Protection Is An Issue For Improving Foster

September 30th, 2014

Foster explains that he’s becoming a better football player on the bench

Mason Foster only missed one game through his first three NFL seasons entering 2014. But he’s been sidelined the last two games with an injured shoulder.

Foster explained to Joe today that there’s a silver lining to roaming the sidelines as an eager learner.Foster said his football smarts are improving. Joe asked Foster what specifically is he learning to become sharper football player.

“Just everything, man, louder with your calls, just anything that can make you better. Just watching it, you know, is really helping me out. And being able to hold the little [game-film] pictures and stuff as it’s happening and trying to figure out the game from not being out there, definitely helps me get a clearer picture. It’s been cool,” Foster said.

As for Foster’s health, he’s still unsure of his return.

Foster has been seen catching balls at practice but not much more. He said mobility in pads is a different animal.

“Pain is what it is. I just got to make sure I can protect myself and everything’s working right with the pads on. So, I mean, right now I feel good and everything, but you never know,” Foster said.

Joe sure didn’t get a sense that Foster’s return is imminent.

Last night on his radio show, Lovie Smith talked about how the Bucs have been hit hard by injuries but not serious injuries. Hopefully, Foster can back before the bye week (Week 7).

33 Responses to “Protection Is An Issue For Improving Foster”

  1. RastaMon Says:

    Great attitude…always able to learn….in every endeavour of life…

  2. Wombat Says:

    The MLB in cover 2 is supposed to cover the TE’s, and that doesn’t seem to be working so far! I hope the staff take a leaf out of the Patriots gameplan against the Saints and maybe tag Graham with JB27. He did well against Megatron, shut down Graham and we have a great chance of being 2-3!

  3. robert9 Says:

    actually the team is better with him on the bench

  4. Louis Friend Says:

    @robert9

    Fletcher is not an upgrade over Foster. That’s a joke to even suggest it.

  5. greg Says:

    Fletcher missed a pick 6 on the steelers last td. We need foster back in there asap!!!

  6. RastaMon Says:

    Like one of the old cover 2 Bucs said thother day…the holes in cover two shift/are left exposed by design..everyone needs to be on the same page/design coverage each play…otherwise huge gaps …which we have seen quiet often this year…back to Fosters injury…looked like it was a direct yank out of shoulder joint….

  7. Ray Rice Says:

    David, Foster, and Lansanah sounds great to me. I’ve been asking for Lansanah over Casillas since the season started. Casillas can play special teams with Fletcher.

  8. Justin Says:

    Foster is leaps and bounds better than Fletcher, who has been filling the wrong holes on running plays and continually getting sucked in with playaction.

  9. DB55 Says:

    I agree with Ray Rice. Lasagna is definitely playing better than cassillas.

  10. John McKillop Says:

    @robert9 this team is not better with Foster on the bench. It looks like Fletcher doesn’t know where he is supposed to be. Foster will be good in this system like everyone else when they get the system down. As Brooks and Sapp have said previously, it takes time to master the cover two.

  11. Ray Rice Says:

    @ DB55

    Lasagna works for me too. LMFAO

  12. Mumbles Says:

    Lansanah is no Foster and Foster is no cover 2 LB. Frazier said it at the beginning of the year. TEs are going to kill us until we get one. The very thought of Jimmy Graham gives me the willies!

  13. Brandon Says:

    Foster is terrible in coverage and really isn’t a great fit as our Mike LB.

  14. Mumbles Says:

    Said Lansanah, meant to say Fletcher. Doesn’t matter though, neither can cover.

  15. mpmalloy Says:

    Dane and Mason are both pretty decent MLBs.
    Neither one is great in pass coverage but both
    can lay the wood in run coverage.
    We stuffed the Steelers #1 in the league running game last Sunday.
    That was pretty sweet.

    Gosh!

  16. Bucnjim Says:

    Graham has also been lining up at WR quite a bit so the Bucs will need a good game plan.

  17. "that guy" Says:

    “Just everything, man, louder with your calls, just anything that can make you better. Just watching it, you know, is really helping me out. And being able to hold the little [game-film] pictures and stuff as it’s happening and trying to figure out the game from not being out there, definitely helps me get a clearer picture. It’s been cool,” Foster said.

    how about learning to cover a passing lane ?

    this guy gets smoked on PA as well.

  18. DB55 Says:

    Ray rice. Lol. Damn spell check.

  19. STULAAKE Says:

    If “he is becoming a better football player on the bench,” perhaps that is where he should stay…because he was pretty bad pre-injury

  20. Biff Barker Says:

    “Just everything, man, louder with your calls, just anything that can make you better. Just watching it, you know, is really helping me out.
    ___________________________________

    Huh?

  21. pick6 Says:

    the backers have the hardest job in our scheme, IMO. the Safeties stay back 80% of the time, the D line charges forward 100% of the time, so if both groups are executing it comes down to whether the offense can fool the LBs or the CBs. hopefully with some more comfort level, playaction and TEs won’t dominate us as consistently as they do at the moment

  22. ddneast Says:

    It’s a toss up on who is better, Foster or Lane. One tuning I do know is Fostering , after three years, hasn’t improved his coverage skills. Also, all of them, including our stud OLB bite on the play action so hard they leave teeth marks on the field.

  23. lightningbuc Says:

    Biff,

    LOL! I heard Foster on a radio interview a few weeks back, and let’s just say the dude isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. It was hard to listen to.

  24. ddneast Says:

    News flash Bucnjim, Graham went to arbitration over that same issue of being a WR in a contract dispute.
    Geeeez, do any of you guys watch any other NFL games. The Cowboys opened a big hole up on the Saints Sunday night. They ran right through them and playing a Tampa 2 defense, stymied Drew Bree’s. Another news flash, the Cowboys don’t have a Seahawks or 49ers type defense.

  25. passthebuc` Says:

    the time to celebrate accomplishments is at the end of the day. its hardly the end of the day for glennon so lets sit back and enjoy what he brings. again, is he the long term answer? don’t know and don’t care. lets get him a line in front that can execute and see how good or bad he can be.

  26. ddneast Says:

    Here that Lightningbuc.
    We used to have a pretty good cover 2 LB here in Barrett Rudd who got runout of town by radio geeks because he couldn,t make a tackle behind the line, which was more a testament to our crummy defensive line at the time.
    This team didn’t get an upgrade when we stuck Foster in there.

  27. Ptwalk Says:

    Foster is hands down better than Fletcher. Fletcher only had 3 tackles. Yes 3 smh.

  28. Patrick in VA Says:

    Listening to Joe counting down the days on the am dial. He won’t say it but it’s just as tedious for him

  29. Newbucsfan!!! Says:

    Glennon is Matt Cassel, good enough but not the long term answer.

  30. BucIt941 Says:

    The Tampa 2 has and always will be a bend but don’t break defense. Even the original team of Sapp, Brooks and Co. played by that rule. Everyone knows the creases. Right up the seem against a MLB, out posts by the wideouts, with a RB laying in the shallow as a safety net.

    Like everyone said this defense is only successful as the pressure the front four put on the QB. Simply because any QB can tare through this system if they have the time to do so. At least up until they get into the red zone, where on a shorter field the Tampa 2’s success rate dramatically goes up. Gaps are less prominent and coverage is much tighter buying a second or 2 longer for the line to get the QB off his spot.

  31. BucIt941 Says:

    Almost forgot the Safeties really need to learn how to stay a bit more deep and out of the Box. I know Barron and Gholston want to lay the wood. but someone needs to stay over top of the corners during these transition periods

  32. BoJim Says:

    Newbucsfan!!! Said:

    Glennon is Matt Cassel, good enough but not the long term answer.
    ______________________________________________________

    And you know this how?

  33. Teacherman777 Says:

    Put mark barron at MLB in nickle situations!

    And lavonte as WLB

    Goldson SS

    Wright- FS

    Leonard johnson nickle

    Verner and banks at CB.

    Boom.