Sniffing Mark Ingram
April 13th, 2011
So are you freaking out about the possibility of the Bucs burning a first-round pick on stud running back prospect Mark Ingram? Damn that Peter King.
But how about LeGarette Blount, Mark Ingram and Cadillac Williams lining up behind Josh Freeman? The Bucs sure seem interested in marketing their team these days. A Heisman Trophy winner from the SEC and morphing into a high-octane offense wouldn’t hurt, if that’s a consideration.
NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski explores the Bucs interest in Ingram, who came into town for an official visit today with the Bucs brass.
Interesting stuff.
Click the arrow below to listen, or download here.
[audio: ingrampodcast.mp3]
April 13th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Can’t listen right now to JP’s analysis, so sorry if I’m repeating what he said…..
but I think there’s a chance Ingram slips into the second round….there’s rumors out there that teams are liking LeShoure from Illinois better (and personally I agree with them).
No way Ingram or Leshoure lasts until pick 51, but if one of them are there after a few picks have gone by in the second I wouldn’t be shocked if the team traded up to grab him…which would be a move I’d support 100%.
A few reasons for this:
1- Blount played out of his gourd last year….but until I’ve seen a guy do it on a consistent level over several seasons I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making contingency plans.
2- Given Blount & Caddy’s contract numbers we can afford to take a RB in the early rounds…and a early/mid second round pick wouldn’t exactly break the bank anyway.
3- This is a two back league. It’s the reason why the Chiefs signed Thomas Jones when they already had Jamaal Charles on the roster, the Steelers took Mendenhall when they had Willie Parker on the roster, etc etc etc.
4- I’m a big believer in giving Josh Freeman as many weapons as possible. I want to see this team add a homerun threat in the backfield at some point of this draft…..Jacquizz Rodgers would fit the bill perfectly in round 4 or 5 if we don’t end up with one of the top 5.
April 13th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
CreamsicleBananaHammock:
JP????
Wrong local sports radio host man. JP hates the draft, just the opposite of Justin.
April 13th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Joe sad: “JP??? Wrong radio host.”
Justin Pawlawski……..initials baby, initials
April 13th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Not a chance they take a RB in the first or second or even third round.
I see them taking a Derrick Locke or some other speedy guy like that somewhere in rounds 4-6.
The first 4-5 rounds will be DEs and LBs with someone else thrown in (either RB or OT).
Although there is a lot of buzz about a TE or CB lately… I don’t se it. The TEs are fine for another year, unless they grab one in the late rounds. The CB position is up in the air with Talib but they have 3 capable guys and a pass rush makes them all better, along with the improvement of the DTs and LBs.
Next year the draft is loaded at CB according to some experts. THAT is where the Bucs go next year depending on how things shape up with Talib.
April 13th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
There are a few top talents in this draft and Mark Ingram is one of them. Julio Jones is another. Nick Saban had a bada$$ team, and although they didn’t repeat after losing Rolando McClain and Arenas, they were tough. I would be happy as a lark if the Bucs drafted Ingram. Wam, Bam, Thank You Maam. Blount and Ingram would be the Bash Brothers all over again.
April 13th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
No! DE, DE, LB
April 13th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Ingram = Most over rated player in the draft.
April 13th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
i dont have a problem with the bucs taking the best back in the draft. especially considering shelf life at the position .it makes more sense than the tight end pick a few idiots want the bucs to spend their first on.
April 13th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Just say “no” to any running back in the first round.
Bbbaaaddd investment.
April 13th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Sorry J Double, but I disagree. I know I’m going to get blasted for saying this (and I probably deserve it), but he reminds me so much of Emmitt Smith. Not very fast or explosive, but excellent vision and balance. The knocks against him are virtually the same as Emmitt had, but I’d say he had a pretty decent career, huh? I like SEC running backs, because you know they have played against great defenses, unlike RB’s from other conferences who run through holes the size of dump trucks (cough cough Reggie Bush).
Now if I was running the team, I probably wouldn’t draft him in the first round, but I’m not going to go nutso if they do. The last time I did that, I might have been slightly wrong (cough cough Josh Freeman). I trust their judgment.
April 13th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
The only way I see Ingram getting drafted by the Bucs is if he is clearly the best player available on there board. With that being said those top defense ends better not still be available.
April 13th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
1st Round: Ryan Kerrigan or Cameron Jordan
2nd Round: Martez Wilson or Quan Sturdivant
3rd Round: Greg Romeus
4th Round: Casey Mathews or another LB
the other ones pick CB RB(speed RB) S and OL
April 13th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
too slow too small. i think i remember hearing this story before and it ended up with tears at the HOF, super bowl rings, rushing titles, and the all time rushing record. i think we need a de but if we end up with something close to emmitt smith..roll the dice.
April 13th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Emmit Smith was one in a million. The other 999,999 guys that are too slow and too small never end up being great. We’ll see soon enough. I’d put money down that he doesn’t end up being the best RB in this draft.
April 13th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Maybe we should just draft Emmitt Fn Smith its not like we really really really need a pass rush.
April 13th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
from a huge emmitt smith fan. he sure looks the part on the field. im just sayin..if they pass on the 5th best de and take this guy, i wont be upset.
April 13th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Yeah grasshopp427er, that’s my point too. Obviously pass rush is our #1 concern this offseason. However, if you don’t really like what’s left by the time it is our pick, then I would hate to see us reach and make a bad pick. As all Bucs fans should know by now, not picking well in the early rounds is very bad. If they would feel that Ingram (or anyone else for that matter) is going to be a great player, then they should take him. Besides QB, I don’t think there is a position on our team where we couldn’t use another great player. You also have to remember that we are one bad hurdle away from being in trouble at RB. How confident in our running game would you feel if Blount were to be hurt? If we don’t run the ball well, we don’t score many points.
All that being said, JDouble, you could very well be right. However, I’m not a big believer that a great running back has to have blazing speed (although it obviously doesn’t hurt), but it’s more important they can bounce off tacklers and see the hole. We won’t know until the season starts (if that ever happens). I’ve seen this kid play a whole lot at Alabama, and I grew up in Gainesville and watched every college FB game Emmitt ever played in, and I see striking similarities. I’ve never really heard any expert make the same comparison, so I may be way off (maybe it’s because they were the same number and they are both from the SEC). I’m no scout or expert, so you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt.
April 13th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Argg, “wear” the same number, not “were”! I need to go back to school.
April 13th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Nfl executives and coaches , while competitive, are a close knit group and they talk to each other about information they have discovered about potential draftees on and off the field. Ingram is coming off of some boards because of rumors about a persistent knee problem. All teams are skittish about drafting RBs early because of the success they are finding with late round and UFA picks. Dominik is kicking the tires because he senses there may be a bargain here in a later round.
April 13th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Can Ingram pick up the Blitz? If not, then who will if we draft him. The one time I saw LB try to pick up the blitz he missed his assignment and Freeman got lit up. Drafting Ingram would spell Caddy’s end with the Bucs not to mention less carries for The Flying Duckman!
April 13th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Not a chance. There is absolutely no way that they use a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd on a RB in this draft.
April 13th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
@JDouble
I totally agree. Completely overrated.
April 13th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Well I guess we’ll find out soon enough. It’s all a crap shoot, but you can not ignore any player’s performance in school. I wanted the Bucs to draft Adrian Peterson so bad, even though at the time it wasn’t a top priority. Things change quickly in the NFL. If Blount couldn’t play for some reason, it would be nice to have a guy like Ingram ready to rock and roll. The guy is not too small. He is very strong, head to toe and could just make a splash in the NFL. I also think the Bucs are looking at defense early but I won’t be upset if they draft Ingram in any round. He could drop, DaQuan too. A lot of players are over-rated but until they hit the field, who knows for sure.
April 13th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Couldn’t have said it better myself BigMac!
April 14th, 2011 at 4:35 am
I think Tampa may be using Ingram as a smokescreen. I just can’t see us using a first round pick on Ingram.
April 14th, 2011 at 9:41 am
If he drops to our pick in the 2nd round, great, take him. In the first? Hell. No.
April 14th, 2011 at 10:32 am
Ingram = knee problems! Buyer beware!
April 14th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Half the NFL has knee problems, including Drew Brees with Shoulder to boot. It takes an exorbitant amount of luck to make it too 22 years old as a football player without at least one knee injury, concussion, or stinger. I guess maybe if you were a kicker or punter, back up QB or waterboy.
April 15th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Lets not forget about Kareem Huggins. He was the drling of the pre season and hopefully he was usein his reovery time to put on a little more eight and leran to pick up blitzes in 3rd down pakages. I’m sorry but Caddy is done.”Thank you for the first 3 games of your rookie season but thats it”. I alo would love to see the Bucs pick up a true bloking “bulldozer type” fullback. Ernest has proved he is not only the guy that can pick up the 3rd down and 3,2,1, yard stick movers but the added weight he has put on to play the fullback spot has reduced his speed. Or we teach Blount to hit the hole and not DANCE
All that being said there are some teams in the later first round, namely the Packers and Saints that would would love to have Ingram. So If one of the DE’s that we ovet is not there I would rather move down some spots ans pick up two ends we feel good about and let them battle it out in camp.
A little rsearch on the type on injury that Price has should put a little fear in mking a total comitment to him. That is something that could pluage him his entire career. Okam,Moore and Miller showed flashes, but Lord knows teams were still able to run up our gut towards the end of the year. “Backpedling Rudd”, if he is not gone needs all the up front beef we can get.
Tarnard Jackson is one strike away, if he even gets reinstated from being out of the leauge. My gut feeling unless some dramatic happens with Talib Domonick/Rah may just cut their losses. Yes we get Grimm back, but he showed to be a bit of a liabilty matched uo agaisnt a speedy 3rd wideout. Without Free agency this will be a 6-10/12 season or a 11-7 if we can avoid some major sophmore slumps.
As I see it our major priorities:
#1 – a true change of pace speed back that we can match up with safety or linebacker. This will not only keep Williams and Benn from being double teamed but also I would love to see Winslow matched up against any linebacker in the Red Zone were he has been bottled up constantly the past couple seasons.
#2 – An INTIMIDATING PRESENCE in the middle of our defense. I would love to see Quincy Black get a shot ot middle linebacker. He may be raw a calling or adjusting defenses, but Geno has been here long enough to take that roll for now.
#3 A Speedy DE that can at least give opposing QB’s a fear of getting their jersey dirty.