Around 28 minutes into his Total Access show from London this week, Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik talked about spending 24-hours agonizing over one decision regarding his roster during the run-up to the New Orleans game.
The timeframe of this decision was Oct 10th through Oct 14th (not many roster changes on Thursdays or Fridays before games). As I see it, the major event of that timeframe is the reinstatement of Tanard Jackson into the NFL.
Tampa Bay retains Jackson's rights through the end of this league year. What triggered a hard decision is Jackson showed up at One Buccaneer Place in game shape. In a group of Safeties which was already down one body with the loss of Cody Grimm, the return of a ready-to-play Tanard Jackson was a big boost. Unfortunately, with Jackson reinstated, the Buccaneers were one man over the NFL roster limit. Either Jackson had to be cut or another player.
This is the agonizing part for any GM, and I'm sure it's what Dominik was referring to. The roster is flush with young talent. Yet an experienced performer in your scheme is available. And there is no "both" option; someone has to go.
After all the agonizing, phone calls with coaches, consultation with the pro personnel staff, and (no doubt) a long discussion with Head Coach Raheem Morris, the decision seems to have boiled down to keeping Tanard Jackson and releasing RB Allen Bradford (6th Round, 2011).
Bradford was deep on the depth chart behind players like LeGarrette Blount, Earnest Graham, and Kregg Lumpkin. Clearly, the leadership group saw something in Bradford they liked. This is a franchise which clearly values every selection. So it would seems they planned on getting Bradford to the practice squad.
Then Dominik got . . . well, Dominik'd.
The Seattle Seahawks (and Bradford's former coach at USC Pete Carroll) swooped in and signed Bradford. Talent lost.
That's not to say Bradford will never return. Pro Personnel Director Shelton Quarles will keep an eye on the young man, no doubt. Clearly Seattle also thinks Bradford is a worthwhile prospect, validating what the Buccaneers believed from the start. But now he's not learning in Tampa. Tampa Bay's coaches are not directing his development and he's not in the Tampa Bay meeting rooms.
General Managers and their staff make these kinds of choices all the time. There is no way to know if Bradford becomes the next Top 5 running back in the NFL, or if Tanard Jackson's troubles are behind him. Jackson played a big role in the New Orleans victory last weekend, so in the short term at least, the decision appears to be solid. Every roster move in the NFL involves something lost versus something gained. The challenge for for more to fall under "gain".
Anticipating the results of this move will be something that nags at the front office for a while.
Such is life at One Buccaneer Place.
Showing posts with label Tanard Jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tanard Jackson. Show all posts
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, September 24, 2010
Jackson Hole
In most conversations, we'd be talking about a valley in Wyoming. But not this week. And of all weeks in the past couple years of Buccaneer football this is not the week to alter the conversation: First 2-0 start since 2005 with a home game this weekend against the also 2-0 Pittsburgh Steelers.
But the conversation has been changed. Tanard Jackson is gone for the year after failing a test for banned substances by the NFL. Oh, we've wondered if this day would come, though we didn't think it would. But it was a nagging fear in the back of neck (right where General Manager Mark Dominik probably has a pain right now). Now it is a front-and-center headache (Dominik probably has one of those as well).
Not too long ago, analysis of the 2010 defensive backfield was hard to pin down. Will Allen and Jermaine Phillips are gone. Sean Jones was picked up from Philadelphia. Cody Grimm was drafted this past April. So much flux. But the mainstay was Jackson, who has started every game (which he has been eligible for) since being drafted by Tampa Bay in 2007. Now it's not just flux, it's reflux in the defensive backfield.
And yes, this is the same (and only) Buccaneer player the NFL put the Whammy Eye on last season. Take it down as "Lesson Not Learned".
At this point, one has to wonder if Tanard Jackson's worst enemy is himself. I have no idea what the "substance" was, but if it was a performance enhancer you would think it would be identified and easily eliminated. If it is not a performance enhancer, then Tanard Jackson does not need to be in football -- that young man needs rehab, or intervention, or something, anything, because whatever it is has basically cost him his job, his career, and put a big fat "yea, but" next to his name with regard to the NFL. And, if ignored, it will only get worse for him. A lot worse.
A sad, sad state of affairs for Jackson. Best of luck to him, but it won't do him a bit of good. In the words of GM Dominik, "It's up to Tanard". It is, completely.
Enough about "Jackson" . . . now about that "Hole". Tampa Bay has already announced that 2010 draftee Cody Grimm, who has been busy making a name for himself on special teams, will start in place of Jackson this upcoming weekend. This tells us exactly four things:
-- Sean Jones is too good at run support to change him out of strong safety.
-- Cody Grimm has impressed the coaching staff, apparently quite significantly.
-- Corey Lynch, who was impressive in the preseason, is going to play -- a lot -- backing up Grimm.
-- Sabby Piscitelli, with experience at both safety positions, will probably play both safety positions at various times the rest of the season.
And also this begs one question:
Where does Sabby Piscitelli rank among the safeties these days? He has prior experience at Free Safety, yet the Buccaneers have decided to go with a rookie. Is this commitment to the depth chart, or does this tell us the talent on the roster has caught up with Piscitelli?
As alluded to in the prior post about the risks of having a one-more-time-you-are-a-goner player on the roster, the Buccaneers did keep five safeties on the roster coming out of training camp. This assured the team of a player (and backup) familiar with the defensive schemes should the unthinkable thing happen, which it did. It's yet another demonstration of the command of the roster wielded by Dominik.
Now that Tampa Bay is down to the "normal" number of safeties, a roster spot is open for a player at any position. No doubt Dominik is scouring the waiver wire looking for a player able to improve his team. One possibility is to promote rookie WR Dezmond Briscoe from the practice squad (the Buccaneers are paying him full rookie salary to sit on the practice squad anyway). Or, perhaps, promote another running back from the practice squad to try to shave some of the load off the knees of Cadillac Williams. Or they may want another safety and are waiting for the right level of quality to show it's head. It could be a "get the best available" situation. Perhaps LB Lee Robinson, DE Erik Lorig, or P Brent Bowden will return to the practice squad.
In any case, the defense which has not given up a point in a 2nd half this season is now going to have to simultaneously protect and groom a new starting safety. Not easy when your next opponent is the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, after the Steelers is the bye week. For Cody Grimm it's going to be far from time to relax -- he will be asked grow up in a hurry. Hopefully he's up to the task.
But the conversation has been changed. Tanard Jackson is gone for the year after failing a test for banned substances by the NFL. Oh, we've wondered if this day would come, though we didn't think it would. But it was a nagging fear in the back of neck (right where General Manager Mark Dominik probably has a pain right now). Now it is a front-and-center headache (Dominik probably has one of those as well).
Not too long ago, analysis of the 2010 defensive backfield was hard to pin down. Will Allen and Jermaine Phillips are gone. Sean Jones was picked up from Philadelphia. Cody Grimm was drafted this past April. So much flux. But the mainstay was Jackson, who has started every game (which he has been eligible for) since being drafted by Tampa Bay in 2007. Now it's not just flux, it's reflux in the defensive backfield.
And yes, this is the same (and only) Buccaneer player the NFL put the Whammy Eye on last season. Take it down as "Lesson Not Learned".
At this point, one has to wonder if Tanard Jackson's worst enemy is himself. I have no idea what the "substance" was, but if it was a performance enhancer you would think it would be identified and easily eliminated. If it is not a performance enhancer, then Tanard Jackson does not need to be in football -- that young man needs rehab, or intervention, or something, anything, because whatever it is has basically cost him his job, his career, and put a big fat "yea, but" next to his name with regard to the NFL. And, if ignored, it will only get worse for him. A lot worse.
A sad, sad state of affairs for Jackson. Best of luck to him, but it won't do him a bit of good. In the words of GM Dominik, "It's up to Tanard". It is, completely.
Enough about "Jackson" . . . now about that "Hole". Tampa Bay has already announced that 2010 draftee Cody Grimm, who has been busy making a name for himself on special teams, will start in place of Jackson this upcoming weekend. This tells us exactly four things:
-- Sean Jones is too good at run support to change him out of strong safety.
-- Cody Grimm has impressed the coaching staff, apparently quite significantly.
-- Corey Lynch, who was impressive in the preseason, is going to play -- a lot -- backing up Grimm.
-- Sabby Piscitelli, with experience at both safety positions, will probably play both safety positions at various times the rest of the season.
And also this begs one question:
Where does Sabby Piscitelli rank among the safeties these days? He has prior experience at Free Safety, yet the Buccaneers have decided to go with a rookie. Is this commitment to the depth chart, or does this tell us the talent on the roster has caught up with Piscitelli?
As alluded to in the prior post about the risks of having a one-more-time-you-are-a-goner player on the roster, the Buccaneers did keep five safeties on the roster coming out of training camp. This assured the team of a player (and backup) familiar with the defensive schemes should the unthinkable thing happen, which it did. It's yet another demonstration of the command of the roster wielded by Dominik.
Now that Tampa Bay is down to the "normal" number of safeties, a roster spot is open for a player at any position. No doubt Dominik is scouring the waiver wire looking for a player able to improve his team. One possibility is to promote rookie WR Dezmond Briscoe from the practice squad (the Buccaneers are paying him full rookie salary to sit on the practice squad anyway). Or, perhaps, promote another running back from the practice squad to try to shave some of the load off the knees of Cadillac Williams. Or they may want another safety and are waiting for the right level of quality to show it's head. It could be a "get the best available" situation. Perhaps LB Lee Robinson, DE Erik Lorig, or P Brent Bowden will return to the practice squad.
In any case, the defense which has not given up a point in a 2nd half this season is now going to have to simultaneously protect and groom a new starting safety. Not easy when your next opponent is the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, after the Steelers is the bye week. For Cody Grimm it's going to be far from time to relax -- he will be asked grow up in a hurry. Hopefully he's up to the task.
Friday, July 23, 2010
What To Do With Piscitelli
It was a rugged year for the defensive backfield in 2009. It started with Tanard Jackson's four game suspension and finished with Jermaine Phillips on the injured reserve.
The 2009 version of the pass defense started out by giving up 353 yards to Dallas and Tony Romo, leaving a season-long bad smell in the air even though there were 3 interceptions by the Buccaneers in the game. Fifteen weeks later, the Buccaneers gave up 258 yards (and had zero interceptions) in a game at New Orleans and Drew Brees -- and won! This inconsistency shows clearly it wasn't just the pass defense which was the problem. Another facet of the problem was the defensive backs not getting much help up front. The Buccaneers had a total of 28 sacks over 16 games in 2009 (tied for 26th in the league) with the lowest (Jacksonville) having 14 sacks and the best (Minnesota) having 48 sacks.
Through all this, the Tampa Bay defensive backs ended the season tied for 9th with 19 interceptions in 2009 (the Packers topped the league with 30; the Raiders and Rams tied at the bottom with 8).
But there were going to be changes. You knew there were going to be changes. And there have been quite a few.
Nine year pro Jermaine Phillips is gone from the roster and, as seems to be more the rule than the exception during the Dominik/Morris era, has not been picked up by another team. Enter Sean Jones, a 7th year free agent pickup from the Philadelphia Eagles (FYI, Jones played but did not start against the Buccaneers in week 5 last year. He recorded one special teams tackle). The Buccaneers also drafted cornerback Myron Lewis which could be a very telling move -- for the safety position.
Why take a corner and not a safety? Is it possible the fans and the reporting about the problems in the defensive backfield were (gasp!!) misdirected?
One player who took a great deal of heat last season for pass defense was Sabby Piscitelli. In his third year of NFL ball he found himself in the difficult position of starting at strong safety without Tanard Jackson at free safety for the first four games. Tanard Jackson is a big difference maker back there. Unfortunately, Piscitelli was in the area for some of the long completions in the Dallas game, leaving an impression with some fans (and bloggers) the mistakes were his. Anyone who has played a down of football knows that the player closest to the end of a play is rarely the person who broke down -- in fact, as a safety, shouldn't Piscitelli be part of the last line of defense? If Sabby had been nowhere in sight with a receiver running free in the defensive backfield then it would be correct to say he was out of position or not playing the position correctly. Did he play every down to perfection? I'm sure Sabby himself would tell you he did not. But to say it's on him alone is very unfair; to say he is not capable is an outright lie.
Consider this: if it was all on the safety play, the Buccaneers would have drafted another safety as part of the youth movement, right? But they haven't (2009 or 2010). In 2010 they drafted on the defensive line as well as corner -- the two pieces which indirectly have the biggest impact on safety play (more quarterback pressure, better coverage outside). In 2009 they also drafted a defensive lineman and a corner.
So is it possible the talent at safety is sufficient and just needs better support around them? I think the answer is "Yes", so my take is a different angle: Is it possible that Sabby Piscatelli was playing the wrong position when he incurred the wrath of media and fans?
Obviously Tanard Jackson will be the starting free safety. With former Eagle Sean Jones replacing the departed Jermaine Phillips you have a strong safety who has solid performances under his belt and plenty of experience. With those two as capable starters Piscitelli can now be groomed for either (or both) positions. Last year he was needed at Strong Safety -- I think the Buccaneers would be well served to give him a look at free safety where his speed plays to his advantage. It also provides a bit of a hedge against future problems for Tanard Jackson.
I'll be watching for a Piscatelli/Jones Tampa-2 a few during the preseason. If it proves capable it will allow for giving Tanard Jackson a breather on occasion, helping him stay fresh for the fourth quarter. This subtle move may not generate a few extra wins for the Buccaneers (the line and corner moves could!), but it could put more players in the right position to make plays.
The 2009 version of the pass defense started out by giving up 353 yards to Dallas and Tony Romo, leaving a season-long bad smell in the air even though there were 3 interceptions by the Buccaneers in the game. Fifteen weeks later, the Buccaneers gave up 258 yards (and had zero interceptions) in a game at New Orleans and Drew Brees -- and won! This inconsistency shows clearly it wasn't just the pass defense which was the problem. Another facet of the problem was the defensive backs not getting much help up front. The Buccaneers had a total of 28 sacks over 16 games in 2009 (tied for 26th in the league) with the lowest (Jacksonville) having 14 sacks and the best (Minnesota) having 48 sacks.
Through all this, the Tampa Bay defensive backs ended the season tied for 9th with 19 interceptions in 2009 (the Packers topped the league with 30; the Raiders and Rams tied at the bottom with 8).
But there were going to be changes. You knew there were going to be changes. And there have been quite a few.
Nine year pro Jermaine Phillips is gone from the roster and, as seems to be more the rule than the exception during the Dominik/Morris era, has not been picked up by another team. Enter Sean Jones, a 7th year free agent pickup from the Philadelphia Eagles (FYI, Jones played but did not start against the Buccaneers in week 5 last year. He recorded one special teams tackle). The Buccaneers also drafted cornerback Myron Lewis which could be a very telling move -- for the safety position.
Why take a corner and not a safety? Is it possible the fans and the reporting about the problems in the defensive backfield were (gasp!!) misdirected?
One player who took a great deal of heat last season for pass defense was Sabby Piscitelli. In his third year of NFL ball he found himself in the difficult position of starting at strong safety without Tanard Jackson at free safety for the first four games. Tanard Jackson is a big difference maker back there. Unfortunately, Piscitelli was in the area for some of the long completions in the Dallas game, leaving an impression with some fans (and bloggers) the mistakes were his. Anyone who has played a down of football knows that the player closest to the end of a play is rarely the person who broke down -- in fact, as a safety, shouldn't Piscitelli be part of the last line of defense? If Sabby had been nowhere in sight with a receiver running free in the defensive backfield then it would be correct to say he was out of position or not playing the position correctly. Did he play every down to perfection? I'm sure Sabby himself would tell you he did not. But to say it's on him alone is very unfair; to say he is not capable is an outright lie.
Consider this: if it was all on the safety play, the Buccaneers would have drafted another safety as part of the youth movement, right? But they haven't (2009 or 2010). In 2010 they drafted on the defensive line as well as corner -- the two pieces which indirectly have the biggest impact on safety play (more quarterback pressure, better coverage outside). In 2009 they also drafted a defensive lineman and a corner.
So is it possible the talent at safety is sufficient and just needs better support around them? I think the answer is "Yes", so my take is a different angle: Is it possible that Sabby Piscatelli was playing the wrong position when he incurred the wrath of media and fans?
Obviously Tanard Jackson will be the starting free safety. With former Eagle Sean Jones replacing the departed Jermaine Phillips you have a strong safety who has solid performances under his belt and plenty of experience. With those two as capable starters Piscitelli can now be groomed for either (or both) positions. Last year he was needed at Strong Safety -- I think the Buccaneers would be well served to give him a look at free safety where his speed plays to his advantage. It also provides a bit of a hedge against future problems for Tanard Jackson.
I'll be watching for a Piscatelli/Jones Tampa-2 a few during the preseason. If it proves capable it will allow for giving Tanard Jackson a breather on occasion, helping him stay fresh for the fourth quarter. This subtle move may not generate a few extra wins for the Buccaneers (the line and corner moves could!), but it could put more players in the right position to make plays.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Tanard Jackson Question
In 2009 the Buccaneers suffered through the most difficult win/loss record since 1991. It was a tumultuous year following an offseason of major changes. A new front office came in and a group of old veterans moved on. With a change in leadership the Buccaneers needed all the experienced players it could mould from within.
Then, just before the 2009 season, the Buccaneers found out that Tanard Jackson would be suspended for the first four games of the season. It created an experience void in the defensive backfield the team struggled with the first month of the 2009 season.
Jackson returned to the team and moved back into the starting lineup finishing sixth on the team with 60 solo tackles, adding 11 assists, 2 forced fumbles, and five interceptions scoring touchdowns twice. Clearly Tanard Jackson is an impact player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And while his standing within the locker room appears to have been restored, there is still a big question mark which looms over his head.
One more mistake and Tanard Jackson sits out the season.
The two strikes penalty for substance abuse in the NFL is, unfortunately, well known. Every time the punishment is handed down it makes headlines across the sports world. Nobody expects the NFL to need this option with Tanard Jackson.
This is not a rehash of old mistakes, this is a front office dilemma which impacts the team and the roster for as long as Jackson is a Buccaneer. So this is a personnel issue and deserves scrutiny. Unfortunately, after the first strike, the threat of another mistake never goes away. The team struggled without Jackson on the field -- imagine a full year without him.
How will General Manager Mark Dominik deal with this unknown? Will it be important to keep an additional safety on the roster this season, just in case? Or is it a matter of crossing the fingers and hoping there is something worthwhile on the wiaver wire should the unthinkable happen?
With Jackson holding down a starting position, Dominik is almost forced to carry one extra safety on the roster. It is not practical to assume a waiver wire pickup would have any knowledge of the Tampa Bay defensive reads or responsibilities. That is, a waiver pickup means a loss of coaching time getting an unfamiliar player up to speed. Instead it would be better to have a player who has been through training camp ready to step forward, or step into second on the depth chart (and the resulting part time game day responsibilities), easing the impact to the rest of the safeties and, even, the rest of the team.
There is also a long term component to this issue -- essentially Tanard Jackson now requires two roster positions. Is he worth it? For how long? Certainly, at this point, the team must consider him valuable since he is still on the roster.
But there is still this unease for me regarding the safety position. Two experienced Buccaneer safeties have become unrestricted free agents: 7th year veteran Will Allen (singed Pittsburgh) and 8th year veteran Jermaine Phillips (unsigned, perhaps done). Phillips was the first option when Jackson was suspended last year -- not anymore. This two-player void has been filled by 7th year free agent acquisition Sean Jones (from Philadephia). Is it enough?
These questions must have been discussed during the run-up to the 2010 Draft. One safety was drafted (Cody Grimm, 6'1" 203 lbs, 7th round pick) but this seems to be the normal player churn and not a bold move to replace anyone in particular. In fact, Dominik has stated the 7th rounders are likely to earn their way onto the field through special teams.
So it appears there is no rush to supplement the roster at this point, nor is there a signal for a long term fix. Perhaps the Buccaneers are confident that Jackson has put whatever happened in 2009 behind him. Let's all hope so. We'll have to watch carefully during the offseason and preseason to see if there are any indicators of the team's thinking on this point.
But the bottom line is to hope and cheer for Tanard Jackson to keep things on the straight and narrow and play the game we all love to watch.
Be careful, Tanard!! We need you!!
Then, just before the 2009 season, the Buccaneers found out that Tanard Jackson would be suspended for the first four games of the season. It created an experience void in the defensive backfield the team struggled with the first month of the 2009 season.
Jackson returned to the team and moved back into the starting lineup finishing sixth on the team with 60 solo tackles, adding 11 assists, 2 forced fumbles, and five interceptions scoring touchdowns twice. Clearly Tanard Jackson is an impact player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And while his standing within the locker room appears to have been restored, there is still a big question mark which looms over his head.
One more mistake and Tanard Jackson sits out the season.
The two strikes penalty for substance abuse in the NFL is, unfortunately, well known. Every time the punishment is handed down it makes headlines across the sports world. Nobody expects the NFL to need this option with Tanard Jackson.
This is not a rehash of old mistakes, this is a front office dilemma which impacts the team and the roster for as long as Jackson is a Buccaneer. So this is a personnel issue and deserves scrutiny. Unfortunately, after the first strike, the threat of another mistake never goes away. The team struggled without Jackson on the field -- imagine a full year without him.
How will General Manager Mark Dominik deal with this unknown? Will it be important to keep an additional safety on the roster this season, just in case? Or is it a matter of crossing the fingers and hoping there is something worthwhile on the wiaver wire should the unthinkable happen?
With Jackson holding down a starting position, Dominik is almost forced to carry one extra safety on the roster. It is not practical to assume a waiver wire pickup would have any knowledge of the Tampa Bay defensive reads or responsibilities. That is, a waiver pickup means a loss of coaching time getting an unfamiliar player up to speed. Instead it would be better to have a player who has been through training camp ready to step forward, or step into second on the depth chart (and the resulting part time game day responsibilities), easing the impact to the rest of the safeties and, even, the rest of the team.
There is also a long term component to this issue -- essentially Tanard Jackson now requires two roster positions. Is he worth it? For how long? Certainly, at this point, the team must consider him valuable since he is still on the roster.
But there is still this unease for me regarding the safety position. Two experienced Buccaneer safeties have become unrestricted free agents: 7th year veteran Will Allen (singed Pittsburgh) and 8th year veteran Jermaine Phillips (unsigned, perhaps done). Phillips was the first option when Jackson was suspended last year -- not anymore. This two-player void has been filled by 7th year free agent acquisition Sean Jones (from Philadephia). Is it enough?
These questions must have been discussed during the run-up to the 2010 Draft. One safety was drafted (Cody Grimm, 6'1" 203 lbs, 7th round pick) but this seems to be the normal player churn and not a bold move to replace anyone in particular. In fact, Dominik has stated the 7th rounders are likely to earn their way onto the field through special teams.
So it appears there is no rush to supplement the roster at this point, nor is there a signal for a long term fix. Perhaps the Buccaneers are confident that Jackson has put whatever happened in 2009 behind him. Let's all hope so. We'll have to watch carefully during the offseason and preseason to see if there are any indicators of the team's thinking on this point.
But the bottom line is to hope and cheer for Tanard Jackson to keep things on the straight and narrow and play the game we all love to watch.
Be careful, Tanard!! We need you!!
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