Jim Bates Lands His Tackle

April 26th, 2009

The personification of a Jim Bates defensive tackle is a big ole’ nasty monster of a player who does little more than clog up the middle.

Bucs fans, meet Bucs third round pick Roy Miller of Texas.

Here’s a brief description from NFL.com on the newest Bucs defensive tackle.

Short, squatty frame. … Good lower-leg drive and use of leverage to hold up as a nose guard. … Can anchor against the double-team and create a pile. … Flashes some initial and lateral quickness as a pass rusher. … Quick hands and impressive upper-body strength to disengage from blocks and make tackles at the point of attack. … Flashes some explosiveness as a hitter. … High-effort player who will pursue down the line. … Physical player who has value as a short-yardage fullback or wedge-buster on special teams. … Helped himself with solid week of practice at the East-West Shrine Game.

Joe was hoping that the Bucs would have selected versatile Penn State wide receiver/return specialist Derrick Williams — who went to Detroit on the very next pick — but Joe likes what he sees from Miller.

One Response to “Jim Bates Lands His Tackle”

  1. dave Says:

    If we would have taken Everette Brown at 19, moved Adams to his more natural LDE position, and with this pick, Miller at DT, we could have had a decent shot a being competitive this year. SO Disappointed!