Tampa Bay Sports Blog

The Bucs have had an interesting off season so far and we all can argue about most of what they’ve done, but the Brooks thing is still killing me. I know it’s the fan in me feeling it, but I still can’t find a legitimate reason for what they did there. I could understand salary cap issues or something like that, but they are far from having cap issues. I love the addition of Derrick Ward and Kellen Winslow. I like that they moved on from Jeff Garcia. I’ll break it down to what I think is positive and negative.

Positive moves:

• Signing Derrick Ward. Ward is an animal and should combine with Earnest Graham to make a devastating backfield similar to what he was a part of with the Giants.
• Trading for Kellen Winslow. Say what you want about this guy, he can flat out play. He may have caused some problems and may be injury prone, but I feel this is one of those guys that a change of scenery and atmosphere may help more than anyone realizes.
• Firing Gruden and Allen. I’ve already spoke my piece about this so I won’t delve into it again. Good riddence.

Negative moves:

• Re-signing Jerramy Stevens: Why the hell do we need this A-hole? He’s just not good enough to justify the off-field nemisis he is.
• Giving Michael Clayton stupid money. Was this move just to get farther away from the salary floor? The Bucs are closer to the floor than the cap and needed to spend some money, but why this guy? He hasn’t earned $10.5 million in guaranteed money no matter how anyone tries to spin it.
• Releasing Derrick Brooks. Why, why, why?!

It’s basically a toss up right now that could go either way on whether this has been a good or bad off season so far. It’s still early, I know, but it’s worth discussing. I really like the offensive direction the team has taken (other than Clayton) but I still can’t see any reason that Mr. Brooks shouldn’t have a spot on this roster. I can only hope that they’re discussing things with him and look to bring him back. I think that even he understands that he is better off playing less downs and would be willing to come back in a reduced role. If there has ever been a player that warranted starter money in a reduced role, it’s Derrick Brooks. If I’m annoying anyone with this banter, too bad! I’m not going to let this go. I want Brooks back and there is no excuse good enough not to.

Technorati Tags: Bruce Allen, Derrick Brooks, Earnest Graham, Jeff Garcia, Jerramy Stevens, Jon Gruden, Kellen Winslow, Michael Clayton, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’ve got a lot on my mind right now within the sports world and in trying to kick off the new year with more posts I just wanted to comment on a few things I thought about over the weekend.

• The playoff games I watched this weekend were pretty good for the most part. The Ravens showed everyone who the real Chad Pennington was and Ed Reed proved that he is the sickest defensive ballhawk we’ve seen since Deion Sanders and you could even make an argument that he might be better.

• Tony Dungy may have coached his last game with the Colts and I would find it pretty sad if it was his last game ever coached. I do get the feeling that he wants a little time away from the game and if anyone deserves it, it’s Tony Dungy. I would like to think though that Tony would jump back into the coaching ranks after a few years of sitting home with the family. He’s only 53 and he would still be fairly young by coaching standards if he jumped back in five years from now. I hope it’s not over for Tony Dungy.

• The Patriots are supposedly going to put the franchise tag on Matt Cassel and that’s a very smart move (not shocking from the Pats). I will say though that I don’t see a better fit for Cassel than with the Vikings. That game would’ve been different had the Vikings had a real QB. I don’t know how many picks the Vikings have, but if the Patriots are confident enough in Tom Brady coming back healthy that they do shop Cassel, Minnesota should be first in line to snatch him up. Imagine the Vikes pulling that off and signing a good WR, say Antonio Bryant, and that team would be set up for a nice run at the Super Bowl next year. I could also see the Vikings looking at Jeff Garcia as a starter or backup this offseason.

• The Celtics and Cavs both lost yesterday which further proves that the Magic belong in the discussion with them, even though the Magic lost also.

That’s all for now, more later on.

Technorati Tags: Antonio Bryant, Baltimore Ravens, Boston Celtics, Chad Pennington, Cleveland Cavaliers, Deion Sanders, Ed Reed, Indianapolis Colts, Jeff Garcia, Matt Cassel, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, NFL Playoffs, Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady, Tony Dungy

Well, it was as ugly as it could possibly be. Not only did they drop the final four games of the season and miss the playoffs, but they did it in old school orange Buccaneer fashion. I think we all took the Carolina loss fairly well, it was on the road against a tough team and the Bucs were banged up. The Atlanta game was tough to swallow, but it was another tough road game and we could all understand it a little. The San Diego game was an absolute disaster and no one wanted to believe that it actually happened. It all could have been salvaged though with a win against an awful Oakland team and a Cowboy loss. The Cowboys did their part by taking an absolutely laughable beating at the hands of the Eagles, but it was too little too late. The Bucs had already lost to the second most dysfunctional team in the NFL, and it wasn’t as close as the 31-24 score would lead one to believe. This monumental collapse has left me wondering, who do we blame for this? Let’s try to figure it out.

• The offense? Jon Gruden’s offense has never really taken off in Tampa Bay and this season seemed to showcase all the problems we’ve had offensively in the Gruden era. Joey Galloway was the once favored WR who all of a sudden vanished. Warrick Dunn was the aging RB who emptied his tank yet didn’t have enough to carry them. The QB madness continued on with Garcia, Griese and McCown. The offensive line was up and down, mostly down. Any of this sound familiar? As bad as it seemed, this wasn’t the problem.
• Injuries? There is no doubt that the Bucs lost more than their fair share of guys to injuries and that always plays a factor, but this team has been allegedly avoiding big name free agents to build depth. Where was the depth? Again though, this wasn’t the problem.
• The players? Now I’ve got to admit, I’m going to put a lot of this on the players, especially in the playoff stretch. The stars in Brooks, Barber, Galloway and Garcia are all close to the end and their skills have diminished noticeably. That being said, I expected a lot more out of the defense, especially since Monte Kiffin announced his intent to depart to Tennessee, but they didn’t step up. I thought we might see that one last charge of Kiffin and his boys toward greatness, but they didn’t even achieve averageness (is that a word?). I put much of the demise on the players, but not all of it.
• Monte Kiffin? I do not put this one Monte Kiffin. As bad as the defense was in the final quarter season and as equally bad the timing was on the announcement of his decision to leave, I don’t blame Monte. He has shown us that he’s nothing if he’s not prepared and professional. I guarantee you Monte had the scheme’s in place to beat every last one of the teams the Bucs played throughout the entire season. He can’t force guys to not miss assignments or actually tackle someone that they are close to. This is not on Monte Kiffin.
• The defense? I will lump this one in with the players. Ronde Barber has been exposed as an aging corner, Derrick Brooks was in on less plays than in any season I could remember and there still isn’t enough of a rush being put on by the front four. The defense had enough physical impairments that the schemes couldn’t overcome. Barrett Ruud went from all-world to all-ok late in the season. Gaines Adams I’m officially calling a bust. Phillip Buchanon looked like he was still a Raider and the rest of everyone on the team basically filled in where they could. I think Monte saw this and that helped him make his decision to leave easier. Trying to find replacements for Brooks and company will be tough and I think he wants to spend his golden years having a little more fun than that. Defense is lumped in with the players so that’s not it either.
• Gruden/Allen?I think we all know where I was headed with this. I put it on Gruden and Allen.

Now it’s hard to put a late season meltdown on Bruce Allen, but he’s Jon Gruden’s do boy, so he takes it on the chin there. Bruce Allen has not done a good job of enticing quality free agents to come here and the drafting has been questionable at best. The draft’s have gotten somewhat better, but not much. This all still leads to Jon Gruden though.

Gruden has been the man here, especially since Allen arrived, and all things get fixed on his shoulders. The drafting of offensive talent, particularly the skill positions, has been bad. The management of talent on the field has been questionable at best and the lies have become more abundant in the process. Galloway is hurt, oh wait no he isn’t. Jeff Garcia is hurt, oh wait he isn’t. How bout this one, hey Luke McCown, if Garcia is hurt this week, you will start so I’ll have you take a majority of the snaps this week to get ready. Sunday comes and Brian Griese starts? Now I’m going to try and come at this from a different angle for all those Gruden defenders and everyone else who thinks Gruden should keep his job. The “core” of this team is still on defense and is getting on in years. Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber don’t have time on their side. The offensive core is really questionable. This is an offensive coach who’s core right now are an aging QB in Garcia he can’t get along with, an offensive line that is still a work in progress, a WR in Galloway that watched the season from the bench, another WR in Bryant who is going to get big money and doesn’t seem all that happy here, a RB group that includes an aging Warrick Dunn and a broken Cadillac Williams (whose career is now in jeapordy) and TE’s that are seldom utilized or productive. I think the time has come for all us fans to realize that the run is over.

It’s time, especially with Kiffin’s departure, to lovingly let go of the old and bring in the new. We all loved Gruden in the Super Bowl season and we all have loved the run of the defense under Kiffin that gave us Brooks, Barber, Sapp, Lynch, Nickerson, Quarles and so on. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life as we all will as fans. But we now must look at turning the page and starting over. We have tons of cap room and great ownership who let’s football guys do their jobs so when, if not now, will it be time to turn the page? It’s hard to do, but don’t you think you’ll be excited when the new wave comes through? I was excited with what I saw from Ruud and Talib this season and there could be more than that if we start looking toward the future now instead of holding on to the past. I hear people saying “who would we get better than Gruden if we fired him?” I don’t know, but do you think no one is better than him, seriously?

Look at what Mike Smith did in Atlanta this year. Look at what Tony Dungy did here when he was an unknown. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Gruden basher or a Garcia basher or whatever, it’s time for us to let the past go and embrace the future. I’m not saying that Gruden can’t build it from scratch here, but I would bet against it. How’s his track record with young players? Do you think that Matt Ryan would play that well under Gruden? I think not. Gruden’s success has always been with veterans and I haven’t seen any veteran players beating down the door to play here other than Jeff Garcia and we see how that’s going. Let’s all let it go and Gruden/Allen with it. Let’s take a chance on one of those up and coming coordinators and see what happens. Maybe it will work out again.

Technorati Tags: Antonio Bryant, Aqib Talib, Atlanta Falcons, Barrett Ruud, Brian Griese, Bruce Allen, Cadillac Williams, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Derrick Brooks, Earnest Graham, Gaines Adams, Hardy Nickerson, Jeff Garcia, Joey Galloway, John Lynch, Luke McCown, Matt Ryan, Mike Smith, Monte Kiffin, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Phillip Buchanon, Ronde Barber, San Diego Chargers, Shelton Quarles, Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Volunteers, Tony Dungy, Warren Sapp, Warrick Dunn

The list continues to grow for Buccaneers players in the rehab center. Jon Gruden came out and talked about it today.  They now have at least 10 players I could count on the weekly injury list..

• Michael Clayton
• Brian Griese
• Jeff Garcia
• Jovan Haye
• Chris Hovan
• Greg White (oops, I mean Stylez G. White)
• Sean Mahan
• Jeremy Zuttah
• Joey Galloway (not officially listed but Gruden says he’s injured).

Then we have the injured reserve guys…

• Earnest Graham
• Torrie Cox
• Byron Storer
• Cortez Hankton
• Maurice Stovall
• Geno Hayes
• Jermaine Phillips (assumed)

Not sure if I missed anyone, but that is a lot of injuries. Here’s why we shouldn’t feel bad for the Bucs though. They have built themselves to be deep, not star heavy. That’s a great way to build to try to remain competitive when injuries pile up (sound familiar) but doesn’t lend to having a dominant team. That’s why, when healthy this team doesn’t light up the scoreboard or rout too many teams, but that’s also why we’re in a position to make the playoffs with so many injuries. It’s tough to deal with and handle. I want a deep team, but I long for some hardcore play makers on the offensive side. I like being able to compete throughout the season, but I would desperately love to see this team have some play makers. I realize that we all can’t be the New England Patriots, who seem to be able to plug guys in and cruise right along without skipping a beat (even Matt Cassel threw four TD’s yesterday). Say what you want about those guys but Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli do it better than anyone, cheating or not. I have come to the realization that we will never develop a QB under Gruden, we will always have the revolving door of “veteran” QB’s, but why can’t these guys stumble into a great player on the offensive side of the ball? Maybe Clifton Smith is it, but we’ll never know. I’m still excited about the Bucs maybe making the playoffs, but I will be disappointed with a one and done performance, won’t you?

Technorati Tags: Bill Belichick, Brian Griese, Byron Storer, Chris Hovan, Clifton Smith, Cortez Hankton, Earnest Graham, Geno Hayes, Greg White, Jeff Garcia, Jeremy Zuttah, Jermaine Phillips, Joey Galloway, Jon Gruden, Jovan Haye, Matt Cassel, Maurice Stovall, Michael Clayton, New England Patriots, Scott Pioli, Sean Mahan, Stylez White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Torrie Cox

Let’s wrap up the goings on with the Bucs this week, and we don’t need to talk about the Carolina fiasco anymore than we already have.

• Adrian Peterson has accused one of the Bucs players of trying to take him out. I can’t go back and watch the game to figure out who it was but Peterson does not strike me as a liar and he’s definitely not a wuss, so I’m going to believe him. That being said I’m not going to try to rip anyone on the Bucs either. If someone actually tried to take him out than, whoever it is, needs to check themselves. Football is a tough sport for tough men and there should be no room for guys like this in a sport like this. The game is tough enough without having to worry about cheap shots and dirty plays. There’s guys on every team from the NFL to High School Football who pull this crap and they should be taken care of by their own teammates any time it happens. I hope it wasn’t what Peterson thinks because I would hate to see him get hurt, I love watching him play and I want him healthy to see what he can accomplish in this league.
• Jeff Garcia’s injured calf is limiting him in practice and he will apparently be a game day decision. In the mean time Luke McCown is slated to start if Garcia can’t go. Garcia has been playing decent and I would really like him to play, but if he can’t go I know I’m much more comfortable with McCown than Griese back there. This is going to be a wait and see thing so we’ll check it out on Sunday.
• Antonio Bryant responded to Emmitt Smith and Trent Dilfer’s comments about him and it was pretty entertaining. As far as Bryant’s comments go I’m absolutely going to side with him because we all know my feelings on professional athletes and their private lives, but I will say two things. He is really harping on the disrespect thing too much, as most men do, and needs to let some of this crap just roll off him. I also have to laugh at how much he says man. Man he say man a lot, man! Now I must talk about Smith and Dilfer. I loved Emmitt as a player but could really do without him on TV. He’s slow, basic and very un-entertaining. I have more fun clipping my toenails than listening to him discuss football. As far as what he said about Bryant, didn’t you play for the Cowboys Emmitt? Wasn’t Michael Irvin on your team? Didn’t half of that team get arrested for something? Good thing Bryant didn’t play with you then or he might have some real problems. Dilfer is quite the opposite of Emmitt. I think he does a decent job on TV but I hated watching him throw interceptionsplay football. Dilfer also needs to shut his mouth. I realize that everyone is trying to get ratings and talk trash about someone, but I absolutely hate it when athletes talk about other athletes personal lives. I’m sure if I dug hard enough I could find some skeletons in both of these guys closets, but I don’t care to do so. I would love to see Bryant get 5 minutes alone in a room with either one of these two even though I don’t think Smith or Dilfer would last that long.

Technorati Tags: Adrian Peterson, Antonio Bryant, Carolina Panthers, Emmitt Smith, Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Trent Dilfer

   The Bucs took their unbeaten home streak to six with a 23-20 victory against the Saints on Sunday but there’s still some uncertainty revolving around the team. It was a great showing of the defense, again, against the league’s best offense that featured some great play from the secondary. Ronde Barber apparently took the early season criticism personally that his game was falling off and has been on a mission to prove himself since. Barber didn’t get a pick this week but he tipped one into Cato June’s hands and still shows the ball skills that have made him one of the NFL’s best since he arrived. Teams continue to throw in his direction because the secondary is so good, not because he’s bad. With Buchanon, Phillips, Talib, Barber, Jackson and Piscitelli back there to combine for, in my opinion, the NFL’s best secondary, there’s not a whole lot of options for opposing offenses. They picked off Drew Brees 3 times Sunday and held the Saints to 20 points despite allowing 332 net yards. I was most impressed with the run play though, holding Thomas, McAllister and Bush to 37 yards total. The questions that still linger revolve around the offense (see my Gruden post) and that’s what going to determine how far this team can go. Garcia isn’t turning the ball over, but he’s not making too many big plays either. Graham is out and Galloway has apparently been phased out of the offense also. Dunn is playing well along with Antonio Bryant and the offensive line is rounding into a very tough group. Cadillac is slowly coming back but I still don’t think we can count on him too much. We have to remember that he wasn’t exactly lighting things up before his injury, so what should we be expecting from him now? I do think Gruden is doing a good job of managing the offense with the hand he’s been dealt, but I don’t see this offense taking this team very far in the playoffs. Monday night we should see what we can expect as I would consider the Carolina game the Bucs first playoff game this year. It’s the battle for the division and it’s on the road against a tough Panther team. The main thing I keep wondering about is what happened to Joey Galloway? He says he’s healthy, yet he’s missing from the offense. I have to believe that he’s still hurt or the injuries have finally taken their toll on him as there should be no reason a healthy Joey G be absent from the offense in this way. Is Gruden holding him back for the playoffs? Is he done? What else could it be? I can only imagine how good this offense would be with Bryant and Galloway on the outside and I would think Gruden would like that too. I think Gruden’s an A-hole, but he’s not stupid. I’m really looking forward to this one on Monday as it could all but clinch the South for us.

Technorati Tags: Antonio Bryant, Aqib Talib, Cadillac Williams, Carolina Panthers, Cato June, Deuce McAllister, Drew Brees, Earnest Graham, Jeff Garcia, Jermaine Phillips, Joey Galloway, Jon Gruden, New Orleans Saints, Phillip Buchanon, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Ronde Barber, Sabby Piscitelli, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tanard Jackson, Warrick Dunn

   In not so surprising news today the Bucs placed RB Earnest Graham and LB Geno Hayes on injured reserve and they will be gone for the rest of the season. Graham hurt his ankle in the first quarter of the Viking game and coach Jon Gruden immediately speculated that he was gone for the year. Coach was right for once and Graham’s done. Hayes also left the game Sunday with a knee injury and has been lost for the season. Hayes’ injury isn’t a big blow but Graham’s absence will be huge. This puts a lot more pressure on the aging Warrick Dunn and rookie Clifton Smith. The Bucs added free agent RB Noah Herron and brought back LB Matt McCoy to fill Graham and Hayes’ spots on the roster. McCoy played in a few games earlier in the year when Barrett Ruud went down and did an adequate job. Herron hasn’t played since 2006 and will likely fill the emergency back role once occupied by Micheal Bennett (think the Bucs miss him now?). There is also speculation now that Edgerrin James has asked for his release and, in a round about way, is interested in the Bucs. Buc ‘Em shot this article up pretty quick and has a poll up already. Damn those boys are quick. It will definitely be interesting to see how this all pans out for the Bucs this season as Graham’s loss seems so huge right now. Gruden doesn’t seem to like the run the ball much anyway so it may not be as big as we think, but I do believe the passing game has been opened up due to Graham’s presence and effectiveness when he is used. Garcia has been good so far and Dunn still has life left in his legs, but big Earnest did a lot more dirty work than most so we’ll have to see how it goes. As all this was going down everyone seemed to think Cadillac Williams would immediately fill in but that’s being shut down for the moment. I personally don’t see Williams making much of a difference down the stretch anyway. I thought he was over-rated before and I don’t think everyone out there realizes how hard it’s going to be for him to come back from his knee injury right now. No amount of rehab and practice he could’ve had to this point is going to have his knee and mind in good enough game shape to go out and make a difference on any Sunday this season. This all has made the rest of this season a whole lot more interesting. On another note, there’s not much going on until Friday so I’m taking tomorrow off. Whatever goes down I’ll get to Friday morning and I’m going to get out and enjoy myself for the rest on tonight. See ya!

Technorati Tags: Barrett Ruud, Cadillac Williams, Clifton Smith, Earnest Graham, Edgerrin James, Geno Hayes, Jeff Garcia, Jon Gruden, Matt McCoy, Michael Bennett, Minnesota Vikings, Noah Herron, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Warrick Dunn

   I had to work Sunday so I didn’t get to look at the whole game until last night. Man did the Bucs look good this week though. The Bucs couldn’t get a good running game going after Earnest Graham went down with an ankle injury after one carry, and apparently this injury may end his season. Jeff Garcia stepped up in a big way going 23 of 30 with 255 yards, 84 of which went to the hated Jerramy Stevens. It was a nice showing for Garcia, but the Bucs defense again proved itself one of the best. The Bucs defense, as good as they’ve been over the years, have always had problems with bigger running backs and Adrian Peterson is as imposing as it gets. The Bucs held Peterson to 85 yards on the ground with no touchdowns. The Bucs have now faced seven of the top ten running backs without giving up a touchdown. Derrick Brooks really looks reborn this year, especially in his play on Sunday. That play in the fourth quarter in pass coverage with Peterson got everyone fired up! The Bucs are still struggling to score in the red zone and that needs to change if they’re going go deep into the playoffs. These guys are still a defense first team and it appears they’ll be so as long as Monte Kiffin is running the show. Matt Bryant was 4 of 5 in field goals and is having a very good season with 24 of 28 field goals, which includes 21 of 21 inside 40 yards. This is on the heels of him strugglingin the pre-season and the death of his infant son. You could make a legitimate case for Bryant being the offensive MVP of this team given their struggles in the red zone. The Bucs are now 7-3 heading into Detroit with three tough division games to follow. They play New Orleans at home and then go on the road to face Carolina and Atlanta. We should know how the season is going to shake out for the Bucs by the time the Chargers come to town on the 21st of December.

Technorati Tags: Adrian Peterson, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Derrick Brooks, Earnest Graham, Jeff Garcia, Jerramy Stevens, Matt Bryant, Minnesota Vikings, Monte Kiffin, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   The Bucs have finished the first half of their season 5-3 with a 4-0 home record and there are still a ton of questions hovering over them. The first half was riddled with typical Gruden drama, questionable play calling and player personnel decisions along with the typical “D” we’ve gotten so used to seeing. Some of the good things we’ve seen so far include…

• Earnest Graham is the workhorse RB we saw last season and looks like he’s improving on every aspect of his game. He was always a good blocker so that’s just the norm there, but his improvement on catching the ball out of the backfield and his field vision have made him my leading candidate for offensive MVP on this team.
• Antonio Bryant has stepped up and done more than anyone could’ve expected in Joey Galloway’s absence. We’ve had reclamation projects at this position before who we’ve been told would make big impacts (remember David Boston?) but this one looks to be the real deal.
• The defense in still headed by Monte Kiffin, why expect less? The entire defense has showed they’re still one of the top units out there. D-Brooks looks 25 again, Barrett Ruud is playing out of his mind, Aqib Talib makes us not miss Brian Kelly and the line is doing enough damage to keep teams honest.
• Matt Bryant has performed well after a pre-season where everyone wanted to get rid of him and through the horrible turmoil his life became after his infant son’s (Matthew Tyson) death. There may be no other story this year more heart wrenching than his and it should make us all feel good that he can remain on a positive path after such an event.

I think we can sum up the good there for the first half. The bad and questionable I will not harp on too much right now as there was way too much to put it out there. The bad stems around Jon Gruden and that’s where it needs to be kept. His decisions on starting Brian Griese over Jeff Garcia, not running the ball enough and the fiasco that has become Dexter Jackson (another phenomenal draft choice by Gruden/Allen) is enough to make my head spin. The one thing I take out of watching this team so far this year is that this is still Monte Kiffins team. The defense is what makes this team successful and our season depends on them continuing to dominate opposing offenses. I’m gonna sit down and watch the second half now with the Bucs in Kansas City. Does this scream “trap game” to anyone else?

Technorati Tags: Antonio Bryant, Aqib Talib, Barrett Ruud, Brian Griese, Bruce Allen, Derrick Brooks, Dexter Jackson, Earnest Graham, Jeff Garcia, Joey Galloway, Jon Gruden, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Bryant, Monte Kiffin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   The Brett Favre to the Bucs drama is over now but Brett Favre is a never ending soap opera all by himself anyway so it’s never really over. I’ve been reading other blogs, listening to the radio and watching all this crap on TV and I come away extremely amused. I’m glad he didn’t come here even though the circus with Favre, Gruden and Garcia would’ve been awesome. There are so many people out there that are upset about this it kills me. I get into trades, free agency and the draft like anyone else but this whole thing was a disaster from the get go. I have no real opinion on this because it was such a mess you know the end would be as screwed up as the beginning. I just couldn’t wait for it to be over. I have to say, besides encouraging you to read all the regulars on this, to check out two sites mainly. First is The Pewter Plank who did an interview with Bruce Allen. Anytime this guy speaks he’s lying. I can’t imagine how hard it is for guys like Jeff Garcia to show up to work everyday and deal with guys like Gruden and Allen whose (if the ol’ saying is true) pants would always be on fire. I’ve worked for and with people like this my whole life and I always find myself wanting to filter some of their teeth out of their mouth with a hammer. These guys have a future in politics with amount of bs that flows continuously from their lips. Check out the interview and see what I’m talking about (they did a good interview with a bad guy). The other site you should check is The Mets Police (who has quickly become one of my favorites). They put the whole thing into a perspective that I find to be the most realistic and funniest out there. Thank god it’s over for now and we can look forward to the bad preseason games, fake position battles and over-hyping of WR’s and QB’s like every other year.

Scott Brannelly

Technorati Tags: Brett Favre, Bruce Allen, Jeff Garcia, Jon Gruden

   I really think the Bucs should have their own reality show with cameras following Gruden, Allen and every QB in the league since they will all be linked to playing for Gruden at some point. I usually get really annoyed by all this type crap, but I must admit that this one has got me. The never ending Farve to the Bucs and Jeff Garcia is or isn’t our QB stuff is becoming fun. First on Friday the Bucs reportedly received permission to speak with Favre leading us to believe that he’s on the way. Then today it’s reported that Favre wants more options than the Bucs and Jets. Translation, I think the Bucs and Jets suck and I want to win. Then Garcia shows up and says “I’m the starting QB” and that he will not go down without a fight. Uh, weren’t you upset about your contract or something Jeff? Maybe this was Gruden and Allen’s plan all along, pretend they’re going to get Favre so Garcia would shut up about his contract. Brilliant! This is not going to go away anytime soon and should get more interesting before it’s over.

Source: Bucs Beat

Technorati Tags: Bret Favre, Bruce Allen, Jeff Garcia, Jon Gruden, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   Anyone who wants Bret Favre to come to the Bucs I have two words for you, shut up! It’s not bad enough that we’ve been dealing with endless QB carousel that Jon Gruden loves to operate,the Jeff Garcia contract shit that’s been going on and among other Gruden/Allen BS. Now we want to start yapping about Bret Favre coming to town and adding a few more rings to the circus. I love sports rumors and speculation and stuff like that but this is annoying. First things first I don’t want to take away from Favre’s career accomplishments or anything of that nature so don’t take what I’m about to say as me being a Favre basher, he’s one of the greatest QB’s of all time. That being said, I don’t want Bret Favre here and I have a problem with anyone who thinks he’s an option that will make this team better. The team he was on last year had far superior talent at the WR position and possibly the O-Line as well. If he were to heave balls around with this team you could easily reverse the 28-15 TD-INT rate he had last year. Not only this but he comes with an extraordinary price tag, questionable decision making and, regardless of his 600 game starting streak or whatever, is an injury away from being done. Don’t we already have one of those guys at a lower price? To take this further, there is no guarantee that he and Gruden would get along. In fact the odds are against it as Gruden likes to be the biggest show in town. It worked with Gruden and Rich Gannon because Gannon didn’t care to have the spotlight and credited Gruden with all his success. This wouldn’t happen here. Favre would also have to learn a new playbook, which is a difficult one, new players and new coaches. I hear people say that the system is the same as the one they run in Green Bay but it’s not. They’re all different and it’s hard for anyone to pick up this system in a short period of time. This would be an outrageously stupid move and I know I might have to shoot someone if they bring this drama addicted old man to town. I’ve seen posts over at Buc ‘Em and the Bucs Beatabout this and it drives me insane. I know there’s not a lot to write about right now with the Bucs but why add fuel to this beyond annoying fire? Stop it!

Scott Brannelly

Technorati Tags: Bret Favre, Bruce Allen, Jeff Garcia, Jon Gruden, Rich Gannon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   It was a fairly active week with the Bucs as far as off-season stuff goes and there were some things that you may have missed that you need to check out. The Bucs had their annual Fanfest over the weekend and there were some things brought up there that are worth noting also. Let’s get to it.

•    Justin Pawlawski of the ”Buc Blitz” show, which is on Saturdays from 12-3 pm, over at 620 WDAE did a couple of interviews that you should definitely listen to. I really like this guy and he should have his own show somewhere during the week besides producing the Ron and Ian show (which is the best local show by the way). Maybe get rid of stupid ass Jim Rome? EPIC! He does a great job of asking questions without being confrontational or being too soft. He interviewed Bucs GM Bruce Allen at Fanfest and more interestingly, an interview with QB Jeff Garcia while filling in for Steve Duemig. It was said on the Ron and Ian show that when Garcia called in he was so mad Justin had to calm him down in order to put him on the air. Check those interviews out here.
•    RB Earnest Graham said he will be report to mandatory mini-camp and will not be a holdout. This is great news. I really think the Bucs need to give this guy a new deal. I really hate the way NFL contracts work because it’s so easy to see both sides in a case like this. We all pick sides and in most cases people say “you signed the contract”. It’s really not that simple though, especially with Earnest Graham. He came out of hiding and saved this team when Pittman and Cadillac were out. A case could be made for him being the MVP of last year’s team instead of Jeff Garcia. He was a career special teamer before last season and is going into this season as an important part of the offense. He will be splitting carries with Warrick Dunn and Cadillac Williams, and with Dunn aging and Cadillac’s brittle-ness, he will probably getting the bulk of them. He will be screwing himself if he holds out and he should be rewarded for showing up. Give him his money!
•    There was a call to protest Fanfest from some locals, mainly www.firejerramystevens.com, and I’m curious as to how it went. I didn’t hear much about it on the radio or from anyone that went so, if anyone knows anything, please leave comments below. \
•    In the previously mentioned interview with Jeff Garcia and Justin Pawlawski, Garcia explained himself and his contract situation. He really comes across as an honest guy and given that, along with Gruden and Allen’s history of being not so honest, I give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he can get this worked out. Doesn’t it strike you funny though that Gruden can’t seem to get along with ANY of the upper echelon players on the offensive side of the ball?

   That about wraps this up for now. There should be more Buc news coming out with the Mini-Camp coming up so I’ll try to keep everything up to date.

Scott Brannelly

Sources: 620WDAE, Fire Jerramy Stevens

Technorati Tags: 620WDAE, Bruce Allen, Cadillac Williams, Earnest Graham, Ian Beckles, Jeff Garcia, Jerramy Stevens, Jon Gruden, Justin Pawlawski, Ron Diaz, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Warrick Dunn

   First things first, don’t think that I’m grouping these guys in any way except they both play for the Bucs. That being said, Jeff Garcia is sounding like an idiot! I was on his side at the beginning of the off-season when he said he wanted a new deal. I have no problem with Garcia wanting a new deal, the Bucs have the money and he did a very good job for us last year. Considering the way NFL contracts work and the age of the veteran QB, I don’t blame him for trying to get as much as possible. This is getting a little out of control now as Garcia is making empty threats to the team as if they can’t survive without him. Check out this excerpt from Stephen Holders column..

“For me to go into this season and if it doesn’t work itself out, if a contract is not presented as far as a renewal and a chance to finish my career here, then I will seriously think about . . . what my alternate options may be. It may come to not even playing football anymore.  And I’d hate to even say that, but I feel like when you mistreat people there comes a time when it doesn’t matter how much money you’re going to be paid. If you’re not being treated the right way it’s going to lead to some drastic decisions and those decisions may just take me away from the game.”

   These are quotes from Garcia that he made on Sirius yesterday. Look Jeff, I would love to see you playing for the Bucs this year as you are the best of the bunch, but to think the Bucs owe you something is asinine! You signed the contract, play you moron. If you play well again Gruden will bring you back, if you don’t you will have a nice retirement with your hot wife and millions of dollars. Get over yourself! If you don’t play the Bucs have Luke McCown (who played well when you were INJURED last year) and Brian Greise who played well before going to Chicago. You don’t have the leverage you think you do so move on!

   Now on to more fun stuff. There is a new site up in the area dedicated to the Madman that is Jerramy Stevens! They have the full list of what makes this guy a large pile of feces and they also have “Fire Jerramy Stevens” type apparel. I love this! As I stated in my previous post on this guy I usually don’t get into the personal lives of pro athletes, but this guy is a special kind of asshole! He is a much worse person than Michael Vick and he’s doing time. At least Vick was just a twisted weirdo who thinks he loves his dogs even though he murdered them. Stevens has no regard for anyone, Man, Woman or beast. He’s a walking litter box who should be next in line for lethal injection. It’s scary to think that the only thing keeping this guy from full fledged maniacal behavior is football. It will be scary to see what happens when he retires. I put the over/under at 1 year after retirement that he move into a permanent cell. Go to the site and read the rap sheet.

Scott Brannelly

Links: Fire Jerramy Stevens, Stephen Holder

Technorati Tags: Brian Griese, Jeff Garcia, Jerramy Stevens, Luke McCown, Michael Vick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   Finally got some Bucs news for the football junkies.

•    Veteran DE Greg Spires who we all remember abusing the Raiders in the Super Bowl season has left the Bucs to sign with…. you guessed it, the Raiders. Spires signed a one year contract after being released by the Bucs this off-season. Spires was never a superstar here but was solid throughout his 6 year tenure with the team totalling 256 tackles and 26 sacks in 87 starts. Spires lost his starting position half way through last season to Greg White but I think we all remember him beating up on the Raiders in the Super Bowl causing pressure, getting a sack and knocking down balls. We wish Greg well in the abyss that is Oakland.
•    A minor move took place today with the Bucs signing DT Jovan Haye to a one restricted free-agent deal worth $2.09 million. The Bucs and Haye were unable to reach an agreement on a multi-year deal.
•    Speaking of contracts the Bucs are still unable to come up with anything for Greg White. I think the Bucs better work something out here as White proved he’s an animal and worth a decent contract. It also appears that Jeff Garcia is unhappy with his contract status. Garcia, who is usually a quiet type company man, was described as “fuming” and threatened to stop attending minicamps. I respect this from him as he’s not just complaining about his contract but others like Earnest Graham as well. The Bucs have had a history of iffy player relations on contract extensions and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better. Doesn’t it make you wonder how good this team might be if Bruce Allen had any freakin people skills?

   Source: Bucs Beat, Yahoo

Technorati Tags: Bruce Allen, Earnest Graham, Greg Spires, Greg White, Jeff Garcia, Jon Gruden, Jovan Haye, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   OK the Bucs must be messing with us now. This must be some sort of twisted joke by the Gruden/Allen show. According to Yahoo NFL the Bucs have brought in undrafted free-agent QB Sam Keller from Nebraska to ‘compete’ for a roster spot. We shall now see the Bucs camp begin with Garcia, Griese, McCown, Gradkowski, Johnson, Simms (although he’ll be a no show), and Sam Keller. When will it end? How many is enough Gruden? I know this guy has virtually no shot and has said that if it doesn’t work out here then he’ll be off to the Arena League but come on! Maybe the QB guru that is Jon Gruden is scouting this guy for his brother Jay and we’ll see him in Orlando. Why must the Bucs use so many damn spots on QB’s when there are plenty of other areas they could look at. This is comical and insane. If the Bucs sign another one then I want Gruden and Allen Baker Acted!

Sources: Yahoo NFL, Lincoln Journal Star

Technorati Tags: Brian Griese, Bruce Gradkowski, Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia, Josh Johnson, Luke McCown, Sam Keller, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

   Well the draft is over and all the hoopla began on how great everyone is or why did they draft a guy like Dexter Jackson so high and then I saw something that was actually interesting. Roy Cummings reported today that the Bucs received trade offers for Chris Simms and turned them down. Huh?! I don’t understand what is going on with this guy. Let’s try and review what we know and see if we can figure out what the Bucs are thinking here. First thing is Simms doesn’t want to be here anymore. I get this but I still can’t figure out why he resigned here to begin with. Granted he was a restricted free-agent when he re-signed but I don’t know why he didn’t at least test the waters. That’s Simms fault. Now we have Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Luke McCown and Josh Johnson in some order in front of him and there is no reason I can see the Bucs kept him. I know you want to get the most out of a trade but when you have a guy, who is obviously out of your plans, and someone wants to give you something for him, take it. I’m not a Simms supporter or basher, he’s played poorly and well, but I certainly can’t see a scenario that keeps him here. Griese has proven himself in this system and so has Garcia and McCown so why hold on to him? Gradkowski will be gone and Jake Plummer is retired (sort of) and now there’s a ‘new protoge’ so what’s the deal? I’m no GM but Bruce Allen isn’t that far ahead of me with this type of reasoning. According to Cummings the Bucs were pushing Gradkowski when asked about trades. Maybe there is a chance in hell that Gradkowski could be decent but no one is giving up a draft pick to find out, so why not unload someone you don’t want? This is extremely puzzling and this is one of the many things that Gruden and Allen do that aggravate the crap out of this fan base. Simms was a 3rd round pick and hasn’t performed better than that, plus he has no spleen now and is at least 4th or 5th on the depth chart so what in god’s name makes these guys think he is worth more than a 6th or 7th round pick? If anyone know please explain it to me because I’m lost here. Wait maybe I’ve got it, Gruden tried to coax Phil Simms out of retirement so he could have another ‘veteran quaterback’ and Simms told him to go to hell. Now he’s taking it out on his kid. Sounds good to me. Got a better explanation?

Sources: Roy Cummings,

Technorati Tags: Brian Griese, Bruce Gradkowski, Chris Simms, Dexter Jackson, Jeff Garcia, Josh Johnson, Luke McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers