No Respect: The Rodney Dangerfield of the Buccaneers

They don’t get no respect! The Buccaneers continue to disregard their offensive line in the draft; is it a surprise they are where they are?

If you want your offense to be the best that it can be. Comparatively, your offensive lineman should be as good as your skill position players. Until that is done, the offense can never reach it’s potential. Does it make any sense that most of the Bucs skill position players and defensive studs were drafted in the first round.

Yet their selections for offensive line, mostly have come after the second round; half of the Bucs picks for offensive line since 2008 have been in the fifth round. Is it a surprise none of them are on the 2019 roster?

Shortly after Bruce Arians arrived in Tampa, he was asked by a reporter about the offensive line. His reply was, and I paraphrase this, that the offensive line was fine, no problems there. I sat there staring at the TV, completely stunned. I said to myself “I know he didn’t just say that. How could he say that?”

Had he seen film on just last season line play? Doesn’t he know they are not good at run blocking? That Donovan Smith draws too many holding penalties? How could a decorated offensive minded NFL coordinator, and head coach say this, and keep a straight face?