Another Nod To The “Superback”
May 25th, 2016
Dan Vitale has influential fans
Yesterday, we heard credible national chatter about Austin Seferian-Jenkins possibly becoming unemployed.
Indirectly, former Jets personnel chief and Bucs scout Pat Kirwan, tossed another log on the fire under ASJ while telling his national SiriusXM NFL Radio audience about Bucs sixth-round pick fullback/tight end/superback Dan Vitale.
“Watch that kid,” Kirwan exclaimed on Monday. “Watch that kid. Nobody’s talking about him. Willing blocker, can catch out of the backfield.”
Keep in mind Vitale’s head coach at Northwestern explained how the Bucs were seeking a tight end.
It’s going to be so easy for ASJ to end all this chatter and speculation. All he has to do is squeeze the football, cut the moronic penalties and stay healthy.
May 25th, 2016 at 10:30 am
Becoming “unemployed”? GTFO with that made up garbage Joe. Saying he may not be the starter going into camp is NOT unemployed. You will do and say anything for a click..
May 25th, 2016 at 11:24 am
Vitale will be a bruiser! But hopefully ASJ gets in there and shows some promise. Guess we’ll see.
May 25th, 2016 at 11:32 am
Superback, Our team just got a lot better, At least 10 wins.. Oh Ya..
May 25th, 2016 at 11:55 am
He could become a fan favorite really quick. Like Kuhn was in Green Bay. ViiiiiTttaaalllleeee
May 25th, 2016 at 12:19 pm
I truly hope he (Vitale) is all that, successful, fan favorite, tough guy, but because I am a Buc fan I hope ASJ, ME, JW, GMC, LVD, Humphries, McDonald, the Spence brothers, and so on and so on are successful, fan favorites and tough guys that all contribute to win games. I do not understand why we put one guy down to put another one up when they are all on the same team.
May 25th, 2016 at 12:23 pm
“You will do and say anything for a click.”
– Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
May 25th, 2016 at 12:39 pm
Vitale will have to fight for a roster spot, he’s not guaranteed a position. And he’s not a TE so how can he take ASJ job?.
May 25th, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Horsefeathers. ASJ’s only question is durability. He had 110 yards in one game last year. He can play. If he’s injured again, he’s gone, but he’s not fighting Vitale for a roster spot. There’s room for both. Vitale will be the biggest surprise for the Bucs. Hopefully, ASJ can play like expected. Jameis will have a lot of options if everybody can stay healthy.
May 25th, 2016 at 12:58 pm
Vitale showed his grit on that video submitted earlier. He looked good at the college level, that might carry over to the pro level. ASJ could be a late bloomer, big guy with a big body, changes with offensive coaching may be the spark that propels his contribution higher. That will be ideal.
May 25th, 2016 at 1:13 pm
ASJ will go to New England and get a SB ring. Isn’t that what happens we we cut folks not good enough to play for the BUCS?
May 25th, 2016 at 2:10 pm
ASJ isn’t going to be unemployed, lol. Not unless he gets a major injury again.
Joe…that story you linked to said nothing about him being unemployed.
May 25th, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Bonzai:
Lede graph:
In the link:
You may define what Kirwan meant by “losing his job” any way you wish. Joe isn’t sure what he meant, and Joe made that clear.
May 25th, 2016 at 3:17 pm
with ASJ,’s size he could easily have a long career and fill the Tony Gonzalez role,if healthy.Still not sure if can run and catch a seam route as good as Brate.
Dropping him down on the depth chart may give some incentive to work on
things like route running and catching the ball.
May 25th, 2016 at 3:46 pm
Vitale is all but guaranteed a roster spot. Versatility at fb and TE means we won’t have to carry a fb on the roster . So valuable
May 25th, 2016 at 4:03 pm
I’m rooting for Vitale and hope he does well, but we can’t anoint him on looks and college tape. We’ve put high hopes on late round guys like Herron, Clay, and Iosefa who never panned out. Let’s see him in camp and preseason first.
May 25th, 2016 at 4:07 pm
Color me skeptical on the Superback.
Sure, nice press write ups and some good plays on U-Tube. But why did 32 teams pass on this kid at least five times apiece? I read about his strong points, but no one tells what weaknesses were that pushed him down to the #180’s. Geez, it seems like local fans are downing the Kool-Aide again.
I DO hope Vitale makes it. Like I hoped for another 6th-rounder, Robert Herron. And 5th-round Kenny Bell.
Being honest will keep you sane. When you are fishing in the garbage heap, don’t tell me about all the fish you see. Be honest and admit it’s mostly garbage.
May 25th, 2016 at 4:09 pm
Joe,
I get where you’re coming from about ASJ…but damn, can we wait until he’s off the team before we send him packing. Let’s see if he can get healthy this year and can contribute.
May 25th, 2016 at 4:11 pm
Cutting a 2014 second-round pick so soon would be a black eye for Jason Licht, so it’s very doubtful. If ASJ doesn’t step up his game, they’ll probably let him play out his contract on the bench or in the ice tub and let him move on to another team as a free agent or retire after the 2017 season.
May 25th, 2016 at 4:23 pm
Herron got signed by the raiders yesterday. It would suck if he all of a sudden learned how to catch the ball. #itsabucslife
May 25th, 2016 at 5:08 pm
SMDFH @ ASJ unemployed…it ain’t gonna happen. Why is it about his injuries people just don’t get? It wasn’t his choice! Beast athlete with beast like plays and he’s unemployed!!?????
And all this bull$hit on sites saying this is starting to get to him. And I myself hate the hate..
Over and out.
May 25th, 2016 at 10:41 pm
What’s even funnier than saying he could be unemploye dis that sticker you bashed for years is the number 1 as of now
May 26th, 2016 at 9:07 am
@Lou
I think the reason he was passed on by so many teams is that he’s not a full time TE, FB or a HB. He doesn’t have a natural position basically. He’s a hybrid. He can play any one of those positions and is good at them all but not great at a specific one. So teams probably didn’t know where to play him. I hear you tho, I’m suprised he was passed on as well, i did hear a little bit of hype on him leading up to the draft, so he was noticed. I do think he will fit in to our offense very well. When’s the last time we had a FB that could catch out of the backfield. The A-train comes to mind and Jameel Cook as well, even tho he want the greatest pass catcher but that says how much we’ve lacked a weapon like that. You can even split him out wide as well. He’s a very veritable weapon. Look for him to play a big role this year.
May 26th, 2016 at 9:15 am
@DB55
I think we didn’t give Herron enough time to develop. He could of been a dangerous weapon in the slot for us if we gave him time to work on his hands. He certainly had the potential. He was still raw when we drafted him. We could use his speed right about now. Especially with the thin depth we have at wide out. We’re a injury or two away from last season’s debacle. I pray we don’t see Dye on the field again this year. If so we’re in trouble. And I would not be suprised one bit Herron became a weapon for Carr in the future.