Goldson: Caretaker Of Secondary
August 1st, 2013
Forget about his play in the NFL, which has been stellar. One reason the Bucs signed Dashon “Hawk” Goldson is that he rubs off on teammates. In a good way.
Yes, the Bucs secondary last year reminded Joe of a barnyard in July. Yes, the Bucs got Darrelle Revis but Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik wanted a guy, not just Revis, who would be open to taking younger defensive backs under his wing. Dominik wanted them shown the ropes of how to be not just a Buccaneer Man, but a solid professional, much in the same way Vincent Jackson does for Mike Williams.
Hawk Goldson was that man, and Goldson has never shied away from helping his fellow teammates and was proud of being looked upon as a mentor when he spoke to the Tampa Bay pen and mic club after practice Thursday.
“I take that leadership role very seriously,” Goldson said. “I know I am here to help the younger guys out and definitely to win football games around here. With Revis down, I have to step up and play a bigger role. I come out here as a leader with experience.
“I am sure [Revis] has more insight into the corner position than I do. At the same time, we have played in some big games and we have done well in this league [to earn street cred] to be vocal and helping the young guys out.
“They have responded very well. I think these guys take to coaching, not just me but also the coaching staff and all the leaders at the same time. Not a lot of Prima donnas around here. That’s a good start.”
It isn’t just words coming out of Hawk’s mouth (beak?). Joe has seen in virtually every practice how Goldson is working after hours with Mark Barron, Leonard Johnson, Danny Gorrer and Rashaan Melvin. And the younger players simply rave about how they have learned from him.
Yeah, the Bucs dropped a lot of cash in Goldson’s lap. Those many large bills will not just be paid back on the field, but in ways unmeasurable.
August 1st, 2013 at 3:14 pm
I had discussed Goldson with my wife before free agency started saying he was the one player I wanted them to get out of all them!
I am so stoked to see what this DB corp can do!
Can’t wait for next weeks game already!
August 1st, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Man, who would have thought 2 years ago that the Bucs would land V-Jax, Goldson, Nicks, AND Revis? The Bucs actually have star power for once.
August 1st, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Nice read. Was talking with another fan today about exactly the same thing. While Revis and Goldson are great players, believe they were brought in to have an even bigger impact on the team and the community. Kinda goes along with that article that was written last year that talked about the decline in attendance partly being due to the lack of identifiable players on the roster that the fans could connect to. That is definitely on it’s way back.
August 1st, 2013 at 4:15 pm
2 years ago we really didn’t have the veteran experience with our young team. We wanted our players to develop, and we figured that can’t be done unless we get the leadership vets to teach the young ones. That’s what happened with Revis, Goldson, VJacks. Nicks I really don’t know what he brings as it is rarely mentioned, but he brings elite skills to go up against our D line and also get other line up to those standards.
August 1st, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Tampa should always be a prime destination for free agents. Great weather and that whole no state income tax thing are great sellers.
August 1st, 2013 at 4:47 pm
Having Revis you sometimes tend to forget about Goldson…and he is definately a force and a great mentor. This is the difference with Schiano and his “Buccaneer Men”….they share their talents…..not like Winslow, Wright or Talib.
If Revis and Goldosn can get an extra 10% out of Barron, Johnson & Banks….that would be awesome!!!
August 1st, 2013 at 5:30 pm
it’s a lot easier to pull for good guys like Goldson, Joesoph and Revers than it is Winslow and adderall boy. I’m tired of people saying the bucs overpaid for Goldson. He is exactly what the bucs needed. An argument can be made that all top tier free agents are over paid. Proof will be in the Win / loss column but I am very optimistic.
August 1st, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Hey Joe, is he also spending extra time with Grimm, Black, Tandy and……….Lewis?
August 1st, 2013 at 6:00 pm
afrobuc… I hope he is not wasting his time with Nine Lives MyLew…. Lewis is a hopeless case. Hopefully he will excel in the business world or whatever life has in store for him but the dude can’t play ball. seems like a good guy though. I wish him well. Cut nine lives now!!!!!
August 1st, 2013 at 9:18 pm
Afro:
Black, yes. Nine Lives, yes. Not sure about Grimm or Tandy.