It's time to 'put up or shut up' for Buccaneers LG Luke Goedeke
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not a good football team, right now. Sure, their record sits at an even .500, but there are several glaring issues that are eating away at this team. As a whole, it's hard to have confidence that the 2022 squad can win games against playoff teams. Most notably, it's the […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not a good football team, right now.
Sure, their record sits at an even .500, but there are several glaring issues that are eating away at this team. As a whole, it's hard to have confidence that the 2022 squad can win games against playoff teams.
Most notably, it's the pass protection, run blocking, and general play of the offensive line that has been the bane of this team's existence. Especially at left guard, where rookie Luke Goedeke resides.
Granted, there have been a lot of changes to the front five; for instance, the Buccaneers lost three starters from the unit that dominated the NFL from 2020-2021 and two of those starters were Pro Bowlers in Ali Marpet and Ryan Jensen. And many expected the unit to take a step back.
But not many expected the offensive line to take the multiple steps back we've witnessed over the last six weeks.
And a lot of that falls on rookie left guard Luke Goedeke's shoulders.
Per Pro Football Focus, Goedeke's 15 allowed pressures are tied for eighth-most and his 12 hurries are tied for third-most among all guards with at least 191 pass blocking snaps coming into Week 6. His three penalties were tied for seventh-most and his pass blocking efficiency (96.3) ranks 52nd out of 64 qualified players.
And if you're into grades, Goedeke's overall blocking grade of 44.4 was the NFL's fourth-worst grade among all guards. Only Rodger Saffold, Liam Eichenberg, and Alex Bars had worse grades.
After Sunday's matchup with the Steelers, Goedeke has allowed 19 total pressures and 2.0 sacks, and has an overall pass blocking efficiency mark of 95.4. The pressures are currently the second-most allowed and the efficiency mark is tied for fifth-worse.
It's not just metrics that are damning Geodeke, either. The tape reflects his poor play.
Just take a look below. Even when the Buccaneers do something positive, it's a negative for Goedeke. He gets whipped by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward on this play and Tom Brady is just fortunate enough to get the pass off in time:
The Buccaneers and their fans know how easily a weak link can destroy an offensive line's effectiveness as a whole. Especially a really weak link like Goedeke. They don't have to go back too far to conjure up the name of one Caleb Benenoch, who represented a revolving door more than he did a football player during his time in Tampa Bay.
Now, no one is saying Goedeke is the next coming of Benenoch. That would be a major rush to judgement.
But the point stands: One bad player can sink an entire offensive line.
And when you have a statue like Brady at quarterback, it can kill the offense.
And that's exactly what has happened so far in 2022.
In Goedeke's defense, he's faced some serious competition over the first six weeks of his career. It's little surprise that his best game came against the Dallas Cowboys – a team that doesn't have a singular serious threat on the interior of the defensive line.
But since Week 1, one can argue Goedeke's assignments have only gotten harder. The New Orleans Saints' David Onyemata, the Green Bay Packers' Kenny Clark, the Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones, the Atlanta Falcons' Grady Jarrett, and the Steelers' Heyward all represent upgrades if not plateaus of talent each week. All of those players are mentioned when talking about the top-10 or, to an extent, even top-5 interior DL in the game.
Still, Goedeke has shown marginal improvement and that may even be gracious, in itself. At this point, it's fair to wonder if the Buccaneers need to make a change, because he is certainly hampering the offense.
At the same time, however, to whom would the Buccaneers turn? Brandon Walton and Nick Leverett, two players who are far less talented and at this point, have less NFL experience than Goedeke?
And let's not forget: Walton started at left tackle for the Buccaneers against the Packers and gave up three pressures and one sack. Sure, left tackle and left guard are totally different positions, but it's not like Walton represented a clear upgrade in the limited time he played.
There aren't many internal options and finding a worthy external option before November 1's trade deadline is a tall task. Meaning, the Buccaneers don't really have any solid options outside Goedeke.
That doesn't mean he's bulletproof though. It's time for Goedeke to show this coaching staff and Buccaneers fans that he is capable of playing at least at a decent level in the NFL.
And there's no better time than the next few weeks.
The Buccaneers' opponents over the next five games are as follows: the Carolina Panthers, the Baltimore Ravens, the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Cleveland Browns.
Of those teams, only the Rams possess a true threat in the one-and-only Aaron Donald. Everyone else has matchups that Goedeke can use to improve his game.
And if he can't show that he's up to task against average interior defensive linemen, than yes, it's time to make a change before the Buccaneers take on the front sevens of the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
As Todd Bowles said after Sunday's loss, it's time to put up or shut up.
And that doesn't apply more to anyone other than Goedeke.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
