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

The blog world is a wild place. I have learned a lot of things the hard way since I started doing this last year and it has humbled me like nothing else I’ve done. I have done a lot of things in my life that have molded me into the man that I have become. My mentality and my world has constantly changed in my life and I know it always will. There were so many seemingly harsher things that I’ve dealt with and learned from like street fighting, USMC boot camp, parenthood, etc., that I thought it would be easy to jump right in to the blog thing and roll along without a problem. It’s a totally different animal than anything else I’ve done.

I started this thing as a hobby site and it remains one and, for those of you that read already know, I’m still trying to find a direction to take this thing as it evolves. I’m not trying to be a journalist, become a writer or get credentialed in any way. That’s where I find such a huge difference between myself and most others out there. Rays Index brought something to my attention tonight that made me think about things and really made me laugh. Rays Renegade wrote a piece on how bloggers don’t get respect enough to get media credentials and it was really very funny to me.

This guy may be a true journalist and, if what he says he’s done is true, has some real stones in trying to work his way into the mainstream media. What was so funny and confusing to me was his statement about how he has been in the industry for four years and can’t understand why bloggers can’t get credentialed easier. If he was truly a journalist in the industry I would think he understands why bloggers don’t get that kind of respect.

Since I got involved in this world I have learned a few things that hold true. First is this. You have to earn your respect whether you’re a journalist or not. I have found that most other sites and blogs that cover the same teams you do don’t want to recognize that you even exist, especially if you don’t comment on their site. When they do recognize you it’s always a negative thing that starts it. When Rays Index first started throwing me links it was because of the Barry Bonds and Brendan Harris posts I wrote. Cork tore me apart on the Harris thing, but I stayed with what I was doing and he has gave me some encouragement and I thought that was extremely cool of him. I give him a lot of credit with this type of thing because he doesn’t care if I’m here or not. He acknowledges me and does his thing. I can’t say the same for most other sites I’ve tried to deal with like DRaysBay, BucEm, the other Tampa Bay Sports Blog and so on. I realize that there may be a sense of someone like me invading their territory or something like that, but if you read what I write and how often I write, these guys should know they have nothing to worry about. Greg Auman has also been very helpful with me. He first approached me when, as I tried to cover the USF Bulls, I forgot to put a link in a post about where I got my info from and he quickly let me know that was wrong. That was my ignorance in the blog thing and he recognized that and offered me a little guidance from that point on. Greg and Cork are the only positive people I have met on the net though and that makes the first point for this guy. The blog world is petty and competitive, so how much more so is it when you’re a blogger dealing with real journalists? Like them or not, journalists have already paid there dues in college, internships and what not. They have EARNED the right to get credentialed by major teams in sports. There are plenty of people out there that can put a thought, article or an interview better than journalists can, but you always have to pay your dues in life. Shouldn’t a journalist know this?

Something else I’ve learned is this. There are way more bloggers than journalists. Ok, I know that’s a dumb statement, but it’s relevant. Everyday a new blog pops up about the Rays, Bucs, or whatever team you follow. Knowing this, anyone should know that getting credentialed as a blogger is going to be that much tougher. Let’s try to relate it like this. If you’re an athlete in high school and you’re one of the rare superstars with silly talent, you’re going to get recognized and given tons of opportunities. If you’re not, than it’s going to take longer and some other things will have to come into play. You need to be in the right place at the right time, be exceptional in another way, know someone, etc. These are the stories everyone loves to hear. We love to hear how Kurt Warner bagged groceries before getting his shot or how a guy like Earnest Graham finally breaks through after years of being a special teams player. If a blogger breaks through into the mainstream media and earns his respect, which this guy could do, it would be one of those heartwarming stories. The problem right now is he is acting like he has earned it already by starting a blog. Anyone can do that, just look at me.

It is all strange and funny to me. The blog world is odd, yet interesting. It can be used as a platform to showcase one’s journalistic talents, but it’s a long road that way. It’s like a high school football player with bad grades going to junior college. They can make it, but it’s not the route someone ideally takes to get there. It’s all strange to me. I’ve been doing this for almost a year now and I still have much more to learn than most. I admit to being ignorant to the blog thing, really the whole internet thing in general, but I go on because I like to voice my opinion. I feel my writing is coherent enough, even though I may not always get the point across that I want to, that the people who read what I write enjoy it. I don’t expect anyone to follow my site to depend on current news of their favorite teams here, I think they come to hear my opinion and get a different perspective on it. That’s it. Obviously this guy is trying to be a journalist of some sort and that shows a completely different goal than mine, but what I’ve learned from my experience tells me he’s doing a bad job of it right now. From what I’ve read of his stuff, he’s a good enough writer, but was accused of plagiarism by a couple of commenter’s on Rays Index. That’s a big deal. I believe he has done it also, only because it was pointed out that a commenter noticed it, the post was modified. That shows there was something wrong with what he was doing. One thing I know about writing is this. If you write it, stick by it. I have written some things on this site that, when I go back and read them, I would like to change or delete. I don’t because I wrote it and I need to stand by it. You can’t change the past, writing or otherwise, so you shouldn’t mess with it. When you make mistakes you can’t remove them, you learn from them. That’s life. Writing is the same in this and it should be. If you want someone to take you seriously, you can’t backtrack and remove what is regrettable or wrong, you learn from it and live with the body of work you produce. Like what I write or not, agree with me or not, I live with what I write on this site. If I go away because I suck, that’s what it is and I learn from it and life goes on. If people like me and keep coming to the site, it all goes on and life is still the same. In this sense I can’t relate to this guy at Rays Renegade. He is striving for more than I am with what he’s doing and his life seems dependant on it. I feel that he wrote what he did in an attempt to gain attention to himself. If he didn’t, he’s an idiot. That may not stop him from getting where he wants to go, but he’s still an idiot if he thinks this.

The bottom line in all this is this. All journalists can be bloggers if they are required or choose to be, not all bloggers can be journalists. Blogging is great because it’s freedom of speech at it’s best, but it doesn’t make you a journalist. I’m a blogger, but I will never be confused for a journalist. It’s a comparison that can’t be made and that’s why bloggers don’t get credentials. If you need to actually think to figure that out than there is something wrong with you. There are bloggers out there that are better than the journalists that cover what they do, but it doesn’t mean they have earned anything more than the journalists they are better than. I know people in the marketing department with the Rays, Lightning and Magic. I can get tickets from them at will and my site has even been brought to ownership’s attention with these teams. I was offered credentials to a couple of Lightning and Rays games but, while taking the free tickets they offered me, I have no desire to go into the press box for these games. I found it laughable that I was offered this and I’m sure any of you reading this do as well, but it’s the point of knowing people here. I was offered these things because of me being the person I am, not the writer I am. If this guy is going to go about things the way he is, it’s going to be a very long road. I would bet that he’ll be writing about some other team and pulling the same crap before the Rays give him anything, but what do I know. I never ask for comments on anything, but I would really like to see some comments in this post. I want to hear your opinion on this post, so please take the time to let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: Earnest Graham, Kurt Warner, Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, United States Marine Corps, USF Bulls

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

   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

   Finally some good news out of the Bucs camp. Earnest Graham got the money he wanted and will not be holding out. First report of the deal from Rick Stroud show the deal to be a four year $11 million deal. This news actually excites me! I’ve been a fan of Graham’s since his UF days and was as happy for him as anyone when he broke out last year. Graham took over the starting RB role after injuries ran through the Bucs backfield and finished the year with 898 yards on 222 carries to include 10 rushing touchdowns. He is one of those “work horse” type backs that is very easy to root for. I love this deal and I’m glad the Bucs got this done without any sort of holdout on Graham’s part.

Scott Brannelly

Source: Bucs Beat

Technorati Tags: Earnest Graham, 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

   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