Jason Licht: No Surprise With Jalen McMillan
September 1st, 2024
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan.
One of the more pleasant surprises this summer watching training camp was rookie receiver Jalen McMillan.
While McMillan may have been a third-round pick, he looks like a Day 1 pick. He looked smooth and fluid from his first run with the Bucs’ first-team offense, making plays like a seasoned veteran.
Last week, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht pretty much said what he is seeing in McMillan is what Bucs scouts were tipped off to.
“Well, we knew what he was capable of, and we – when we did the process, people were telling our scouts there that at one point – he was a little dinged up last year – that he was the go-to guy, that he was capable of being as good as those other guys that went in front of him,” Licht said.
And that speaks volumes because Washington, which advanced to the national championship game, had excellent receivers. Rome Odunze went in the first round to the Bears. Ja’Lynn Polk went to the Patriots in the second round.
“They’re very good players,” Licht said about McMillan’s Washington teammates. “So, it doesn’t surprise me [McMillan has shined]. But it’s sure been great to watch him do that.”
If McMillan can carry his strong summer into the regular season, defenses will have lots of problems with the Bucs’ passing game.
Chris Godwin is back at slot and should be dangerous. We all know Mike Evans is a Hall of Famer so he will draw attention. If defenses spend too much time worrying about Evans and Godwin, that ought to provide McMillan with one-on-one opportunities. Or maybe even a few uncovered routes.
September 1st, 2024 at 11:05 am
Look out for McMillan and Palmer
September 1st, 2024 at 11:14 am
Hopefully we see 30 points on Sunday.
September 1st, 2024 at 11:26 am
Pumped about this kid. That preseason catch was a sure sign of things to come. Very excited to see this Offense over a whole game Sunday. This Daniels kid is gonna have to have magic out there otherwise I think the Bucs will wallop Washington! I try not to invest much gambling on week 1 but it’s gonna be hard not to strongly back a Bucs W.
September 1st, 2024 at 11:28 am
Amen.
September 1st, 2024 at 11:47 am
Biggest thing standing between Buccaneers and a 10+ win season is depth at linebacker.
September 1st, 2024 at 11:49 am
The extra 3rd round pick we received from the Davis trade got us McMillan or Smith…..younger cheaper players who will both contribute greatly….the extra money helped us afford players like Whitehead….if Zion works out, this will be a great trade.
September 1st, 2024 at 11:55 am
Do Coen and Mayfield have targets or what?
Like Ghostbusters…”Who ya gonna cover?”
ME13 HOF CG14, McMillan, Palmer, Otton, White and Irving out of the backfield
Virtually every Bucs eligible receiver in any given formation will be a threat.
I’m really excited to see what Coen and Mayfield do with all these targets.
September 1st, 2024 at 12:03 pm
McMillen looks smooth and great ball high pointing. Bucky looks smooth with killer one cuts, and #9 is the smoothest of all and could surprise like Palmer.
September 1st, 2024 at 12:03 pm
J-Mac has much better hands than Palmer so he deserves to start. Palmer’s speed does no good if he can’t catch it consistently.
September 1st, 2024 at 12:07 pm
IF the Oline pass blocks well, we will be fine. If the O line mauls in the run game too – we’re going to smash people.
September 1st, 2024 at 12:16 pm
Optimism always runs high in the week leading up to the first game of the season. If what we think is going to happen actually happens, Bucs Nation will be riding high come playoff time. Just win the Division baby, and then let’s see what damage we can do in the playoffs. The unknown and uncontrollable is injuries. Stay healthy Bucs!
September 1st, 2024 at 1:01 pm
I think J-Mac is going open some eyes this year. While I wish we had a little more speed at the position I’d rather have someone with sure hands and great ball tracking skills.
Did you see the look he had after the 1st Miami drive catch? Bros been feeling the disrespect and he’s got something to prove
September 1st, 2024 at 1:01 pm
Mix in Otton white and Palmer and these offense could be up there with the 20-21 Bucs. I know brown is mental and gronk is not replaceable but man if baker and be the point guard and speed the rock around this offense can be legit
September 1st, 2024 at 1:08 pm
White will have great receiving yards this season too. LFG!!!!
September 1st, 2024 at 1:21 pm
So many packages.
4 wides to 2 TEs and 2 RBs. Motion. LFG
#ScoreCraptonsOfPoints
September 1st, 2024 at 2:34 pm
Buddha was talking about our possible deficiencies at LB. That’s what I want to talk about. What are our weaknesses? I feel strong at QB, S, DL and OL. OLB? CB? Both might be strong, but ?. TE, probably strong catching the ball, but blocking? Putting Ko Kieft in is a tell to run? Personally I think he catches fine, though. I’m worried about KJ Britt until I think about who he replaced, and then, I don’t worry, he’s an upgrade. White was just always out of place and missing tackles. Like he never studied, just relied on speed and being 5th overall. (Obligatory: But he did win us a Superbowl). Where are our weaknesses. I know I’m stealing it from Joe, but I agree, CB was a strength until I saw Preseason. #37 Tavierre Thomas was bad… So bad… But are we gonna be good with Jamel and Zyon, and Tykee. Tykee beating out Christian Izien gives me hope. Izien is supposed to be a burner and I love me some speed, so if Tykee beat him out, he must be good. Was Izien just out of place too often, how did he get beat out? Love our Bucs, just want to talk about where we might be weak. What do you think?
September 1st, 2024 at 2:35 pm
A Bucs Fan Says, “Hopefully we see 30 points on Sunday.”.
I can’t agree more! 30 Should be the weekly goal! This revamped offense is very capable of producing those results!! Control the clock and end drives with points!! Preferably 7!! 😎
September 1st, 2024 at 2:37 pm
Hoping we make it through the season without gettin nuked.
September 1st, 2024 at 2:42 pm
I know #31 Winnfield is awesome. Single-handedly won 2 games for us. I think Jordan Whitehead is an underappreciated addition to this team. Nationally, that is. I think we get it. But is he going to good enough to cover for a possible problem with CB? All this is moot if we just put the damn QB on his ass, but I didn’t see a bunch of that in preseason. Ramirez with 3, but it just didn’t seem like we were getting to the QB consistently. What do you think?
September 1st, 2024 at 3:09 pm
Last night’s Kentucky game really concerned me. It was a completely different offense and team. It was A LOT more uptempo & FUN. They moved the ball and sustained drives, while hitting them with ‘quick-hitting’ run plays (wising a plethora of backs), & not waiting ‘til the last 1-4 seconds left on the play clock before snappin’ the damm ball, after looking over to the sidelines first, all night long. They got the plays in and kept it movin’ – they even went no huddle after first downs, etc. They were in a RHYTHM and FAST, unlike last season!!!! Last season they were literally, THE ‘slowest’ team in the entire COUNTRY. Just something to chew on for this upcoming season. The announcers were SHOCKED, too… They didn’t recognize this years team and commented several times, on last season. Jesse Palmer said, yeah, Cohen had a particular way or process that he demanded (not an exact quote but along those lines, without completely throwing him under the bus). It was just one game (or only ‘half’ of just one game), & it was Southern Miss, BUT it was still a completely different team and it was actually FUN to watch. You couldn’t say that about Cohen’s last two seasons there, no matter WHO they played. I KNOW He Was Watching, Too! I just hope he’s learned and is willing to change for the Bucs sake and his own.
September 1st, 2024 at 3:12 pm
I think McMuffin is going to be very good, and he looks pro-ready – but he hasn’t done squat yet, mainly due to Bowles and his Camp Cupcake approach to the season. But we’ll know for sure next Sunday when we see him in action for real. As for the people who just care about numbers, I’m not expecting a huge year from him, the Bucs are just capped by their middling QB who won’t put up enough yards for him to really stand out (barring a injury to the big two), so I think people will overlook him on a national level when he has maybe 600 yards at the end of the year. However, we’ll know pretty quickly if he’s going to be the #2 next year, which is what the Bucs want from a money standpoint since it’s going to be very difficult to keep Godwin.
September 1st, 2024 at 3:13 pm
I always placed 💯 of the blame on STOOPS. He says he never touched the offense last season. I do know that he has finally woken up and wants to be a 21st Century Offense… We’ll see what happens with both this season, the Bucs and the Cats!!!!
September 1st, 2024 at 3:13 pm
Booger – This is a Todd Bowles team, it’s never going to be ‘up tempo’ or ‘fun’.
September 1st, 2024 at 3:16 pm
meanwhile in San Francisco Ricky Piersal a top draft pick was shot in the chest in a robbery.
September 1st, 2024 at 3:17 pm
The Canales offense was a one read and react offense. The evidence is in the receptions numbers and the eyeballs if you watched any of the games. Canales tried to create open runners with route combos, but they weren’t designed with the idea of the QB in mind picking between intermediate routes. If the 1st read isn’t there then checkdown or tuck, run and slide. It’s not a mystery as to why White had 70 targets.
Canales kept preaching get the ball out quick. He didn’t want Mayfield back there doing tap dances going through progressions.
It’s a guarantee defenses are going to adjust because that kind of offense is the best kind of offense for Baker. They didn’t turn the ball over and stayed in games with their defense (most of the time).
Looks to me like not much is going to change under Cohen – perhaps a more effective run game and a boat load of draws and screens. Again – take the pressure off Baker and shape the play call to keep the QB choices to a minimum.
I heard Trask say Cohen gives a primary playcall, but option B and option C audibles depending on offensive package and how the defense lines up. This is the wrinkle Cohen has added. Allows the QB to make the presnap read and call the right play. If that option is available to Trask – its absolutely implemented for Baker who is the starter.
One thing they don’t want is for Mayfield to do much post snap processing. They’re looking for very quick cues with preset A or B multiple choice post read.
“You have this offensive package, this down and distance, so these three plays are what we do depending on how the defense lines up. Snap the ball – if it’s there go, if not switch.”
When people say “System Quarterback” this is what they mean. “Here’s the system – can you execute it?” Cohen is giving some decision making leeway to the QBs, but in a controlled manner.
September 1st, 2024 at 3:31 pm
The opener will reveal much … but not all. Man I can’t wait! 🤩😁
Go Bucs!!
September 1st, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Mike S Says:
September 1st, 2024 at 3:17 pm
The Canales offense was a one read and react offense. The evidence is in the receptions numbers and the eyeballs if you watched any of the games. Canales tried to create open runners with route combos, but they weren’t designed with the idea of the QB in mind picking between intermediate routes. If the 1st read isn’t there then checkdown or tuck, run and slide. It’s not a mystery as to why White had 70 targets.
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Baker literally has had a rep his entire career that at the slightest bit of pressure he just checks it down to the RB. You could go back and watch his Carolina tape and he’d look deep, if the person wasn’t wide open, he’d immediately dump it off – no matter if it was 3 and 17 or not, he was going to get that competition and 5 yards to help his passer rating (but that doesn’t help QBR).
With that said, Baker had the best season of his career in this offense, and the team was expected to be really bad. Canales did a pretty fantastic job reclaiming a complete throw away player like Baker – that’s why he got the job in Carolina, where they’ll almost certainly be much improved (if for no other reason than they got better talent at WR).
September 1st, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Who is Cohen?
September 1st, 2024 at 4:56 pm
Just score more points than Washington in the opener.
September 1st, 2024 at 5:13 pm
According to online search, Coen is a Dutch version of the German name Conrad, meaning Brave Counsel.
September 1st, 2024 at 5:27 pm
Yeah, Rod… Bowles and Stoops are mirror images of each other in both, overall philosophy (defensive coaches), & miserably inadequate and incompetent late game decision making, use of timeouts, and clock management. They both, seem to just collapse in the moment, under pressure. Entirely clueless, like in a panic, they just completely lose it. Stoops has FINALLY seen the light, and has run as far away as possible from the offensive side of the ball, by giving his OC full control. This off-season, he said that he gave Cohen ‘full-control’ last season!!!! They talked about it in the booth last night, that Stoops said he started noticing how all of these other teams offenses looked and just HOW HARD it was to stop them, etc. Though, it did not take a genius to see that, and to figure it out… I’m just glad that he has FINALLY (supposedly), seen the light. I think Bowles has, too… We‘ll see soon enough. Both their jobs are on the line & they both KNOW-IT. And, yeah… they were just way too slow and predictable at Kentucky… Waaaayyyy too many WR screen passes, etc. Slow. Boring. NO Rhythm and just very hard to watch.
September 1st, 2024 at 6:13 pm
Definitely like to see 30+ out of the offense in Washington but will be happy with a win and a good showing from the O-line against decent/good starters.
September 1st, 2024 at 6:44 pm
“infomeplease Says:
September 1st, 2024 at 2:35 pm
A Bucs Fan Says, “Hopefully we see 30 points on Sunday.”.
I can’t agree more! 30 Should be the weekly goal! ”
If they can just average 25 ppg, they’ll crush it.
26-7ppg? SB baby!
September 1st, 2024 at 6:53 pm
i think payne durham might be a sleeper target at the 2nd tight end spot…
i wouldn’t be surprised to see him with 20+ grabs and a few tds…
yeah i said it…payne durham…don’t sleep…he has good hands
September 1st, 2024 at 7:16 pm
Booger that’s a little concerning hearing about that Kentucky offense with and without our new coach. Hmm. Barry Switzer used to say that it was more about the “Jimmies and Joes “ than the “Xs and Os.” I think I’ll go with the old coach on that one.
September 1st, 2024 at 7:20 pm
Washington Huskies fan here. You guys got a steal in the 3rd round with JMac. Kid is really, really good.
September 2nd, 2024 at 12:12 am
Win the bloody opener. Done.
September 2nd, 2024 at 8:42 am
ME13 HOF CG14, McMillan, Palmer, Otton, White and Irving out of the backfield
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Amen, stpete. Canales wasted all this talent (minus Irving and Macmillan) last year. He could have drawn up all sorts of creative plays, and he didn’t do it. Coen looks like he won’t make that mistake. Hope Camarda will be ready to go. He was a little punky in preseason.