Becht Wants Mario
March 3rd, 2016
A former Bucs tight end thinks Mario Williams can point the pass rush to better results.
Joe’s been bellyaching for the Bucs to sign free agent defensive end Mario Williams for weeks. Now Joe is glad to see intelligent NFL folks agree.
Take former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht. Now a trusted football analyst for BSPN and Buccaneers.com, Becht took to Twitter yesterday and lobbied AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to do the right thing: Sign Williams to solve this decade-long impotent pass rush once and for all.
@Anthony_Becht: After thinking about the #Bucs DL situation & talking to some people familiar w/ Bills, think the Bucs should make a play for Mario Williams… For the right price I think Mario Williams can still be a difference maker. I like vet released players w/ prior top tier #’s… I think Mario Williams can give 2 big yrs..and above average 3rd… Out of all the top DEs coming out in this yrs draft.. It will take 3ys to hit there max… Having a Mario Williams is a huge buffer.
Boom!
Joe has been saying as much for weeks. And Becht hit a home run in the rookie example. Rarely do rookie defensive ends approach double-digit sacks. Williams would fill that gap very nicely.
Joe understands Williams isn’t the perfect candidate. He wasn’t a model citizen in Houston and apparently he rubbed enough people the wrong way in Buffalo that Capt. Lou Albano didn’t have to put his pizza down to dab away a tear when Williams was cut.
This just in: The Bucs are in no position to be picky. By the time a rookie defensive end develops, Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David likely will have seen their best years pass.
Yes, the Bucs should draft a defensive end. They should also sign a defensive end.
And Joe thinks it is high time to quit wasting time and Team Glazer loot on the sackless George Johnsons of the world, hoping their meager production somehow triples with the Bucs just because they can gawk at babes in bikinis on the beach on their days off and don’t have to pay state income tax.
Time to quit fooling with these fools and get a guy that has produced in this league. Yeah, the Bucs might have to overpay. But if fans are expected to overpay for warm beer at the Den of Depression, then the Bucs can overpay for a guy with a (recent) history of production.
The fact this franchise has been unable to produce a double-digit defensive end in a decade is shameful.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:05 am
We’ll get him. We just HAVE TO!!!
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:05 am
If he signs, which I’m not against as long as we draft a DE at #9, he comes and plays with a chip on his shoulder and not come to cash in the chips, but I do believe he has been handsomely paid in his time in the NFL
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:08 am
Then Dodd at #9 if we’re not moving up for Ramsey or Bosa or going for an OT. Clemson guy, I know, but hey 3rd times a charm my friends 🙂
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:12 am
I look at the way Peppers,Freeny and Ware are all still producing. If you can’t snag Vernon we must go after super Mario.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:14 am
I think the Cowgirls, Raidahs, and Jags will all be in play with wide open check books (G-men may be too). So if the BUCS want him, they are going to have to sell him something amazing and pay him handsomely to keep him out of D, NY, and Cali. Good luck.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:20 am
lets overpay and get him. love that he’s actually proven to be successful on the field in the nfl. i feel like our fa de signings of the past few years have been on people that havent really done much in the nfl. this wont pigeon hole us in the draft because we wont have to select a de at 9 if we dont like whats there now
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:21 am
The most recent superbowl Champs have had lots of lineman to throw at the other team. Dbs look really good when the other quarterback doesn’t have time to think.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:21 am
Hands2theface is right, Bucs will be one of many teams that will have an offer for Mario W. I just do not see Mario choosing the Bucs!!! If they really wanted him, probably the only chance would have been to trade before he was cut!!!
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:22 am
Get him in here. Take the Vet pair him with a young stud, and watch them eat. bring a little nasty to this team.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:27 am
After reading this article, Steve Duemig’s head just exploded…
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:36 am
Dont forget about Chris Long also.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:38 am
Get the man in here and pay him. It’s time our D showed some fangs like Kwon did last year, and Mario can teach by example. I’m also for taking Shaq with the 9th. He played extremely well for Clemson, and graded just below Boss at the Combine. Time to get mean, guys.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:48 am
he will be in NE or Carolina and play for a team that has best chance of getting him a ring
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:51 am
My fellow Bucs fans, is it just me, or are you also tired of hearing from some ( not Joe) media members giving us the ” But the Bucs will not pay that much” or ” They are not going after top tier UFA’s” I get it, you have to draft well, which this team has done last 2 years. Can we please give the fan-base something to chew on. Get a DE to fill a need spot, and draft from there. Over pay, yes if you can get them man in here.
March 3rd, 2016 at 8:53 am
Of the available vet options, I like him the best. It’s not an ideal field, but, the Bucs are certainly beggars at this position, can’t be too choosy.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:12 am
Maybe we can figure out a way to give the Bills a draft pick, like we gave the Lions for Free Agent George Johnson.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:15 am
I am ok with MW as long as we draft his replacement at #9. Hargreaves won’t make it past Miami so we Have to get the best pass rusher available. Don’t be surprised if we take a long look at Leonard Floyd. I know, he is listed as OLB but he is very versatile.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:16 am
The stinkin’ Panthers as Super Mario’s landing pad frightens Biff.
Glad the are banging the cap ceiling with appx. $8M to go and still have to pay the tag on Norman.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:26 am
Better signing would be JPP.
Or both.
AND draft a DE.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:26 am
I really hope we trade down spence at 9 feels like a reach, starting to like Shaq Lawson but he looks like he hasn’t worked out his whole, but physically he’s one of the best defensive prospects 6’3 270 runs a 4.7 flat impressive and his game film is good too…..3rd Clemson de is a charm but again feels like a reach if we don’t move down
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:27 am
This move makes sense. It’s time that we stop ignoring QUALITY veteran D-line help.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:48 am
@ Bonzai
How many times have you seen a DE with one hand fighting
off the blocker and the other grabbing the QB with the other.
JPP will have difficulty doing this.Paying JPP 9 or 10 mil is a big gamle.
T he goal is to spend money on somebody you know can help the
team.Like Joe jurevicios,Simeon Rice,or a Keenon Mccardle IMHO.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:50 am
First time EVER… all the posts here (so far) are good !
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:53 am
@Bob in valrico
JPP will not get $10m.
Also, he got surgery to restore his ability to grip this off season. Even with his injury, he played at a high level last year.
The team that gambles on him will get a big payday. He is determined to achieve greatness. Teams that ignore this will regret it next year.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:54 am
Buckner is a beast who can line up all over the line. Combine him with Mccoy and Jacquies Smith. Sprinkle in Javon Hargrave for good measure. All of a sudden, our line looks lethal.
March 3rd, 2016 at 9:55 am
You don’t often get an opportunity at a guy like JPP. Simeon was a rare availability at his age. JPP could be our Simeon Rice.
March 3rd, 2016 at 11:17 am
Get Mario and Incognito! Let Mankins retire. Both our lines will be better.
March 3rd, 2016 at 12:14 pm
As difficult as it is to put together the personnel for a solid pass-rush these days, and as critical as a solid pass-rush is for the overall success of just about any defensive scheme, it just makes sense to sign free agents that have a history of production, first and foremost. Once you have one (hopefully two) reliable pass-rushers on the roster, then you can focus on acquiring raw talent (or developing the raw talent you’ve previously acquired) in the draft.
So, I whole-heartedly support going after Williams (and JPP, too – why not?), AND drafting top-shelf pass-rushing talent in the draft.
(And I’d also recommend drafting a mid/late-round developmental project, too. Who knows what sort of magic Hayes might be able to do with a freak athlete who just needs strong guidance and a couple of years to work on fulfilling that potential. Sometimes, you just have to work on developing your mid-level guys, and if they work hard and things come together right, you can find yourself a future starter in the mid-late rounds. We could use a pass-rusher who comes along slowly like, say, Kevin Pamphile has on the OL, as long as that’s not the only pile of spaghetti we’re throwing against the wall.)
March 3rd, 2016 at 12:40 pm
Mario is almost certainly our best bet to improve our DL immediately. He is likely to be VERY expensive though and will surely want at least a 3 year deal with lots of guaranteed $.
I say shoot for the moon and do what it takes to bring him in. If that means a 3 year $45M deal with $30M of that guaranteed – then do it. Its a lot – but we can afford it because of not having to pay Winston a ton of $ for the next 3 years.
And if it works and he agrees to come here – then PRAY that he’s here to play himself into the HOF instead of just to cash a big paycheck at the end of his career. How much of a motor and chip on his shoulder Williams still has will be up to Licht and Smith to decide in preliminary interviews.
As long as he checks out – Go for it Jason. A guy with this much pass rushing talent that has been consistently good his whole NFL career – and that also still has some decent tread left on the tires doesn’t become available very often.
March 3rd, 2016 at 12:49 pm
They can’t sign this guy soon enough. I don’t understand why they don’t already have this guy here.
March 3rd, 2016 at 1:00 pm
You mean Mr. 30 Years Old And Can’t Stay On The Field?
A lineman who is constantly hurt and 30 is not a good combination.
March 3rd, 2016 at 1:52 pm
I find Becht to be very annoying much of the time, but he is spot on with these comments. Sign Mario Williams for 3 years, and draft his understudy / replacement. This just makes too much sense!
March 3rd, 2016 at 7:17 pm
The biggest Question we all should have is will Mario come in here and play..lights out like he is capable of doing? Or will he come here, collect big cash (which getting him will demand), and sit on his duff like that guy did for the skins a few years ago. What the heck, Go ahead Bucs and roll the dice. You could do…far far worse.
March 4th, 2016 at 7:07 am
I think it would be a great move if we pursue Mario Williams. He’s only one year removed from double digits in sacks and last year could be a product of his scheme change, because he was asked to drop back into coverage a lot more than he was accustomed to. But he’s exactly what we’re looking for and I’m not in love with any of the DEs coming out in the draft this year. Even if we take a couple DEs in the draft, which we most definitely will, I don’t think they’ll be giving us double digits or even close to it. From the transition to the NFL and developing overal skill sets it’ll take a few years. Williams could provide some pass rushing and he’s pretty solid in run defense as well.
I say sign Williams for 2-3 years for about 7-9 million a year somewhere around that range. He’s only 31 so I think there’s at least 2 years left of really good football in him. Just use him as a traditional 4-3 DE with his hand in the dirt and let him go rip the QBs head off. He’ll be a cheaper get than say an Olivier Vernon who’s probably going to command $12-13 million a year easy and from reports Licht doesn’t figure to be a big player in free agency this year.
I think if we resign Jacq Smith and have him as a pass rushing specialist only and not have him play run downs he’ll be good enough. Then we draft so defensive lineman this year and build them along side Williams and Smith I think we could have a pretty good pass rush this year. We really need someone on that line to take pressure off of McCoy.
March 4th, 2016 at 7:17 am
Just imagine this we sign JPP to maybe a 1-2 year prove it deal for RE. We get Mario Williams for 2-3 years for LE. And then we draft Sheldon Rankins in the first round and put him next to McCoy. Resign Jacq Smith and have him as a pass rush specialist. Gholston will rotate in and out at DT along with Spence. And we can draft someone like Correa from Boise State and Ochi from Stony Brook as pass rushing prospects and build them up until they can eventually become starters or regulars in our rotation. Man that could be a serious DL for years to come!