Tag Archives: Matt Gay

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When Special Teams Isn’t So Special

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Let me preface this article by saying that Matt Gay is the guy, he’s going to be the guy, and there’s no reason that he shouldn’t be, but the problem is, what do you do when the special teams really aren’t that special?

I fully supported, encouraged, and predicted the drafting of Matt Gay. The man has proven he has the leg to be the kicker the Buccaneers need for many years to come. He’s shown flashes of being the guy that can finally bring an end to what feels like a curse on our kicking game, but he’s also shown flashes of being a victim of that same curse.

It’s not only on Matt Gay to carry the special teams, however, as we have several members of our special teams and several members who failed to step up and be the player capable of putting the team in a better field position.

Matt Gay hit on 77% of his field-goal attempts, which is both good and bad. While the 77% does put him at 24th in the league, which isn’t great, it’s still better than Robert Aguayo managed during his time with Tampa, but not as good as Martin Gramatica was at his peak, obviously for any kicker in Tampa, getting up there with Automatica is part of the goal, but moving in that direction is a good start.

Coach Arians has made it clear that Gay will be practicing quite a bit this off-season, specifically from the left side of the home field. This should give him the confidence he’ll need heading into next season and will hopefully bring an end to his blowing late-game field goal attempts, as we know the man has the talent to get the job done.

While we should never trust a kicker, and we shouldn’t put ourselves in a position to rely on a kicker, we all know that eventually, there will be a time when Gay will have to put it through the upright to win the game. Assuming that Gay shores up his issues with kicking, specifically in regards to the mental aspect of his kicking game, that’s still only one-third of the battle. When it comes to our special teams, we suffered problems in all facets of the game, including both punting and returning.

Bradley Pinion ranked 29th in the league in average yards per punt, and if he averaged just two yards less per punt, he’d be the worst in the league. Some may not see this as a huge deal, but a good punt can be the difference between an opposing team starting a drive on the 3-yard line versus starting it on the 25-yard line. This season was not only the lowest average punt of his career but also the lowest amount of total punting yards in his career. To put that into perspective, the best punter in the league averaged almost 50 yards per punt, and his longest punt of the year was almost 20 yards longer than Pinion’s longest punt of the season.

When you have a kicker that can’t be relied on to make the long field goals, you immediately look to your punter to put the opposing team in not so great starting field position, and the Buccaneers simply couldn’t manage to do either one last season which puts both the Offense and Defense in compromising positions.

The return game is bad enough that it doesn’t need poor kicking added to it, but alas, that’s what we experienced.

The Buccaneers did not have a punt returner who averaged 10 yards or more on punt returns with T.J. Logan averaging the highest at 9.5 yards per return, followed by Bobo Wilson at only 2.9 yards per punt return. That is a huge difference between the two main punt returners and shows just how little depth the team has on special teams.

The return team didn’t fare much better on kickoffs than it did on punts, and that is a cause for concern. T.J. Logan has been the most productive kick returner, averaging just under 21 yards per return, but his longest return didn’t quite reach 40 yards, and Dare Ogunbowale averaged just under 20 yards per return. To put that into perspective, the top kick returner averaged move than 30 yards per return, and simply taking a knee in the end zone would result in the drive starting at the 25-yard line.

When your top two kick returners are putting you in a worse field position than simply taking a knee in the end zone would, perhaps it’s time to rethink who you have returning the ball, or if you should even return the ball at all but instead should simply take the touchback.

Pinion is due one million dollars in guaranteed money this season with a total of almost 3 million dollars followed by two more years of almost 3 million dollars each, so perhaps it’s time the team look elsewhere for a new punter that will not only free up money but perhaps give the Buccaneers a leg up heading into the new season. If the Buccaneers are able to pick up someone like Britton Colquitt for under a million dollars, it’s a situation they need to jump all over.

No matter what changes are made, something obviously has to be done to address the special teams situation, because when your special teams are no longer special, then it simply becomes a liability.

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2019 Draft Class Contributing in a Big Way

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Post-draft anticipation

When every draft is finished, each team’s coaching staff, front office, and all its fans pore over the names on each team’s drafted list. Every individual places their own value on each and every name on that list. It sometimes isn’t until seasons later that they find out what they actually have for their precious picks. In the best-case scenarios, the class works their way into the lineup in the first season, showing right out of the gate that the pick spent was indeed worth it. It’s got to be a special moment for a General Manager to look out onto the field during a game and see multiple rookies making a difference, after all, that is the goal of every team that steps up to the podium to take players that can contribute as soon as possible to a team’s weakness. Jason Licht, Bruce Arians, and Todd Bowles should be very pleased with their first draft together.

The Big Kahoona

The stud linebacker out of LSU that garnered such comparisons as a Brooks 2.0 or Ray Lewis-esque player was in all practical purposes, set up for incredible failure, due to out of this world comparisons being placed upon him by supposed experts in the field. Being compared to a pair of the best linebackers of the modern era is a heck of a compliment, as well as a heavy yolk. Devin White had to get through an early-season injury to even make it to the field. Once he made it to the field, though, he has with every game improved and impressed as he plays through the schedule. From forced fumbles after trucking down a running back 60 yards to tackles for a loss, sacks, and passes defended and beyond White is making a difference and showing flashes of the comparisons placed upon him.

Defensive backfield much improved due to rookie class

Sean Murphy-Bunting, Mike Edwards, and Jamel Dean are also showing their worth, while playing more and more. The Defensive Backfield trio is becoming a mainstay in this their rookie season. With every passing game, they are becoming more comfortable and able to allow their talent to take over and shine. There is another who is injured at the moment but had been seeing playing time on the defense: defensive Lineman/Outside Linebacker, Anthony Nelson. So there you have five drafted players on Defense all playing a major role in the Bucs improvement over the 2018 version.

Wide receiver and special team’s rookies

There are two more picks to mention. Wide receiver Scotty Miller has been playing well as of late. He has yet to make much of a big impact. That will happen when two of the leagues best receivers are on the depth chart ahead of you. It’s expected that he will continue to shine when given the limited chances afforded him. Last, but not least, is kicker Matt Gay. At times impressive, at other times disappointing, for me, the jury is still out on the rookie kicker. He missed three extra points against Atlanta (two misses, and a block), and to me, he’s just missing too often to be penned in ink as the answer to our kicking woes. He has the skills to do it, but will he? So far, I would say he still has much to prove. It would be a good idea, in my opinion, to bring in an Undrafted Free Agent after next year’s draft to compete with Gay. Maybe before season’s end, he can get his consistency back on track, and cement his roster spot.

Entire rookie class, contributing in different degrees

So there you have it, all seven rounds worth of rookies contributing on the field in their first year in the NFL, and some are contributing more than others, but most of them in an important role, and that’s a fairly rare thing in the NFL these days. Let’s hope they all continue moving forward, helping this team get better. Go Bucs!!

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Gay is Booming it for the Buccaneers

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have many fresh players coming into training camp. The one place that has been a question for the Buccaneers is the kicking game. Ever since the release of Matt Bryant, the Buccaneers have been faced with a “curse” of some sort. They’ve tried everything. They even drafted Roberto Aguayo out of Florida State in 2016, who was considered to be one of the best kickers in college football. The curse once again struck, and he too struggled to get the job done. Fast forward to last 2018, and the Buccaneers brought in Cairo Santos, who actually had a pretty decent season.

In 2019 the Buccaneers took another chance at drafting a kicker, but they waited until the 5th round and picked Matt Gay out of Utah. Of course, he comes from Utah, and the air is thinner there, which results in the ball going a lot further because of it. Many already think that he will yet be another failure for the Buccaneers kicking game. Camp is only five days in, and he has been very impressive. Gay made 8 of 9 attempts ranging from 23 to 57-yards, and the only kick he missed was from 48 in which it hit the right upright. His 57-yard kick had great distance on it and would have gone in from much further away.

He will challenge Santos in camp, and in the preseason which is set to open in less than two weeks. We will get to see what he looks like during live-action. So far, it’s looking good for Gay and the Buccaneers, although I believe with what we have seen from Santos, there will still be some stiff some competition yet to come. Gay came in with a big leg, and he is showing that it is not just the thin air that allows him to send footballs so far. Like all rookies, Gay will go through growing pains, but if he kicks as he has been, there will be no worries, and he should make short work of his competitor.

Image Credit: Bucs K Matt Gay - Photo by: Cliff Welch/Pewter Report

What is your opinion on Gay? Leave a comment below.
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Matt Gay wants to be the best

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Ever since Matt Gay was a child he had been a part of a team. Soccer was his life and he had always been known for having a strong leg and was told many times that he should play football.

He started kicking footballs in the spring of 2017 at the University of Utah. Having not come from a football background this was something new to him and his family.

When he was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he knew fans emotions were running wild. Fans were on the fence about the Bucs drafting another kicker, considering the Roberto Aguayo debacle, but Matt Gay wants to be the best kicker this team has ever had, even the best in the NFL. A tall order for a rookie kicker.

Matt Gay has high expectations for himself, expects great things to come, and wants he and his teammates to be successful as well. He wants to help the Bucs, the city,  and the fans find the success we all have been wanting so badly for so long.

I hope he can lift the kicking curse and fix our kicking woes.