Five Reasons the Buccaneers Have a Promising Future
By Bailey Adams
Jason Licht
Tampa Bay is entering its third season with Jason Licht as its general manager. As the Bucs continue to rebuild, keep in mind that prior to coming to Tampa, Licht worked in the New England Patriots’ front office during a period in which the franchise won three Super Bowls. He then went on to Philadelphia, back to New England and then to Arizona. There is no denying his experience and valuable time spent with other organizations, especially New England.
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The arrival of Lovie Smith as the team’s head coach in 2014 preceded the arrival of Licht, with Smith helping in the process of hiring Licht. Over the last two seasons, Smith had a heavy say in the draft and free agency process. It didn’t seem like a coincidence to anyone that his players from his days in Chicago kept signing with the Bucs for two straight off-seasons.
The blame for recent free agency failures isn’t only on Smith, as Licht is the GM. But, the philosophy of his head coach forced his hand as the defense was based on fitting players into a scheme rather than fitting a scheme with players. Whether or not you agree that philosophy employed by Smith, there’s no denying that as of this off-season, Licht finally has a chance to run the team his way.
Time will tell how acquiring the likes of J.R. Sweezy, Robert Ayers and Brent Grimes pans out. An even longer amount of time will tell what this year’s draft picks develop into. His selection of kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round of this year’s draft is drawing criticism from all over the league, but all of that is short-sighted. What really will determine the pick’s success is how Aguayo’s career unfolds.
The reality of the matter is, Licht is an exciting general manager to have. From his jumping into the pool after wins to surprises like the selection of Aguayo, he gets people talking. And as the franchise continues to build itself back into a contender, Licht will be at the center of it all.
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