“He’s All About Hand Placement”

June 13th, 2013

Joe realizes only the hardest of the hardcore Buccaneers junkies care about wide receiver coaching methods, but Joe couldn’t resist sharing this.

Last year, Joe spent a lot of time watching animated former Bucs receivers coach P.J. Fleck seem to put a lot of emphasis on footwork while he wasn’t screaming, sprinting after players to strip them, or celebrating seemingly everything positive.

New Bucs wide receivers coach John Garrett, who transferred from the Cowboys organization, also is a fiery guy, though not as crazy as Fleck. But it has seemed to Joe that Garrett is more dialed in to receivers’ work with their hands at the line of scrimmage.

Joe asked wide receiver Chris Owusu about the change in coaches and the teaching focus, and he confirmed that Garrett is a big hands guy.

“His philosophy of just being technical and just, you know, his philosophy of getting after it is something that we’ve all benefitted from. He’s all about hand placement,” Owusu said. “You know, you win the battle at the line with your hands. Yes, your feet, but your hands as well. And that’s something I’m able to learn from him.”

Owusu, a Stanford guy, also praised the intelligence of Garrett (Princeton guy) in the film room. Like Fleck, Garrett is a former NFL receiver who had a small-time career.

Joe can’t say what, if anything, this all means. But training camp practice attendees can make a note to watch the hands of Bucs receivers as they try to shake the press coverage of Darrelle Revis and the rest of the Bucs’ cornerbacks.

12 Responses to ““He’s All About Hand Placement””

  1. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    Joe, did you see the new changes to bag rules at all stadiums? That’s going to kill ticket sales. I know I’m considering staying home now. We have a toddler and cannot even take a diaper bag now.

  2. Buc-n-Junkie Says:

    Sounds like you need to be a martial artist just to be an NFL wide receiver.

  3. FLBoyInDallas Says:

    I like how Garrett is giving the finger to all the Bucs haters disguised as fans. Up yours, bitchez!

  4. WestCoastBucsFan Says:

    Between this guy and Revis our wide receivers should improve. Think about having to go against the best press corner in the league everyday in practice. Hopefully Mike Williams gets to “work” with Revis as well.

  5. Vic66 Says:

    The more I hear about this coaching staff the more I am impressed and appreciate. Schiano is a lot more than a toes on the line kind of guy.

  6. Mike J Says:

    It seems an almost general inverse rule in sports that the better a player, the worse a guy is as a coach.
    Not too well stated lol.

  7. Charlie B Says:

    @Bonzai

    You can’t fit diapers and wipes into a 12inch x 6inch x 12inch bag? I’m positive you can.

  8. Joe Says:

    Bonzai:

    Joe, did you see the new changes to bag rules at all stadiums? That’s going to kill ticket sales. I know I’m considering staying home now. We have a toddler and cannot even take a diaper bag now.

    Joe has been saying for months (years?) that ticket sales more and more are irrelevent. The NFL has much greater revenue streams than ticket sales. As for this new policy (which is a joke), it’s to save on insurance premiums which are, frankly, staggering. You can thank those assholes who bombed the Boston Marathon.

  9. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    So I guess pay-per-view football is in our future 🙁

  10. Fish Says:

    I’m an ex-college football receiver and high school WR/DB coach and if there was one thing I would try to stamp into my players’ heads was to have “quick feet; quick hands!” especially for the wideouts.

    Reading this and other comments about how Fleck emphasized footwork are comical to me…

  11. scubog Says:

    When I first read the headline about “Hand Placement” it brought back memories of my dating days in high school. Who thinks it’s wise to take a toddler still in diapers to an NFL game in that heat plus pay for the ticket? I’ve even seen newborns. Guess it’s no worse than Disney World.

  12. YourMom Says:

    In that photo, it looks like Garrett is holding a glass of water….but he’s not.