Gosder Cherilus Still Helping Bucs
October 31st, 2020
Mentoring rookies continues.
No, Joe has yet to have a beer on Football Saturday, though after reading the headline of this story that may have been your first thought.
Now former Bucs right tackle Gosder Cherilus was hardly the most popular player with fans. And in the locker room to anyone other than a teammate, he was a surly dude.
However, young offensive linemen just loved Cherilus. A long-time starter in the NFL, Cherilus came to the Bucs when he was just about out of gas. He was a late pickup by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht in the summer of 2015 when Demar Dotson got hurt.
Most Bucs fans remember how Cherilus, who was playing hurt, got absolutely worked over by Dallas defensive end David Irving in the fourth quarter of a close December 2016 game with the Cowboys on national TV and, as a result, the Bucs lost to Dallas on Sunday Night Football.
That was pretty much the end of his career. A few weeks later, Cherilus retired.
And while Bucs fans don’t think much of him, guys like Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet absolutely raved about Cherilus. He mentored them all season.
Joe was told by Smith once how Cherilus came up to him after a practice and told Smith he had a test for him. Cherilus would ask him a question about technique or a game and tell Smith, “Think about it tonight and give me your answer tomorrow.” This was not an isolated act by Cherilus.
Smith had told Joe it made him think and study to find the right answers. If he didn’t know it, Cherilus went over things with him so Smith understood.
Joe was told Cherilus would do this all the time. Of course, Smith and Marpet were rookies when he came to the Bucs.
Why is Joe bringing this up? It sounds like Smith is working with rookie right tackle disco dancing Tristan Wirfs the same way.
Wirfs was asked if Smith helps him at all with his transition as a rookie in the NFL.
“Oh yeah, quite a bit,” Wirfs said. “We’ll come off after a set of plays and there will be one [play] where he’ll come and ask me, ‘What did you get on this one?’ Or, we’ll be watching film after practice and I’ll see him laughing over there at something that I did.
“Just little technique things – stuff that has worked for him that I can try or stuff that hasn’t worked for him that I should probably stay away from. I think I said it earlier in camp that he’s kind of been like a big brother, so it’s pretty cool to hear that too.”
That is almost exactly what Joe remembers Smith telling him how Cherilus helped him.
So Cherilus may be long gone from the NFL and the Bucs. But his impact on the team behind the scenes is still being felt.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:12 pm
Drunk
October 31st, 2020 at 6:32 pm
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with being a little drunk, brother.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:39 pm
How many years did Hardy Nickersons teaching help those young Bucs future stars as they matured into the turn of the century vaunted Bucs Defense?
October 31st, 2020 at 6:59 pm
It’s nice to hear about guys being good teammates being passed down through the years.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:03 pm
Just curious Joe, this article makes it sound like he’s either on staff or has access. Is he an assisstant?
October 31st, 2020 at 7:03 pm
Cherilus (yawn), I like Cher better, at least in her prime!
October 31st, 2020 at 7:40 pm
Real vets play it forward…
(I hope Brady in mentoring Josh Rosen…)
October 31st, 2020 at 7:44 pm
Hey joe tht guy who worked him over got suspended after that gm for juicing up go figure 😂.
October 31st, 2020 at 8:00 pm
Cobraboy: Who mentored you, in your playing days?
October 31st, 2020 at 8:06 pm
Unless it was for someone destroying their guy, Smith has no room to laugh at what anyone else does. He’s the highest paid and weakest link currently on the OL. If anyone still has film of the Raider game, just need to watch the Bucs first 3 offensive series.
October 31st, 2020 at 8:25 pm
Good to see D Smith is being the right way. We have all seen the many downs and some ups for Donovan as a left tacle, but this is huge when it comes to getting better as a team. You know there has not been any off the field crap mentioned about “Donnie” as the players call him. We all just want him to play consistantly up to his ability. He has frustrated fans many times with his play. BUT he has been a solid citizen for sure ever since he was drafted. in 2015. GO BUCS!!!!!!
October 31st, 2020 at 8:31 pm
I liked Gosder Cherilus that’s a great story. The Bucs should grade their FAs like the Mendoza Line by him. The Cherilus line?
October 31st, 2020 at 8:37 pm
Didn’t Jaboo throw 3 picks and lose a fumble? A standard #3 choke job in a big game. Cherilus did get abused, can’t argue that.
October 31st, 2020 at 8:38 pm
I’m sick of people crapping all over DSmith. Like it or not he’s the best LT we’ve had since Paul Gruber. Don’t even bring up Penn he had a ton more bad games than Smith. LT is difficult and good ones don’t grow on trees. Smith has had one bad game out of 7. Why do Bucs fans always have to be so hateful.
October 31st, 2020 at 8:58 pm
Glad to know he did something good for the Bucs. I do remember that Dallas game very well…
Cherilus was an awlful revolving door and gave up 873 sacks or more, just in the 2nd half.
Jameis ran for his life like 1.000 times. One of the worst performances ever, for sure.
October 31st, 2020 at 9:07 pm
Stanglass you are seriously drunk. Smith while i do not hate him like most, but penn was better than smith. His multiple pro bowls says so. Just because you didnt like penn does not mean he had many crappy games. That is a flat out lie!!!!
October 31st, 2020 at 9:27 pm
dam joe…
October 31st, 2020 at 9:31 pm
anyone watch the maryland game last night with tua’s brother?…
and nick funk or jake funk…whatever his name is…
draft that guy in the 6th or 7th next year…
i want to cheer for a guy names jake funk !
October 31st, 2020 at 9:31 pm
a guy named jake funk*
October 31st, 2020 at 9:35 pm
Great article Joe’s. I like how Smith is paying it forward. He doesn’t have to do this yet he is. Even when he thought of opting out. Great job by Smith
October 31st, 2020 at 9:43 pm
Wirfs wants to learn something from Smith??? Loafs belong in the grocery stores not on the football field!
October 31st, 2020 at 10:23 pm
This fan always thought highly of Cherilus. He was still playing at a high level when he came here especially in the run game. Not everyone is Joe Thomas.
October 31st, 2020 at 10:25 pm
Good story…players sharing building blocks. Maybe not exciting…but it probably explains the continued growth of the o-line.
October 31st, 2020 at 10:35 pm
Neither. Smith as a rookie learned a lot from Cherilus, who took the time to help Smith and Marpet. With Wirfs coming in, Smith knows the quicker Wirfs can learn, the better chance the Bucs have to win. So Smith is doing for Wirfs what Cherilus did for him.
November 1st, 2020 at 12:05 am
Joe in Michigan Says:
Several guys:
-George Mira
-John Matlock
-Pete Beathard
-Ben Davidson
-LeRoy Kelly
That’s a pretty good group.
Unfortunately, the spirit was willing but the flesh-primarily connective and soft tissue-was weak.
November 1st, 2020 at 1:59 am
Cobra all those guys were garbage lmao
November 1st, 2020 at 2:00 am
I’m kidding
November 1st, 2020 at 2:02 am
Ooooh my name is joe and I have dumb nicknames for player lmao
November 1st, 2020 at 2:54 am
Webster- I guess you have forgotten the year he showed up way over weight and once the first team figured out he could stop the speed rush it was all over. I never said Penn was always bad he had a few good years. I’m comparing Penn and Smith while they played or playing in Smith case here.
November 1st, 2020 at 3:50 am
Cool story.
November 1st, 2020 at 7:23 am
Nice remember when transition to a present story. But REMEMBER the present is not the past. Part of transitioning is leaving the past behind. Allowing a person to grow. Attaching past negatives to a person repeatedly displays a lack of growth by the person who does such. It places them as stuck not only in the negative but in insecurity. The need to constantly pronounce the negative to feel better about themselves. Case in point. ‘AC/DC loving general manager Jason Licht’ Licht has pulled off some really great moves in the last four years. None of them have anything to do with AC/DC. He has grown. You haven’t. Cmon bro, life is about growth Joe. There is a new and growing you in there somewhere. Let him out.
November 1st, 2020 at 8:01 am
I may be a drunk, but I’m not a hack! Rick Sanchez.
November 1st, 2020 at 8:38 am
I always liked gosder (what a crazy name!) …. You could tell he was hurt in that Dallas game and the only mistake he made was thinking he could play through it!! He was fine the whole game and then when they needed him the most he was truly hurt!! That dude had a ton of heart and it was great getting to know him while he was here!!! Good role model type of player!! Could still be mean and a lineman but was a good guy!!
November 1st, 2020 at 10:47 am
Hodad 😂😂😉🤘
November 1st, 2020 at 2:17 pm
Bucco 2020 Says:
My first thought was “are you kidding?”
They were all great guys to help me understand it was no longer about college fun and girls and parties, and I needed a lot more than just talent to succeed. I needed to take the pro game more seriously.
Not sure that advice all sunk in as much as it should have, because football was never the singular focus of my life.