“We Feel Good About It”
September 5th, 2015
Lovie seems OK with the offensive line.
Nothing rankled Bucs fans this offseason quite like the offensive line. Despite AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht drafting two offensive linemen in the second round and signing a former first-round pick of an offensive tackle, fans remain irritated, as if they showed up at a bar sober and heard the awful cry, “Last call!”
Bucs coach Lovie Smith isn’t among this group of worriers. Despite the struggles through preseason, and seeing a key backup go down with a knee injury in Garrett Gilkey, Lovie remains calm if not positive.
“We feel good about it,” Lovie said yesterday. “When we say good about it, you look at the whole body of work. I’ve seen the line, I’ve seen young players take their first snap, seen them get better and better. I’ve seen them put in situations that will help them play better football during the course of the year- some positive, some negative. We feel good.
“We have a very good game on record where we saw what we could be. Now it’s about taking the next step. I think this weekend is important for guys. If you look at the guys that we are going to go to bat with next week, especially some of our younger players. They’re pretty much put in a college season you could say right now with the amount of reps they’ve gotten.
“I think it’s good to take a step back, refresh your mind and your body and get ready to go. You’ve made it to this point, now it’s on. Yes, we feel good about our offensive line.”
Joe isn’t freaking out about the line (yet). There will be growing pains with the rookies, surely. Only a completely unreasonable person expects Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet to be Anthony Muñoz and John Hannah right off the bat.
Still, finding decent depth isn’t a bad thing and, frankly, the Bucs have no depth there until Demar Dotson gets healthy.
Sorry, Joe has yet to see anything from the Milk Cartons that instills hope or faith.
September 5th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Agree with your take completely Joe.
Yes this OL will be better the second half of the season than the first. Fameis will be better the second half of the year than the first.
My optimism is based on getting out of the gate at 2-2 which is doable given our schedule. Houston is the only team we shouldn’t beat. We’ve already whipped N.O. on the road and this season they are not world beaters.
But like Joe I do worry about depth.
September 5th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
Of course…. we all know…. the Joe(s) will blame the offensive line for EVERY sack that Jameis has …. (they’ll probably blame most of his interceptions on the OL too !!)
September 5th, 2015 at 1:43 pm
There’s got to be some better guards and tackles out there being let go then Edwards and Pamphile. Praying for a DE also. I will take another Jack Smith. Go get them Licht.
September 5th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
JOE’s originality should also be on a Milk Carton. There should also be Milk Carton’s for JOE’s insight, analytical ability, humor and ability to pick reasonable media friends.
September 5th, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Buc Fans, Your just getting left overs and cripples from other teams !!! LOVIE will be gone by the end of the year !!!
September 5th, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Dirk Koetter is our savior.
After the work he did with Atlanta last year, that brings me hope. Maybe that is why Lovie is calm, cool and collective…
September 5th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
Fact is that our OLine, right now, should rank near the bottom of the NFL pack. Only 2 out of our 5 starters played together last year (Mankins & E. Smith). In addition to them, we’re starting two 2nd-round rookies plus Gos (who’s only been here for a couple weeks). Add to that relatively little quality depth and what’s seemed like constant OLine flux during the pre-season. It’s hard at this point to picture our OLine ranking even in the top half.
I don’t hold out great hope for effective pass protection until the second half of the season. They may, however, be able to develop a decent run game … we should know in the first 3 weeks or so. That more than anything else would allow our offense to control the clock, put up points, and keep Jameis from getting sacked 100 times before mid-season.
September 5th, 2015 at 2:09 pm
Possible Trade Targets
Right Guard
• Jon Asamoah (Atlanta Falcons)
RG- Jon Asamoah
Falcons RG Jon Asamoah has been running with the second-team offense at training camp. The Falcons gave Asamoah a five-year, $22.5 million contract last offseason. He started 15-of-16 games and graded out as a top-24 guard at Pro Football Focus. But Asamoah may not be a fit for new OC Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme and has been passed on the depth chart by veteran Chris Chester. James Stone has been working as the Falcons’ first-team left guard (source: Vaughn McClure)
September 5th, 2015 at 2:15 pm
(Just Released)
• (LG) – Ryan Groy | Trey Hopkins
• (C/G) – Julian Vandervelde
• (RT) – Byron Stingily
September 5th, 2015 at 2:22 pm
@DefenseRules—
Yes…You sound lile Joe(s)… (paraphrasing)… ‘WOW our OL sucks ! but maybe we can get running game going ???? that’s really “Joe logic 101” only blame the OL when Jameis doesn’t perform !!
September 5th, 2015 at 2:42 pm
LargoSamIM…so you’re saying there’s nothing wrong with the pass protection.
September 5th, 2015 at 2:50 pm
LargoSamIM … Against Cincy the Bucs OLine looked pretty decent in the run game I thought. Against the Browns … not so much. Doesn’t matter whether it’s Winston or Glennon behind center, if the OLine stinks it up, the QB is in deep doo-doo. All I’m saying is that a decent run game provides the team (and thus the QB) with a lot more options for moving the ball and scoring. It also keeps the defense honest. As an OLineman, I’d much rather be driving forward to block for the run than back-pedaling in pass protection. And personally I think that the Bucs OLine is better suited to block for the run game.
September 5th, 2015 at 3:12 pm
LargoSam…stick a sock in it. At least Joe is being optimistic but you’re just being a troll..when are u ever gonna be positive…hell even neutral about our bucs? Damn bro.
September 5th, 2015 at 3:15 pm
!@DefenseRules –
Your points are well-made. My only point is (was) – a good run game is pretty dependent on the OL…. yet, (and I get your point about driving forwaed versus retreating) I am jus really tired (especially of the joe(s)) of people blaming the OL for all of our problems in the passing game ! I saw some plays vs.Cleve where Jameis had over 5-7 seconds to get of the ball but didn’t ! And the Joe(s) continue to blame the OL !!! I do think that Koetter is a pretty smaert guy about offense (smarter than me or anyone else onthis blog) and he will try to put our offense in the best position to succeed. If that means running the ball (to compensate for the “Jameis learnig curve”) – I’m all for it !!
September 5th, 2015 at 3:17 pm
I am more confident we will find a DE off waivers that could help us than Oline. Perhaps we can find some depth at Oline….
This year we go in without Gilkey, L.Johnson, Omameh & Bowers……that’s encouraging…
September 5th, 2015 at 3:33 pm
It seems funny that Ali Marpet was the only o-lineman that got a negative grade at PFF. But these blind sportswriters are always blaming the o-line for our offensive woes. And their blind followers believe it, the blind leading the blind. Ali Marpet has been horrible all preseason and he shouldn’t start until he improve. And why is Chris Conte still on the roster? he should have been the first person cut. Our o-line has not been that bad, our QB and receivers has been worst. And the bad playcalling hasn’t helped any,you can’t always use the o-line as your scapegoat.
September 5th, 2015 at 3:37 pm
LargoSamIM … “I saw some plays vs.Cleve where Jameis had over 5-7 seconds to get of the ball but didn’t.”
So did I. A big part of that is on Jameis (rookies are like that?). But I’ll bet that a part of it was also the result of what he was being asked to do on those particular plays (get the ball downfield as opposed to quick slants, etc). And a part of it was probably on the WRs I’m sure (seemed to get open a LOT more in training camp than they did in the games).
In short, you win and lose as a team. And in the Cleveland game in particular there was plenty of blame to go around … players, coaches, probably even the equipment guys (maybe the balls were over-inflated, who knows).
September 5th, 2015 at 3:43 pm
Concerns of the O Line are greatly over exaggerated because its the only area any of can really find fault with about this team… Outside of ST but that is a easier fix so no real focus is being paid to that issue till it becomes a real issue… In which case we solved the crux issue with a kicker for now… That said this team and personnel will rally around the OLine and come together to resolve the learning curves of youth and scheme… Can’t wait to watch this thing play out… Gonna help a bunch of you sleep better I’m sure:-)
September 5th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
As long as we follow the 4 second rule we will win. O-Line Block for 4 seconds, Defensive Backs Cover for 4 seconds
September 5th, 2015 at 4:13 pm
I saw only 2 times where Winston held the ball for too long. The rest of the time he was getting blitzed the hell out of.
September 5th, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Our Oline ranks at the bottom of the league?
How can it “rank” anywhere before a game is played?
Are there really stats on 0-0 records?
September 5th, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Update from previous post
September 5th, 2015 at 4:31 pm
I looks like Lawrence Sidbury got cut.
September 5th, 2015 at 4:39 pm
Update
(JReleased Offensive Line Prospects)
• (LG) – Ryan Groy | Trey Hopkins | Ben Garland
• (C) – Julian Vandervelde | Dillon Day
• (RT) – Byron Stingily
September 5th, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Jag’s released Jeremiah George
Upgrade over Bruce Carter at MLB? lol
No but seriously – He is
September 5th, 2015 at 5:26 pm
A Josue Matias/Jameis Winston reunion?
September 5th, 2015 at 5:41 pm
Bucs on the Bubble
Brate, Gholston, Masifilo, Warren, Fragel, Lane, James, Tandy……
September 5th, 2015 at 5:44 pm
We are the Sanford and Son of the NFL, waiting on someone to sit their junk outside on the curb. Then we come in like Vultures and scoop up the junk and salvage it. One man junk is another man treasure,you can only get by on salvaging junk. You won’t get rich off it, Lovie and Son is out cruisin the streets of the NFL for someone else junk at this exact moment. The Tampa Bay Scraps, I wonder how far we can go with scaps.
September 5th, 2015 at 6:19 pm
I don’t feel good about their ability to scout and address the o line issues.Be careful lovie your personel decisions are going to get u fired.
September 5th, 2015 at 8:10 pm
Fragel, Brate, Pamphile and Edwards should be waived to make room for someone better. There are a few teams like Dallas that are very strong on the OL. Other teams on the DL. Their scraps are better than ours. Go Licht. Make this 2nd draft pay off.
September 5th, 2015 at 8:19 pm
cometowin2
No doubt…
Byron Stingily > Fragel
Ryan Groy > Edwards
Cameron Brate’s a solid young prospect though
September 5th, 2015 at 8:24 pm
If I’m Licht
I’m on phone ….
w/
Chicago for DE – Willie Young
Buffalo for T/G – Cordy Glenn
Atlanta for RG – Jon Asamoah
and I’m literally begging anyone to take Bruce Carter
September 5th, 2015 at 8:46 pm
Don’t think we have room for 4 TEs. Could get rid of Luke Stocker as he has been a total disappointment for all I care.
September 5th, 2015 at 8:50 pm
I can get behind getting rid of Bruce Carter and bringing back Khaseem Greene.
September 5th, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Licht “I drafted Ali because I was a fan of Muhammad Ali”. “I’ll take that offer, George for a fifth round what a steal”.
September 5th, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Totally agree. Glad somebody feels good about our o-line I feel sick about it.. The depth seem poor. It’ll improve with Dotson but we sorely need another guard. Off waiver wire and early in next years draft.