Rapid Reaction Finale: Our season ends

[Rocker]

My understanding of line play is pretty bad compared to most. But I think Rocker nailed it.

I wish someone out there would take the considerable time to listen to everything Ian Beckles says on his show(s) and cut together only his talk about technique. For a guy with negative marks in basically every every measurable physical category, the dude carved out a decent career and has a knack for dumbing it down to easy listening, buts that from an O-line perspective. It'd be a decent primer to have a deeper appreciation for the fantastic short clips Brian Baldinger puts out on Twitter.

[kaimaru]

JTS has a few big issues in his game atm, from my weekend warrior eyes. He can't consistently keep hands off his chest when pass rushing, and he doesn't drop his ass enough when setting the edge. He's getting out techniqued, which negates all of his considerable athletic potential. He's got the frame to add 10-15 and keep that nasty get off he can flash when he doesn't predict and lets instinct/training kick in. I don't think the coaching staff did him any favors as a rook, asking him way too often to take on a role of a more seasoned player regarding zone drops and having to defend flat or curl/seam routes. Him being a non-factor so many snaps is more of a coaching issue than a player issue this past season. IMO.

That may be so. He may also over pursue, but he had 27 QB hurries this year compared to a combined 11 for McLendon and Nunez-Roches. That was my point. Why were they rushing and not JTS?

[Rocker]

JTS has a few big issues in his game atm, from my weekend warrior eyes. He can't consistently keep hands off his chest when pass rushing, and he doesn't drop his ass enough when setting the edge. He's getting out techniqued, which negates all of his considerable athletic potential. He's got the frame to add 10-15 and keep that nasty get off he can flash when he doesn't predict and lets instinct/training kick in. I don't think the coaching staff did him any favors as a rook, asking him way too often to take on a role of a more seasoned player regarding zone drops and having to defend flat or curl/seam routes. Him being a non-factor so many snaps is more of a coaching issue than a player issue this past season. IMO.

That may be so. He may also over pursue, but he had 27 QB hurries this year compared to a combined 11 for McLendon and Nunez-Roches. That was my point. Why were they rushing and not JTS?

I would fucking hope so. Comparing what is asked of those positions, ESPECIALLY in this defense..... I mean...

[Rocker]

That may be so. He may also over pursue, but he had 27 QB hurries this year compared to a combined 11 for McLendon and Nunez-Roches. That was my point. Why were they rushing and not JTS?

I would fucking hope so. Comparing what is asked of those positions, ESPECIALLY in this defense..... I mean...

I completely misread your post and will offer a non-shitty counter-point later, but its my wifes birthday and she just got outta the shower.

[wmgravytrain]

I would fucking hope so. Comparing what is asked of those positions, ESPECIALLY in this defense..... I mean...

I completely misread your post and will offer a non-shitty counter-point later, but its my wifes birthday and she just got outta the shower.

Lol.

Well a Happy Birthday for you as well then.

[kaimaru]

I would fucking hope so. Comparing what is asked of those positions, ESPECIALLY in this defense..... I mean...

I completely misread your post and will offer a non-shitty counter-point later, but its my wifes birthday and she just got outta the shower.

Nice, she is giving you a present as well. Enjoy!

[MJW]

I'm gonna throw this out there, because I want to say it.

Donovan Smith was mediocre for years.

Then we add the most instinctive QB in the league, AND a right tackle who's so dominant, that QB can easily move to his right when Smith pushes rushers wide, which is all he ever does. All of a sudden, Donovan Smith is really good.

That right tackle goes out, Brady can't cheat to the right anymore, Donovan Smith looks like Todd Fucking Steussie.

Weird.

[Doctor]

We've known D Smith is mediocre. This isn't news. But he's been good enough to be a top 10 LT out of sheer lack of talent at the OT position over the last two decades that saw OTs far worst than Smith landing huge deals. The last few drafts have really done a lot of the position and we could have viable options in the next couple of offseasons. No doubt Brady has done a lot of mask weaknesses of teammates, most of all Smith.

I still think kicking Wirfs over is a high possibility. A lot is going to depend on who is around in 2023 and what kind of combination we can field.

[MJW]

We've known D Smith is mediocre. This isn't news. But he's been good enough to be a top 10 LT out of sheer lack of talent at the OT position over the last two decades that saw OTs far worst than Smith landing huge deals. The last few drafts have really done a lot of the position and we could have viable options in the next couple of offseasons. No doubt Brady has done a lot of mask weaknesses of teammates, most of all Smith.

I still think kicking Wirfs over is a high possibility. A lot is going to depend on who is around in 2023 and what kind of combination we can field.

There is a weird subset of Bucs fans who've insisted that Smith is actually really good. I've never understood it. There are even a surprising number of folks who think he should have been a Pro Bowler this year. He does one thing - he uses his size and length (TWSS) to force rushers wide. Combined with Brady's quick release and him being able to cheat to the right because of Wirfs, it's made him look solid. He's not.

Agree with everything you said. Not to put too fine a point on this, but people who are worried about the side change: if Orlando Brown, the prototypical power right tackle, can be dominant on the left side, Wirfs should have absolutely no trouble.

[13F11B]

So, it is Wednesday morning after a painful weekend of football. In those few days I realized that I was disappointed in any year that Tampa went to the playoffs and did not hoist a trophy (1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2007) but this year felt different. At first, I attributed this to my being older combined with the fact that I know playoff teams do not come around often for the Buccaneers. Today, though, I realized that the real issue is most of those other years I felt the team had a core that we could build around. That there was hope for next season to be better. This year I do not feel that way. I understand there is a chance Brady comes back and that Brady is the biggest piece of the puzzle for potential success. However, I understand that all of that is up in the air. All of that will only be true for one more season. Instead of looking at a team that feels like it is on the rise, I am looking at a team that is clawing for life on the edge of a cliff. I do not feel like this is a team with a bright future. This is a team with at best a one-year window that will be very difficult to keep open this offseason. That is why this year is different in a more depressing way.

[Buc2]

So, it is Wednesday morning after a painful weekend of football. In those few days I realized that I was disappointed in any year that Tampa went to the playoffs and did not hoist a trophy (1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2007) but this year felt different. At first, I attributed this to my being older combined with the fact that I know playoff teams do not come around often for the Buccaneers. Today, though, I realized that the real issue is most of those other years I felt the team had a core that we could build around. That there was hope for next season to be better. This year I do not feel that way. I understand there is a chance Brady comes back and that Brady is the biggest piece of the puzzle for potential success. However, I understand that all of that is up in the air. All of that will only be true for one more season. Instead of looking at a team that feels like it is on the rise, I am looking at a team that is clawing for life on the edge of a cliff. I do not feel like this is a team with a bright future. This is a team with at best a one-year window that will be very difficult to keep open this offseason. That is why this year is different in a more depressing way.

tl:dr version (which I share, btw)...

I'm used to fleeting success from the Buccaneers so I'll get over it quickly.