Egbuka is more than good value as it is great value.
No team has an opportunity to fix everything in a single season.I just know our LB core is atrocious...
Yeah, but we drafted a WR with "good value."
If you know you can’t fix it all, you can commit to an alternate plan: focus on building your strength’s - that is what this team has done. Especially when you remember that there was a big price that had to be paid for going all-in for a Super Bowl, cap limitations took away free agency’s ability to strengthen one side of the ball. Baker leveraged the strength of the offense.
Licht could have blown it up and focused on a QB in the draft (ie, as our 50!year history proves, not all the 1st round shiny college QB’s are all they’re cracked up to be)…but he did not. He found a QB that could keep us competitive - so Licht took the draft resources last season and primarily focused on bolstering the offense.
This year was a weak draft where many teams felt 2nd round talent was getting pushed up as 1st round options (especially at edge). Successful teams focus on value because - when in doubt - take the value in the round.
Again, just because you think we needed ILB & edge in the first round - it doesn’t mean the options were graded by NFL teams as being 1st round talent.
Need shouldn’t & thankfully doesn’t drive decisions in smart, well-run, successful, franchises.
We strengthened starting CB’s in the draft, added a much better free agent Edge, and then layered depth at critical positions.
You can be successful by making your strengths, stronger (arguably, it is THE way to become & maintain success). All successful teams do this, I think it seems strange to most Buc fans because we haven’t seen a slow progression in building a championship level team, often.
This draft showed me that the Buccaneer FO believes they are continuing to build a team that can challenge in the post-season. I believe they are correct. I have zero problem with the Egbuka pick - I was surprised it wasn’t Matthew Golden - but the pick of Egbuka was a piece that filled a strategy they’re going after.
Maybe the strength of NFL defenses is to take away the quick-strike/deep threat. Maybe that is the reason for the WR room with short/medium, quick-pass, YAK producers that can achieve chunk yardage in a way that takes advantage of weakness most NFL teams struggle to stop?
I think it could work well - but as we saw - that means you’re going need a lot of a specific type of WR’s on your roster.
I for one, am looking forward to seeing if we can make it work!
No team has an opportunity to fix everything in a single season.I just know our LB core is atrocious...
Yeah, but we drafted a WR with "good value."
let me tell you a story about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
needed a QB, signed the GOAT
needed an elite TE, traded for Gronkowski
needed an RB, signed Lombardi Lenny
needed a WR, signed Antonio Brown
needed offensive line help, drafted future hall of famer Tristian Wirfs
needed a safety, drafted AWJ
i dont think you could have scripted a better offseason and look at that...resulted with a Super Bowl
No team has an opportunity to fix everything in a single season.I just know our LB core is atrocious...
Yeah, but we drafted a WR with "good value."
let me tell you a story about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
needed a QB, signed the GOAT
needed an elite TE, traded for Gronkowski
needed an RB, signed Lombardi Lenny
needed a WR, signed Antonio Brown
needed offensive line help, drafted future hall of famer Tristian Wirfs
needed a safety, drafted AWJ
i dont think you could have scripted a better offseason and look at that...resulted with a Super Bowl
Not exactly a BPA year
Yep, and we ratcheted up the culture of the organization… and years worth of cap/cash management were the cost.No team has an opportunity to fix everything in a single season.I just know our LB core is atrocious...
Yeah, but we drafted a WR with "good value."
let me tell you a story about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
needed a QB, signed the GOAT
needed an elite TE, traded for Gronkowski
needed an RB, signed Lombardi Lenny
needed a WR, signed Antonio Brown
needed offensive line help, drafted future hall of famer Tristian Wirfs
needed a safety, drafted AWJ
i dont think you could have scripted a better offseason and look at that...resulted with a Super Bowl
We seem to be taking a more measured approach this time… but it does seem that FA’s (and draft picks) still want to come to Tampa. Do they think it’s different here now, too?
My money is on the “yes” response. Some see how we treat our players (ie the entire organization wanted Mike Evans to get that 1,000 yard bonus last season).
The Brady investment period is still paying dividends - but they’re well beyond that period - yet still operating at a high enough level that it’s captured the attention of league talent.
let me tell you a story about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
needed a QB, signed the GOAT
needed an elite TE, traded for Gronkowski
needed an RB, signed Lombardi Lenny
needed a WR, signed Antonio Brown
needed offensive line help, drafted future hall of famer Tristian Wirfs
needed a safety, drafted AWJ
i dont think you could have scripted a better offseason and look at that...resulted with a Super Bowl
Yes, that was a great offseason where they filled needs through FA and drafted BPA in the draft, with Wirfs being #7 (drafted 13th) and Winfield being 44th (drafted 45th) on the Consensus Big Board. No reaches on those guys.
That seemed like a pretty deep draft class - think there were 4 LOT’s that year.let me tell you a story about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
needed a QB, signed the GOAT
needed an elite TE, traded for Gronkowski
needed an RB, signed Lombardi Lenny
needed a WR, signed Antonio Brown
needed offensive line help, drafted future hall of famer Tristian Wirfs
needed a safety, drafted AWJ
i dont think you could have scripted a better offseason and look at that...resulted with a Super Bowl
Yes, that was a great offseason where they filled needs through FA and drafted BPA in the draft, with Wirfs being #7 (drafted 13th) and Winfield being 44th (drafted 45th) on the Consensus Big Board. No reaches on those guys.
Not all drafts are the same.
let me tell you a story about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
needed a QB, signed the GOAT
needed an elite TE, traded for Gronkowski
needed an RB, signed Lombardi Lenny
needed a WR, signed Antonio Brown
needed offensive line help, drafted future hall of famer Tristian Wirfs
needed a safety, drafted AWJ
i dont think you could have scripted a better offseason and look at that...resulted with a Super Bowl
Yes, that was a great offseason where they filled needs through FA and drafted BPA in the draft, with Wirfs being #7 (drafted 13th) and Winfield being 44th (drafted 45th) on the Consensus Big Board. No reaches on those guys.
Sometimes players fall in your lap and sometimes they don't.
I agree Egbuka was a slight reach based on projections but I still love the pick and will die on that hill.
I wanted Tet McMillan obviously but he's a solid consolation prize and could prove to have a better career if Tet has a poor attitude.
Sometimes players fall in your lap and sometimes they don't.
Agreed. That’s why you have to take advantage of it when it happens. Barron was that guy this draft, but they went Egbuka. We’ll see if they or the pundits were right.
Wirfs was a need pick so was Vernon Hargreaves. Both guys played in the #1 need position for the Bucs when they were drafted. Both guys were the 3rd or 4th guy drafted in the first round/at their position.
The difference OF COURSE is that Wirfs was actually also the best. The Bucs were fortunate he was still there. Some times it works sometimes it does not. As Bill Polian said, great picks are the intersection of talent and need. Wirs should be a HOFer. Freaking amazing.
Perhaps Polian's most talked about BPA pick was Reggie Wayne. Drafted when everyone was sure the Colts would go defense. Wayne did okay by the Colts :-) Maybe the Bucs have also done well drafting a WR during a draft when everyone though defense.
That’s why you have to take advantage of it when it happens. Barron was that guy this draft, but they went Egbuka. We’ll see if they or the pundits were right.
Agreed.
Don’t hate the pick by any means and get the logic behind it.
But, wasn’t BPA in my opinion. And one of those opportunities where BPA and need intersected.
Sometimes players fall in your lap and sometimes they don't.
Agreed. That’s why you have to take advantage of it when it happens. Barron was that guy this draft, but they went Egbuka. We’ll see if they or the pundits were right.
Yeah could be they end up both being good. Def would not have been mad if they took Barron.