“He Just Finds His Own Weaknesses And Covers Them Up”
August 1st, 2023
Right tackle turned left tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Inside the Tristan Wirfs transformation to left tackle is a player with a history of adapting to change.
Primarily a right tackle in college, Wirfs played his share of left tackle at the University of Iowa, where he was teammates with Bucs edge rusher Anthony Nelson.
Nelson got a look at his good friend Wirfs in pads as a Bucs left tackle for the first time yesterday and said he liked what he saw. He also told WDAE radio that Wirfs felt the change from a full spring and summer of underwear football but that it wasn’t severe.
“He said that, you know, it was a little different than OTAs and stuff, but I think he feels it’s pretty ironed out by this point,” Nelson said of Wirfs.
“I’m sure things will pop up. He’s always been able to adapt. That’s one thing that’s made him so good. He just finds his own weaknesses and covers them up, and improves that skill and then he just keeps moving on. So he’s been able to adapt and right [tackle] and I don’t see that happening any differently at left.”
Joe has no worries about Wirfs at left tackle. However, Wirfs set such an incredibly high bar at right tackle, that he must be more than just a pretty good left tackle to have this position change make sense for the Bucs.
Joe agrees with Nelson that “things will pop up.” They’ll come in the form of seasoned edge rushers in the preseason hammering away mercilessly while Wirfs adjusts.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:22 am
Now it is time for Wirfs to be known as the best TACKLE in the NFL. Regardless of which side that you are talking about
August 1st, 2023 at 11:30 am
Let him work with Shaq. Adjust to different initial lateral movement. Repetition. Talent. Strength. He will be the most wealthy OL in pro football history.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:35 am
Wirfs was an elite wrestler, wrestling prepares you to defend both directions. No concern about his ability to play the left side.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:36 am
Wirfs is a guy that is easy to root for. I hope he is a Captain this year.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:49 am
Tristan Wirfs is the very last player on this team that I’d be worried about. He’s going to dominate at LT I believe.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:52 am
Not worried about the left side, but the right is what I am concerned with. Wirfs may not have to hold his blocks long if the QB is going down because the right side cannot hold up.
August 1st, 2023 at 12:56 pm
@ just saying – Yep, Tristan an elite wrestler who won the State Champion in HS and played for the Iowa, known as one of the best wrestling teams in college.
Needless to say, he has great balance, instinct and change of direction.
August 1st, 2023 at 12:58 pm
BucU … I agree. Wirfs will be fine. Goedeke is the bigger question mark and story.
August 1st, 2023 at 1:18 pm
I just saw something on the internet that surprised me a bit. I knew LT’s made more money than RT’s because of the QB’s blindside, but I didn’t realize how much.
LT’s are now frequently the highest paid players on an NFL team next to the QB.
Wirfs impresses me as a player who likes a challenge so the $$$ probably do not movitate him as much as some others but it’s nice to know that if and when Wirfs manages to learn LT he’ll need a Brinks truck to back up to OBP.
August 1st, 2023 at 1:45 pm
BucU. Amen brother!!
August 1st, 2023 at 1:49 pm
JBF don’t have to even make articles about him other than his health. If he’s healthy than it ain’t nothing to talk about when it comes to Wirfs because we know he’s a great player.
August 1st, 2023 at 4:55 pm
If Wirfs is anything short of an all-pro at LT, you just move him back to RT.
In any case it’s not like the Bucs are going to the SB this year, so this is when you’d try something like this out – and if it doesn’t work out, you do like you did with Marpet when they moved him to center, and you just move him back.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:58 pm
I am not going to doubt any 350+ pound man who can stand waist deep in a swimming pool and jump completely out of the water onto the side of the pool.
August 2nd, 2023 at 5:16 am
I love that you got to interview Nelson. He is my kind of guy!
Go Bucs!