Bucs sign OG J.R Sweezy

[mrt144]

After three years of below average play, the team needed to tear this unit down and build it back up with superior talent. Throwing millions of dollars at inconsistent players was never going to make this unit great. They need to develop the young talent they already have, scour the free agency market for veteran bargains, and draft extremely well. Then maybe we will have an offensive line we can be proud of.

I agree with you but unfortunately I have no confidence that this can get done with Cable leading the efforts and there is no evidence to suggest he can.

As much as it pains me, I am intently going to be watching Tampa Bay games next year just to see how Sweezy does. Carp has a good thing going with the Jets. I wouldnt say that developing talent has been a weak spot, rather one that the Hawks have never felt was worth the market rate.

 

[Hawks46]

Haha...

By definition alot of linemen on the ground can lead to bad things. And what did you really expect from Gibbs "Hey, sometimes were going to lose yards, but that's cool"? Be real. By design it's less conservative/riskier than traditional power game.

It's literally what Gibbs said in the vid. So you are not disagreeing with me, you are disagreeing with Gibbs.

You're both actually right in this. The entire "one cut and go" theme from the ZBS is supposed to limit the negative run plays. That's continually stressed.

I agree with Pe in that when you have OLmen cut blocking, you either end up with the DLman on the ground (which is obviously good), or you end up with the OLman on the ground, and the DL still standing up (not good). There's not a lot of middle ground. The other thing about the ZBS is that it tends to get the DL running side to side a lot, which tires them out. It's one of the reasons why smaller, more athletic linemen are desired in the ZBS, that and getting the 2nd level blocks. It also tires the DL out constantly fending guys off of their legs, and making them get off the ground a lot. But when you whiff, it's pretty bad. Also, smaller guys tend to get beat at the point of attack if their guy catches them head up.

I think Gibbs is great, but he's also the guy that famously said " I could teach a garbage can how to block". Cable seems to have the same attitude, but it's met with mostly derision around here.

 

[Hawks46]

Sweezy's cut blocking really needs a lot of work. The whole OL could stand to improve its cut blocking.

It's funny, but Sweezy's cut blocking and his blocking on the 2nd level and ability to get Lbers in space were supposedly his strong points.

The other thing to think about is that this is the Bucs we're talking about. Just because other teams were rumored to be interested in Sweezy doesn't mean that all of them would've paid this much. They just gave freaking Martin 35 million.

 

[Fade]

I'll just leave this here.

Buccaneers sign G J.R. Sweezy (5 years, $32.5 million): MILLEN TRIPLE KIELBASA ORGY PARTY Grade
I've been asked on Facebook to differentiate some of the Millen ("F") grades, since all Millen grades shouldn't be created equal. I agree. Most of them are the same, but there are some that stand out. For instance, the Raiders' signing of Nate Allen earned a Captain Kielbasa grade last year, which was upgraded to Admiral Kielbasa in my Worst NFL Free Agent Signings of 2015. This one is just as bad. It's a Millen Triple Kielbasa Orgy Party.

There's no defense to this signing. None. J.R. Sweezy was one of the worst starting linemen in the NFL last year. He was bad as a run blocker, and even worse in pass protection. I graded Sweezy as a 1.5-star free agent, expecting him to sign a 1-year, $1.5 million contract this offseason. I literally refreshed my Internet browser when I saw these numbers, thinking that the page I was looking at had some sort of parsing error. I then checked another source because I still couldn't believe it.

Did the Buccaneers watch tape of Sweezy at all? I'm thinking they didn't. Otherwise, they wouldn't have offered him an eighth as much. I know they were desperate to replace the suddenly retired Logan Mankins, but this signing is absolutely absurd.

Read more at http://walterfootball.com/freeagentsign ... lBrVm5f.99

 

[chris98251]

Walterfootball slams us at every turn.

 

[QuahHawk]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/707734523598000130[/tweet]

Congratulation JR Sweezy. And congratulations Tom Cable. It validates conversion projects as part of the mix.

Carry on!

I guess if we never want to sign a 2nd contract to OL yes, it validates it.

I think this is ammo for Cable when he is working the crap out on the young OL. He can tell his story about how he has coached two late round/UDFA's into big contracts. If they work hard they will too be in that position soon.

 

[Fade]

You're both actually right in this.

Actually no.

His Original Statement --> what I am disputing.

Tom and Pete's running game is feast or famine, somewhat by design.

Alex Gibbs: "Number 1 is no negatives. If there are negatives I don't give a f*** how good those big runs are. They are out."
The exact opposite of Pe's original statement. Everything after that is spin & sidestepping.
[youtube]d3fRunvq4hA[/youtube]

9:54 mark

 

[Tical21]

JR Sweezy got what!?

I'm going to hop onto the cut-block conversation. I only read a few lines of it, but I want to add a bit to the cut-block discussion. It is pretty rare that even if a D-lineman doesn't go down, that he ends up making the play. It happens on cutbacks, but you usually cut on plays that are designed to go off the tackle's butt or further, so you're pretty far away from the hole the play is going to. You would never, for example, cut on a play up the gut. You've got to block that straight up.

The biggest reason you cut has nothing to do with getting a guy on the ground. You cut him to get in his head. To slow him down. You cut him and cut him and cut him every chance you get. Imagine you're a pissed off bull of a DT. You come flying off the ball, you think you're about to make a play in the backfield, and a tackle you didn't even see takes your legs out and you end up on your face. So you get more pissed. You come off harder the next play. And it happens again. Face full of dirt. Now you're really pissed. You might to start looking for it. You might anticipate it and start planning to put your hands down to push him out of your way. You might come off the ball a little slower.

Now...they snap the ball again. You're looking for the tackle to go at your shins. You're anticipating it, you've got your hands ready for it. Instead, you get a guard's helmet to the chin, and now you're on your heels. They run the ball right up your butthole. What do you do now? Do you come off the ball harder the next down? Do you lay back?

I personally wasn't the most physically gifted lineman in the world, and I was a good 30-50 lbs smaller than the DT's we played against, but man I could win that head game, and by far the biggest reason for it was I could cut-block like a SOB. I can't tell ya though how many broken ribs and bruised backs I got from big ol' dudes kneeing the crap out of me after they fell on top of me. I'd just laugh. Ohh, good times.

I do also want to clarify that the difference between man blocking and zone blocking isn't nearly as different as a lot of people understand it to be. On the majority of plays, the same linemen would end up blocking the same guys in the same directions regardless of which scheme you were using. It is more of a form of adjusting to blitzes and changing fronts than it is actual play design.

 

[Fade]

J.R. Sweezy got more money than Alex Boone. Let that sink in.

 

[Sac]

J.R. Sweezy got more money than Alex Boone. Let that sink in.

LOL. Sac calls both shenanigans and good riddance at that price.

 

[bjornanderson21]

If this forces Cable to become a normal OL coach, then this can turn out well.

If this just means that Cable has to convert another 7th rounder then uggghhhh

Either way, Sweezy falls in the mediocre area where you really want to avoid paying decent money. On a rookie deal? Sure, the team can handle 1 or 2 mediocre guys on the line. Once you start paying money you expect more than what he can give you.

 

[kearly]

I'm going to hop onto the cut-block conversation.

Dammit, you beat me too it.

The point of a cut block is simply to delay a defender. Even if you barely touch the guy on a cut block, hell even if you whiff but you redirect him enough to keep him from making a play, then the cut block was successful. Knocking the defender to the ground is just gravy.

Also, some cut blocks are harder to make than others and expecting a perfect result every time isn't really what the system is about. Zone blocking is a bit sloppy by nature, but it tends to be fairly consistent in the run game, assuming you have the right RB for it.

As far as zone vs. man, you are right in that there is good deal of overlap. When I played it was in a power (man) scheme, but we still had to cut-block fairly often.

And yes, the money Sweezy got is totally nuts. But maybe not as nuts as seeing a dozen teams chase after him. I don't know if any free agent had more suitors than Sweezy so far, and that blows my mind. Though I guess when you look at ex-Seahawks OL, they've tended to do better after leaving. Maybe execs are starting to think that isn't a coincidence.

 

[Scottemojo]

Sweezy had so many suitors because he is more respected by NFL people than Seahawk fans, by and large. Because he is a tough guy.

I do consider how OL players do outside Seattle to be a bit of a referendum on Cable. So far, Breno and Carpenter have been decent after leaving.

I will miss this guy and his attitude.

 

[hawknation2016]

Sweezy had so many suitors because he is more respected by NFL people than Seahawk fans, by and large. Because he is a tough guy.

I do consider how OL players do outside Seattle to be a bit of a referendum on Cable. So far, Breno and Carpenter have been decent after leaving.

I will miss this guy and his attitude.

Breno Giacomini has played poorly for the Jets the last two seasons. He went from bad in 2014 to terrible last season. Both in run and pass pro, Breno has been a huge liability.

Carpenter is the one lineman who left the Seahawks and managed to play well. For the first season in his career, Carpenter stayed in shape and avoided injuries. I expect Sweezy to achieve something approaching that level of success with the Buccaneers, who certainly could use his help. Sweezy and Ali Marpet should form a physically imposing duo inside.

Still, there were more important ways for the Seahawks to spend that money than re-signing guards Carpenter or Sweezy. When you are trying to compete for a Super Bowl, you have to be smart about choosing whom to allocate the big bucks.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Position theory asserts that an offensive line is only a good as it's weakest member. So... the same habitual critics will move on to a debate about who should be singled out and declared the weak link or links of 2016. That mob action has been a tradition since the 1970s. That is just the way it is.

This pretty much sums up my sentiments.
Playing between a very-green TE convert at RT and an average-at-best Center severly clouds any 'objective' evaluation based on uber-definitive (sarcasm) OL stats. Exacerbating that situation was their lack of cohesion because of so little time playing together. It is a stretch to think one can accurately rate an individual OL player based upon stats best prevented by the synergy that embodies the very cliche-but-apt 'five fingers' description of a good OL

Their are good reasons so many teams pursued Sweez, and it goes far beyond what so many are dismissing as desperation.

 

[scutterhawk]

I'm good with this, it's past time we get guys that can run block AND pass block.

This is an interesting concept. I am intrigued.

Yeah....Sounds like some kind of made up story, I mean, whoever thought of actually drafting an Offensive player that already has some O-Line playing experience anyways

 

[Largent80]

Piss poor pass blocker and penalty machine. Buh-Bye.

 

[brimsalabim]

so we have lost the most consistent lineman from a poorly performing line and some of you think this is a good thing? The rest of our line is so bad or so inconsistent that it is foolish to think we can just plug Glow in and move foreward. Other changes need to be made!

 

[Largent80]

so we have lost the most consistent lineman from a poorly performing line and some of you think this is a good thing? The rest of our line is so bad or so inconsistent that it is foolish to think we can just plug Glow in and move foreward. Other changes need to be made!

It's a good thing BECAUSE with a salary cap there isn't enough money to pay everyone. If you total up what was given to Sweezy and Irvin it totally makes sense, and frankly, the line can't get much worse can it?

 

[Scottemojo]

Sweezy had so many suitors because he is more respected by NFL people than Seahawk fans, by and large. Because he is a tough guy.

I do consider how OL players do outside Seattle to be a bit of a referendum on Cable. So far, Breno and Carpenter have been decent after leaving.

I will miss this guy and his attitude.

Breno Giacomini has played poorly for the Jets the last two seasons. He went from bad in 2014 to terrible last season. Both in run and pass pro, Breno has been a huge liability.

Carpenter is the one lineman who left the Seahawks and managed to play well. For the first season in his career, Carpenter stayed in shape and avoided injuries. I expect Sweezy to achieve something approaching that level of success with the Buccaneers, who certainly could use his help. Sweezy and Ali Marpet should form a physically imposing duo inside.

Still, there were more important ways for the Seahawks to spend that money than re-signing guards Carpenter or Sweezy. When you are trying to compete for a Super Bowl, you have to be smart about choosing whom to allocate the big bucks.

Weren't you the guy who pimped Nowak all the time? Grain of salt, taken.

Oh, and the Jets got Breno and Carpenter, and oddly became a good running team. PFF scores can suck it, they wanted attitude on their line and they got it.

As will the Bucs.

PS, I never said Seattle needed to keep him. I don't need a theoretical lesson about what you do "when you are trying to win a Super Bowl", I said I would miss his tough attitude.