Bucs’ offensive linemen form tight bond, ignite potent attack
Once considered among the Bucs’ greatest weaknesses, the offensive line has instead been the firm backbone of an offensive attack averaging 29 points per game. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By Roy Cummings | Tribune Staff Published: November 28, 2015INDIANAPOLIS — The Buccaneers were wrapping up preparations for their game against the Philadelphia Eagles last Friday afternoon when Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter called a last-minute meeting.There was something he wanted the offensive line to see.It was a tape of approximately 15 plays Koetter thought could have resulted in big gains for running back Doug Martin had the Bucs’ linemen just held their blocks a little longer.That meeting proved to be the foundation for a record-setting rushing day, as Martin gained 235 of the team’s single-game record 283 rushing yards in a 45-17 victory, including a franchise-long run of 84 yards. But the true groundwork actually was laid during dinner at a Tampa-area steakhouse the night before Koetter’s meeting.Call it Linemen’s Night Out, if you wish, but just as some reserve Tuesday’s for prayer group or Wednesday’s for book club, the Bucs’ offensive linemen set aside Thursday nights for food, fun and laughs.“We’ll talk football a little bit, but it’s really not about that,’’ center Joe Hawley said of the weekly gatherings. “It’s about hanging out and getting to know each other outside of the building. And I really can’t stress the importance of that enough, because you can get five of the best offensive linemen in the league and put them together, but if they don’t enjoy being together they’re not going to do anything worthwhile.’’This group of linemen must be enjoying each other’s company, because they have the Tampa Bay offense doing things it has seldom, if ever, done. The Bucs, who finished a season with a top-10 offense only three times in their 39 previous seasons, enter today’s game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium ranked ninth in total offense, including second in rushing.That’s miles from where many thought this offense would be back during the preseason, when most of the hand-wringing over the offense was directly related to the makeup of its offensive line.A unit that was rated 25th worst in the league by Pro Football Focus last year, the Bucs’ line was preparing to go into the season with two returning starters in left guard Logan Mankins and center Evan Smith, both coming off subpar seasons. They also had two rookie starters in left tackle Donovan Smith and right guard Ali Marpet. And its most consistent starter, right tackle Demar Dotson, was sidelined by a knee injury.Not even Koetter, who dealt with an array of line issues during three years in Atlanta before joining the Bucs last offseason, knew for sure what he had in this group. But he and line coach George Warhop obviously figured out a way to get the best out them, because the offensive line is one of the few aspects of this team that has consistently given the Bucs a chance to win.Once considered among the Bucs’ greatest weaknesses, the offensive line has instead been the firm backbone of an offensive attack averaging 29 points per game. Tampa Bay is tied for fifth in the league in average yards gained per play (5.8 and has allowed only 17 sacks, fifth fewest in the league, of rookie quarterback Jameis Winston.“If you look at the tape from last year, you can see there just wasn’t any continuity,’’ Koetter said of the line. “And there were a lot of other factors that just made the line look like it wasn’t as good as it really was. But now you look at them and, first off, they’re playing physical every week. That’s the main thing. And second, they make adjustments very well, whether it’s during the week or through the course of the game.’’The line hasn’t had much choice but to make good adjustments. It has been ravaged by injuries since before the season even started, when Dotson was lost during the preseason opener. Evan Smith was out five weeks with an ankle injury and Marpet missed the past two games with an ankle injury.In each case, though, the Bucs absorbed the blows well.Dotson’s replacement, eight-year veteran Gosder Cherilus, has played so well that Dotson has been relegated to backup duty since returning three weeks ago. And Hawley has played well enough at center the past two months to keep the starter’s job over Evan Smith, who redeemed himself the past two weeks by filling in for the injured Marpet at right guard.“You know, I’ve said a couple times now that we hit the jackpot with our two rookies, but we did pretty well with the two guys that we picked up late in free agency, too,’’ Koetter said of Cherilus and Hawley. “So, we have eight guys in that group there now that we really feel good about. We have depth, and we’re really happy with how these guys have been playing.’’It’s a group that’s happy to be playing together. And not just because a couple of them — Hawley and Cherilus — were on the street looking for work only a couple months ago. Those regular Thursday night get-togethers have made the players more accountable to one another on the field and made their position group arguably the team’s tightest off it.We eat a ton of food, laugh and just have fun together, and that’s so important because we really pull for each other out on the field,’’ Mankins said. “We go into a game now and I know that all those guys have my back, and they know I have theirs. The whole thing just makes meetings more fun, practices more fun and games more fun. We just have a great time and we enjoy doing it.’’Group gatherings of offensive linemen aren’t unusual in the NFL. Hawley said it’s rare, though, that the entire contingent of linemen gets together once a week the way the Bucs do. The fact Tampa is smaller than a lot of other NFL cities and most of the linemen live close to one another allows for the regularity of their gatherings, which drew at least one newcomer in recent weeks.Martin, who ranks second in the NFL in rushing with 941 yards and is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the line’s work this year, started hanging with the linemen on Thursday nights a few weeks back. It’s no coincidence, he said, one of the best games of his career came in the wake of his decision to hang out more regularly with the guys who pave the way.“We have a great bond, a really good chemistry,’’ he said. “Even on the longer runs, I see those guys coming up from behind and helping out, and it feels like my brothers are coming up getting in on the fight right along with me. If one guy gets in a fight, all of a sudden everyone comes in to help you. That’s the type of feeling I have and it’s a good feeling to have.’’[email protected]Twitter: @RCummingsTBO
