Did The Bucs Draft Their Prototypes?

May 15th, 2014

BrooksLovieThis was such a good interview that Joe had to share it, even though it’s not Bucs-specific.

Hall of Fame head coach/franchise rebuilder Bill Parcells dove into NFL Draft philosophy during an interview this week on BSPN Radio.

Parcells says he’s still a student of the draft, even consulting with Major League Baseball teams to study their draft approach, in addition to his exposure to NFL GMs.

NFL Draft boards and player rankings were not discussed. Parcells said it’s so critical for a team to stick to finding players who match what they’re all about. “It requires a discipline to adhere to the prototypical player that fits your team and your system,” he said.

Parcells shared a story of Tom Landry teaching him, “Bill, do not draft exceptions. Or pretty soon you’re going to have a team full of exceptions.” Straying will hinder a franchise, Parcells said. “The more of those you draft, the less you’re going to look like the team you want to look like.”

It all got Joe thinking, did the Bucs only draft players that fit their system and their specific team philosophy? Only Lovie Smith and Jason Licht have those answers.

Fans really have little clue as to what the Bucs offense will be — and the Bucs only drafted offensive players.

But Joe sees the Bucs drafted four guys whose primary duty will be to catch the football and be clear mismatches for defenses. Now Jeff Tedford has to prove he can exploit mismatches at the NFL level with a thin offensive line and a couple of third-tier quarterbacks.

Joe is very excited to see Tedford’s creativity. Joe’s confident this Bucs offense won’t look like anything seen before in Tampa.

(Enjoy the audio below: Yes, Parcells weighs in on the two NFL rookies that garnered the most attention in this draft.)

46 Responses to “Did The Bucs Draft Their Prototypes?”

  1. ToesOnTheLine Says:

    Come on Joe 3rd tier QB’s!? Bad enough you throw barbs at the MG Mob, but we are desensitized by now. You’re opening yourself up to a can of whoopas$ from the McCown Mob now

  2. BucFanForever Says:

    If Tom Brady were under center for the Bucs, it would be a cakewalk into the NFC championship game. Stop deluding yourselves, JM and MG are not at that level.

  3. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Third tier is OK as long as there is a 4th tier.

    I’m happy that our Offense is hard to define at this point….I think it gives us an advantage early in the season.

  4. Drew Says:

    Joe… what metrics are you using to support the 3rd tier QB statement? I’m an Analytic Engineer and would absolutely love the opportunity to blow holes in your findings.

    Let the games begin!

    Simple: Divide NFL starting QBs in thirds. The Bucs’ QBs are in the bottom third. –Joe

  5. biff barker Says:

    I’m pretty sure the Bucs know what they have at QB and instead opted for playmakers.
    The tier 3 comment was rather humorous though.

  6. Chef Paul Says:

    I could listen to Bill Parcells all friggin day. What an intelligent dude to just listen and absorb what he has to say. He’s like Winston Churchill in that he always has a quote worth repeating, even in things that have nothing to do with what the quote was intended for. Brilliant man!!

    And this might not be popular but I also love me some Colin Cowherd. He’s one of the smartest talking heads out there. A lot of people dislike him because of his brutally honest takes on their teams. But I love his honesty. When I get a little too excited he brings me back down to earth.

  7. Lue0615 Says:

    Great Article Joe Love reading things like this keep it up!!!

  8. Buc1987 Says:

    Chef Paul…I read Parcell’s book about 15 years ago. I came away from it very impressed with the guy. He was along the lines of Gruden. (not comparing them) Meaning he combed over every detail of every game. Right down to the plane of the field on certain fields and what advantage he could get from it. Studied the wind for each game and took that into factor of kicking and throwing the ball. The dude was meticulous. Not exactly anal like Schiano though, but pretty close to it.

  9. Buc1987 Says:

    “When I get a little too excited he brings me back down to earth.”

    Chef Paul…Joe can do that for you too you know. Gotta mention Joe too.

  10. Willy the Purple Helmeted Warror Says:

    Now Jeff Tedford has to prove he can exploit mismatches at the NFL level with a thin offensive line and a couple of third-tier quarterbacks.
    ————————

    Why Joe? This kind of writing makes you appear as you are beginning to be anti Bucs this year. It gives energy to the charge that you hate Glennon and now it could be understood that you hold McCowen on the same level of dislike as you do Glennon.

  11. Bryan Says:

    “third-tier quarterbacks.”

    Just cannot let it go. Maybe Glennon is a “third-tier” QB or maybe he isn’t. I think you are just doing this stuff on purpose now. Get us a riled up and posting. It is good for the page views right?

    Yes, Glennon and McCown are third-tier starters in the NFL. And no, as Joe has written previously, only a tiny miniscule percent of readers here leave comments. So no, Joe doesn’t think about generating coments. –Joe

  12. BUCSLEGENDS Says:

    @Bryan, I was Thinking the same thing !!!!!!! LOL, SMDH !!!!!!! GO BUCS !!!!!!!

  13. biff barker Says:

    I’ll just watch a few games before judging the offense.
    Meanwhile we let the bitter and angry wallow together in a pool of post JFF misery.
    I was a proponent of taking him though understand why L&L chose another path.

  14. biff barker Says:

    Agree Chef, Parcells knows his pigskin like few others. Love the Landry insights he shared. Tom Landry’s innovations are still seen on the field every Sunday.

  15. bucrightoff Says:

    Joe will always be bitter the Bucs deemed Mike Glennon better than Johnny.

    Sorry, don’t fabricate. Joe is not bitter.–Joe

    I mean Joe spent what, 5 months pumping the Johnny tires? He also fell extremely hard for an obvious smokescreen, to the point even when the pick came up he was 100% convinced they were taking him, even as anyone who could put 2 and 2 together could realize risk-averse Lovie was never risking everything on Manziel, who’s 50% likely to be a bust, 35% likely to be average and 15% likely to be a franchise QB. Lovie isn’t, wasn’t, and will never play those odds.

    I’m somewhat willing to give it a pass for the next week or so because Joe is still heartbroken, but at some point it’s time to let it go yeah?

  16. Chef Paul Says:

    @87

    “Chef Paul…Joe can do that for you too you know. Gotta mention Joe too.”

    True dat!! If it wasn’t for Joe, I’d probably be thinking Glennon was the next Joe Montana. Gotta thank Joe for that. Thanks Joe for helping keep me level headed.

  17. Mike g. Says:

    Thank god your not the coach or we would probably have tebow as qb!

  18. Lynn Overdeer Says:

    That was a third tier comment – disappointing. Makes me wonder who is on that sacred second tier and what tier is the offensive line on?

  19. ColoradoBuc Says:

    That tiers me up!

  20. BucsfaninChina Says:

    Until Glennon can prove he can lead the bucs to being a lot better than the worst offense in the league expect these articles erryday!

  21. bucrightoff Says:

    Sorry, don’t fabricate. Joe is not bitter.–Joe
    _____________________________________________________

    You certainly come off that way with the non-stop passive aggressive potshots at Glennon and McCown since the draft. If you don’t like that people perceive you that way, perhaps take a different approach?

    “Aggressive potshots.” Really? So silly. –Joe

  22. Sweet Willie Says:

    McCown Mob just found a car license plate JBF1. MGM join us as we flip this car over! Freemanite sign inside, Michael Jackson CDs!

  23. Joe Says:

    Thank god your not the coach or we would probably have tebow as qb!

    Uuummm… no!

  24. bucrightoff Says:

    Sorry, you can’t lie and misrepresent and get your comment approved. –Joe

  25. BuccsfanNJ Says:

    BucFanForever Says:

    If Tom Brady were under center for the Bucs, it would be a cakewalk into the NFC championship game. Stop deluding yourselves, JM and MG are not at that level.
    _______________________________________________________________
    Agreed, but Tom brady has had a long career to prove himself. I am sure the fans in New England were not at all thriled when Bledsoe first went down and in came the uggs wearing, long haired, dimple faced kid.

    MG has ALOT to prove but I’d like to see him get a shot…hell we’ve had worse

  26. biff barker Says:

    Potshots? Nah. Bitter? Nah! It’s a matter of opinion. A tad bit obsessed with the prospect of having a game changer at QB? Absolutely!
    We went the unproven QB with excellent weapons around him route.

  27. Ernest T. Bass Says:

    Brett Smith has just shot up to the top of the QB Depth Chart. L&L said, Brett has Top Tier Skills the others just don’t have. Brett is First World and the others are Third World trash. Brett Smith Posse is going nuts! Herron is chest bumping with the Posse!

  28. Joe Says:

    bucrightoff:

    1) If Joe’s writing so offends you, there are plenty of other Bucs sites to visit that rarely update during the offseason. Unless you are a convict who cannot control what is on the screen, if this site is that unnerving for you, then you should do yourself, your blood pressure and your blood sugar a favor and visit other sites. Here is one that is sure not to agitate you.

    2) Joe hopes whoever the quarterback is, becomes a Pro Bowler and leads the Bucs to the Super Bowl. Joe thinks the Bucs can do much better than Glennon. Why is that such a heinous thing to type? Is that so horrible that Joe has loftier standards and goals than Mike Glennon at quarterback?

  29. Bucstud1 Says:

    I would prefer to have a good team with an OK QB than a good QB with a OK team… I think that VJ, ME, DM, ASJ, and CS will make more plays combined than any 1 QB in the league. I want both but as a BUCS fan and season ticket holder I am ready to see points, W’s, and Ray Jay rocking BUCS colors instead of having 14 road games a year…

  30. bucrightoff Says:

    oe Says:
    May 15th, 2014 at 3:56 pm
    bucrightoff:

    2) Joe hopes whoever the quarterback is, becomes a Pro Bowler and leads the Bucs to the Super Bowl. Joe thinks the Bucs can do much better than Glennon. Why is that such a heinous thing to type? Is that so horrible that Joe has loftier standards and goals than Mike Glennon at quarterback?
    __________________________________________________________

    I and others appreciate the site, but dissent and disagreements in a fan base is nothing out of the ordinary. I’d just expect a little more support and a little less pessimism.

    Loftier standards? Here’s where your argument always falls apart. Go check out Drew Brees first year stats. Based off the Joe model, he would never get another chance to start again. Peyton Manning is the same. You, and others, have deducted that after 13 games, Mike Glennon will only go downhill from here. No chance to improve, no chance to grow. What you saw last year was the peak. It’s, well, insane.

    Did you know that two of the four best QBs in the league, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, didn’t look like it until after their 4th years in the league (Rodgers is different to be sure, but he still did sit for many years learning)? You and others in this fan base have no patience at all. Most of Glennon’s supporters don’t think he’s a HOFer, just that he had a nice rookie year, and when you factor in circumstance, absolutely deserves another look. You’ve moved on after 13 games (but of course wanted a Freeman extension after 50 games). It’s just bizarre.

  31. Phillip Says:

    Elite – Rodgers Brady Manning Brees

    Upper Class – Rivers A. Smith Stafford Newton RGIII Cutler Ryan Flacco Romo Eli Wilson Luck Roethlisberger Kap

    Average – Foles Dalton Bradford Tannehill McCown Palmer Schaub(sorry one bad year doesn’t make him horrible)

    Below Average – Glennon EJ Freeman Henne G. Smith Cassel Ponder Pryor Locker Hoyer Weeden Keenum Clemens T. Lewis McGloin Campbell Flynn

    Not listed in order just in groups.

    There should be a Moron’s Mob(since EVERYONE has a MOB NOW :)) that should include everyone on here that complains about stuff that’s not even included in the article..

    Founding member – Robert678(and whatever future numbers he gets too)
    Other members – Phattitudes, Willy the Purple Helmeted Warror, Barry, SAMCRO(or Bruce lol), bucrightoff list will be updated frequently I can imagine 🙂

  32. Joe Says:

    bucrightoff:

    Obviously, Manning was the first pick overall and not sure anyone would have wanted to bench him after first year, though Joe admits he didn’t watch him closely and thought Eli would turn out to be a better QB. Obviously, Glennon was not a first overall pick.

    Joe followed Drew Brees all through college and thought he would be an absolute stud. Remember getting into it with Dolphins fans when Joe made fun of them for passing on Brees in the first round. He was, what, the first pick in the second round? Clearly, Glennon was not.

    Brees did something in college that impressed Joe: Takes an average (at best) Purdue team to a Rose Bowl. Glennon, playing in a worse conference than the B1G (in those days, B1G wasn’t half-bad at all), did not.

    Not sure trying to use Peyton Manning and Drew Brees in an analogy with Glennon is fair to Glennon.

  33. Buchead407 Says:

    I’m excited to see what McCown and tedford can do with these weapons

  34. passthebuc Says:

    “No, I have nothing against Glennon, but he is a 3rd tier QB backing up a 3rd tier QB.”

    you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time and as far as Joe is concerned, that’s all he needs for an article.

    give it a rest

  35. Jim Walker Says:

    The Bucs need more than a better QB to get to the playoffs.

  36. Brandon Says:

    Hey, I like McCown… I’ve even gone as far to proclaim him as a good candidate for Rich Gannon 2.0 (his career stats compered to Gannon’s at the same stages of their careers are eerily similar)…but third tier? Yeah, that sounds about right… and if there were a 4th tier, they’d be in that tier as well until proven otherwise..seriously, is our QB situation (on the surface) better than 24 other franchises? I doubt it.

  37. BoJim Says:

    BucFanForever Said:

    “If Tom Brady were under center for the Bucs, it would be a cakewalk into the NFC championship game. Stop deluding yourselves, JM and MG are not at that level.”
    ____________________________________________________________

    This year maybe but not last year. Don’t delude yourself.

    Hey! I know. Lets see what the season brings.

  38. Couch Fan Says:

    Not sure trying to use Peyton Manning and Drew Brees in an analogy with Glennon is fair to Glennon.

    ————————————–

    You told me a few days ago to “hit the articles” when talking about it being ok with you comparing Manziel (who hasen’t played a single snap yet in the NFL) to legends such as Tarkenton… but when Glennon is compared… we get a typical response such as this…..^^^

    You called it “ridiculous”… Again, your speaking out of both sides of your mouth.

  39. Buc1987 Says:

    Here’s a few gifts for you MGM’ers. I got some more too.

    March 25, 2013 Dan Hanzus Around the League writer

    In his glowing review of Glennon last week, NFL draft analyst Bucky Brooks wrote that he sees glimpses of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Glennon has size and a big-time arm, but questions of mobility and faulty decision-making have kept his draft profile relatively low.

    April 26th, 2013 Joe Bucs Fan

    @AdamSchein: Love Glennon to TB. My guys Phil Simms and @RichGannon12 thought he was 2nd best QB in draft.

    April 22, 2013 By Joe Giglio News and Observer

    “You know what I like more than anything?” Gruden asked Glennon. “You’re standing in there. I mean, your right tackle is on the ground. The defensive tackle is beating down on you and you stand in the face of the rush and make a great throw.”

    Jan 11 2013 Mel Kiper Jr SBNation

    Kiper notes that Glennon was “a victim of tons of drops” and “the tape will help his case.” The bowl game wasn’t pretty, but Glennon could put on a great showing in Mobile. “I don’t see him as an immediate starter in an ideal situation, but he has a high ceiling. A guy who could actually get better between now and the draft,” Kiper wrote.

    November 1st, 2013 Ron Jaworski on 620 AM

    “The way Mike Glennon is playing and progressing the Bucs have no reason to draft a quarterback.”

  40. Buc1987 Says:

    Apr 26, 2013 RotoWorld

    Glennon (6-7, 225) took over NC State’s offense following Russell Wilson’s transfer and started two seasons, completing 60.3 percent of his throws with a 62:29 TD-to-INT ratio. Glennon is Rotoworld draft analyst Josh Norris’ No. 4 QB in this class. Built like a young Joe Flacco with a powerful downfield arm, Glennon is an accurate deep passer. “Built like an oak tree,” ESPN’s Ron Jaworski has described. Glennon isn’t a quality athlete, tends to hold onto the ball too long, and too often retreats rather than stepping up amid collapsing pockets. Sheer arm talent still makes him a quality developmental project — and a great fit for Bucs OC Mike Sullivan’s vertical scheme. Josh Freeman should consider himself on notice.

    Nov. 21, 2013 Gregg Rosenthal NFL.com

    “Mike Glennon is so far more advanced than RGIII playing NFL quarterback that it’s not even close,” Cosell told WFHS-FM in Tampa this week. “They shouldn’t even be in the same discussion.”

    “When your quarterback makes difficult anticipation throws, everything about your offense tends to look better,” Cosell said. “For instance, I’ll give you an example of a throw that was made this week by Glennon. When he hit Underwood for 20 yards in the second quarter down inside the 10, that was a classic anticipation throw.

    “He threw Underwood open. If I showed you the film and froze it just as Glennon was making his delivery, you’d say, ‘Who’s he throwing it to?’ That’s a litmus test throw that helps measure future success.

    “That throw would not have been made by Josh Freeman. It wouldn’t have entered his mind.”

    9/25/13 Pat Yasinskas BSPN

    Jon Gruden:
    “This guy can make some really difficult down-the-field throws. If you watch the camp session with Glennon, you’ll see we went through a “Fox Two XY Hook.” I coached that pattern for 18 years. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a QB at any level throw it with the ease Glennon can. Brett Favre threw a certain second-reaction post, by my count, about four times in his career. I saw Glennon throw it four times last season.”

    Darin Gantt on January 15, 2014 NBC Sports

    Jeff Tedford :
    “My first impression is he does a lot of good things,’’ Tedford said, via Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. “He’s a rookie, he took over in the fourth game. I think his growth and development, I saw some progression through the year with him. I think he’s got a lot of poise in the pocket. I don’t think he gets frustrated in the pocket.

    “He’s pretty smart with the football. When things aren’t there, he’s throwing it away and making good decisions. Good decisions come in many forms, whether you’re trying to complete a pass, throw the football away, manage the clock, whatever it may be. I see a lot of real positive things with Mike and I’m really looking forward to getting to know him better, to be able to sit down and actually talk about things.’’

    May 8 2013 Pat Yasinskas BSPN

    Lovie Smith :
    “You know how much I like Josh McCown as our starter. I love Mike Glennon. Mike Glennon is our quarterback of the future here. So why would you want to add a third quarterback to the mix?”

    Now I can find plenty more good things being said out there about this kid. Probably more good things than bad by a longshot. The naysayers for now should just shut their mouths (or keyboards) and trust in Lovie to do what’s right by our team. What choice do they have anyways?

  41. gulfcoast Says:

    Joe, when it comes to quarterbacks, 2014, Johnny manziel and those not named manziel, you’re a pretty sensitive dude. Sheesh man, give it a rest. Third tier, yeah you have a good point, bottom third in the nfl, got it. But damn, back hand comments galore. Like I said, you’re just sensitive and still mad. Lovie and licht passed on your boy. Next topic….

  42. owlykat Says:

    I think Josh is as good as Johnson who won our only SB, and Glennon is third tere just as he was picked in the third round.

  43. White. Tiger Says:

    It isn’t rocket surgery…the successful teams do not add talent to their teams by strictly adhering to the BPA theory…the most successful teams acquire th best players at specific positions of greatest need.

  44. buc'd Up Says:

    @ Philip

    Right on, bro. I’m down with that. Thanks for saving us the time.

    @ willy the purple helmeted worror

    Awesome name dude, but what’s a “worror”?

  45. Buc1987 Says:

    Phillip…if Joe sees the need to defend his posts he will do so and has many times. He doesn’t need you to call people morons for him.

  46. Phillip Says:

    Come back to this site Buc1987 when you are over your period.. I’m not defending posts just adding names to a “MOB” of morons that post things that has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the article… Kinda like what you are doing now?