Bye-O!
August 12th, 2017
Cut.
UPDATED: 12:50 p.m. – Roberto Aguayo is no longer a Bucs kicker.
After an awful rookie season and an inconsistent training camp, incumbent Aguayo was given a chance to get back on track and secure his position. Instead, in the first 2017 preseason game last night, Aguayo botched both an extra-point conversion and a field goal.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht had seen enough. Aguayo was released today.
Interestingly, earlier this week, while appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Licht did not mince words when he stated he hoped the Bucs kicker for 2017 was already on the roster. Currently, the Bucs have but one kicker, and his name is Nick Folk, a 10-year NFL veteran who drilled 87 percent of his field goals with the Jets last season.
The thing Joe likes about Licht, and Joe guesses many Bucs fans appreciate, is he is unafraid to move on from mistakes. This was a bad one as Aguayo was a second-round pick.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:32 pm
Welcome Nick Folk.
Let’s move on.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Smell yeah later
August 12th, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Thanks Coach K and Mr. Licht!
Good luck to him though.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:33 pm
One year to late
August 12th, 2017 at 12:34 pm
What a joke. Bye. May you never take an NFL kick again you POS
August 12th, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Mr. Folk….do you!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Should have been cut after the third preseason game LAST year! What a colossal waste. We are in the playoffs last year with a halfway decent kicker. Fire Lovie!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:35 pm
he gave licht no choice. Glennon, Murphy, Bell and Aguayo Insurance you can trust
August 12th, 2017 at 12:36 pm
I can see another leg coming into camp. Not sure Folk is the answer either.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
adios…Aguayo. Rumor is he banged into the door frame on the way out of One Buccaneer Place. Apparently his feet are making everything go wide right, even his body.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Mercifully, it ends 🙏🏼
August 12th, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Never liked the pick, but you gotta like the GM not wasting time and cutting bait.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:39 pm
Can’t believe they cut the next Janikowski!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:39 pm
^ ed, thats funny!!!!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Are there any kickers to bring in to compete with folk? Maybe an Undrafted college guy?
August 12th, 2017 at 12:40 pm
I like this “Makr the Bucs Great Again” attitude. Either you’re going to perform or you’re not going to perform somewhere else.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Steven- how is letting him continue to kick for this team past the third preseason game last year not wasting any time? 50 weeks late. Check my math!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:41 pm
He was given enough chances. A costly mistake would be a nice way of describing his time in Tampa.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
They should sign another kicker immediately to challenge Folk
August 12th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
Still needs to be some type of competition.
I believe Brandon Macmanus is still unsigned
August 12th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
Hey cautious stop hogging that doobie and pass it along!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
NOW what are we going to complain about?
August 12th, 2017 at 12:43 pm
Believer- nah, it helps me focus
August 12th, 2017 at 12:44 pm
WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:45 pm
And let’s face it, any kicker who is worth a damn is currently on a roster. The Bucs will likely need to find a team with two decent kickers and sign the loser of that battle. Still not a pretty prospect.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Excellent.
No more drama.
‘Bout time.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:47 pm
now they just need to cut the other waste of time in doug martin and move forward.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:47 pm
what a waste!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Sad. It was a mistake to pick him there. Even if he hadn’t mentally lost it, he never had the leg to be a NFL kicker. Anything over 40-yards was suspect in college. FSU rarely kicked beyond 43 yards or so with him. Good guy, and I wish him well.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Damn…that sucks. I was rooting for him. Maybe a new team will help him.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Wondering where does Licht go to trade in our second round draft picks for toilet paper? High grade expensive stuff he is wiping his bum with.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Both kickers for the Bears looked good. They will probably keep their 5th round pick and release Bullock who hit a 50+ yd and another long one
August 12th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
agreed
after last night’s game……the GM was forced to cut him because he was becoming a liability on the field and also in the locker room.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Dammit! I just ordered my Berto jersey yesterday.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Hard giving Licht props for this. But at least he is willing to move on from a clear mistake. Sends a good message of accountability to the rest of the squad.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
I’m a bowler, and once you know how to bowl, the mental game is more important than the physical game. Aguayo just didn’t have it. I wish him well, but Licht/Koetter has to do what they think is best. I want to see the next Hard Kocks have Licht talk about how he screwed up and learned from it. I love Licht, but I want to hear him own it like a man.
August 12th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
oh
Roberto Flamingo was latch onto another team…..you can bank on that….and if he because amazing like he was in college…..well that’s just how it is.
I’m thinking a change in atmosphere and scenery is all he needs to get back on track, maybe?????
August 12th, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Thank you baby Jesus
August 12th, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Team proved it wants to win NOW. Go Bucs
August 12th, 2017 at 12:55 pm
I respect Jason but even in College Roberto wasnt automatic so even though I am a die hard Nole I never liked the pick. It will take years to make up for that 2nd Round bust. Replaces Booker Reese as the worst pick / bust in history!
August 12th, 2017 at 12:57 pm
Chris, it was a 2 man battle and Aguayo lost very quickly. The winner is Folk. No need to add a kicker now. We’re rolling with Folk, and that’s the right choice. He’s a proven NFL kicker. He’s our man.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:00 pm
Wow about time and we didn’t waste any draft picks on Folk who was a really good player for the Jets!
August 12th, 2017 at 1:01 pm
The Cincy rookie kicker kill it last night also didn’t help Roberto’s cause. I’m sure Licht was watching him and then watching Roberto and going WTF?
August 12th, 2017 at 1:01 pm
Eric, maybe you’re right. But Licht didn’t necessarily endorse either of these guys in that radio interview. I suspect he might still want to add a leg.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
There was NO WAY Koetter was going to continue this BS competition drama. The second he missed the extra point he was cut. He could have made a 60 yarder and it would not have mattered. U can’t have a kicker that can’t make extra points.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
“The thing Joe likes about Licht, and Joe guesses many Bucs fans appreciate, is he is unafraid to move on from mistakes. This was a bad one as Aguayo was a second-round pick.”
50 weeks late. Hardly a bold move displaying any wisdom when you let this guy continue to suit up for your football team for that long. If he was unafraid to move on from his mistakes then Aguayo is enrolled in grad school for 2016 fall classes and the Bucs are playing their first post-season game in about a decade.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:03 pm
This had to be done—for him and for the team. He needs to go somewhere and get his head right and try again. So many kickers aren’t successful on their first 1-2 spots before catching on with a team (Hopkins and Gano to name 2 Noles). As for the Bucs fans who are cursing this kid like he shot their dog—get a grip. There was always too much pressure on this guy and he failed, but anyone that’s met him will tell you he’s an awesome dude. Learn to separate the player from their play.
Now, let’s pick up another kicker to compete with Folk, and get some consistency.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Cautious, obviously I meant this preseason. No way he was going to cut him last preseason obviously. As I said I never liked the pick.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Jimmy T, Aguayo doesn’t even come close to Booker Reese. Reese was a pick of ineptitude and desperation preceded by bad scouting and drafting protocol. Also, we didn’t trade a future 1st round pick to get him. RA doesn’t come close.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:07 pm
Steven- he obviously should have been cut last preseason. He was just as god awful then as he was during the regular season and he is now. The fact that we only just cut him minutes ago is nearly a tragedy.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:07 pm
Good move to cut him now. Can’t believe a true fan would call him a POS though…he committed no crime and you don’t even know him. Pathetic moronic move.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:09 pm
Cautious, I hear you, and I don’t necessarily disagree but I’m just saying that you and I both know that he wasn’t going to get cut his first preseason after being drafted in the second round. That’s all I meant and it’s the truth.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:09 pm
Cautious, look back at the last 20 seasons. How many 2nd round picks have been cut before the first game of thier rookie year?! No team would have cut Aguayo at any point last season, outside of going 0-fer. This is the right time to do it, and L/K have been waiting for it.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:18 pm
Weird though. Wouldn’t have cost us anything to let him kick thru preseason.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:18 pm
BuccaneEric75- how many GMs in the last 20 years traded up to grab a kicker in the second round that CANNOT KICK? His draft status is the only damn reason he made it past the first week of training camp last year and that draft status is a problem created by the GM. The same problem that prevented him from doing what needed to be done a year ago. Saw a lot of the same blind spots in talent evaluation and decision making during the sad Lovie era. Are there common threads? Hmm…I wonder.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Don’t have to disrespect a guy who just lost his job , karma is a biach.
Sure no one here would like to be Insulted after losing lively hood. Let’s be respectful fans and wish him the best and Bucs can move on now.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:22 pm
Speaking for Pablo
“Pablo is embarrassed…..Pablo’s homeboy failed. It’s no time for Pablo’s Bucs to go all “affirmative action” by continuing the propping up of the Bucs only Hispanic player…..Pablo will be OK. Pablo wishes the gringo Folk well because of all things Pablo is a Buc Fan.”
August 12th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
I like that Litch is learning to move on from certain players.
The Aguayo situation was not a physical injury nor a coaching talent to be better. A kicker….kicks….not a whole lot to improve. Holding on to physically injured players is acceptable to me. Aguayo was just not doing the job
BTW, I still love the fact that Litch rolled the dice on him. Maybe not as high a draft pick but I love that Litch tried.
Litch has balls to make a controversial draft pick, and he has the balls to move on from the choice.
In litch I trust
August 12th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
No make-o for Aguayo – Operaman say – Bye-Bye-O
Had to be done unfortunately. Good Luck Roberto.
We’re on to Jacksonville….
August 12th, 2017 at 1:35 pm
This was a no brainer after last nights performance. I also saw Beckwith miss a few tackles (poor angles). He can fix that with Kwon and LVD mentoring him.
August 12th, 2017 at 1:45 pm
Has Folk been that great during camp? will the Bucs bring in another kicker?
August 12th, 2017 at 1:51 pm
For the Licht bashers, here is a view of the NFLs “gold standard” of franchioses, the Patriots 2nd round picks the past 10 years
2007 – none
2008 – DB Terrance Whiteley
2009 – DB Darius Butler and DL Ron Bruce
2010 – Gronk, LBs Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes
2011 – DB Ras-I Dowling and RB Shane Vereen
2012 – DB Tavon Wilson
2013 – WR Aaron Dobson
2014 – QB Jimmy G
2015 – DB Jordan Richards
2016 – DB Cyrus Jones
Wow, with all those misses, it’s shocking Kraft didn’t clean house!
Yes, that is a stupid comment, almost as stupid as those that think every 2nd round pick is lock. While I didn’t like the pick, I’m not bashing Licht for draft mistakes because we clearly have hit on some UDA and later round picks. Living in the “what-if” world is foolish at best.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:01 pm
@Canon
Great post. Those whining about Licht should be punished with 20 years of Mark Dominik picks.
No GM scores 100%, but Licht’s hits in the draft and free agency far outweigh the misses.
Some people just like to complain.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:05 pm
I watched Aguayo’s form repeatedly last night (thank you Game Pass.) It’s just horrid. He never drove ~through~ the ball with his back in balance, shoulders square. He kicked *up* through the ball, upper body folding in the middle, arms raised high to maintain balance, shoulders rarely square, the bending at the gut actually taking drive off the ball.
He was a mess, and I am very surprised the Bucs didn’t bring in someone who understands the finer points of technique to work with him.
Even Tiger Wood had a swing coach to keep correct form.
Aguayo was aiming, not driving square, something a kicker does when he is afraid of screwing up. Problem is, aiming leads to screwing up. When your technique on zoned, you have no need to aim; you have a mental perspective where the posts are and you just drive the ball to the middle. Time seems to stop, the entire process of snap, hold and kick almost in slow motion. You have no need to look up because you know where the ball is going. Your kicking leg ends up right toward the middle of the posts like a dog pointing at prey.
I’ll go on record as saying that Aguayo is now damaged goods and unlikely to ever wear an NFL uniform in the regular season again. It’s like a pro golfer: once he gets the putting yips his career is pretty much over, no matter how many screwy putters and techniques and rituals he tries.
You wanna see near perfect technique? Go find some archived videos of Jason Hanson of the Lions. Then compare and contrast to Aguayo.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Couldn’t agree more Canon. Over the last 3 drafts, I would put Licht up against any GM in the NFL.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Thank God!!!
I wish him well.
“The thing Joe likes about Licht, and Joe guesses many Bucs fans appreciate, is he is unafraid to move on from mistakes.” – Joe
I appreciate that too Joe. But also having to make bold moves too. Jason Licht like Malcolm Glazer know to do such thing. Malcolm prove to us sometimes that is the best thing to do!!!!!
That Makes Them Stick Carriers!!!!!
Lovie got us Jason and Jameis. For that I say, thank you Lovie!!!
August 12th, 2017 at 2:18 pm
The Aguayo pick is not the worst in Bucs history.
I’ll put him a click better than Bo Jackson & Booker Reese.
August 12th, 2017 at 2:19 pm
Can u say Conner Barth Dude is money . but it is what it is this will be my most positive season since 1979 when the bucs mattered nobody picked them then . but I felt they would have a great season at the time and I was right as we won the nfc central bye a kick .Win the games you are supposed to and take the games your not . Winning I n Kansas City and san Diego Last year was a step you need to be on your way to suggcess
August 12th, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Just a blip in the Hard Knocks story line. Good move.
August 12th, 2017 at 3:37 pm
Good Luck Roberto. Use some of that money you stole from the Bucs and open up a small business. Maybe a sneakers store. You can call it, FAILED KICKS!!!!
August 12th, 2017 at 5:16 pm
These remarks are such a sad commentary on the lack of empathy in abstract in this country. All he wanted to do was be a successful kicker for the Bucs and it didn’t work out. I so hope you all are instantly successful, but if not, I wish you more kindness than you are capable of showing!
August 12th, 2017 at 5:44 pm
@Bucsdobe: Seriously, dude? Harsh criticism of a professional football player’s poor performance shows lack of human kindness and empathy?
:sigh:
(I hope you were being sarcastic, otherwise, society is screwed…)
August 12th, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Let’s not forget he cost two draft picks… a third and a fourth to trade up into the second. Or in other terms, the equivalent of another possible Godwin and Kwon.
We can “move on”. But the Bucs would be be a much deeper team without that huge blunder.
August 12th, 2017 at 6:08 pm
@Tony: the draft is a complete roll of the dice. The fact Licht has done well is the exception, not the rule.
There are plenty of third round busts. Nothing is guaranteed.
August 12th, 2017 at 6:31 pm
About time , great move ! This guy was a disaster all the way around .
August 12th, 2017 at 6:36 pm
No Cobra, not a dude! Just a grandmother who recognizes mean spirited comments when I read them. Is being respectful to someone who is hurting not allowed in football? No need to respond, I understand your perspective perfectly. Sorry you don’t understand mine.
August 12th, 2017 at 7:11 pm
@Bucsdobe: football is a hard sport played by hard men. The NFL adds several exponents.
It’s not for the weak.
Aguayo hurting? Really? Think of his teammates he’s hurt by his abysmal performance.
Football ain’t about The Feels. It’s about winning. And sometimes winning hurts.
Feel sorry for a player whose career is cut short because of injury. Don’t feel sorry for a player who couldn’t perform to the standards set by the team when given multiple opportunities to prove himself, and who was paid seven-figures for a years “work.”.
If Aguayo went to North Central Dakota State Jr. A&I nobody would give much of a crap…
August 12th, 2017 at 7:31 pm
I love Aguayo … yet I LOVE that Licht cut him even more … that is the type of cut-throat “win now” mentality that can inspire the entire team to play their best.
Bravo Mr. Licht and Coach K … keep up the good work!
August 12th, 2017 at 7:51 pm
I get it.
But Nick Folk isn’t much better.
August 12th, 2017 at 8:24 pm
Maybe he can join Martino in Vero Beach. After two dropped passes, his days may be numbered.
August 12th, 2017 at 9:56 pm
The hive mind is proven again. Yall wanted him to fail from day one. No surprise he failed. He will do better without the bucs fans negative hive vibe
August 12th, 2017 at 9:57 pm
I want all of our picks to be good and make the team its sad he’s gone but don’t feel sorry for him at least he has a chance to regroup and try again cant have him dragging the team down with him . he will play again and probably beat us isn’t that the way it works ?
August 12th, 2017 at 10:37 pm
Aww, it’s the negativity that made him suck out loud. Just a bunch of meanies really. Aguayo should pack up and go somewhere his mediocrity and shameful results are nurtured and applauded. Hot cocoa and boo boo bandaids anyone?
August 13th, 2017 at 11:36 pm
Let’s go Folk! We need a vet kicker.
August 14th, 2017 at 11:20 pm
Word is Aguyo bought a gun and tried to kill himself. Missed wide right.