Friday, July 9, 2010

So Much For The Youth Movement

The Bucs have signed guard Keydrick Vincent to a two-year contract, giving the Bucs an experienced interior lineman who has started more than two-thirds of his games during a nine-year career.

To make room on the roster, the Bucs released college free agent Sergio Render, also a guard.

Vincent, 32, played the past two seasons with the Panthers, for whom he was a starter.

Stephen Holder

Two quick takes on this.

First I think its a good move to shore up the depth of our offensive line. Vincent is a good player and he has been on some pretty good offensive lines. I know people will reflexively make it all about Jeremey Zuttah and don't get me wrong he may well end up competing with Vincent for his starting job during training camp. But I personally believe this is more about the prospect of not having Donald Penn. When Penn got hurt last year the Bucs had Zuttah line up at tackle. It was some what disasterous but that's what they went with. I'm thinking that if Penn really holds out moving Zuttah out to tackle and having Vincent step in at guard might be seen as preferrable to having a guy like Demar Dotson in there who has never started a game in the NFL and who only recently even took up football.

Second, this pretty much shoots ginormous holes in the Buccaneers' stated game plan of sticking strictly to a youth movement. Remember that the "youth movement" excuse was used at least partially to justify allowing Antonio Bryant to leave and to justify cutting Chris Hovan. Well at 32 Vincent is certainly no spring chicken.

At some point fans are going to wake up and recognize they are being fed BS by the powers at be over at One Buc. The question is what will they do and say then?

*edited because I left out Demar Dotson's name

7 comments:

  1. All due respect, a few vets do not dislodge a "Youth Movement." The strategic direction (either out of real strategy or a strategy of "cheap as shit," is toward youth. the Oline will determine the success (or failure) of this offense and right now, there is no depth.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gotta agree w/oldschool, they need experienced depth and going with a few well placed veterans is never a bad idea when your team is so young.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Not sure how but apparently both of you missed my point. I was never sold on the youth movement happy talk anyway. Realistically its a way for the Bucs to be cheap but have a cover story for it. I was PISSED when they didn't resign Antonio Bryant. I wasn't as mad but thought they should have at least kept Hovan around in a mentoring role. Bigger than that they could have brought in some older guys for quality depth at linebacker rather than relying so heavily on rookies.

    So to reiterate what's already in the post, I like this move because it shores up a problem area, but it gives lie to the notion of a youth movement. If there were as committed as they claim then they would ride with youth the same way they are at other positions on the team.

    Now I will never be able to get people to start to understand that they are being hoodwinked if they don't want to believe they are. But at this point the evidence is pretty clear and expansive. It is what it is.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good move by the Bucs. With Davin Joseph's surgery and Penn's contract situation, they needed depth. This signing shows that they are at least willing to add a more experienced player to the team.

    Always appreciate your stuff, sgw94... The Sunshine and Lollipop fans are ok. But, I can't imagine how they ever expect any improvement when 3-13, in their minds, doesn't warrant some dissent...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Right as always Steve. I do hope they add a few more veterans down the line.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great Post Steve thanks,
    I like this signing as well, Vincent brings us a very valuable veteran player we need OL depth, and he has played and played well in the NFC South.

    Steve, will this help us on the DL have some kind of heads up from Vincent? With his experience and knowledge of how NFC south attacked us and how he attacked other DL in the run and passing game?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Vincent blew us out with Carolina, and allowed that God Awful Johnathan Stewart to run through holes as wide as Dale Mabry. I like this signing, and have an open mind to what Steve says about the Bucs being Frugal, in the name of a youth movement. I am just a Fan, and unaware of the business dealings of the Tampa Bay Bucs. Vincent is almost 20 lbs bigger then Zuttah, and taller.
    He is scary looking too, but maybe it is just because of that Carolina uniform ?

    ReplyDelete