“Spooked”
February 26th, 2019
Has NFL freaked out.
Joe has damn near run out of adverbs and adjectives to use about and for Bucs kickers since inept Lovie Smith began his insane reign in 2014.
A lot of folks hold up second-round draft pick Roberto Aguayo as a posterchild for rotten Bucs kickers but Chandler Catanzaro was just as bad. It has just been a nightmare the past five seasons.
And it seems it isn’t just Bucs fans who have Aguayo seared into their memory banks so not even a night of beers at Hooters could wash it away. It seems NFL teams are freaked out by Aguayo as well.
Yesterday, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah did an exhaustive pre-combine teleconference and the subject of drafting a kicker came up.
Let’s just say if Jeremiah ever gets a job as a general manager, you won’t see him drafting a kicker in the first two days of the draft.
“I would say I’m against it, quite simply,” Jeremiah said of drafting a kicker. “You know, early on, I should say. When you get into day three, I think at that point in time you can go for it. Last year was unique in terms of the punter situation with [Michael] Dixon, who was a unique guy. I would feel more comfortable in believing in a punter a little bit earlier. A placekicker is just — I don’t know, man; to me I’ve seen it crash and burn, and I wouldn’t want to use a high resource on a placekicker.
“I’d rather draft one in the sixth or seventh round, bring in a free agent, and I’ve seen it more times than not, the odds are no different on that late-round pick versus that free agent of who’s going to end up winning that competition. I think what happened in Tampa probably spooked a lot of people around the league.
So there you have it. While the Bucs can’t find a way to make the playoffs for 11 seasons and counting, they have changed the NFL in their own unique way.
NFL teams are “spooked” because of what Aguayo wrought.
That’s all you need to know.
February 26th, 2019 at 5:33 am
@Jeremiah … “I think what happened in Tampa probably spooked a lot of people around the league.” Hmmm, wonder if that’ll come to be known as ‘The Licht Legacy’. Faux pas like that could probably earn Jason the nickname ‘Easy Pickins’ among agents & GMs when it comes to signing FAs & making trades.
February 26th, 2019 at 6:01 am
The Roberto pick is what happens when lazy scouts look at just numbers.
Roberto (like Jameis) got worse the longer he was at school and struggled with NFL type kicks he made a rep of making short kicks to become the “most accurate kicker ever”
Dude should never have been drafted
Can’t draft mentally weak players
February 26th, 2019 at 7:20 am
I’m a FSU lifer and I hated that pick…You never waste a premium pick on a freaking kicker…
Roberto played during Jimbo’s best years and I can’t recall him having to making many high pressure kicks or game winners…Once he got in the NFL he wasn’t prepared mentally…
February 26th, 2019 at 8:05 am
Licht simply isn’t good at what he does….Teams all across the league are finding ways to turn franchises around in 3 yrs or less. Licht is 5 yrs in with countless premium picks and his efforts have managed one winning season, no playoff appearances, 2 head coaches, 4 defensive coordinators, a QB controversy, a suspended and benched #1 pick, multiple high dollar free agent busts, SEVEN KICKERS including the one mentioned in this article….all this and we have holes all over the roster AND a jam at the salary cap.
Everyone raves about the talent on this roster….That’s great, don’t change the talent and let’s see Arians win with it if its so great…Coach it up. You’ll probably see half the roster turned over because Arians didn’t come here letting Licht have full say on the roster.
February 26th, 2019 at 8:19 am
Yes the kickers have sucked, since the extra point moved back it’s sctuslly an nfl theme, not just the Bucs.
I like Licht, I think he’s been awesome because unlike some people on here I understand that mistakes will be made, but the kicker drafting was idiotic.
February 26th, 2019 at 8:23 am
Gawwd…what a depressing reminder…horrible run of 2nd round picks and IMO….top of the 2nd round is the sweet spot in the NFL draft
February 26th, 2019 at 8:29 am
The Bucs trade up (Yeaaaaaah?)… and take a kicker (Nuuuuuu!)
Still feel it like it was yesterday.
February 26th, 2019 at 8:38 am
@Dave
How’s Licht been “awesome”
5 drafts and the Bucs have question marks at
MLB DE S SS CB RT RG RT RB K P and possible QB if Arians can’t turn Jameis into a consistent QB
So no Licht is not awesome
February 26th, 2019 at 9:03 am
Poor guy. Licht ruined his career. Though I suppose another GM was going to try and ruin it as well or Licht wouldn’t have traded up to get him.
February 26th, 2019 at 9:16 am
that was and still is the dumbest pick in NFL history…hands down…we were not 1 kicker away from being contenders…..
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
February 26th, 2019 at 9:24 am
Licht’s pick of Aguayo will live in infamy. Same with Dom passing on Kuechly. The Bucs have had some of the worse Gm’s of any team in the NFL. And the beat goes on.
February 26th, 2019 at 9:57 am
I agree….with Bobby M.
February 26th, 2019 at 10:50 am
I don’t recall Lovie Smith drafting a kicker. Backstabbin’ Jason Licht, in all his hubris, thought he was smarter than everyone else by taking Aguayo. That entire draft was a giant swing and a miss. He manages the team like it’s fantasy football.
February 26th, 2019 at 10:56 am
AlteredEgo Says:
“Gawwd…what a depressing reminder…horrible run of 2nd round picks”
——-
Man, you can sure say that again.
Has any team ever had worse luck with 2nd round draft picks?
And I mean we can even go back to Dexter Jackson, right?
Wasn’t he a 2nd rounder? The kid who went into the fetal position on kick returns?
February 26th, 2019 at 11:01 am
Joe, do not blame Lovie on Aguayo, that goes entirely on the GM!
February 26th, 2019 at 11:34 am
RA was the most accurate K in NCAA history. In the moment, drafting him could not have been considered a mistake. He was an incredible weapon on that FSU NatCh team. It’s a shame he went Chuck Knobloch on us like that. I was hoping he’d be our Janikowski.
February 26th, 2019 at 11:43 am
Pugs&Bucs Says:
“It’s a shame he went Chuck Knobloch on us”
—————-
I’ll see your Chuck Knobloch and raise you a Steve Sax.
February 26th, 2019 at 11:51 am
Not sure how Lovie ties into the kicking situation when Lovie was fired before Licht traded up for Aguayo, signed Nick Folk and Chandler Cantanzaro. How is Joe blaming Lovie for something that clearly Licht is bad at?
February 26th, 2019 at 12:21 pm
VHIII- 11th pick
Noah spence- 2nd rounder
Agauayo- 2nd rounder.
When do the JBFers get to claim the Bucs Front Office, and save the Glazers from another 11 years/no playoffs.
JBFers are diehard/true fans, and even without NFL experience (front office) we could literally do better. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Licht!
How do Glazers retain a GM worse than Dominik after five years?
What can the Bucs do to get out of the damn basement.
I will throw up and turn off the tv this year if I hear GMC apologize for hustling after a sack. Ha is despicable/soft football. Inexcusable. NFC S Basement mentality.
February 26th, 2019 at 12:33 pm
I still feel sorry for that kid. A target on his back the moment he was picked.
February 26th, 2019 at 3:37 pm
Joe don’t know jack spit
February 26th, 2019 at 6:10 pm
Don’t blame Lovie … Dork and Smith the last 3 years has been a total waste. Licht has not improved this roster at all. K DE DT OT G RB LB CB S even QB is still a question mark with this roster.
February 27th, 2019 at 5:56 am
Pugs,
“He is the most accurate kicker in the history”
And it’s probably the same thing that licht thought thru the draft process.
Whenever anyone brings up the subject, that’s the line you can bet the farm on will be offered up as the reason the pick should have worked.
But accuracy isn’t a good stat to evaluate kickers. It never has been and it’s not now. But with the RA pick somehow years and years of history of determining who the best kickers are was tossed out and accuracy became #1. It’s borderline incompetence to draft a kicker in the 2nd round. Particularly when just one stat served as the basis of the team’s evaluations process. A stat that has never been used in that way prior to the draft.
So sorry but it wasn’t at all safe to pick RA based on his historic achievements.