The Bucs’ Super Bowl Offensive Line
February 7th, 2021
No-name guard Aaron Stinnie has four playoff starts and a Super Bowl ring. And 21-year-old Tristan Wirfs has one, too.
Donovan Smith has made 98 NFL starts and is now a Super Bowl left tackle at 27 years old. Division-III legend Ali Marpet will collect a ring, and old man Ryan Jensen (29) left the great Ravens franchise to win a ring in Tampa.
Joe is so proud of the offensive line. They earned it, with a ton of doubters along the way.
How many Bucs fans said to move Donovan Smith to right tackle, or to guard, or wanted to vomit when the Bucs’ re-signed him before the 2019 season?
Bucs management messed with Marpet’s position before they allowed him to settle in and become a dominant left guard.
Jensen overcame a subpar 2018 season, his first with Tampa Bay, and soon after let everyone know he wasn’t a free agent who came here to just collect a check.
The Bucs coach their offensive line in a unique way, and it’s all added up to brilliance. They won the Super Bowl tonight with a balanced attack that only thrives because the line is top shelf.
General manager Jason Licht, a former college offensive lineman, deserves so much credit for this deep unit.
Just don’t pass the ball to Joe Haeg again! 🙂
February 7th, 2021 at 11:17 pm
will alex cappa get a ring too ?
February 7th, 2021 at 11:20 pm
A lot of people who picked the Chiefs thought that Aaron Stinnie was going to be the weak link that exposed Brady. Guess the pundits were wrong again! Hope they lost lots of coin by betting the Chiefs and the over! The OL was stellar today and did not draw the flags like the Chiefs OL who could have made a flag out of all the holding flags they got tonight at the most inopportune times!
February 7th, 2021 at 11:20 pm
Stinnie is effing rock solid man. Helluva job he did, definitely a keeper.
February 7th, 2021 at 11:21 pm
Yes, Alex will get a ring. Even people who work at one bug place get rings. The whole organization gets a ring.
February 7th, 2021 at 11:22 pm
The more physical team won!
This is true in every round of the playoffs!
February 7th, 2021 at 11:22 pm
So happy for our O line!
February 7th, 2021 at 11:23 pm
Haeg you gotta catch that man! That goal line stand made my butthole tighten, but thankfully the D came to play.
February 7th, 2021 at 11:26 pm
Jensens first shove drawing an opposing penalty second shove back was priceless. Really set the tone to end the half with KC on their heals.
February 7th, 2021 at 11:28 pm
Was won in the trenches both sides. Loved marpet block on the TD run
February 7th, 2021 at 11:34 pm
Oline came alive the last 8 games of the season…gave Brady all the time he needed to throw 22TDs and only 4 INTs, what a stat line for the 8 game win streak!!!!
February 7th, 2021 at 11:38 pm
There is no doubt our Oline played well……but our Dline was totally dominant….
February 7th, 2021 at 11:39 pm
Great job Licht
GO BUCS
February 7th, 2021 at 11:53 pm
I fully expected TB12 to get broken by week 2. They. Are. Animals!
February 8th, 2021 at 12:01 am
Tristan Wirfs has the entire town of Mount Vernon, Iowa in support of him and they are all converted Bucs fans, what an absolute great kid, an American hero who loves his family and his town! Superbowl winner now in his rookie year. Proud of that man and the way he shows respect to his city and his family. His mother–lets be honest–she did a super job raising him and his sister by herself. Licht drafted him, lets not forget that.
February 8th, 2021 at 12:03 am
I am beyond impressed with Smith the second half of this year. Glad to be wrong about him.
February 8th, 2021 at 12:15 am
Chiefs LB made a good play. Not sure why your bashing Haeg.
February 8th, 2021 at 12:35 am
Licht has a great eye for OL talent, and if we’re going to keep the cap under control in future years he’s going to need to find some more guys since you can’t pay everyone.
With that said I think they’ll probably give Smith an extension, in exchange for a lower cap hit — then I’m drafting a center to replace Jensen after 2021. Nothing against Jensen, but again, you can’t pay everyone.
But for next year, they should be able to keep everyone together, and since keeping Brady healthy is the most important thing in football, I assume Licht will do just that.
February 8th, 2021 at 12:49 am
Only Jensen will be 30 next year. They are becoming dominant
February 8th, 2021 at 1:10 am
Rod,
Tell us again how Vita Vea is only a 2 down run stuffer.
LMAO.
Worst take of the year.
February 8th, 2021 at 2:09 am
I’m guilty joe. I criticized Donovan smith since he was drafted, and I can’t deny that Brady has had a clean pocket since the Chicago game. How about the running game tonight!?!? Consistently moving the ball for 5 yards whenever they needed it. Blocking was fundamentaly sound and aggressive all night and everyone on that line deserves a nod. They played outstanding.
February 8th, 2021 at 2:41 am
O-line has transformed into something truly impressive this year.
Congrats to all!
WORLD CHAMPIONS BABY!!!!!! Go Bucs!
February 8th, 2021 at 4:43 am
tom was pressured 4 times last night…
mahomie was pressure like approx 30 times…
#Facts
#OurBigUgliesAreAyeBunchOfStuds
February 8th, 2021 at 5:38 am
Lets not forget hats off to OL coaches Harold Goodwin & Joe Gilbert for the job they did
February 8th, 2021 at 6:27 am
Weakness becomes a strength, the 1st thing to becoming a great team
February 8th, 2021 at 7:10 am
Much as I love a great defensive performance … and especially last night’s defensive performance by OUR defense … I have to take my hat off to our Bucs’ offense for their superb performance last night. It was a TOTAL T-E-A-M EFFORT in every way.
Bucs’ offense played awesome COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL and had the most superb BALANCED ATTACK I can remember in any Super Bowl. For those who didn’t look at the final boxscore, the Bucs ran it 30 times (plus 3 kneeldowns at the end) for 145 yds rushing and had 30 passing attempts (when you include the 1 sack that they took) for 201 yds passing. THAT’S a model BALANCED ATTACK.
Also big kudos to the NFL and to the city of Tampa for putting on an exceptional Super Bowl in the midst of this pandemic. Everything … literally EVERYTHING … was first class and should’ve made everyone in the Tampa Bay area proud. And especially proud of our health-care workers and 1st responders. Awesome job all around!
February 8th, 2021 at 9:21 am
Player 1. Copy that. Better still, that sly grin of recognition on Brady’s face. Brady knew his center had just punked KC, drawing a flag. That classic camera catch moment still stands fresh in my memory. From that point forward I knew Tampa would win convincingly. Pretty sure Brady knew as well.
Good job SB LV Bucs!
February 8th, 2021 at 6:11 pm
Stinne surprised the hell out of me. Kid is a keeper for sure.