Jeremy Zuttah’s Starting Job In Peril

July 29th, 2010

The way things currently stand, the left side of the Bucs offensive line is a grave concern.

First, Donald Penn is holding out for a better deal from Bucs general manager Mark Dominik, with no end to the standoff in sight.

Then there is Jeremy Zuttah at left guard. As a rookie, he was stellar when filling in for the injured Davin Joseph at right guard. But at left guard filling in for Arron Sears, Zuttah, to be polite, struggled.

That has led Vacation Man of BSPN, an outfit so in bed with jocks that prophylactics are not necessary, to suggest that Zuttah’s starting gig at left guard is hardly secure.

Aphex in New York writes: What are your thoughts on the Buccaneers O line? I think Jeremy Zuttah has a lot to prove… there are rumblings that Zuttah is not physical enough in the power man blocking scheme that the Bucs are getting back to like during the Gruden years.

Vacation Man:  The Bucs weren’t thrilled with Zuttah’s play last year. That’s why they signed Keydrick Vincent, who has a good chance to start. Zuttah could be headed for backup duty.

Whether Vincent is the answer, well, Joe believes time will tell. Joe does believe it’s entirely possible that Zuttah is much better fitted for the right side of the ball. Problem is, there’s a logjam there for Zuttah.

12 Responses to “Jeremy Zuttah’s Starting Job In Peril”

  1. Gary Says:

    This is a good thing. If Zuttah underperformed last year, I sure hope Vincent puts his job in jeopardy.

  2. big007hed Says:

    If Vincent was good enough to start all year for Carolina’s O-Line then he is definitely good enough to push Zuttah for his job

  3. Gatorbuc15 Says:

    I’m glad Zuttah being pushed by another line-man. Hopefully, this will lite a major fire under his rear to perform like he’s capable of doing.

  4. Gatorbuc15 Says:

    I’m glad Zuttah being pushed by another line-man. Hopefully, this will lite a major fire under his rear to perform like he’s capable of doing.

  5. the_buc_Realist Says:

    If Vincent is good enough to be cut from the Panthers, He is good enough to take Zuttah’s job!

  6. CalicoJack Says:

    Zuttah could be headed to LT.

    Last year’s O-line experiment was as heinous as the Bates Debacle…

  7. Spirit of '76 Says:

    Zuttah will probably be replaced by Vincent and that is not a bad thing. Hear me out….

    Zuttah was drafted because of his flexibility. He could play any line position. He was not drafted to be a starter. An OC’s best friend is a sound running game. Takes the pressure off the QB and loosens things up for the air show. Vincent is bigger and nastier and helped pave the way for Carolina. With Vincent in, we get bigger, stronger and can go back to power blocking. And if anything should happen to Faine, we don’t have to relive the Mahan mess again. I still have nightmares about that stretch of games. This was a very good FA acquisition IF Vincent still has anything left in the tank. If he doesn’t, Zuttah gets pushed to be better and we have an experienced guard that didn’t cost that much for insurance.

  8. Capt.Tim Says:

    Zuttah doesn’t have that job to lose. Zuttah is a good backup at right guard/right tackle. Not good on the left side

  9. Jamie Says:

    I’m confused: why are we all suddenly so sure the O-line is switching back to the power blocking scheme we used before? I think it’s a good move, given how horribly zone blocking worked for us, but I hadn’t heard anything to indicate we were changing schemes.

  10. JDouble Says:

    I hope Vincent wins the job. I like the idea of our Gaurds being big 320-340lbs mountains instead of the “little” guys we always have that are barely 300lbs.

  11. Spirit of '76 Says:

    We got out of the ZBS about a third of the way into last season’s games. We still use it to some degree but we went back to a power scheme last year when Olsen had time to install his new offense. Now that the O-line can eat again (read: get bigger) we will see a bit more success in the run game. Even more success with the right personnel placed in the proper positions.

  12. Apple Roof Cleaning Says:

    Vincent is a Big, Nasty Guard. I remember all too well what he did to us the last time we played Carolina. This was a great move, IMHO.