ESPN: Offensive Line Will Doom Bucs
August 27th, 2019
Sad outing.
How bad was the Bucs’ offensive line Friday? It was so bad that’s almost all fans are talking about, despite America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, outdueling Baker Mayfield and the Bucs winning the game.
The offensive was so horrible, Bucs fans have had a difficult time saying the Bucs will win six games this season; the (non-) blocking was so disgusting.
Jenna Laine of ESPN saw the same thing. In her eyes, this offensive line better shape up dramatically or the Bucs will be toast soon.
This was one of the worst games in recent memory for both starting tackles Demar Dotson and Donovan Smith, and Alex Cappa did not live up to the praise the coaching staff and front office bestowed on him in camp. Last week, it looked as if the issue was depth. Now it’s clear this whole group, with the exception of Ali Marpet, is struggling. Granted, they might not face a front seven as good as this one in the regular season, but it’s becoming more and more clear this will be their Achilles’ heel.
Honest to goodness, that display last week was as bad if not worse than what Joe witnessed from the worst offensive line this team has had in ages. You know the one, the line that featured Anthony Collins, Oniel Cousins, Garrett “Whoops!” Gilkey and Josh Allen. That was a truly pathetic outfit.
How the hell do two second-round draft picks, a very expensive center, a third-round pick at right guard and a veteran right tackle put together a half worse than the slop Collins, Gilkey, Cousins and company put together?
What we saw last Friday wasn’t just bad, it was shameful.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:09 am
Joe, I’m holding onto the notion that it was all a muse, something that other teams look at and pencil in a ‘W’. Then, come gameday……. ‘SMACK’……. right in the kisser!!! Totally underestimated and completely enraged!
Yep, that’s the ticket!
August 27th, 2019 at 10:10 am
I choose to believe the sky isn’t falling here……it is essentially the same line as it was last year…..Cappa excluded……and most thought Benenoch played poorly.
That line pass protected very well but struggled to run block…..I expect at least the same performance with perhaps a slightly better running game.
Better decision making….quicker passes underneath by Jameis will help.
If that line doesn’t hold up well vs SF….then I’ll be concerned.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:10 am
It’s Jenna (Lois) Laine…here. Are you trying to kid is into thinking that she’s an analyst now? Had any shred of a personnel background?
Roll with BA’ s and Tom Moore’s O Line analysis, Laine can stick to…Daily Planet stuff. đ
August 27th, 2019 at 10:11 am
Should of listened to everyone and drafted a couple Offensive Linemen. The right side was the worst in the league last year and the Bucs refused to address the issue.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:12 am
Dirt says-free up more money and bring in quality line help or open the season 2 and 5
August 27th, 2019 at 10:13 am
Attitude, not talent!
August 27th, 2019 at 10:17 am
Whining about the offensive line will be what Jameis Winstonâs camp will do if he has another disappointing season.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:19 am
It’s ALL Jameis Winston’s fault.
Let’s start a list…
Fault #1 The O-line can’t block.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:20 am
I expected Gilkey and Josh Allen to be bad but with this prestigious oline…… Trash
August 27th, 2019 at 10:22 am
Well I sure Jason will be looking over the waiver wire come Saturday.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:22 am
the coach said a couple of them were jameis’ faults yet these guys are getting a beating. rightfully so they were horrible but all in all that was a really bad game. i highly doubt we see that performance against the niners. not saying it will be good but that was the worst case scenario that happened and weve seen what these guys can do and you harp on actual performance in games that matter so i think we need to temper the freakout at this point. if not then blow this entire team up including jameis since he will suck with a bad o line and this team will be doomed to hell. it was bad but it was ONE game. need to look at this team over an entire body of work and clearly what we saw was not representative of an entire season.
by no means am i defending them but i think we need to pump the brakes here and.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:22 am
you mention Collins, Gilkey, and Cousins as one of our worst Olines in ages.. Well that one and this one our both Olines under Jason Licht’s watch. We just saw a guy who could have been a shoe in hall of famer retire before hitting 30 because their GM took 6 years before he put together a quality Oline, and by that time the damage was done. beyond sick of Jason Licht as our GM.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:25 am
Not to call you put joe, but Iâm gonna call you out.
Weâve been clamoring about this OL for at least 3 years now while you were busy pointing blame at your favorite RB dougie martin.
On an insider site like this one, it shouldnât take the national media spotlighting an issue for you to finally acknowledge it, irregardless of a bias.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:27 am
I think a lot of eyes & attention will be on Bunting, Dean & Edwards this year…….there are 3 picks that could have gone to an Olineman……if Davis, VH3 & MJ Stewart are improved enough to start, that would be fantastic….and we would have drafted great depth……but…..the Oline needed an upgrade and didn’t get it…..
August 27th, 2019 at 10:29 am
While the last game was horrible, it was also the only extended time they’ve had together, and it was dummied down on offense. On top of that, Leftwich kept calling long developing plays.
Things WILL get better on the offensive line. Don’t give up.
I’m not even mad about the play calling. Don’t forget, Arians is not just training players, he’s training the young coaches. That game provided a lot of potential teaching moments for Leftwich. Better he make those mistakes now than later.
I’m sure Arians sat down with him after the game and went over everything, just like he does with the players.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:30 am
Looked like blown assignments were a big issue against Cleveland. That’s fixable. Lets hope that fixes it. Logan Mankins is not walking through that door.
In BA I Trust!
August 27th, 2019 at 10:32 am
D-Rome Says
“Whining about the offensive line will be what Jameis Winstonâs camp will do if he has another disappointing season.”
Only if the oline doesn’t do it’s job, and I think they will…maybe not by game one, but they will.
And if they don’t do their jobs, blaming them would be justified.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:34 am
Not true at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What doomed the Bucs was retaining and the foolhardy of extending licht weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which meant that the coach hired would not evaluate the roster and instead has to fix all the problems!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ole stale biscuit has been singing a different tune since he got a good hard look at this garbage roster that is up against the cap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep you ears peeled for Fridays!!!!! Because that is when the trash gets picked up at One Buc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The truth is getting exposed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 27th, 2019 at 10:36 am
I been trying to tell ya! When I read some time ago that D Smith would refuse to move to right tackle, I knew this O/Line would not stand up!! Make the trade for a competent left tackle…move D Smith to left guard. move Marpet back to right guard began to groom Cappa as our right tackle in waiting…but from what I can see COACH BA and I are not on the same page but I’m just a fan that can tell you that all 26 teams we play already know our O/Line is weak!!
August 27th, 2019 at 10:36 am
“Alex Cappa did not live up to the praise the coaching staff and front office bestowed on him in camp”
Perfect example of why you can’t believe anything you hear about players during pre-season. They are all headed to the Pro Bowl according to coaches and front office staff.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:37 am
Gumpâs claim to fame is his comprehensive knowledge of the offensive line and Division 3 athletes.
God help us.
Gumpster Fire – Buc Fan Misery Index 1584 days left
August 27th, 2019 at 10:40 am
Iâm a Jameis supporter, but I would not say last Friday was an âout dueling,â quite frankly neither guy looked good. Iâm not sure why we took Crappa with a third, I think the GM was really proud of himself with the Marpet pick and thought he could go to the well one more time with an ugly dude from some division whatever school . Can we please stop with this diamond in the rough nonsense and start drafting some named O linemen from real programs going forward.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:41 am
You guys really need to see this breakdown by Brian Baldinger on Twitter of what Vernon Oliver did to our oline. Wtf is Dotson doing? And although I’ve supported D Smith he’s been manhandled two weeks in a row. #vegan.
Joe please let this link through it absolutely crazy. Cringe worthy.
Already wrote a story about it. –Joe
August 27th, 2019 at 10:42 am
If the Bucs played Cleveland in a real game the Browns would have 20 sacks and the Bucs would have zero healthy QBs.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:42 am
Time to trade Brate to the Patriots for a lineman. It worked for a once before.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:45 am
Didnât Licht previously play OL, and was supposed to come in as an expert at building us an O line.
Itâs an absolute miracle he is still on this staff.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:47 am
When other teams make their cuts this week we Have to be able to pick up better than what we have I would think.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:48 am
Vagabond, don’t be a dou***. I’d that was John Laine reporting you wouldn’t have said a word. Jenna is a professional.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:51 am
Preseason is for player evaluations and game plans. Part of a game plan against an opponent includes which OL pass blocking sets will be used and spacing between OL can be tightened or widened. BA does not use Max Protection, so depending on opponent TE’s and RB’s can be used to chip block before releasing into pattern, against a front like the Browns very important to have 55% run versus 45% pass with shortened pass routes, and finally liberal use of properly designed screen plays to slow and wear down DL.
I reserve judgement until a few regular season games.
In Bruce I trust.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:51 am
I still say, two starters (RG, RT) are on other teams rosters today.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:52 am
Really??? Same line that blocked for the league overall leading rushing team a few years ago and the leagues overall #1 passing team last season. Okayđ. We’ll soon see.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:53 am
THE….biggest investment this team has is its #1 pick at QB. Knowing that, if we are at year 6 of the GM and year 5 of the QB, there is no excuse for a failed offensive line. The entire franchise is invested in the QB…..Its that simple. This entire circus show of 4 QB coaches/consultants that comes with the QB whisperer aka Arians is 1000% for the sake of the QB.
So again…..if the GM at a minimum hasn’t put together a solid o-line so the team can properly see what they have at QB, your GM is an absolute idiot. All the talk about the “talent” we have is garbage. We have depth at WR/TE….What good is that if the QB is constantly under pressure and the plays cant even develop? This line is an “ok” passing blocking line and terrible run blocking….They are avg and if ONE starter goes down, the whole thing falls apart instantly. We have no depth, we have no young talent pushing the vets….Who is Demar Dotson beating out? Seriously? There should be a young stud chewing at the bit to unseat him and we got nothing. Its a joke.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:54 am
Most expensive offensive line in the NFL and what i seen in preseason with them so far but dammit i hate saying this and the season hasn’t even started 5-11 record for the third year in a row God have mercy on our souls.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:58 am
I think you guys might actually get your wish this year, Jameis doesn’t make it past week 4.
unless he goes to a real nfl franchise he should pull a Andrew Luck.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:00 am
Gilkey…..the name gives me shivers.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:05 am
This is what happens when you keep needing to redraft certain positions (db’s) year after year. Other positions are bound to suffer.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:23 am
Dear Bucs fans,
If you want to win you need a good offensive line, it’s basic knowledge. You bitch about needing a defensive line for 10 years and put Demar Dotson on the offensive line pedestal (he sucks, don’t trust PFF guys). He’s an average pass blocker and a terrible run blocker. Now that King Jameis is failing you want to blame the OL huh? That’s called QB privilege. Best of luck!!
Mike Glennon.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:26 am
I would like to thank Mike Glennon for posting and telling the truth. At age 30 my career is shot due to the headshots 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage. I’ve yet to announce my retirement but it’s a matter of time. Best of luck.
Doug Martin
August 27th, 2019 at 11:27 am
2nd highest paid o line
Bottom of the league results
August 27th, 2019 at 11:29 am
Go Bucs 72 Says:
August 27th, 2019 at 10:40 am
Iâm not sure why we took Crappa with a third, I think the GM was really proud of himself with the Marpet pick and thought he could go to the well one more time with an ugly dude from some division whatever school . Can we please stop with this diamond in the rough nonsense and start drafting some named O linemen from real programs going forward.
__________________________________
Amen.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:33 am
Bucs will be lucky to win 5 … name me one team on this schedule the Bucs have an absolute shot at winning … and Iâm asking buc fans to use your head and think with it not your heart … if they are lucky they win maybe 3 …but donât be shocked … one win that is prob winnable is SF … thatâs a big maybe … if the Bucs lose to SF … this team starts 0-4 … looking at the schedule the Bucs if they lose to SF the Bucs have a real definite shot at going 0-6 with the offensive line the Bucs have … unless some miracle this defense can score points … jameis will turn the ball over at a NFL record to start a season especially with the way the o line looks
August 27th, 2019 at 11:40 am
So let me get this straight….last year the buggest probelm was the defense, now the defnese looks good and the sky is flaling with the same oline?
Playcaller on offense is my biggeat concern until proven otherwise
August 27th, 2019 at 11:41 am
Was watching the third quarter of the game again. Saw a nice checkdown, and in my mind, thought “now that is the way to go Jameis”. But one problem.. Jameis was no longer in the game..it was Gabbert. And he just hurt his shoulder again in replay.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:42 am
With smith having a minor Achilles injury early and dotson aging I think the staff told them to just gonout there and get some live reps. Lets see how they look on game day before we freak out shall we?
August 27th, 2019 at 11:47 am
Yes, the O-line is horrible but it’s been like that for three freaking years…..Have you folk not been listening to some of fans about how horrible the O-Line was (is)..âŚTHANK YOU CLEVELAND….Now these idiots see what we talking about.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:48 am
i saw marpet getting whipped too!!!!
they all looked bad!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
August 27th, 2019 at 12:03 pm
Joe found a way to squeeze in a unrelated compliment to Winston again. Shocker
August 27th, 2019 at 12:08 pm
Jenna Laine needs to stop being capt obvious and lichts lap dawg and state the truth: The bucs have the absolute worst GM in pro football who has buried the bucs with his spending on players who have helped the bucs win 5 games. Licht has ignored the OL and mismanaged the draft every year. Devin White I hope will be luke kuechly but a josh allen would rule the south for years to come and is a commodity in the pass happy nfl
August 27th, 2019 at 12:32 pm
ITS PRE-SEASON.
NO ONE GAME PLANS.
Calm down.
August 27th, 2019 at 12:38 pm
Good thing we have highly paid professionals building team….SMH…
August 27th, 2019 at 12:45 pm
“How the hell do two second-round draft picks, a very expensive center, a third-round pick at right guard and a veteran right tackle put together a half”
The Browns spent money and assets to boost to their defensive line. They sent a draft pick and guard Kevin Zeitler to the Giants to get back Olivier Vernon, and they spent $36 million on Sheldon Richardson to bolster the interior.
Vernon and Richardson provide substantial upgrades next to Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi and give the Browns as solid a four-man defensive front as you will find in the NFL. That’s a #1 overall pick in Garrett a 13th overall pick in Richardson combined with two talented 3rd round picks. They SHOULD be better than our OL on any given Sunday.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
I canât calm down because this is just a replay of the last 5 years. Gump, a former o-lineman, must be blind. Who thought is was a good idea to get O-linemen from DIII programs. I know one guy who was better in high school then Cappa is now.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:12 pm
offensive line was a real concern the super bowl year too… just sayin’
August 27th, 2019 at 1:12 pm
It’s like I preached during the offseason. Other teams don’t just sit back on their laurels. They improve too! So I’m going a step further here..Not only will this offensive line break down during the season..During the 1st half of the season, our Defensive line is gonna look like straight up Gar..Bage. Buclife baby.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:13 pm
I remember preseason week 3 of superbowl year Washington stomped us…. this is still preseason. I don’t trust any of it, good or bad.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
That ugliest sack to Jameis it wasn’t so much the oline. Don’t get me wrong. When they signed Smith to $40 million and we could’ve signed him for $30 million. That is a f#cking joke price for this guy. Earlier in the offseason they resigned Dotson to his $4.5 million contract and sh!t a brick with all the money we don’t have.
But I guarantee something better is coming to the right side of the oline before game one. BA has already made it clear he has no problem dropping guys for better players.
I can see a big trade possibly for a nice RG cus Cappa just can’t handle it. Trust me folks, BA and Licht also realize the problem and can hopefully bring in a better starter on the right and some depth to go along with it. Gonna be watching out for Watford all night on Thursday.
P.S. The one God awful sack on Jameis Andre Ellington totally missed picking up the block and that LB was the first to get there. Dude’s trash. Dare, OJ, and a good OG blocking could make us so much better. OJ is a better RT than Dotson.
August 27th, 2019 at 2:41 pm
Honestly the Browns defensive line is dominant and their play was so good it made our offensive line look terrible, granted our o-line is bad but they imploded when going against the Browns.
Unbelievable:
Right on: Licht please stop with the bargain hunting and get some offensive lineman from solid school with playing time. Why get somebody from a D3 school?! Wow hoping he can find somebody off the waiver wire now. Definitely need RT and LT next year, maybe we can trade Donovan Smith for good player or high draft pick. Count on a new quarterback while we are at it, Jameis will need shoulder surgery after getting it turfed.
August 27th, 2019 at 2:45 pm
Jenna should have left Donovan out of her remarks because that didn’t happen. There were three blown blocks on one on ones. Cappa twice and Dotson once. No one game plans for pre-season and game planning will give a better result. Nothing to see here.
August 27th, 2019 at 2:57 pm
One real good o lineman is worth more than Brate, p Paul and Justin Evans combined and Make Notta dam mistake about it two have way more value than those three and Lavonte David combined ……… Licht has been making easy things hard by trying to prove heâs a genius , selfish ego !!!! Lichts not anything more than totally ineffective and the source of the Glazers failed number 1 pick …….. Hey Cappa is young and stepped up in competition but he has short arms and is hands down the worst o line player I have ever seen on an NFL roster last T Camp and Preseason !!!
August 27th, 2019 at 3:20 pm
Lol Now the entire league knows our oline can be exploited.
Ron Rivera, Pete Carroll and Sean Payton all saw that pathetic display of cumulative glazer fail
August 27th, 2019 at 3:22 pm
I am rooting for Cappa but putting projects in front of the first overall pick is Suicide and I was glad we signed Jensen but with any wide split he is just terrible laterally !!! He is Very Very Slow !!! Licht Should Be bitch slapped every day in front of the fans via You Tube until there is a top 10 line ( should be top 5) in front of the Glazer biggest and most important investment!!! Clearly has not been top 25 for three years in a row !!!
August 27th, 2019 at 3:22 pm
Look for teams to blitz and probe the Bucs oline for weaknesses
August 27th, 2019 at 3:24 pm
Wrong not the entire League ( Jason Licht ) hasnât gotten the memo – EVER !!
August 27th, 2019 at 3:26 pm
Lol Dominick was just as bad or worse.
You’re flailing away at the ankle and not even looking up at the head
August 27th, 2019 at 3:42 pm
Joe, just because Licht used second, and third round picks on Smith, Marpet, and Cappa doesn’t mean they should’ve been picked that high. Yeah I included Marpet, who’s the best we have, because the rest are so bad. And Dotson? He’s a vet, but an old one who should’ve been replaced a long time ago. This is the house that Licht built, be careful, the roof might fall in on you.
August 27th, 2019 at 3:42 pm
Does anyone actually care what Jenna Laine has to say about anything? I find her incredibly dull, boring, uninsightful, uninteresting, etc, etc, etc… All she says is boring obvious things, you know her entire take on everything within 4 words of the start of an article and there’s never a surprise or an original opinion.
I know the SJW crowd has to pretend to like her because he’s a woman, but does anyone really like her work?
Maybe it’s me.
Nah, I’m right, she’s a dullard.
August 27th, 2019 at 4:45 pm
Truth.
August 27th, 2019 at 5:48 pm
Couch Coach would tell his GM he better not draft another DIII small school line men again with any of our draft picks. You only grab those guys after the draft is completely over dumbo! Quit tryna make some kid dream come true because someone in the nfl didnât give you your chance. Stop living through Ali Marpet successes and get some OLinemen. Woulda Coulda but why we didnât get Richie incognito huh. Nasty up front immediately!
August 27th, 2019 at 5:54 pm
Sad but true.
August 27th, 2019 at 5:55 pm
Even crazy Richie with his two game suspension would be better.
August 27th, 2019 at 5:57 pm
over/under 2019 Bucs wins: 4 1/2
August 27th, 2019 at 6:01 pm
How can you lay the premise that “Winston out-dueled Mayfield”?? How can that be when Winston put up ZERO points the entire half he played and to be frank looked very bad. Man his footwork is so bad for a 5th year starter; he looks high school at times. I saw deer in the headlights again. I am trying to be nice. Baker looked average.
This is a 5 win team and anyone saying otherwise does not understand what they are watching. Is Thor available? Aquaman? We are gonna need a super hero to turn this mess around.
August 27th, 2019 at 6:55 pm
Laremy Gasmask fell right in the Bucâs lap but Lichtweight passed in favor of VHIII (guess he prefers post draft marijuana photos to pre draft ones). Desmond Harrison and Lael Collins were both free agents that should have been taken as flyers by the Buccos in the 7th round their respective years but no interest from the Bucs. This year Cody Ford is taken immediately before, and Dalton Risnor immediately following, Lichtâs selection of MAC first teamer Murphy Bunting. This staff has no idea how to build a football team.
August 27th, 2019 at 7:10 pm
Now for the 3rd time posting this…
LAâEL COLLINS, right tackle from Dallas!!
Free Agent this next off-season…
Dallas wonât have any cap funds to resign him due to these massive contracts for Dak, Zeke, & Amari Cooper!!!!
Heâs solid!! Go get him Licht! Make a trade!!!
August 27th, 2019 at 9:01 pm
I predicted all you naysayers would be having a big time after the Brownsâ took on the Bucs. Cappa is a good pull blocker and is a good OT which he proved in the Senior Bowl. You didnât see any power blocking schemes which include pull blocking and you saw no chip blocks either by our capable TEs either. BA left the Tackles on islands and he knew what Cleveland had on Defense which is why he wanted to coach there this year. Now he has their Defense overconfident and he will beat the Browns this year. Wait and see. Better to surprise the League and get the advantage of being underdogs. Our Defense is already stellar and PFF has been cleared to now start rehab too. Trust BA he always finds a way.