“I Don’t Like The Way It Looks”

October 4th, 2022

Ian Beckles and Ali Marpet.

Perhaps Joe has figured out where a former Bucs starting guard is coming from.

Joe learned long ago to fully understand someone you must look at the road the man has traveled. So let’s briefly look at the path of former Bucs guard and popular local sports radio personality Ian Beckles.

Beckles played for Bill Mallory at Indiana back when the Big Ten was still a ground-and-pound league and folks looked at the forward pass with a wary eye.

So Beckles believes a good football player and a good football team is one that doesn’t rely on finesse but instead overpowers teams with physical brute strength. Good, properly played football is where a team imposes its will on defenses by slamming the ball down a defense’s throat.

Stunts and blitzing are trickery and black magic that cover for lesser football players. Passing too much is only for effete teams that cannot run the ball.

So keep this in mind when Beckles takes the Bucs and specific players to task as Beckles did on his recent podcast “In the Trenches.” Beckles was loaded for bear after the Bucs got slapped around by the Chiefs on Sunday night.

“You know what you hang your hat on? Consistency,” Beckles said. “What do the Bucs do consistently? I don’t think they do anything consistently, personally.”

Beckles referred to the awakened Bucs passing attack as “fluffy yards.” Beckles was outraged the Bucs only ran for three yards.

“At no time did I feel the Buccaneers were going to win that game,” Beckles said. “Never.

“I don’t know the statistic on this but I bet whenever you fumble the opening kickoff and [the recovering] team scores a touchdown, that team wins 95 percent of the time.”

Beckles gave the Bucs’ offensive line a compliment but grumbled about run blocking.

“Believe it or not our offensive line held up pretty well considering how many times Tom Brady threw the ball,” Beckles said. “And we’re pretty good up front pass blocking-wise. I’m still not really sure as far as the run game goes.”

Beckles also harped on the pass rush saying if you stop Shaq Barrett you basically shut it down, and that if an inside linebacker (Devin White) is your second-best pass rusher, “That ain’t good.”

Beckles believes Vita Vea needs to step up.

“And let me tell you something about Vita Vea, OK?” Beckles began. “And I like Vita Vea. But Vita Vea isn’t playing well. He looks lazy.

“There is no electricity in his game. There is no ‘mean’ in his game. I don’t see anything. I don’t see any hunger in his game. I think him not having JPP in there, that’s a big deal.

“Akiem Hicks is supposed to be this guy. Where is Ndamukong Suh? Where is JPP? Where is the leadership? Where is it? I just don’t see it. I don’t.”

Beckles was so upset with the defensive effort Sunday night that even one of his his favorite defenders, Devin White, was not spared a scolding.

“I see Devin White — he’s a great athlete,” Beckles said. “He’s not a great linebacker. He is an amazing athlete. He does not play with discipline. At all. I don’t think he ever has.

“But he is an amazing athlete. Big, strong, fast. The whole nine yards. But instinctively, he’s just not that great. … He does some wonderful stuff. He needs to smarten up a little bit.”

Julio Jones’ talk? That upsets Beckles.

“Julio Jones to me is just a name,” Beckles said. “He’s just a big ol’ name. He played OK in the first game and we haven’t seen him since. Now everybody gets excited about Julio Jones.

“Julio Jones is not Julio Jones anymore. He’s just not. … Julio Jones’ name is going be on the injury report every week. Let’s just get that straight.”

Everything was not Sunshine Skyway material for Beckles, though. He raved about Mike Evans.

“Mike Evans is a bad SOB,” Beckles said. “And for him to be at this point in his career and playing the way he is, and still be the mismatch that he is — Mike Evans is one of the biggest mismatches of the last 10 years in the NFL. Nobody can cover this cat.

“If it is one-on-one in the red zone against Mike Evans, good luck. Don’t you put no scrub out there. Outside of [Marshon] Lattimore, Evans eats up a lot of cats.”

On Kyle Rudolph:

“Kyle Rudolph, who? I barely know who that is. I barely know his number.

On Joe Tryon-Shoyinka:

“Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, I’m calling you out! [The Bucs] brought you here as a pass rusher and they are taking you out in pass-rushing situations. Shame on you!”

On the State of the Bucs after four games:

“I don’t like the way it looks, people.”

All is not lost, Beckles added. The Bucs are 2-2 and Beckles said, “If you would have told me before the season the Bucs would be 3-1 after the first four games I would have laughed at you.”

Beckles made sure to point out to listeners that honest critique is not hate.

“I’m not down on my football team, I’m just being real.”

45 Responses to ““I Don’t Like The Way It Looks””

  1. adam from ny Says:

    beckles is on point about a lot of stuff right there…

    a lot of reasons to be concerned 4 games in…

    but it’s still early…

    the meat & potatoes of the season starts right about now – week 5…

    this next game is a subtle statement game coming up…

    the falcons know hands down they can’t match the bucs in the passing game, so they’ll attempt to run it down our throats – it’s literally their only option to win the game…

    so after sunday’s game if the bucs want to make a statement against a team playing over their heads at this point, you hold them to 60 yards on the ground, and 150 thru the air, and ring up the scoreboard to a number like 34-10…

    blow them out the building without patterson, in a bounce back performance and gtf on track

  2. Defense Rules Says:

    Beckles is correct; all is not lost by any means. Win say 3 of the next 4 games and we’ll be 5-3 at almost the halfway point in the season. SHOULD put us in a decent position to take the NFC South, which is the first real objective. One game at a time.

  3. Mike C Says:

    He didn’t like it at the start of 2020……

  4. Byedon Leftbitch Says:

    We’re one important injury away on defense from that side of the ball playing like the offense, which is frightening.

  5. Bucschamp Says:

    JTS seems to be afraid of contact. Instead of going tru somebody he goes sideways. Got to man up a bit

  6. adam from ny Says:

    jts and scotty miller are two dudes with flailing arms and legs…

    at least that’s what it loos like to me…

    on most plays their arms and legs seem to be flailing around like puppet’s extremities, while not getting much done and being pushed out of plays (jts) or the ability to make a play (scotty)

  7. adam from ny Says:

    at least that’s what it looks like to me*

  8. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    Not signing Suh at this juncture is Ostrich like general managing-Better beat Atlanta Jason Licht or the torches and pitchforks will be visible and coming for you.

  9. FrontFour Says:

    Beckie’s is right – period.

  10. PSL Bob Says:

    Fair and accurate critique.

  11. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    I can’t argue with Beckles……just venting…mostly…

    I disagree on Devin White….he is a great athlete and a great LB…

    The NFL doesn’t award a player of the month award for great athleticism.

    Tom Brady led the league in passing last week…..45 year old Tom Brady

  12. SB~LV Says:

    It’s not talent!
    There is something wrong with the team chemistry and it’s ROTTEN
    Probably starting with the revelations about the team “leader” and NO I am not talking about DW
    Think of it as a skydiver with a fouled parachute…..
    stay tuned

  13. Roc Says:

    The Bucs Lost the TWO defensive players that were the leaders and seem to demand Hard Hitting.

    Suh should be a phone call made today

    Vita needs a Kick in The AZZ
    Come in man REALLY Your the guy picking up lineman and throwing them aside BUT Sunday you were getting pushed around like a buggy at Publix

  14. Roc Says:

    SB you are correct no chemistry

    But can’t have chemistry without a Chemist n the lab.

    He is in the office now

  15. #8 Says:

    Suh.
    Also I didn’t watch any ravens–how did JPP play out of curiosity? Anyone watch?

  16. Bobby M. Says:

    When has special teams NOT been mediocre? This has been an issue since Arians took over and frankly since Licht became GM. The special teams coach blows, Darden is worthless, we’re using our back up RB for returns, the kicker gives away half the field because he can’t get a kick off inbounds….when do we put the spot light on that coach?

  17. Lisa Mez Says:

    Sounds accurate to me !

  18. adam from ny Says:

    the coach is so blaze
    (pronounced blah-zay)

    hope it’s not rubbing off on the team, as they often take on the personality of their coach…

    the team seemed fairly blaze on the field sunday night as well

    BA was more of a rah-rah dude

  19. ModHairKen Says:

    Forget the Hurricane. This is my own private Armageddon.

    I agree with every word Ian Beckles said.

    At no time did I think the Bucs would beat KC after the moronic decision to let the rookie try to return a KO from 3 yards deep.

    Is Bowles trying to appease critics, build confidence or win games? It ain’t door 3.

    If they come out flat against Atlanta and lose, I hope the Glazers fire Arians and take his name off the ROH for recommending this bump on a log by for Head Coach.

    Hey, here’s a great idea: why don’t we waste Brady’s last year????

  20. Defense Rules Says:

    Adam from NY … BA, Bowles, BL and the rest of the coaching staff aren’t the ones on the field who tackle, cover or pass rush. They’re also not the ones who provide leadership on the field. Sorry but placing the blame only on the coaches’ shoulders doesn’t work for me.

    Players get paid mega-bucks to perform their jobs like professionals. But that’s not just our players, it’s the Chiefs players also. Sunday night they were better than we were. Now we get to see if this team can pull itself together from a hard loss and get back on a winning track.

  21. teacherman777 Says:

    How did JPP look in his first game back?

    I cant believe we gifted his job to JTS.

    JTS is not a 3 down OLB at this point. He’s fast. But light.

    We needed JPP and Suh for 1 more year.

    WTF was our front office thinking?

  22. HC Grover Says:

    Suddenly the big Super Bowl Run has become the little division run.

  23. adam from ny Says:

    @defense:

    i glanced over the schedule before and i still see the possibility of 12-5 with a cushy 2 game lead the whole year over the saints — or maybe now the falcons since they’re trying to act as if they’re in this thing…

    but yeah i was just saying coach seems so blaze — so generic in answers (at the podium)…it get’s me sleepy…

    so one would hope he conducts himself different with the team —as BA was all rah-rah and beet red at times…and ready to toss his pacemaker like tommy b tosses tablets

  24. Pewter Power Says:

    I don’t know if anyone is watching but the entire nfc sucks. People think the eagles are the best team but until they play a top team I’m ignoring them. Ian beckles never has anything good to say win or lose

  25. Onetrickpony Says:

    If you think it’s bad now wait till Brady leaves

  26. 1#bucsfan Says:

    No need to get our panties all up in a bunch. I don’t disagree with anything heckles said. Chiefs games was a great test for our defense. I personally believe if our defense brought their A-game we come close to winning but can have turnovers and penalties like we did. This game will show where we can improve and keep moving forward. Go Bucs

  27. CChead Says:

    Licht screwed up by selecting JTS. His is by no means a NFL caliber edge rusher. Yes, he is a great athlete, but that is it. We should put Logan Hall on the egde and JTS can become a special teams player.

  28. Jerry Says:

    This team looks like a fragile paper tiger. Everyone is hurt. No physicality.

  29. Nate Says:

    Wow right on everything!

  30. Proudbucsfan Says:

    We miss JPP & Suh, Jensen too. Are team has no attitude, those were our smash mouth dudes, they are always in a bad mood. We miss them most every Sunday after noon. Lol” I couldn’t stop myself.

  31. Letsbucinggo Says:

    Looks like a lot of busts in free agency this year Hicks, Jones, Rudolph.

  32. unbelievable Says:

    Can’t disagree with any of that.

    Devin White is super overrated. And we have no pass rush when we’re not blitzing. Shaq running his mouth all week was the height of stupidity.

    You wanna know what the Bucs are consistent at? Being inconsistent.

  33. unbelievable Says:

    @Letsbucinggo – yup, it’s almost like only signing free agents who are over 30 and have been washed up / injury prone was a bad idea… gee, who could have predicted that?

  34. Listnfrmafar Says:

    Unbelievable so signing Suh, JPP, Gronk, Brady etc. were bad signings? DR, I know you always take the coaches side, you’re starting to sound a lot like BA and Bowles throwing the players under the bus. What everyone on this site doesn’t realize this is a job. Yes they get paid well but so do others in different professions. Is the Cardiovascular surgeon all jacked up to go into surgery everyday? Screaming Let’s Go!!! down the sideline only works for so long. I have to believe the GB game was a major let down and emotional roller coaster was similar to the Rams PO game. Maybe the players have lost confidence in their coaches, I’m sure they are reading and hearing the same rhetoric we are. That would surely cause a lack of motivation, especially if Brady isn’t feeling them. I remember the last scoring drive in the first half during a timeout, they panned Brady & BL discussing a play and Brady looked at BL shook his head and said no way or something like that. Brady gave him a look like he wanted to say are you f’d up? What he probably told BL was, I’ll take it from here bud.

  35. Capt.Tim Says:

    It all starts with the lines. Look at our 2 SuperBowls.
    Hicks is always hurt. Potential- not production
    Logan Hall is totally overwhelmed. Just a body.
    JPP is a better pass rusher, with one arm, than JTS.
    Our backs cant run, because our line cant block.
    We have a passing offense, only because of the Greatness of Tom Brady.
    His quick release saves us from many sacks, but he is being chased on almost every down.

    On the last year with Brady. Our greatest chance for another SuperBowl, we have replaced All pro vets with Rookies and 1st year players.
    And a bad coach.

    You count on rookies in the NFL- you lose.

  36. Crickett Baker Says:

    Look, guys. Beckles is right and so are most posters but we did score 31 points. That was enough to win a bunch of previous games, but the “touted” defense did not produce. Why? There are a lot of speculations, but the bottom line is that the KC team was (played?) better. I am skeptical that if we played our very best we could have beaten them this time. Period.

  37. fred Says:

    I 100% agree with Ian

  38. JimbobBucfan Says:

    Ian Beckles (like the storm that shared his name) pulls no punches. He is “old school” in that he calls it as he sees it.

    More than one player on Sunday needed someone to light a fire under them. Where is our leadership this year? This goes for coaches as well as players. Football is similar to life in general. From time to we are each challenged to overcome adversity and recent stressful situations.

    Go Bucs!

  39. Sumosam Says:

    JTS runs around in circles on every play. He never gets into the center of the play. He doesn’t want to get involved.

  40. Mike Johnson Says:

    Beckles says the..In your face stuff that many will not or are afraid to say. he keeps it real. he;s spot on about JUlio, Vita, and Joe Tryon. I mean Joe is almost invisible out there. I look for us to come back big against ATL.

  41. Show Me the TDs Says:

    He ain’t lyin.

  42. Doc Says:

    Mr. Beckles, is correct in every aspect that he spoke on. One area he failed to talked about is the running backs. They do not have a back that can pick up blitzing linebackers. I do not know how much more punishment Evans can take in the middle of those zones. The pass in the end zone Brady led Evan into that punishment.

  43. OBVIOUS Says:

    Captain Tim, RIGHT ON! In fact, so many are sniffing the truth. I am holding out hope that indeed the storm and it’s distractions Actually Did cause A Lot of the puke we all just witnessed. BUT.. I GOTTA SAY…. WHAT A BUNCH OF JACKASS moves our GM has made. And I do mean A BUNCH!
    There’s are actually WAY too many to list. I don’t want to invest the time spelling it all out. I and plenty of others were POUNDING THE DRUMS for Licht to WAKE UP long before pre season. NO WAY (for instance) that a CONSTANTLY busted up Hicks AND Vea could in the Wildest Dreams finish the season without being out of play for at least a month between the 2 of them. And THAT was conservative and WISHFUL THINKING! BEGGED and BEGGED, PLEADED and BEGGED some more to bring Suh back.. Number 8 made it a personal QUEST to get somebody, ANYBODY to use their heads! A rookie draft pick with ZERO CRED? ZERO! A D STILL NOTHING AFTER 4 GAMES! JTS with barely ANY playing time last year and NO playing time the year before! His claim to fame was RUNNING OUT OF THE ENTIRE PICTURE! And BTW, HE STILL IS DAMN NEAR INVISIBLE! NO NOTHING!
    And let’s talk about the JOKE of a Offensive Couch we have. WHAT KIND OF A GOOFBALL JUST CAN’T FIGURE OUT THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY WHEN YOUR “CHILDISH” answer to EVERY first down is to run it up the gut? COME ON MAN! Do the Glazers REALLY want the entire BUCS organization to turn into another M.U? No Vets for the Offensive Line Licht?

    You know what, I’m having a hard time stopping myself from being very very upset so I’m going to stop talking about my broken heart. I just can’t believe the nightmare that was predicted and Worse coming true before all of our eyes. In the end, we are were most predicted we would be after the 4 game gauntlet. Some claimed 1 and 3 so I guess in some eyes we’re ahead of the curve.
    I just KNOW in my gut that we could have been At Least 3 and 1 “if only” damn it…

  44. PassingThru Says:

    He’s wrong about the O-Line, but on target elsewhere.

  45. Pewter Warrior 813 Says:

    Is there anything Beckles does like?