Sapp Thinks Bucs Can’t Win South
May 17, 2012 at 08:46am by Scott • 3 Comments »
NFL Network did a piece on the Bucs on Tuesday after their OTA. Not a lot of new information there, but it is interesting that Warren Sapp doesn’t think the Bucs can compete to win the NFC South. Nothing changes overnight, but the Falcons are on the decline and the Saints are a complete mess. The Panthers are on the upswing and could also compete, but I don’t see why the Bucs can’t be in the mix this season.
First OTA Of 2012
May 16, 2012 at 12:52pm by Scott • 4 Comments »
The Bucs held their first of 13 allowed OTAs yesterday, and except for the fact they were in shorts with no pads and no contact is allowed, it was exactly like my flag football game last night. Except the cops were called to my game because “no contact” is for people who care about living into their 50s. That last part is totally true, by the way.
The starting defense looked like this:
LE: George Johnson
DT: Amobe Okoye
DT: Gerald McCoy
RE: Adrian Clayborn
WLB: Rennie Curren
MLB: Mason Foster
SLB: Quincy Black
CB: Aqib Talib
CB: E.J. Biggers
FS: Ronde Barber
SS: Mark Barron
Johnson is in there because Da’Quan Bowers is recovering from surgery and Michael Bennett only played sporadically. Brian Price didn’t show up to this OTA, but he may not have been the starter over Okoye anyway. Curren is a mystery to me. Seems like it would have made more sense to have Lavonte David in there, but he was with the second string. Also notice that Eric Wright is playing behind E.J. Biggers.
QB: Josh Freeman
LT: Donald Penn
LG: Carl Nicks
C: Jeremy Zutah
RG: Davin Joseph
RT: Jeremy Trueblood
RB: LeGarrette Blount
FB: Erik Lorig
TE: Luke Stocker
WR: Vincent Jackson
WR: Mike Williams
Winslow was also a no show, so that’s why Stocker got the start. And Doug Martin is nursing an injury, so Blount took most of the RB snaps (and he would like you to know he’s still the starter). No one else is a surprise. A couple notes from the practice:
* Devin Holland seems to have switched from safety to cornerback.
* Greg Schiano runs a fast-paced camp. Players are expected to sprint from drill to drill and even from drills to breaks.
* Blount was seen catching several passes despite the common perception that he is incapable of it.
* Jackson is as advertised. Fast, smooth, great hands. Williams says he’s already learning a lot from him.
There will be two more OTAs this week, but they will be closed to the media and the public. So I’ll just make up some stuff that sounds plausible when they happen.
Fulmer Elected To CFHOF
May 15, 2012 at 04:22pm by Scott • No Comments »
The Battle Captain is getting his due. Congratulations, coach. You shouldn’t have been eligible this early, but I’m glad you’re getting in on the first ballot.
OTAs To Start OT-Today
May 15, 2012 at 10:18am by Scott • 7 Comments »
Usually I don’t like these articles where the author tells you what to look for during some organized team thing since they generally just repeat things we already know and are essentially useless, but this one is pretty good. First, it says the Bucs get to start their 13 OTA days a week earlier than other teams that didn’t change head coaches, and that kicks off today. Greg Schiano isn’t wasting any time. And the things the articles says to keep an eye on are pretty good, with one of them being especially interesting.
The secondary appears to be undergoing drastic changes, including possibly moving five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber to safety.
Apparently Ronde is still a consideration at safety even with the drafting of Mark Barron, so Cody Grimm is going to have to prove he’s better than Ronde if he wants to see serious playing time. That’s going to be a fun one to watch. I’m also going to be interested to see how LeGarrette Blount responds to Doug Martin. Will Blount use his presence as motivation and turn in his best practices ever? Or will he just get pissed off and let his emotions get the best of him?
Oh, and in case you gave a shit, Connor Barth is back on his way to Tampa, so presumably Barth and the Bucs have agreed to a long-term deal since Barth wasn’t going to sign the franchise tender until at least training camp and probably later than that. I’ll be glad to have him back and all, but a kicker holding out is kind of like a five-year old holding his breath to get what he wants. You have to breathe eventually because you’re not going to kill yourself over this bullshit that got you all mad in the first place, so do what you have to do and let me know when you’re done with your tantrum. Parent of the year!
Two More Draft Picks Signed
May 14, 2012 at 04:33pm by Scott • 6 Comments »
The Bucs signed their fifth and sixth round picks today, which is great because otherwise I wouldn’t have written jack shit today.
The Bucs have signed their two draft picks from West Virginia — linebacker Najee Goode and cornerback Keith Tandy.
Both players received four-year contracts.
Goode, a fifth-round pick, is expected to begin the off-season working at either middle or strong side linebacker. Tandy, a sixth-round pick, played cornerback in the recently completed minicamp but has the ability to eventually move to safety.
They both played at West Virginia and were roommates for the rookie minicamp, so they might as well have their contracts signed at the same time too. By the end of training camp, they’ll have developed their own rudimentary twin language of clicks and blinks.
Wade Retained, Jefferson Out
May 11, 2012 at 10:20am by Scott • 1 Comment »
With Da’Quan Bowers out of the lineup for a while, the Bucs had to change their plans for how they were going to shuffle their roster. Originally, they had planned to release Myles Wade, a defensive lineman out of Portland State, in order to sign Tiquan Underwood. But instead, they kept Wade and released Jordan Jefferson, which makes sense since they really need depth on the defensive line. They’re having to make these kinds of decisions because they’re at their 90-man roster limit.
So I guess I’ll go ahead and be the asshole who asks the question. Eric LeGrand is still on the roster and still taking up a spot. How long do the Bucs continue on with the gesture of having him on the active roster before moving him to the Reserved/Retired list? Granted, losing Jefferson isn’t a big deal and it’s not a tough decision to make. But if they really wanted to evaluate Jefferson because they saw some real potential, they won’t be able to now. I don’t want to take away LeGrand’s moment in the sun because I think it’s a good thing the Bucs are doing in including him on the team, but at what point does it become a detriment to what they’re trying to accomplish this season?
Oh, and John McCargo was signed by the Bears yesterday, so he won’t be coming back for a while. Especially if the Bears discover how much fun it is to sign him and then release him. It’s addictive, like Tetris.
Da’Quan Bowers Probably Out For Season
May 10, 2012 at 04:50pm by Scott • 4 Comments »
According to the Buccaneers themselves, Da’Quan Bowers injured his Achilles tendon while “participating in the Bucs’ offseason program” and will be having surgery tomorrow. Bowers slipped in last year’s draft because of injury. Granted, it was an unrelated knee injury, but I’ll bet the teams that considered taking him in the first are wiping their brow a little.
He was probably on his way to starting at left DE, but the spot is going to be filled by Michael Bennett now. Tim Crowder may also get a phone call soon. Or, since Bennett also played some DT, John McCargo. I really want them to re-sign him — it makes my job so much easier. Anyway, wishing a quick recovery to Bowers.
How Not To File A Law Suit
May 10, 2012 at 11:06am by Scott • 5 Comments »
New Bucs QB Jordan Jefferson has a hearing today regarding charges against him for allegedly kicking someone in the head during a bar fight last August. And now the victims in the fight are suing Jefferson for damages.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the suit says Ewen sustained three fractured vertebra, a herniated disc, multiple fractured teeth, cuts and bruises to his head and face. Lowery, according to the suit, sustained a fractured maxilla bone, teeth, a bulging and/or herniated disc, multiple cuts and bruises to the head and face, and bruises to the rest of his body. Wills and Cox, according to the suit, received multiple cuts and bruises to the head and face.
So Jefferson single-handedly kicked all four of these dudes asses? I’ve read about a dozen accounts of this fight and they all say that Jefferson didn’t throw the first punch and most of them say that it was difficult to see exactly who was hitting whom. This sounds like a cash grab.
“How coincidental the lawsuit gets filed right after Jordan signs a pro contract,” [Jefferson's attorney] Unglesby told the Times-Picayune. “We’ve said from Day One this was all about taking advantage of Jordan’s success. We hope District Attorney (Hillar) Moore dismisses the criminal complaint based on Lowery’s choice of the civil forum.”
This may be the worst cash grab in history. Jefferson is barely clinging to the roster on a tryout contract. What do they think they’re going to get if they win? “Your Honor, we demand half of his team-issued T-shirts and his $40 per diem!”
Freeman Lite
May 10, 2012 at 11:04am by Scott • 1 Comment »
According to Mark Dominik, Josh Freeman is 20 pounds lighter this offseason, which would be great news if he were inclined to pull the fucking ball down and run from time to time.
“You’ve seen a guy who’s completely committed to getting his season back on track and hitting the reset button and getting his game back to hopefully to more of what we saw in 2010 as a young 22-year-old,” Dominik said. “The last couple years, he’s been playing around 255-260. Right now, he’s sitting downstairs weighing about 235-238. He’s getting his body right, working on getting more mobility and better conditioned and buying in, heart and soul, to how and what Mike Sullivan is and wants to be as offensive coordinator.”
I know Freeman wants to be a complete quarterback and not scramble around all the time, but when he’s that big and that fast, it’s not a sin to tuck the ball away and just run from time to time. I don’t want them to move to the college option or anything; I just don’t want our quarterback to force balls down the field when there’s a perfectly good eight-yard pickup right in front of him.
By the way, I have been given assurances from the team that none of those 20 pounds are from his hair.
Another Buccaneer In The Top 100
May 09, 2012 at 12:59pm by Scott • 5 Comments »
For the next several weeks, the NFL Network is counting down their top 100 players in the league as voted on by the players themselves. Donald Penn was voted the 97th best player a couple weeks ago and this week they’re supposed to reveal another Buccaneer in the 80-71 range. My guess, though, is that it’s a player who has never taken a snap as a Buccaneer: Carl Nicks. This seems like the right spot for him. Mike Williams and Josh Freeman, who were on the list last year, aren’t going to make it again this year because of the terrible season the Bucs had in 2011. Skill players are punished more for a bad record than most other positions. And this is too low for Vincent Jackson, who will probably pop up somewhere in the twenties or thirties. Am I missing a possibility for this slot?