“He’s Hard To Block”

March 28th, 2018

Cowboys coach not frowning over JPP leaving division.

Joe only wished he had recorded the chat for video.

So yesterday the full JoeBucsFan.com team was at the NFL coaches breakfast where all 32 coaches held court at their own tables — yeah, even Bill Belichick, though he chose to stand up in the corner near his table.

While one Joe stayed with Bucs coach Dirk Koetter the entire period, the other Joe and internationally popular JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman grazed through the other 31 coaches looking for Bucs nuggets.

Joe decided to talk to the two NFC East coaches with the most tenure, specifically about facing new Bucs defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who the Bucs acquired last week in a trade with the Giants.

Joe’s chat with Brother of Chucky, Jay Gruden, was entertaining.

Joe also hit up Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. Though his words were not quite as humorous as Brother of Chucky’s, his physical reaction was perhaps better than Brother of Chucky. The entire time Garrett spoke with Joe about JPP, he had a wide smile on his face as he shook his head back and forth, as if he was counting his lucky charms that he no longer has to craft an offense around JPP twice a year.

“Oh, he is just a great football player,” Garrett said of JPP. “One of the things we talk about a lot is guys who can impact the game and there is no question he has been able to impact the game throughout his career. He’s big, he’s long, he’s athletic. He has a great feel for playing the game.”

Now there is a sect of Bucs fans who wail that the Bucs offensive line was the most wretched thing they have seen on a football field since Sabby the Goat played for the Bucs (these same folks clearly never watched a Broncos or Giants game last season). This same crowd often hails the Cowboys offensive line as the greatest secure structure since the Great Wall of China; nevermind that the Cowboys are in the midst of overhauling their offensive line.

At any rate, for the coach of the team that has such an alleged talented offensive line, Garrett will have you know that JPP was more than a handful for his squad.

“He’s hard to block,” Garrett said. “He’s hard to block in the running game and he is hard to block in the passing game. He has been a really good player for a long time and we’ve had to battle him and he has challenged our guys up front and at times, he has made some significant plays in games and at other times, I think our guys have kept him under wraps.

“It has been hard every time we have broken the huddle [to face JPP]. I wish him nothing but the best down in Tampa. He has been a great player for a long time.”

Yes, one could just look at stats and see that JPP doesn’t come off the field much at all. That doesn’t mean he should, it could mean that the Giants had zero depth at defensive end.

But so far, Joe has had two former rivals of JPP, two NFC East coaches, who without being prompted spoke about JPP’s ability to stop the run. That impresses Joe as much as his talent to make quarterbacks eat dirt.

25 Responses to ““He’s Hard To Block””

  1. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    I think JPP is going to have his best years in Tampa.

    Won’t turn 30 until after the season, and DTs have what? Until around 33-35 to play effectively? Some longer?

    I def think we’ll get a good 3 years out of him.

  2. tmaxcon Says:

    when was the last time a coach, player, front office personnel or a legit media guy every said anything that was not sugarcoated or PC especially in today’s society where everyone is soft and offended by everything… Happens often, or they say nothing. –Joe

    all this fluff and happiness means nothing if it does not translate into a first round playoff win.

  3. tmaxcon Says:

    Bonzi

    the bucs have never gotten 3 good years out of any free agent signing outside of siemon rice.

  4. tmaxcon Says:

    don’t even go to the vjax card he was a washed up bum that won nothing at the end. ultimate respect for his time with veterans but as a football player he had a couple of good years in tampa that did not translate to wins just another member of the losing culture. if all these bucs were so great why do they spend their entire careers in the basement.

  5. edgeofred Says:

    v jax, was good for 3 years

  6. David Says:

    So much better than going after Bennett and his off field headaches and 3 more years on him and worse production than JPP.

    As for the bucs lone, every line needs improvement. The cowboys line is awesome at run blocking but their pass blocking is average

  7. MakeBucsGreatAgain Says:

    tmax
    you’re such a clown. is there anything positive you ever have to say you bucket of aids, god i lose brain cells when you say anything you waste of air. can you name anything you enjoy from the bucs because if you don’t, please stop calling yourself a fan and just make a f**k the bucs podcast so more cancerous people like yourself can listen to it

  8. webster Says:

    Joe this can’t be right. I mean all we heard from posters was how their friends in new york was laughing at the bucs. Those posters mocked the fans relentlessly that were excited about the move. We had posters cherry pick the negative comments from bleacher report. Those posters too mocked the fans that were excited about the trade. Surely jpp was a bad addition to the bucs, no?

  9. MadMax Says:

    Im loving this trade….gj Licht. We’re due to hit on a FA D line addition.

  10. 813bucboi Says:

    I just hope JPP can get 8-10 sacks, since we’re very very close…..

    #NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!…..GO BUCS!!!!!

  11. Hawaiian Buc Says:

    Tmax is so clueless, he’s not even worth responding to. He just wants attention, because he clearly doesn’t get enough at home.

  12. Bobby M. Says:

    I hope they let JPP face D. Smith the entire training camp……It will be like putting Hargreaves on Jackson last training camp.

  13. tmaxcon Says:

    MakeBucsGreatAgain

    bucs have not done a postive thing in 16 years so I’ll be positive when they EARN it… They have not earned anything in nearly 2 decades.. .you may accept failure with ease and a smile. I do not

  14. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    My friend is a Panther Fan, who lives up there. He has been watching the Bucs, and quite frankly, is very concerned!
    He is cussing Dave Gettelman out for unleashing JPP on the NFC South, and being a traitor to the Panthers!
    Dave Gettelman also signed Star Louteli away from the Panthers, don’t forget.

  15. Joel Says:

    If he gets injured in TC, preseason or early in the season, will it finally be time to take a hard look at why this team is consistently in bad shape or injured?

  16. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    Some here seem to still have hurt fee fees that we got JPP and not Quinn or Bennett. I like Bennett…not like Joe..but he’s a competent DE…he was never JPP….Quinn is a lot closer but JPP is still better.

    Two major aspects…get the QB and stop the run. Quinn has a few more sacks than JPP in his career in one less year…not very many and JPP does have several double digits sack years as does Quinn.

    But for some reason JPP has almost TWICE as many tackles as Quinn.

    Again like everyone here I’m tired of no pass rush. But I’m just a ticked when the other team just runs at will on us. When a team beats you with a talented clever passing game you are frustrated….when they simply run it down your throat and give you an old fashioned butt whipping…is really embarrassing as well as frustrating.

    So look at our new DL. Seems perhaps I’m not the only guy tired of other teams running it down our throats. Two of our new DL’s best run stoppers at ther position…Gholston good rep for run stopping and it turns out that JPP is also good at stopping the run. Perhaps we’ll field a defense that is a little more stout against the run.

  17. Mike Johnson Says:

    Very hard to block yet..Mr Softee..Dirk K..is talking about cutting his JPP’snaps. Bill Parcels never cut Lawrence taylors snaps And Gruden nor Dungy never cut Sapp’s either. Grow a pair Mr. Koetter!

  18. Capt.Tim Says:

    Thrilled to have Cant wait to See JPP and McCoy together!!
    Curry is gonna benefit from those two workng together.

    Finally, McCoy has help on that sad sack D-line!

    But Licht still has work to do! We should go into the Draft- looking for the best players. Not drafting positions of desperation.

    That means we need a decent RB, CB and Safety signed before the draft.
    Then we arent desperately plugging holes. We are actually Upgrading or adding depth when we draft a player.

  19. mdsbuc Says:

    tmaxcon Says:
    March 28th, 2018 at 11:17 am
    Bonzi

    the bucs have never gotten 3 good years out of any free agent signing outside of siemon rice.
    —————————————————————-

    Hardy Nickerson comes quickly to mind. I’m sure there are a handful of others…

  20. Alan Says:

    TMAX MAXI PAD IS THE WORST. PLEASE STOP POSTING NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY

  21. Kirby Says:

    Vincent jackson

  22. Radman Says:

    If JPP is 80% of what he used to be, that’s 100% better than what the Bucs had last year.

  23. James Says:

    We gotta sign another Cb

  24. LostinPa Says:

    Please stop feeding TMax, he is not a bucs fan. He is a troll.

    Going Bucs since 1976!!!

    “What do you think of your team’s execution coach?”
    McKay replied, “I’m in favor of it.”

  25. Jaycee Says:

    These comments are almost as entertaining as the post