We gotta talk about the Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been trying to escape being perennially one of the worst teams in the league for years now. So far, they haven't been unsuccessful. Since 2011, they have never sported a winning season and have a combined 23-49 record. Many coaches have come and gotten fired over that span, including Lovie Smith, who was canned after the 2015 season for pretty inexplicable reasons since he squeezed out a modest 6-10 record with a young and inexperienced team lead by a rookie quarterback.
Speaking of the QB, Jameis Winston had a very impressive rookie year, throwing for 22 touchdowns and 4,042 passing yards on a team with no credible receiving options beside twin towers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson. Also, his offensive line was pretty atrocious. However, Winston showed poise in the pocket; he also wasn't afraid to chuck balls that had a good chance of being intercepted, but also a good chance of making a big play. At only 21-years-old, Winston showed off his ability to be next in the line of dual-threat QB's who can beat a team equally with their feet and arm. Getting a stud like him on board after the nightmare 2014 Mike Glennon season has been a blessing.
Drafting Winston first in 2015 was one of many solid picks made by GM Jason Licht. He snagged Evans in 2014, as well as sturdy guard Ali Marpet in round 2 last year and rangy linebacker Kwon Alexander in the fourth round. He seems to have added two more defensive impact players this year in cornerback Vernon Haragaves and defensive end Noah Spence.
Now comes the bad part, and I'm sure you all knew where this was heading.
Licht drafted a kicker in the 2nd round. The 2nd round! To add insult to injury, he actually traded up, shipping off 3rd and 4th round picks for the right to draft Robert Aguayo. No matter if that kicker is Adam Vinateri, never pick kickers earlier than the 6th round, simple because no matter how great they may be, the rules simply prevent them from making enough of an impact. Depending on the game, kickers maybe kick the ball meaningfully around three times a game. The position is simply not valuable enough.
Poor Aguayo did not put this upon himself. Now burdened with unrealistic expectations and a national spotlight focusing on his three misses out of nine kicks has put the kid in an unfair position. Sadly, he will just have to learn to deal with it.
Even though it's preseason, Licht has to be under the owner's scrutiny after spending such a high pick on Aguayo. If the team has another down year, he may lose his job. Let this serve as a warning never to draft kickers so early.
Speaking of the QB, Jameis Winston had a very impressive rookie year, throwing for 22 touchdowns and 4,042 passing yards on a team with no credible receiving options beside twin towers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson. Also, his offensive line was pretty atrocious. However, Winston showed poise in the pocket; he also wasn't afraid to chuck balls that had a good chance of being intercepted, but also a good chance of making a big play. At only 21-years-old, Winston showed off his ability to be next in the line of dual-threat QB's who can beat a team equally with their feet and arm. Getting a stud like him on board after the nightmare 2014 Mike Glennon season has been a blessing.
Drafting Winston first in 2015 was one of many solid picks made by GM Jason Licht. He snagged Evans in 2014, as well as sturdy guard Ali Marpet in round 2 last year and rangy linebacker Kwon Alexander in the fourth round. He seems to have added two more defensive impact players this year in cornerback Vernon Haragaves and defensive end Noah Spence.
Now comes the bad part, and I'm sure you all knew where this was heading.
Licht drafted a kicker in the 2nd round. The 2nd round! To add insult to injury, he actually traded up, shipping off 3rd and 4th round picks for the right to draft Robert Aguayo. No matter if that kicker is Adam Vinateri, never pick kickers earlier than the 6th round, simple because no matter how great they may be, the rules simply prevent them from making enough of an impact. Depending on the game, kickers maybe kick the ball meaningfully around three times a game. The position is simply not valuable enough.
Poor Aguayo did not put this upon himself. Now burdened with unrealistic expectations and a national spotlight focusing on his three misses out of nine kicks has put the kid in an unfair position. Sadly, he will just have to learn to deal with it.
Even though it's preseason, Licht has to be under the owner's scrutiny after spending such a high pick on Aguayo. If the team has another down year, he may lose his job. Let this serve as a warning never to draft kickers so early.
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