“I Hope It Is Not Over”
December 30th, 2015
Might Vincent Jackson have played his last snap with Bucs?
Unsettling words from Bucs’ candid offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Could it be that Vincent Jackson’s knee injury is a career-ender?
Today, the Bucs placed Jackson on injured reserve, ending his season. During this afternoon’s weekly presser, Koetter was asked about Jackson’s impact on the offense and Koetter raved about the veteran 33-year old and then dropped a mini-bombshell.
“We miss him. We miss him a lot,” Koetter said of Jackson’s absence. “He is the glue to our passing game. He can play all the positions. He always knows what to do. He is always in the right spot.
“He has had a heck of a career. I hope it is not over.”
Whoa! That is the first Joe has heard that the end Jackson’s playing days has crossed anyone’s mind. Might his knee injury be that severe?
Talk about a blast of reality. Jackson is, sadly, much closer to the end of his career than the start. Father Time is an unforgiving SOB and guys at skill positions in their mid-30s don’t bounce back from knee injuries (surgery?) quite like guys 10 years younger.
And while Koetter noted that he expects personnel changes on the offense next season, only because that is the norm across the NFL, he believes Jackson “has plenty of ball left in him.”
December 30th, 2015 at 2:10 pm
I hope it’s not over. He’s a great person.
December 30th, 2015 at 2:13 pm
Another reason why I want another WR drafted high in the 2016 draft. Haven’t done much research on one yet though. Perhaps LUVMYBUCS can can finagle a list together for me.
LUV we don’t necessarily need another dunkaneer…we need a burner.
December 30th, 2015 at 2:14 pm
Vjax is great! Anyone that thinks he’s overpaid, just go look at the games he played in vs. the games he didn’t. I hope he comes back healthy ( and at a reduced price) because the offense is totaly different without him. If he can’t come back, we need another top flight wr. Evans is not an elite 1 yet and needs help.
December 30th, 2015 at 2:15 pm
Me, too. V-Jax sees that this young offense will be a barnburner as well as a winner with Koetter at the helm. I hope he plays at least one season with them. Lousy Buc Luck!
December 30th, 2015 at 2:26 pm
He doesn’t deserve to go out that way.
December 30th, 2015 at 2:48 pm
Man that’d suck.
If so we need to invest into 2 more WRs this year via FA & draft. Ideally a possession WR with sure hands that can play slot and be a reliable underneath threat and a speed WR to take the top off of the D. Between those 2 and ME & Sims that’d be a big arsenal of varied weapons.
I don’t really know much about this draft but my instincts would be to move back and accumulate as many picks as possible because we need injections of good talent everywhere. The only time I think it’s worth moving up would be for a QB. And hell the only time I think having a top pick is worth it is typically for a QB. When it comes to other positions you can find stars much more easily in the 2nd half of round 1 and in later rounds. Statistically with QBs it is not the same as the vast majority of great ones went really early round 1
December 30th, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Of course, now the rally cry will be to draft a receiver with our top pick. And I say..Go Defense..exclusively with the 1st 3 picks. What good is scoring 30 when you cannot stop the opposition from scoring 31?
December 30th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Lord Cornelius …I’m thinking Brate can play slot. That’s why I want a burner.
December 30th, 2015 at 3:25 pm
I want a guy that catches passes…and fights for them. Frankly, a burner is nice and all, but if he cannot catch, forget it. No more Dexter Jacksons.
December 30th, 2015 at 3:26 pm
And do not use the first pick on a WR. We NEED DEFENSE!
December 30th, 2015 at 3:56 pm
Look, I don’t mean to be disrespectful to Jackson, who I consider a model professional, but his time in Tampa has come to an end. He has never been a superstar receiver, even when he played for the Chargers, and in Tampa his production has been solid, not spectacular. Like it or not, this team needs spectacular, not solid. He’s up there in age and if we have to build around Winston, then acquiring a clear-cut, 1st receiver is a MUST. What good Winston do to a team that lacks weapons? Focusing solely on the defense would be a serious mistake.
December 30th, 2015 at 4:23 pm
I think we should try to get 2 wr’s in FA…Mohammad Sanu and Travis Benjimen…both guys are proven vets with great speed…GO BUCS!!!
December 30th, 2015 at 4:29 pm
Elle…you’re right.
Bonzai…I’m not necessarily saying 1st round WR, perhaps high 2nd though.
I do want a stud DE or DB that’s my priority, but I hope they find a burner.
December 30th, 2015 at 4:35 pm
@Elle, v-jax has had 1000 yard seasons every single year in Tampa until this season when he got injured. We’ve never had that kind of consistency from a single WR in this teams history.
How many teams in the league have “superstars” at WR anyhow? AJ Green, Julio Jones, DEz Bryant, Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown… who else is on their level? You act like they’re a dime a dozen and vjax should be put out to the pasture.
The smart move is to keep him (assuming he can play) and bring in another vertical threat. Would it be so bad if he became our #2 or even #3 option?
December 30th, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Jackson showed his toughness and effectiveness despite the injuries this season. A model player on and off the field. One of my favorite Bucs.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:11 pm
I would be a shame if V-Jax isn’t back for the 2016 season, but most people think that we need to draft a young WR, even if he does make it back.
And the WR coach who will be responsible for developing our receiving corps is none other than ANDREW HAYES-STOKER, who was Lovie’s “Assistant Traveling Secretary” from 2006 through 2012. And before Lovie re-hired him in 2014, Stoker had spent 2013 as the Running Backs Coach at Florida International!
C’mon man!
December 30th, 2015 at 5:12 pm
unbelievable …yeah I meant to say Elle was right about the bottom of her post, not so much the Vjax part.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:14 pm
keep him as a wr. coach!
December 30th, 2015 at 5:14 pm
Fowlball Says:
“And the WR coach who will be responsible for developing our receiving corps is none other than ANDREW HAYES-STOKER, who was Lovie’s “Assistant Traveling Secretary” from 2006 through 2012.”
Well sir he won’t be here after 2016 anyways, nothing to fear. Draft a WR.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:20 pm
I can get on board with Mohammad Sanu and Travis Benjimen. We would be dangerous with them and Evans and ASJ.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:37 pm
@87 yea I hear ya bro. I agree with Elle (and many others) on that point too.
We def do need another playmaker at WR, but man I would love to see vjax get a full Year healthy with JW throwing to him.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:47 pm
I like Marvin Jones from Cincinnati better. They are both FA so try for both. We are bound to get one. FA will want to come here to play with Jameis. I think you patch the problem this year with a free agent wr. But draft a high round receiver next year. When Lovie is gone I want as much talent on this team as possible for the next coach. A good QB can make his receivers better. And we finally have one of those. We just plain and simple need more talent of defense. Then the new coach can MAKE HIS SCHEME FIT HIS PLAYERS. Something Lovie could never do
December 30th, 2015 at 5:48 pm
I kinda like Vjax for wr coach.
December 30th, 2015 at 5:48 pm
What we do in the draft will depend on what we do in Free Agency. I’d like for us to focus on DE and CB in rounds one and two and maybe three. I think L & L will go after one of the FA Recievers and draft D heavy depending on who is available. We won’t know exactly what we need until after FA.
December 30th, 2015 at 6:11 pm
V-Jax and Dez have had about the exact same receiving yards over the past 4 seasons, the main difference is Dez has more TDs and V-jax has had 1000+ yards seasons 6 of the last 7 years, Dez only 3.
Re: Unbelievable super star WR list.
I’d take K. Allen, Hopkins, ODB, D. Thomas, A. Robinson before Dez B.
December 30th, 2015 at 6:13 pm
I know that Winston was late on a lot of deep balls, but he was on time with a lot of them, too, and they were just out of the Recievers reach. Now imagine if we had 4.3 guy on the outside. Those would have been TDs, baby!!!!!!
December 30th, 2015 at 6:17 pm
BuccaneEric75 …I would be pretty comfortable with them bringing in a couple of WR’s via FA. 1 really good one though at the least. Then focusing on D in the draft, but WR does need to be addressed unless they think they have something in Kenny Bell.
Kenny Bell pre-draft analysis from nfl.com.
Strengths : Can get on top of cornerbacks quickly and can ramp up acceleration to create enough air space for quarterbacks to target him up top.
Weaknesses : Has some stiffness to his routes. Doesn’t get into and out of breaks as cleanly as scouts would like to see. Likely limited to a roll as an outside threat.
Draft Projection Round 4 or 5
Bottom Line : Lanky, vertical wide receiver with a second gear. He likes to lull cornerbacks to sleep before hitting the gas and getting over the top of them for big plays. Bell is a little more straight-lined than some teams are looking for, but with reliable hands and an ability to make plays on the ball down the field, he has starter’s traits as a potential No. 2 WR in the league.
December 30th, 2015 at 6:22 pm
Pro Day Results
40-yard dash: 4.38 and 4.37 seconds
December 30th, 2015 at 6:38 pm
1987,
I got you. Look at Corey Coleman: Baylor and Mike Williams: Clemson in the second and third rounds respectively. Williams broke his neck or he’d be a first rounder. Both fast, both decent sized. Treadwell from OleMiss is ok too, but he’s a first rounder and you can get better value in the second. The kid from Pitt looks good too, drawing a blank on his name though
December 30th, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Tyler Boyd is the WR from Pitt.
December 30th, 2015 at 8:05 pm
I’m with 1987. Draft a WR early. Give Jameis all the weapons he needs. Somebody big enough to be a good blocker and fast enough to get down the field quickly. And somebody that can consistantly catch the football when it hits him in the hands
December 30th, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Yes follow me. I’ll GM this team for you. lol
December 31st, 2015 at 6:19 am
Kenny Bell dropped some passes before his season ending injury, but showed signs of “wow”, too. Plus, his hair might have to account for something. Free agency seems the place to get someone proven and save the high picks for the other side of the ball unless something incredible falls to us in a “best player available” scenario
December 31st, 2015 at 7:16 am
UFA receivers, Alshon, Travis Benjamin, Percy, Sanu, Marvin Jones, Boldin, Kearse, Ma Floyd, Reuben Randle, Rishard Matthews, Jordan Norwood, James Jones, to name a few. With as much cap space as we have lets grab one or two of these guys and load up on Def in draft along with an OL or 2.
December 31st, 2015 at 11:14 am
No way Alshon Jeffery hits the market. The rest of the FA class for WR are average. WR Laquon Treadwell Mississippi 6′ 2″ 225, is the top WR in the draft and he will be there when we pick.
January 5th, 2016 at 1:47 am
I wouldn’t mind creating a new position for V-Jax and Mankins both. Bring them back as the off and def “How to be a high class professional football player coach”