Did Licht Pull A Belicheat?

September 11th, 2015

Joe has written several times about Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht working alongside Bill Belicheat in New England.

Licht often recites a lesson he learned from Belicheat: move on from your mistakes right away. Learn and turn the page.

It is a big reason why Licht chose to allow Anthony Collins and Ghost Johnson to runway with millions of Team Glazer loot.

Now Joe can’t take the credit for the following thought. It came from the Twitter feed of former Fox Sports Florida reporter Andrew Astleford.

Belicheat is notorious for bringing in both college players and free agents he has zero desire or ability to draft or sign. He wants to pick their brains and study their athletic attributes up close and personal to build a dossier on them, only to use this info against the player when Belicheat faces them in a real game.

Could Licht have learned another lesson from the master?

Mind you, no player outside of America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston, did the Bucs research, investigate, monitor, work out and interview prior to this spring’s draft more than Marcus Mariota, who just happens to be quarterbacking the Titans this Sunday at the Den of Depression.

Because of all that research and study of Mariota, could the Bucs have a special defense hatched to torment the rookie spread option quarterback making his first NFL start?

17 Responses to “Did Licht Pull A Belicheat?”

  1. Vincente Says:

    No. They did this to make sure they were drafting the right QB. Will it help when they game plan against the opponent? Sure.

  2. Tampa Tony Says:

    We can only pray to the football gods that licht has half the success that bill b has had

  3. Ray Rice Says:

    So…. should I expect the Titans headsets to cut off all first half Sunday? I’m all in. Do it the Bellicheat way baby!!!!!

  4. Buclife Says:

    Ray Rice nice one! NE would never cheat right?

  5. Tampa Tony Says:

    If it turns the Bucs around cheat, cheat then cheat some more

  6. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    What Vincente said!

    Can we deflate some footballs for JW…oh wait I think the NFL has already addressed that one.

    Hopefully we’ve had somebody in Nashville spying on the Titan’s practices.

    What’s the game time temp supposed to be boys. We’ve had a high of 55 yesterday and today…great football weather!!!

  7. The Buc Realist Says:

    That’s the problem Joe, The Bucs have the info, But will Lovie change his “One size fits all” defense???

    When it is the chess match between Playcallers is Lovie playing checkers???

  8. DefenseRules Says:

    @Joe … “could the Bucs have a special defense hatched to torment the rookie spread option quarterback making his first NFL start?”

    A special defense? Special? As in ‘a modified Tampa-2’? Or maybe a ‘Tampa-2 Plus’?

    Of course this brings up the question ‘Has Ken Whisenhut just been playing us along in preseason since Mariota didn’t use the spread option’? Maybe the Titans will have a special offense.

    What will Lovie do if his ‘special defense’ has to go against Whisenhut’s ‘special offense’? Oh the games these coach’s play. How’s a fan supposed to keep up?

  9. Waterboy Says:

    I thought about that too Joe but the downside is Dick Lebeau also got plenty of up close and personal opportunities to study Winston.

  10. JUNY Says:

    the thing is that there is more to the bucs than Winston. If I am the titans, I am looking at the falcons tape for the past 3 years. I think we (fans) know they will be bringing some spread option to mess around with our DEs. I don’t even want our DEs to rush the QB, I want them to contain, let our DTs bull the inside – I seriously think our speedy LBs can handle those stupid flat routes like the TD mariota had in the preseason.

  11. DB55 Says:

    Defense rules

    I’m prepared to see the Oregon Ducks offense on Sunday, I hope Lovie is too.

  12. DefenseRules Says:

    DB55 … I’m sure that Mariota will take off running more than once when a play breaks down. He’d be crazy not to with several 300 lb linemen looking to drive him into the ground. But in terms of Titans running the Ducks spread offense, it’d take more than Mariota to make that work. Doubt that TN has the personnel for that at this point. Also sounds like that’s not what they’ve been practicing. Don’t think that Ken Wisenhut has used a spread offense elsewhere either.

    But stranger things have happened …

    Of note, there’s a great article on Ken Whisenhut and Marcus Mariota ‘marriage’ at http://www.musiccitymiracles.com/2015/5/22/8641861/the-ken-whisenhunt-offense-and-marcus-mariota.

    My favorite line is right at the very end when the author summarizes how Marcus will work out in TN under Ken Whisenhut: ‘A methodical quarterback in an offense that requires it’s centerpiece to act as the point guard, distributing the ball to playmakers based on what the system tells you and the defense gives you. Mariota did this at Oregon, and he’ll do it again in Tennessee.’

  13. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    Sigh.

  14. Pick6 Says:

    you bring in 50 rookies or something for a visit, and you know you only have 5 draft picks, so yes you will have some info on many opposing players because you considered drafting them. but the marcus mariota visits were about not blowing the #1 overall pick, not about getting a jump on the titans.

    however, i have a feeling our 3rd QB, Garret Grayson or whatever his name is, might be here for that purpose. the saints lost several top targets and added the likes of CJ spiller, their gameplan will have to be a bit different this year. how much do you want to bet that grayson will be scout team QB and a pretty popular when we are preparing for the saints week 2?

  15. DB55 Says:

    Defense

    Completely agree. I don’t think they have the personnel either. I can’t remember where but I heard wisenhunt was trying to “adjust” his offense to MM. Something about creating a “duck-like” offense so MM can be more comfortable. Good luck with that.

  16. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    Hey just learned another Belicheat trick from last night’s game.
    Tomlin was beyond peoeed after the game.

    We make sure that the Titans headsets do not work for the first half. Yeah the NFL provides the hardware and system but Tomlin is only the latest in a long line of people who gripe about how headsets always “mysteriously” act up in Foxboro.

    For a long time after “spygate” I thought that people just hated on the Pats because they win and because Belicheat has acute personality disorder…he’s a Bobby Knight style jerk. Brady is not exactly lovable either.

    But there’s just too much with the Pats. Where there is smoke there is fire.
    I get gamesmanship and trying to get and edge but the Pats and Brady were talented enough they didn’t need to resort to this crap. And they are the Oakland Raiders East…send us your bad boys as long as they can play we’ll let them…even if they’re capable of MURDER.

    They signed Hernandez even though everybody in Gainesville knew this guy was really really bad news. Urban’s rep is almost as bad as Belicheats when it comes to allowing bad people on his team if they have talent. The Pats tried to wave it away by saying he “failed only one drug test” in Gainesville. Perhaps but everybody knew his character or lack of by the time he left UF.

    And that brings this rant to a close with a puke on Robert Kraft the sanctimious hypocrite who tries to act like the Pats are such solid upstanding citizens.

  17. Skyline Crew Says:

    They brought back Bowers…so I would say no