3:38 pm
Seems to me that defensive players need to sike themselves up or be mean more than an offensive player.
September 11th, 2020 at 3:43 pm
Does anger affect adrenaline? I’m specifically referring to the point of impact between linemen. Feel free to help the guy up afterwards, but does anger help at the point of impact?
September 11th, 2020 at 3:43 pm
Predicting 34-24 Bucs!
September 11th, 2020 at 3:46 pm
Word has it that Ted Bundy was a really nice guy…..until.
September 11th, 2020 at 4:14 pm
BigMacAttack Says:
September 10th, 2020 at 10:35 pm
Paul, I agree with you.
6x SB Champ
14x Probowl
GOAT QB
Sounds much better and much more respectful for a player who has earned it more than any other active player.
I don’t recall Jameis being referred to as Uber Assaulting Crab Stealing Sexual Assault Case Settling W Eating Interception Machine.
Just Sayin Joe
September 11th, 2020 at 4:15 pm
Classless Dig at the end of the article
September 11th, 2020 at 4:25 pm
i missed the reference, who did we bail out to play the game?
September 11th, 2020 at 4:59 pm
“Yet many Bucs fans couldn’t wait to run GMC out of town. Why? Mainly because he wasn’t a knuckle-dragging monster who stomped on quarterback’s legs and spit in offensive linemen’s faces. GMC even had the gall to help up opponents off the field“
Wrong. Most of us have no problem with GMC being nice. Those of us who loved Selmon especially didn’t have a problem with it. What I had a problem with and I’m sure most will agree, is that GMC talked about being a leader but never led anything. Doubt me? Then answer this question:
Would Joe’s BFF Swaggy Baker have lasted on a team with Sapp, or Brooks, or Lynch, or Selmon, or Williams, or any other great Buccaneer leader? Hell no.
So yeah, Wirfs can be nice to his opponents, he can help them up off the turf, apologize if he’s too rough or unsportsmanlike. He can even knit them mittens for all I care as long as he’s a good player and as long as he doesn’t let his teammates drag the team down with a piss poor attitude and a lack of effort. And that goes for every Buccaneer.
September 11th, 2020 at 5:12 pm
I appreciated guys like LeRoy Selmon, Paul Gruber, Derrick Brooks, and Rhonde Barber. I never saw them act likes thugs on the field. They just played hard.
However, if it takes a guy like Ryan Jensen a little bit of a mean streak to get himself up to a starting level, I can accept that as well.
BTW, Mahomes seems pretty happy go lucky and not uptight on the field. It is working out for him too.
September 11th, 2020 at 5:45 pm
“Some players excel by whipping themselves into a rabid dog froth” Joe made Jaymiss think of John Randle with that line!
September 11th, 2020 at 5:53 pm
Mad dog Conrad Dobler!
September 11th, 2020 at 6:03 pm
Talk is cheap
Jordon is a badass
Let’s talk Sunday night
September 11th, 2020 at 6:59 pm
I’m beginning to notice a similarity between Paul and Lt. Steve from Good Morning Vietnam. Fun fact: Reader’s Digest is actually considering publishing one of his jokes.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:04 pm
Joe you are totally misrepresenting selmon and i cant let you do that. The late great walter payton said about selmon is he was one of the best if not the best defensive player he ever played against. He said he could not figure him out because he would knock my block off and then help me up and ask about my family. You see between the whistle, selmon would play like a man possesed. Many buc fans did not see a man possesed with mccoy. Didnt you write a story about jpp getting on mccoy on the sideline? Brooks is one of the nicest man on the planet but as he told tory holt on monday night football “come across the middle again and im going to knock your chest off.” What do you know? Shortly after holt came across the middle and brooks lit him up. Holt was taken to the locker room where he was spitting up blood and sustained a rib injury. Man possesed
September 11th, 2020 at 7:39 pm
Webster:
Joe doesn’t think he misrepresented Lee Roy Selmon one iota.
September 11th, 2020 at 7:57 pm
On ESPN 3 they’re showing a high school football game with IMG vs Venice, and they have fans in the stands — along with Jacksonville and Miami. Yet the stupid leftist mayor in Tampa is keeping the Bucs from having fans in the stands. Ridiculous.
On a different note, I just found out you can buy NFL Redzone for $35/year in the NFL app in iOS/Android. With iOS, if you have an Apple TV, you should be able to broadcast to your TV from there – with Android you can broadcast directly to many smart TVs via an app on the TV or just getting a cheap Chromecast. That is by far the best deal – and Redzone is easily the best way to watch. Just have one TV with the Bucs or another local game when the Bucs aren’t on, then the other with Redzone – and then if they do their SJW garbage, just mute them and put on the radio broadcast.
September 11th, 2020 at 8:35 pm
Lee Roy Selmon was so much fun to watch play! I loved Wally Chambers from that defense, also.
September 11th, 2020 at 9:54 pm
Was lucky enough to play in a celebrity golf tournament with Mr Selmon. He was a great man. About the 4th hole in after we birdied every hole, he said “This is Fun!” Then we went on to win the tournament. Good times.
I asked him why he hadn’t run for mayor or office, that he’d win in a landslide. Said he wasn’t interested in politics. Smart man.
RIP Mr. Selmon.
Go Bucs!
In BA I Trust!
September 11th, 2020 at 10:48 pm
@Joe —
you wrote
“Rob Gronkowski, who will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and likes to rub his girlfriend’s feet and sing children’s songs, perhaps not at the same time.”
LOL thats the hardest I think I’ve laughed in a while. Thanks for that.
I can’t speak for other Buc fans who are GMC detractors, but I only saw him make one play in the 4th quarter of any game that helped the Bucs win. It was against the Falcons, he had hold of Matty Ice’s ankle to inhibit him from completing a 4th quarter pass. That was it. He never made game changing plays. Solid? Yes. Not great against the run. Worthy of ROH or HOF? No way.
September 11th, 2020 at 10:49 pm
I’m back in Houston with an alternative laptop which explains the IP address change.
September 11th, 2020 at 11:12 pm
Joe aims to please. 🙂
Thanks!
September 11th, 2020 at 11:15 pm
“Regulators! Mount up!”
September 12th, 2020 at 12:02 am
Paul’s annoying as EF!
September 12th, 2020 at 12:27 am
I never cared one bit that McCoy didn’t play like he wanted to rip someone’s head off. That’s just a very ignorant mentality.
Joe mentioned Lee Roy Selmon, what about Derrick Brooks? Greatest Buccaneers linebacker ever and probably the greatest Tampa 2 LB ever. He didn’t play pissed off and angry.
Whatever works for that person is all that matters. Hell, one of the greatest sack masters in NFL history, Reggie White, was not pissed off on the field.
There are tons of examples. To each his own, whatever works