Separation
July 24th, 2022
Flashing on short routes.
Joe is a big fan of separation. You should see Joe at Big Storm Brewing. It doesn’t take Joe long on a July day to separate Bromosa from the frosty pint glass.
But when it comes to the Bucs, separation is a totally different matter. Enter BSPN analyst Mina Kimes. She is of the mind new Bucs receiver Russell Gage often finds a way to get open on short routes.
Perhaps this is why the Bucs are very giddy about Gage’s chances to do damage in this offense?
The Bucs got such a gem in Russell Gage. Inside/out versatility, shifty at the LOS, consistently gets separation in the short area, great hands, finished 10th (!) in yards/route run among WRs. Only 26 and still getting better.
The rich get richer…. pic.twitter.com/1m4Vyri9VI
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) July 22, 2022
Joe admits to having been worried about Gage. The guy played on a garbage team and was a No. 3 receiver at times behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. How great can he be?
As Adam Rank of NFL.com typed earlier this summer, Tom Brady has a way of making slot receivers raise their games. If Gage is already a good receiver and he has Brady throwing to him, well, the Bucs may have a steal.
The thing Kimes points out gets Joe stoked, that Gage always finds a way of getting open on short routes. Who better to take advantage of that than a sharpshooter like Brady?
July 24th, 2022 at 12:33 am
“The guy played on a garbage team and was a No. 3 receiver at times behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. How good can he be?”
Huh? Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson played on a garbage team too, it didn’t mean they were also garbage, that doesn’t make any sense Joe. Jones was, up until he fell off a cliff, one of the top 3 WRs in the NFL (at least for the games he played), and Ridley was considered a top 10 kind of guy before he pulled an AB and went nuts. Being #3 behind those two is not a negative. Gage is a lower tier #2 WR, and a really good #3 WR.
The only real downside is that he’s replacing AB who was still one of the better WRs in the NFL, and Gage isn’t going to be in that territory, however by hopefully being healthy, he can be there every week which is something Bucs WRs have a huge issue with year to year.
July 24th, 2022 at 12:56 am
Here’s a stat for you Joe…
Snap count chart…
Who is right behind Fournette for snaps on offense?
Tyler Johnson had 612 snaps last season.TJ had almost 150 more snaps than Brate did. That’s remarkable considering the production.
WOW was he ineffective.
I knew Johnson was in there on more plays than most people realized, but I had no idea it was that many snaps.
So if you look at it that way, then this is a huge upgrade.
July 24th, 2022 at 4:34 am
Rod … I remember BA raving about Tyler Johnson’s blocking. MAYBE that’s why he was on he field so much?
July 24th, 2022 at 6:04 am
Great point DR. Also last year was not a good year for Brate. His 53 % catch rate is poor and Johnson had 65 % of his targets hauled in for a 10 yard average.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:19 am
Gage is a clear #3 receiver…….#4 is another question…..that’s why we needed Gage…
Perriman, Johnson, Miller, Grayson, Darden
My choice would be Perriman for #4…..but you could argue someone else.
July 24th, 2022 at 7:20 am
Separation. One “E” 👍
July 24th, 2022 at 7:33 am
Carmen Vitali on twitter had this ….”He gives us another blocking wide receiver,” says Arians about Tyler Johnson. That’s a big thing BA asks of his wideouts in this offense (Chris Godwin is no stranger to it) but adds that Johnson will need to contribute on special teams if he wants to dress on Sundays.
But still the point Rod is making is valid, he disappears, and last year he was inconsistent at best at catching the ball. If he would have stepped up, they would not have signed Gage. I am sure everyone here remembers BA referencing Tyler in the offseason, and not being happy with him, and Tyler being out of shape some too. I thought he would have an excellent year last year but he did not. Hopefully he takes the next step, he is big time needed. I do not think when he came out of College that he envisioned mainly a blocking WR, but for now that is what he has earned, he has to step if he wants Brady to throw him the ball more.
GO BUCS!!!!!!
July 24th, 2022 at 7:38 am
Nah
And not sure where all the perriman love comes from? Sure the bills game was amazing finish (he got matched against a slow LB). But that guy is at his best sooooo average
Grayson will be 4. Has more upside. Oh and can make the same game winning td like in Jets game.
I should say he will be 4 until bucs sign one more receiver. They want to show brady that coming back for 2023 is main focus. OBJ would show brady (unlike belichick) that bucs want to put all the best groceries in the cupboard for him cause he is the goat and deserves it)
And no gronk “for now”. Go some more 4 receiver sets.
But rudolph will be fine and will get looks close to endzone as huge target.
July 24th, 2022 at 8:00 am
I’m a big fan of seperation too Joe. Like when my wife goes out of town the seperation is great!
July 24th, 2022 at 10:06 am
It’s almost like the author didn’t bother to do his homework and still came out with crappy takes about how concerned he was about the signing.
July 24th, 2022 at 10:46 am
Mina would be another great candidate for a feature on Joes’ developmental site, JoeBushFan.com
Annie
July 24th, 2022 at 11:15 am
Never watched a lot of Gage but his production kept improving even when he went from a number 3 on Atlanta to the number 1 option on Atlanta.
Put that with the fact that Tom Brady clearly recruited him and I have very high hopes for him. Will he be as explosive as AB when he was healthy or not having a tantrum — no way.
But will he likely be a better number 3 than 27 or 28 other teams, I expect so.
July 24th, 2022 at 2:41 pm
Jesus Christ, goatfarmer. Be a better human being than that.
July 24th, 2022 at 3:59 pm
Defense Rules – could be, but I think you can upgrade your blocking by just putting out a TE, or an offensive lineman. Tyler Johnson only had 36 receptions (at just 10ypc) on 612 snaps, that’s very poor production in an offense with a QB throwing for 5300 yards.
I had liked Tyler Johnson early no, he looked like he could be a solid pro, but I’m not sure what happened to him last year. He looked like he was running in the mud, got no separation and didn’t do anything to stand out. I hope he comes into camp in the best shape of his life or I doubt he makes the team this year.
July 24th, 2022 at 4:32 pm
Mort — suggest you go to ChristianMingle.com
July 24th, 2022 at 11:31 pm
From what I have seen of Gage and his stats, it’s a great signing.
As for Tyler Johnson and the number 4 receiver, Perriman might have the inside track right now. TJ is probably in a make or break year
Then they Grayson, Miller, Darden also fighting for position. None have proven to be great but definitely all are pretty good and loaded with potential. As far as depth at positions four and five in the receiving corp, it might just be one of the deepest in the NFL
July 25th, 2022 at 12:28 am
Except for Dardung. He might have potential for the US Olympic Team’s flag football squad, although he’d have to learn how not to slip stumble and trip over blades of grass .Dardung has proven to chew stinkroot.