Thank You For Your Service, Bradley Pinion.
April 30th, 2022
Punter Bradley Pinion
Back in March of 2019, Bucco Bruce Arians shocked the world (or at least Joe) and declared punter Bradley Pinion the Bucs’ most important free agent signing of the offseason.
My how things changed a year later when Tom Brady was the top March acquisition for Tampa Bay.
Pinion had a rough season last year and even was called out by Arians, and then he had a minor injury.
Today the Bucs drafted a punter in Round 4, Jake Camarda out of the University of Georgia, and general manager Jason Licht’s right hand man John Spytek was gushing after the draft about how well Camarda drives the football.
Yes, it’s very clear the Bucs want to cut Pinion and insert their rookie. You don’t invest a fourth-round pick into a punter unless you plan to make him “the guy.”
What’s interesting here is that Pinion is set to earn $2.9 million this season, more than triple Camarda’s salary. Tight against the salary cap, the Bucs need that kind of savings to have money in reserves for emergency signings.
Licht also has talked about being eager for a kicker competition between expensive Super Bowl hero Ryan Succop and second-year man Jose Borregales, who resided last season on the Bucs’ practice squad.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:07 pm
Pinion and Succop are toast. Keeping Succop over Borregales only made sense last year because Succop’s salary was guaranteed.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:14 pm
Bet Licht picks up 2 undrafted Kickers for camp.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:17 pm
I dunno man, I just…don’t know. Pinion had 2 very critical punts late in the Rams playoff game that were horrid. Either he has to be better and not shank punts or the Bucs need a new punter. Oh wait – did we draft a new punter? Let the competition begin, which is always a good thing.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:22 pm
I will miss saying that is “Pinion ya deep!”
April 30th, 2022 at 8:22 pm
What’s Borregales look like??? We’ve made some major mistakes at kicker but older Succop did not look like 2020 last year. Could free up some money as well.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:32 pm
Bucs signed UFA Kyler McMichael cb NC who had a 5th round grade.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:35 pm
I hated the early pick on a punter
Still think GA punter could have been taken way later
Especially since san diego state and colorado state kickers were there
But checked out GA punter and he can control his punts and had one hang time of almost 5.5 seconds. Career around 45 ave. Solid. Thats straight filth
Here is the thing. Punters dont change a game if a team has good offense and defense. With that said We were last in nfl in yards per punt. That is que terrible
Thanks pinion. But he had good career and was paid well for his services
April 30th, 2022 at 8:35 pm
I predict that mustachioed baby-faced killer Borregales will win the job. Had a good camp last season.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:36 pm
LOL, what a cool azz name John Spytek! John was great to watch today on Bucs Live, explaining some of the things the Bucs look for, in their draft picks.
Yes, 2.9 million a year is way too much to pay a punter, so I am glad Jason drafted one today.
I think we pay Brate way too much as well.
April 30th, 2022 at 8:56 pm
Looks like Darden and Scotty have some competition for their spots with the free agent signing after the draft
April 30th, 2022 at 9:13 pm
Pinion seems like he’s definitely gone. Succup, I’m not so sure.
I think they want him to be gone but the youngster has to step up and take it. Ideally they go with the youngsters and save millions and are able to sign Gronk or Suh or both.
April 30th, 2022 at 9:15 pm
Bird
Good take and that Georgia punter does seem really good but he’s a punter. 🤷🏼♂️ That said, I have to disagree that punters can’t change the game. Field position is everything. The Buccaneers last year were not good when they had to punt. Plus the hang time helps the coverage team. So all in all, this could save them millions and make them better at special teams and field position.
April 30th, 2022 at 9:26 pm
Great Pick !!
And if you don’t think so , Well ?? You might be a Jersey wearer !!
April 30th, 2022 at 9:41 pm
Doesn’t seem like succop can kick beyond 40 and hasn’t been that accurate either he is gone.
April 30th, 2022 at 10:00 pm
I just want the best player.
April 30th, 2022 at 10:50 pm
Succop will go to camp in, what I believe will be, a legit kicking competition.
I mean kicking makes all the difference in the world…
In 2019, if Matt Gay doesn’t single handedly lose 2 games, then the Bucs are 9-7 amd almost certainly are resigning Winston before Brady ever even hits the market.
Since 2019, the Bucs haven’t lose a game because of kicking, so dumping Succop is not a sure thing, and shouldn’t be.
April 30th, 2022 at 10:55 pm
Daily reminder the bucs special teams woes are more of a systematic issue then a specialist issue.
The ST coordinator sucks. He was bad before we hired him. We hired him anyway and it has cost this team a lot.
April 30th, 2022 at 10:59 pm
Reports say Iowa Kicker has signed as an UDFA. Good stats, strong leg on FGs at least as he made several around or over 50 yards.
I think it’s more likely between Borregales and the new guy…schnade or shrub or something with a C or an S 🙂
The drawback on the Punt God is quite likely that he also placekicks. You may say, wait, doesn’t that make him potentially more valuable to have around? The potential would not overcome any problems Araiza may have with holding for placekicks. The Bucs have preferred having their punter hold for kicks.
Carmada has the additional bonus of being a kickoff specialist. Something else the franchise has apparently preferred for quite awhile. Back to…was it Bryan Anger?
With Carmada, their punter is a holder and a kickoff man. That leaves one thing and one thing only for whomever wins the PK job…make your frigging kicks.
April 30th, 2022 at 11:03 pm
T…BUCSBRO
I believe one thing that Bowles Jets teams were good at in football was special teams. What he will do, perhaps more than Arians has…is using more prominent players on the 3rd units.
April 30th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Looking at the list of UDFAs, and one of them sticks out looking at the highlights…
WR Kaylon Geiger
His highlight tape is pretty sick – no idea what his size/weight is, but he looks tiny, but man is he quick and shifty. The highlights look like they’re against low teams, but just eyeballing it, it looks like the kind of quick that translate anywhere.
No way he’d make the Bucs as a WR, way too small, as the Bucs like big guys — BUT this guy looks like he will get a legit shot as a returner. Watching how insane shifty he is, I wouldn’t be shocked if he looked pretty good in that role.
Punt and kickoff return is a huge weakness for the team, and I don’t know why they never seem to address it. But anywho, go watch his highlights, it’s a fun watch.
April 30th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
As salty as I was with the punter, I’m reminded of the Chargers team years ago, that was 1st in offense and 1st in defense and didn’t make the playoffs or something absurd. Why??? Special teams and field position. Their special teams was so bad, that even with that ranking, they failed to meet expectations. You can have a combo of the 85 Bears and our ’01-’02 Bucs, and I’d be willing to bet that with crap field position, that team get scored on now and then
April 30th, 2022 at 11:12 pm
Munch
Great stuff. Yah i was hoping one of the sevenths they could just say yup. You are return first and you are barely legal at the spot you normally play
Darden looked like freshman football. He was tiny to begin with. But some of those guys are fearless. He was getting snipe shot every single play .. that was arians forced. One of his downfalls.
April 30th, 2022 at 11:27 pm
Another UDFA we got:
Utah State WR Deven Thompkins
Tiny WR, only 5′ 8″, however on his tape, boy does he remind me of D-Jax. Now he’s going against, I have no idea, but he has 4.3 speed, and pops off the video watching the highlights, he’s running right past whoever these teams are, just silly speed, a completely different gear. But for a small guy, he doesn’t seem to have excellent balance or quickness, not from what I’ve seen anyways, but most of his highlights are him just blowing past guys and being wide open. Very much a long shot at that size, but he’ll be fast, even by NFL standards. Him and Scotty Miller should run a race since Scotty says he’s the fastest guy in the NFL.
April 30th, 2022 at 11:37 pm
Another UDFA…
Western Kentucky WR Jereth Sterns
Again, small WR, 5′ 9″, his tape doesn’t look like an NFL player to me. He was 2nd team All American, so he’s a good college player, but doesn’t really look fast or quick, not to the level you’d expect for an NFL talent anyways. Reading on him it says he has some punt return skills, so he might catch on that way, but based on what I see, and his size, I think it would be an extreme long shot. Either of the other two WRs I posted above look like they’d have a much better shot to make the team. However, with someone this productive in college, it’s not out of the question that he finds a knack for making plays and sticks around, at least on the practice squad.
April 30th, 2022 at 11:45 pm
pinion was like the best punter when he came here and it has slowly slipped away from him the past season or two…
dude went from an on field surgeon to a gulf bay sturgeon
May 1st, 2022 at 12:01 am
Pinion is garbage. Trash. Why is he even on the team? Idc if Pinion played here for zero salary. Yes he’s that bad
May 1st, 2022 at 12:10 am
In 2019, if Matt Gay doesn’t single handedly lose 2 games, then the Bucs are 9-7 amd almost certainly are resigning Winston before Brady ever even hits the market.
______________
Ah yes, The Fancy Man’s favorite JayMiss defense.
Haven’t heard this in awhile.
Some traditions never die I guess…….
May 1st, 2022 at 12:31 am
Dooodoooche…
So you blame Jameis for losing the Giants game when he takes them down on a game winning drive, then Arians has him spot the ball for a FG… then Arians takes a flag to better spot the ball? That’s on Winston?
You Winston haters are mentally deranged.
Anywho, I was using that as a point as to how a franchise can be changed. The Bucs, in this case, ended up winning a SB because of a Gay kicker. If Gay makes those kicks, Brady is never the QB since Winston is wrapped up before FA starts. It’s too complex of a scenario for you mongoloids to understand.
May 1st, 2022 at 2:30 am
2.9 million?!!
See ya Pinion! No hard feelings about this business move and absolute upgrade.
I also enjoyed the heck out of the Spytek interview and see a bright future for that guy, hopefully with our organization. He gets it. I really like the idea of a player type personality that they look for and that includes being a good person. I’m sick of seeing lowlifes like the dearly departed, cancerous, AB. Curse that name forever in Bucs lore. He cost us a third ring.
May 1st, 2022 at 2:32 am
Rod- you are a beast digging deep! Thanks man
May 1st, 2022 at 7:45 am
Regardless of Succop blowing a couple important kicks last year (it happens), they better be darn sure the 2nd year kicker can hold up under pressure.
I have no desire to begin the kicker marry-go-round again.
Also, wasn’t Succop a Brady want?
May 1st, 2022 at 9:46 am
This is a results league so peace Pinion, you get the greese. Enjoy your Super Bow ring tho.
This WR Kaylon Geiger his tape looks like Darden 2.0 but he’s 5’10” 180, so maybe he could give Darden some competition. “utilized 51 times on special teams as well with 48 coming as a kickoff returner and the other three on punt coverage”
May 1st, 2022 at 10:04 am
Special Teams was the weakest part of Tampa Bay in 2022. Punt returns I assumed nothing would happen and on kicks I genuinely never knew if even short distance FG would go in.
If I had the money as GM I would’ve passed on another FA and actually sign Patterson to return punts/kicks, and signed a FA Kicker.
To go rookie on both kickers and a Super Bowl or bust year is very odd.
As you need top 10 kicking to win.
May 1st, 2022 at 2:50 pm
OK some folks think the Bucs took a Punter too early. Licht had to make that move, he needed the cap space to sign the draftees plus Gronk. The Bucs had something like $12 million in cap space prior to the draft, if they release Pinion you get roughly $3 million more, for a total of $15 million under the team cap.
Gronk is going to charge what he made last season, $8 million. The two second round picks are going to cost about $4.7 million or so. The other picks won’t cost as much due to their lower draft status, but the way I look at it, the whole shebang (Gronk plus draftees) is going to come pretty close to $15 million in cap space.
May 1st, 2022 at 3:33 pm
Devin Thompsons from usu I live here watched him play every game he is very good fast and can jump he lined up in slot all the time and can move
May 2nd, 2022 at 12:26 pm
Why is a punter ever scheduled to earn $2.9M … I don’t want to hear about its a difficult skill. $2.9M for 20 weeks for a player that might make or take one hit is insane.