TBC Mailbag: Who will disappoint in 2014? by Gil Arcia March 27, 2014
TheBayCave.com is taking questions from its readers and social media followers. TBC will publish these question and answer sessions weekly — whether it’s on the Bucs, NFL, or whatever piques their interest.In this weekly installment of TBC Mailbag, Senior Writer Gil Arcia answered a couple questions that came through via Twitter this week.
For starters, nice recovery on the hashtag! On to your question, It’s hard to say around this time — without an idea on the final roster — who can impress or disappoint this season, especially with a new philosophy that hasn’t even seen any minicamps or workouts yet. But let’s address who may disappoint.Disappointing for 2014: Michael Koenen - Bear with me here. Koenen is set to make over $3 million this season (as well as through the remainder of his contract) and while that may not be a lot compared to the cap, it is for the position. His salary is one of the top ones in the league for punters. But it’s not because of his salary that he will disappoint, but his performance has been inconsistent, causing the disappointment matched with his salary. Now he does handle the kickoffs too, which managed one of the top figures in the league in touchbacks. The problem is from his punting and as seen a decline in performance. There were countless times throughout the season where punts were botched or there was no hang time on them resulting in good field position for opponents. Koenen struggled with much of the same in 2012 and rolled over into last. I fear the same in 2014.
I feel, as of now, that the Bucs are still in building mode as far as the offense is concerned. I like the concept that offensive coordinator may be implementing. At the owners meeting, Lovie Smith talked about getting Doug Martin back, mentioned how Jeff Demps may fit, and how they will emphasize three wide receivers. That all goes with Tedford’s “speed in space” philosophy. I think the move of signing Josh McCown was needed. He may not be the answer but when it all plays out, he may prove to be the right man for the job for the moment. And hypothetically speaking, if they draft a receiver to compliment Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams (if he’s around), that could be a nice three receiver set. They just need to sure up the offensive line a bit more.
Your guess is as good as mine. I received word the first week of free agency he was close to signing. My guess would have been the Oakland Raiders but they now have Matt Schaub so that theory is thrown out the window. My understanding is that he wants to start and get paid “good” starter’s money. Not many options available for him at this point.If you would like your questions answered for next week’s installment of TBC Mailbag, email them to AskTheCave@thebaycave.com. No question is off limits but not all will get answered. Thanks to all who submitted and wanted to participate in this installment of the TBC Mailbag from TheBayCave.com!Follow Gil on Twitter: @GilArciaTBC
