West Coast Woes

What is it with the Buccaneers futility on the West Coast? Is it the long plane ride? The time zone change? The Pacific Ocean air? Who the hell knows? Hopefully the Buccaneers know, or at least figured out some small piece of this mystery. For the first time the team left Tampa two days before the game in an attempt to acclimate themselves to their surroundings. Will it help? Who knows, but it certainly can't hurt. Seattle, San Diego, Oakland, San Fransisco......the city doesn't matter. Even the quality of the team doesn't matter. In the midst of the Buccs last Championship season, 2005, the Buccs lost to a bad 49er team.

What do these things have in common?
George Bush's Presidency
World Trade Center Bombings
HDTV
Playstation 2
2 Olympic games
Hybrid cars
Iraq War
Houston Texans
Turn of the milenium

All those things listed above took place after the Buccs last won a game on the west coast. That's right, the last time the Buccs won a game out there, was against Seattle in 1999. You remember that game? That was the last time Trent Dilfer ever threw a pass for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was also the first game of Shaun King's short uneventful career. Since kick off of that game, Tampa has had 9 QB's take a snap in a regular season game. There are kids in second grade now that weren't even born yet last time the Buccs claimed victory on the left side of the map. Let's hope the Buccs can get past this hurdle and start a winning tradition west of the Rockies starting this Sunday.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Masterful! Saints

The Good

Luke McCown - There is a glimmer of hope to the future of the Buccaneer Quarterback position after all. This situation has a long way to go before it is played out to it's fullest extent, but not too long ago many Buccs fans were hoping we'd address the future at QB through the upcoming '08 draft. Sunday Luke McCown gave us reason to be optimistic the the future is already in Pewter and Red. Luke played superbly in his 5th career start. He made some mistakes that can be expected of an inexperienced QB. The key now is to learn and correct those mistakes. The most exciting aspects of Luke performance for me were his arm strength and accuracy. It's hard to believe a kid of his slight stature could put such zip on the ball. McCown dissected the Saints defense at one point with 15 straight completions, and finishing the game 29 of 37 (78%) for 313 yards and 2 TD's.

Ernest Graham - OK, it's getting very repetitive talking about how great Graham has been filling in for the injured Carnell "The Tricycle" Williams, and Mike Pittman. But yet again Ernest helped guide the Buccs to an important win with his legs racking up 106 yards on 22 carries and a 25 yard TD jaunt. EG also tied for the team lead with 7 receptions for 37 yards. His contribution is immeasurable, and has to be the front runner for the team's MVP.

Gaines Adams - Gaines showed Sunday that his early progress in the NFL is on the rise. His improvement from week to week has been very noticeable. I think Adams had his best game as a pro, and made a significant play to help the Buccs' outcome Sunday a favorable one. In addition to Gaines 4 tackles and 1 sack, he pressured Brees all day and got heavy penetration into the backfield. The biggest play of his young career came with 3:36 left in the game, and the ball on the Saints 49 yard line. Payton called a double reverse that should have featured Bush handing the ball off to Deverey Henderson. Gaines exploded off the LOS at the snap of the ball, and quickly got 6 yards deep in the backfield. The Saints LT had no choice but to go with Gaines, as he had the LT beat around the corner. Gaines' penetration forced a total disruption of the play, and got in the way of a possible hand off exchange of the ball. Bush's jerking body movements suggests to me that he panicked and had no idea what to do, not expecting Adams to be standing there in his way. With his view of Henderson now shield by 2 large linemen, in a last ditch effort he tried to toss the ball with his right hand to Deverey who was running by him on the left. The result, a widely inaccurate toss that resulted in a live ball rolling around on the ground and recovered by Tampa Bay.

Joey Galloway - Joey Galloway tore the Saints secondary a new one again Sunday. Joey torched the Saints in their week 2 match-up, and followed that up with 6 receptions for 148 yards in the 1st half alone. He added another catch in the second half for an additional 11 yards. Joey didn't see the endzone, but his play in the first half opened up the defense and allowed Graham to run all over them. He showed again Sunday why some call him the ageless wonder. Leaving guys just over half his age in the dust has been his trademark this season. Defenders line up across from him on the LOS, they notice the gray whiskers in his beard....then he disappears.

The Bad

Greg White - Greg White has been a pleasant surprise this season. With that being said, Greg has showcased to the world what is is capable of at the NFL level now that he has been given the chance. We now have a benchmark to measure what we expect of Greg White, and when he is held off the stat sheet with 0 tackles, 0 assists, 0 sacks....that will earn him a spot on the bad list. Every player has an off day once in a while, and I fully expect White to atone for the game with a good performance next week.

Barrett Ruud - How does the MLB of the Tampa 2 defense record 1 tackle? That's all I have to say about that.

Phillip Buchanon - P-Buc got beat on 2 plays in a row, the first being a deep bomb from Brees to Colston. P-Buc was in good position and had MC covered closely, but he never turned his head to look at the ball, and that allowed Colston to reach over and snag the ball for a huge gain of 40 yards. On the very next play, Terrence Copper got the outside edge and Brees looped the ball right over P-Buc and into the waiting hands of Copper for the Saints first TD of the game. Those were 2 very good plays executed by the Saints. When you couple those 2 plays with the complete and utter gaff on a failed punt return, I had to add Phillip to the bad list. Mr. Buchanon...when you let a punt drop.....GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE BALL!!!!!! The Saints coverage team wisely tried to push Buchanon into the loose ball, which would have made it a live ball. It was close, very close. A Saint defender picked up the ball and ran it into the endzone. Lucky for us, and P-Buc, the ref had a good look at the play and new it was a dead ball. But why even give the Ref a chance to make a mistake? Again Mr. Buchanon...when you let a punt drop....GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE BALL!!!!

The Masterful

Jon Gruden - Jon called a hell of a game Sunday. The best call he made was declaring Luke McCown the starter over Bruce Gradkowski. He opened up the playbook, and confused the Saints defense. He mixed and matched runs and passes with great wizardry keeping the Saints defense on their heels. He made a gutsy, ballsy 4th down call that helped seal the deal. That one play call was a glaring example of how far our Offensive line has come, and just how much confidence Gruden has in his young line. Pulling Sears behind Joseph and T-Blood has become Jon's security blanket, and it has worked when he has needed it to. This game was the best showing of Gruden's playbook I have seen. Jon has worked with quarterbacks Brad Johnson, Rob Johnson, Shaun King, Chris Simms, Brian Griese, Bruce Gradkowski, Tim Rattay and Jeff Garcia over his tenure in Tampa. Why he chose Luke McCown and yesterday, to finally showcase the plays he designs while hiding in the darkness of his cave like office, we may never know. But it was very refreshing to finally watch a Buccaneer offense move down the field at will. We have been teased Jon, and we expect another display against the Texans.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Redskins

The Good

Ronde Barber - It was a vicious defense that led the Buccaneers to victory Sunday, and there is no better Buccaneer to start off with than Ronde Barber. Ronde had a great game and set a franchise record with his 32nd interception surpassing former Bucc and NY Jet Donnie Abraham. Barber added 4 tackles and 3 passes defended to his stat sheet to top off a day he will remember forever. A day Buccaneer fans will remember forever. Thank you Ronde for all you have given us over the years, and congratulations on becoming the biggest thief this franchise has ever had at Cornerback.

Derrick Brooks - Brooks looked ten years younger flying around the field yesterday making plays from sideline to sideline. Derrick notched a team leading 12 takedowns en route to the defense's best performance of the season. Brooks' best play of the game came as the third quarter was winding down. With 2:10 on the clock and the Skins facing a 4th and 1 on the Buccaneer 4 yard line, Clinton Portis' number was called to pick up 1 measly yard. Derrick Brooks shed a block and met Portis at the line of scrimmage and dropped him right there for no gain. It was the type of play we had seen a hundred times before by Derrick, but the type of play he hadn't been making recently. In my humble opinion, that was the play that saved the game.

Greg White - WOW! That's pretty much what comes to mind when I hear the name Greg White. Talk about undiscovered talent. Sunday Greg displayed yet again his non-stop motor while harassing Campbell. The guy never quits on a play, he's a smart heady player who sniffs out screens like a hound dog. He notched four tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack to elevate his team leading total to 5.5. Thank you to the Orlando Predators' scouting department who discovered White while shopping for a PS3 at Best Buy last Christmas.

****Honorable Mention - BJ Askew. Tanard Jackson, Jermaine Phillips, Phillip Buchanon.

The Bad

Bruce Gradkowski - Bruce displayed yet again his uncanny knack for missing wide open receivers while replacing injured Jeff Garcia. Every week Buccs fans sit at the dinner table and say Grace before their meal. I know personally when my children are finished saying grace, and I complete the sign of the cross I request, "GOD please keep Jeff Garcia healthy." Well they say you don't always get what you wish for. Bruce has enough experience under his belt now that his putrid display yesterday is totally unacceptable. I read one fan's comment about Grads not turning the ball over. His passes are so far off their mark, even the defending team can't catch his errant throws. The future is not Bruce Gradkowski, and I hope Jon Gruden realizes that.

Anthony Becht - You might ask yourself how a player involved in just one play can be considered to have had a bad game. I have grown tiresome of watching passes bounce off Tony's hands. When you have a QB like Gradkowski, it's very rare that you'll get a pass to hit you square in the numbers, and when you do you best be catching it. Becht is one of the best blocking TE's in the NFL, but that's just not enough for a former 1st round pick. Being picked that high means you better be a prolific pass catcher, and Tony just isn't that.

John Wade - The entire offensive line played well as a unit, but Wade once again was being man handled. It wasn't as glaring in the first part of the game, before Washington adjusted to take away the run and dared Bruce to pass. When Wade was getting help from the Guards, Graham was ripping off huge chunks of yardage. When the Skins brought up 9 guys within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage to shut down the run and Wade couldn't receive help from Joseph and Sears, he was getting blown off the ball. Our O-line is light years ahead of past O-lines, but Wade is still a big weakness physically.

The Ugly

Jon Gruden's Offense - Since Gruden has gotten to Tampa his offense has struggled. The young coach had been labeled an offensive genius before his arrival to Tampa. Except for a short run at the end of 2002, the offense has been dismal. Johnson, Griese, Simms and Gradkowski have all failed to run Jon Gruden's offense to his or our liking. During Sunday's game, the offense did not earn one first down the entire 2nd half. Why does it seem only Garcia and Gannon can succeed in this offense? Why can AJ Feeley step in for McNabb and lead them to a division championship? Why can Quinn Gray step in and go 2-1 and beat our Buccs? Why can the perennial loser Cleveland Browns challenge for a division championship with their back-up QB? Trent Green was the starter in St. Louis not Kurt Warner. If only one certain type of QB can succeed in Gruden's offense, how long will it be until we find a Gannon/Garcia clone? Will we have to wait and suck until we find the next one?

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Falcons

***As in the past, sometimes the outcome of the game, and the performances on the field don't allow me to follow the traditional format of TGB&U

The Great

Ernest Graham - Graham has been a huge surprise since Carnell and Pittman went out of the lineup due to injury. Formerly nicknamed Mr. August because of his good performances against 3rd string defenses in pre season games, Graham has graduated to Mr. Graham. Mr. Graham may not have received the respect he deserved from fans in the past, but he's certainly getting the respect he deserves from his opponents as he runs over and around them. Graham gashed the Falcons defense for 102 yards and a TD on 17 carries at 6 yards per carry. With a full workload, Graham could have easily eclipsed the 150 yard mark. Enough can't be said about the job Ernest Graham has done as the starting tailback.

Greg White - Sometimes a player falls through the cracks. Terrell Davis was a 6th round pick. Tom Brady was a 5th round pick. Kurt Warner went from AFL QB/grocery store stock boy to SuperBowl MVP. No one knows what the future holds for DE Greg White, but no one can dispute the fact that he belongs in the NFL. White put in another blue collar effort Sunday harassing Byron Leftwich all day long. If he wasn't sacking the QB, he was in his face and disrupting his timing. White racked up 2 solo tackles, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The former Orlando Predator has found a home in the NFL.

The Good

Cato June - Happy birthday Cato. Thanks for giving us Buccs fans a birthday present on your birthday. June put a nice red bow on his performance Sunday flying around the field wreaking havoc, and hitting anything within reach. June amassed 9 team leading solo tackles, and a forced fumble. June has been a great addition to our defense, and it's hard to believe June hung around on the free agent market as long as he did.

Gaines Adams - Adams is progressing nicely evidenced by his latest performance. After starting out extremely slow, Gaines had some detractors wanting to pin the "bust" label on him already. Adams had flashes two weeks ago before the bye week against the Cardinals, and he followed that up Sunday nicely. While his totals were modest at 2 solo tackles and 1 sack, it was his effort that was impressive. Gaines was all over the field and showed nice pursuit to the opposite field. When he wasn't sacking the QB, he was in his face like his fellow DE White. Adams just needs to build off of each start, put in quality effort from week to week, and he'll have a nice career in Tampa.
***EDIT:11/21/07 "That strange bit of news arrived at One Buccaneer Place on Wednesday, courtesy of a statistical review of the game by the Elias Sports Bureau, the official stat compilers for the NFL. As it turns out, a play that was originally interpreted as an interception has now been ruled a fumble recovery, and the result is an additional sack for Adams."

Ronde Barber - Ronde had a nice day Sunday finding the endzone again as he has done so many times throughout his career when he picked up a Byron Leftwich fumble caused by Greg White and raced 41 yards untouched. Barber's tackling was suspect at the beginning of '07 but has looked like the Barber of old lately. He notched 4 tackles(3 solo) and was very good in coverage allowing the defensive line to do their thing.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Scouting Department Sleeping?

Whether you're a Tony Dungy/Dick McKay fan. Our a staunch Jon Gruden/Bruce Allen supporter, the one constant that remains is our player personnel departments are dropping the ball big time. Lets take look at Tampa's drafts dating back to the 1998 draft class and see who remains on the Buccs' roster, and what type of player they are.

1 will designate a good player drafted
2 will designate a serviceable player drafted
U+ will designate undecided yet, with upside
U- will designate undecided yet, not looking good at this time.

1998 - 1 Good player remaining.

2a Jacquez Green
2b Brian Kelly 1
3 Jamie Duncan
4 Todd Washington
5 traded to NY Jets for FB Lorenzo Neal
6a James Cannida
6b Shevin Smith
7 Chance McCarty

1999 - No players remaining

1 Anthony McFarland
2 Shaun King
3 Martin Gramatica
4 Dexter Jackson
5 John McLaughlin
6 Lamarr Glenn
7a Robert Hunt
7b Autry Denson
7c Darnell McDonald

2000 - No players remaining

2 Cosey Coleman
3 Nate Webster
5 James Whalen
6 David Gibson
7 Joe Hamilton

2001 - No players remaining

1 Kenyatta Walker
2nd-round pick to Buffalo
3 Dwight Smith
4 John Howell
5 Russ Hochstein
6a Jameel Cook
6b Ellis Wyms
7a Dauntae` Finger
7b Than Merrill
7c Joe Tafoya

2002 - 1 Good player remaining

3 Marquise Walker
4 Travis Stephens
5 Jermaine Phillips 1
6 John Stamper
7 Tim Wansley
7 Tracey Wistrom
7 Aaron Lockett
7 Zack Quaccia

2003 - 1 serviceable player remaining

2 Dewayne White
3 Chris Simms
4 Lance Nimmo
4 Austin King
5 Sean Mahan
6 Torrie Cox 2

2004 - 3 Serviceable players

1 Michael Clayton 2
3 Marquise Cooper
4 Will Allen 2
5 Jeb Terry
6 Nate Lawrie
7 Mark Jones 2
7 Casey Cramer
7 Lenny Williams

2005 - 2 Good players, 2 serviceable players, and 1 undecided remaining

1 Carnell Williams 2
2 Barrett Ruud 1
3 Alex Smith 1
3 Chris Colmer
4 Dan Buenning 2
5 Donte Nicholson
5 Larry Brackins
6 Anthony Bryant
7 Rick Razzano
7 Paris Warren U+
7 Hamza Abdullah
7 J.R. Russel


2006 - 2 good players, 3 undecided players 1 with upside and 2 not looking good remaining

1 Davin Joseph 1
2 Jeremy Trueblood 1
3 Maurice Stovall U+
4 Alan Zemaitis U-
5 Julian Jenkins
6 Bruce Gradkowski U-
6 T.J. Williams
7 Justin Phinisee
7 Charles Bennett
7 Tim Massaquo

The 2007 class is just too green to make a decision on. Tanard Jackson looks like a future star, but we'll skip this year's for now.

That leaves us with 6 good players, 6 serviceable players out of the 74 players drafted since 1998. You be the judge.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Money to Burn...No One to Burn it On

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a salary cap situation like they haven't faced in over a decade. Thanks to the shrewd business dealings of General Manager Bruce Allen, the Buccaneers find themselves way below the salary cap limit with a hefty surplus on money to burn. The last figure I had heard, and may have been adjusted, was more than $15 million cap space. With the trade deadline come and gone a week ago, there really isn't anyone to spend money on outside the current roster unless Bruce signs a free agent. At this point in the season, if someone is unemployed, it's for a damn good reason. But with the players on the Buccs' 53 man roster dropping like flies, the team may very well look to some of these gentlemen standing in the unemployment line and hope to catch lightning in a bottle. Even if the Buccs travel down this path, there is no way they will find enough quality to spend all that money on.

So who else can they spend on? Well they can spend that cash to restructure contracts and give extensions to deserving players already on the roster. Who is worthy of a raise or an extension at this point in time? I'm really not sure. Derrick Brooks is on his last contract hopefully, and will soon retire. Derrick has shown some flashes of brilliance this season, but to anyone who has followed the Buccs and Derrick for the last decade plus it's clear that his time in the NFL is coming to an end. Joey Galloway seems to have beaten the sands of time with his play the last 3 seasons, but with his age, injury history and recent contract restructure, would it be wise to give him and extension? I don't think that would be a smart move at all. Ronde Barber just got and extension not too long ago, and his play has been shoddy at times and sporadic. Ronde used to be one of the squad's surest tacklers, but this season he looks like the farmers kids trying to chase a greased pig around the farm yard. Even when he does get a hold of his opponents, they seem to slip right out of his arms. Spires? No way. His play has fallen off dramatically this season and one could argue he doesn't deserve his current contract let alone a new one. You have a list of young kids still playing off their rookie contracts, and seeing as how almost the entire 2002, 2003 and 2004 draft classes have been less than spectacular, or not even with the team anymore that leaves only one player I can think of worthy of an extension, and that's Jermaine Phillips.

So now we take a look at recent free agents brought into from other teams that maybe deserving of an extension. Garcia was signed for 2 years, and at his age and reckless playing style, I can't imagine it to be good business to extend his contract at least until the middle of the 2008 season. His play this season has been nothing short of spectacular, but for a player at his age he could slam into that wall at anytime even though he has not showed any signs of slowing down. Askew looks to be one of the better free agent acquisitions this off season, and as his role has been increasing due to the injuries that have hit the running back position, he appears to be a guy we should hold onto for a long time. Askew though was signed to a multi year deal already, so at this time it wouldn't be wise to resign him either. Chris Hovan just got an extension, and June is working on the first year of a 3 year deal. Brian Kelly is a player who has often been mentioned as being deserving of a contract extension. There were even rumors this off season that he would be a contract holdout. Those rumors proved to be false, and Kelly showed up on time to the first day of training camp. With Kelly's recent history of injuries problems seemingly becoming a chronic problem as opposed to isolated incidents, giving Kelly the big raise he once deserved almost seems foolish at this point. If Kelly is willing to take an incentive laden contract with playing time bonuses, that may be the way to go. Phillip Buchanon was signed to a one year deal, and with the increased playing time he has received in Kelly's absence, has certainly earned an extension. He's still a young guy, and has the skills to play cornerback for a handful more years. The Buccs need to make it a priority to sign P-Buc to an extension.

I may be leaving some players out, as I took this info off the top of my head. But at this time we have a lot of money to spend, and only 2 players deserving of a contract extension, and another deserving of an incentive laced deal. The Glazers aren't hurting for money, but they get several extra million dollars of unpaid salary this season to put back in the safe. Too bad the NFL's salary cap isn't like Cingular Wireless, and we could roll over our minutes......errr millions.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Spotlight: Donald Penn

After the Buccs game vs. the Indianapolis Colts, many Buccs fans had differing opinions as to how Donald Penn performed in his first NFL start. I knew what I thought of his performance after my first viewing of the game, so I was somewhat baffled to read some of the critique by others on various fan message boards. I wanted to go back and re-evaluate after a couple days. What I did was review the first half of the game, watched each play Penn was on the field multiple times, in some instances frame by frame to get a better idea. The format is as follows: The bold numbers are the possession by the Buccs offense. The letter next to it is the grade I gave Penn for that possession. The Italic numbers represent the play, and not the down.

1st:A
1st - Nice cut block on Freeney, takes him out of the play. Garcia completes pass.
2nd - Run right, Penn non-factor
3rd - Penn stonewalled DT, as Freeny made a looping stunt. Sacked by Rocky Boiman, Freeney gets credit with 1/2 sack.

2nd:B
1st - Chipped Freeney advanced to second level to engage LB
2nd - Freeney makes tackle on Pittman for a loss. Penn engaged nicely, and a hole was there if Pittman cut inside.
3rd - Blocked Freeney effectively, kept him away from Garcia, completes pass.

3rd:A
1st - Penn blocked Freeney effectively. Dwight, inside spin move, Penn rode him inside. Inside was clogged up, so freeney looped outside and Penn rode him out.
2nd - Penn double teamed DT with Sears as Freeney tired another loop stunt. No penetration from left side.
3rd - Freeney lines up very wide. Taken by Alex Smith, passed off to Pittman. Penn double teams DT with Sears.

4th:B
1st - Entire O-line down blocks, gets 4 yard push. Penn blocks DT.
2nd - Penn stops Freeney's outside move. Gets beat with a spin inside. Garcia gets the ball off in time.
3rd - (Freeney out for a rest)Quick strike pass, neither player a factor.
4th - Not sure what the blocking assignments were on this play, seems to have been a breakdown somewhere. Sears pulls right. Penn steps inside to close gap between he and Wade, then tries to engage DE with cut block. Penn whiffs being too far away from the DE, but he's a non-factor being a run to the right.
5th - (Freeney re-enters)Freeney loops way inside, Penn stonewalls DT.
6th - Freeney takes outside first step, quickly changes direction and again loops inside. Penn double teams DT with Sears.
7th - Penn downblocks DT, Smith downblocks Freeney.
8th - Garcia rolls right, away from Penn. Freeney takes an outside angle, then spins inside. Tough to tell if Penn falls or intentionally cut blocks Freeney, but either way it has the same effect in neutralizing Freeney.
9th - Entire line downblocks right, Garcia rolls out right TD pass to Smith.

5th:A
1st - Inside dive Penn and Freeney non factors.
2nd - Freeney is lined up so wide to the left, he's not Penn responsibility at this time. Freeney chipped by Smith, passed off to Graham as Smith goes out for pass in the flat. Penn flows to the outside behind Graham looking to pick up Freeney if he beats Graham.
3rd - Again Freeney lined up so wide he's not Penn's responsibility. Penn chips DT and leaves him for Sears. Penn awaits pressure and flows to the outside protecting Garcia's blind side.

**it was between these last two plays that Moose Johnston was commenting on Penn needing help from a TE and a RB to neutralize Freeney. That simply was not the case during the first half, and Freeney had 1/2 sack and 1 tackle the entire first half. It's these comments that lead me to believe where the opinion of Penn playing poorly came from. Freeney doesn't record another tackle for the rest of the game.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

11-5 or 12-4....Realistic?

Here the Buccs are 3 and 2 after a devastating ass beating at the hands of the World Champions. The worst is over. What looked to be an easy schedule last Spring, appears easier than anticipated with the injuries to Jake Delhomme, Alex Smith and the ostracizing of the K-9 Killer. With four of the next six games to be played at home in the friendly confines of Raymond James Stadium, it would appear the Cardinals, Jaguars and Redskins are their toughest opponents. Jason Campbell looks to be the toughest QB they'll face during that stretch, with Jacksonville bringing the toughest defense, and the Cardinals bringing the most complete offense. All six games are very winnable, and even allowing for one slip up, 5 wins would put this team at 8-3 heading down the stretch into December.

When was the last time Tampa was heading into December boasting an 8 - 3 record? 2002. The NFC South Division is ripe for the picking, and the Buccs have the talent to do it, even with the recent injuries to Petitgout, Carnell Williams and Mike Pittman. The next two tough tests heading into December will be Houston who seems to be playing well under the guidance of Matt Schaub, and an away game in New Orleans. The Saints have too much talent to keep losing, and sooner or later, if they haven't already, will reach a point when they have nothing to lose and play with freedom from pressure. Without the pressure of living up to the pre season expectations, New Orleans could be a dangerous team. I still can't see the Pewter Pirates losing to them with a depleted O-line, and the loss of Duece McAllister. If the Buccs can survive the annual late season West Coast let down, they could be staring their second 12-4 finish under Gruden, and only the second 12-4 record in the franchises history, right in the face.

So which team shows up during the latter part of the season? The team that forcefully steamrolled their way to a 3-1 start, or the team that "didn't" show up against the Colts? Maybe the Colts game sends a wake up call to the team, and slaps a reality check on them. Either way, this team has a legit shot at earning a 12-4 record and being crowned NFC South Champions for the third time in the division's six year existence. Will injuries be their only obstacle?
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Colts

The Good

Jeff Garcia - Jeff has been nothing short of amazing for this team. His uncanny knack for sensing pressure and his ability to escape that pressure has been on display all season long. Garcia extended his streak to five games of not tossing an interception. I'm not sure of the stats, but that is either a Buccaneer team record, or he's closing in on one. Jeff and the offense weren't on the field much today as the Colts methodically marched down the field for some very long, time consuming drives today, so his stats aren't going to jump off the page at you. 18 of 23 for 143 yards and 2 TD's. Not glaringly impressive, but as stated before no INT's with a very respectable 79% completion ratio and a QB rating of 121.6....that is impressive against a very good Colt defense.

Alex Smith - Alex wasn't going to be confused with Dallas Clark today with only 2 receptions for 6 yards. Although those 2 catches couldn't have come at better times. Alex seemed to get open when Jeff needed him to at the most important part of the field, inside the red zone. Smith responsible for all 14 of Tampa's points lands him on the good list this week.

Tanard Jackson - Tanard Jackson is becoming a mainstay on this weekly feature. This kid's tenacity and intensity is unmatched. He plays with such a sense of urgency and reckless abandon it just has to be admired. His downright punking of one of the better TE's in the league, Dallas Clark, has to have made a statement. Future opponents will take notice when watching game film the week before their match-ups with the Buccs. Sooner or later the anticipation of what Tanard might do, will affect the play of WR's and TE facing the Buccs defense. Just when it looked like the game was about to get away, Jackson changed momentum toward the Buccs' favor with his interception right after his bone jarring, teeth shattering hit. TJ is making a difference on defense.

The Bad

Joey Galloway - Joey took a page out of Clayton's book today, and caught a case of the dropsies. The Joey Galloway I saw out there today was unlike anything I have ever seen from him before. Just when Jackson turned momentum toward the Buccs' favor, Joey gave it right back when he dropped a sure 3rd down conversion forcing the Buccs to punt, allowoing the Colts to get the ball back with enough time to get another 3 points via field goal before retiring to the locker room for halftime.

Gaines Adams - No one is expecting miracles out of Gaines, but fans are expecting improvement. He had a great PAT block, but that one point obviously didn't make any difference in the score. He totaled 4 tackles, but got nowhere near Manning. Personally I was expecting a breakout game as he was facing fellow rookie picked 42nd overall in round 2, Tony Ugoh. Ugoh won this battle of rookies, just riding Gaines outside past Mannning as he took a wide angle toward the QB. I refuse to judge Gaines at this point in his career, but I must admit I'm becoming worried.

Barber/Buchanon - The New England Patriots drew up the blue print on how to beat the Colts a few years ago. I thought we had the men to duplicate that plan and slow down Manning and company. To slow down the Colts passing game, you have to get up to the line of scrimmage and smack these WR's in the mouth, knock them off their routes and screw up their timing. A lot of people think manning has all day to throw the football, but in fact most of hi passes are out of his hand so quick, even the best defensive pass rush is ineffective. It is vital to mess up the timing between he and his WR's and make him double clutch to give your defensive linemen time to get in his face. Barber and Buchanon provided such a cushion that it seemed like Wayne and Gonzalez weren't even breaking a sweat. To beat Manning and the Colts, you have to abuse his WR's in the first 5 yards, and we didn't do that today.

The Ugly

Jon Gruden - I won't even begin to try and blame Jon for the players not showing up, and looking down right scared out there today. Brooks and Tanard were the only two players that didn't look intimidated today. I won't even blame Jon for being thin at the RB position, as injuries are not his fault. What did drive me crazy today, and what I will hold him accountable for, were the run plays he called. You can only play with what you got, and all John had was Graham. With that being said, you have to call plays that take advantage of your player's strengths and exploit your opponents weaknesses. You have a guy that is a mediocre RB who's strength is running North/South. You're playing a defense that is susceptible to a bruising runner who runs North/South and who is also missing a starting DT in Booger McFarland. But instead, we tried to run laterally today with a slow lumbering Graham against a defense that is just as fast as ours from sideline to sideline. Graham had 6 carries for 11 yards with a long of 9. That's right, the one time we ran right at them, he got 9 yards. On the other hand, he averaged 0.4 yards per carry trying to run outside the tackles. That's unacceptable to me.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Folk Hero?

Carnell "Cadillac" Williams is like folklore. All these fictitious things that have been passed down from generation to generation. Such things as, "homerun threat" or "able to make people miss" or "elite." I've also heard he can chop down 1000 trees with one swing of his ax. That he captured a tornado with a lasso. Is it true he's faster than a speeding bullet, and able to leap a tall field goal post in a single bound?

These are the cold hard facts. These runners' offensive lines are struggling right now. A problem we have had in the past, but certainly not having this season.

Larry Johnson - 263 yards
Ladanian Tomlinson - 262
Frank Gore - 254
Steven Jackson - 233
Warrick Dunn - 222

Carnell Williams - 208

All the runners listed above are playing on teams that have been losing and had to revert to the passing game to play catch up. Steven Jackson and Larry Johnson's lines are beyond disgraceful, Jackson missed a game due to injury and Johnson was limited in his touches by Herm Edwards early on because of his holdout. They still have more yards than our Carnell Williams who was on a team that for 4 quarters against the Saints and Rams ran the hell out of the ball in the 2nd halves. The Buccs fans with the homer blinders on want so much to believe that we have an elite franchise back, that they are oblivious to what they have been watching for 3 years. He came into the league with a burst of thunder and the sparks of lightening. He broke a record, his shoes and gloves found their way in to the NFL Hall of Fame and the legend of Cadillac Williams grew. He's like a good fish tail.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Panthers

The Good

Jeremy Trueblood - Wow, Jeremy accomplished more in one day today than his predecessor Kenyatta Walker accomplished in his whole career. T-Blood handled Peppers like a pimp handling his Ho. Peppers was a non Factor, not even getting a quick whiff of Garcia's after shave. Peppers had 2 tackles today, but for a player of his stature and caliber, that is way below average. Did we see Jeremy Trueblood grow up today? I think so. If this is a glimpse of the future, this team could be a contender for a long time when you add T-Blood's abilities to his line mates Sears and Joseph.

Ike Hilliard - I'm not sure, but I think the equipment manager played a joke on the fans today, sewing Hilliard's name and number on Galloway's jersey. Ike looked 5 years younger today, and easily had his best game as a Buccaneer. He notched a career(Buccaneer) best 7 receptions and also a high of 114 yards. He had a fumble inside field goal range, but seriously made up for that mistake by hauling in a 56 yard bomb that was perfectly thrown by Jeff Garcia. Ike could have scored on that play, but the Safety had a good angle on Ike, and cut him off deep in the red zone.

Phillip Buchanon - Way to fill in for Kelly P-Buc. Buchanon led the team with 6 tackles and 2 passes defensed, and reduced the great Steve Smith to mere mortal all game long. Smith had some production late in the game, but too little too late. On a few plays P-Buc was on Smith like deodorant, and played better than I think most Buccs fans expected. I know many Buccs fans griped when Buchanon was acquired last season tossing insults his way such as "overrated" or "bust" due to his first round draft status. Well P-Buc has been anything but overrated or a bust for Tampa, and could easily be labeled as the current Buccs front office's best free agent acquisition of their tenure.

The Bad

Greg Spires - Is age catching up to Spires? It sure can't be the right Tackles he has been facing lately. Spires was good for 1 tackle today, and that was it. That's just not going to get it done Greg, and the defensive line who brought good QB pressure today has been suspect in that department for the first 3 weeks. I'm starting to hope for a scenario where Gaines is switched to LDE, and we make a hard push for Jared Allen next year. Allen who comes with some off field baggage has been nothing short of a sever nuisance to opposing offense since coming back from suspension. Those two guys, and White rotating in to keep everyone fresh? Time to step up Greg Spires, or we'll have to strip you of the nickname "crane."

Joey Galloway - I'm sure this will be the only time Galloway graces us with his presence in the bad category, but he was a non-factor today. Posting 1 catch for 7 yards. Joey disappeared today, there is no other way to put it. Garcia attempted only 25 passes, so low production can be expected from the WR's, but not your number one guy.

Ernest Graham - After last week's brilliant performance, Graham was called upon to take up a major role in the run game today after Caddy's injury. Graham was disappointing rushing 17 times for a mere 48 yards with a paltry 2.8 yard per carry average. That type of productivity won't cut it if Caddy is out for the season, and Graham is called upon to make an impact on offense. Considering Caddy before he was injured was rushing at 6.8 yards a clip, and Pittman equaled that at a hefty 6 yards per carry, Ernest's 2.8 was rather bad. Time to step up EG, time to step up.

The Ugly

Carnell Williams - Caddy ran running well today for the short amount of time he was in there. Considering his off season focus was geared toward becoming an every down back, and worked heavily on his receiving skills, his effort in the passing game today was pathetic. Two passes hit his hands, then the grass. That's unacceptable. If Mike Clayton is going to get grief from the fans for this, Caddy has to get his fair share. Ugly was also the site of his knee bending in places a knee isn't supposed to bend. I'm guessing at this early stage that Caddy is lost for the season. But if there is one thing I have learned watching football, is that the knee injuries that look minor always end up severe, and the injuries that make you shout, "oh shit" when they happen seem to be healed up after two weeks in the trainer's room. So there is a chance that Caddy's knee isn't as bad as it looked, but I'm expecting the worst. Ugly is also the fact, that I am convinced Caddy is a player I will never be able to count on for 16 games a season.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Ladies and Gentlemen.......

.....we have an offensive line. All they are going to do is get better. The maturation process is fun to watch, especially after games like the Rams game today. Joseph and Sears are well on their way to establishing themselves, but Trueblood has been under scrutiny and his talent has been in question. He jumped leaps and bounds today with a game MVP type performance. His pass blocking was above average today, and his run blocking was off the charts.

Davin was his usual self, just blowing up defensive linemen, and de-cleating linebackers. When I see Joseph pulling around the end, I cringe in fear for the poor defender that is about to be crushed. One of the biggest things I love about Joseph, is he is always looking for someone to hit. He'll hit anyone within striking distance until the whistle blows. I love when there is a pile of tacklers gang tackling our guys, and there is always some unsuspecting defender hanging around watching his teammates try to bring down the ball carrier when all of a sudden he's just bashed into oblivion.

John Wade had his best game in three years. While I consider him the biggest weakness on our offensive line, some think the Center position is not important and will play up to the level of the Guards around him. That's certainly possible, but I'm not buying it. I'm tending to lean more toward his knee being 100% finally. With that being said, if Wade can elevate his game to match today's performance for the rest of the season, our run game may be unstoppable inside.

Aaron Sears, probably our best draft choice in two years. This kid like a raging elephant. I tend to liken Joseph to a Rhino because he's faster, Sears is large and unstoppable when he gets off the line. He can move for a big boy too, when he gets out in front to lead block. He's like a stone wall in pass protection. I'd like to see him concentrate better to avoid false start penalties, but this kid is on his way to stardom along with his other Guardmate.

Luke Petitgout is only edged out by Cato June as our best free agent acquisition. He's given us something we haven't had at the left tackle position since Paul Gruber. He's a better pass protector than a run blocker, which ironically was the case with Gruber also. But he has solidified, at least for the short term, a continual weakness.

If today was a glimpse of the future, even the immediate future once our young guys learn the ropes, and the unit gels as a whole, they will be unstoppable. They face a tough test next week in Carolina, and this will be a nice defensive unit to gauge their progress. Another performance like today, and the Panthers will be looking up at us in the standings early on.

Petitgout___Sears___Wade___Joseph___Trueblood..........I love these guys.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Rams

The Good

Jeremy Trueblood - T-Blood was a beast today. We witnessed a growth spurt first hand in Jeremy's progress. To see that big boy get his body out there in space pulling to lead block was an awesome sight to watch. He did that on a few occasions today, and when he locked onto his target he hit him. Many times you will see big linemen get out there in space and most of the time they miss the block, but still achieve their directive because they got in the way of a would be tackler. Not today, not Jeremy, he was blowing guys up at the second level and paved the way for some huge runs. His pass protection needs work, but he did a good job in that area too today handling his men for most of the game.

Jeff Garcia - I don't know where to begin. Jeff looks like he was created in a laboratory by some mad scientist specifically designed and engineered to play in the West Coast Offense. What an uncanny knack he possesses for hanging in the pocket until a millisecond before it's time to leave. Instinctively knowing when to escape, is what has me dropping my jaw for 3 weeks now. I wasn't for or against the Garcia acquisition. I thought he could help this team this season, but saw no future beyond this season and thought that was a waste of time for I didn't think this was a playoff caliber team. It's looking like I may have been dead wrong. The offensive line is continuing to progress and gel, and Jeff's presence has this team looking like a playoff contender after 3 weeks. The offensive play calling was suspect at times, but Jeff made it work. Oh, and how about that block on Caddy's cut back?

Tanard Jackson - I'm not sure if anyone has been paying attention closely to this column and has noticed that this will be 3 for 3 for Jackson making the good list. Have I fallen in love with Tanard, or do you agree he has belonged here 3 weeks in a row? Please if you read this, let me know I'm curious. Now to the game. Again Jackson was flying around making plays on defense and special teams. The opening kickoff he was a blur right off the screen forcing the returner right into Black. The guy was laying down some punishment today, coming up a plugging holes in the run game and making wide receivers pay for catching the ball next to him. I counted four times TJ made a nice play and the TV commentators gave Phillips the credit for it. At one point after a nice hard jack, the TV analyst said Phillips has been an enforcer in the run game. It was right after Tanard cranked Steven Jackson, so I'm assuming TJ should be credited for that comment. When are you buying your Tanard Jackson jersey?
Honorable Mention - Barrett Ruud, Phillip Buchannon, Cato June

The Bad

Derrick Brooks - I'm not going to argue with the fans who can't let go of aging players who's games have clearly regressed. Early in the game, Derrick totally whiffed on 3 tackles running right by Steven Jackson within the first 5 minutes of the game. One miss he did get an arm on him(snicker). Now I will admit he did some good things today. As a defense you have to set the tone early. If Brooks makes those tackles, it probably changes the complexion of the game as far as the play calling. Instead, St. Louis stayed with the run and eventually wore down the defense, and allowed Jackson to eclipse the century mark for the first time this season. I have no problem with Derrick being a situational player, but Black has to get more time while he has Derrick there to tutor him. Oh, what's up with the late hit Derrick?

Cadillac Williams - 12 rushes for 46 yards with a 3.8 ypc avg. Those numbers aren't bad, what's bad is another fumble, only 1 reception and some pretty horrible pass blocking. He's like a pesky mosquito when the defense comes charging in. They just swat him aside, or just leap over him. At this point I could accept his weaknesses in other area if he were ripping of 4.5 yards per carry and slashing defenses like the elite back we thought we were getting. When do we push the panic button with Caddy?

The Ugly

Michael Clayton - This is a quote of mine from a post on PewterKrew.com's fan forum earlier in the week.
"I gave up on Clayton. But watching the hit he laid on that Safety last week against the Saints has sparked a renewed sense of hope in me. I will be rooting hard for him this weekend, I hope he doesn't let me down."
Well he let me down. That pass from Garcia that literally hit him right in the numbers was inexcusable. Then he gets a chance to redeem himself, and he coughs up the ball after passing the first down marker. Let's not even talk about the piano he was carrying on his back on those end arounds. I'm sorry Mike, I love your hard nosed attitude when blocking down field, but I just can't wait around for you anymore. Time to move on.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Why Even Play the Games? Buccs Win South!

In 2002 the NFL world was turned upside down...or some would say right side up. With the expansion of the 32nd NFL franchise Houston Texans came balance. Re-alignment would follow, and our beloved Buccs would find them selves out of the old Black and Blue division and into what was now being dubbed the NASCAR division. Personally, I'm not a NASCAR fan so I hate that nickname, but born was the NFC South division.

Not one game had even been played yet, and the newly formed NFC South was already labeled as the weakest division in the NFL. With the inhabitants of this new division an argument could hardly be made. Long time losers New Orleans Saints who's fans hid their faces in paper bags would grace this group along with the hapless Atlanta Falcons another team on the fast track to nowhere. Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought some respectability to the division with both teams participating in the NFC Championship Game the previous decade. Still though, Carolina was a recent expansion team themselves, and the Buccaneers who will always have the reputation for being one of the worst teams ever in the NFL. Fair or not, that is the case.

Soon though the NFC South would stake their claim as one of the best divisions in the NFL. Wasting no time at all, the South put forth the first SuperBowl Champion in the new re-alignment era, our very own Buccaneers. The following year in 2003 the South would once again be represented in the SuperBowl by the Carolina Panthers. Although not victorious, they represented the Division honorably. The 2004 NFC Championship Game would find the South's Atlanta Falcons battling the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to represent the NFC in the SuperBowl. Although the Falcons came up short, the success of the NFC South had to be noticed. Rarely now did you hear the South being referred to as the NASCAR division anymore. The following two years boasted more of the same NFC South dominance. 2005 the Panthers found their way into the NFC Championship game, followed by the New Orleans Saints in 2006. Five years post re-alignment, five NFC South representatives in the NFC Championship game.

Can anyone laugh anymore? Can anyone make fun of the NFC South anymore? Sure they could, but they'd just make themselves look stupid. The NFC South is a force to be reckoned with, and other team's better take notice, respect it, and come prepared on game day.

While all this success is taking place for the South, something else very interesting is also happening at the same time. Some may know, and others may not even have realized what was going on. In 2002 the Buccaneers were the first place team, and the Panthers were the last place team. The following year, the Panthers were the first place team and the Falcons were the last place team. Again 2004 would serve more of the same. The previous year's last place Falcons would take first place in the South and drop Tampa all the way to the basement. Sure enough, 2005 comes along and the Buccs climb out from the basement and over the backs of the Saints, Panthers and Falcons to stake their claim atop the South, and the Saints would find themselves in the dungeon. Finally it's the Saints turn. Previously in last place, the Saints shock the world with their number one ranked offense and find themselves at the top of the South. What an unusual pattern. Since the inception of the NFC South, every season's last place team finds themselves winning the division the next year. It's astounding to me how these crazy things happen sometime.

Well it's 2007 and the South's last place team last year was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Will this pattern stop? Can this unusual pattern stop? Surely it can't go on forever. Is it destiny's way of giving a little taste of success to each team in the division, the division that was called losers before they even got a chance to play a game as members of their new division? I'm a very superstitious person, and I believe in the quirky situations life brings us every once in a while. For that reason, I expect the Buccs to win the NFC South in 2007. It's their turn. The Saints, Panthers and Falcons don't stand a chance against fate. Fate always wins, and judging by fate's history, so will the Buccs. Why even bother playing the games.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Saints

The format of this weekly article is to praise 3 good players, point out 3 bad players, and expose the player who had the ugliest performance of the game. With the results and performance of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus the Saints, it's impossible to follow this format this week. I'm going to have to fly by the seat of my pants this week.

The Unbelievable - Joey Galloway...what else can be said about this guy. After and injury plagued beginning to his career, this guy is like a fine wine. He's getting better with age. Watching Joey blaze down the field leaving kids 2/3 his age in his wake made me think of Julio Franco. For those of you not baseball fans, Franco is a guy that has played baseball at a competitive level deep into his late 40's. The violence of the sport of football would never allow that, but one has to wonder after watching Galloway today, just how long will he play.

The Awesome - Barrett Ruud...wow Ruud is the real deal. I thought he played well last week at Seattle. He had his critics last week, for what reason I couldn't understand. This week however though, he gave every Buccs fans hope and proof that there will be life after Shelton Quarels. Ruud was instinctive, attacking, smart and explosive in his play today. He caused 3 fumbles in the first 5 minutes of play, and was laying some serious lumber. Plenty of Saints won't forget #51 after today.

The Great - Jeff Garcia...was on target today. He was hitting his receivers between the numbers, hitting guys in stride and creating plays when the pocket did break down. Jeff's passes were crisp, strong and accurate. He showed complete control of the offense and game plan, and played flawlessly. Ig he and galloway can stay healthy for a couple more years, the future could be bright.

The Good - A:Offensive line...Garcia was hit once today. Hit, not sacked...hit. That is so fulfilling as a fan to watch after the performances of our O-line for the past decade. They did have a few breakdowns, which was to be expected. Saints front 7 is no bush league group. Trueblood was pancaking people, Joseph and Sears were blowing their guys 5 yards off the line, and wade held his own. The fact that Smith finished sackless says all you need to know about how Petitgout performed.
B:Cadillac Williams...played hard today wearing a "homemade" rib protection contraption made by Trainer Todd Torcilli. Caddy showed no ill effects from last week's rib injury, and ran hard all day long. He started off slow, and the production wasn't there starting off with 7 yards on 7 carries. As the game wore on Caddy's production increased. Caddy has a reputation of getting stronger as the game goes on, and that was on display today. Caddy found the endzone for the first time in 209 carries, and followed that up with an encore TD later in the game.
C:Cato June....this dude flies around the field like he's on roller skates. One has to wonder why the Colts let this guy go. He recorded the first interception of his Buccaneer career, and along with Ruud was laying down some punishment today. With some crazy good defensive picks in this year's draft, and June still being a young guy, this defense has a good future ahead of them.
D:Tanard Jackson...first two games of this kid's young career and he has seriously impressed. The most exciting part about him is the fact that his game still has room for improvement. Jackson has showed good grasp of the defense, quickness, confidence and a knack for laying some smack. All you heard today was the smacking of helmets and pads today by the defense and TJ was a big part of that. His play on special teams makes this kid so valuable right now. What a steal in the 4th round.
E:Defensive line....the entire defensive line and the replacements kept Brees off balance and with happy feet today. Words can't explain the excitement I got watching guys like Haye, Peterson and White making splash plays. Adams had another batted pass, and Hovan was clogging the running lanes as usual. Was New Orleans O-line that bad or are we Bucc fans in for a real treat with these yound D-linemen.

The Ugly - ABuccsFan....my total and complete psychological breakdown last week after a horrible performance at Seattle was pretty funny. After waiting nine months for football and monitoring the Buccs all offseason on a daily basis, one comes to expect good things. I thought the offensive performance last week was inexcusable. It was very refreshing watching today what Garcia has to offer this offense. Now if the Buccs can achieve what they're capable of for the rest of the season, they may keep me from being admitted to an Insane Asylum. Anybody have any Prozac they can loan me?
...JJC/ABuccsFan

It Was Just One Game!!

Honestly, the people who make this proclamation must have not been paying attention for the last 5 years. Gruden has coached this team for 81 regular season games. We paid 2 first round picks, and 2 second round picks so that he could come to Tampa and do what Tony Dungy couldn't. That was, in addition to a SB, bring offense to Tampa. The Glazers made it quite clear during Rich McKay's coaching search that they wanted an offensive minded coach who could turn the offense around, by evidence of them taking over the search themselves when Rich tried to hire defensive minded Marvin Lewis. So what has this young offensive minded head coach brought to Tampa in regards to offensive production in 81 games?

Only 19 games under John Gruden has the offense scored 3 or more TD's in a game.
Yet 62 games his offense has only scored 2 or less TD's
Of those 62, 15 times his offense has scored ZERO TD's.


IT"S NOT JUST ONE GAME PEOPLE!!!!! Open your eyes.
JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Seahawks

The Good

Barrett Ruud - Barrett Ruud was all over the field today making tackles and big hits. He was deciphering plays and messing up plays in the backfield. He was laying some lumber too. There were questions surrounding Ruud, a lot of fans weren't sure if he could succeed The "Q." Those question won't be answered after one week, but it certainly was a good start.


Tanard Jackson - Tanard Jackson missed a big tackle on Shaun Alexander the turned into a 1st down, but that one play can't bring down what was a great display by a rookie in his first NFL game. Jackson had a huge ST tackle showing great speed anfd hustle getting down field and being the first player to the ball. He was hitting people hard on ST and defense all day. Other than once, he showed sure tackling ability. Let's hope he can build off this game and continue to progress.


Aaron Sears - Sears was a wall today. He showed nice burst off the line, and I could almost feel the DE-linemen's bones vibrate every time Sears hit them. Aaron showed quickness I didn't expect on plays where he pulled around. He zeroed in on his target and put a lot of meat on them. Another great start to another rookie's career. Keep up the good work Sears.


The Bad


Derrick Brooks - It's just one game, but it certainly looks like Brooks' time has come and gone. Brooks' career was built on speed, instincts and sure tackling. I'm sure the instincts are still there, but he is a step short on a consistent basis. When he does make it to the ball carrier on time, he can't make the sure tackle anymore. He bounces off ball carriers, and sometimes doesn't even slow them down. Brooks once one of the best and hardest tacklers in the league has fallen from grace slowly over the last three seasons. It may be time to move on. While covering Maurice Morris on a deep pass, Derrick looked like an Alzheimer's patient wandering outside a nursing home. With the ball traveling deep toward the sideline, Brooks began drifting infield toward the hash marks????

Davin Joseph - This one pains me personally. Davin Joseph has taken the place of Mike Alstott as my favorite Tampa Bay Buccaneer. I have very high expectations of DJ, and I was bothered by what I saw today. I'm not going to jump off any tall buildings, with Joseph having the responsibility of blocking one of the game's premier D-lineman, but he wasn't sustaining his blocks as long as he needed to, and was plagued by mental mistakes. This has to be DJ's worst game in his short career. The penalties are unacceptable.

Carnell Williams - Caddy! Oh Caddy did your mother not give you any milk to drink growing up? Hurt again!!! Even before he was injured he appeared to be hesitant to hit the hole with authority. He danced around, and a few times holes that were there, albeit not long closed by the time Caddy danced to the line. Add to that, another fumble. He's a young kid with a world of talent, but he needs to stay healthy and get his head on right.


The Ugly

Jon Gruden's Offense - Again it's only one game, but one of the biggest things I was looking for the Buccs to accomplish this season was improving it's overall offensive production. That was very far from happening today. Buccs didn't sniff the endzone, had way too many short drives, and were shut out for 3 quarters of football. Jon has his QB now, and the offense has to get better as the season goes along or this could be his last in Tampa.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Jaguars

The Good

Jeff Garcia - Garcia displayed the athleticism and escape ability every Buccs fans was hoping for when he signed with the Buccs way back in March. On one particular play early in the game, Jeff was caught in the cross hairs of a looping DE who stunted with the DT. He ran through the line untouched and hit Garcia. Somehow Jeff stayed on his feet and escaped the pocket. Only Jeff and the defensive end were the only two people to know Jeff hadn't been brought down. The live crowd, the viewing audience and the commentators were all fooled on that play. Jeff went 6 of 6 for 43 yards and 1 TD. Jeff's eyes are always focused down field looking to make a play when he vacates the pocket. That was certainly evident on his lone touchdown play when he was inches from going out of bounds, but found an open David Boston in the end zone and delivered the ball. When Garcia is under center, opposing defenders better know the play is over until the ref blows the whistle.

Tanard Jackson - Tanard Jackson was a man possessed Saturday night. He was a man on a mission. A man who has set his sights on making the Buccaneers' 53 man roster, and it appears he's not going to let anyone stand in his way. Jackson could be seen all over the field the other night, simply put, making plays. He defensed two touchdown passes in the end zone, and tripped up Labrandon Toefield behind the line of scrimmage not allowing him to get any steam as Toefield lunged for the end zone. Every pile of bodies in the middle of the field, you could be sure Tanard was somewhere inside it. He played with a sense of urgency, and a sense of purpose. He keeps playing like that, and he'll make the final roster cuts no sweat.

Aaron Sears - Aaron Sears was flat out mauling people in Jacksonville. The Jaguar defense is widely known as having one of, if not the best front seven in all of the National Football League. That did not intimidate, nor did it stop Sears from making a serious case to justify Tampa drafting him early in round 2 in April 2007, just in case there still are some doubters out there. Sears made one mistake that I saw, and that was on a defensive end stunt when DE looped around the defensive tackle. That assuredly can be chalked up to a rookie mistake, that will surely be looked at during film session this week. Other than that one play, Sears played a perfect game. As good as his book end Guard Davin Joseph is, it would appear that Sears is much further along in his development than Joseph was at this point last season. Get used to the name Sears, he's going to be around a long time.

The Bad

Ryan Nece - I included Nece in the bad category this week, because of three plays. I realize Ryan is learning a new position, but for a guy with his ability, experience and knowledge of the system, I feel there is no excuse for the tackles he totally whiffed on. Nece tied three other defenders with 5 tackles on the night to top the list. Unfortunately with 3:16 left in the 1st half, Greg Jones takes the handoff straight up the middle, then breaks to the outside. Nece unblocked has a great angle on Jones and just misses him. On the very next play at 2:31 on Toefield's touchdown run, Nece appears to have a good angle of pursuit but either misjudges or slows up thinking Toefield is going to make a move as #22 runs right by him on his way into the end zone. With 0:23 on the clock, Toefield takes the ball right up the gut behind the lead of his fullback. Sure the FB got an arm on him, but I would hardly call it a block. Nece gets pushed aside, and Labrandon follows right behind to the 3 yard line. Nece has to take that block head on, and hold his ground. Either shed that blocker and make the play, or at the very least make the RB have to slow up go around his blocking FB, and maybe help arives. I expect better from Nece.


Torrie Cox - Like Nece, Cox ends up on this list because of two plays. Two plays that in my mind are unacceptable as members of the Tampa Buccaneers defense. A defense predicated on sound tackling was let down on consecutive plays by Torrie. At 0:14 in the 2nd quarter after a time out taken by Jacksonville, Garrard passes to the right, just outside the end zone to Matt Jones. Cox drops his head and tries to tackle the huge Jones using just a shoulder. While Cox does force Jones backwards, Matt is still on his feet and lunges toward the pylon for what would have been a touchdown had he not stepped out of bounds by a fraction of a inch. On the very next play with 0:08 left in the half, Garrard drops back and as the pocket collapses from the outside in, David takes off through a seem up the middle. Cox meets Garrard at the goal line, and has a clean shot at him. Torrie again drops his head, as if to see if his shoe is untied, and Garrard runs right by him into the end zone. This type of play coming from a five year pro who has issues off the field is unacceptable. Look for Torrie to be cut if Zemaitis can improve and continue his development.

Julian Jenkins - There really is no way to say this nicely. Jenkins was pushed around like the nerdy kid in the school yard Saturday night. If Julian wasn't being stonewalled and kept out of the back field on passing plays, he was being driven back five to seven yards on running plays. It was a horrible display, and I don't expect Jenkins to make is past the first round of cuts.

The Ugly

Josh Bidwell - Wow! What can you say about a Pro Bowl punter going into the 9th season of his career and has two punts, one for 28 yards and one for 32 yards? Both giving the Jaguars exceptional field position that eventually led to two touchdowns. Josh, I'm sorry but Saturday you were ugly!!!
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Rivers or Rice?

There was a frequenter of a Buccaneer fan forum that went by the screen moniker of Radioman. Radioman claimed to be a retired radio personality who was privy to inside NFL information with numerous inside contacts. Prior to the 2005 trade deadline, Radioman had informed the public of a supposed trade in the works that would send Simeon Rice to San Diego in exchange for Phillip Rivers, which would allow the Chargers to relieve themselves of a hefty early round QB draft pick's salary, and give them the financial freedom they would need to re-sign their own free agent to be, QB Drew Brees.

I remember at the time this rumor circulated, many Buccs fans were up in arms declaring how trading away Rice and receiving Rivers in return was a bad deal for the Buccs, and how they hoped it wouldn't come to fruition. Looking back, as hindsight is always 20/20 I wonder how many of those same fans would give their left nut for that trade now? As a fan who never cared for Rice I was one of the very few that was all for it. Even I though, never imagined how lopsided and uneven that trade would have been in favor of the Buccs.

Simeon after a horrible start to the season and injuring his shoulder around week 6, played gimpy for two games before being placed on injured reserve after week 8, and ending his season prematurely. In those eight games Rice did play in, he produce a dismal 2 sacks. Fast forward to 2007 season, and Rice's failure of a pre-training camp physical sent him out the door and to the unemployment line.

Conversely, Rivers helped guide his team to a 14 - 2 record and came within minutes of playing in his first AFC Championship game as a rookie. Sure Rivers rode the coattails of one Ladanian Tomlinson, only the best player in the NFL, but Rivers certainly lent a helping hand and did more than his share. Yes, Rivers was treated with kid gloves for the first part of the year, but very quietly had a productive season. Phillip was in the top half of the NFL averaging 211.8 yards/game. Ranked in the top 7 in QB rating among starters 92.0, and amassed 3388 yards, completing 61.7% of his passes tossing 22 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. Had those stats by Rivers been performed while wearing a Buccaneer uniform, it would have been one of the best seasons by a Buccaneer QB in the history of the franchise.


Sure Rivers would not have had the same success behind Tampa's offensive line, a line that donated Chris Simms' spleen to science without his permission. But for a franchise that has been searching for a franchise QB for most of it's 31 years of existence, Rivers would have been welcomed with open arms.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Patriots

The Good

Ken Darby - Darby stole the show Friday night at the running back position. He showed great balance, good vision, and explosiveness hitting the hole. Ken tallied 84 yards on 15 carries, at a clip of 5.6 yards per carry with a long of 21 yards. While he didn't find the endzone himself, his efforts set up two of Tampa's scoring opportunities. Before the second quarter expired, Darby took over after Graham did most of the bulk work on the drive, but his 7 yard scamper to the New England 11 set up Luke McCown's touchdown pass to Paris Warren to help the Buccs to a 10 - 7 lead. With Lionel Gates and Darby each getting 4 carries a piece in quarter 3, it was the Ken Darby show in the 4th. Albeit weaker competition in the last quarter of the game, Darby seemed to get stronger as the game progressed ripping off 10 carries for 64 yards at 6.4 yards per carry. At 4:30 left in the game, Ken took the role of workhorse and rattled off 7 straight carries taking the Buccs to the Patriot 14 yard line and leaving just 0:03 on the clock setting up Matt Bryant's game winning field goal.

Luke McCown - 7 for 7! What else can you say about that? After having an excellent showing to the start of 2007's training camp, Luke followed that up with a great performance in Friday night's game tossing 7 passes, and completing all of them. He showed nice touch and accuracy on his passes, excellent leadership, good command of the huddle and adequate knowledge of the play book. Couple those attributes with a fine display of scrambling ability, and Luke McCown looks like he has the tools to lead this team in the future, or in the near future if Garcia were to succumb to injury.

Parris Warren - All the rave in training camp has been surrounding Muarice Stovall, but Parris Warren burst onto the scene last week with a vengeance. Warren had four passes throw his way, and he pulled in all of them for 46 yards averaging 11.5 yards per reception with a long of 13 and scored Tampa Bay's only touchdown. Parris looked quick, got nice separation, ran sharp routes all against decent competition as New England mixed and matched their starters and second stringers during part of the second quarter. Bucc fans can look forward to big things from this kid, who just may be the one to push Mike Clayton out the door.

The Bad

Dan Buenning - This one is short and not so sweet. Dan went from being our best O-lineman as the starting Left Guard to being a failed experiment at Center, to third string Left Guard behind Aaron Sears and Anthony Davis. We have been told by team doctor's and officials that his knee is healthy, and he did pass the team's pre-training camp physical. So until told otherwise about his health, I'll have to consider him a player going in the wrong direction.

Derrick Brooks - Like Ronde Barber, Brooks didn't have a poor performance, but when a player sets the bar so high the fans come to expect a certain level of play from a veteran icon. Derrick missed a "gimme" interception opportunity, after it appears to have bounced off his face mask after diving in front of the receiver to make a play on the ball. While he did still defend the pass, he needs to create that turnover. Especially for a player who shares the record for most interceptions returned for touchdown in a season by a Linebacker. Then there was a flash back to last season's Falcons game where Griffith punked DB on his way to the endzone when Sammy Morris trucked Brooks on his way into the endzone for a 2 yard score.

Lionel Gates - Gates is a young RB who most felt wouldn't even make it to training camp after off field legal trouble. The charges were dropped, and Gates showed some quickness and smooth moves in camp. Gates had some fumbles early in camp, then seemed to correct it during week 2 of camp. Well, not only did Gates rush for a putrid 6 yards on 5 carries for 1.2 yard per carry average, but his fumbling problem reappeared late in the 3rd quarter to kill a nice drive by the Buccs. Giving the pats new found momentum, they then drove down the field for the game tying field goal in the 4th quarter.

The Ugly

Ronde Barber - Ronde Barber, an icon of the Buccs' defense. One of the most consistent players to ever step on the grass in Tampa didn't have the worst performance of Friday night, but his efforts were ugly. Ronde has a reputation of being one of the surest tacklers in the league, and for sure one of the best tacklers to ever put on a Buccaneer uniform. With that being said, watching him lose his jock to Kelly Washington after a pass from Matt Cassel to convert a 3rd down on an eventual scoring drive was just too much. Added to two poor attempted tackles when he slipped off of the ball carrier like they were greased pigs was enough for Barber to earn the "ugly" performance of the game.
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Forget 13!... 14, 15, 16 Are Unlucky Numbers for Buccs!

What's significant about numbers 14, 15 and 16? They are draft positions where the Buccs have drafted some of their worst busts. In 1997 the Buccs drafted Florida wide receiver Reidel Anthony at the sixteenth overall spot. Two years later the Buccs drafted LSU defensive tackle Anthony "Booger" McFarland at the fifteenth spot. Another interesting pattern developing here, that's 1 Florida Gator and 1 LSU Tiger. 2001 came rolling in and and GM Dick McKay traded away our 2nd round pick to the Buffalo Bills for the right move up to the fourteenth spot and draft Florida offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker. In the most recent story of failed expectations, the Buccs drafted at the fifteenth spot overall, LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton.

What is significant about this? Maybe nothing, but I'm a superstitious fellow. The thing that is already bugging me with the draft more than eight months away is, most pre season predictions have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finishing second or third in the NFC South with a 7-9 record. Guess where a 7-9 or 8-8 record usually lands you in the next year's NFL College Player Selection Meeting? You guessed it, somewhere right around 14, 15 or 16. If I see any pre draft rankings that have any Florida Gators or LSU Tigers ranked around those spots, I may just have to puke!!!
...JJC/ABuccsFan

Clayton vs. Gessner

Oh, how Mike Clayton has fallen. The once promising 2004 #15 overall pick, who some Buccs fans argued until blue in the face for Rookie of the Year, has worn out his welcome for this Buccs fan. If you go back and read my blog, "Mapquest: From Boston to Tampa" I made a case for a scenario that had David Boston and Maurice Stovall both leap frogging Clayton in the depth chart. Not only does it seem that that has come to fruition, but another player appears to be on the verge of dropping Clayton even lower on the depth chart.

After a stellar performance in the first pre season game of 2007, Parris Warren looks to be knocking down Clayton's door to the #4 spot on the depth chart. If that's the case, then it is clearly time to cut ties with Mike Clayton and shop him for a draft pick. It doesn't matter what we get in return for him, as long as we get something.

Chas Gessner is a wide receiver some Buccs fans have been pulling for, and other Buccs fans couldn't care less about. Gessner is the guy who should replace Clayton on the roster. I'm not going to sit here and try to tell you Chas Gessner is a better player than Mike Clayton, that would just be a waste of time. What I will tell you is why I think he deserves a shot.

Chas Gessner stands 6' 5" and weighs 225 lbs. He has nice size, and is fierce blocker. I would say he's as good of a blocker or maybe even better than Mike Clayton. Gessner hailed from the Ivy League's Brown University where he re-wrote the record books. Chas is the Ivy League's second all time receptions leader where he reeled in 292 receptions and 3,383 yards and 36 TD's. He averaged 9.14 receptions per game and 114 yards. He broke Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice's NCAA Division II single game record by brining in 24 receptions for 207 yards and 3 TD's vs. Rhode Island in 2001.

With Clayton's plummet to the bottom of the depth chart, I will argue that Chas Gessner as the 6th WR on the depth chart is much more valuable to the Buccaneers at his minuscule salary than Clayton is at #5 on the depth chart earning $1.75 million this season. Let's be honest with ourselves, how often will Mike even see the playing field? Will he be good for 3 plays and 1 reception per game? Will he even have a ball thrown his way? There is only one football, and a lot of hands it could be in on any given play. That low on the depth chart, Clayton could possibly go without a reception all season. Mike's biggest impact will be on special teams where he has displayed a knack for great blocking. Chas Gessner is as devastating a blocker as Mike Clayton or any of the other great blocking wide receivers. In that role laid out before you, what's more valuable? Mike Clayton the special teamer at $1.75 mil or Gessner the special teamer at $150,000 and an extra maybe 3rd or 4th round draft pick Clayton could land the team?
...JJC/ABuccsFan

A Look Ahead!

It's a warm day, the sky is blue and spattered with small white puffs. There is a cool breeze blowing in from the north. Unseasonably cool for an early August day, even for Canton, Ohio. A large crowd gathers in front of the stage anxiously awaiting the celebration. United States President Chelsea Clinton is in attendance along with some of her staff, and of course some Secret Service agents. Who knew she was such a football fan when her mom and dad resided at the White House.

Former NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell graced the crowd with his presence, but declined an offer to say a few words at today's ceremonies. Mr. Goodell isn't getting around well these days, even with the aid of his walker, so he declined Commissioner Bruce Allen's invite. Bruce, in his first year as Commissioner is excited about today. Not only is this his first induction ceremony as Commish, but today one of his very own will be inducted.

Today August 2, 2026, is much different than twenty years ago. Back then LeeRoy Selmon was the only Tampa Bay Buccaneer to own a yellow jacket with the NFL Hall of Fame insignia sewn on it, but today sitting behind the podium in the crowd of alumni are Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Hardy Nickerson and John Lynch. I'm sitting thirty rows back, but I can still hear Warren Sapp talking trash to Brett Favre. I don't know if Hardy's teeth are still all his own, or if they are false, but that smile is as bright and wide as it ever was. The glare from them was blinding on such a sunny day.

We've sat through five speeches now, some good some bad. But now is the moment why myself and many other Buccs fans have made our journey to Canton for. Bruce Allen introduces the presenter of the next enshrinee. This presenter is none other than former legendary Buccaneer Head Coach John Gruden. John gets up from his chair to a raucous crowd, cheering frantically. I can see the sunlight sparkle off of his four SuperBowl rings as he strolls across the stage to the podium. His bright white hair almost sparkles as much. Jon stands in front of the podium and begins to speak.

"Thank you. Thank you all very much. Please settle down so we can get to the business at hand man. I appreciate the applause man, but save it for later. You know what I'm saying? I am very honored to be here today presenting a fine football player, a fine teammate, a fine Buccaneer, a fine human being. I had the privilege of coaching him for thirteen of his fifteen year career. A great example of a leader, a hard worker, a professional at his craft. He's probably one of the best players I have ever been around. It was a joy to watch this twelve time Pro Bowler beat his competition week in and week out for fifteen years. Sometimes sitting alone in my office in the wee hours of the morning watching game film, I would have to rewind, rewind, rewind and rewind again. Watching over and over again the power and dominance displayed in front of me. Most of the time I was awed."

"I could go on all day folks, but let's just get right to it. It's my honor and privilege to introduce to you today twelve time Pro Bowler, ten time All Pro, three time SuperBowl champion, the all time greatest offensive guard in Tampa Bay Buccaneer history, and new Hall of Famer Davin Joseph."
...JJC/ABuccsFan