Should the Bucs Be Worried About Austin Seferian-Jenkins Being Kicked Out of Practice or Was It An Isolated Incident?
By Anthony Pugliese and Andrew Siemer
Be Worried: Anthony Pugliese
Although talks of Austin Seferian-Jenkins getting kicked out of practice have died out and he has since apologized, this incident might not be an isolated incident.
There have been many instances throughout NFL history where coaches and players haven’t seen eye to eye. From Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers to Terrell Owens and Andy Reid, every once in a while arguments go public and people take notice. Some blow over like the Rodgers and McCarthy incident, while others like Terrell Owens seem to have ongoing issues with multiple people.
By now it is well-known that Austin Seferian-Jenkins and first year Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter had a spat during OTA’s. Seferian-Jenkins was sent home after Koetter stated Austin “didn’t know what he was doing”, per the Tampa Bay Times. Arguments happen especially when you’re in the Florida heat working; the extreme temperatures can shorten tempers quickly. If the incident dies with a spat on the field there is almost no reason to worry about a recurrence between the Bucs tight end and administration, but unfortunately it went deeper.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins decided to go to Twitter and continued to vent long after the incident took place. It started off innocently enough…
Can’t let negative stuff get to u. Let it happen and move on!
— Austin Seferian J (@Aesj88) June 9, 2016
That is the reaction you want to see from a player. Once the fans caught wind of the incident though, things turned from bad to ugly.
@REscobio come to 1 buc at 2pm Monday and say something bout mother and i promise u. 1. You’ll be trespassing 2. You’ll eat through a straw
— Austin Seferian J (@Aesj88) June 10, 2016
That is just one example of numerous responses Seferian-Jenkins tweeted back towards the reticule to the public. I understand people don’t deserve to be badgered the way sports stars are from time to time, but it comes with the territory. Threatening fans isn’t exactly a good look.
The escalation of the incident to unnecessary heights makes it harder to believe that another issue isn’t out of the question. Hopefully it is an isolated incident and I’m wrong, but if not, another incident could result in dismissal. Not just from the practice field ,but from the team altogether. Not a crazy thought since Seferian-Jenkins hasn’t done enough on the field yet for the Bucs to deal with a player with attitude problems.
Isolated Incident: Andrew Siemer
NFL player’s live the ‘Merican Dream, getting paid boatloads of money to do what they love to do. Taking a God given talent and turning it into something special that you and I invest time and money on to enjoy on a daily basis. Unfortunately, many of these players live in such a convoluted reality that they become detached from where they came from and what it took to reach the pinnacle of their profession. Names won’t be dropped *cough* Johnny Manziel *cough* but there are plenty of examples of players who take their life too seriously.
The Buccaneers drafted Austin Seferian-Jenkins in 2014 with the mentality of adding a pass catching tight end that would become a game changer in a pass heavy league. 2 years later, 2 injuries later, ASJ hasn’t lived up to the full potential that he was hyped for. When healthy, Jenkins posted some quality numbers; 42 Receptions for 559 yards and 6 TDs in 16 games over his first two years. What is scary is the fact that he can’t stay healthy to really put up a solid effort.
2016 is going to be a make or break year for the young pass catcher, and he isn’t starting out on the right foot. During an off season workout, new head coach Dirk Koetter didn’t like what he saw from the young gun and sent him home for “Not knowing what he was doing”. After getting home, Austin got onto Twitter and got into it with some fans and really showing some immaturity and real life disconnect. Having a 2016 breakout season seems to off to a rocky start.
This is really seeming like a one and done type of situation for the big guy though. Austin has since apologized to the fans for his outburst and also had a heart to heart with head coach Dirk Koetter for his lack of discipline and focus in practice. History is in his favor however, showing that he has a lack of judgement and then turns it around. In 2013 while playing college football at Washington, he pleaded guilty to a DUI and was suspended for one game. He responded by securing more touchdowns in his junior season than in either of his first two years. If Austin can stay healthy, 2016 is going to be a year to remember for Jenkins and Tampa as he uses this trip back to reality to make it his one and only problem in his NFL career.
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