The Bucs FO knows how to build a TEAM with draft picks
Licht recently sung the praises of the OFFENSIVE LINE:
"“I’m going to have to give the offensive line a lot of credit here. I think we have one of the better offensive lines,” Licht said. “We have a lot of cornerstone players up there if not a future Hall of Fame player in Tristan [Wirfs] and other Pro Bowl-caliber players."
The O-Line has now changed systems, coaches AND gone from a liability to team leading, according to Licht:
D Smith (2nd round) -- WIRFS (1st round)
Stinnie (UFA) - Bredeson (4th round)
Hainsey (3rd round) - Barton (1st round)
S Mason (4th round) - Mauch (2nd round)
WIRFS -Goedeke (2nd round) - (stepped in when Wirfs moved over)
QUITE A CHANGE
D Smith - out of football (?) even with the Chiefs in desperate need lol
Stinnie is a back up for the Giants
Hainsey, a back up for the Bucs
Mason, a backup now starter (?) for the Texans
Great success draft O-line and even picking up value free agents.
We traded PICKS to move up to get Mauch, Wirfs, Goedeke and even tried to move up to secure Barton.
Thats a lot of DRAFT CAPITAL to improve the line, but it has paid off.
Two first-rounders, two second-rounders, one fourth-rounder...the o-line SHOULD be really good. Great work by FO.
The current Bucs are a little like the Dungy years in reverse. That team was so good on defense because they drafted two guys, Sapp and Brooks, who were best in their position HOFers for years. Now the HOFers are on the other side, except for perhaps LVD but this season he is 35.
It should be pretty obvious that the Bucs are trying to skate through this transition with Bowles carrying the defense with much less talent then the SB years or the offense. Injuries only highlights that reality
Any knowledgeable follower of the NFL (except some GMs) knows the O-line and D-line is where you start when building a team. But obviously easier said than done. On the offensive side, Licht has done a great job of drafting guys who develop into what they hoped they'd develop into. Many on this board have criticized the Goedeke... until they don't anymore. And they criticized the Mauch pick... until they don't anymore. So those picks have panned out and the O-line is jelling into one of the best in the NFL.Two first-rounders, two second-rounders, one fourth-rounder...the o-line SHOULD be really good. Great work by FO.
Defensive line- still in question. No GM hits on all draft picks, but is there a reason that these players haven't come in and done what they were drafted to do? Licht has a long time relationship with a defensive coach. Sure Vea, Kancey and Diaby were good picks, but the recent high D-line picks Hall, Tryon-Shoyinka didn't hit and Braswell is still a big question mark. They haven't clicked into the Bowles system. Is this a matter of just picking guys who don't work out three times? This could be it, and I get that not all picks work out. Or is there some lack of understanding and communication that results in misfires on draft day or the lack of these players developing their potential?
@bucsbits This isn’t true. He drafted Vita Vera, AWJ and Tykee Smith. All have good long term projections at their respective positions.
We have built on both sides of the ball. Need to stay healthy.
I'm talking about the D-line where they have spent high draft picks and gotten mixed results in the last five years. Since they drafted Vea in 2018 it hasn't been great.@bucsbits This isn’t true. He drafted Vita Vera, AWJ and Tykee Smith. All have good long term projections at their respective positions.
We have built on both sides of the ball. Need to stay healthy.
Tryon-Shoyinka: (1st Round 2021) Grade D. He is still on top of the depth chart. Ten solo tackles, two sacks in 13 games. The Bucs declined his option, and he said he's going to prove himself. At least he didn't pull a Devin White. But has he proven that he should get another contract? Don't think so.
Hall: (2nd Round 2022). Grade C. He's also a starter and he's not that bad I guess. But not the impact you want from a 2nd round pick.
Kancey (1st Round 2023): Grade B. He can do what he was drafted to do and be a great complement to Vea if he stays healthy, but he's missed time in both years and whether he can stay healthy is a question mark.
Diaby (3rd Round 2023): Grade B. He doesn't have the sacks, but he has 29 solo tackles.
Braswell (2nd Round 2024): Grade C. Still too early to tell? Sure, but he can't beat out Tryon-Shoyinka, a guy who isn't going to be on the team next year. So just because of that I'll give him an early grade of C.
Here we have a great GM spending premium picks at the behest of a veteran defensive head coach who he is very familiar with. There should be all kinds of successful synergy going on here.
What gives? Is it....
A) Just bad luck. Some picks just don't work out like you want them to, as with any team in the NFL.
B) It's Licht's "blind spot" now that he's solved the running back conundrum. He's not identifying the right guys. Or...
C) Bowles and his coaches are not coaching them or utilizing them in an optimal way.
Do you think JTS & Hall would be better if they played for anyone else?
I don’t.
Too soon to tell on Kancey, Diaby, and especially Braswell…
Personally - I think JTS was a bad pick, and Hall was just a reach…
The others were likely subjects of reaches based on an inability to pick earlier in the draft (because of our success on the field & in the division).
But the inability to bring in any FA’s of similar caliber to replace JPP and Shaq Barrett is what is affecting edge the most. I seem to recall reports last season that Bowles has typically relied on FA’s for the edge position.
It isn’t Bowles scheme that is the problem, it’s that - due to dead cap restrictions - Licht/Bowles correctly decided they could NOT dip into free agency to fill those voids. The lack of edge pressure exposed the even thinner positions of ILB/CB.
This has become a debate ad nauseum. We all know these things are true - but it’s easier to blame Bowles and his scheme.
The reality is that ALL of these positions will still have to be dealt with - with or without - Bowles…so it’s clearly that it’s not the scheme, it’s the lack of talent.
This was all well known & discussed, prior to this season. Many who are now claiming this to be a “bad scheme” issue, were many of the same ones who were fine with not mortgaging the future for one, aging, cheap/ish, quick-fix, free agent (we didn’t have the cap space for more).
We will see how it plays out - these same owners fired Dungy so it’s possible Bowles is on his last legs. I’d like to think we learned from that debacle, but who knows?
We all know there’s no quick fix. We’ll have more space next season, but it won’t be a blank check.
On a more pleasant note: it is very interesting to me that many of us dreamt of having a top 5 offense again. While Brady did give us that briefly -heading into last season it didn’t even look like that would be a possibility for several more years...suddenly here we are!
I certainly understand the feeling that we have a short window to lock this up by firing Bowles & replace him with Coen. I just don't necessarily think the two are mutually exclusive.
It will be interesting to watch how it all plays out!
Bowles blitz scheme is awful this year and it used to be his strength.
I rarely see the opposing team's offensive line fooled.
I do see a ton of delayed blitzes that have exactly zero chance of getting there against soft zone.
We saw this last season. how many sacks came from AWJ last season vs this season?Bowles blitz scheme is awful this year and it used to be his strength.
I rarely see the opposing team's offensive line fooled.
I do see a ton of delayed blitzes that have exactly zero chance of getting there against soft zone.
@bucsbits This isn’t true. He drafted Vita Vera, AWJ and Tykee Smith. All have good long term projections at their respective positions.
We have built on both sides of the ball. Need to stay healthy.
Well, just compare the D-line to the Oline.
I wasnt saying we had zero talent on D. (Smith isgreat but a 4th rounder? 3rd maybe?).
I was saying that the Bucs have SO FAR made a concerted effort on the O-line that doesn't really exist (yet?) on the D-line.
Use Logan Hall as an example, he is the result of the Bucs MOVING BACK, right? we moved back to gain picks and then took him, in part because he is a bit oif tweener, sort of UTILITY guy
Compare that to the O-Line where . .
We traded PICKS to move up to get Mauch, Wirfs, Goedeke and even tried to move up to secure Barton.
Or even look at JTS. He is probably the 4th or 5th pass rushing prospect taken in that draft?
Again, NOT CRITICIZING Licht or the Bucs just describing what appear to be there thought process
