Giving Props To An Unsung Player And A Coach
January 22nd, 2022
Spreads love
It’s a good time to be a Bucs fan.
How so? Well, look where the Bucs are. Two wins from a Super Bowl. It’s now late January and Joe hasn’t typed more than once about the draft since last summer. During the Lost Decade, draft talk often began before Halloween.
Those good vibes extend to former Bucs players including those who never played in a playoff game. Like Ian Beckles.
The former guard and current popular local sports radio personality took to his podcast “In the Trenches” to give Bucs players deserved love for winning in the wild card round. But Beckles also took a player to task.
May as well get the ugly over with.
Though he didn’t mention Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians’ whack on backup safety Andrew Adams, Beckles seemed to sympathize with Arians getting irked about dumb moves. That brought Beckles to cornerback Carlton Davis, who Beckles gave props for having an overall good game.
One Davis incident riled Beckles, though.
“You made a couple of fantastic plays,” Beckles began. “You didn’t end the game, alright? Do me a favor: Keep your helmet on. I mean, it seems easy. I played nine years. After he made that play, and I’m watching the game with three or four former NFL players, and he’s reaching for his helmet and I’m going, ‘Don’t take your helmet off!’
“And the second he took his helmet off, I go, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ You didn’t win the game. It was in the third quarter with a lot of time left and you cost your team 15 yards. You lose the game that way. I’m being serious about that. It’s dumb sh!t that makes you lose games sometimes. Seriously.”
Beckles then gave props to a little-mentioned player and a coordinator who may not be with the Bucs in a month.
On Grant Stuard:
“He has done a great job on special teams. He has kind of become our special teams captain. He has been playing pretty darn well.”
On Bryon Leftwich:
“I want to give some love to Byron Leftwich who, there have been times in the past where I questioned his playcalling,” Beckles said. “Didn’t really understand what he was trying to get accomplished. Byron Leftwich now, I see him scheming guys open. I really didn’t see that a lot the last few years. But Byron Leftwich is doing a much better job of playcalling and getting the ball to the right guy.
“If you lose [Antonio Brown], if you lose [Chris] Godwin, if you lose [Leonard] Fournette, if you lose [Ronald Jones], those are all big names at the beginning of the year. So Byron Leftwich has kind of flipped his script and changed and I think he has done a fabulous job of figuring out what different people can do.”
Beckles was overall pleased with the Bucs’ pass defense but wants to see a better pass rush Sunday against the Rams.
Beckles fully expects if Josh Wells starts for Tristan Wirfs at right tackle, that the Rams will somehow, someway, get Aaron Donald to match up on Wells.
Beckles believes the Rams “will sniff out the sacrificial lamb” if Wirfs cannot go, and that is likely Wells. Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will use exotic defensive line stunts where that get Aaron Donald matched up on Wells, Beckles is convinced.
“Donald against Wells?” Beckles said. “Send some help.”
January 22nd, 2022 at 8:09 am
Send help for Wells. Exactly. I’ve never seen an offensive lineman get so much air when he got hammered on his first play last week.
January 22nd, 2022 at 8:44 am
Is there any research comparing plays pre-TB12 with TB12?
January 22nd, 2022 at 8:55 am
I think we may see OJ Howard helping Wells……we are told his blocking is greatly improved…….Most improved?…..a dubious honor.
January 22nd, 2022 at 8:59 am
Wells is not NFL caliber. If he starts, it’s going to be a long day for Brady.
January 22nd, 2022 at 9:29 am
Thanks Ian. Master of the obvious. Surprised Joe bothered to reference your show.
January 22nd, 2022 at 9:36 am
Won’t take an exotic stunt to get Donald on Wells. I don’t see Wells starting tomorrow.
January 22nd, 2022 at 9:41 am
TB12 will take a few hits maybe get sacked a few times but for the most part the Oline will hold up. If they do and our defense playes like last years post season then we win this game. It will be a big test but it’s one I think we will oass
January 22nd, 2022 at 9:44 am
I hope we don’t see many empty backfield sets as even a RB chipping away may give Tom the extra millisecond to do his thing!
January 22nd, 2022 at 10:14 am
so many sad and negative people on here, rams LT is out and wirfs is playing
January 22nd, 2022 at 10:22 am
The ghost,
I agree with your comment..I also wish joe would ban the trolls that constantly bash Bruce Arians,and Tom Brady..if I went on the rams forum and bashed the coaches and players my ass would get booted ..
January 22nd, 2022 at 11:07 am
Not every team has a pro bowl o-line like ours. Other teams with average o-line find ways to get the job done. Smith can handle Miller, double Arnold, or put a lineman in at TE or in the backfield.
January 22nd, 2022 at 11:39 am
I do love watching Stuard, he is always playing like his hair looks – on fire.
Hoping he can actually play for real at LB some day.
January 22nd, 2022 at 11:41 am
Sparky – I hope Arnold is playing instead of Donald LOL!
January 22nd, 2022 at 11:53 am
Play action out of a heavy formation!! Go Bucs!!!
January 22nd, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Keys to the game:
– Score early. We can’t get down to this team early on or their pass rush will tee off on Brady all game and he’ll go into a shell.
– need our run game to be effective to also help neutralize their pass rush. Screen plays, run action, etc also effective.
– Shut down Akers early. Force them to throw and get off balance.
– Defense needs to step the F up. They’re mostly healthy now, as opposed to our ravaged offense.
– no dumb sideline screen passes behind the LOS. The Rams will pick one of those off and return it for a touchdown.