Lay Off Roberto!
June 4th, 2017
Take it easy!
Quit calling Roberto Aguayo’s house and offering to help him move out-of-state for free!
That’s the word from data-driven, limousine-ridin’, jet-flyin’, kiss-stealin’, data-analyzin’, Bucs-film-studyin’ Thomas Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times.
Yesterday, Joe’s awesome columnist Gil Arcia pointed out the Bucs should not be so quick to kick their kicker to the curb. Now add Bassinger to list of folks urging patience with Aguayo.
Bassinger, who raked Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht over the coals for reaching to draft Aguayo with a second round pick, recently typed that even though the selection of Aguayo was a mistake in Round 2, Bassinger believes running Aguayo out of town this soon could compound the original error in the first place.
Bassinger cites a study conducted 11 years ago by Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders, a thinktank Joe respects, that suggests field goal percentages can vary wildly from season to season.
So Bassinger is of the mind that, while, yes, Aguayo was horrible last year, that the kid should be given a fair shot for 2017.
In 2003, Vinatieri made just nine of 17 field-goal attempts of 30-plus yards. In 2007, he attempted three kicks of 40-plus yards. He missed them all. His longest field goal that season was 39 yards.
Vinatieri isn’t the only example. Stephen Gostkowski, the kicker the Patriots drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 draft to replace Vinatieri, didn’t hit 90 percent of his field goals in consecutive seasons until 2013, 2014 and 2015. Last season, he was merely average.
While Joe doesn’t dismiss Bassinger’s dogged research, Aguayo has yet to give folks any solace that he can turn things around.
Aguayo stunk in training camp and preseason last year, and it carried over into the season. Knowing he has to turn things around, Aguayo began this offseason by — you guessed it — missing three out of four at the skinny posts.
If a guy starts off a competition that badly, going against no defense, that’s not a good sign. Apparently, the Bucs are concerned about Aguayo’s head as well for they hid him from the prying eyes of the local pen and mic club for the second time in a year. Last training camp, after Aguayo had such an awful practice boos cascaded down from the bleachers, the Bucs had him go kick at the stadium where no one was watching.
June 4th, 2017 at 12:56 am
He has a fair shot to win the starting position this year. He has to simply play better than Folk… Haha good luck with that. Buh bye
June 4th, 2017 at 1:01 am
Still could have had used that second round pick to draft a very good player at WR, DE, S, OL, etc….. No reason to draft any kicker in the 1st three rounds. That being said, lacking talent at those positions put our team in position to draft OJ Howard and most of Licht’s other draft choices have been excellent.
June 4th, 2017 at 3:08 am
Hating that pick now,damn it man!!!
June 4th, 2017 at 5:59 am
If they decide to keep Aguayo we may well carry 2 kickers into week 1.
June 4th, 2017 at 6:19 am
“Knowing he has to turn things around, Aguayo began this offseason by — you guessed it — missing three out of four at the skinny posts.
If a guy starts off a competition that badly, going against no defense, that’s not a good sign.” – J0E
Neglecting to mention that the posts were very close together (3 feet apart?) that first OTA day…and how, on the next day when they were reset at normal distance apart, he made all but one field goal. The thinner posts may have been a surprise for him to throw him off.
That’s an important distinction.
June 4th, 2017 at 7:08 am
There is no need to continually point out the dubious decision to draft Roberto with what essentially was our original 3rd round choice. OK, we all get it. As Ronde would say, “It is what it is.” No need to keep berating it and seemingly hoping Roberto is a complete bust to have an “I told you so” moment.
I’ve been watching this team since the inception and history shows there have been many head-scratching (or to be more modern “SMH”) wasted 2nd round picks. The first was trading our 1976 2nd rounder to the 49er’s for some QB named Steve Spurrier who lasted one partial season. We followed that up with the selection of OG Bret Moritz who wasn’t even a starter in college. Of course there was DE Booker Reese in 1982. How about a LB named Jackie Walker who we tried to make a TE. Not enough? RB Lars Tate, WR Danny Peebles and more recently WR Dexter Jackson and TE ASJ.
So you see, there was no guarantee that the player drafted instead of Roberto would fare much better.
After digging into the bowels of my memory banks, that pick for Roberto isn’t even the Bucs worst 2nd rounder. At least not yet.
June 4th, 2017 at 7:44 am
Ah yes, Bassinger. The stats guy. The guy that had the Bucs winning only 6 games last year. That TBT feller who is the bottom of the list on the third-rate staff of a dying newspaper. That guy.
Here is a stat I’d like him to look up.
How many tickets to Bucs games have TBT sportwriters purchased in the last three years? How many season ticket plans? Ooooh.
Enough said.
June 4th, 2017 at 7:46 am
Aguayo can’t help that he was picked so high…..he didn’t make the pick. But, he is carrying the pressure of that decision.
Unfortunately, he will likely never live up to that pick no matter how good he kicks.
Maybe he’ll do better than ASJ, Bowers, Price…..our how about our first round pick for Revis?
June 4th, 2017 at 7:56 am
this is not that hard of a situation.. Aguayo kicks well.. he stays. if not Folk is our kicker.
June 4th, 2017 at 8:08 am
I think there are some incorrect impressions of what a sportswriters job is. Newspapers were conceived to cover duh….the news. Up until cable and the internet most newspapers looked at sports as “news” and expected them to be covered with journalistic integrity free of bias and homerism.
Of course we all know that newspapers across the country looked the other way as many famous local celebrity sportswriters were nothing more than cheerleaders for the home team. On a personal note I never minded this because I’ve always considered sports entertainment not news except for the rare time sports intrudes into news….stadia and tax issues….violent players off field.
Blogs and the internet have largely done away with any disguise of “journalistic integrity”….although I give Joe props for freeely pointing out whenever he or a poster violates norms.
Bottom line is that Bassenger(whom I respect ) and Tom Jones (not as respectful but I do not loathe him or attach nefarious motives to his reporting as many here do…just disagreee with him a lot) are simply DOING THEIR JOBS.
I get disagr\eing with their takes…getting so worked up and personal eludes my understanding although I guess it does fit in with today’s society.
June 4th, 2017 at 8:52 am
Joe, with regards to Aguayo and Martin you have lost it. Everyone knows your thoughts on them but do you have to post multiple times each week about it? I love your blog but the constant bashing of these two is over the top.
There is no constant bashing of either. Not even close. –Joe
June 4th, 2017 at 8:53 am
StPeteBucs….good points. You are right. Nonetheless, on the other hand, slip-and-fall lawyers, and commanders of opposing militaries are just doing their’s too but folks are ruthless against them!
Nothing personal against Bassinger…but he writes numerous pages of stats and screen shots and really says nothing. Not to mention he’s no more accurate than the rest of us it seems. Yeah, TBT is just paying him to do it…oooh….did I mention slip-and-fall lawyers?
June 4th, 2017 at 8:57 am
Scbucsfan…I see your point…get tired of the Doug Martin stories sometimes…HOWEVER, Joe is our go-to for Bucs stuff right now, and the many other things he writes that NO ONE covers that are relevent means in my mind to give him a pass on the repetitive stuff. However, doesn’t mean you can’t tell him what you did too. I can’t wait for about another five weeks, when there is so much to cover our heads will spin. I’ll say this: Martin and Aguayo along with how Jameis and DeSean work together and how Mike Evans takes it…are going to be the biggest story lines of Hard Knocks.
June 4th, 2017 at 9:15 am
Fred E Buc
Since I’m not an injury attorney I’m free to let that one go. LMAO
I can’t argue with you over “ambulance chasers”.
I guess I come down on the side of we’ve become too black and white and lump too much together.
There are bad attorneys and good attorneys…bad sportswriters and good sportswriters. Bad politicians and leaders and good ones….bad corporations and good ones…
As for Bassenger we can agree to disagree. I think he does a great job of blowing up the reliance on stats…probably why Joe likes him….I like him because he always illustrates his opinions with statistical facts.
June 4th, 2017 at 9:23 am
Unless they can somehow cut him and sign him to the practice squad, I don’t know he will stay on the team. I don’t see them cutting folk the guy is a consistent kicker. Can’t have your kicker losing you games
June 4th, 2017 at 12:34 pm
I think my favorite Licht trait is his how he quickly recognizes mistakes and moves to correct them without fear. Anthony Collins, Michael Johnson, Aguayo…
Licht has drafted and signed some fantastic players but you can’t be afraid to admit your mistakes and move on. If only Dom did that.
June 4th, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Lay off a 2nd round draft pick? Nope..can’t do it. Not to worry though, his layoff will be here..real soon
June 4th, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Joe,
What ever happened to that Coffee slurping, pie eating, spaghetti stuffing, beer chugging, oatmeal loving, person you used to speak of?
Joe quotes him less often. 1) He writes less about the Bucs. 2) For Joe, he’s lost some credibility. –Joe
June 4th, 2017 at 1:06 pm
For all the guys that bitch and moan about not using that third rounder for a position player, the guy that was actually taken in the spot by our trading partner, never made the team, was picked up off waivers and had 3 tackles last year on special teams. Stop acting like we would have drafted a superstar for sure in the third round.
June 4th, 2017 at 2:19 pm
The only way folks will “lay off” Aguayo is if he mans-up and starts confidently drilling every kick down the freakin’ middle, no questions asked.
If (or, IMO, “when”) he fails to do that he will find himself “laid off.”
June 4th, 2017 at 2:57 pm
It’s going to be real interesting to see if Licht or Koetter show up for Robertos wedding in Tallahassee on July 8th right before camp starts. I know for a fact they both were invited as were many current players.
June 4th, 2017 at 3:19 pm
This article is funny because apparently Joe doesn’t realize it’s specifically about you….. You know the first guy to say he was a goner before Nick folk plane landed in Tampa. May the best man win but I’ll always root for the young guy to beat out an older player even though kicker is different, experience usually wins out. Kicker is a lot different. A guy like Folk, a picture of fitness, might easily have six or seven seasons remaining.–Joe
June 4th, 2017 at 4:01 pm
Should I point out that GM Joe rubber stamped the Aguayo pick as a smart move when it happened or point out that GM Joe then guaranteed that Aguayo would be the Bucs kicker at minimum through his second year. GM Joe, do you think the Browns are hiring?
First, when Aguayo was drafted, Joe wrote that Joe understood the gamble and was ok with it. The draft is a gamble, and Licht took a big one. (The bigger gamble appears to be giving Aguayo a 2nd year). As for Part II, yes, Joe wrote last year that it was a near certainty that Aguayo was here for two years. Things change. Sports are fluid. Always have been. That written, there was much debate on radio and in podcasts by the “Joes” last year that Aguayo would be launched quickly. Joe’s also written (for years) that Jason Licht is a guy who will not be patient with bad draft picks. Good to see your smartassness has been consistent through your many years of reading. –Joe
June 4th, 2017 at 4:41 pm
Regardless of draft status , second chances etc……he has not gotten the job done so far ! Practice has not been encouraging enough after the pile of crap he delivered last year ! This team can not afford a loss or two due to his inconsistency! Bottom line ! His head problems will cost us a shot at the playoffs! And do you really want to possibly ride into the p/o with this guy as your kicker …. and watch him melt down again . ” what have you done for me lately @ ?
June 4th, 2017 at 4:41 pm
“do you think the Browns are hiring?”
That’s hilarious!!