Temper Expectations For Johnson
April 20th, 2015
Bucs fans should be careful with their expectations for DE George Johnson, says ESPN.
Now the Bucs may want you to believe the trade for Lions defensive end George Johnson answers Tampa Bay fans’ prayers to fix a way-too-long dearth of pressure from the edge.
And while Johnson showed promise, and some talking heads like Bill Polian think the Bucs found the Hope Diamond, let’s get real says ESPN.
Bucs beat blogger Pat Yasinskas, tapping his logical side, believes Bucs fans should come back down to earth over Johnson, barring an unexpected explosion of sacks this season.
@PatYazESPN: We’ll continue to talk about defensive end because it’s a very significant issue for the Bucs. The addition of George Johnson is a plus and adds depth. But let’s be real honest. Johnson never has been a starter and he never had a sack until he recorded six in Detroit last year. Johnson may be nothing more than a rotational player. The Bucs still need to add a top-notch outside rusher.
That’s fair and likely realistic. Shoot, this is Johnson’s second go-around with the Bucs and Joe suggests most Bucs fans didn’t even know he was on the team previously.
And yes, while the Bucs need a defensive end in the worst way, Joe senses the Bucs are going to go all offensive line instead, which isn’t a dumb move.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:34 am
Ill be honest I would really not be mad if the bucs went
#1 – Winston
#2 – OL
#3 – OL
#4 – OL
#5 – OL
#6 – OL
#7 – OL
#7 – OL
April 20th, 2015 at 10:35 am
I have no expectations except that he will produce less than Clayborn. Lol
April 20th, 2015 at 10:37 am
yeah we need a top DE, but let’s be honest. we are not close to competing for the SB. it’s a need, but one that can be dealt with when were a little closer. bringing in a Simeon Rice right now might look good on the stat sheet, but it’s still not going to make us a contender. we’re still a few years away even if the draft went perfectly and hit on all cylinders.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:41 am
@jolly buc… i’m with you , but spend one pick on a wr with spead. The brand new qb we get will need one bc evans and vjax are great but are simillar and not burners. And yeah, johnson probably won’t be special and is not full time, but use him in the rotation and we will have improvement.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:42 am
Jolly Bucs Fan Says
Ill be honest I would really not be mad if the bucs went
#1 – Winston
#2 – OL
#3 – OL
#4 – OL
#5 – OL
#6 – OL
#7 – OL
#7 – OL
I sure as heck would.
That would set us back 2 years. Yes, we need OL, but we also need a punter, 2 starting safeties, 2 defensive ends, a starting MLB and more.
It’s already going to take 2 drafts to fill the holes. What you suggest would make it twice as long.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:44 am
probability says he is just a guy, but if he has the chance to be anything more….welcome to training camp. i’m more hopeful over the development of some other players, a prospect at any point in next week’s draft, or the possibility of a free agent band-aid type after june 1 cuts. wherever the production comes from in 2015, the bucs are doing the right thing giving themselves as many chances as possible to find it. after QB and O line this year, next offseason will be all about finding the stud pass rusher.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:44 am
Sounds a lot like what I have been saying without acknowledging the rank incompetence of one Lovie Smith and his little lapdog GM.
Cue the apologists defending incompetence in leadership while we continue to have holes at all of the positions these bozos created or attempted to fix.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:48 am
“Temper Expectations For Johnson” – Duh
If the Bucs don’t plan on drafting a DE in the 1st 3 rounds – then letting Clayborn go to sign with Atlanta for less than Johnson is making was likely a mistake. We’ve got plenty of $. No reason not to bring Adrian back for 1 more year and see if he could stay healthy and compete. He looked pretty good in pre-season last year before getting hurt. Should have kept him and let him compete/rotate w/ Johnson.
Tired of Bucs 1st round picks not working out. I don’t see how it could have hurt to give Clayborn 1 more year to see if he could stay on the field and make a positive difference. If he has a good year for Atlanta – I’m gonna be pissed about that decision.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:53 am
Ya I don’t believe G.Johnson is the answer at DE. He is a great pick up. Someone with proven experience, than a newly drafted DE. Like a previous example stated…we had DE S.Means we drafted a few years ago in the 5th round. 0 sacks in his short stint with the Bucs. I still believe we will still go after a DE in the 3rd round. We will probably go OL in the 2nd and 4th round. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens. We need a sack attack DE like Nate Orchard or D. Prescott whom may still be there in the top of the 3rd.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:55 am
Not saying GJ is “the one” yet (he’ll have to prove it this year) but BSPN’s Pat Yasinskas is an idiot and I don’t lose any sleep over any of his comments
April 20th, 2015 at 11:03 am
SOE- Pat Y is simply acknowledging the obvious and he is the idiot?
April 20th, 2015 at 11:04 am
Sorry Dallas Buc can’t put all this on L&L think it might have a lot to do with the prior 5 years of drafting and coach too. It takes more than one year to fix 5+ years of drafting. So just like a draft pick I don’t think you can grade coach on their first year.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:09 am
I dont actually suggest an all OL draft after Winston, only that I wouldnt be mad with it lol. It would certainly give us a higher chance to find gems/opening day starters.
Charlie Campbell- mck draft
1 – QB Jameis Winston
2- OT TJ Clemmings
3 – DE Nate Orchard
4 – G Jarvis Harrison
5- ILB Ramik Wilson
5-2- C Andy Gallik (before it was traded away)
I saw this 5 rd mck by Charlie Campbell. I dont know if Nate Orchard will make it to number 3 but this draft almost looks to good to be true. At least as far as format goes this would fill alot of needs. I also think at least 3 spots on Oline are needed. we lack both depth and starters. this also helps us at DE and ILB. We could still use more speed in the WR position but I think this puts us in a position to be a really good team (if we hit on the Oline.)
April 20th, 2015 at 11:10 am
Name one thing Mr Incompetent did to “fix” this team last year? Hiring his own GM? Starting McCown? Starting Johnson over Clayborn at DE? Starting Collins? Starting Cousins? Starting Omameh? Trading Zuttah?
Does he just get a mulligan for year one? Aw shucks LovieDovie, you are a swell guy so let’s just forget about your first year on the job! K? K.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:18 am
You say I can’t judge Lovie on his first year? What would you prefer that I judge him on?
April 20th, 2015 at 11:18 am
MY WISH LISTUpdated
NOT A MOCK!!!!!
1st Round – Jameis Winston (or Mariota) QUARTERBACK
He’s the consensus pick, and there is probably at least a 05-97 percent chance he’s the one.
2nd Round – Eric Kendricks INSIDE LINEBACKER
He is the closest thing to Luke Kuechly in the draft. We NEED him in Tampa, and we cannot risk him being taken by someone else.
3rd Round – Ali Marpet CENTER
Good foot quickness with ability to reach and hook opponents. Quick out of stance and into defender. Usually the low man, using hips and arm extension to lock out and control his man. Has leg drive to drive his man backward and finish. Looked strong enough at the Senior Bowl, but he could be a year away from being ready. Ascending prospect with a chance to be one of the steals from this year’s group of interior blockers.
4th Round – Daryl Williams OFFENSIVE GUARD
I’m not married to this one, but I see potential. He played OT I believe, but because of a few faults, translates better to OG in the pros. A competitive player with all the football character you want and NFL power to match. When he gets defenders lined up in his sweet spot, he can drive them out of the play. Tough guy who leads by example on the field.
5th Round – Danielle Hunter DEFENSIVE END
Hunter isn’t as heavy as Jason Pierre-Paul, but he has similar length, explosiveness and potential. Hunter’s floor is high thanks to his overwhelming physical traits and motor.
6th Round – Spencer Roth PUNTER
We need a punter, and this could be our guy, if he is still there. Punters usually go in the last 2 rounds, so he may be there for us. There are two others rated above him. Of course, we had a punter in the practice squad and I’m not sure how he is coming along, so we may not need him.
6th Round – Austin Shepherd OFFENSIVE TACKLE
(Acquired in trade)
He can mirror in pass protection and takes good angles that help him get to his zone-blocking responsibilities. He’s a worker bee who can use technique and effort to win snaps.
7th Round – Traded
7th Round – Traded
April 20th, 2015 at 11:19 am
@Dallas
thats not why i think he’s an idiot. I guess bad analyst is a better way to put it. All he ever does is acknowledge the obvious, usually two weeks after it was made obvious by others
April 20th, 2015 at 11:20 am
Why everytime joe puts an article on his blog quoting a “expert” or national personalty some computer gangsta has to call them an idiot? Thats not original and it doesn’t help your argument any. I never got my hopes up for michael johnson and i said that before and after we signed him. Therefore i have even less hope for george johnson. But his reward to the bucs can be greater because he is much cheaper than michael and the bucs have nothing to lose with the signing.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:23 am
@Just draft a QB already
I happen to think the Schiano drafts were pretty good, considering most teams are lucky to hit on 50 percent of their picks or worse.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:25 am
@tiny tim
Some of the guys Joe quotes ARE idiots. Like Shawn King. In this case, I believe Pat Y is 100 percent right.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:26 am
Let’s see, if Johnson and Smith rotated at the same DE position and did what they did last year, that would give us 12+ sacks from that position. That is great in this league.
That is the worst to expect, at best they each play a DE spot and do more in a full time position and all of a sudden, we are different.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:28 am
SOE- the obvious so articulately laid out by Pat Y is not so obvious to the do-no-wrong-Lovie crowd that has a large base of operations on JBF. Very often stating the obvious is met with hostility and disbelief so I can appreciate what the man is doing in this case. Sometimes just getting to a baseline understanding of reality is impossible. Pat Y is not an idiot for suggesting the new DE Johnson is not an answer for this terrible Lovie-run football team.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:37 am
Watching lapdog Licht give his presser now. He is a real life bobblehead. It’s amazing!
April 20th, 2015 at 11:37 am
ITs OK Joe, we dont have any expectations. How could we, year after year they get crushed.
I expect the Bucs to be better, just like last year. OH well
April 20th, 2015 at 11:41 am
Licht isn’t a lapdog, he’s just the worse GM in the league.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:45 am
Let us not forget the waivers that the Bucs will get first crack at… Some good players will be released because of roster cuts. We should be able to fill holes that we couldn’t address in the draft or FA.
April 20th, 2015 at 11:46 am
Bonzai- once again we completely disagree. Incompetent Lovie Smith hired his GM. It is unholy and I have beaten the drum from the beginning. Jason Licht carries none of the power that a GM from a reputable ball club does. Therefore he is and will always be the little lapdog of his incompetent owner Lovie Smith. And now I just realized that he is a real life bobblehead too!
April 20th, 2015 at 11:51 am
@bonzai…..
You may think king is an idiot, but if you look at the things he said in the past, he has been correct like barron is a bad pick when luke was on the board. He said dashon was the same type of player as barron when we signed him. He said the signing of nicks was a luxury at the time we signed him. Some of you are quick to call king an idiot as soon as he says something but a lot of what he says are actually the truth.
April 20th, 2015 at 12:01 pm
I am beginning to hate that “Temper Expectations” phrase that has been used to describe the Bucs over the last 18 months. Though I have to admit Derrick Brooks nailed it when he said this last Summer.
April 20th, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Lol jolly buc fan.
April 20th, 2015 at 1:30 pm
Well, at least DallasBuc is consistent. Sort of like a reliable sewer pipe.
April 20th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Salish- if your hero the incompetent one consistently evaluates talent poorly and consistently makes poor decisions for this football team then yes, I will consistently acknowledge it openly. Make sense?
April 20th, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Not really. You’re pretty much just a gasbag who likes to hear himself complain.
April 20th, 2015 at 2:57 pm
Nobody likes a reliable sewer pipe until you experience an unreliable sewer pipe. At that point, a reliable sewer pipe becomes your best friend.
April 20th, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Salish- that’s the best you got? Some name calling to substitute for actual arguments. I get it, it can’t be easy to defend the blatant incompetence of the Bucs leadership but it doesn’t help any to call me names. By definition my anonymity prevents me from being affected by your childish insults. You and the rest of your do-no-wrong-Lovie crowd are hurting right now with 2-14 staring you in the face. So it’s okay, call me names if it makes you feel better. It’s both predictable and mildly amusing.
April 20th, 2015 at 3:24 pm
Clodhopper- our buddy salish has a tough time understanding basic things like the benefit of reliability or 2-14. Thanks for taking to time to try and explain it to him.
April 20th, 2015 at 4:53 pm
@DallasBuc-
It wasn’t really an insult. It’s an accurate description of your contribution on this board. You do nothing but take a crap on L&L. You make no thoughtful contribution other than to criticize. Same thing, every day, every thread. It’s beyond predictable. Nevermind that the constant insistence on repeating the words incompetent and lapdog over and over again render you incapable of making fair judgments or having reasonable conversation. This is an accurate portrayal, not an insult. But carry on. I can’t wait to hear more of your half baked accusations that I am blind to 2-14, or that I’m worshipping at the feet of L&L. It’s just more boilerplate juvenile whining and complaining. I fully expect more groundless insults to be hurled at me, so fire away.
April 20th, 2015 at 6:51 pm
Salish- of course you don’t think my contributions are thoughtful because you don’t agree with them. Yes, I think Lovie Smith is incompetent as evidenced by his actions and the resulting 2-14. I am going to state it consistently until it changes. Don’t worry, if something positve occurs I will be happy to comment on that…hopefully Winston. Until then I am left with this depressing reality of incompetent Lovie Smith, his bobblehead lapdog GM and 2-14.
April 20th, 2015 at 8:25 pm
Oh and what are these groundless insults that you’ve dreamed up? I never called you names because that’s not my style but if you go back and read your posts you find your own boilerplate of juvenile insults directed toward me, ie gasbag. How does that saying go with the black pot and the kettle?
What is salish btw?
April 20th, 2015 at 10:19 pm
I Could care less about Johnson sack totals this year even if he manages 6 I’ll drink to that. As a fan I want our QB jameis and I want him to be protected like P.O.T.U.S and piss off ESPN you’re a joke.
April 20th, 2015 at 10:39 pm
@DallasBuc-
Yeah, maybe there weren’t insults… but the remarks were not exactly reasonable either – “your hero, the incompetent one”, “you and the rest of your do-no-wrong-Lovie crowd.” I haven’t said anything that should lead anyone to these conclusions. If I criticize complaining, it doesn’t mean I’m blind to mistakes and shortcomings. I certainly don’t worship any of these guys. I just believe in giving guys more than one season before I start drawing such harsh conclusions. That’s just how I operate. I tend to try having a balanced view of things even when the results aren’t quite what we all hope for.
But anyway, I don’t wish to indulge in conflict any further. It shouldn’t be my business to argue with other people’s attitudes about the team. I’m not blind to mistakes, but I am forgiving and I don’t jump to conclusions after 1 year. I saw a lot of effort to turn things around last year, and there were a few bonehead personnel moves, but the Tedford thing really set them back. I expect a lot better this year. I also don’t think Licht is a lapdog even though Lovie had a big hand in the hiring process. I believe we’ll start to see a turnaround in personnel, and we will eventually see Licht turn out to be the best GM they’ve ever had.
Salish Sea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salish_Sea
April 21st, 2015 at 12:23 am
Agree with Tiny Tim and Bonzai on most.
Pat Y is right and if we were to go all OL as Jolly (and others) think, it’d be just foolish. As much as I didn’t like a lot of the picks we made in the draft last year, I have a TON of respect (and really the only thing I have respected) for L+L for sticking to their draft board as to who they saw as best available.
I REALLY hope they don’t go back and pigeon-hole themselves this draft and force a guard or tackle in the early rounds. WE DO NOT HAVE A STARTING DE/S/MLB but we are developing some depth.