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

As you all know by now, no one was happier than I was and still am that the Gruden era is over. That being said, I have to start wondering what the hell the Bucs new front office is doing right now. I think most of us have problems with a lot of moves that are made and, being fans first, we tend to get a little too emotionally attached to players like Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, etc. But when new ownership takes over and the first major moves made are cutting a Hall of Fame linebacker and trading for a hothead like Kellen Winslow, it makes you stand up and take notice, and not in a good way.

The Pewter Plank jumped out on this today and did a great job of putting it all out there and that led me to pile on as well.

In releasing Dunn, Brooks, Hilliard and company last week the Bucs got my attention and sent me into a confused whirlwind wondering what the hell they were doing. I can understand and get on board with the release of everyone there but Brooks. The only explanation I can come up with as to why Brooks is no longer a Buc is that the new regime wants to cut ties with the past immediately and officially start from the bottom. I can almost understand that, but why not offer him something in a lesser role and look to re-sign him? Is there a better mentor for young players in this league than Mr. Derrick Brooks? This move is a disaster to me.

Now let’s get to the Winslow deal. I don’t want anyone to get a wrong impression by thinking that I think it’s a bad move to bring this guy in, but it goes back to the Brooks thing to me as well. If you’re going to bring a guy like KII in, wouldn’t you want to have a guy like Brooks in the locker room to help keep him on track? Makes too much sense to me. Now I do think a change of scenery will help Winslow out and I think he will be successful here, but he is always one click away from exploding and that could mean problems on and off the field.

What happened with Michael Clayton now is absolutely absurd and needs to be ridiculed over and over again. How in the hell can these guys hand a number three receiver over $10 million in guaranteed money? Are you telling me that you need to let Brooks go and bring back Michael Clayton (while overpaying him in a silly way)? What direction are you trying to take this team? What’s next? How bout we throw $20 million at Kyle Boller or Kevin Jones? Oh shit, they might actually do something like that so I better slow down.

I understand that the NFL is a funny place and some strange crap happens that makes fans upset. This could all go away fairly quick if the Bucs put together a winning team that comes out and shocks the worlds this season, but it’s highly unlikely. God help Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik if they don’t have a clear plan with this thing because it doesn’t look pretty right now.

Technorati Tags: Ike Hilliard, John Lynch, Jon Gruden, Kellen Winslow, Kevin Jones, Kyle Boller, Mark Dominik, Michael Clayton, Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Warrick Dunn

I have to admit I was a little surprised to learn that the Gruden/Allen era came to an end on Friday, but was happy I was at work when I heard it. My immediate reaction was laughing and jumping for joy, but as I let it settle in I tried to put things into perspective. When Gruden first arrived in Tampa I was as excited as anyone else with the thought that he would be bringing his high powered offense to the Bucs. Matching that offense with the defense we had in place, I thought we were looking at least one Super Bowl victory, but had thoughts of a couple in my head.

After winning the Super Bowl in his first season with the team I couldn’t have been happier. Since then the team has been up and down and things have slowly gone downhill. All of the excuses we’ve heard made for Gruden are partially true. The injuries, salary cap, draft picks and what not, but it all comes down to the fact that the team has no direction. The spats with players, the lack of major free agents being brought in and the botched draft picks sealed Gruden’s fate. 

I think this is the best thing that could’ve happened for the Bucs and Jon Gruden. Gruden will get another job and, if he learns from his mistakes here,  will do a much better job than he did here. I have not been a fan of Gruden’s for many reasons, but he’s very young by coaching standards and has a long time left to re-establish himself in the NFL. Jon will most likely take the ‘09 season off and jump back into the ranks the following year. He should work with kids in his time off so he can learn some patience with younger players, QB’s namely, as that is the biggest knock on him there is.

One thing directed at Jon Gruden directly here. Please Jon, DO NOT BECOME A COLLEGE COACH! You are an NFL coach and do not need to torture teenagers and their parents at the college level. I am a lifelong Notre Dame fan (stop laughing!) and have heard the rumors over and over again about Gruden coaching Notre Dame. While I think he would be one of the best on-field coaches Notre Dame could employ, I don’t want to see him cussing out any kids on the sideline in college.

Moving on to Bruce Allen now. I’m glad he’s gone and think he needs to choose a new career path. Allen seemed to bring this area nothing but trouble and mediocrity. He was touted as a capologist and the team is well under the cap, but it’s easy to stay under the cap when you don’t sign any big name free agents or refuse to negotiate with current players when they deserve it. If Gruden gets away from this guy his coaching career will improve because of it. Good riddance to Bruce Allen.

Knowing now that Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik have replaced Gruden and Allen I’m excited at the thought of the team going in a new direction. I think that this will be a good move. Morris seems to carry much respect from the players and coaches and looks like he will be a good figure at the top. We all need to see his decision making on the field still so I’ll reserve judgement on him til then.

In capping this whole thing off I would like to re-state something I’ve said in the past. The Super Bowl we won here is Gruden’s, not Dungy’s. Jon Gruden won that Super Bowl and did something Tony Dungy didn’t here, so beg all of you out there that continue to say “it was Dungy’s team” to stop it. Give the man his credit. You all know that I’m no fan of Jon Gruden, but I give the man his due. He’s a Super Bowl winning coach and he will not be out of work for too long. I wish him the best of luck and hope he has learned from his missteps here and takes the next step in making his career a successful one. I won’t miss Gruden, but I’m happy with the Championship he brought to us.

Technorati Tags: Bruce Allen, Jon Gruden, Mark Dominik, Notre Dame, Raheem Morris, Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tony Dungy

I’ve been attempting to watch as many Lightning games as possible this season as I work 60 hours a week and I find myself wondering, why? If there were Rays, Bucs, Magic and Lightning games on all at the same time, they basically go in that order as I choose to watch them. My first love is baseball and so on, but I love my hometown teams and have stuck with them through thick and thin. I’m really having a hard time with the Lightning though. It’s not just because they’re bad, it’s because there is no direction. I gave the Rays too much attention under Naimoli because they were going nowhere and I knew it, but stuck with them. I give the Bucs too much attention now because Gruden gave me a Super Bowl and I try to pretend he’s not as big a piece of crap as he his because of it, but I stick with them. The Magic give me every reason to believe now, but those Grant Hill years were tough.

The Lightning aren’t giving me anything right now and I keep looking for the silver lining. The problem is that I’m having trouble holding on to it. I posted before that I’m optimistic about them, and I still am, but I’m having a real hard time keeping that attitude. They play well on some nights and that gets me a little. Rick Tocchet is a very likable coach who seems to be the type of guy we want here, and that’s good. The problems still linger though.

The first problem is the ownership. They have been a cluster fuck since they got here. The hiring and firing of the Mullet, the trade of Dan Boyle,the constant rotation of players in and out, and now more Vinny crap. I have no problem with ownership moving a crazy amount of guys if they’re trying to find their way, that’s acceptable. I do have a problem with them moving Vinny right now though.

If they pull this crap on Vinny it will destroy every relationship with the players they have, or could have in the future. Don’t sign a guy to big extension, tell him he won’t get traded, and then trade him. I already wonder if there is any ethics left in our society, please don’t make it any worse. I’m one of the few in the area that thinks Vinny has underachieved since his arrival, but I don’t see the need to move him now. If they would have done it in the off season, I could have accepted it, but to do it now is just dumb. You’re not going to get enough in return now to justify the move and make this team competitive, so please don’t do it.

I truly believe that Oren Koules and company could improve their standing here if they don’t move Vinny. We all know the circus that has invaded town since Koules got here and we know how bad this team has played, but if they go nuts and move the face of the franchise now, I don’t see how they recover. There’s no shot of them turning around and selling the team for more money either so that’s out. Maybe these are just rumors like in the past, but I believe them more now because our ownership is so stupid. We’ll see what happens, but I’m still clinging on for dear life with this franchise and I hope they give me something more to hang on to before I start recording Seinfeld reruns over Lightning games.

Technorati Tags: Barry Melrose, Dan Boyle, Grant Hill, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Gruden, Oren Koules, Orlando Magic, Rick Tocchet, Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, Vinny Lecavalier

The Bucs need help going into the final weekend if they are going to make the playoffs and it should come as no surprise to anyone. Since the arrival of Jon Gruden in Tampa, the Bucs have a 13-18 record in December (which includes a 3-10 record in the last three years) and haven’t looked like they’re going to make any statements yet this month. Within this scenario as well, I don’t think this upcoming game against the Raiders is going to be as easy as most think it will be. The Bucs have opened up as a 13 point favorite against a bad Oakland team, but I’m not buying it. The one thing the Raiders have that the Bucs must fear is a running game. Oakland can throw 3 above average running backs at the Bucs in Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush and that’s more than enough to make me cringe. If the Bucs lose this game, nothing else matters, if they win they still need Philly to beat Dallas in order to get in.

It’s probably more possible that the Bucs get in rather than not, but it doesn’t excite me either. I don’t mind a team “backing in” if that’s how it goes, and I don’t mind them getting in under less than preferred circumstances either. Get in and things can happen. I have had trouble dealing with the thought that this team had control of it’s playoff aspirations before losses to Carolina, Atlanta and San Diego (Carolina and San Diego being blowout losses). All this being said, the Bucs absolutely deserve whatever it is that they get. If they get in, they earned it. They did enough throughout the season to be one of the few left and they deserve to be there. If they don’t get in, especially by losing to the second worst team in the NFL at home, they deserve to be home watching the rest of the teams that made it. There’s no other way to put it. I have my fingers crossed for the game on Sunday, but I don’t have a good feeling about it and I think we all could be disappointed with the outcome. We’ll see.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Darren McFadden, Jon Gruden, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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

   Let’s not get too excited about the victory the Bucs got yesterday in Detroit. They obviously fell behind quick and that was enough to bash them. But I’m not gonna harp on that. It’s time for people to stop defending Jon Gruden for his shortcomings. The Bucs got out of Detroit with a 38-20 victory and are ready to take Carolina to the wire for the NFC South title. But here’s the problem with what I watch on Sunday’s with this team. Every week Gruden challenges the defense to score points. How bout challenging the offense Jon? If it weren’t for Clifton Smith and Monte Kiffin this season, the Bucs would be .500 at best. This holds true for other seasons as well and I’m tired of listening to people proclaim Mr. Gruden as one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’s not! It’s a mystery to me what these people see in this guy to call him great. He feuds with players, changes QB’s like underwear and lies to anyone who’ll listen. It’s like saying that a drug addicted, jobless wife is great if she doesn’t cheat on you. There’s more to this than wins and losses. If you go by winning percentage by the way, Gruden is at .523 right now and that doesn’t scream great either. His offenses have never ranked higher than tenth since his arrival (even though they’re ranked ninth right now) and that doesn’t scream great either. Now I’m not saying he hasn’t been useful, he won the Super Bowl here and not Tony Dungy. I can’t stand those people either. It wasn’t Dungy’s team that won the Super Bowl, it was Gruden/Kiffin’s team that won. Monte Kiffin has been the glue that has held this whole thing together for years and at least Gruden has recognized that and hasn’t forced Kiffin to go elsewhere. His faces aren’t funny, they’re fake. His offense is average. His player relationship skills are awful and his talent evaluation is even worse. This is the world of the NFL and change is inevitable. There are people out there who praise and admire Gruden on a daily basis and I can’t help but wonder what they’re being given to say these things. I don’t hate Jon Gruden, I hate the statements made about him being “great”. I could swallow it better if people said he was good or doing well, not great. Monte Kiffin is a great defensive coach, it doesn’t mean he would be a great head coach and there’s nothing wrong with that. There are great coaches around the league, Bill Belichick, Tom Moore, etc.. They’re not all head coaches and they’re not going to be on top every season, but you know they’ll bounce back when they’re down. Now to finish off my point with this whole thing. I’m not saying we need to fire Gruden. I’m saying SHUT UP! Shut up about the “greatness” of Jon Gruden. Stop rolling out the red carpet for his Hall of Fame induction and stop getting mad at people like me who actually recognize the flaws that this guy has. I hate the way he treats players. I hate the way he calls out the defense and not the offense. I hate his love affair with himself. I hate his play calling. There’s a lot that I hate, but not enough to want to wash him away just yet. I liked the way Dungy conducted himself and treated everyone, but I don’t miss him coaching this team. Gruden is helping keep the team competitive so we have to deal with him dissing Mark, uh I mean Mike Alstott and loving Jerramy Stevens, but not forever.

Technorati Tags: Bill Belichick, Clifton Smith, Detroit Lions, Jerramy Stevens, Jon Gruden, Mike Alstott, Monte Kiffin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Moore, Tony Dungy

   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

   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

I’m finding it very humorous that there are reports every day about Joey Galloway and when he’ll be able to practice. This is when the football reports drive me crazy, people are so starved for football news that they report on a guy not being at practice when he really shouldn’t be. Does anyone really expect an older receiver who has had problems with his wheels to practice or play any significant time in these preseason games? This is a “track speed” receiver who is getting on in years and is the only real threat on the outside on this team. Not even Jon Gruden is dumb enough to risk hurting this guy too soon. All this seems to be common sense to me yet not a day passes that I don’t see someone writing about Joey Galloway not practicing. If he did, I would worry. If he played in any preseason games I would worry. He might play a little in one of them just to get back on the field but I seriously don’t think this guy will practice or play until the season starts. I also fully expect him to play in the regular season opener, regardless of any of the reports trying to create some drama. I liken this procedure to that of Walter Jones in Seattle. Every year he doesn’t seem to even report to camp until right before the start of the regular season. I think guys like Galloway, Brooks and even Ronde Barber should be on the same level. There is a such thing as seniority, tenure and taking care of the elderly. Can’t wait to read tomorrow’s headlines about Galloway still not at practice.

Technorati Tags: Derrick Brooks, Joey Galloway, Jon Gruden, Ronde Barber, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Walter Jones

   I’m watching the Bucs pre-season game vs. the Dolphins as I type this and I find myself wondering, why the hell am I watching this crap? I am as excited as the next person that football is back, but these games are very hard to watch. It’s not because of the game being so bad, it’s because of the over-hyped analysis of the game. It’s because of the coaching calls we never see in the regular season. Teams like the Bucs go for it on fourth down and call all types of crazy plays in the pre-season. I’m not dogging the calls, I’m dogging the lack of balls to call these plays in the regular season. I can’t stand the announcers saying that this undrafted free-agent who just ran for 6 yards is going to be a part of the team’s future. Shut up! Stop pretending that these games mean anything. It makes me happy as hell that they don;t televise spring training games. I’ll keep watching too for some reason. Watching the veterans sit while the rookies and no names kill themselves trying to get noticed and don’t. Listening to the idiotic announcers blow everything out of proportion. Watching Gruden make his fake stupid faces. I’m torturing myself for no reason at all. I actually had some people call me and ask “what are you doing for the game tonight?” and my reply was “I’m gonna watch the Rays like I always do, why?”. I didn’t think that they actually wanted to hang out for a pre-season football game. I guess this is why baseball has always been my first love. It’s a daily part of my life while football is a once a week party. I love REGULAR SEASON FOOTBALL, not the crap they put on the WB on Saturday night with bad announcers and horrible camera work. Thank god the Rays game is on soon and I don’t have to torture myself anymore. I’m done now, c’mon Rays!

Scott Brannelly

Technorati Tags: Jon Gruden, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays

   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

   In the last month the Lightning have gone from the least talked about team in the NHL to the most talked about. They have been bought by Oren Koules and gang (finally), hired the Mullet, traded Dan Boyle and oh god let’s stop for a second. I’ll list all the moves by date below but I want to hit on the Dan Boyle trade. There was a ton of reaction to this and I need to put my two cents in. I agree with everyone who said it was a shady move by the new group to lie to Boyle and turn around a trade him. That was an asshole move that we have seen all too often from some other guys in the area (rhymes with Gruden and Allen, oops) and is not something I want to see become a trend with these guys. That being said, it was a good move. Boyle was overpaid and overrated as a defender. He was a good player but the picks we got for him are worth more than he would’ve been to this team. He may be missed as a teammate but no where else. As far as the rest of the moves, I like the aggressiveness of the organization in trying to improve the worst team in hockey. They have not been shy in any way about free agents or trades. There isn’t much to rave about or bitch about either as we need to see how all these guys play together under “The Mullet” before anything can be said. Below are all the major transactions made over the last month.

• June 25th: Hired Barry “The Mullet” Melrose as head coach.
• June 26th: Bought out Marc Denis’ contract (finally)!
• June 28th: Acquired the rights to LW’s Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Penguins for an ‘09 conditional draft pick.
• June 29th: Acquired the rights to RW Brian Rolston from the Wild for a conditional draft pick in ‘09 or ‘10.
• June 30th: Acquired D Janne Niskala from the Flyers for a sixth round pick in ‘09. Signed Gary Roberts to a one year deal, Vinny Prospal to a multi year contract and Ryan Malone to a seven year deal.
• July 1st: Signed RW’s Radim Vrbata and Adam Hall to three year deals and veteran G Olaf Kolzig to a one year deal (love this move by the way).
• July 3rd: Signed C Ryan Craig to a two year deal and D Janne Niskala to a one year deal.
• July 4th: Traded D’s Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to the Sharks for D’s Matt Carle and Ty Wishart and a 1st and 4th round draft pick. Also signed LW David Koci and C Wyatt Smith to one year deals and D Scott Jackson to a three year deal.
• July 8th: Signed RW Evgeny Artuykin to a multi year deal (finally), RW Brandon Bochenski to a two year deal and RW Marc Recchi to a one year deal.
• July 10th:  Signed D Andrew Hutchinson to a two year deal.
• July 11th: Signed C Zenon Konopka to a two year deal.
• July 12: Jay Feaster resigns immediately as GM. Signed C Chris Gratton to a one year deal.
• July 13th: Sign Vinny Lecavalier to an 11 year, $85 million extension.
• July 15th: Signed G Mike Smith to a two year extension.

   There are more things that took place as far as coaching changes and what not, but these are the more notable transactions. I’ll have some reaction to these over the next few days, right now we’re just catching up. Good day to you now as my fingers are numb.

Scott Brannelly

Source: ESPN

Technorati Tags: Adam Hall, Andrew Hutchinson, Barry Melrose, Brad Lukowich, Brandon Bochenski, Brian Rolston, Bruce Allen, Dan Boyle, David Koci, Evgeny Artyukhin, Gary Roberts, Janne Niskala, Jay Feaster, Jon Gruden, Marc Denis, Marc Recchi, Matt Carle, Mike Smith, Olaf Kolzig, Oren Koules, Radim Vrbata, Ryan Craig, Ryan Malone, Scott Brannelly, Scott Jackson, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ty Wishart, Vaclav Prospal, Vinny Lecavalier, Wyatt Smith, Zenon Konopka

   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