Clayborn's Final Stand

Entering what is now the final year of his rookie contract, Adrian Clayborn needs to break out if he wants to continue his career in Tampa Bay. He’ll have the opportunity to do just that, as he’s being surrounded with more talent on the defensive line than any of his previous years. That talent could either push him to break out or push him to the bench, but Clayborn will have his opportunity to play up to his draft selection before being labeled as another bad draft pick by Mark Dominik.

In three seasons, Clayborn has been a mixed bag—there’s been some good and some bad—but, overall, his play has been just above average. His rookie year made Buccaneer fans excited at the thought of finally having a defensive end who could push for 10 sacks per season. His seven sacks weren’t the only reason for excitement, though. The style of play that he brought was violent and angry—the type of play that is contagious and pushes teammates to match his intensity. As a rookie, he brought a mean streak that was evident with each snap he took and each sack he recorded. Just ask Matt Ryan.

In his second season, “the bad” showed its face. Before suffering a season-ending injury against the Dallas Cowboys, Clayborn wasn’t playing up to his draft status, with only two tackles recorded before tearing his ACL as Gerald McCoy sawed down Tony Romo. Last year, while recovering from the ACL injury, Clayborn displayed some of the things that got fans excited in 2011, but had the cards stacked agasint him. He was the only proven pass rushing threat (besides McCoy) along the defensive line and was often bookended by undersized and overvalued Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. Additionally, he was coming off of a devastating injury and demanded to run an obscene amount of defensive line stunts rather than pinning his ears back and attacking. Still, Clayborn managed 19-1/2 tackles for loss and 5-1/2 sacks in a scheme that asked him to stand as a 3-4 OLB, attempt to avoid contact with offensive lineman and, at times, cover running backs out of the backfield. The sack total isn’t great, but consider the circumstances.

Heading into his fourth season in the NFL, Clayborn has been displaced from the position that he’s accustomed to playing. The signing of talented defensive end Michael Johnson has pushed Clayborn to the strong side, where some believe Clayborn’s weak side—caused by Erb’s Palsy—will limit his ability to be effective. This post on Bucs Nation gives good insight on Erb’s Palsy and its effects. The condition has been cause for concern from scouts since Clayborn’s college days and Bucs fans sonce he was drafted, but Clayborn himself says it has not limited him; however, the upcoming season will be the first time that Clayborn will play left defensive end, a position in which his right side’s strength will be tested like never before. His next payday, as well as his tenure with the Buccaneers, depends on him transitioning well.

“B-U-S-…”

Through his first three seasons, he recorded 13 sacks, hardly what you’d want from a defensive end taken so high in the draft; however, the organization believes there is hope and a move to the opposite side of the line could make him a valuable piece on the defense. Sounds familiar, right? It’s basically the same story that many Buccaneer fans should have become familiar with within the last year: the story of Michael Strahan, who Hall of Famer Warren Sapp blasted for being on the Hall of Fame ballot ahead of teammate Simeon Rice, who played right defensive end his entire career. Although the sacks numbers for Clayborn and Strahan in there first three seasons have been identical, Clayborn’s numbers have come in six less games than Strahan’s. With that said, the move could be more difficult for Clayborn if his condition does indeed affect him. It’s not entirely his fault, but Clayborn finds himself in a similar situation to early career Strahan and ia close to being labeled a bust. As Sapp put it, “When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put ‘B-U-S . OK, let’s transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.’” The “B-U-S” has been spelled out, but a breakout performance from Clayborn could stave off the “T” being tacked on. Unfortunately for Clayborn—although fortunate for the Buccaneers—the competition he faces for playing time won’t make that easy. Clayborn’s time in Tampa Bay may not only depend on how ineffective he is on the right side, but how effective Williams Gholston and Da’Quan Bowers are.

The Competition

With 13 sacks so far in his short career, Clayborn is by far the most accomplished of the players competing for time at left defensive end, but he may not be the most talented. As he was given more playing time toward the end of the season, Wiliam Gholston put together a strong final month. Against Buffalo, Gholston notched 1.5 sacks as the Buccaneer defense made things miserable for E.J. Manuel. He followed that performance with strong showing against the 49ers, where he posted eight tackles and two pass defelctions. Greg Schiano stated that Gholston had gotten better through repetition—a trend that I expect to continue—and Gerald McCoy likened Gholston’s size and ability to Julius Peppers, a player who averaged 10 sacks per season during his time playing under Lovie Smith.  With Bowers, Gholston and Clayborn fighting for time at left defensive end, some may thing that there aren’t enough snaps for all three players; however, taking a look at Leslie Frasier and Lovie Smith’s resumes, they’ve each been successful in getting quality play from second stringers along the defensive line. Clayborn’s ability to be an impact player will determine who those second stringers are.