Donovan Smith values his safety more than he does Tom Brady’s
When Tom Brady left the New England Patriots to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his legions of fans had one concern: Will he be protected from the assault of 300-pound defensive linemen?
That was never much of an issue in Foxborough. If Bill Belichick learned anything from his mentor, Bill Parcells, it’s that the highest priority of a head football coach is to prevent his quarterback from being carted off the field.
All the more critical when the quarterback is three weeks away from turning 43.
By all accounts, Brady was not stressing about his upcoming birthday.
Until he read this Instagram message from the Bucs’ left tackle, Donovan Smith: “Risking my health as well as my family’s health does not seem like a risk worth taking. With my first child due in three weeks, I can’t help but think about how I will be able to take proper precautions around 80+ people every day, then go home to be with my newborn daughter.”
He did not say he for sure will not play in whatever pandemically reduced season the Bucs can concoct.
But it’s being interpreted by most of the national media that Donovan Smith has decided to forego a $14.5 million salary, which he earns for being a barely-better-than-average starting left tackle in the National Football League.
Next to quarterback itself, this has become the most valuable position in pro football. It was no shock when the Houston Texans recently signed Laremy Tunsil for four years at $66 million total. In fact, eight starting quarterbacks are salaried lower than the almost anonymous Mr. Smith. Their names are Tannehill, Fitzpatrick, Murray, Minshew, Lock, Haskins, Allen and Jones.
Of course it’s always about the money, and Smith addressed that in his posting: “Now to hear that 35 percent of my paycheck may be withheld while we are out sacrificing our health for the joy and entertainment of everyone else who will be safe at home in front of their TVs? That should warrant a pay raise due to the risk, not a cut.”
Smith is 27, and Bucs coach Bruce Arians values him not only because he’s a fine pass-blocker but because he’s showed up to play 79 out of 80 times. He’s every bit as reliable as the G.O.A.T. himself.
So the Bucs are caught between a rock and a coronavirus. Renegotiate a contract that expires at the end of next season, or expect nothing from him this season.
A season that, shaky though it is, looks promising for the Bucs, who are co-favorites with the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South. It’s not at all far-fetched to think Tampa Bay can win a seventh Super Bowl for Brady if he can stay upright.
But you can understand why the Glazer family doesn’t want to throw open the vault to an O-lineman who does not push the run game. Smith was clearly a factor in the Buccaneers gashing at 95.1 yards per game – 24th in the league in 2019.
Jameis Winston stayed healthy even though he was sacked 47 times. There were too many jailbreaks, but they were usually attributed to others besides Donovan Smith. The right tackle, Demar Dotson, was too old at 34 and the right guard, Alex Cappa, too green in his sophomore year.
To replace Dotson the Bucs drafted a right tackle in the first round: Tristan Wirfs from Iowa. But coming from the run-first Big Ten, Wirfs is behind the learning curve on pass blocking. The last thing Tom Brady wants to see is Wirfs being shifted to the other side —Brady’s blind side – as a replacement for Smith.
Contributing to the protection problem is the head coach, Arians, whose offense emphasizes downfield passing that takes time to develop. He’s never been enamored of screen plays and checkdowns that are a large part of Belichick’s approach. Arians accepts a higher than average rate of interceptions and sacks. He likes to say, ‘No risk it, no biscuit.” But he’s never risked a quarterback who’s 43 years old.
