OT: Former Patriot Ted Larsen now starting for Bucs

[jmt57]

Looks like the 6th round draft pick got his first NFL start last week due to an injury, and will probably start again this week.

Bucs Inactives: Keydrick Vincent and Earnest Graham out, Ted Larsen and Erik Lorig starting - Tampa Bay Buccaneers News: BucNews.com
Last week vs St Louis:

With Graham and Vincent out, Erik Lorig at FB and Ted Larsen at OG will get their first starts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line remains in state of flux - St. Petersburg Times
For next Sunday's game:

But with the status of T Jeremy Trueblood (knee) and G Keydrick Vincent (back spasms) in question, rookie G Ted Larsen, C Jeremy Zuttah and T James Lee could play significant roles Sunday against the Cardinals.

Larsen, a graduate of Palm Harbor U. High who made his NFL debut Sunday, is eager for the chance at his second start and believes he learned a lot from his first.

"You only get so many opportunities, and you have to take advantage of them," he said.

T Donald Penn told Larsen a story before Sunday's game, pointing out how he got his first start, Oct. 7, 2007, against the Patriots, after Luke Petitgout tore his ACL, and now has started 50 consecutive games.

"I said, 'I got in a game, and I've never gotten out since,' " Penn said. "I said, 'It's up to you to do it.' It happens that fast."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and notes - St. Petersburg Times
Although apparently Larsen was one of several players to make a rookie mistake after Tampa Bay took the lead with time still remaining on the clock.

Morris knew the closing moments of Sunday's 18-17 victory over the Rams would be a little crazy if the Bucs scored the go-ahead touchdown.

So just before Freeman passed for the winning touchdown to RB Cadillac Williams with 17 seconds left, the coach implored his assistants to help him corral players for a two-point conversion.

It didn't help.

"Before we scored, I was confident our offense was going to be able to get the ball in the end zone," Morris said. "I had to let them know, my coaches, that we were going to have to round them up. We are an average age of about 26. So I knew they were going to go nuts and we were going to have to go get those guys for the two-point conversion.

"I found (guard Ted) Larsen. … I had to run over there and grab him and make sure he knew we were going for the two-point conversion. And I didn't say it in those words.

"I think Freeman was somewhere entangled between the (first-down) chains, crawling over them. Cadillac was doing the Lambeau Leap, and Larsen was kind of strolling along the sideline. We almost didn't have a left guard.

So with the benefit of hindsight, I can't help but wonder if the Pats would have been better off IR'ing Kaczur at the end of training camp and keeping Larsen on the 53-man roster. Or if they had done that, would the Pats have kept another player anyways? Would have been nice to see how much he progressed with Dante working with him for a year.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

So with the benefit of hindsight, I can't help but wonder if the Pats would have been better off IR'ing Kaczur at the end of training camp and keeping Larsen on the 53-man roster. Or if they had done that, would the Pats have kept another player anyways? Would have been nice to see how much he progressed with Dante working with him for a year.

I agree, although I guess part of hoping for Kaczur to come back is that he has a track record as a starter, even though he wasn't a guard. At the time, Mankins was holding out and Connolly was quite unproven. Connolly still struggles a bit (hence the benching in San Diego), but for the most part, has played well.

With Koppen looking awful in the past few games though, I've thought about Larsen a few times. BB thought enough of him to trade up to get him and mentioned he had a much higher draft grade (I think he said 4th round but not 100% sure). But we're definitely going to need a new center, sooner rather than later.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

That's awesome for Larson and hopefully he will have a decent career for a late round pick. And yes, we need to get a new center next year.

 

[mgteich]

In the end, Larsen couldn't pass Wendell or Connolly on the depth chart for this year. Also, he didn't impress Belichick enough to think of him as a future starter, otherwise, Belichick would have found a roster spot for him.

 

[WhiteWesWelker88]

you do realize he is playing Center for the butt pirates (right?)



tough loss.... I liked him on paper.

 

[eagle eye]

I always felt Larsen would make it but he made too many mistakes in preseason and thats why he is gone. I really am rooting for the kid and hope he makes it.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

In the end, Larsen couldn't pass Wendell or Connolly on the depth chart for this year. Also, he didn't impress Belichick enough to think of him as a future starter, otherwise, Belichick would have found a roster spot for him.

There is always going to be a team that might bee a better fit for a player or have a need. Look at how many former Patriot TE's are floating around the league? Garret Mills (Philly), Dave Thomas (NO), Daniel Graham (Den) and Watson (Clev) There may be more I missed.

 

[WhiteWesWelker88]

If he is ever a pro bowler I'll be pissed

 

[RayClay]

you do realize he is playing Center for the butt pirates (right?)



tough loss.... I liked him on paper.

Zuttah played center.

 

[memento]

If he is ever a pro bowler I'll be pissed

Thanks for bringing Logan Mankins back to memory.

 

[IcyPatriot]

In the end, Larsen couldn't pass Wendell or Connolly on the depth chart for this year. Also, he didn't impress Belichick enough to think of him as a future starter, otherwise, Belichick would have found a roster spot for him.

well that was insightful.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

There is always going to be a team that might bee a better fit for a player or have a need. Look at how many former Patriot TE's are floating around the league? Garret Mills (Philly), Dave Thomas (NO), Daniel Graham (Den) and Watson (Clev) There may be more I missed.

You may be on to something!

Bills: Stupar, Jonathan

Cardinals: Spach, Stephen

Browns: Smith, Alex

Colts (PSquad): Rob Myers

Seahawks: Baker, Chris

 

[DaBruinz]

In the end, Larsen couldn't pass Wendell or Connolly on the depth chart for this year. Also, he didn't impress Belichick enough to think of him as a future starter, otherwise, Belichick would have found a roster spot for him.

MG - The assumptions you make are just asinine sometimes.

While it's true that Larsen couldn't beat out Wendell or Connolly for this year, how the hell can you say that he didn't impress Belichick enough? Did Belichick tell you that in a one on one interview?

Instead of assuming the worst, why not look at reality. There are only so many roster spots and the Pats carried 9 OL to open the season. There is just a good of a possibility that BB felt that Larsen would need a year or two on the practice squad and tried to get him there only to have Tampa claim Larsen off waivers. It has happened before that players the Pats wanted to keep have been claimed off waivers.

 

[patsfan-1982]

im happy for the kid i hope he dose great

 

[ricogatenby99]

Last week against the Rams Larsen really sucked, I think he had 3 false starts and 2 holding calls against him from what I remember, he was often the getting pushed back into Freeman.

 

[WelshPat]

Good luck to him, but in this league you can always find interior O-Lineman to start in free agency or the later rounds of the draft.

 

[Off The Grid]

you do realize he is playing Center for the butt pirates (right?)

He realizes no such thing.

He played Left Guard.

Nice work, sport.

 

[Off The Grid]

MG - The assumptions you make are just asinine sometimes.

While it's true that Larsen couldn't beat out Wendell or Connolly for this year, how the hell can you say that he didn't impress Belichick enough? Did Belichick tell you that in a one on one interview?

Instead of assuming the worst, why not look at reality. There are only so many roster spots and the Pats carried 9 OL to open the season. There is just a good of a possibility that BB felt that Larsen would need a year or two on the practice squad and tried to get him there only to have Tampa claim Larsen off waivers. It has happened before that players the Pats wanted to keep have been claimed off waivers.

Good point. It seems very likely to me, that he was trying to stash him. A lot of us liked the kid's upside.

 

[Off The Grid]

So with the benefit of hindsight, I can't help but wonder if the Pats would have been better off IR'ing Kaczur at the end of training camp and keeping Larsen on the 53-man roster. Or if they had done that, would the Pats have kept another player anyways? Would have been nice to see how much he progressed with Dante working with him for a year.

Yeah, I absolutely agree.

If it was up to me ~ and my untrammeled, flawless hindsight ~ I would've kept him over any of an handfull of players.

Of course, I am partial to Grizzlies.

 

[BlueThunder]

Pats are always targeted for picking players off the waiver wire with final cuts......when you have a team as deep as Pats, alot of the PS players could probably improve another team's 53 man roster.

The year that Meriweather was drafted, the Pats went 18-1. I think Brandon was the only rookie that made the final 53. Haters were saying BB sucked at drafting.....like there was room for improvement on a team that was less than 2 mins from undefeated and 19-0.

If I recall, quite a few of the finalk cuts by Pats ended up on other teams...the Jets even picked a couple up.