Bone Cruncher
March 11th, 2017
WRs will feel him.
The Stick Carriers love hard-hitting safeties. Who doesn’t?
It dates back to when the Bucs were born with Mark Cotney and made nearly infamous with John Lynch during the glory days.
Apparently, new Bucs safety J.J. Wilcox will carry that tradition. Long-time Bucs beat guy Rick Brown shared a story from DeSean Jackson earlier today at One Buc Palace.
Obviously, DJax played against Wilcox and his Cowboys a few times.
@rickbrown91: Wilcox is one hard hitter. When playing Skins, he hit one player so hard, @DeSeanJackson11 said, “Glad that wasn’t me.” Damn! LOL!
That’s old school football and that’s Joe’s kinda football. If some receiver comes across the middle, you make sure he remembers you for days when he wakes up in the morning.
Between Wilcox, Keith Tandy and fan favorite Chris Conte, it appears the Bucs may just be set at safety.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:34 pm
Asked one of my friends who is a Cowboys fan about him. Said the dude lays the wood and that Im going to enjoy the way he hits. Also said he actually played better after returning to the lineup after losing his starting role. Started to get better in coverage and take better angles which were his two weaknesses apparently. My friend wanted the Cowboys to keep him so I think thats always a good sign when you get someone who the fans of that team didnt want to lose.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:38 pm
Got to be careful with that today! I love rough physical football too, but in todays NFL, rough play can get you penalized, all thanks to Roger Goodell 🙁
March 11th, 2017 at 3:39 pm
I also had a cowboys fan friend tell me he’s a good player. Not great but good. He wanted the boys to resign him. That’s encouraging
March 11th, 2017 at 3:42 pm
Safety or rb at #19 pick? The one that offers our best chance to win. RB
March 11th, 2017 at 3:44 pm
Remember golston and hire that ended? Either suspend or hurt.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:46 pm
1 hit is all it takes for receivers to grow alligator arms….lol
March 11th, 2017 at 3:46 pm
@Patrick Or DE, Or Corner, Or Tight end, or Right Tackle.
“the deepest running backs class I’ve ever seen” – Dirk Koetter: Stick Carrier in Cheif.
No need to panic at Rb. Although I wouldn’t be mad at Christian McCaffrey in the 1st.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:48 pm
And we didn’t over pay this guy like we did Goldson. Plus I bet he doesn’t get fines every other hit.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Blake, I think it’s highly unlikely they forgo a weapon in favor of a non-starting DE. No way a rookie DE beats out Ayers, Spence, Gholston. Gunna have a hard time with Jacquies as well. So I don’t see a DE in round 1. In fact…I think it’s REALLLLLLY unlikely.
WR, RB, TE or Melifonwu
March 11th, 2017 at 3:58 pm
Bucs are in a great spot at draft pick 19. They can really take the best player available. I hope they take someone off the board who loves football. OJ Howard, Dalvin Cook, Cory Davis, Christian McAfferey, or even Jabrill Peppers. If there is a great DE on a rookie deal, I’d be game for that, or even a corner.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:59 pm
I think this is a good signing. Hopefully he lives up to expectations.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:05 pm
if oj howard is on the board come draft day…you draft oj howard at 19!!!!..forget saftey and running back,this class is full of them..oj is not only a great pass blocker but this dude is a monster!!!…he is in the same class as rob gronkowski and we all know what gronk can do…i would love to have dalvin but there are better otions at later rounds.our offense would be unstopple with oj
March 11th, 2017 at 4:08 pm
I think the draft has a great shot at falling in line with our needs.
Safety in 1st
WR in 2nd
RB in 3rd.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:26 pm
#OJALLTHEWAY
March 11th, 2017 at 4:33 pm
Gawd I hope Howard McCaffery and Dalvin are all on the board when we pick. I pray that happen so you people can actually see what time it is☺.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Kalind just gave you the run down as to why no go on DE. HowArd a better prospect to My eye then McCaffery but I doubt after signing Jackpot Koetter is going to go a dominant two TE scheme for a rookie TE. That’s laughable yo.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Set at safety? I really hope that comment was meant to be set at safety in terms of free agency and not the draft. We need a high draft pick at safety if for no other reason what we have are all up there in age
March 11th, 2017 at 4:38 pm
We about to ME on one side and Djax on the other. Also willing to wager we’ll draft at least one more WR at done point in the draft. Why exactly would I waste a 1st on any TE??? Why??? Save that matchup problem nonesince Brste already about to cause that in the middle of the field why its about too be wife open homie.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:39 pm
A f@$!in TE in the first.. Man please.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:41 pm
If you draft Howard in the first you do all you can to implement a system that will accentuate his ability. We just gave Jackpot 10 mill a year. How pssses do you think going to a TE next season. Y’all people cray cray.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:44 pm
If we had two starting lil flunky WRs I could see Howard then because the two TE set argument then could be made. But we about to have two pro bowlers on the outside. And y’all wanna waste a 1st on a TE. Really???
March 11th, 2017 at 4:48 pm
Who were the WRs in New England when it was Gronk and Hernandez??? I neither had no more than 40 receptions. That’s the only reason y’all on that two TE notion. When Dirk had Tony Gonzalez he didn’t feature no two TEs. Why be was too busy telling Ryan to throw it to Tony. And that @$$ even with a Julio.
March 11th, 2017 at 4:52 pm
Josh Robinson resigned!! Go Bucs!!
March 11th, 2017 at 4:56 pm
Everyone keep talking about Obi Monkanobi, but he is just a physical freak. His tape is HORRIBLE. Lots of better safeties this year with better tape and great measurables. Marcus Williams looks like a stud, Budda Baker looks like a pro bowler, and maybe just MAYBE Hooker or Adams slips to the mid teen and we could trade up (not likely).
March 11th, 2017 at 4:57 pm
Yo
March 11th, 2017 at 4:57 pm
DEPTH, DEPTH, DEPTH SIMPLE AS THAT. Another smart move by JL. Doin work budddddy!!!!! Keep up the good work GM🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑
March 11th, 2017 at 4:58 pm
Fr Brazil now that’s sweet neeeewwwwss..
March 11th, 2017 at 4:58 pm
Also the JR signing, Tampa is where it’s at
March 11th, 2017 at 5:02 pm
Slow down there Nos… Who was NE’s Wide Receivers this year when they tryed to build the same offense? And at the same time added needed depth in case their top guy went down.
Do you not remember what our Offense devolved into when Cam went down? Do you really want to have to see that again?
And matchup problem nonsense?!?!?!??! The best head coach/ gm in the game today constructs his entire team from top to bottom around that very concept. And its nonsense? If nonsense leads to 5 rings, Sign me the F up right now for some nonsense.
O.J. Howard is on another stratosphere of athlete. 6’6 251 running 4.51 with a 30 inch vert and 10’1 broad jump. Out weighing you’re boy Dalvin by 41 pounds they are neck and neck in a foot race. And he has 2 big bear claws for hands that catch damn near everything. Throw that in with Yac potential, and ridiculous strength and technique as a blocker, and O.J could be a generational talent at Tight end.
We could draft a Running back in the 3rd round this year that turns out being a better pro than Dalvin Cook.
You better hope and pray that O.J. isn’t on the board when we pick. Because based on direct words depicting how much Jason Licht values the TE position. And how rare it is to find guys that can be a passing threat and blocker…
There ain’t no way he’s passing on this guy.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
I’m not too high on drafting OJ in the first, but we could play so many games with the defense. I can see us going 2TE to get the Defense out of the nickel or dime, then spread the TEs out wide and get them on linebackers. When the other team goes Nickel or 2 high to counter, we can pull the TE back in, go no huddle and pound the rock. Back and forth. I’d like the playmaking ability of Cook too. His cutback ability and the play action threat he would cause could open everything up too! I wish we could get both. Let’s just take Cook, then trade back up for OJ! Argument solved! Lol!
March 11th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Set at safety… No we are not.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:17 pm
This sucks. Wilcox is a bad signing unless to fill deeper depth. He’s not even half as good as McDougald…and nowhere near worth starting.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:19 pm
How many of his LESS THAN 50 tackles were ‘bone crunching’?
March 11th, 2017 at 5:44 pm
Blake just because his physical measurements look good don’t mean he about to be some next gen TE. His college career would not suggest as much. Winslow and the other guy that went to the giants out the U were suppose to be great but didn’t great in the nfl. I would suggest you slow down a little bro.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:45 pm
Jereny Shocky yea that was his name. Everyone was raving him as well.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:46 pm
Bonzai and 86 with out looking it up name the safeties from the giant team that beat the then undefeated pats in the superbowl..
March 11th, 2017 at 5:47 pm
Now we need someone who can play free safety and cover someone. The draft is the place for that. A combo of Wilcox at SS and Tandy at FS wouldn’t be that bad. Wilcox was benched behind Barry Church a8nd Byron Jones. 2 really good safeties. I like this signing. He is perfect for up in the box. Not so sure about dropping back in coverage
March 11th, 2017 at 5:52 pm
Jeremy Shockey was a really good player for a number of years.
And O.J. Showed up huge in every meaningful game he ever played in.
Not his fault that Lane Kiffin didnt use him to his full potential.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Its like y’all expect all pros at every position on the football field. 👋 hello it don’t work like that.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:54 pm
And O.J. reminds more a lot more of Greg Olson or Jason Witten than he does Jeremy Shockey.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:56 pm
But kiffin saw him everyday in practice right. If he was sooooo great would it not have been to his better judgment to utilize him more???
March 11th, 2017 at 5:57 pm
We shouldn’t expect Pro’s at every position??!?!??!!?! What?! Hello Mcfly? Anybody Home?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kS_qLzPWVg
March 11th, 2017 at 5:57 pm
Those two are very good NFL TEs not next gen TEs but very good TEs.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:58 pm
Nope, He wanted to run a ground and pound offense. First with Derrick Henry, and then with Jalen Hurts and Bo Scarborough.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:59 pm
Jason Witten is sure fire hall of famer. Greg Olson could very well be on his way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh9PYtmVybU
March 11th, 2017 at 6:04 pm
I was meaning allpros as in allpros bro. And that may very well be the final chapter for both of them neither will go down as next gen TEs.
March 11th, 2017 at 6:09 pm
Blake you kinda lost some cred when you called Dalvin skinny but would make McCaffery your starting RB. If Dalvin skinny then how exactly do you define that guy???
March 11th, 2017 at 6:11 pm
I’ve said before that I feel that McCaffrey’s frame could support another 10-15 pounds of muscle and not lose any speed or elusiveness.
Where Dalvin being 5’10 is as big as he will ever be. And has a smaller more narrow skeletal frame than Christian.
March 11th, 2017 at 6:38 pm
Yall dont forget about VJax. He aint done. Dude is still a stud and produces when healthy.
Not gonna find a better #3 or #4 at WR
March 11th, 2017 at 7:06 pm
Bonzai is still comparing Wilcox’s 4 start stats to McD’s 16 start stats and thinks it’s a zero sum game. Sad!
March 11th, 2017 at 7:28 pm
Stanglassman, look again. He played in 13 games. He wasn’t good enough to start more than 4 games. The last time he was good enough to start a whole season was 3 years ago.
But that’s alright. You believe what you want. Later, when you learn the truth after seeing him get penalties and miss tackles because he’s focused on hitting hard instead of actually tackling, I’ll be right here. Still right.
March 11th, 2017 at 7:29 pm
Do not forget a NT(interested in the kid from Florida) is in play at 19 too because Smith wants to use 3-4 more.
March 11th, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Nole on Sat.-Bucc on Sun. Says
“Its like y’all expect all pros at every position on the football field. 👋 hello it don’t work like that.”
I don’t expect all pros everywhere, I expect solid player everywhere. And I certainly do not expect Jason Licht to let a player go who has gotten better EVERY YEAR and then replace him with a dud.
March 11th, 2017 at 7:33 pm
RB at 19 only if Cook falls that far or 2 top prospect TE and 2 top prospect DT/NT is gone.All those gone then McCaffrey and Ross in play.
March 11th, 2017 at 8:04 pm
Idk how you can call Wilcox a dud. Because he was a backup? McDougald would have been a backup on the Cowboys last year as well yet he isnt a dud lol
March 11th, 2017 at 8:10 pm
Not sure the signing means a whole lot – the guy lost his starting gig a couple of seasons ago on a defense that wasn’t very good. Hoping for the best but keeping my expectations in check – I don’t think any of the moves the Bucs have made so far has done anything to address the fact they still need two starting safeties and neither this guy or resigning Conte changes the fact that Tandy is still the best safety we have. I really thought the Bucs would go out and spend some cash to sure up at least one safety spot.
March 11th, 2017 at 8:18 pm
We need to draft Eddie jackson
March 11th, 2017 at 8:22 pm
The title of this article reminds me of an ex girlfriends and some of the trolls on this site…
Good thing we are talking about football or I would have more to say about these bone crunchers…
IIn
March 11th, 2017 at 8:23 pm
Statistically Wilcox would be our 4th ranked safety. Based on tackles, passes def and Int he had the lowest number of all. Including Conte Tandy and mcdougle.
March 11th, 2017 at 8:29 pm
The Bucs should go out and sign Revis and move him to safety. If Revis was willing to do a one year prove it deal I think he’d be highly motivated to show last year as a fluke. Not sure he wants to play but let’s say he did, I’m not sure how his contract works, if the Jets are off the hook completely if he signs are has to pay the difference, but if it’s pay the difference just think how he could stick it to the Jets by playing for the min for a year. Revis is Revis so there is no way he’d do that – and I’m not sure the Bucs would pay $6-mil+ for a safety experiment, but who knows. Revis didn’t seem to hate his time in Tampa, at least not from what I read, and from what else I read Revis was totally justified to knockout the two a holes that were harassing him on the street shoving a camera in his face and not leaving him alone. Also, worse case, Revis would be another corner on the depth chart and Verner collected $6-mil to be inactive. To me it’s totally worth the gamble if Revis has any interest.
March 11th, 2017 at 8:34 pm
NOS I gotta give it you man, you’ve been riding the Dalvin train hard, non-stop. And I respect that.
However, if OJ Howard is there, I think you gotta take him. He is a complete tight end with legit speed who can punish guys in the blocking game.
We dont’ have a tight end on the roster that can block and catch. I love me some Brate, but the guy is not a good blocker. Maybe he’ll get better but damn could you imagine ME, DJax, OJ Howard and Brate all on the field at the same time? Plus a RB??? Cook looks legit but this draft is crazy deep at RB and WR.
March 11th, 2017 at 8:47 pm
Sidney Jones cb Washington (top 2 cb in this draft) torn his Achilles’ tendon today at his pro day. Very sad
March 11th, 2017 at 8:49 pm
yeah Mike the Goat you absolutely hate to see that. Kid is a fine young player as well. Very unfortunate. I wish him the best.
March 11th, 2017 at 9:22 pm
“but damn could you imagine ME, DJax, OJ Howard and Brate all on the field at the same time? Plus a RB???”
I’ve been bantering about for days up until they got DeSean.
Howard, Brate, Jackson, Evans, and a little Cook/McCaffrey…
That makes me want to drool at the thought of it all.
March 11th, 2017 at 9:27 pm
87
We still need people to block man or it’s all for not.
March 11th, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Phew that’s a load to deal with. With or without any major upgrades to the o-line, but PLLLEASE address RT somewhere, anywhere. PLLLLEASE.
Did I mention they also need a RT?
Everyone keeps talking safety this and safety that.
Whatever. STOP getting our QB killed should be the next plan of attack after another weapon for my boy Winston. Be it Howard and a 2 TE new look.
You sprinkle in some Humpty Hump. O…M….G. We about to EF some shyte up in here. How can anyone not already BE excited? Schmaaay they got their defensive guy in FA. Smitty might get a couple scraps more, but not much more. It’s time to go heavy O.
Let the arsenal commence!
March 11th, 2017 at 9:31 pm
DB…I was getting to that…lol as you can see…
I’m not blind. lol
March 11th, 2017 at 9:39 pm
I’m as you can see VERY amped up for what’s about to take place at RJS.
This offseason is dayum crucial though. Gotta get the draft right Licht.
March 11th, 2017 at 10:04 pm
Go Bucs!
March 11th, 2017 at 10:28 pm
Yes yes we do.
March 11th, 2017 at 10:31 pm
Howard is the guy and it’s not about the 30 to 50 receptions it’s about what he will do for the 2 nd round rb,Evans, Jackson,Brate,O Line and Your QB !! Hell sign Lacy or Charles for 4 mil a year and keep Martin. I would trade up to get what he would give to the Bucs Offense before he even catches his first TD. Howard is the pick but wouldn’t be surprised if he goes top ten !!!
March 11th, 2017 at 10:57 pm
SoCal, can you point me in the direction of Smiths statement that he wants to run more 3-4. I’ve never seen this and I’d like to know if it’s more than just your opinion.
March 11th, 2017 at 11:03 pm
I think Licht is going to draft Ross, and I think that is a mistake. I don’t trust his injury history, and he can’t even run a 40 without pulling up lame while trying to slow down after it was over. The only 2 players that are mocked in the 1st that I would be unhappy with are Ross and Peppers. Give me anyone else that is currently mockeyin the 1st, please. If they do take one of those two, I really hope I’m wrong. I just want the best Pro, regardless of who it is.
March 11th, 2017 at 11:25 pm
Bonzai-
Signing Wilcox doesn’t hurt the Bucs chances of resigning McD if anything it helps. That’s what I meant by it not a zero sum game. If you are advocating for less depth on this team and think that is right go ahead everyone has that right.
March 12th, 2017 at 12:38 am
I think there’s not a chance licht is drafting a tight end in round one it’s not happening
March 12th, 2017 at 3:22 am
Will be drafting pass rush and center 1st and 2nd round picks.. you heard it here first….
March 12th, 2017 at 6:48 am
Set? 3 backup safeties is set?
March 12th, 2017 at 7:40 am
@KStoges
“We love the way Cam has come on. The way the tight end position is, it’s really two positions; you have the “Y” and the “F”, and the Y’s are hard to find. They are very few and far between, so that’s something that every team is always looking for; a guy that can block and a threat in the passing game.
So you can have two very good tight ends. So, if you draft a tight end high or sign a tight end that has someone like Gronkowski already, that doesn’t mean that they’re unhappy with their starter. You need multiple tight ends; you can do a lot of good things with two tight ends.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that dude.
March 12th, 2017 at 8:13 am
As far as the Howard/Dalvin argument if hypothetically both were available…the league pays RB’s far more than TE’s…are the NFL brains wasting money paying a less valuable position more than the valuable position.
Assuming that Dalvin and OJ are the real deal and best at their positions you HAVE to go with the RB. Oh and btw in terms of our need…we have a TE who is young and upcoming and could come to camp 15 lbs heavier with tons of work on his blocking this offseason…at RB…we have Jaquizz…who I like but he’s not to his position what Brate has been to his.
@Chris
Agree safeties now have to be careful hitting “defenseless” receivers and the head shots. The head shots I understand getting outlawed. There’s no need for them and they didn’t used to be part of the game.
Have any of you ever had the wind totally knocked out of you. You think you’re going to die as you can’t get any breath back into your lungs. It’s a horrible feeling. The difference between a head shot and a blast to the midsection is one puts you out for a LONG time and may destroy you later life…the other puts you out for a few series and leaves you without any lifelong impairment.
Tommy Nobis was a crushing LB tackling machine whose technique involved sticking his helmet right between the numbers. At the old Riverfront stadium when Bill Bergey was still a Bengal I watched him do that perfectly to Terry Bradshaw of the hated Steelers….Bradshaw struggled to get to the sidelines where he began puking. The crowd erupted in loud cheers. Was that an effective hit? Was Bradshaw able to come back? Yep after missing a couple of series but he wasn’t the same guy for the rest of that game.
Hitting a WR over the middle in his midsection suits me perfectly. Go for his head any maybe wreck the rest of his life….go low and maybe end his career ala Cadillac Williams…hit him in the breadbasket and you can still send a message without serious damage.
March 12th, 2017 at 9:18 am
The Nfl Pays 9-10 mil a year for top level TE’s Stpete.
And the point I would make is that their aren’t many O.J. Howards and David Njoku’s available in this draft (I condsider Evan Engram a WR at this point). Yes their are talented guys, but there is a marked drop off in talent after those guys.
Where as the RB position is loaded with 8-9 guys available to draft this year that can be day 1 starters. Think about it dude, D’onta Foreman could fall to the 3rd or 4th round because of the fracture in his foot. And that dude is coming off of a 2k yards on the ground season.
Or guys like Sameje Perine, and Kareem hunt that should last until the 3rd or 4th round because they don’t have top level speed. Even though they are extremely talented runners that were prolific producer’s at their respective schools.
I also had an epiphany today, we absolutely must add more speed to our secondary unit if we want to have any shot at containing the Falcons receiving corps. We may very well draft another corner or safety in round 1. Considering that a lot of the top guys in the DB group this year are freaks with amazing skill/ tape. Keep an open mind Stpete. For we all know, Koetter is satisfied with his current group of Running backs. But even if he isn’t Their are some really, really solid late rounders in this draft.
March 12th, 2017 at 9:52 am
Dallas fans dubbed him JJ Whiffcox, we’ve had hard hitters around these parts with poor coverage skills who often whiff on tackles.
We’ll see how this turns out.
March 12th, 2017 at 9:59 am
Blake – Knows
March 12th, 2017 at 10:44 am
We still need help at KR/PR so why not Codarelle Patterson? Forgive me for not being excited about Wilcox who is probably a solid player but not swift of foot. It was my understanding that from Licth’s viewpoint, this offseason was supposed to be about speed and explosiveness, so why not nabGinn while he was available? Why no interest in Patterson? And in my opinion if Cook is there at 19 that’s a no-brainer. You’re talking rookie of the year plus top 5 offense. Cook purposely sandbagged at the Combine because he wants to reunite with Famous and not leave the state
March 12th, 2017 at 6:00 pm
Wilcox got that rep for hittin hard. We need that!! He luvs contact and letting people know he will not back down. Tough guy. And our Bucs need tough guys. Welcome aboard Mr. Wilcox. Now go out there and tear somebody’s head off. Create that Buc Defensive Fear Baby..like we use to have long ago!
March 12th, 2017 at 6:24 pm
We carry 4 safeties Tandy,Wilcox and Conte makes 3 not including the kid on the practice squad I like Budda Baker or Obi Mesifunwo from UConn!I tried my best with the spelling!
March 12th, 2017 at 6:26 pm
Melifonwu!
March 12th, 2017 at 7:50 pm
@Rod,
You, and a few others, state Wilcox lost his starting job. True, but not entirely accurate. “Because He wasn’t good enough” is
what you’ve claimed.
What you’ve failed to consider is the change in Dallas’ s DB scheme. The stats don’t mention that fact, so you assumed that all things were equal when they are not.
A more accurate way to view the situation is compare it a corporate downsizing. The Cowboys downsized the safety position. Consequently,Wilcox’ s role was downsized along with the other safeties. Wilcox played about half the snaps. The 50% He played is when they were in the same defensive scheme He started in.
March 12th, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Cook in the first round, then move back into the first round and take Howard. We don’t need to draft a RT. Pamphile can make a good one. He was a basketball player just like Dotson and was good at pass protection at LG. We
need a good Center that can stop bull rushers by moving our RG there and replacing him with Sweezy who played RG for the Seahawks. Our backup Smith can play a decent LG. Or get a top Center in free agency or draft one. get a Safety, WR, DE, with the rest of the draft and bpa the rest of the way.
March 12th, 2017 at 11:28 pm
McDougald is better in coverage he had one of the lowest burnt percentage really hope we sign him back
March 13th, 2017 at 12:54 am
Pewter Report latest mock draft has them taking the #2 TE(Njoku) over Cook and McCaffrey.
Just look at what a good catching TE does for a team.(Gonzales,Graham and others in the past at NE/SD)