Prospect Watch: S Budda Baker

I think we can all agree that over the last few years the Bucs safety play has been questionable to say the least. It is one position that the team will finally upgrade this off-season as there are good options via free agency and the draft. Now the Bucs safety play was better last year especially in the second half of the season. Keith Tandy stepped up his game and has a good chance to return as a starter in 2017. Teammate Bradley Mcdougald also had a solid season and has a good chance of returning to the team with a new contract. That gives the Bucs two safeties as I think they will let Chris Conte go elsewhere and will look to add new depth at the position.

Like last year with the corner position, I think the Bucs double up on the safety position this year adding one through free agency and the draft. One player that our team here at realbucstalk really likes is Washington Huskies's safety Budda Baker. Baker is a heat sneaking missile on the field as he is constantly all over the field making plays. Baker has good football instincts and seems to always be around the football. Here is a play of Baker showing his physical style and range as a safety.

Budda just didn't want him catching this ball pic.twitter.com/UysWPM7cwT

— realbucstalk (@realbucstalk) February 27, 2017

Baker is a playmaker in the secondary which is something the Bucs could use more of in their secondary. Now lets take a closer look at Baker's strengths and weaknesses as a prospect.

Budda Baker 5'10 192lbs 70 tackles, 9 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 Int, 5 PD

Strengths: Baker has very high football IQ and above average field awareness. He has good instincts and feel for the game as he is rarely out of position and is always near the football. Plays with passion and explodes towards the ball every play. Has the ability to run through receivers to knock the ball loose or force a turnover. He displays good fundamentals and takes smart angles in his tackle pursuit. Shows ability as a blitzer and can make plays coming off the edge. He plays with speed and shows range in coverage and has the ability to close on the ball like a corner. Has flexibility to play in the slot or in center field as a free safety. Baker is a leader as well and has been described as a winner.

Weaknesses: Baker's main weakness is his size as he is only 190lbs and is under 6 feet tall which is not ideal size for safeties in the NFL. Can Baker hold up physically and maintain health throughout his career will be the main question for him. At times can be too aggressive as a tackler and get out of control. Liability going against tight ends in coverage due to lack of size.

Here is a quote from an NFC scout on Baker and what role would suit him best per NFL.com

"I would leave him as a centerfielder and then roll him down over the slot if you needed too. He's too small to cover tight ends, but he's got great instincts in coverage which is why he should shine as a single-high." - NFC area scout

Overall, I think Baker is very similar to Bob Sanders or current NFL safety Earl Thomas and has the football IQ and instincts to overcome his size issues. I believe the Bucs could target Baker as early as 19th overall in the draft and would be an upgrade at the position immediately. With Baker, the Bucs could move either Tandy or Mcdougald to strong safety allowing Baker to play free safety where he can play sideline to sideline. According to reports, Baker is a outstanding guy off the field and truly loves the game of football and should make an high impact to whatever team he goes to. If the top targets on the offensive side of the ball are gone, Baker could be a top choice for the Bucs at 19.

What?!?! The Bucs Only Have 2 Safeties Under Contract

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt by clicking HERE 

     The Buccaneers safety position has been in the cross hairs of nearly every Buc fan at one time or another these past couple of years. The underwhelming combination of two year starters Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald were a part of a defensive backfield that gave up a NFL league worst 70% completion rate in 2015.

     The addition of corner backs  Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves and new defensive coordinator Mike Smith shaved almost seven points off of that total, but the Bucs are still only middle of the pack in the category.

     Most NFL personnel experts agree, for the Buccaneers to take the next step. An upgrade at the safety position is needed. Luckily, the free agents and 2017 draft class has the players to do just that, and Jason Licht has the cap room to make it happen.

     I'll breakdown who the Bucs have under contract. What possible free agents they could be looking at and what draftees could be catching Jason Licht's eye.

Who The Bucs Have

     It may come as a surprise to Buccaneers fans that their team only has two safeties under contract. A five year roll player and a futures contract guy who has never played a down in the NFL. 

     Kieth Tandy was drafted by the Bucs in 2012 out of the University of West Virginia. Only 7 starts in his first 4 years Tandy's seemed to be destined as a career NFL backup. That all changed when starter Chris Conte went down with an injury in week 12. Taking over the last 5 games Tandy put up Pro Bowl type numbers, with 44 TOT, 7 PDEF and an eye popping 5 INT, including 2 that sealed Buccaneer victories.

     Tandy's late season play defiantly earned him a starting safety spot when training camp opens. Buc fans will just have to wait and see if Tandy was a flash in the pan or can become a long term solution.

     Isaiah Johnson bounced around during his college career. JUCO to the University of Kansas and finally landing with the Gamecocks in South Carolina. Known as a big hitting safety with above average cover skills Johnson could make the 53 man roster because of the lack of safeties under contract.

Free Agents

     The 2016 free agent season saw Buccaneers GM Jason Licht sign key second tier contributors to fill out the roster. I expect much of the same from Licht this year. ACCEPT when it comes to the safety position. Given the depth on the roster, age of the top free agent safeties and amount of cap room the Bucs have. Licht could go all in this year, hoping to shore up one of the two safeties spots for years to come.

     Eric Berry, Age 28 Regarded as the best safety in the NFL. Berry is a 5 time Pro Bowler and a 3 time All Pro. Already the highest paid player at his position Berry as come out and said he will not play the 2018 season under the franchise tag and who can blame him. 

     The franchise tag guarantees a player makes an average of the 5 highest paid players at his position. Since Berry is already the highest paid player essentially he would be taking a pay cut. As of time of posting the Kansas City Chiefs, the team Berry currently is under contract with, only has 4.7 million of cap space to sign free agents and draft choices. 

     Best guess. Berry hits the free agency market but his asking price is more than the Bucs are willing to pay him.

     John Cyprien, Age 27 Has been playing football in the state of Florida his entire life. A Miami area product that suited up for the Panthers of FIU before being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft. A sure tackler with over 100 TOT in each of his first 4 years. Cyprien is a thick bodied and likes to play physical with the wide receivers. If this kid played for a perennial playoff team, he would be a household name.

     Jacksonville has plenty of cap room to sign Cyprien and he should never hit the free agency market, but there have been player grumblings about the scheme DC Todd Walsh runs. Especially from the DB's. 

     Best guess. Cyprien test the free agent market and continues his football career in the state of Florida. Jason Licht makes a hard push for Cyprien and he will have to decide between the Bucs and the Jags.

     Tony Jefferson, Age 25 A 2013 UDFA that signed with the Cardinals and has had the opportunity to learn from some of the best DB's in the game. And it looks like he paid attention. Jefferson is a jack of all trades type of player. Solid tackler, good cover skills, above average blitzer and a knack for causing fumbles. His NFL arrow is pointed straight up and he isn't yet in his prime. Arizona has the money available to pay him but also has to try and resign high priced free agents Chandler Jones and Calais Campbell. 

     Best guess. Jefferson listens to his agent and hears offers from other teams. Someone is going to overpay for this guy thinking that their safety concerns are over for the foreseeable future. This is the guy I see Licht coveting for that very reason. Add in that he is only 25, Jefferson will be seen as a cornerstone type player. Something every team is looking for.

Mike Adams, Safety - Indianapolis Colts

     Mike Adams, Age 36 If Jason Licht misses out on his targeted young free agent safeties, Adams is the type of bridge player he likes. A mentor for the young guys on the team to teach them the right way to go about being a pro. A player like Adams could be instrumental to the development of the safety the Bucs will certainly pick up in the 2017 draft. 

     Adams has been a top NFL safety for many years and the Colts are looking to get younger on defense. I think Adams would jump at the chance to end his playing days with a young competitive team. 

     Best guess. I don't think it comes to this. Licht will make sure he gets a young free agent safety on his roster in 2017. It's not out of the question that Adams ends up with the Bucs as well, given the lack of experience on the team. If the price is right of course.

2017 NFL Draft

     The 2017 NFL draft is stacking up perfectly for the Buccaneers. Every position where the team has a need the draft is deep and the safety position might be the deepest of all. Some sites have as many as 30 safeties with draftable grades. 

     Now knowing this I'm just going to go quickly go through some top players because I firmly believe that one of those players will be drafted by the Buccaneers.

Malik Hooker, Ohio State - 1A best safety in the draft. Will not be available for the Bucs at 19.

Jamal Adams, LSU - 1B best safety in the draft. Will not be available for the Bucs at 19.

Obi Melifonwu, U Conn - His size to speed ratio is the best in the draft. A sub 4.6 40 at the combine cements his day one draftability. 

Jabrill Peppers, Mich - Freakish athlete, to small to play LB not enough reps at safety to be considered a 1st rounder. Total wildcard IMO.

Budda Baker, Wash - Makes plays all over the field, on the smallish side but great instincts. Won't make it out of the 2nd round.

Marcus Maye, UF - Does everything good nothing great. Broken arm cut his season short, could end up being the safety steal of the draft.

Justin Evans, Texas A&M - Better in the box tackler than a cover man. Slated to be a SS by most analyst. 

Marcus Williams, Utah - A turnover machine and will stick his nose in there despite his sub 200 lbs frame. The combine and his Pro Day performance will decide which round he is taken.

Rudy Ford, Auburn - A solid SEC safety. His Senior Bowl week opened some eyes. Watch for his stock to rise after the combine.

Eddie Jackson, Alabama - A liability in the run stop game but outstanding ball hawking skills. Jackson is a gifted punt returner as well.

     Just to be clear Buc fans this is not my Top 10 list. It is a list of 5 players you probably heard of and 5 players you might not.

What I Think Will Happen

     The Buccaneers will add at least two safeties this off season, probably more because there is zero depth as of now. Most will come as UDFA to fill out the training camp roster. 

     If Jason Licht gets his young safety in free agency I see the Bucs not drafting one until the 4th round or later. If he misses on his top targets the Bucs will draft safety early, no later than the 3rd, depending on how the draft breaks.

     Lastly don't rule out the return of Bradley McDougald. His play was very consistent throughout the year and he knows Mike Smith's system.

you can also follow us on Twitter @realbucstalk by clicking HERE  

as always Thanks For Reading and GO BUCS!

Bucs Start 2017 With a Win

The Bucs couldn't afford to go into the offseason with a three game losing streak after losing four straight to end the 2015 season. Well it didn't happen as the Bucs found a way to beat the Panthers by a score of 17 to 16. The Bucs finish the 2016 season with a record of 9-7 giving them their first winning record since 2010. Unfortunately the Bucs just fell short of making the postseason as they finished seventh in the NFC.

This game was not looking good for most of the game as the offense couldn't get anything going as they had two turnovers, two missed field goals, and too many three and outs. The good news is that after the first offensive drive for the Panthers, their offense was just as bad as they had three turnovers and missed three field goals. The Bucs defense was pretty good as they did a good job of containing the run game, and getting consistent pressure on Cam Newton. Standout players for the defense was CB Brent Grimes, S Keith Tandy, and LB Lavonte David.

All three made big plays for this defense at critical times during the game. Grimes came up with the play of the game with a pick 6 to put the Bucs in the lead and also had 4 pass breakups. Tandy was everywhere as he had 12 tackles and two interceptions and has really emerge as one of our better players. As for David, he got two big sacks and was stout against the run all game.

The offense didn't have much success, but Jameis and company made it happen when it counted as the Bucs got a big touchdown from Mike Evans. Koetter was smart to get the offense in the no huddle and let Jameis go play. Jameis was 5-6 for 71yds and 1Td on the drive and here is the game winner by him and Evans below.

The Winston Magic. Eyes downfield as he climbs up the pocket and delivers a strike to Evans for the game wi... https://t.co/xqhXukmUtI

— realbucstalk (@realbucstalk) January 2, 2017

Overall, it was a big win for the team as they go into a huge off-season in which now they will be regarded as a contender for 2017. Expectations are growing and this team is on the rise.

Preparation Has Been The Difference

Usually preparation is key if you want to have success in anything that you do especially for NFL teams. For the Bucs, their success has been because of better preparation in practice and in the film room. Both players and coaches have said it during this streak that everyone has brought in and are putting in the work necessary to get better every day. This is what the great teams do as it all about preparation and what the team does during Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday's practice to ensure they are ready to put it on the field Sunday.

Better preparation can lead to better opportunities and these last 5 weeks the Bucs have taken advantage by forcing turnovers and on offense taking better care of the ball. Players are in position to make plays and it's awesome to see. This comes from working hard in the film room and knowing opposing teams tendencies and anticipating what they will do next. For instance, here is Lavonte David talking about the Keith Tandy interception against the Saints via Buccaneers.com.

“It was a great play by Tandy, man. Great communication on the back end and those guys, they practice it all week. We do a great job throughout the week of talking, so those guys in the back end, they did their talking and they knew what play was coming. Tandy was able to jump in front of the ball and make a great play.”

I can't remember a recent Bucs team knowing what play or plays to look for which tells you this team is trusting their coaches and also putting in the work every day. This is what separates the great teams from the good teams as the great teams usually out prepare the other team allowing them to make one more play than their opponent. Here is more from Keith Tandy talking about the interception via Buccaneers.com.

“It’s a formation we’ve seen on film, and Bradley (McDougald) was just talking to me, ‘I’m coming to you so sit on it.’ We’ve been trying to get our scout team to run the route all week and they couldn’t run it right. You always know in crunch time situations that teams go to one of their favorite plays, and that was one of their favorite plays.”

 That is what is allowing this team to be successful as great preparation can create opportunities to have success. With 5 wins in a row, they are taking advantage of it, and lets hope they can do the same in Dallas on Sunday night football.

Bucs D Leads The Way Again!

The Bucs did it again yesterday as their win streak has reached 5 games and are now 8-5 on the season. The defense was outstanding as they held the high powered Saints offense to 9 points defeating the Saints 16-11 eliminating them from playoff contention. The Bucs offense did just enough as they were smart with the ball having zero turnovers and rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo made all of his kicks. Jameis Winston was a little off with his accuracy in this game but did enough to help the team win. Running back Doug Martin didn't have stellar numbers but ran hard and helped the Bucs controlled the clock limiting the possessions for the Saints offense. Head coach Dirk Koetter blamed himself for the offensive struggles, he says it must get better.

“That’s one of the things that’s crazy on the stats. I felt like we had 215 penalties and I look at it and they had twice as many as we did. I’m not satisfied at all with how we’re playing on offense. We definitely left points out there. We’re going to get a chance to play these guys again in two weeks. I’m sure both New Orleans’ offensive coaches and our offensive coaches are going to be feeling the same way. We’ve got to play better. And both (sets of) defensive coaches are feeling pretty good about the way they played.’’

“The main reason we’re leaving points on the field is the play-caller is not going a good enough job.’’ 

It's all good coach as long as the team wins and the Bucs have won five straight which keeps them tied with Atlanta for the division crown. Let's get back to the main reason for the Bucs streak and that has been the outstanding play of the defense. The unit has been flying around the field making plays all over the field. During this five game streak, they are allowing 12.8 points per game, 298 yards per game, and 2.8 turnovers per game making this unit the number one defense during this stretch. Another great stat is that the defense has only allowed one Td during their last three home games which was the fluke hail mary play by Jay Cutler and the Bears. Winston knows how good this defense can be when they are healthy and they finally are.

“Absolutely. Our defense has been playing amazing. It starts with our leaders on that defense. [Defensive tackles] Clinton McDonald, Gerald McCoy and [linebacker] Lavonte [David] have taken it to a whole new level. [Linebacker] Kwon [Alexander] is stepping up, it’s amazing. When our defense is healthy, you see what they’re all about.’’

Buc ball is back and the defense is getting better every week and it's really fun to watch the unit play. Huge game this Sunday against the 11-2 Cowboys as they have a great O-line and really play great team ball. Bucs will need to bring their "A" game and I believe they will. Let's keep this streak going!

Bucs Bring Back Saftey Keith Tandy

The Bucs re-signed saftey Keith Tandy today to a multi year deal per Greg Auman. The Bucs drafted Keith Tandy in the 6th round of the 2012 draft. Tandy has become a solid player for the Bucs as he is consistent and is usually around the ball. He is a special teams standout, can play nickel in a pinch, and does well as the third safety. This is good for the depth of the safety position as Tandy brings solid play to the back end. Jenna Laine thinks its a great move saying Tandy is just a smart player.

.@kytandy a 6th round pick, survived 3 head coaches, 2 GMs, learned both safety positions, nickel and STs. Smart player. #ThatsHowYouStick

— JennaLaineBucs (@JennaLaineBucs) March 9, 2016

This is a good start for the Bucs as its smart to keep your own guys if they are worthy, and Tandy fits that bill. Look for the Bucs to bring back their other free agent safeties in Chris Conte and Bradley Mcdougald as well.