SB Nation - Kenyatta Walker

Buccaneer Flashback: 10th Worst Draft pick in Tampa Bay History - Kenyatta Walker

JCDeLaTorre — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:12:47 -0000

As we steamroll toward the 2012 NFL draft, we take a brief look back into the annals of Buccaneer history to provide you the best and worst of the previous Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafts.

These opinions are of the article's author and not intended to represent the consensus opinion of all the staff of Buc Nation.

Throughout the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there have been just some terrible misses in the NFL draft. Many of these occurred between 1980-94 when the franchise was mired in one of the worst runs in sports history. A lot of them occurred in the 2nd or 3rd round - which is as far back in the draft as we wanted to go to consider a bust (after all, if a 5th round pick doesn't amount to much, it's not really a bust - just a waste).

Of all of these bad apples, these are the ten I feel have been the worst picks in Franchise history.

List:10 Worst Draft picks in Buccaneers History

Player: Kenyatta Walker

Position: LT

Ranking: 10th

Draft: 1st round, pick 14, 2001

Walker's presence on this list isn't for lack of trying. He played in 75 games, starting 73. Walker's indictment and the reason he is on this list are the lofty expectations placed upon his broad shoulders. He was considered one of the best players in the draft of 2001. When he surprisingly began to tumble down the draft, the Bucs traded their second round pick in that draft to move up and take him at the 14th overall selection.

Expected to protect the blind side of Buccaneer quarterbacks for the next decade, Walker struggled and was considered one of the weakest links on the line during his tenure. He would eventually be moved to right tackle in 2006, where he would play three games before sustaining a season ending injury. He would never suit up for the Bucs again.

Poll

Is Kenyatta Walker among the worst draft picks in Buccaneer History?

Yes, he was terrible

137 votes

No, There were definitely worse guys than him...

82 votes

Maybe, let's see the rest of the list.

55 votes

274 votes | Poll has closed

Well... what did the Panthers do then?

James Dator — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:01:21 -0000

I dawned on me while writing my two part look at #1 picks from 2001 until 2010 that I missed a very important aspect to this discussion, this was what the Panthers did with their pick?

Although Carolina did not pick #1 overall, they did have a selection most years and as such I thought it would be apropos to look at each of the Panthers' picks since 2001 and give a brief breakdown of who they took, whether it was need or BPA and who they passed on who was graded higher. In the end we should get an idea of what Carolina's tendencies have been when lined up against who independent scouts think is best.

You can read this... after the jump

2001

Dan Morgan (9.08/10): Need

- The best player available when Carolina selected #11 overall was OT Kenyatta Walker who was graded at 9.23/10. In the end Carolina made the right choice.

2002

Julius Peppers (4.88/6.00): BPA

- Peppers was the best player available to the Carolina Panthers and he was the right decision... simple as that

2003

Jordan Gross (4.34/6.00): Need

- The best rated player when Carolina selected was DE/OLB Terrell Suggs (4.82/6.00). Suggs didn't make a lot of sense being a 3-4 LB, but Jerome McDougle was also available as a 4-3 DE and was a 4.62/6.00 rated player. Neither made sense, Panthers took need, Panthers won.

2004

Chris Gamble (4.12/6.00): Need

- Following the Superbowl Carolina were aware they would lose at least one of their corners and went about solidifying the position. They took Gamble over the higher rated RB Kevin Jones (4.33/6.00) and the Panthers made the right decision.

2005

Thomas Davis (4.06/6.00): Need

- This was the 'Vick pick'. Davis was selected and moved from safety to OLB purely to counter Atlanta QB Michael Vick who terrorized the Panthers in 2004. They passed over highly rated OLB Derrick Johnson (4.42/6.00) to go for the faster Davis. In the end it appears TD was yet again the right pick.

2006

DeAngelo Williams (4.27/6.00): BPA

- D-Will was the best player available in 2006, and he also represented a position the Panthers needed. In the end it was an amazing pick.

2007

Jon Beason (3.98/6.00): Need

- With Dan Morgan at the end of his career the Panthers went for the MLB they liked the best. Robert Meacham, Joe Staley, Greg Olsen were all rated higher than Beason and none haver performed better than Beast. Panthers again made the right pick.

2008

Jonathan Stewart (4.15/6.00): Need

Jeff Otah (4.12/6.00): BPA

- Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and OT Chris Williams were graded higher than Stewart, and neither is as good in this writer's mind. Meanwhile Jeff Otah was the best player left, and he's been very good when healthy. Both were good decisions.

2009

No 1st round selection, traded to Eagles for Jeff Otah's pick the year before

Everette Brown (4.25/6.00): BPA

- Considered to be one of the steals of the 2009 draft the Panthers decided to trade a 2010 1st round selection to get the guy who they believe fell further than he should have. The jury is still out on Brown, he's shown flashes here and there, but has been pretty unremarkable for the most part. We'll see what he can do in Ron Rivera's defense.

2010

No 1st round selection, traded to 49ers for Everette Brown's pick the year before

Jimmy Clausen (3.13/5.00): BPA

- Again considered to be a steal in the second round the Panthers took the best player available as insurance for Matt Moore. We don't know yet whether Clausen will pan out or not, but he was the best rated player available at #48.

Summation

In the last 10 years the Panthers have utilized what was tantamount to their 1st round pick on 6 'need' picks and 4 'BPA' picks. Really, there's no pattern- the Panthers take who they have graded the highest and while it sometimes doesn't make sense on draft day it has proven itself that more often than not they have made the right decision.

I will close saying that you can, and should expect the unexpected when it comes to the Panthers and the draft... nobody knows what they will do.

Ranking the Jaguars 1st round Picks: #5-#1

Jonathan Loesche — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:48:24 -0000

Sorry that this post was side tracked. I meant to have it done before the draft weekend, but such is life. Either way, we can now finish the countdown of the Jaguars greatest first round picks. These were the top of the class. These are the kind of players you want all of your first round selections to be. A franchise RB, a franchise LT, a pair of monstrous defensive tackles, and a hard hitting safety. Throw in a franchise QB and you have all the ingredients for a successful foundation.

5. Donovin Darius, S, Syracuase, 1998

The 1998 draft was especially kind to the Jaguars. Darius was the 2nd of two first round picks and was a stall worth on defense for eight seasons. Darius actually started his career at free safety, but switched to strong safety in his 2nd season. There, he would make a name as one of the most physical and hard hitting safeties in the NFL. Sadly injuries would lead to his eventual release following the 2006 season.

4. John Henderson, DT, Tennessee, 2002

This mention is bittersweet considering Henderson's recent release. Henderson made up one half of the fearsome defensive middle for the Jaguars through the middle part of the decade. While Henderson spent more time as a Jaguar than Marcus Stroud, his lack of production for the latter half of his career causes him to be to be placed one spot lower.

3. Marcus Stroud, DT, Georgia, 2001

In one of the early moments of Jacksonville getting Gator fever, UF tackle Kenyatta Walker was sitting at #13 seemingly for the Jaguars to take. Tom Coughlin instead took a defensive tackle out of Georgia, while the Buccaneers took Walker a few picks later. The city erupted and put Coughlin further on the hot seat. Stroud would go on to be a 3 time Pro Bowler, while Walker would have multiple run ins with the law and be out of the NFL within a few seasons.

2. Tony Boselli, OT, USC, 1995

The franchise's first draft pick was probably their most important. Boselli was on his way to a Hall of Fame career until injuries took their toll. Then he helped save the franchise by being taken first in the Texan's expansion draft, saving the Jaguars from dealing with his massive contract and helping the team lessen it's time in salary cap hell. Now, he's leading the fight to help keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

1. Fred Taylor, RB, UF, 1998

Simply put, is there anyone else who belongs here? Taylor went on to have one of the most productive careers in NFL history while in a Jaguar uniform. Despite numerous injuries early in his career that earned him the nickname "Fragile Fred", he still managed to rush for over 10,000 yards. After Mark Brunell's release, Fred's was the most difficult to take as a fan. Whenever he decides to hang it up, he'll be the next inductee to the Pride of the Jaguars.

With the 30th Pick in the 2010 Stampede Blue Community Mock Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select...

mgrex03 — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:00:23 -0000

Logo by coltsfan723

Maurkice Pouncey, G/C - Florida

Pick made by Dclark#44:

For the record, I think the Vikings would be fools to not at least try for one of the top 2 qb's in this year's draft. Farve or no Favre, they won't make the playoffs unless they address their biggest need. Their time is now, and Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels should NOT be given keys to this Ferrari. A developmental project at qb is not the answer, either. The bust rate for 2nd round qb's is too high to gamble. Barring a qb, their second option should be to trade a first round pick for a 60 gallon drum of Stick'em and the gorrilla glue recipe... All Day, that's for you!

The Vikings really struggled to run the football last year. While center John Sullivan is still raw, right guard Anthony Herrera struggled in that department. Maurkice Pouncey coincidentally can play both positions. He'll be a great upgrade for Minnesota's interior. Pouncey can immediately bump Herrara and next year can challenge Sullivan for the right to snap to Tarvaris "Goal Line Jump Pass" Jackson.

If Pouncey is taken #30 by the Vikings, he would be the 1st G taken in the first round by the Vikings since 1998, when they selected Randall McDaniel #19 overall. He would also be the first Interior Lineman from Florida taken in the 1st round ever. That's very surprising to me. The last OL taken in the 1st round from Florida was in 2001 (Kenyatta Walker).

Pouncey's Scouting Report from Mocking the Draft

The Colts, and yours truly, are on the clock...

Pos	Team	Player	Pos	School	Drafter
1	St. Louis	Jimmy Clausen	QB	Notre Dame	TouchdownColts
2	Detroit	Russell Okung	OT	Oklahoma St.	coltsfan723
3	Tampa Bay	Ndamukong Suh	DT	Nebraska	TheAngelsColts
4	Washington	Sam Bradford	QB	Oklahoma	Colts Homer
5	Kansas City	Eric Berry	S	Tennessee	sanders_fan89
6	Seattle	Gerald McCoy	DT	Oklahoma	shake n bake
7	Cleveland	Earl Thomas	S	Texas	2ndBlueGeneration
8	Oakland	Bruce Campbell	OT	Maryland	LovinBlue
9	Buffalo	Bryan Bulaga	OT	Iowa	Cassieper
10	Jacksonville	Rolando McClain	LB	Alabama	peytonsthebest
11	Denver	Derrick Morgan	DE	Georgia Tech	JPBarnett
12	Miami	Dez Bryant	WR	Oklahoma St.	fpacheco
13	San Francisco	Joe Haden	CB	Florida	BlueVol03
14	Seattle	Charles Brown	OT	USC	shake n bake
15	N.Y. Giants	C.J. Spiller	RB	Clemson	gizzardfanny
16	Tennessee	Jason Pierre-Paul	DE	South Florida	Addai Another Day
17	San Francisco	Mike Iupati	G	Idaho	BlueVol03
18	Pittsburgh	Kyle Wilson	CB	Boise St.	LV Steelers Fan
19	Atlanta	Brandon Graham	DE	Michigan	fiftycal2004
20	Houston	Dan Williams	DT	Tennessee	Aerostar193
21	Cincinnati	Sean Weatherspoon	OLB	Missouri	FineClub
22	New England	Jared Odrick	DE	Penn State	skywalker
23	Green Bay	Trent Williams	OT	Oklahoma	bracketismyboy
24	Philadelphia	Jerry Hughes	OLB	TCU	TehRhino
25	Baltimore	Jermaine Gresham	TE	Oklahoma	SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs
26	Arizona	Sergio Kindle	DE/OLB	Texas	NYKings
27	Dallas	Anthony Davis	OT	Rutgers	SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs
28	San Diego	Ryan Mathews	RB	Fresno State	chad72
29	N.Y. Jets	Golden Tate	WR	Notre Dame	diagenesis
30	Minnesota	Maurkice Pouncey	G/C	Florida	DClark#44
31	Indianapolis				mgrex03
32	New Orleans				palco

Poll

What do you think about pick #30?

Correct Pick. Helps bolster an OL in desparate need of help.

39 votes

OK pick, but other areas could have been addressed first

35 votes

Right Position, Wrong Player

2 votes

Wrong pick. Other areas definitely need help before the OL.

29 votes

I really wanted him on the Colts!

51 votes

156 votes | Poll has closed

Morris should return to coach Bucs in 2010.

Niko Houllis — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:19:06 -0000

Surprise.

Buc'em readers are a smart bunch, dedicated, you come back for more and you absorb it all like a chamois at a car wash. So the Headline should surprise no one.... and yet its time to defend it like Morris did his team at yesterday's press conference.

"The team had no quit" he said. Truth is, it may never have. Even the ugly finish at the end of last season, may have been the best 45 men that could possibly be on the field. Yet didn't you see more fire Sunday than you did in that season finale in 2008 vs the Raiders? ...and against a better team?

Keep in mind this Bucs football team is a unit that has drafted the following players in the first round of the first half of this decade; Kenyatta Walker, and Michael Clayton.

Only recent years are the Bucs starting to use their first picks wisely; Davin Joeseph in 2006, Aqib Talib in 2008 and Josh Freeman this year. Still, Gaines Adams stains the 2007 draft, a reward for finishing 4-12. A reward the Bucs cannot allow themselves to indulge themselves with the #3 pick next April.

There are those whose opinions are not easily swayed. People who remember the Giants, Philly and Jets games like they lived in Queens or just off the Walt Whitman Bridge. Atlanta is where you have to start though if you want to be honest. The week Raheem Morris took charge of the defense and admitted a mistake; something good rookies do.

Because its not really that different if you have a rookie QB or a rookie Head Coach. You still go into the season expecting them to learn and grow. Morris has done both; his clock management and game time decisions have improved tremendously. Some will say an NFL Head Coaching position is not where you should get "on the job' training. But its ok for Quarterbacks to get theirs? Arn't they harder to find?

Starting today, Josh Freeman begins the offseason as the Starting QB for the Bucs. There will be no Luke McCown/Leftwich competition. The Question marks on Cadillac Williams knees have been removed and replaced with explanation points. He was the only back yesterday. and he gained 40 yards entirely on his own. No one will question whether Michael Clayton can be a starting wide receiver anymore. The answer has been obvious the last month. Oh, and the IR Stalag will release all of its POWs for re-enlistment in 2010. In there are two of the three guys who have returned kick off and punt returns for TDs.

Yet there will still be those who will say "How can you want Raheem Morris back after this train wreck"? Yet when you look at it from afar and it looks different from various points, as if a real Amtrak did slide off its railings. You see the front is all mashed up, but the tail end looks relatively unscathed.

The 2000's: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team of the Decade

Niko Houllis — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:00:27 -0000

As we come up on the last week of the year, it is also fitting to remember, this is the last week of the decade, one in which we won a SuperBowl. Only two NFC teams won a Superbowl in the 2000s, New York GIants and your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So in doing this Team of the 2000s, I decided not to just pick the best player to played at any time during the decade, I will pick one of those guys if they were that much better than the others, But if someone played a position for most of the middle of the decade, even though not as good as a guy from 2000-2002, Ill go with the longer term guy most of the time. Keeping in mind "Teams of" can be subjective, so feel free to throw in your choices or correct me where you see fit.

Here you go guys...the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team of the 2000's Decade:

Quarterback: Brad Joshnson- He played from 2001 through 2003, and for those three seasons, he completed a high percentage of his passes, was very accurate, and won a Superbowl for us. Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese had good years in the decade too. In a position that has been so volatile, the guy who plays three years dominates the decade.

FullBack: Mike Alstott- For his last 3 seasons, Mike Alstott was truely a blocker, and still toted the ball with good numbers. But no matter what, no. 40 made the Fullback position famous here in Tampa Bay, and the A train is probably the most popular Buc ever. BJ Askew is a good runner up, as is Jameel Cook.

Tailback: Warrick Dunn- Just goes to show you the lack of a dominant rusher here, when a guy who played in the first two years of the decade and came back for his final year ever takes this one, but I just cant give it to Cadillac even though his 2005 year was the best of the decade. Michael Pittman was solid but saved his best for the Superbowl.

Wide Receiver- Joey Galloway- What can you say? 3 consecutive 1000 yard seasons? Thats never happened before in Bucs history. Joey Galloway was Tampa Bays DEEP threat after his first injury plagued 2004 season, and MADE defensive coordinators plan for him in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Wide Receiver- Keyshawn Johnson- He was the dominant WR on the team from 2000 until he was let go after the 2003 season. He made the tough catches over and across the middle, and was the receiver the Bucs needed to catch the attention of defensive coordinators and players. Antonio Bryant is the default franchise receiver, and Joe Keenan McCardell would have taken this one if not for his 2 year only status as WR.

Tight End- Ken Dilger 2002-2004- With all due respect to Jeremy Stevens who I think is the Best overall Tight End we had this decade, Dilger gave the Bucs a legit weapon when we went from Dave Moore after the 2001 season. Alex Smith was a little disappointing, but again, not exactly a spot on the team that was really dominated.

Left Tackle- Donald Penn 2007- Current - I mean who else am I going to pick? Kenyatta Walker? Penn has shut down some great right ends , he will be fine there for some time, as long as the Bucs are smart enough to lock him in.

Left Guard- Dan Buenning- 2005-2006- Dan was injured in the last preseason game of 2006 and believe it or not, is the biggest cause of the poor start of that year. Cadillac Williams made a great percentage of his yards running left in 2005 behind Buenning and Anthony Davis. Aaron Sears should dominate for another decade if his comeback is successful. Special Note for Kerry Jenkins who was brought in and did well during the Superbowl year.

Center- Jeff Faine- 2008-Pres: Will more respects to Jeff Christy who Centered for the first three years, Faine in two seasons has dominated the spot that calls the protections for the QB. In between (03-07) the position was a serious weak spot.

Right Guard- Davin Joeseph 2006 Pres- Joeseph is kind of having a down year, but who isn't this season right? Davin is probably on the verge of a probowl year, or several years, but lets not forget Cosey Colman who played adequately for many seasons.

Right Tackle- Jeremy Trueblood- 2006-Pres- Trueblood and Joeseph came as bookends in 2006, and got the start when Kenyata Walker got hurt. This side of the line does not have a very dominant tackle this decade.

Place Kicker: Matt Bryant- 2005-2008- Gramatica just had too many of his best years before the decade, while Bryant had one of the best kicking years ever last season, and lets never forget the 62 yarder vs the Eagles in 2006. Very Accurate.

Punter: Josh Bidwell- 2004-Present- No other player really dominates the decade like Josh Bidwell, and in a way that is a shame that a Punter holds that honor! While Tupa punted well during the Superbowl, Bidwell came here via Free Agency from the Green Bay Packers after surviving testicular cancer.

Left Defensive End- Greg Spires- 2002-2006: The Crane he was called, Spires dominated the left side with his pressure on the QB and his attacking of the run. Marcus Jones and Chidi Ahanato were bit players until Mr. Spires came to town. SInce he left, only Kevin Carter has any kind of year there. Its a big need heading into 2010 and beyond, as is every spot on the line now.

Nose Guard- Chris Hovan- Booger McFarland was my first choice, but his time is kind of split in During Sapp and after Sapp years, when he had to play undertackle. So I take Hovan's 2005- Present years as the best Nose Guard years of the decade. This is probably Roy Millers spot to lose next decade.

UnderTackle- Warren Sapp 2000-2003: He was so good, that no matter what, he is the guy for this list. Tampa Bay is STILL trying to replace him. Chadrick Darby, Booger McFarland, Ellis Wyms, and Jovan Haye have tried. What can I say. If you don't like my pick, Suh me!

Right Defensive End- Gaines Adams- OK , just seeing if your paying attention! Simeon Rice just dominated this spot since getting him in 2001 until his shoulder gave out in 2006. Even then, he had his last monster game in week 3 vs Carolina when he tried to will the Bucs to a win.

Strong Side Linebacker- Ryan Nece- He was the Sam Backer in 03, 05 and 06. The Bucs had the no.1 defense in 2005, so you could give an argument that Nece has as much playmaking ability than Cato June there. In not for time involved, Ian Gold and Alshermond Singlton would get the nod, with Singlton coming in as the best Sam Linebacker of the decade, but were going to go with Nece, who as you probably know is long time 49er safety Ronnie Lott's son.

Middle Linebacker- Shelton Quarles- 2002-2006: Little known fact, Jon Gruden was the one who recommended to Monte Kiffin that Sam linebacker Shelton Quarles in 2001 would make a great Mike linebacker, and so he did. Barrett Ruud at times appears to be the guy...Im guessing we will find out, as he has put in as much time as Quarles did now. But Quarles played it almost as well as that Nickerson guy in the 90s.

Weak Side Linebacker- Derrick Double Nickle Brooks- 2000-2008!: Well pretty much...but there is no way you could make any effort to pick Geno Hayes over Derrick Brooks, so this is the second easiest position to pick. Brooks defined the Will linebacker in the Tampa Two.

Strong Safety- John Lynch-2000-20003: Lynch has one year less than Jermain Philips, so its a no brainer here. John Lynch could have played more as it turns out, but Phlip did a great job taking over. Lynch was the cornerstone of the Tampa Two, the Safety that snuck in the box and laid the wood on ...well, anyone.

Weak Safety- Tanard Jackson- 2008-Pres: People forget how often Dexter Jackson got burned in 2001. He had a great game in the Superbowl with his two picks, but both picks resulted in a total of 3 points. Rice or Pittman should have been MVP in my book. Jackson played well when we returned in 2005 and the defense went to NO. 1 again.

Corner no. 1- Brian Kelly-2002-2007- BK never had the public's full support like corner no. 2 did. I think its because the public perception of him is his outstretched arms while Ricky Proel catches the TD against us in the Rams NFC Championship game. But Brian Kelly was a great corner, and Aqib Talib is filling the number in properly.

Corner no. 2- Ronde Barber- The Whole Freaking Decade!: Nothing needs to be said here. Even when people call him out for a few bad plays, he makes 2 for each bad one. He even did well in a new defense. Ronde Barber will forever be remembered for his run down the Vet in Philadelphia to put the Bucs in the Superbowl.

Head Coach: I wont even touch this one. Tony Dungy is a B+ Coach and an A+ Man. Jon Gruden invoked energy into a tiring franchise that needed the juice he brought...on top of replacing HALF of the offense. He did NOT win the Superbowl with Dungy's team, but he could not have won the Superbowl without Dungy either.

I hope you enjoyed this article. I had fun remembering all the players Ive enjoyed rooting for during this up, down, up and now down decade. lets hope the next ten years are fondly remembered too. Feel Free to drop in with your opinions on the players I've listed, or maybe, if I forgot one?

Alligator Army All-Decade Team: Offensive Tackles

mlmintampa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:00:19 -0000

We kick off the Alligator Army All-Decade Team with the men assigned to protect Rex Grossman, Chris Leak and Tim Tebow. Today, you can vote for the best offensive tackles, guards and center of the last 10 years. We will also have the nominees for the offensive positions later this week. Starting Friday will be the defense, with the All-Decade Team presentation concluding next week. We are only taking into consideration performance at Florida and from 2000-2009. Now, the nominees for Alligator Army All-Decade Offensive Tackles (vote for two);

Kenyatta Walker (1998-2000): 2000 Second Team All-American, 2000 First Team AP and Coaches All-SEC, 2000 Jacobs Award for best blocker in the SEC.

Mike Pearson (1998-2001): 2000 First Team Coaches All-SEC, 2001 First Team All-American, 2001 First Team AP and Coaches All-SEC

Max Starks (2000-2003): 2003 First Team Coaches All-SEC. Had the misfortune of playing in two of the worst losses of the decade; 2001 against Tennessee (as right tackle for Grossman) and 2003 against FSU (as left tackle for Leak).

Phil Trautwein (2004-2008): 2008 First Team AP and Coaches All-SEC. Starting left tackle for the 2006 and 2008 National Championship Games.

Jason Watkins (2004-2008): Started at left tackle in 2007 following Trautwein's injury and moved to right tackle for the 2008 season. Started 27 consecutive games, 2007-08.

How does the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Offensive Line stack up?

Buc Wild — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:15:08 -0000

Grading out offensive lines is a difficult task. Other than sacks allowed, there are no commonly used metrics that can distinguish a good offensive line from a bad offensive line. We can try and judge by the naked eye and make claims like "Man, he gets beat a lot" (Robert Gallery at tackle) or "Wow he sucks, he has so many penalties" (Good afternoon Kenyatta Walker). We can try and listen to the talking heads about how one guy uses his hands as weapons, while the other doesn't swivel his hips enough.

But that doesn't really let us evaluate the offensive line. An offensive lineman's performance can be affected by the scheme run, the opponent played, and even if the team is protecting a lead or trying to mount a comeback. Other issues are the quality of players around you, specifically the running back. The best offensive lines can be made to look dismal with a below average running back while a bad line can be made to look good with a great back.

But how have they performed as a group? There are a few more advanced metrics that attempt to value the offensive line based on several different factors. I'll introduce those metrics, define them both in the technical terms as well as an easier to understand version, and then we'll look at how the Bucs fared in those categories.

Hit the jump for a look inside the numbers.

I was motivated to do this look at offensive lines based on Tomahawk Nation's excellent look at the FSU OL. The available statistics between the college game and professional game vary, but there are still some telling statistics to be looked at.

Let me be the first to say that I was/am very high on the Bucs offensive line. As a unit they have all the makings of a strong, aggressive unit. Davin Joseph, Jeremy Trueblood, Jeff Faine, Arron Sears, Jeremy Zuttah and Donald Penn all fit into the mold of what you want in an offensive lineman. We've heard for a year or two how some of these guys are future Pro Bowlers, and I have no doubt that as individuals, some of these players will take home some awards.

Let's take a look at 2008 numbers on the offensive line, which are provided FootballOutsiders.

To get you comfortable with some of the statistics/metrics that will be used, let's look at the explanations on FootballOutsiders (or FO).

Adjusted Line Yards:

Teams are ranked according to Adjusted Line Yards. Based on regression analysis, the Adjusted Line Yards formula takes all running back carries and assigns responsibility to the offensive line based on the following percentages:

Losses: 120% value

0-4 Yards: 100% value

5-10 Yards: 50% value

11+ Yards: 0% value

These numbers are then adjusted based on down, distance, situation, opponent, and the difference in rushing average between shotgun compared to standard formations. Finally, we normalize the numbers so that the league average for Adjusted Line Yards per carry is the same as the league average for RB yards per carry, (which is 4.08 yards)

In language that us regular folks might understand, each running play has a specific value for the offensive line. If a running back gains 4 yards, the OL is credited with 100% of that, or 4 yards. If the back is hit for a loss of 2 yards, the OL gets credit for -2.4 yards.

It also mentions it "adjust" the numbers based on down, distance etc. What this refers to is 5 yard gains are not created equally. A 5 yard gain on 3rd and 15 is not as valuable as a 5 yard gain on 3rd and 4. Additionally a 5 yard run from the opponent's 5 yard line is worth more than a 5 yard run from midfield.

Using Adjusted Line yards (or ALY), let's see how the Bucs fared in 2008.

Rank	Team	Adj Line Yards	RB Yards
22	TB	4.04	4.09
NFL	Avg	X	4.25

I can already hear you asking, "so what does this mean?" Remember that in Adjusted Line Yards, 4.08 was the league average. The Bucs OL was very slightly below average in this category, coming in at an ALY of 4.04 yards per carry. Additionally, the running backs averaged 4.09 yards per carry (this is in the standard metric we are used to seeing). To put it all together, on a given carry, we can expect a run of 4.09 yards, with 4.04 yards of credit going to the OL and .05 yards going to the running back. Our running backs are basically going only as far as our line will take them and were below average in 2008.

Another way of looking at this is our running backs are extremely dependent on the offensive line on any given running play. For comparison's sake, the Giants were at the top with an ALY of 4.62 and a YPC of 5.28, while the Bengals were at the bottom with an ALY of 3.31 and a YPC of 3.22 (their running backs actually gained less than what the OL provided)

This is somewhat of a shocking number for all the accolades our line received from staff, media, and fans alike. They were average, ranked 22nd in the NFL in adjusted line yards in 2008. Had you asked me before viewing these numbers, I would've guessed top 12. The ALY does vary based on where the run goes (off tackle and to which side), but we'll cover that later. On to the next metric

Power Success

Percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Also includes runs on first-and-goal or second-and-goal from the two-yard line or closer. This is the only statistic on this page that includes quarterbacks.

You might call this the "smash mouth football" look as it looks as running plays on short to gain situations. Goal line runs, 3rd and 1, 4th and 1 etc. With big nasties like Trueblood and Joseph, we had to fare pretty well in this category, right? Let's look at the 2008 numbers and see.

Rank	Team	Power Success	League Avg
17	TB	65%	67%

Again, mildly disappointing. Just below league averaged and in the bottom half of the league. We converted 65% of our "power success" opportunities, good for 17th in the league (bottom half) and slightly below league average. The tops and bottoms of the league were Carolina at 79% (I think we contributed to that number) and San Francisco at 52%.

With an undersized "power back" in Earnest Graham, and injuries at fullback, this might help explain some of the lack of success. This has to change this year if we are going to a run-based offense. We'll have more than our fair share of 3rd and short and I would put a 70-72% range as a reasonable benchmark to be successful.

Now that we've looked at the short yardage situations, let's look at long or breakaway runs.

10+ Yards

Percentage of a team's rushing yards more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Represents yardage not reflected in Adjusted Line Yards stat.

This seems easy enough. Look at all the yards that are more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Then take them as a percentage of the total yards.

The thinking here is, once a running back gets 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, the offensive line has done their part. This yardage is fully dependent on a running back making people miss or breaking tackles. This is a measure of the breakaway ability or big gain potential of a team. Any yards gained on a running play after the initial 10 yards is not counted towards the offensive line for those reasons. How did the Bucs fare?

Rank	Team	10+ Yards	League Avg
13	TB	18%	19%

Alright, our first ranking in the top 50% of the league! It comes in a category that I wouldn't have expected. While Earnest Graham is a good back, I certainly don't classify him as a breakaway threat. But with him being the primary ball carrier, we achieved a ranking in the top half of the league. While still a bit below league average, we can see that 18% of the Bucs yardage in the running game came from beyond 10 yards outside the line of scrimmage. To put it in context, the top team in 10+ Yards was Carolina with 27% and the lowest was Indianapolis with 9%. Those seem about right.

I'd expect that number to be a bit higher next year. With a dedication to the running game that we didn't see under Gruden, it should wear down defenses and allow for bigger gains. Most of Graham's long runs last year came in the 4th quarter and with Derrick Ward and Cadillac pitching in, the defense should be dead tired come the end of the game.

Let's get to the first metric where a lower number is better.

Stuffed

Percentage of runs where the running back is tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Carries for a loss are never a good thing. A running back falling forward, or getting back the LOS can sometimes be a great play, taking a 3 yard loss and turning it into a short gain. The "Stuffed" percentage is one you want to be low, or be at zero.

Rank	Team	Stuffed	League Avg
12	TB	17%	18%

Another good ranking for the Bucs. Opinion time. This would seem to be based on both the line's ability to at least get a hat on their guy, but also the decisiveness of Graham. As a one cut runner, he doesn't do a lot of dancing in the backfield, which (in theory) would diminish his chances for being hit in the backfield. The Bucs OL ranked in the top half of the league and even came in a bit better than league average. It's an interesting contract to the Power Success numbers. So while we aren't getting hit for a loss that often (in comparison to league average), we aren't converting the league average of short yardage situations.

Sack Rank

Sack Rate represents sacks divided by pass plays, which include passes, sacks, and aborted snaps. It is a better measure of pass blocking than total sacks because it takes into account how often an offense passes the ball. Adjusted Sack Rate adds adjustments for opponent quality, as well as down and distance (sacks are more common on third down, especially third-and-long). Sacks are just what you think, total number of sacks given up.

I'll do my best to translate here. The Sack Rank percentage will give us the adjusted percentage as to how often a sack occurs. To help better define this, let's look at an example. We'll look at Team A who passes more than normal (think Colts) and Team B who runs more than normal (think Ravens). Both teams give up 40 sacks. Sounds like it's pretty equal, right? Well, what if we add in that Team A had 600 drop backs (got sacked 6.6%) and the Team B only had 400 drop backs (sacked at a rate of 10%). I'd say that leads to a compelling conclusion that although the same number of sacks were given up, Team A's OL performed much better. That's just one of the factors that plays in, but you can see that number of sacks is not a truly defining measure.

Rank	Team	Sacks	Adj Sack Rank	NFL Sack Avg	NFL Adj Sack Avg
22	TB	36	7%	32	6.20%

A pretty disappointing number. Ranked 22nd in the league, the Bucs gave up 36 sacks compared to a league average of 32. "But I thought you said total sacks isn't a good measure of an OL?". You're right. Our Adjusted Sack Rate was 7%, meaning on 7% of drop backs we can expect a sack (based on a 30 drop back game, that equates to 2.1 sacks a game). The league average was 6.2%, so again, we were worse than average.

The highs and lows were as follows. High and Low total sacks given up goes to Giants/Pats with 12 and the Lions with 55. As far as Adjusted Sack Rate, the Broncos were tops at 2.8% with the Bengals last at 9.7%. Based on a 30 drop back day, that's a difference of 2 sacks a game. Pretty remarkable.

Alright, so we've looked at a variety of new stats that measure the offensive line. I'd say the numbers were a bit startling. How can our offensive line that is so young and so good (according to media) perform this poorly? Well, there are a couple of potential causes. Offensive scheme, play calling, injuries. Gruden was never much a running game guy and often abandoned it early. In 2008 we didn't have a great blocking fullback, our running back (Graham) while good is still not one of the elite runners, he was injured giving way to Warrick Dunn who definitely slowed down as the year went on and we weren't able to convert short yardage situations.

While this may lead you to want to jump off a bridge, you may want to hold up. The zone blocking scheme can be a great catalyst for our offensive line. The backs we have fit that system (one cut and go), we do have talented players on the offensive line, and we have now added another 1.5 backs to the stable (Ward and a Caddy/Clifton split). All things being equal, we should improve upon these numbers if Jagz and company stick to the gameplan.

Speaking of game plans, how did the Buc's offensive line do when running the ball in certain directions? This will all be based on ALY (explained up towards the top). We'll look at how they did running left or right, and end versus off tackle versus up the middle. We'll also take look into how often we ran in what direction.

We'll look at each split individually in terms of ALY and how often we ran that direction. First up, runs off left end.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	2.16	30	7%
NFL	4.16	x	11%

Ugh. Running off left end was not kind to the Bucs offensive line. This would be in Donald Penn's direction and you can see, we not only ranked 30th in the league, we are a full 2 yards below average. The good news? We only ran off left end 7% of the time, far below league average. Maybe a sample size issue, but nonetheless, our runs off left end didn't end well.

Let's take a look at off tackle runs to the left side.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	3.54	28	9%
NFL	4.18	x	14%

Again, well below average. Apparently running to the left wasn't a strong suit in 2008. We're about half a yard below average, though again, we ran to the left significantly less than the league average. It's tough to blame individuals based on these metrics as you don't know the outcome, but its safe to say Penn's side of the ball didn't hold up in the running game. I wonder if we ran less that way due to poor performance, or had poor performance due to running that way less. The chicken or the egg argument I suppose. Let's leave the left side and get to the runs off guard and to the middle. For clarification purposes, and per FootballOutsiders

research so far shows no statistically significant difference between how well a team performs on runs listed middle, left guard, and right guard

This just means that off guard runs are counted as runs up the middle for statistical purposes. Here are the numbers for "up the middle" runs.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	4.35	9	66%
NFL	4.14	x	50%

Now we're talking. These runs would have been over Arron Sears, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Zuttah and Davin Joseph. The Adjusted Line Yards here show the line providing 4.35 yards per carry. Above league average, but it looks like this is where the majority of the runs took place. Can't say I see an issue with that. We hammered the ball up the middle and succeeded. The perception of those 3-4 players is that they are the strongest (or most skilled/complete players) on the offensive line, and their ALY does nothing to deter from that statement.

Well, we've seen success up the middle and we've seen some horrific numbers on the left side, how did the right side fare? Let's venture into Jeremy Trueblood's territory.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	3.91	26	11%
NFL	4.1	x	14%

Back to being below average. It was a nice run while it lasted (bad pun intended). Going off right tackle, the line is averaging 3.91 yards per carry, about .2 yards below league average. At the bottom of the pack, again. We were close to league average in terms of number of runs off right tackle, but again, not quite evenly distributed with the league average. Any predictions on the right end runs?

Let's see if the pattern continues with runs to either direction not performing.


Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	3.9	20	7%
NFL	3.9	x	10%

We hit the league average square on the nose, but still are in the bottom half. And again, we ran outside less than average. While not quite as bad as the left side, the runs to the right side were still below average and under that magical average of 4.08 ALY or YPC.

With virtually the same offensive line coming back and same backfield with more depth, this should be a good tool for the new offensive coordinator, Jeff Jagodzinski to look at. We will be going with a different blocking scheme (zone vs man), but the data seems to indicate that the strength of the line in the running game is up the middle.

So what did we learn? We definitely picked up some non-common metrics that can help us evaluate an offensive line's performance. On a team-centric basis, we see that in the passing game, we're giving up a sack about 7% of the time based on our offense (again, 2008 numbers). We saw that while the gross number of sacks was about in line with the NFL average, we were still giving up about 2.1 sacks a game based on offense, opponent, and other factors.

The running game, specifically the OL were a bit of a disappointment. The ALY was a touch below average, as was the power success rate, a number I fully expected to be in our favor. The Stuffed numbers showed that the Bucs OL and running game were better than average at getting hit in the backfield (in a good way) and the running backs, while capable of ripping off 10+ yard runs, still showed to be more of a ground and pound type system.

With a new scheme, new OC, new coach, a great addition in the backfield, and a healthy (crosses fingers) backfield and line, I expect us to improve in each category, across the board. The 2009 season is here, we'll keep an eye on these new metrics to see what changes are made and how they affect the team.

BUC'Em TRIVIA WINNER! BUCSTATS edges V.Money! Recount Ordered...dismissed!

Niko Houllis — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:56:15 -0000

No Film at 11!

Congratulations to BucStats for edging out V.Money for the Win!

Email me at CONTESTS@BUCSTOP.COM

Here are the errors used for determining the winner..

V.Money was first to post, but as I said in rules that this would not end at first answer, but Friday Morning. Due to other reasons, Im ending it on Thursday. Anyone else would have simply copied one of these two guys so that wouldnt be fair.

Bucstats posted the more correct answers, when taking out the same mistakes both guys made, Bucstats is left as our winner!

V.Money both incorrectly included Errict Rhett, who did NOT start for Tampa Bay in 1997. He scored a few TDs in 3rd and Goal short yardage situation, but you guys can both contact Drew Rosenhaus and bash him over the head for giving such bad advice to the best running back to don a Bruce uniform since James Wilder. I simply overlooked the (7) count which was obviously incorrect if you just count the names. LOL.. It happens!

However V.Money also incorrectly included Martin Meyhew, and forgot to include Philip Buchanon and Kevin Carter. Bucstats included P-buc, wether by seeing someone elses post or not, he still included it.

FLORIDA GATORS have more starters in Pewter, with the Noles close behind. Im pretty sure Cane involvement was heavier overall or in Orange days, as USC probably had more starters in Orange than Ohio State did (sorry Joey G if your reading).

Gators-

Brad Culpepper

Riedel Anthony

Earnest Graham

Ike Hilliard

Jacquez Green

Jason Odom

Kenyatta Walker

KEVIN CARTER

Seminoles

Derrick Brooks

Warrick Dunn