Anthony Gaitor “Worth Watching”
August 13th, 2011
Joe can still here the bawling of Bucs fans when one brings up the name E.J. Biggers. For many of these Bucs fans, Biggers should have been flogged in public and cut from the Bucs because — cue the tape, please — “WWHHHAAA!!! ‘Megatron’ beat him!”
Who is “Megatron?” Joe is told that is Calvin Johnson. (Honestly, Joe has never heard Calvin Johnson referred to this aside from on this very site in the comments and from Raheem.)
So for the Biggers haters, even though he’s a damned fine cornerback and likely will start next season after Ronde Barber retires, if he retires, Joe has good news for you via Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
Seems rookie cornerback Anthony Gaitor is opening some eyes.
Q: With Aqib Talib possibly in some legal trouble, or facing a suspension. Have you seen any upside to E.J. Biggers, Myron Lewis, or Anthony Gaitor this summer.
Jason Charity, Yokota AFB, Japan
A: E.J. Biggers has definitely come on the last couple of years and is proving himself capable of being an effective starter. He’ll likely be the Bucs third corner this year, which means he’ll cover the right corner in nickel downs when Ronde Barber moves into the slot. Lewis has been a little bit slower to develop, but the Bucs have high hopes for him. We’ll get a better read on Gaitor during the preseason. He’s a player worth watching.
— Woody Cummings
While Joe is a big Biggers fan, Joe, like Cummings, is intrigued by Gaitor. This very well could be something to watch the next three weeks if Gaitor continues to play well.
Joe isn’t convinced Elbert Mack’s position is rock solid on the club.
August 13th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Did Mack get drafted?
August 13th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
ESPN called him Megatron last night on NFL LIVE ..so idk what your talking about
August 13th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
No, Mack was an undrafted FA. He was signed before the 08 season
August 13th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Megatrton is a beast. I’ve seen far lesser WR beat Aqib and Ronde but I don’t here anyone calling for their jobs.
Mack is gone. Good riddance. I doubt he’ll find any work with another team. At least, not in this league. He is nearly as bad as Juran Bolden was
August 13th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
I think Biggers has played very well for a 7th round pick. Gaitor surprised me with a few plays last night especially for a 7th round pick with no off-season. I have issues with the fans that suggest it’s ok to let Talib go because we have Biggers, because that’s just crazy. Based on his play last night Biggers needs to work at getting off the block. He was obviously pushed out of several run plays that came to his side.
August 13th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Mack…Watch your back.. Because of Gaitor we’ll be seein ya’ later.
August 13th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
Gaitor jumps out on the film and looks very special. I love Biggers too.
August 13th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
wtf are u talking about..first off u never heard calvin johnson referred to as mega-tron….wow.. where have u been the last couple of seasons…This type of hog-wash makes me not want to read ur blogs….E.j. biggers stepped in for talib last year..meaning he was matched up with the other teams number 1…Gaitor at best is a nickel corner….Not to mention biggers missed his whole rookie season…..last year was is first year on the field…And was thrown in the fire against teams #1 reciever……For a (rookie) he played execeptional….I agree there is a lot he needs to work on (playing the run) being my main issue with him….Biggers is no aqib talib…but no db on our team is talib….The question u should be asking is could gaitor step in as a rookie and execute the game plan…i dont know…but i do know biggers dont make alot of mistakes…and after only one year on the field… Expect him to be better this year….
August 13th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Here, Joe. Just for you…
From Wikipedia: Calvin Johnson – Fellow teammate Roy Williams nicknamed Johnson “Megatron”, due to his large hands being similar to that of the towering Decepticon. The nickname caught on well with fans.
August 13th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Opening deleted for vile lies about Joe. everyone calls him MEGA TRON
August 13th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
What’s with all the dudes using the word “here” when they are referring to “hearing”? I’m used to misuse of “your” from the countless frequenters of all sites, but “here”? C’mon people, this ain’t rocket science!
I “hered” of Johnson being referred to as “Megatron” years ago… probably when he was a rookie.
August 13th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
maybe its because I live in MI, but I honestly thought that was a household name. Never met a single NFL fan that doesn’t call him Megatron
August 13th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
tampa2ali:
I think the question that should be asked of you is, “What freaking grade are you in?” I can barely understand your juvenile rant. Did you text that diatribe or were you actually typing it up on a computer? UNREADABLE!
August 13th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Joe here,
@tampa2ali — You misread this. Joe was not being negative about Biggers.
August 13th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Joe here,
@those who can’t believe Joe wasn’t really aware of the nickname Megatron … Joe is not lying when he says he doesn’t watch BSPN. What Joe sees and hears of the NFL, including listening to NFL Radio often, Joe doesn’t come across “MegaTron” used. Sorry. It must be a big BSPN thing.
August 13th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Brandon: You must be new. Spelling and grammatical errors and mistakes happen on blogs, and we have an unspoken agreement not to criticize each other for it. Why? Because it takes too much time to proofread everything and so long as the theme isn’t distorted by the error – errors are understandable and tolerated.
August 13th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Grammar police=a-holes. Get off your high horse.
August 13th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Very impressed with Gaitor last night; when watching the highlights on ESPN and they lauded Baldwin’s athleticism for almost(yes, almost) catching a pass no mention was made that he had to display his athleticism because Gaitor was stuck to him like glue. Made me laugh.
Oh, and did anyone else notice Adrian Clayborn 7-10 yards downfield trying to pick up a broken up pass? Don’t know if it was a zone blitz but if not, heckuva hustle.
August 13th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Also, was it just me or did Mckenzie seem have bit of command out there? I think I saw him directing D Linemen at least a couple of times.
August 13th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Joe, don’t know where you’ve been on Megatron — the nickname’s all over.
Google “Calvin Johnson” Megatron — 219,000 hits
Google “Matt Ryan” Matty Ice — 163,000 hits
August 13th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Yeah seriously, correcting someone’s spelling on a discussion board is kind of a douchbag thing to do. Who cares? As long as you know what the hell they’re saying, so what. This isn’t an English class.
August 13th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Last 2 years of FF drafts people have selected Megatron not Calvin Johnson…
Biggers missed his rookie year and has looked pretty good. I like the way our DB’s look.
August 13th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Biggers is rock solid. I would be happy with him being a starter…
However, Gaitor has some fantastic upside. You watch the college highlights on this guy and you see some incredible instincts and playmaking ability.
I love the Bucs young corners and they’re deep, but it sucks that their top two are kind of unreliable (Ronde just because he’s basically year-to-year). I bet they go after someone in the 2nd-3rd round next year if Talib gets convicted.
August 13th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
P.S. – Mack is a cover 2 corner. We’re not a cover 2 team anymore. They’re phasing him out.
August 13th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Don’t have time to comment on every aspect at all different articles, so here’s my take:
Every singke aspect looked good and showed some areas where improvemnet is needed. I know, pretty obvios and basic, but it is the truth. They looked good and there were some signs of rust.
Tell you what though, if the season started tomorrow, I think they would be FAR ahead of KC and many other teams, which says something about these young players and coaches preparation with no offseason.
GREAT JOB.
As far as the defensive front 7 (the main thing I focused on): the had a pass rush without their best starting DT and they looked good against the run. They gave up one big play where it looked like the DE & OLB got sucked in as the play bounced around the outside. Other than that, they looked prett good. I saw Clayborne disrupt and tmake a tackle for a loss on a rn and I saw Foster & Black flying around.
The offense looked ready to go… other than 3rd & 4th string guys dropping passes.
GO BUCS!
August 13th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
hey guys i didnt get to watch the whole game and i have freinds at work that are telling me that we had a guy put a huge hit a someone when there was a punt if anyone could help me with this i would love it
August 14th, 2011 at 12:02 am
much like your stupidity thomas!!!!!
August 14th, 2011 at 12:54 am
I watched this kids youtube highlights when we drafted him…They were impressive…and against some good offensive competition too
August 14th, 2011 at 1:00 am
I can see Gaitor being alot like Rhonde Barber. but more so just purely Nickel. Watching him in collage and seeing him in preseason game. He fits really well against Slot recievers, and he likes to hit HARD. He plays twice his size and seems pretty quick on the field.
August 14th, 2011 at 1:01 am
and buy being like rhonde i am talking about him rushing the passer off the edge and playing TE/slot recievers. Being small and shifty but a good tackler.
August 14th, 2011 at 1:02 am
yah i don’t know his name . It was Jersey #2. Planted the PRer before the ball even got there. Also seemed to be the first person on the very next Punt to get to the PRer. Whoever he is .. He’s dam fast.
August 14th, 2011 at 1:06 am
Looked it up and bored 🙂 #2 Devin Holland. Rookie Safety. 6’0” 205lbs. From McNeese State College.
August 14th, 2011 at 2:30 am
i have said this before joe…ban that fool thomas and i will pick up each and every bar tab you ring up….we need a no TOOL zone!!!
August 14th, 2011 at 7:38 am
can u please check out my wifes porn site http://www.clipsforsale.com/store/36921 thanks for the support tampa bay fans go bucs!
August 14th, 2011 at 8:09 am
Vile lies! Vile! Lies!
August 14th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Thomas, I’m not new…I’ve been around long enough to know that you get abused quite frequently. I just can’t understand how “here” was confused with “hear” in two different posts (including Joe’s article)… and the other post, I just couldn’t understand.
And if it is an unspoken… or more likely, unwritten, agreement… then it’s neither spoken nor written, so therefore it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t take too long to glance over your writing to make sure it makes sense. It takes far longer for the reader to try to decipher the message than it would be for the poster to clean it up before they submit it.
August 14th, 2011 at 8:26 am
Devin Holland was defended by Morris saying that Holland told him he really thought the returner caught the ball. He said it was an honest mistake and he’s learning.
Holland ran his 40 in the 4.35 range at his pro day. Though he can really run, his production in college (a tiny one at that) didn’t reflect it. With that kind of speed, however, perhaps he sneaks onto the roster purely for his skills as a gunner. PS is more likely, but he has good size and special teams potential.
August 14th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Brandon,
what is funny to me is that ‘Thomas’, the least credible Buc hater on the planet would call you out for being a grammar cop. We all need to clean it up from time to time, I’ll give you that. Keep up the good positive commentary about this badass young team, headed for 13 wins this season.
August 14th, 2011 at 9:59 am
Bigmac: 13 wins huh? I will gladly take that bet. You get pretty giddy after 1 meaningless preseason game where the astute ToddHaley realizes that there is a huge injury risk right now and rested key players and told others to be very careful.
The NFL has major concerns about increased, Achilles, knee ligament/tendon and hamstring injuries due to the loss of offseason strength and conditioning programs this year. The experienced coaches are accounting for this unusual risk by resting core players and telling others to take it easy. We have rah rah Morris who doesn’t have the experience to address this unique risk. If one key player is lost this preseason, he will learn.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:16 am
All of you preseason koolaid drinkers, chew on this:
Last preason the NFC had 1 undefeated 4-0 team (also with largest point differential) – the 49ers who didn’t make the playoffs after going 6-10.
The NFC also had 1 0-4 team – the Bears who went 11-5, won their division and made it to the NFC championship game.
Preseason wins are meaningless.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:21 am
or maybe he’s noticed in camp that his players are in shape because they worked out by themselves in the offseason. I honestly can’t understand how everything is so doom and gloom to you, why don’t you try to enjoy life?
August 14th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Thomas you left out the famous season of the Lions who went 4-0 preseason and 0-16 regular season. No one thinks the Bucs just won the Super Bowl because of this game but there is a lot of positive things to take from it.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:27 am
Thomas, you dumbass little reprobate. I predicted 13 wins weeks ago, like I predicted 10 wins last season, and 3 wins the season before. Get a clue kid. So this week you’re sucking Haley’s schlong, next week you’ll be gurgling Belicum and spitting out more hatred for the Bucs and Coach Morris. Why don’t you get a job and get off the unemployment. Isn’t it about week 98 for you, Eric.
August 14th, 2011 at 11:17 am
@Brandon Please don’t be a deak. Dam I spelled that wrong.
August 14th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
I can understand grammar errors in the comments section. People type fast and sometimes in the dark, as they drive, etc.
It’s when the articles have them all over that bugs me. An occasional one will always slip by…but when there are a ton of the things in one article it gets frustrating for a writer to look at.
On topic…
I think Biggers is good enough to get the job done. Gaitor has appeared in a portion of one preseason game. He’s worth watching, yes, but not worth getting hyped over yet.
I will say this though…it’s really nice with the Bucs doing such good scouting that we can talk this much about 7th round picks. Most teams don’t have that luxery…heck, we didn’t for a very long time.
August 14th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
I hate people that text while they are driving. Worse than drunks because at least drunks are looking at the road. Hey texters, that was me honking at you the other day. Pull over and text.
August 14th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
@Pete A lot of people who graduated in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s have not used written language since high school. We did other things than become writers. I was always taught it was impolite to correct another adults grammar. Although I think Thomas 2.2 is fair game to pick on for other things.
August 14th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Pre-season wins are not meaningless if you are on the losing end of the arguement Thomas.
LOL
The point is, the Bucs won, and you have to sit here and debate against this until next week.
Don’t you just love football?
THAT’S WHY THEY PLAY THE GAME!
August 14th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
TopDoggie Says:
@Pete A lot of people who graduated in the 60′s 70′s and 80′s have not used written language since high school. We did other things than become writers. I was always taught it was impolite to correct another adults grammar. Although I think Thomas 2.2 is fair game to pick on for other things.
I understand that. But if you read what I said again I said that errors are understandable in comments…not in articles themselves. People who write articles are staking a claim as writers…and should do it right.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
LOL Joe no offense but just in this case, you remind me of the guy living under the rock in Geico commercial.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
@Peter I agree. A little confusion here. I thought we were refering to Brandons putting down posters improper use of grammer.
August 14th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
The Game may be meaningless. But the play on the field is VERY IMPORTANT.
It was a HUGE benefit to see the first team go out, look sharp, and execute well in game 1. Now they can rest up a bit. Go through schemes and be ready for week 1 of the regular season. While letting the rest of the “Youngry” Boys go out and earn a spoton the roster.
So was the score and outcome of the game meaningless? Yes! I agree fully. Am I going to get hyped up for the play my team showed on the field? You bet your bottom dollar.
Stop bashing Fans for being excited about the way this team is looking even with a lock out.
August 14th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Thomas, you have a listening problem I think. The KC coach said he was worried about his team, becasue many of them showed up out of shape. Morris has said the Bucs showed up in great condition. It is like the TV guys said, niehter coach was wrong just different in their approach. KC looked out of shape, so if our staters are in shap we might as well let them get plenty of reps, so they will hit the road running come Sept. Your blind hatred for no real reason of Morris is tired, you are just a troll that is not much of a fan.
August 15th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
PETE DUCTHER NEED TO BE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT GAITOR KEEP THE NEGATIVE TO HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!