Should the Buccaneers bring back Chris Conte?
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The Buccaneers season pulls further and further away. The team had playoff dreams for the first time in quite a while. They improved greatly, but in the end showed there are still holes to fill. The Bucs came up just a little bit short of the tournament, so on to the off-season we go.
What’s the next best thing to watching the Bucs play? Speculation! That’s what. Isn’t that what fuels our late conversations over the beer of choice, or for those of us who don’t drink, the soft drink of choice? If we didn’t speculate about the team, what would we do until minicamp?
What we do is tell the general manager how to do his job. We can be a mini version of Jason Licht, it’s fun. The Bucs have 17 unrestricted free agents, and we are going to talk about the merits of each, and whether or not they should be retained. We started this just a couple of days ago by looking at Jacquizz Rodgers.
Today the subject is Chris Conte.
Why Conte Should Stay
We know that the Bucs have had trouble at the safety position. It was far from a position of strength heading into the 2016 season. Then we take a look at Conte. He has always been good with the tackle numbers, and 2016 was no different. Conte placed fifth on the team with 69 total tackles.
Prior to his injury late in the year Conte was really starting to play well. Through the winning streak, he increased his tackle numbers. In the three games when the Bucs faced the Bears, Chiefs and Seahawks, his tackle numbers went from five, to six, to seven. He posted his two interceptions during that stretch, one being a pick-six against Chicago in the 36-10 victory.
What Conte did during this period was show a bit of explosiveness and some play-making ability, in addition to being able to make a tackle.
He may have been coming along well enough that he deserves a new deal.
Why Conte Should Go
Yes, yes, the numbers, at times, look good. But, what about the eye test? Everybody knows that when evaluating a player, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Over the two years he has been here, how has Conte looked on the field? Other than part of 2016, the answer is “not great”.
One of the few evaluation systems we have access to as fans is Pro Football Focus. For 2016, Conte’s grade was 42, good for 90th at his position. They only ranked one player behind him. Let’s ask Bucs Nation. Over the last two years, how often have you complained about this guy making a bad play, being out of position, …etc? My experience with the fans is that the answer would be “often”.
Don’t forget the emergence of his partner in crime, Keith Tandy. How well did he play at the end of the season? He came on like gangbusters to tie for the team lead in interceptions with four. He only had 12 less tackles than Conte. Tandy was the 24th safety overall with a Pro Football Focus grade of 82.4.
Do the Bucs really need Conte next year and beyond?
The Decision
The decision about Jacquizz Rodgers was an easy one. This call? Not so much.
Licht could really make an argument either way here. The pass defense wasn’t great, but it did get better as the defense learned the scheme. Conte was improving, and it would be his second year in the scheme. Might it be a good idea to bring him back and see how far he can help lift the defense in year two?
But overall Conte has not been good. Is he getting better, or is he going to drift back to how he has played in the past, frustrating Bucs fans everywhere? Maybe it’s time to go.
Next: Bucs Seven Round Mock Draft
It really is a close call. There would be no faulting Licht either way on this one. However, the eye test being what it has been, and the emergence of Tandy, the decision has been tipped. It’s time to say goodbye.
DECISION: LET CONTE LEAVE
Do you agree? Feel free to sound off in the comments.