Bucs' Tristan Wirfs seeing psychologist over move to left tackle

[Bronx]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38134880/bucs-tristan-wirfs-seeing-psychologist-move-left-tackle

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Tristan Wirfs said Friday that the move from right to left tackle this spring became a source of such debilitating anxiety that he began seeing team sports psychologist Joe Carella for help.

"It seems like so minuscule, like oh, you're just flipping sides, but I was like having breakdowns about it," Wirfs said. "I'm like, 'I can't sit here with these thoughts anymore, I'm just kind of setting myself up for failure.' I would just think about, 'I am going to suck' or like, 'I am not going to be able to do it' all day long."

Wirfs had started 46 games for the Bucs at right tackle since his rookie season in 2020. But when longtime Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith was cut in March due to salary cap issues and the team wasn't able to draft a replacement, it meant Wirfs would move to the left side.

Wirfs had started only four games on the left at Iowa, and none in the NFL on that side, which requires a player to not only rewire his body but also retrain his eyes and brain. On top of that, the Bucs were set to undergo a scheme change and line up without seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady after three straight postseason appearances.

"I was in a really rough spot mentally. I was really nervous. I was playing out the season in my head over and over again like, 'Oh, what if it goes this way or what if it goes this way?' So, I was like, 'It is freaking May. You have to calm down,'" said Wirfs, who believes his previous success played a big part in his fear of failure.

Wirfs delivered a historically good NFL combine performance that helped make him the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, and won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in his rookie season. He was then named first-team All-Pro in his second season and second-team All-Pro in 2022, with Pro Bowls in both campaigns. Members of the coaching staff were even touting him as a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.

"I think having those things happen in the first three years are huge to what I am thinking about," said Wirfs, who added that the doubts actually began during his rookie season. "I went up against Shaq [Barrett] and JPP [Jason Pierre-Paul]. I was like, 'I can't do this. I am terrible.' I would go back to my apartment and just think like, 'Oh my goodness, I am not cut out for this.' Now it is just trying to keep those thoughts out as much as I can."

[Darnold's Forehead]

Soft?

[doitny]

boy did we dodge a bullet.

[PS17]

At least he’s on the field 

[TuscanyTile2]

This guy wouldn't fit with the Jets.  Our franchise likes to talk a big game and then under-deliver.  

[Fantasy Island]

He could be ours trade!!!!!!!!!!!

[SomebodytoAnybody47]

Sounds like typical anxiety. Pretty annoying. I feel ya Wirfs. 

[MR.GANGGREEN28]

Opposite of soft. Cares that much about succeeding at playing the 2nd most important position in football that it was causing him severe anxiety and he’s actively seeking help for it, while being an open advocate for mental health treatment. I respect him for this.

[Barry McCockinner]

For anyone who thinks it's an easy thing to do...

[Kleckineau]

I dont think this is rare. Many pro athletes have benefited from seeing a psychologist.

Certainly more therapeutic than stress eating everything in sight.

[Maynard13]

Wirfs probably still in shock @T0mShane the Jets took Becton over him.  PTSD.

[Maynard13]

39 minutes ago, Fantasy Island said:

He could be ours trade!!!!!!!!!!!

Trade Becton for him @T0mShane

[Hal]

Every pro athlete should be working with one.  
 

That’s why I decided not to be a pro athlete.  

[Sarge4Tide]

I went to a shrink when Todd Bowles was our coach also 

[jetsons]

[Jetsfan80]

Pretty much the only reason why Wirfs wasn’t the slam dunk selection at the time was the concern over whether he could handle LT.

Still, a solid RT >>>> a supposed LT who maybe doesn’t like football so much and can’t stay healthy.

In hindsight it looks like perhaps Gase was right all along and we shoulda grabbed Lamb.

 

@T0mShane

[mrcoops]

Becton for Wirfs, straight up. 

Solves our RT issue, and the Bucs' LT issue (for a few plays per game).

[jgb]

1 hour ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Pretty much the only reason why Wirfs wasn’t the slam dunk selection at the time was the concern over whether he could handle LT.

Still, a solid RT >>>> a supposed LT who maybe doesn’t like football so much and can’t stay healthy.

In hindsight it looks like perhaps Gase was right all along and we shoulda grabbed Lamb.

 

@T0mShane

Wirfs was the call there. Lamb would’ve Elijah Moore’d himself off the team with our QBs

[jgb]

6 hours ago, Sarge4Tide said:

I went to a shrink when Todd Bowles was our coach also 

If only you knew what was ahead you would’ve saved your money for later!

[jgb]

7 hours ago, Kleckineau said:

I dont think this is rare. Many pro athletes have benefited from seeing a psychologist.

Certainly more therapeutic than stress eating everything in sight.

Including the GOAT Tom Brady

 

[TheNuuFaaolaExperience]

You can keep Wirfs. MY RT played SEVEN whole snaps in a pre-season game before taking himself out of the game. 

[SAM SAM HE'S OUR MAN]

[More Cowbell]

AVT is looking a lot better after readong this

[T0mShane]

4 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Pretty much the only reason why Wirfs wasn’t the slam dunk selection at the time was the concern over whether he could handle LT.

Still, a solid RT >>>> a supposed LT who maybe doesn’t like football so much and can’t stay healthy.

In hindsight it looks like perhaps Gase was right all along and we shoulda grabbed Lamb.

 

@T0mShane

Still crazy that Gase was able to get more out of both Becton and Mims as rookies than Saleh has since. Both players are creampuffs who need hard coaching, and they both shut it down the second Saleh walked in with that new-age rah-rah sh*t, and watching the org tolerate Becton’s nonsense while doing the bare minimum to protect themselves against Becton’s inevitable flameouts has been frustrating. In two weeks time they’re going to be wishing they threw a contract at George Fant.

[Biggs]

Nothing about wanting to tap out?

[Sperm Edwards]

2 hours ago, jgb said:

Wirfs was the call there. Lamb would’ve Elijah Moore’d himself off the team with our QBs

It's not even debatable which OT has been better, even in rationalizing why the choice was made. It's also supremely unlikely Wirfs would've enjoyed anywhere near that same success as a LT here. 

• Block the blind side for Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson (sprinkled with a combined full season of their backups) who hold the ball like it's money, plus Wilson giving his tackles fits because they can't possibly know where he is moving, spinning or wtf he's doing as though the defenses seem like a 6x6 rubik's cube .

vs.

• Block the visible side for Tom Brady who's usually getting the ball out in under 2.5 seconds (closer to 2.1-2.2 seconds as needed, when facing opponents with a serious pass rush), and with whom it's quite predictable where he's going to stand or slide up in the pocket, and who frankly just has a feel when he can hold it longer & when he can't.

Of course, then there's this thought: if they had taken Wirfs instead of Becton, a year later do they still end up with the same #2 pick that was ultimately used on Zach Wilson? If they hadn't, would the QB now be Aaron Rodgers or would the Jets still be rationalizing themselves through the extension they gave Sam Darnold?

If Darnold doesn't get mono, maybe they finish 8-8 or 9-7 and at that point in the 2020 draft Becton's long gone and they do end up with Lamb or Jefferson.

But is it a means to an end? If Tampa doesn't get chest pains suffering through Winston's 30 picks, 12 fumbles, and ~50 sacks in 2019, they don't win a Super Bowl with Brady in 2020. Like I mentioned a bit ago, if Wilson had given them remotely realistic hope for 2023 instead of his first 2 seasons of being a cape-wearing Superbust, they don't go after Rodgers in the first place (and btw swap out Sauce Gardner for Trevor Penning or Kaiir Elam while you're at it). 

[Larz]

Can’t wait to find out what’s wrong with this generation and society today 

[jgb]

3 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

It's not even debatable which OT has been better, even in rationalizing why the choice was made. It's also supremely unlikely Wirfs would've enjoyed anywhere near that same success as a LT here. 

• Block the blind side for Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson (sprinkled with a combined full season of their backups) who hold the ball like it's money, plus Wilson giving his tackles fits because they can't possibly know where he is moving, spinning or wtf he's doing as though the defenses seem like a 6x6 rubik's cube .

vs.

• Block the visible side for Tom Brady who's usually getting the ball out in under 2.5 seconds (closer to 2.1-2.2 seconds as needed, when facing opponents with a serious pass rush), and with whom it's quite predictable where he's going to stand or slide up in the pocket, and who frankly just has a feel when he can hold it longer & when he can't.

Of course, then there's this thought: if they had taken Wirfs instead of Becton, a year later do they still end up with the same #2 pick that was ultimately used on Zach Wilson? If they hadn't, would the QB now be Aaron Rodgers or would the Jets still be rationalizing themselves through the extension they gave Sam Darnold?

If Darnold doesn't get mono, maybe they finish 8-8 or 9-7 and at that point in the 2020 draft Becton's long gone and they do end up with Lamb or Jefferson.

But is it a means to an end? If Tampa doesn't get chest pains suffering through Winston's 30 picks, 12 fumbles, and ~50 sacks in 2019, they don't win a Super Bowl in 2020. Like I mentioned a bit ago, if Wilson had given them remotely realistic hope for 2023 instead of his first 2 seasons of being a cape-wearing Superbust, they don't go after Rodgers in the first place (and btw swap out Sauce Gardner for Trevor Penning or Kaiir Elam while you're at it). 

Do what would have happened if the South had won the Civil War next.

[jgb]

2 minutes ago, Larz said:

Can’t wait to find out what’s wrong with this generation and society today 

Every generation thinks the next one sucks…

and they are all correct.

[Sperm Edwards]

1 minute ago, jgb said:

Do what would have happened if the South had won the Civil War next.

It would've been bad for a lot of people, and statistically not one of us would be alive today.

[Jack Straw]

Asking a 24 year old kid to learn how to kick step with left leg instead of his right is something nobody should have to go through. I can't imagine the pain he's going through.

My thoughts and prayers are with Triston and his family through these trying times.

[SAM SAM HE'S OUR MAN]

21 minutes ago, Larz said:

Can’t wait to find out what’s wrong with this generation and society today 

[chirorob]

3 hours ago, mrcoops said:

Becton for Wirfs, straight up. 

Solves our RT issue, and the Bucs' LT issue (for a few plays per game).

[Dunnie]

.... It's gonna be a long 5 weeks

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[chirorob]

58 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

Still crazy that Gase was able to get more out of both Becton and Mims as rookies than Saleh has since. Both players are creampuffs who need hard coaching, and they both shut it down the second Saleh walked in with that new-age rah-rah sh*t, and watching the org tolerate Becton’s nonsense while doing the bare minimum to protect themselves against Becton’s inevitable flameouts has been frustrating. In two weeks time they’re going to be wishing they threw a contract at George Fant.

Well, Becton has only been healthy for literally part of 1 game.  Vince Lombardi couldn't get anything out if a 400 pound man with 1 knee.