Entertaining Orlando Franklin
March 2nd, 2015
No wonder people run around Denver smoking legal marijuana. They’re celebrating the Broncos’ outstanding 2011 NFL Draft.
The Bucs’ 2011 draft? Well, Joe thinks it’s a solid bet Luke Stocker will be re-signed for 2015, but that’s about it.
In Denver, that great 2011 draft means the team can’t afford to buy second contracts for all those players.
One speculated to be on the market is beastly right tackle/left guard Orlando Franklin, who turns 28 next month. The former University of Miami manbeast, a second-round pick, is 6-7, 325 pounds. He’s missed just one start in his four years in Denver, and was a standout at right tackle for three years before moving over to left guard last year.
The consensus Joe’s read on Franklin is he’s a much better right tackle that left guard. In addition, Franklin seems to prefer playing tackle.
And guess what? The Bucs need a right tackle.
Franklin is suspected to be highly sought in free agency. If the Bucs are going to bag an elephant contract in free agency, then Joe would love to see it be a younger player in the trenches. They can’t keep missing on offensive linemen. Can they?
The free agency dinner bell rings in eight days.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:07 am
Joe but is he a choir boy… who cares if he can play football. can he kiss arse and say all the right things. that is what is important after all. Who cares about talent and winning….
Draft Winston and Fire Lovie!
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:15 am
The Bucs have to get a tackle in free agency. Assuming the Bucs pick a QB in the first round, probably 5 or so tackles will be drafted in the first round following.
That means the 6th best tackle will be available or the 1st or 2nd best guard is still on the board. So you have to get a tackle in free agency, look at the 3rd round to pick up a very good guard in the draft.
I think there may be a chance the Bucs look at tackle washout Collins as a possible guard prospect.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:16 am
luke stocker… and the next TE drafted that year, julius thomas… thanks dom!
Franklin represents an instant upgrade. Lets do it
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:16 am
Yes please!
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:18 am
joe is all in…even joe with all the bad free agents we signed is 100% all about free agents, does not believe in the draft at all. bad teams go berserk in free agency and this franchise is one of the leaders of free agency every offseason, it has to stop sooner or later……thank god the bucs don’t read joebucsfan because I don’t have to worry about any of the insane thoughts about free agency coming true
Why make things up about Joe. Does that make you feel good? Free agency is part of the NFL. Good teams pick the right free agents and draft well. Look at Seattle and New England, the last two Super Bowl winners. It’s not a tough concept.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:23 am
ha ha, we traded up for Luke Stocker. Dude.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:41 am
This guy has a crazy look to him. We could use that!
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:52 am
Seattle and New England were in the superbowl and all their CORE guys were drafted with the exception of Bennett on the seahawks. all of the patriots big time players in that game were drafted there like Julian Edelman. your kind of sensitive joe because I technically didn’t make up anything about joe….yes I agree free agency is a part of football hahaha I simply said your all in on the draft
this team isn’t on the verge of anything so why go over pay for anything except depth in free agency? draft starters because there are just as many impact players drafted as signed in free agency
ASJ bigger upside than any tight end on our team, Jonathan banks is better than AV, every other d end on our team is better than Michael Johnson and the O line lol wow…. I think it’s disrespectful to have so many players coming from free agency making more than lavonte david…the hawk is making more than our best defensive player im sour about it joe that’s all
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:53 am
Don’t we need a LT and RG? This guy is neither. Good football player, something this regime is not that high on. Maybe they put him at RT and swing Dotson to LT and draft an LT. Still leaves a gaping hole at RG. This all assumes that the center position is fine which if you watched with either eye open last year you know that bum EDS got abused on the regular. Lovie and lapdog watch film but the Oscar nominated sort in the ol’ basement. They have never seen film with actual football players before.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:56 am
The Buc’s need a new HC! All those excellent players drafted by John Fox who won 48 games…..yet he was mutually fired! Lovie the Loser goes 2-14 and everyone talks as if this meatball is going to lead this team to a winning record in 2015 when he can’t even find Michelle Obama’s XXXXLG bootie in the dark with both hands!!
So the Buc’s draft Jameis (I get a free pass from Joe) Winston and the team goes merrily into the 2015 raping crab legs and playing football! The lack of a coaching staff, the failure to evaluate talent, the disasters in Free Agency, and total lack of game/time management diminishes the value of the pick because the Buc’s have no one to coach this pick.
I do not care what anyone says….the Buc’s are playing for 2016 when Lovie is fired and the new regime can start to evaluate the talent and put together a winning team. Until then, we have 17 weeks of Lovie saying the Buc’s are only 2 games out of first place (2014 andc and turn it all aroundll
Greg Schiano
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:04 am
@Greg Schiano
sounds like your describing your short coaching career lol
everyone here can say what they want but this team got considerably worse as soon as the mike glennon drama came to town, say what you want but look at the record since glennon got here. josh freeman was a basket case and long after glennon is gone freeman will still have more records than any quarterback that played for us….cant make fun of freeman without making fun of the franchise considering the records he holds
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:04 am
We need to stop missing so much in FA. McDonald and AV were both good pick-ups. Everyone else, Bad. However this OT would be a good pick-up. I’m down for this one. Plus we could use the pick on another need. There are too many needs on this team to just look forward to the draft and signing UDFA’s. Also I believe a lot of the tackles drafted in general struggle at first. If we want to do well next year, we can plug and play this guy. Appears to be a better tackle pick-up than Anthony Collins, but you never know.
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:21 am
Dot is rt, right? I hope so.
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:24 am
Per: Joe
“Joe thinks it’s a solid bet Luke Stocker will be re-signed for 2015”
Can I ask why? because traditionally a blocking Tight End–usually don’t play that much of a roll— in the Air Coryell offense.
Remember Lovie & Mike Martz parted ways with Greg Olsen because they thought he was more of a classic in-line tight end.
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:30 am
Im on board with this one! We still need a Left Tackle….
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:34 am
Trade down w/ Philly and pickup:
-Pro Bowl QB Nick Foles
-LT-Lance Johnson
-TE-Zach Ertz
+Boat Load of Picks-Lets Go!
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:37 am
wow nick foles had his first great season when chip Kelly got there, chip Kelly would give up the entire franchise just to get some other quarterback instead of nick foles and you actually wrote pro bowl quarterback…..lol im gonna assume your making jokes
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:40 am
Then if you wanna draft -LG/LT Ereck Flowers (Miami) w/ the 20 pick..I would be cool with that.
Left side of the line completely rebuilt w/ young talent (LT Johnson & LG Flowers).
-Pro Bowl QB Foles
-3 Young TE’s (ASJ, Ertz, Brate)
+Still got a boat load of picks
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:47 am
lol
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:48 am
@bucs4lyfe
Like I’ve said plenty of times-
The Chargers drafted a QB (Rivers) the same year that Drew Brees went to the Pro Bowl (2004). They didn’t draft a Top Notch (WO) or (TE) to help the guy out but a 1st round QB-They didn’t he was that great system fit–No biggie
Its also been well documented, how Nick Foles lost—
-QB Coach Bill Lazor,
-WR Desean Jackson
-Macklin early injuries
-Majority of his offensive line
….Yet he still went 8-2 as a starter last year. He’s more PRO ready then either of the top QB’s in this draft.
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:49 am
They didn’t think *he was great system fit–No biggie
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:53 am
We need to hire an offensive line free agent evaluator. Does such a position even exist? If we had a good one of those we might have had a decent team the last several years. Instead we are stuck with the garbage line we got last year.
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:57 am
@LUVMYBUCS
wait wait wait….lol is this a serious argument that we should trade out of the number 1 spot because we’ll get nick foles in the deal? lol I don’t even know what to say about that. dude your worse than lovie honestly It’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard of. take nick foles because he’s pro ready? lol he’s been in the league like 4 years he better be pro ready. you draft your own guy and you mold him the way you want. I cant imagine any coach hitching his wagon to nick foles and having a tom brady belecheat type career. lol you do know the overall goal of the nfl is to win championships not go after average players right?
what’s it going to come down to when nick foles is up for a new contract and he’s the guy? your saying nick foles is going to be worth big money when the time comes? no you go for the young guy and you develop him like seattle did…..having a young quarterback doing the same thing nick foles can do and doing it for pennies and working hard to get his big payday
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:02 pm
@bucs4lyfe
LMFAO-With a team that has as many HOLES as we do.
ONE player just won’t cut it buddy.
The BOAT LOAD of draft picks of course would be the key to this trade-FOLES-JOHNSON-ERTZ-are fillers to help stock up the pot.
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Bucs4lyfe, do your homework. You’re forgetting Revis, browner, cliff avril, Baldwin (UFA)
Good teams make use of both free agency and the draft. The former is a great source for finding depth
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:35 pm
I think Franklin could be a great player for us. I’ve been saying it for months. Singing a quality free agent isnt the same as going wild in free agency. Sure free agency hurt us last year but to steer clear of it altogether is unrealistic.
If we sign a good starter on the oline then cool. We can draft a Mike in the second and draft a Tra Jackson or AJ Mann in the third and not have to rely on a rookie to start right away.
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Great stat Mike N and we traded a pick to move up to draft Stocker. When will people quit confusing looks and style with smarts which was the case with Dummynick.
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Tom Says:
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Bucs4lyfe, do your homework. You’re forgetting Revis, browner, cliff avril, Baldwin (UFA)
Good teams make use of both free agency and the draft. The former is a great source for finding depth
———————————————————————————————–
Revis, browner, cliff avril, Baldwin…..none of those guys had that impact in the superbowl that Edelman had and that was my point since you jumped in the conversation. revis and browner together greatly improved an ALREADY superbowl ready team…Baldwin is a nobody and Avril is average and both of them players you go after in free agency and not players you over pay for. and I specifically said im all for the draft if it is used for finding depth, this team has consistently been the biggest spenders in free agency the last like 3 years and they are still one of the worst teams so why keep doing it if you can get just as much production out of a hungry player in the draft
———————————————————————————————–
LUVMYBUCS Says:
LMFAO-With a team that has as many HOLES as we do
you and a lot of people are seriously exaggerating the holes in the lineup theory. your trying to say a group of players can come in and have the impact 1 player and a key position can. if it was Andrew luck no one would say trade down and I wonder why? rest of their team is trash and I get your point but I think trading down and trying to sell your fanbase on nick foles is just stupid.
this same player revis was just on our team the year before and we won 4 games get a clue we need a quarterback and anyone saying nick foles is the answer has been playing franchise mode on madden for far too long
March 2nd, 2015 at 12:48 pm
when it comes to quarterbacks you get the guy in the draft not go for nick foles.
trading down is pointless in the sense that if your going to trade down and get o lineman when you can go out and sign a guy like mike upati yea I think its a dumb idea when you can get a lineman that’s pro ready lol
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:14 pm
@bucs4lyfe
LOL-So from your POV we’re Stacked Up (Talent Wise)?
Why? because we’ve got so many outstanding prospects on the roster.
Question where they at bruh?
I mean seriously though—reading the list of players we’ve drafted since 2009 till now-is a virtual who’s who.
Recap: (Since 2009)
Raheem Morris
• Record (3 yrs): 17-31 (.354)
Greg Shiano
• Record (2 yrs): 11-21 (344)
Lovie Smith
• Record (1 yr): 2-14 (.125)
Sure coaching played its part-but the void of talent can’t be argued.
IMO Trade down and get a boat load picks.(WE NEED’em)
Like I’ve FOLES-JOHNSON-ERTZ-are just fillers to help stock up the pot.
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:17 pm
Like I’ve said FOLES-JOHNSON-ERTZ-are just fillers to help stock up the pot. All good young prospects no doubt, but fillers nonetheless. WE NEED THE DRAFT PICKS!!
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:23 pm
sure guy i’ll leave the expert video game analysis to you, im sure that works on madden franchise mode but your not giving up the number one overall pick and selling your fanbase on nick foles…..Zach ertz doesn’t seem to be better than ASJ and you are running a brand new offense who ever knows if we need to tight ends even if they are both equals.
i’ll make one more final point before I leave you out on that lonely limb your standing on.
the bucs have the first overall pick who gives up the first overall pick just to draft 20th and think your getting some kind of great talent in THIS years draft? 20th in the draft? your going to end up using those picks you got just to move up and get a decent players.
lol the team lacks talent so your answer is to move down to 20th and get a bunch of average players….great that really brilliant!!!! JOE you see what kind of fans you have visiting your site?
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:34 pm
@bucs4lyfe
Lol, I haven’t played Madden my sons were still in the house.
Real talk though-If you reviewed my draft pick over past few years (2009-present).
I don’t play–Lol-on death ears though-because I’ve sent 3 apps into One Buc. Yet they won’t even call a brotha back.lol-
I would do it for free
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:34 pm
If L&L don’t fix the OLine – then the Bucs are gonna suck again this year no matter who else we bring in or what QB we draft.
If there is one place on the team where we need to spend some $ to get a couple good players in FA – its on the Oline.
Franklin may well be on of those players that’s worth going after and making a nice offer for.
We need to draft at least 2 or 3 OLine players as well – but rookies on the OLine cannot be counted on to start in their 1st year. Even 1st rounders usually struggle in their rookie year up front.
Draft Winston – Fix OLine. If L&L do those 2 things and almost nothing else – this team will turn the corner and be playing competitive football in 2015.
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:35 pm
*Lol, I haven’t played Madden since my sons were still in the house.
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:40 pm
I know people don’t like to hear this but the bucs didn’t draft 2 lineman in the draft last year just to write them off after a subpar rookie season in which the entire offense was confused. I know you don’t want to hear this but those aren’t the players they are trying to replace, your thinking of replacing Collins and cousins sorry but teams don’t give up on drafted players after rookie season so don’t expect them to give up this pick as if they are going to cut 3-4 lineman and rebuild all over again. they expect their drafted lineman to step up. they are saying Dotson is solid at rt and if it ain’t broken don’t fix it, left tackle will be addressed but I don’t think you need to go after guards in desperation. better line play on offense and defense equals a better team
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:44 pm
“sorry but teams don’t give up on drafted players after rookie season so don’t expect them”
Lol, C’mon bruh —teams give up on 2nd and 3rd picks all the time after on season.
March 2nd, 2015 at 1:57 pm
WOW lol so your saying they are going into this offseason thinking these two guys are busts when most teams are drafting lineman in the 5th and 6th round? so you can look at tape and clearly see cousins and Collins simply getting run over at the point of attack, these two rookies need to learn nfl mechanics. a team with a bad o line is gonna say two rookies have reached their potential and aren’t good enough hahaha ok….Jeremy trueblood was a second round pick and got replaced by Dotson undrafted, if that can happen believe it doesn’t matter when or if you were drafted if your an offensive lineman, it is not the same as defensive lineman
March 2nd, 2015 at 2:15 pm
March 10th…..holding my breath that we address this O line and get a pass rusher. Our draft drastically falls after the 3rd round:
round 1 (1) first pick (DUH)
round 2 (34) second pick
round 3 (65) first pick
round 4 (106) 10th pick, from the Barron trade …would be second pick but that was traded to NE for Mankins
round 5 (154) 26th pick, from Ravens in the Zuttah trade…would be (129) first pick, but traded to the Bills
round 5 (160) 32nd pick, from NE in the Cassilas trade
round 6 (168) 8th pick from the Barron trade…..would be (162) 2nd pick but traded to NE in the Casillas trade
round 7 (193) 1st pick.
March 2nd, 2015 at 3:29 pm
they are doing some kind of NFL veteran combine this year on the 28th and they say vince young and Michael sam will be there….anything to make it easier to evaluate veterans
March 2nd, 2015 at 5:52 pm
He looks like a real prospect. With Franklin at RT (Dotson to stay at LT) they would really only need to fill the RG position through the draft (assuming Mankins and Smith stay)to have a reasonable Oline. Not great, but reasonable.
March 3rd, 2015 at 10:53 pm
If you look at where we struggled on the O-line it was almost constantly either Anthony Collins (LT) or Patrick Omameh (RG). With Dotson playing LT now we could use this guy for sure. Still a big need at RG but for sure a big improvement. I like this pick up in free agency.
@ LUVMYBUCS
Where not going to trade so get over it. This team has more talent then you give credit as well. Poor O-line played a major role to the overall performance on offense. With a better I-line the running game will improve and not make us one demetional. ASJ is going to be good if not great as long as he can stay healthy (only time will tell). So we don’t need a guy like Erzts. Foles is pretty good I’ll give you that, but he benefits from having a guy like McCoy (or did). Teams really key on McCoy to make life much easier for him. Not to take anything away from what he does, but I some what agree with @bucs4lyfe “you don’t trade out to get average players”. Not that I’m sold on Winston , he still has a lot of questions to answer in my opinion.
Overall I just don’t think you understand how much talent we have on this team already and how much a good or great O-line plays into making a good players play up to the pro-bowl level. Aside from O-line we could us a soils silt receiver.
Final word: we’re drafting Winston so just accept it like I have.
@bucs4lyfe
Lovie smith is a great coach. If he can take Rex Grossman to the Super Bowl have faith my man. This defense should be much improved next season. The Tampa 2 takes a while to grasp and I could see the improvements it was having at the end. The thing is that it lends itself to having systematic type players. Get a good fit at safety with McDougald because Goldston doesn’t fit the mold. A better MLB because Foster just can’t cover well and that’s a huge part in this defense. Johnson was hurt from play one last year and never recover to be the force he can be as an edge rusher Jacquies Smith showed a lot of promise as the other edge rusher an then add McCoy and McDonald in the middle looking pretty good if you ask me. Another postion of need is the nickel back Lenoard Johnson just doesn’t cut it. Upgrade these areas and I think with the Tampa 2 were a top 10 defense. Lovie just needs a little time to find the guys for his system.
#have faith in Lovie and his crew