Lovie’s “Rabbit, Or Whatever That Thing Is”
August 20th, 2014
Raheem Morris used to call Adrian Clayborn “Boydog,” as in half man half canine.
That wasn’t just wacky Raheem talk, the Bucs’ current head coach shared more animal talk for his left defensive end this afternoon.
The tone of Lovie Smith’s voice turned intense when it came to Clayborn.
Lovie talked about how Clayborn has aced the transitioned to left defensive end from the right side. And Lovie revealed he was wowed by the work ethic of Clayborn, referring to his “nonstop motor” and likened Clayborn to another animal.
“Since I’ve been here, the guy just shows up, like an Eveready battery or rabbit, or whatever that thing is,” Lovie said.
Joe talked to Clayborn earlier this afternoon, and Clayborn was raving about the coaching staff and saying his snaps on the left side of the line last year were hampered by coaching, “I really didn’t know what I was doing” on the left side, he said.
Joe’s not sure what Clayborn will deliver this season, but it certainly won’t be for a lack of effort.
August 20th, 2014 at 4:36 pm
man bear pig
August 20th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
I’m totally serial.
August 20th, 2014 at 4:46 pm
@ Realist……
Waiting patiently for your comment!!!
August 20th, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Wouldn’t that be the “Energizer Bunny”, you know, that pink rabbit, the one that beats the drum non-stop, kinda the way Joe kept “beating the drum” for little Johnny Football?
August 20th, 2014 at 4:52 pm
“It certainly won’t be for lack of effort”
Yeah… nice feel good comment… darn Mark Dominik!!! Darn you!!! Why draft a guy with physical odds against him.
Sure he is the best one-armed player in the league… but all in all, that just brings him up to or just below par.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:18 pm
I am just glad the more and more fans are starting to watch what is really going on the field. More and more people are watching adrian slowborn and “realizing” that a tightend can stone cold block this guy. Is he as bad as I said all off-season, no. But I wanted more people to watch as everyone was saying how great he was.
Its like the other night, They were talking about Johnny Failure, Saying what a quick release he has, his throw was in the dirt 2 yards in front of the receiver, but it was such a quick release.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:27 pm
@Realist,
Why would you want more and more fans to share your warped sense of the truth? Lovie works with him every day and just gave him a pretty good compliment. In fact, he’s been complimenting him all of training camp. Maybe you just caught Clayborn on a bad day or something, so maybe he’ll go on that date with you if you are a little less aggressive. Just a thought.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Manbearpig is the best nickname anybody could get in the nfl
August 20th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
@hawaiian buc
if my “warped sense of truth” is so far off, Why are there so many article this week of “GMC can’t do it himself”. and we need pass rush from the edge!
August 20th, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Clayborn and Bowers are gonna surprise some of you in this upcoming season.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
@Ptwalk
I will only be “surprised” if adrian slowborn is starting!!! that guy is terrible!
August 20th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
@ Realist
Now that The “Pop Star” is gone…..you have latched onto “Slowborn”……I’m sure you have some other opinions you’d like to share occaisionally….lets see you proove that you’re not a one trick pony!!! I think you have it in you….
August 20th, 2014 at 5:49 pm
@Realist, if he is so bad, why does Lovie seem to praise Clayborn so much? I’ll grant you, his production has been terrible since he got hurt early on. But he is playing with the 1’s, that is evidence of Lovie’s trust in him. btw, lets not use the weak argument that he got moved from RDE to LDE.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:55 pm
I think the Realist is biased against anyone Dominick drafted (until Schiano)….and, he is somewhat justified…..Many of his picks haven’t performed up to expectations.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
@harry
The only praise I just read, was saying that he comes to practice ready to go. He said nothing about his on the field play!
and Harry we saw the guards that had played with the guards, Mike Jenkins is still with the 1’s. we have seen that Lovie does not like to hand out jobs to better players that are rookies. I am hoping that Goldston steeps up and rips the job, because I am tired of watching the bucs have THE worst pass rush since adrian slowborn has played for the BUCS!!!!!!
August 20th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
@TBRealist: he’s close to averaging the same sacks per year as Johnson. He comes off as a tough warrior who can get 7-10 sacks. A lot of players in this league drafted in any round would wish that. Keep hating, your realist job probably makes it easy to be sour all the time.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:59 pm
Oh TBR we had more sacks last year than the previous ten. Maybe it’s starting to come together. Johnson should get 5, that’s his average!
August 20th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
@jon
Thats why it was so effective to stunt adrian slowborn and have him cover running backs, while blitzing the linebackers!! that was why the passrush was the most effective its been the last 5 years.
And his less than average rookie year, if you watched all of them more than half of his sacs, he was never the first to hit and tackle the QB. The score keepers were very generous with the stats. ( as hardly no one was watching back then, no one really cared! )
August 20th, 2014 at 6:20 pm
Slowborn/lowborn, I like that name.
August 20th, 2014 at 6:25 pm
@Realist, so you were exagerating how bad he was just so more people would watch him and agree with you? Puh lease…
August 20th, 2014 at 6:25 pm
@TBR: you get a come on man award. Next the sack that flated Drew Brees, caused a fumble but was flagged was a good call. Look he isn’t Peppers, but he’s much better than most. I’m sure if he posts 8+ sacks this year you’ll find a way to spin your words. You in politics?
August 20th, 2014 at 6:29 pm
@Jon
so that the “Proof” a late hit on Brees. people were saying what a ” beast ” he was after that game. It was a late hit, I guess it was just me that thought so, and the Refs, the NFL and most NFL analysts!
August 20th, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Doesn’t really matter what has gone before, does it? After all, if Glennon sucking doesn’t count against him, you can’t count Clayborn’s past against him, especially when Clayborn has not been as bad as you claim.
August 20th, 2014 at 6:41 pm
Simple as this…compare his first three years to the first three years of anyone else on the team.
Clayborn has better stats.
August 20th, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Go AC!!
August 20th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Lmao @Buddhaboy
August 20th, 2014 at 7:13 pm
Realist, I agree with Bonzai, this is just like debating The Cannon. I ask what was so impressive about him and ppl make excuses for him (or compare him to B_rady, etc, LOL). Anyway, you are right, he has underperformed for his draft status. He is with the 1’s, but so are Cousins, Jenkins, etc. So we will see and we need to see it from Johnson as well – he has been “underwhelming”. I think AC will have a decent year: 7-8 sacks. Considering he will likely be rotating with Gholston, et al, would that number of sacks satisfy you?
August 20th, 2014 at 7:14 pm
Realist,
No one can argue we need a better pass rush. But why the hate on just one guy? Why do you like Bowers, who’s best skill seems to be getting hurt? Clayborn needs to improve, but the same can be said for everyone else not named McCoy. That’s where you come off sounding like sour grapes. It really makes you sound like an idiot, much the same as ‘ol Thomas 2.2. Get off his nuts a little, and start talking about someone else, and maybe we can take you seriously.
August 20th, 2014 at 7:33 pm
Given a full season at left end, and staying healthy, I think Clayborn will continue to be a solid though unspectacular player – underserving of the contempt directed at him by the deluded person whose moniker indicates he believes he has a clear idea of reality… but, as a sort of schtick, I suppose it’s ok that he considers himself a realist… in much the same way as Joe’s schtick is that he considers himself a journalist.
August 20th, 2014 at 7:37 pm
@Hawaniian,
Yeah, Cheeseburger Bowers is the object of my scorn. The thing about AC is, one, he seems to play hard – you have to give him a break for that (he was drafted too high, thats not his fault), and two, the man has overcome in a BIG way a serious birth defect. Cheeseburger on the other hand, was gifted great athletic ability and he is just flat out lazy – always out of shape, IMO.
August 20th, 2014 at 7:48 pm
@Orca
Yep, solid player, I lovie feels the same way
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=108035
August 20th, 2014 at 7:49 pm
Tampa +3 & the under (41.5). Yep I’ll take that to the window
August 20th, 2014 at 7:52 pm
@ realist
There’s always hope.
August 20th, 2014 at 7:59 pm
Clayborn and Bowers will surprise this year?
A first and high second rounder playing…. gasp… mediocre!
August 20th, 2014 at 8:30 pm
@Unrealist-
Is solid good enough? Well, no, but I don’t see the point of the constant abuse of the guy. I mean, if he was a lazy guy or a criminal, then maybe I could see the contempt, but he goes all out. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t have elite athleticism and pass rush skill. He’s a good teammate, a hard worker, and a solid player. I’d rather have an elite rusher on both sides, of course. But if all he is is Greg Spires, you can win games with that.
* Do we have better options right now?
* What do you get out of the constant mindless bashing of AC?
August 20th, 2014 at 8:59 pm
Clayborn has played so well we decided not to take his fifth year option…
That says it all… Odds are this will be his last year as a Buc and the NFL…
August 20th, 2014 at 9:07 pm
@Mac-
Ridiculous. You may not like Clayborn, but he has a place in the NFL for sure. And if he plays solid, I could see him back as a Buccaneer, for the right price. The fact that they didn’t want to pick up the 5th year option only means he wasn’t worth the salary it would’ve required – it doesn’t mean they think he’s a worthless player, otherwise they would’ve cut him… That’s a realist perspective.
August 20th, 2014 at 9:55 pm
He will out produce Michael Johnson
August 20th, 2014 at 9:58 pm
Clayborn is going to get a shot to prove us all right or wrong. Hoping they all get pressure. Including the guy I think is a waste of a roster spot – Bowser
August 20th, 2014 at 10:40 pm
“High motor” guys persevere every now and then, and we love to see the effort. But damn, it would be great to have a DE dominate and make a few splash plays. Hopefully the Tampa 2 system and experience will help improve things.
August 21st, 2014 at 12:39 am
Many do not realize that Clayborn has played the exact number of games that McCoy did in his first three years. McCoy had his breakout year in his 4th year, which is what Clayborn is now entering.
“High Motor” also contradicts the “Slowborn” nickname.
Anyone notice hos Realist roots for the bad players? Like Bowers? It’s because Realist is not Bucs fan…he is a troll trying to influence the fans of a division rival.
August 21st, 2014 at 8:50 am
I’m starting to think that there are only 4 guys that comment here and each has 3 or 4 different aliases. And Joe is one of them…..
August 21st, 2014 at 9:00 am
I think you have to be pretty decent player/athlete to be anywhere in the NFL. I think AC will break out this season.
August 21st, 2014 at 11:18 am
Orrrrrr perhaps Bucrealist really didn’t catch him on a bad day maybe reliant doesn’t know a damn thing abou football or scouting that’s why he’s here. the head coach praises the same player he scrams to have left off our roster. Hmmmmm. Time to trust the coaching guys. This ain’t Schiano. Lovie and Licth are good at their jobs. And ya reliant that hit he had last year or maybe the year before that was ruled a penalty on Brees because he literally hit him toooo hard. Ball came out wldve won the game. But the refs decided I make us 0-2. And it was last year. He certainly was the first player to hit Brees. Ya he’s ain’t a first round d end. But he’s no bum.