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 got a ton a phone calls and text messages yesterday when the Bucs released Brooks, Dunn, June, Hilliard and Galloway. Thank god I was at work or I may have done something stupid. I can understand or deal with all of those moves except for Derrick Brooks. Why Brooks? Is there a plan to bring him back? I can’t fathom this and I really don’t know what to say about it yet. I will try to get my head around it this weekend, but I just don’t see the sense in it right now. I have to throw a tantrum before I go to work now, so I’ll catch up with you later.

Technorati Tags: Cato June, Derrick Brooks, Ike Hilliard, Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Warrick Dunn

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

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

• Full Name: Derrick Dewan Brooks
• Birthplace: Pensacola, FL
• Born: 04/18/1973
• Position: OLB
• How Acquired: 1st round draft pick (28th overall) in 1995

What we know: Derrick went to Florida State University and was a four year letterman standout in college. While at FSU he was part of the 1993 National Championship team (bs by the way, no offense Derrick) and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business communications, which he followed up with a masters degree later on. Derrick was one of the core members of the Dungy/Kiffin defense that would wreak havoc through the NFL for over a decade, capped off with a Super Bowl in 2003. Under the defensive prowess of Dungy and Kiffin, and alongside John Lynch and Warren sapp, Brooks was a core piece in the innovative and much copied “Tampa Two” defense that has become a staple of nearly every teams defensive schemes from High School to the NFL. Derrick is as celebrated for his charity work in the community off the field as he is for his defensive dominance on the field. He is one of the most decorated athletes in the NFL receiving multiple awards throughout his career, topped off with his Defensive Player of the Year award in 2002.

What we think: As an absolute Hall of Famer, it’s hard to find anything negative to say about Derrick Brooks. While his career is winding down, he is still a great performer on the field and a great teammate. Brooks came up as a speedy, undersized linebacker that flew around the field and punished anyone in his line of fire. He has performed at an elite level for over ten years and even though he has lost a step, still makes his presense felt. As the Bucs vaunted defense was picked on in the 2008 season, Derrick included, one thing early on really made an impression on me. Derrick was sharing large chunks of time for the first time in his career, and no one noticed because he kept his mouth shut. In a time where it seems like every athlete complains about playing time and older players clinging on to the death, even if it’s detrimental, Derrick shared time with Geno Hayes and did nothing but perform and tutor his teammate in a professional manner. Mister Derrick Brooks may be on his last leg, but I can’t think of an athlete that has made more of an impact on me, or the Buccaneers for that matter, than him.

For stats click here.

Technorati Tags: Derrick Brooks, Florida State University, John Lynch, Monte Kiffin, National Championship, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tony Dungy, Warren Sapp

I’m currently working on some player cards for the site. These are going to be short bio type things with basic info and a short opinion of what we think of the players on our beloved teams that we cover. I’m not a fan of profiles or anything like that because I’m not a journalist, I’m just a guy writing about things I love. I’m having a hard time currently with trying to put stats to them so if I can’t figure it out I’ll just put a link to the players stats in the post. These will be done randomly and for teams in their off-season as they’re easier to track, so for now we’ll be working on Rays and Buc players and the Lightning and Magic players will be done when their seasons are over. Post any ideas you may have in the comments of this post and I’ll have the first one out this evening.

Technorati Tags: Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays

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

The Bolts have been the cellar dwellers of Tampa Bay for over a year now and things weren’t looking too good going forward. Starting the month of December the Lightning were 4-10-7 and things were looking as ugly as ever throughout the organization. The USF Bulls were 7-5 and were possibly the most disappointing team in Tampa as much bigger things were expected for them. The Bucs were 9-3 and seemingly on their way to a division title, much less a playoff birth. Fast forward to today and the Bulls capped off the month with a 41-14 win over Memphis in the St. Pete Bowl to help take the sting out of a hugely disappointing season. The Bucs pulled the ultimate choke job by going 0-4 and missing the playoffs after losing to a dismal Oakland Raider team.

The Bolts have gone 4-6-2 to this point, not great I know, but after stringing off three straight wins, look much better than they did a month ago. Now don’t get me wrong, the Lightning still are holding the crown of worst in Tampa, but after a home and away sweep of Florida and a 2-0 shutout win on the road against a very good Pittsburg Penguin team, there is a glimmer of hope for the first time in a long time for this team. The defense is still allowing too many shots on goal, but is getting better. The offense has come alive as Vinny and Marty have begun to light up the nets a little and  look much more fluid on the ice than they have all season.

As stated already, they are still the worst in Tampa, but they may not hold that title for too much longer if they keep up with these strange winning ways. They finish off the month of December at home against the Montreal Canadiens and could be starting the new year off on the right foot as the season rolls on. If the Lightning can pull themselves out of the bottom of the heap and even raise themselves into playoff contention, the argument could leave the Bulls and Bucs battling it out for worst in show here. It would be nice to see that happen.

Technorati Tags: Florida Panthers, Martin St. Louis, Memphis Tigers, Montreal Canadiens, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburg Penguins, St. Petersburg Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, USF Bulls, Vinny Lecavalier

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 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

Sorry for the lack of posts everyone. My sister is in town and it’s a huge family thing that’s leaving little to no time to post. It doesn’t help that I have a 10 day stretch going with my job and won’t have a day off until Christmas. There’s a lot to catch up on with the Bucs essentially playing their way out of the playoffs, the Lightning still being awful (and St. Louis finally going off) and the Magic still playing great. I’ll try to get something out tonight and over the next couple days but we’re probably going to have to do some Christmas day catch up. I encourage everyone out there to check out the Magic game tonight. I know not everyone is into basketball, but they are an extremely fun team to watch and are the closest thing we’ve got to a home town team.

Technorati Tags: Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays

I’ve been digging through the tie-breaker rules within the NFL and trying to figure out what has to happen for the Bucs to make the playoffs and I’ve come up with this. No one can figure it out yet! Look, here it is. If the Cowboys, Falcons and Bucs all win out than it comes down to certain things. The Bucs lose out to Dallas because of the head-to-head loss. The tie breaker between the Falcons and Bucs is more complicated though. I’ve heard everyone saying things to contradict each other and, unless I’m misunderstanding something, there’s no way you can figure it out right now. If both teams win out as explained, they would have the same record in virtually every way. The Bucs would have a better home record, but that doesn’t seem to matter. Here’s the tie breaker rules from the NFL site.

Two Clubs

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

This tells me that it would come down to strength of victory. I’m not sure if that’s for head-to-head, common opponents, overall or what but I take this from it. The Bucs better go Urban Meyer and look to destroy the Chargers and Raiders. If it’s overall than they need to blow these teams out and that would put them in ahead of Atlanta. They need to win big in their final games and that should take care of things. I could be wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time, but I think that’s the way it’s going to be. Anyone else know for sure?

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Urban Meyer

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

This is why I tell everyone not to get too far ahead of themselves when they talk about the Bucs and the playoffs. Carolina came out mean and aggressive at home as they set out to try to win out and the Bucs were the first opponent to feel the wrath of what this team can do. In a somewhat surprising twist in this game it was the defense that let us down. The offense played decent against a good defense with no turnovers and moved the ball well enough to win in most any other game. The defense looked very small last night in getting man handled up front as they gave up nearly 300 yards rushing. This is something our defense has always been susceptible to given that we have smallish interior defensive linemen. Monte Kiffin can usually game plan well enough to overcome these things, but not last night. The game was tied at 17 going into the fourth quarter and it looked like it was going to be one of those games where it would be decided in the final two minutes, but no such luck. Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams went off and started running through the line however they felt and it was over soon after. On the positive side of things Antonio Bryant was an animal last night with a 9 catch 200 yard performance.  Ronde Barber said after the game that they ran a handful of different plays and that they just executed better. Maybe that’s what Tony Dungy was talking about way back then huh? Anyway, the season isn’t over and we still look good for the playoffs if we can knock off Atlanta at home. This game in Atlanta has now become the biggest game of the year because if we can win here, it all but clinches the playoffs for this team with bad Charger and Raider teams coming here to finish off the season. Hope it goes better in Atlanta this week.

Technorati Tags: Antonio Bryant, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, DeAngelo Williams, Johnathan Stewart, Monte Kiffin, Oakland Raiders, Ronde Barber, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tony Dungy

The Bucs have just rolled right along this year with the usual mess of distractions to a 9-3 record. As we head into the biggest game of the year on Monday Night Football, a couple other things have popped up. First let’s get to the Monte Kiffin to Tennessee rumor. I don’t think it’s a rumor, I think it’s a done deal. I have some questions for all those reporters and fans out there that keep harping on it though. What did you expect? What response did you think you were going to get from him now? Why is this being perceived as a bad thing? These are the things that annoy me with sports. Monte Kiffin has been here as defensive coordinator since 1996. He has shown no real desire to be a head coach. He’s produced great defenses over his tenure here. He’s plugged in players and coaches to fill voids left by others and things haven’t seemed to miss a beat. He’s done all this under two different Head Coaches and General Managers with completely different philosophies on how to run their ship. He’s done it all with a smile on his face in his father figure type persona. Why do we have to question his motives, his responses and now his character (Warren Sapp!)? If Monte wants to go and coach with his son at Tennessee at the great age of 68, why shouldn’t he be able to do so? I would miss him but I would also root for him to do well in his new position. When he gets asked a question like, “are you going to coach here next year or are you going to Tennessee?”, what do you expect him to say? He’s under contract here and his team’s still playing, so let him coach. If he decided to go already, it’s up to him and not us. He doesn’t need to make a big show of this being his final year with the Bucs and he doesn’t need to interrupt the current season to worry about the next. Leave him alone, enjoy the year and move on! Now, on to Warren Sapp. I always loved Sapp and he was one of my favorite players to watch when he was here. I think he’s doing a good job on Inside the NFL and Dancing With the Stars, he can really dance by the way. This all leaves me wondering why he would make this statement about Monte Kiffin. He stated on Inside the NFL that Monte Kiffin was selfish and that things have always been about Monte. What?! Ok, let me see, a guy that has been with the same team for 12 years, never left to be a Head Coach and never has been accused of such behavior by anyone else is supposed to be this way because you say so? C’mon Warren, let it go! It really sounds like Sapp has never gotten over not being able to finish his career here. It angers me when athletes say things like this, especially one with Warren’s reputation. I have always been a defender of athletes, Warren included, in the sense that their lives should be their own. They carry no responsibility to be “role models” for anyone off the field, they are required to do a job and that’s it. It’s like any other business out there. Show up, do your job, go home. If you choose to put yourself out there and take on responsibilities like that, great, but they are not required to. Everyone knows the type of work that Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks do off the field and we all admire and respect them for it. They are going above and beyond and deserve every ounce of respect they get for it, probably more. We all can’t hold athletes to this standard though, everyone is not ready to do these things and it doesn’t make them bad. These are the same reasons I don’t report on incidents in nightclubs, bars or DUI’S or anything like that. It’s their lives and they need to live it the best way for them, not us. Children need role models that they know, not that they know of. I tell my son this about athletes all the time. You can look up to him and what he does on the field and if you want to model yourself after that, great, but don’t try to be someone off the field that you don’t know anything about. These are the things I’ve always said when defending Warren Sapp. But there’s no defense for this. This is a bitter, self obsessed man attacking someone he played for and obviously had problems with when he was here. Has anyone ever heard Kiffin say anything like this about anyone? I haven’t. It’s an attempt to get more publicity or maybe a far reach in defending Rod Marinelli, whatever it is, it’s very sad to see and Monte Kiffin deserves much more than this. Listen up Warren, your career probably wouldn’t have been as good without Monte Kiffin whereas his would’ve been just fine without you, so get over it.

Technorati Tags: Derrick Brooks, Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Volunteers, Warren Sapp, Warrick Dunn

   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