Dirk Koetter Talks Cameron Brate Over ASJ
January 2nd, 2016
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (right) plays less than Luke Stocker
As Joe wrote Monday, Austin Seferian-Jenkins is the Bucs’ third-string/third-choice tight end now. That’s what the snap counts say.
So Joe asked offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter about this phenomenon earlier this week.
Koetter offered no odd reason why Seferian-Jenkins is playing less than fellow tight ends Luke Stocker and Cameron Brate.
“Some plays you have one tight end, some plays you have two, some plays you have three. Let me just say Cameron Brate has definitely earned his playing time this season,” Koetter said. “He has probably earned more than he is getting. Austin has had a difficult season because of the injury and he is trying to still play through it. To this day he is still not 100 percent healthy. He’s trying to play through it. We have to get more plays for everybody. That would help us. As far as that specifically, part of that is just the way the game flowed and not getting enough plays.”
Keep in mind that Koetter has said Stocker and Seferian-Jenkins were his best two blocking tight ends.
After two seasons (minus one game), Seferian-Jenkins is looking like a bust as the No. 38 overall pick in last year’s draft. He can’t stay healthy, and he can’t beat out Stocker and an undrafted Harvard tight end. Hell, Seferian-Jenkins might be the Bucs’ fourth tight end if they didn’t trade Tim Wright for wild kicker Kyle Brindza.
Joe’s not giving up on Seferian-Jenkins, though. At 23 years old with a world of talent, he deserves another year to right his career.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:25 am
Mentally weak and fragile as glass. I think most reasonable fans have written him off and anything we get from here on out is a bonus. Just not mentally strong enough to be a NFL player even if the talent is there. Jerramy Stevens was the same.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:31 am
Definitely make Brate the #1….he deserves it. ASJ needs to stop the stupid mental mistakes and realize how much his penalties are costing his team. Just be quiet and play your game.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:36 am
I’ll admit I was excited about the drafting of ASJ. I remembered watching him play a little bit at UW and being a dominant TE. However, I am starting to worry that he way turn out to be a bust. He plays pretty well when healthy, but he’s RARELY healthy. To add to that, he idiotic on-field antics are something that I didn’t notice in college. As of right now, I am 50/50 on him. Hopefully he can get it together… If not, maybe OJ Howard will be available in the 3rd round. He is under utilized at Alabama, but I could see him be a beast in the NFL.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:41 am
Leave ASJ alone!!!!!
……….he’s a “fragile flower”
LOL
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:45 am
I said this last off season and took heat…ASJ is a bust. The NFL is an odd beast and those who do not have a mindset similar to Sapp and Brooks…total toughness….simply do not make it. I expect him to be purged at some point probably post-Lovie regime.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:50 am
Got a little Captain in ya?
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:06 am
ASJ (Captain Morgan) needs to be a Player and not a Playaa
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:18 am
hopefully ASJ can pull it together but Brate deserves to get more playing time, he has shown some good athletic ability and good hands, Seems to be a guy who could easily get 500-600 yards and 5+ touchdowns on a yearly basis of given the chance. Rooting for this kid to be our number 1 TE next year. As for stocker gotta love that guy, can only, catch, and play fullback when needed, guys like him are always good to be on the team.
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:19 am
I don’t fault him for injuries, but the org is letting the speculation continue, so o gotta believe there is some concern for him within obp.
Trade him this offseason?
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:40 am
ASJ is still a kid at 23 years old, his body is still developing. Still has time to be great.
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:50 am
Give asj another season with jameis, then we can decide.
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:59 am
I cannot support many of ASJ’s mental mistakes thus far but I’m willing to be patient given his age. Look no further than the other 6’5 tight end on the opposite sideline tomorrow as an example of an early draft TE, injured at the beginning of his career that has turned into the safety valve for the NFL’s 2015 MVP on a roster with limited receiver talent.
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:01 pm
The way I look at it….the injury to ASJ had a silver lining…..because of that we picked up Brate off the Saint’s practice squad and he received plenty of snaps to develop.
As for ASJ…..the jury is still out…he has two years left on his cheap rookie contract….I suspect less playing time will serve as motivation….he does have the talent.
ASJ is one of the players that Joe has picked on all year…..sure Joe says he hasn’t given up on ASJ….but the body of most of his articles insinuate that his “mysterious” injury isn’t a reason for him to have been kept from playing….and the constant “hot tub” references haven’t helped.
As a true Buc fan, I remain hopeful that ASJ will be the pick Lovie & Licht thought he was….after all…most of their picks have been….
How about all the talk about the wasted pick on that “bust” Sims?
Or….the “milk carton” Pamphile.
Give these younger players time to develop before judging too harshly.
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:10 pm
Im glad we got Brate. Maybe knowing that someone on the roster could replace him will keep AsJ motivated to give 110%.
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:11 pm
Winston is only 21 and first year player that takes an abundance of hits but plays smart and will play through an injury for the best interest of the TEAM. ASJ is a BUST as far as I’m concerned, his negatives outshines his
“whatmacallin”. Being a one reception wonder, fragile, bonehead mistakes wont do it with the BIG DOGS. He reminds me of former BUCS/Univesity of Washington, Jeremy Stevens…Just a big BODY without the SUM/SOME i.e., Total Package. Age and experience has nothing to do with plain common sense and teamwork. Putting him at 3rd string clearly will send a message that he’s not bigger than the game. Give me a “BRATE” cause we need it.
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:13 pm
It’s not possible to give more than 100%
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:26 pm
Its more cliche’ use of an old saying than being able to tangibly measure an actual percent of effort being given by a player.
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:36 pm
Everybody’s 100% is different….I can give 100% and lose miserably in the 40….
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:41 pm
Second Round busts for Mark Dominick,
Price, Benn, Bowers and the jury is out on Banks…..
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:59 pm
100% is MAXIMUM. There’s is nothing more than 100% lol
January 2nd, 2016 at 1:15 pm
No one was more down on Stocker than myself and at first he was often injured and kept dropping passes. However, he has matured into an outstanding blocking TE & Backup FB and has even become a reliable pass catcher and I am now his supporter. So I am hopeful that we will get a new WR Coach who can help Sefarian mature, learn to run precise routes, up his work ethic, and help his mental toughness while stopping the foolish penalties. He needs another year to fulfill his potential, but behind Brate as our number one DE.
January 2nd, 2016 at 1:24 pm
B rate was on our practice squad and NO picked him up. We was only there for a week then we took him back. Lol
#FIRELOVIE
January 2nd, 2016 at 1:50 pm
Incorrect…..we cut him off our practice squad and NO put him on theirs……after the ASJ injury we brought him back by putting him on our active roster…..
January 2nd, 2016 at 4:52 pm
Everybody grows up at their own pace, I think ASJ has a world of talent, it’s a matter staying healthy. That being said I think Brate has been fantastic, catches 99.9% of passes that hit him in the hands. For an undrafted guy he has performed very well. If ASJ can stay healthy we could have a nice tight end tandem for quite some time.
January 2nd, 2016 at 5:06 pm
He’s not 100%?
Why did he sit out 10 weeks then?
January 2nd, 2016 at 5:07 pm
What the hell are you talking about Joe? Koetter even admitted that ASJ is not healthy yet. He isn’t playing a lot of snaps because he still has a bum shoulder! He wouldn’t be of any use on run plays with a bad shoulder. So take away half or more of the total plays away. And then add in that brate is proving to be a decent receiving option. The guy dude is young and talented. His health issues will subside, he has just had some bad luck with the injury bug. When 100% there is no doubt he is the #1 TE on this team.
January 2nd, 2016 at 5:12 pm
Maybe sitting on the bench will help him to change his attitude on the field, he makes too many stupid mistakes
January 2nd, 2016 at 7:27 pm
I can’t fault the guy for being injured, that’s not really in his control (assuming he takes care of his body during the off-season). I’ve called him glass, fragile, etc., but the truth is those sorts of things are out of control. The dude is barely 23, how many of you were fully developed men at that point? I have no problem giving him more time and seeing what he can do when fully healthy. Plus, Joe, don’t you always say a draft pick can’t accurately be judged until 3 full years in the league? Now you’re saying he’s a bust.
That being said, I CAN NOT excuse the dumb penalties on the field. That is selfish and childish. It actually makes me happy that he is 3rd string. It sends a message. But that could be a product of his young age too (I still did plenty of dumb things at 23). Hopefully he spends time in the offseason with JW and comes out next year as a man on a mission.
January 2nd, 2016 at 9:39 pm
Simply on potential alone i can see why Joe thinks that ASJ deserves a third year but if he flounders in next year’s training camp I can also see him getting cut before the season begins….. That ****ing Captain Morgan pose during the 2014 ATL game at RJS stands out to me….. Right now he is a bust Joe; the Bucs could have gotten a real contributor to the team with that high 2nd round pick. But yes, for now he still deserves a roster spot to see if the third year will be the charm for this immature young man……
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:28 pm
Dirk is being gentle. We all know ASJ is fragile. Brate has been money. He has shown an innate ability to go up and get the ball. ASJ’s size and speed combo are impressive and he can be a force out there but he’s injured too often and it’s hard for me to think we are better off with that risk. ASJ is signed cheap so he’s not going anywhere but after that runs out, there are no guarantees.
January 3rd, 2016 at 12:54 am
Financially it would be idiotic to even think about cutting ASJ. We pay him peanuts right now, and you couldn’t even possibly think about cutting him simply because he is injury prone. Sure you might not resign him to a long term deal. But you don’t cut him for his cheap rookie contract. Not with the potential he has. If he ends up on IR, big deal. Throwing 1 mil out the window on the chance he is healthy and dominating the middle the field is worth the risk.
January 3rd, 2016 at 1:17 pm
@truebuc
Exactly.