Bucs T Justin Skule.

One reason the Bucs’ offensive line last year crumbled, Joe is convinced, was that former backup tackle Justin Skule bolted to Minnesota, where he was a starter (for nine games) for the Vikings.

Joe cannot begrudge a guy for wanting to start. It means more cash, clearly.

But in the process of losing Skule, not only did the Bucs lose a quality backup tackle (he got a lot better after being thrown to the wolves in Detroit against Aidan Hutchinson), the Bucs may have also lost a quality, unpaid offensive line coach.

Last year Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs went on offensive line enthusiast Brandon Thorn’s podcast. There, Wirfs explained he turned the corner in 2023, his first year at left tackle, thanks largely to Skule who was coaching Wirfs up on the sidelines.

Wirfs specifically noted how Skule talked Wirfs into using a left-handed punch to initiate contact to keep defensive ends away from Baker Mayfield. Wirfs said that advice was perfect and he had no problems playing left tackle after he got used to throwing a left-handed punch.

And Joe remembered talking to Wirfs about how Skule helped him and Luke Goedeke. Basically, Wirfs said, depending which way the Bucs were facing, Skule would closely monitor the swordfighting of the tackle who was closest to the Bucs’ sideline and the opponent’s defensive end/outside linebacker.

When Wirfs or Goedeke would return to the Bucs bench after the possession, Skule was there to give a Bucs’ tackle a breakdown of what he saw, what the defensive end was using or trying to use, and maybe offer tips what Wirfs/Goedeke could use to counter that.

Wirfs told Joe of how Skule was giving Wirfs breakdowns of how many steps he could take back to avoid Mayfield who may or may not be scrambling or moving in the pocket on a particular play.

Wirfs said knowing how many steps he had to work with allowed him to know when to plant and lock up a defender. As Wirfs joked to Joe, Skule was his eyes in the back of his head.

This may sound overly simplistic, but in football, the smallest of edges often add up to big things. Wirfs told Joe that no one ordered Skule to do this; Skule just thought he was being a good teammate. And both Wirfs and Goedeke very much appreciated the help Skule offered.

So when Joe heard yesterday the Bucs re-signed Skule, Joe liked it because not only did the Bucs get a good depth piece, but they also added a free assistant line coach.