Bucs Believe in Their O-Line

Well I think it is pretty safe to say that the Bucs won't be making many changes if at all to the offensive line this off-season. Both Gm Jason Licht and HC Dirk Koetter echoed that today as both said they like their current group and feel they have a good nucleus to work with. Now that doesn't mean they don't need to improve as coach Koetter said they need to get better as a group per Rick Stroud.

Koetter said they're happy with their personnel on the offensive line. But they have to get better.

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) March 1, 2017

 This makes sense as the Bucs have invested heavily into the O-line the past few years by adding key draft pieces in Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Kevin Pamphile, and Caleb Benenoch. Plus the team will get back J.R Sweezy who was signed last off-season and is expected to make an impact this season. The team also has key veterans in Evan Smith and Demar Dotson coming back who both provide depth and starting ability. I think the Bucs will try to bring back C Joe Hawley for the right price as they will try to keep last year's unit intact.

Now let me be clear I do not agree with the Bucs opinion of their O-line as I think we need to upgrade the C and RT positions. I would like the team to bring in players at those positions via free agency or the draft. On the other hand, the Bucs might have the answers already on the roster to upgrade these positions. Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, and Kevin Pamphile should continue to get better as they gain more experience and all three want to be great.

So right there I say you have 3 out of your 5 starters and are looking for two more to step up to the plate. Now some internal options include JR Sweezy, Caleb Benenoch, Ben Gottschalk, Leonard Wester, and newly acquired James Stone. The Bucs are very high on all five and I think Gottschalk and Stone have a chance to be the upgrade at center if the Bucs choose not to resign Joe Hawley. Again the Bucs feel they have a good group and I think the ideal scenario is they can move either Pamphile or Marpet to C and have Sweezy play G, giving you a strong line of Smith, Pamphile, Marpet, Sweezy, and Dotson. It's going to be an interesting off-season for this unit as they are coming off a down season and must improve overall as an unit.

O-Line Gains More Depth

Some Bucs fans believe that Jason Licht and company need to upgrade the offensive line which they might do but don't expect a big overhaul. The Bucs offensive line had their fair share of up and downs as they were a big reason for the 5 game winning streak, but also had a big part in the Bucs last two losses vs the Cowboys and Saints. The unit has a good young nucleus with Ali Marpet, Donovan Smith, Kevin Pamphile, Caleb Benenoch and the return of JR Sweezy.

With Sweezy being cleared to resume football activities that gives the Bucs O-line more depth and versatility. Bucs Gm Jason Licht likes drafting O-lineman that are versatile and have potential to be great which he has done the last three years by drafting Pamphile, Smith, Marpet, and Benenoch. The team has a good coach in George Warhop who does an excellent job of developing the players technique but also to have them cross-trained at multiple positions.

What Jason Licht has done is build quality depth across the unit and it should only get better as the young core gains experience. Plus Licht has already added young talent in center James Stone from the Falcons, and guard Jarvis Harrison who was a former draft pick of the Jets. Add in Leonard Wester who the Bucs are very high on that gives the Bucs depth for the foreseeable future. Hopefully Sweezy can bring the kind of impact that he was signed on for and add more physicality to the unit.

The Bucs have options now to truly play the best five lineman with Sweezy on board along with other pieces that are entering their 2nd and 3rd years. Look for Licht to keep a similar approach when comes to adding lineman through free agency and the draft. I think their main weakness is at center (click on center) which is where Licht could put his focus at if he is going to add a lineman this off-season. Overall, I think the Bucs are going to stay put at O-line as they will try to re-sign Joe Hawley and perhaps use a draft pick on a right tackle or a center prospect. Then they will let the best five rise to the top and roll with it. Again this off-season is all about adding weapons for Winston, so expect the Bucs to do that while to hope that the O-line lives up to their potential. However, if they don't I fully expect the Bucs to address the unit in the 2018 off-season.

Jason Licht Most Important Position Decision This Off Season

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt

     The Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht has a lot of decisions to make this off season in the personnel department. The Bucs are looking for speed and weapons to aid in the development of now 3rd year quarterback Jameis Winston. Upgrades for safety, wide receiver, and running back positions are also in the mix. Not to mention overall depth at tight end, defensive line, and corner back need to be addressed as well. All in all a full plate for Licht and his staff. However, no starting position has more question marks surrounding it as does the Bucs situation at center.

     I'm going to cover what the Buccaneers could do with the players they have on their roster now, possible solutions in free agency and finally options in the 2017 NFL draft. First up, prospective scenario's if Jason Licht decides to stand pat with the players the Bucs have under contract.

What The Bucs Have
     If the Buccaneers ultimately decide to not to bring in a free agent center or pick one up in the draft, they still have plenty of options. Evan Smith, the 2015 opening day starter, Ben Gottschalk, a UDFA that made the team during training camp and saw some playing time at center this season because of injuries and Josh Allen another UDFA that spent most of last year on the Buccaneers practice squad.

     Smith has seven years in the league and can also play guard which makes him a valuable player to have but he's not an NFL caliber starting center. When Smith went down with injury in 2015 the Bucs went and found Joe Hawley who took over and never relinquished the starting job. If all else fails is the only way I think Buc fans see number 62 snapping the ball to Jameis in week one. 

     Gottschalk and Allen stories are almost the same. The Bucs like their upside and are willing to put in the time to develop their particular skill sets but unless they have the training camps of their lives, they are both looking over Smiths shoulder as the Buccaneers starter in 2017. 

     However there is one narrative that is gaining steam in which the Bucs put their best three interior lineman on the field. Only problem is that they are all guards.

     Since the Buccaneers moved back up into the second round in the 2015 draft and selected division three guard Ali Marpet, Buc fans have been speculating that Ali was taken to be the center of the future. Marpet has been seen delivering snaps to various quarterbacks at One Buc since his first OTA's. With the possible return of 2016 free agent signing, guard JR Sweezy and guard Kevin Pamphile playing himself into a starting job, now is the time for the Marpet move. This scenario greatly depends on the return of Sweezy. A back injury kept him out all of last year and has never even played a snap in a Buccaneers practice. If Sweezy can't make it back, it almost forces the Bucs to look at free agency or the draft for their center need.

The Free Agents
     Since Jason Licht fully took over the free agency process players over thirty are no longer off the table. CB Brent Grimes, DL Roberts Ayers, and LB Daryl Smith are all into the second half of their careers and played important roles this year for the Buccaneers. Licht has gone on record as calling these "bridge" players. Veterans that though productive aren't the long term solution. If the Bucs feel that Gottschalk or Allen is the future there are a couple of older free agent centers that can come in as a "bridge" to either one. 

     Joe Hawley:  It became apparent during the second half of the season that the Bucs need an upgrade at center. Hawley was constantly losing his 1 on 1 battles and was tossed around most of the season. Love the beard, not the player. Having said that, Licht is familiar with Hawley and he knows the system. I'd be surprised to see Joe back in pewter but not shocked.

     A.Q. Shipley:  A five year veteran that is possibly looking for his fourth team. Spending his last two seasons in Arizona, Shipley started all sixteen games for the Cards in 2016. With the recent super stardom of RB David Johnson teams are going to take a look at the players who helped him get there. Add the fact that Arizona runs a deep route passing game similar to the Buccaneers, Shipley could be good fit.

     There is one young center that could start in the middle of the Bucs line for years to come, if Licht decides to go with youth in free agency.

     J.C. Tretter:  Spending all four years of his career in Green Bay, Tretter slowly moved up the depth chart until he won the starting job in 2016. Seven games in he suffered a scary knee injury against Atlanta. December 9th the Packers announced that Tretter had returned to practice in a limited role. Now it has been released that J.C. underwent knee surgery January 17th. If Tretter can prove to Licht and his staff that he is healthy and the Bucs are looking for a long term answer J.C. Tretter could be their guy.

The Draft
     The 2017 NFL draft is a terrible draft if your team needs starting offensive linemen. The player that has the best chance to be a week one starter at the center position is Ethan Pocic, LSU. Pocic is a good run and pass blocker but isn't excellent at either. Projected by most mock drafts to go in between round one to round three. If Pocic is available to the Buccaneers near the bottom of the third round, the temptation to possibly shore up the center position for the next four years might be to great for Jason Licht to pass up. 

What I Think Will Happen*

     It all depends on J.R. Sweezy. If Sweezy can return to his 2015 playing ability I think the Bucs keep Sweezy at right guard, where he played in Seattle, move Ali Marpet to center and keep Kevin Pamphile in the left guard spot. I also think this new interior trio will be given every chance to succeed. 

     If Sweezy's back isn't healthy enough at the beginning of training camp, look for Licht to bring in a "bridge" center and the Pamphile, Marpet and Sweezy interior will have to wait. Maybe as long as 2018.

     *Right before posting the Buccaneers announced another center signing, James Stone. Further proof that it is a position weighing on Jason Licht mind. That makes four centers on the Bucs roster, Licht is leaving no stone unturned. 

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Thanks for reading and as always Go Bucs!     

   
                
     

     

     

     

   

Kevin Pamphile's Opportunity Has Arrived

Going into the off-season, the Bucs knew they were going to have to replace LG Logan Mankins who decided to retire after the 2015 season. Lucky enough the team had Kevin Pamphile waiting in the wings who really took a step forward last year and became one of the more dependable lineman on the team. However, Bucs Gm Jason Licht wanted to bring in a veteran to replace Mankins so the Bucs decided to bring in J.R Sweezy from Seattle to be the starter at LG.

Well so far Sweezy has struggled with a back injury and looks like he will miss the first part of the regular season. This is a great opportunity for Pamphile to shine and show the team that the LG position is his for the foreseeable future. Pamphile is a hard worker and has the right attitude as he just wants to help this team win. Pamphile has come a long way since 2014 being drafted in the 5th round out of Purdue as a left tackle and is now capable of playing all 5 line positions. This situation is similar to when the Bucs brought in Luke Petitgout in 07 but got hurt in which Donald Penn stepped in and was the Bucs left tackle for the next 6 years.

Pamphile has that kind of opportunity and needs to take advantage of it by playing to his full potential. He has all the tools needed as he is athletic, strong, solid technique, and is a smart player. Now just has to put it all together and the good news he has shown it before as he was outstanding in that Jaguars game in which he started in. Here is his athleticism on display in which he opens up a big hole on a screen to C.Sims.

We should find out soon enough if Pamphile is up for the challenge, I say he is based on his makeup but he has to go out and prove it. Time to put up or shut up for Mr. Pamphile.

Seahawks Wanted Sweezy Back

One of the Bucs big acquisitions this off-season was guard J.R Sweezy, who is expected to be the starter at the left guard position. Sweezy had a lot of suitors after his services as much as ten teams and for him to pick the Bucs says he really wants to be here. According to Anthony Becht, Sweezy's former team in the Seattle Seahawks had very high regard for him and tried very hard to re-sign Sweezy to bring him back. (click here to see video)

Becht went on to say that Sweezy is everything the Bucs want in their offensive lineman, which is strong at point of attack, athletic feet, and able to finish. Sweezy who is only 26 is going into the prime years of his career, and should bring some power to the Bucs running game which should be stronger in 2016. Sweezy and Ali Marpet should form one of the top guard duo's in the league which is only good news for the Buccaneers.

Bucs Free Agent Signings Have Winning Past

The great Vince Lombardi used to say that "winning is habit, but unfortunately so is losing", and the Bucs have made losing a habit since 2007 which is their last playoff appearance. Bucs Gm Jason Licht is trying to change the culture and build a winning organization. That started last year by getting franchise Qb in Jameis Winston, who has stated before that in 2016, the team is going to create a winning mindset. So far this off season, it looks like Jason Licht wants to accelerate that winning mindset by bringing in free agents who can not only play at a high level, but have a history of winning and playoff experience.

The Bucs have signed J.R Sweezy, Brent Grimes, Robert Ayers, Josh Robinson, and Daryl Smith whom all have been apart of winning organizations, and have won in the playoffs. Sweezy and Ayers have played in the Super Bowl which was in 2013 as they went against each other with their former teams in Seattle and Denver respectively. This free agent group is very talented with winning experience which will hopefully rub off on this roster, and can help this team learn how to win and finish games. The Bucs have a high quality veteran at every level of the defense as Ayers,(defensiveline), Smith(linebackers), and Grimes (cornerbacks). This is key as young guys like Jacqueis Smith, Kwon Alexander, and Johnthan Banks can learn from them and become better players as a result.

Jason Licht knows this team needs to start winning as 8-24 over the last two years are just unacceptable. It looks like Winston's end of the year press conference hit home with Licht, as it is time to create a winning mindset because this team has had a losing one for too long. With now having key quality veterans in place on defense, hopefully they can help Jameis instilled a winning culture into the rest of the team.

Bucs Rushing Attack Will Be Strong Again in 2016

The Bucs had the 5th best rushing attack in 2015, with 135.1 yds per game and helped the offense earn a top ten ranking. Led by the best 1-2 RB duo in Doug Martin and Charles Sims, the team rushed for over 2000 yds and 4.8 avg per rush. Doug Martin had a big year with over 1400 yds rushing, while Sims was great as the change of pace back with over 500 yds rushing and receiving. The running game was a strength for the team, and some could say that it wasn't utilized enough during the season at times. Well so far this off-season, it looks like the Bucs and new head coach Dirk Koetter want to make the running attack even stronger.

Bucs went out and resigned star running back Doug Martin,which was the number one priority as it keeps continuity for the offense, and helps with the growth of franchise QB Jameis Winston. Shortly after signing Martin back, the Bucs decided to add to their offensive line by adding guard J.R Sweezy, who is mauler and will bring a nastiness that will help the team in the trenches. These two moves suggest the Bucs want to be more of a power run team to go along with big play ability in the passing game with Jameis at QB. However, the Bucs might not be done adding to the offensive line as they might be targeting a former Bengal. According to Darren Wolfson, the Bucs have interest in big boy right tackle Andre Smith.

Told the Bucs are another team interested in OL Andre Smith. #Vikings

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) March 10, 2016

If the Bucs add Smith, that would give them a stout run blocking line with Donovan Smith, J.R Sweezy, Ali Marpet, and Andre Smith. Those four are maulers and love to run block, I could see Martin easily put up over 1500 yds behind that line. Either way, it looks like the Bucs are looking to model their team after the Seattle Seahawks which isn't a bad team to be like right now.

Chris Long Has Respect For Sweezy

Shortly after the Bucs signed guard J.R Sweezy, there were a lot of negative reactions from fans and overreactions after pro football focus said he was the 9th worst guard in the league last year. Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht defended Sweezy and even went on to say its a upgrade for the Bucs.

No disrespect to them... The #Bucs upgraded the position today https://t.co/Iw2weDVVjC

— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) March 9, 2016

The conversation even drew the attention of former Rams defensive end Chris Long, who has gone against Sweezy mulitple times, and had nothing but positives things about the signing.

@Anthony_Becht @PFF I think he's pretty good

— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) March 10, 2016

This shows the Bucs are doing their homework, even though some fans are upset just because the team hasn't signed every free agent available. Chris Long even went on to say Sweezy is the enforcer type and should do very well here for the Bucs. Speaking of Chris Long, whom is one of realbucstalk Dline targets would be a very good fit for this team and could provide some pass rush. Anthony Becht seemed to agree as he intently mention how nice it is here in Tampa.

.@JOEL9ONE by way buddy weathers awfully nice down here😜

— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) March 10, 2016

This is just day one of free agency, and the fun is only getting started here at realbucstalk. Stay tuned!

Bucs Sign Guard J.R. Sweezy

The Bucs have signed former Seahawks guard J.R. Sweezy today per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Sweezy is a solid signing who will bring toughness and grit to the run game, and above average athletic ability for a guard. I think he will provide good depth and has starting experience, will battle Pamphile for the starting left guard position. Anthony Becht thinks adding Sweezy is an upgrade for the Bucs.

I like it👊🏻 #Bucs https://t.co/30L1b4tOb4

— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) March 9, 2016

Becht went on to say he is better than Logan Mankins, I'm not so sure on that one but I respect his opinion. I think its a solid move for the Bucs, and provides more depth for a group that had already a pretty good core.

Bucs Showing Interest in Former Seahawks Guard.

With the news of starting left guard Logan Mankins retiring, the Bucs are looking for an potential replacement or at least competition for the likely new left guard in Kevin Pamphile. Even though Pamphile did great in his one start against the Jaguars last year, Pamphile is still inexperience and shouldnt just be handed the job. Today per Rand Getlin of NFL Network said the Bucs are one of the many teams showing interest in Seattle guard J.R Sweezy.

For OG J.R. Sweezy, teams who've expressed interest: #Bucs, #Falcons, #Lions, #Dolphins, #Saints, #49ers, #Jags, #Bears, #Jets, others.

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 7, 2016

Sweezy is a big athletic guard showing the ability to move in space and pick up blocks down field. He has been a consistent starter for the Seahawks as he has started at least 15 games the past three years. At 6'5 298 and only 26, I think Sweezy could be a good value signing for the Bucs and would provide starting ability and good depth. However I wouldn't overpay for him since the seahawks offensive line has struggled and Sweezy is a decent lineman but nothing special.