Hire this man!
“This Joe” has gone on record: If the Bucs are thinking about drafting an edge rusher from Miami in the first round, the move has to come with a catch — and a coach.
The Joe typing this here post simply has no faith or expectation that Bucs coach Todd Bowles can or will develop a double-digit edge rusher. When he gets his hands on a veteran edge rusher, Bowles does well.
The next edge rusher drafted as a rookie with Bowles — as coordinator or head coach — who turns into a double-digit sack guy will be Bowles’ first.
Rookies? They just don’t develop under Bowles. Three or four years later, they’re on the NFL scrap heap.
Joe doesn’t believe in taking matches to a valuable first-round pick
But here is the catch: If the Bucs do bring in Reuben Bain or Akheem Mesidor on Thursday night, “this Joe” demands the Bucs hire their position coach at the University of Miami, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive Jason Taylor. And then give Taylor full and unimpeded autonomy to coach the edge rushers. No interference from Bowles or any other assistants. Taylor only answers to Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht or someone with the last name “Glazer.”
Joe has had it with Bucs drafting edge rushers and the defensive coaches trying to turn them into safeties.
Well, yesterday, Joe read a combine notes column cobbled together by Jonathan Jones of CBS, and he had a very interesting nugget on Taylor. It seems Taylor is now on NFL teams’ radars for the job he is doing with defensive ends in Miami.
Two sources on different teams brought this up to me unprompted recently. Each one had high praise for Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, who has been working at Miami as the defensive ends/rush coach the past few years.
Teams have raved about the quality of the pre-draft interviews with Miami rushers Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor.
In short, NFL types Jones spoke to say the Dolphins legend knows what he’s doing with his young pupils.
Said an AFC scout: “Jason Taylor has done a great job with those dudes. They all bring him up a lot and that shows that he cares. They were really buttoned up.”
And an NFC defensive coach: “Jason Taylor is coaching these dudes. They are sharp in the classroom.”
Not developing an edge rusher is a hallmark of the Bucs. It isn’t a Licht thing or even a Bowles thing.
Just like the Bucs have never had a quarterback they’ve drafted get a significant second contract with the team, the Bucs franchise has never developed a double-digit edge rusher since the team drafted Lee Roy Selmon with their very first pick in franchise history back in 1976.
Team Glazer or Licht needs to call Taylor and ask what he needs to move to Tampa. Then after a check clears, tell him to work his magic and if anyone gets in his way, he has the final say of what to do with defensive ends.
This not developing edge rushers is way past an annoyance. It’s a franchise epidemic.