Subpar Line Play Not Lost On Licht
August 24th, 2015
Bucs AC/DC-loving GM Jason Licht discusses draft strategy.
Last year, the Bucs’ offensive line was such an unmitigated trainwreck, fans wanted to heave a warm $9 beer on the field of play at the Den of Depression, if not just plain heave.
Countless remotes in the Tampa Bay area were destroyed over the impotent edge rush on defense, year after friggin’ year. And it seems like the Bucs are picking up spare parts from other teams and somehow hoping to build a running car with them.
Yes, this practice makes Joe scratch his head, as well (and other parts of Joe’s beer-soaked body).
Last week, when Booger McFarland and co-host Zig Fracassi stopped by One Buc Palace for the annual SiriusXM NFL Radio “Training Camp Tour,” Booger, in so many words, asked Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to ‘splain himself.
Booger McFarland: Last year we talked about the defensive end position being a position of emphasis. And it is that way again. As a general manager, how do you go about building a team? How do you go about building this team realizing what you need, as opposed to what is out there?
Jason Licht: Well, last year’s draft with Mike Evans, he was clearly the best player available, and we jumped on it because we felt we had so many needs. We decided, lets take the best player. And that is hopefully what we can do moving forward in the future. But we do need to shore up that offensive and defensive line. We need to get pass rushers. We need to be strong up front on offense. I played those positions. I know how important those are. And if you look around the league, the best teams have those two — offensive and defensive lines — shored up. We need to do that.
Licht also noted in this year’s draft it was obvious to a guy walking around with a white cane that the Bucs needed a franchise quarterback. “America’s Quarterback,” Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston, fills that need.
Look, it’s not like the Bucs haven’t addressed the offensive and defensive lines. It is who they picked when they swung and missed so terribly last year — even noted windmill Karlos Peña was ashamed. Ghost Johnson, Anthony Collins, Oniel Cousins, Garrett Gilkey, Jamon Meredith, the Milk Cartons… yowsers! (If dogs could read that last last sentence, they would sprint down the street, howling in terror.)
This year, Jason Licht might have hit on a pair of offensive linemen. Joe thinks Donovan Smith will be OK, and Ali Marpet looks like an absolute steal so far. No one is whining about Division III football now.
In 2016, Joe will lay cash the Bucs draft a defensive end early. If this season goes south in a hurry, it will be time to fire up the Bolt for Bosa campaign.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
The Line is still a wreck!
Sorry Jameis
August 24th, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Ah, I wonder if there will ever be a time again that we as a team, are no longer sprinting, sucking, tanking, bolting, or racing to the bottom for the hopes of drafting a high prospect to ‘save’ our team.
Does anyone even remember what it was like to be in the post season?
August 24th, 2015 at 1:14 pm
@Joe
To be fair, that line about no one whining about Div III football anymore should have read, “No Joe here is whining about Div III football anymore.” You guys were some of Marpet’s biggest skeptics.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Hardly the only ones.
Shoot, even the Bucs thought it would take a couple of months for Marpet to get adjusted to the NFL. He even surprised the guys who drafted him.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:29 pm
Joe
But isn’t it sad that we are only gushing about a rookie “Ali Marpet”?????…..for online play
So sad
August 24th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Im still a Marpet skeptic. One preseason game and 3 weeks of practice doesn’t say a lot. Hell, Clayton, Barron, and many others looked good in a full year.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:37 pm
“We need to get pass rushers. We need to be strong up front on offense. I played those positions. I know how important those are. And if you look around the league, the best teams have those two — offensive and defensive lines — shored up. We need to do that.”
Someone forgot to tell/teach the “RockStar” this most basic of NFL talent acquiring premises.
Jason is well ahead of Dom in terms of GM 101 comprehension. And he is “Licht”-Years ahead of Dom regarding ability to recognize NFL caliber talent.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:43 pm
How can anybody know definitively what kind players the BUCS drafted or how good this team will play during the season?
If Coaching/Koetter is going to make the line play(seem) better,
have we not even seen the real coaching schemes in real games with the starters playing together.
No need to line up at the Skyway Bridge just yet…
August 24th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
I think number one you have to draft guys with athletic ability and size to play the line. Number two you need to have the ability to develop those guys and teach them technique and timing. I feel like the Bucs just have always seemed to just be so poor at development unless we draft a sure stud or get lucky picking up someone elses scrap.
Until we learn to develop young talent and improve we will always have the same issues on the lines. At least we drafted 4 O- lineman in the last two years. If we can get at least 2 of those to be decent-good starters then that’s a win. We had to sure up that line though to protect Jameis.
What about the D-line though? We HAVE to address that next year. At least this regime seems to be more able to draft quality players.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:48 pm
“Yes, this practice makes Joe scratch his head”
What moves have you wanted them to make that they haven’t tried?
They went after Hardy & Cole as their best DE options.
There weren’t really any great RG or LT free agents available that I recall you banging the table for outside of Wisneswki and he took forever to get signed because of injury worry. Still not sure he pans out.
They still signed a vet at RT and brought in George Johnson for added DE competition. They drafted 2 offensive lineman in the 2nd round.
There are only so many draft picks and only so many FAs…
August 24th, 2015 at 1:51 pm
If I’m a football coach in the preseason, honestly I would show opposite of what i wanna do in the regular season. For example i would show a formation and always run out of it so when teams study the film they think they know a run is coming. Then boom play action…big play!
That’s why you can’t read into the offensive or defensive plays in preseason. It’s all a chess match. Therefor to evaluate the team as a whole is nearly impossible. It’s more individual performances these coaches are trying to see.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:55 pm
How is that sad? Isn’t that what he was drafted for? Isn’t the goal of draft picks is to succeed and start? Joe doesn’t get what you are suggesting.
So people should celebrate the Milk Cartons?
August 24th, 2015 at 1:56 pm
The scouting report on Smith and Marpet was all over the board for the 1st PS game. I read Smith looked great after the 1st play and Marpet looked bad and some reported that Marpet was great and Smith looked shaky. I’m not sure what to think. All I know is that in the 1st half the OL looked much better than this time last year.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Joe…this kid anthem is a confused individual.
August 24th, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Last year? Joe’s pretty sure he’s gone over that time and again.
August 24th, 2015 at 2:05 pm
@Joe
If it goes south in a hurry, there will be a campaign alright, But it will be the “Lovie bolt from Tampa”!!!!!!!!!!!
August 24th, 2015 at 2:09 pm
So the BUCS *MAY* have drafted 4 starters this past draft
Winston
Smith
Marpet
Alexander
Not bad if it holds true
August 24th, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Our O-Line is not that bad, we just have to find the right combinations.
August 24th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Joe stop teasing us. Joey Bosa is a beast with a live motor. Perhaps a poor man’s JJ Watt.
I truly would LOVE to see us add Joey to the team but I’m not ready to see another freaking 2-14 season. Short of that it’s going to be tough to get Bosa.
I want him on the team so badly that I’d give up first and second round picks if it allowed us to move up and take him.
I guess it depends on where Bosa ends up. Walter football has Bosa going second right behind his teammate Cardale Jones. They have us picking Ronnie Duncan the Notre Dame tackle.
I love this. The second pre season game is scheduled tonight and we’re already looking forward to next year’s draft. LOL It’s a Buc’s life.
August 24th, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Let me see, only a few more tanked seasons to get what the Bucs need to contend, or not tanked just muddled through. Those days are over, it’s now no holds barred, full wind behind the sails into the future for this Bucs bunch. It may not be instant, but the wins will be more frequent from here on out. I enjoyed the pics and story on the Marpet family in Sunday’s Times.
August 24th, 2015 at 3:13 pm
there so much football news these days but these buzz words the media keep trying to push at us is driving me crazy. potential is a dangerous word when you talk about a rookie starting. a play here or there for ali marpet on GMC dont qualify him as a good starter hell even GMC can finish games in the 4th quarter. talking about how great so many people looked in training camp and then we get to the game and it looked like anthony collins was still a starter. you cant call any player a steal until they prove it over the course of time not a few series of a game against backups….all lies joe this line is still a mess which is why we arent settled on he starters yes and when you have competition across the board like we do it’s really called rebuilding but no one wants to say it
August 24th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
I was def a skeptic of marpet so pleasantly surprised. Agree with licht’s assessment.. I think his drafts have been good. I’d like to see him add a vet ol guy. Also, he was real bad in fa last year. Our depth on ol looks rough.
August 24th, 2015 at 3:48 pm
”
What moves have you wanted them to make that they haven’t tried?
Last year? Joe’s pretty sure he’s gone over that time and again.”
Ah ok thanks. So basically nothing to do with 2015 offseason
August 24th, 2015 at 3:55 pm
bucs4lyfe
What do you want man? Are the majority of commenters already too optimistic for you lmao? Most everyone is negative as hell here.
“Rebuilding” is another fun buzz word the media pushes. imo the team started rebuilding in 2013 (again). Every team is constantly rebuilding though in some way every year. New England’s secondary is basically in a complete rebuild right now. They have Tom Brady though so Bellicheck = genius no matter what.
August 24th, 2015 at 4:07 pm
Bucs pretty much addressed the most pressing needs this offseason: QB and OL.
August 24th, 2015 at 4:13 pm
bucs4lyfe…I’ll say it. The Bucs are rebuilding.
August 24th, 2015 at 4:25 pm
We absolutley should have gone o line with the 2nd and 3rd pick last year . Jason be careful bro you can’t make those mistakes. They got rid of guys who were average and brought in stiffs then didn’t draft the postion cause they thought they had it covered. Nfl not for long
August 24th, 2015 at 5:13 pm
Agree Joe. My wish list for draft was Winston and 2 big hogs with the first 4 picks.
Next year should have more interesting o lineman and DEs available in FA.