Freeman Breaks Thumb vs. Chiefs

Thumbs down for Freeman!

Josh Freeman's second season as the uncontested started for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started out perfect. With one of the knocks on Josh's game coming out of college being his accuracy, his 2010 campaign started out 6/6. Len Dawson, Chiefs' Hall of Fame QB and current radio commentator joked after Freeman completing his second pass that, "Josh Freeman's next incomplete pass will be his first of 2010." However, that ill fated 7th pass on 2nd and 5 from Kansas City's 13 yard line, Josh dropped back to pass and attempted to deliver the ball to tight end John Gilmore. Josh's thumb banged into Tamba Hali's helmet during the follow through of his throwing motion, and sustained a small fracture to the tip of his thumb. Freeman showed no signs of being hurt that were able to be noticed on the television broadcast, but on the following play Josh attempted another pass to wide receiver Sammie Stroughter that was way off it's mark and fell incomplete. "It was the next play, I couldn't really grab the ball," Freeman said, when asked about the loss of  strength in his thumb.

Freeman is expected to miss the rest of the preseason practices and exhibition games. He is supposed to be ready and able to practice the week of Tampa's first scheduled regular season game against the Cleveland Browns. How much this injury will set Josh back in his preparation for the 2010 season is unknown. What is known however is that his unquestionable work ethic and study habits displayed this offseason have him ahead of the anticipated progress curve. After a promising rookie seasons where Josh showed flashes of brilliance mixed among his expected rookie mistakes, the buzz was at an all time high throughout Buccaneer Nation. Freeman has been showing vast improvement during offseason workouts and training camp, and it showed on the field for his first six passes of 2010. Now we play the waiting and hoping game. Waiting until he heals, and hoping he has no set backs. Get well soon Josh.

Go Buccs!!!

ABuccsFan/JJC

Gout Sidelines Clifton Smith

"The Devil himself gnawing on your foot."

Clifton Smith has been absent of late, and for the Dolphins game he was listed as having a hamstring injury. For the Chiefs game, no explanation was given other than "inactive." TBO.com reported Saturday evening after the Chiefs game that Clifton Smith has had a Gout flare up. Gout is a condition caused by the body not ridding itself of Uric Acid properly. The levels of Uric Acid increase in the blood stream, and tiny sharp crystals form that settle in the lower joints and stab or irritate the nerve endings and tissue around joints. It most commonly affects the joint of the big toe, but has been known to attack the entire foot, the ankle and the knees. It is rare, but has been known to affect the upper extremities as well.

As a long sufferer of Gout, I can attest to it's grueling pain. At times it is so unbearable you wish someone would cut your foot off. It's constant and there are no positions of comfort like a bad ankle sprain. The weight of a simple bed sheet on top of your foot can feel like a 20 ton truck crushing it beneath it's wheels. I have had rotator cuff surgery, throat and naso septal surgery and stomach surgery. They were extremely painful but couldn't compare to the pain of a severe Gout attack. I would gladly trade having each of those surgeries again in return to never have a Gout flare up again.

In addition to severe pain, the affected area gets red and hot to the touch and extremely swollen. Some patients have experienced tearing of the skin due to swelling beyond the skins capacity to stretch. A British Caricaturist by the name of James Gillray attempted to describe to those who have never suffered from Gout, by painting a picture depicting what Gout felt like to him, which I have displayed above. He described it as the "Devil himself gnawing on your foot." In the picture you can see the depiction of the Devil sinking his teeth and claws into the red swollen skin of the big toe joint, and the flames breathing out his nose showing the constant burning sensation.

Get well soon Clifton.


Go Buccs!!!
ABuccsFan/JJC

Kareem Huggins To Get 1st String Reps

Huggins rips off 35 yards

According to the St. Pete Times, Kareem Huggins will see action on the field early in the game Saturday night against the Chiefs, running behind the 1st string offensive line. Kareem has opened some eyes during OTA's and early in Buccaneers Training Camp down at 1 Buc Place in Tampa. Huggins has displayed good speed and quickness. He has shown off his burst through the holes running with authority and has ripped of a few long runs during camp at times. He has caught the eye of fellow players, fans and media outlets attending camp, but the most important eye he has caught is that of his head coach, Raheem Morris.

"You want to go out there and see your two backs play,'' coach Raheem Morris said. "You want to see (Derrick) Ward, you want to see Cadillac. You want to see how good is Kareem Huggins? How good would he be behind the first line? What would he look like if he as an opportunity. And you know me, I'm always big into giving guys opportunity...you just want to get a look at some people under the fire, under the radar, under the gun. And he's one of those guys you want to try to get out there a little bit earlier to see if he can do it.''

Huggins impressed me last season on a few occasions and I was really looking forward to seeing his progression this offseason. Huggins, a 2009 undrafted free agent out of Hofstra University was signed by the Buccs and spent his time waiting for an opportunity on the practice squad. Apparently that opportunity has come knocking and I fully expect Kareem to answer the door. This also comes as a welcome surprise if he can pick up the slack left behind by a struggling Derrick Ward. This is Ward's second season with Tampa after signing as a free agent in 2009, and he has yet to live up to his billing. We'll have to keep a close eye on Huggins the Saturday night.

Go Buccs!!!

ABuccsFan/JJC

New Banner

Just wanted to recognize and give a little shout out to MissingNo. aka Matt from GoalLineBlitz.com for making my new banner. Thanks Matt

Go Buccs!!!
ABuccsFan/JJC

What Game Was Pat Yasinskas Watching?

Ward going nowhere?

Below are quotes from Pat Yasinskas

• I know the playbook is a lot more sophisticated with offensive coordinator Greg Olson. But there was one moment when I had to laugh out loud as the Bucs ran a play that reminded me of the mid-1990s. Derrick Ward took a handoff and ran straight into fullback Chris Pressley’s back. It was just a one-time thing. But there was a time back in the dreary old days when Errict Rhett taking a handoff, running into Mike Alstott’s back and plowing for a yard or two was Tampa Bay’s signature play.
• Speaking of Ward, who’s fighting to earn more carries, he looked good at times. He even was having a nice run on a third-down draw play, until he fumbled. Turning the ball over probably will wipe out the rest of the good stuff he did Saturday. The Bucs aren’t going to be a team with a big margin for error, so they’re not going to give a lot of carries to a guy who puts the ball on the ground.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/11903/observations-on-the-buccaneers-2

I'm not going to sit here and bash Pat Yasinskas, because he is the Professional. He is the one who gets paid to write and give his sports opinion, and in the grand scheme of things I am nobody. However I have to ask, what game were you watching Pat? Derrick Ward looked terrible. Terrible the entire time, not "good at times" as you stated. The field conditions sucked but that can not and should not be used as an excuse. Caddy and Kareem Huggins both ran on the same surface and performed leaps and bounds better than Ward. Sure you could also argue that Huggins was playing against lesser competition later in the game. I will counter that it didn't matter what Huggins was up against, as Kareem looked fluid with a nice burst of speed. He hit the holes with authority and was able to cut nicely on a ghastly playing surface. Ward looked slow, tentative to hit the hole and almost confused as to where he should be running.

So I now ask, how does Ward's horrible running Saturday night become Olson's fault? It's not like the Buccs had a different Offensive Coordinator calling the plays when Caddy and Huggins were on the field. How is it Olson's fault that Ward flat out ran badly? With every article about the Buccaneers that you write, there can always be found at least 1 pot-shot taken at the team. I too remember Rhett running into the backs of O-linemen and fullbacks. I also remember Mike Pittman doing the same thing under the direction of Jon Gruden. That was weak Pat, very weak.

Go Buccs!!!
ABuccsFan/JJC

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Dolphins

In horrible conditions Freeman was perfect.

The Good - It's too early to get head over heals excited about our franchise QB Josh Freeman, but he sure as heck gave us a glimpse of what we could be see week in and week out when the games start to matter this September. 4/4 for 53 yards and 1TD isn't spectacular to look at on paper, but when you consider that this was Josh's first live game action this season, and it came during a torrential downpour, it is impressive. Football players are supposed to be able to perform in bad weather right? Well, if you consider the fact that Sun Life Stadium in Miami is also home to the Florida Marlins during this time of year, then you know that the field was not entirely covered by grass. The majority of Saturday night's game was unfortunately played on the infield section of the baseball diamond. Especially when the first team offenses and defenses were in the game. The field reminded me of dark brown oatmeal. The players' cleats had mud caked on them an inch think and players looked like they were enjoying a Sunday family outing at the local skating rink the way they were slipping and sliding. However Josh let that distraction escape from his mind during the game and had great pocket awareness as he was able to feel the pressure and escape when he needed too. His passes were crisp, strong and accurate. Freeman put beautiful touch on a 30 yard pass to rookie Mike Williams and dropped the ball right into his arms as he raced down the sidelines well covered by Miami CB Vontae Davis. Mike had the concentration to get both feet in bounds and hold onto the ball. That play set up Freeman's 13 yard TD pass to 2nd year WR Sammie Stroughter to give the Buccs a 7-0 early lead while both team's 1st string players graced the field. I also have to give a shout out to Carnell Williams, Kareem Huggins and EJ Biggers who performed exceptionally well.

The Bad - Barrett Ruud has led the team in tackles for a while now. But his tackle stats are misleading. Many of his tackles are drag down tackles, and Ruud seems to lack the thumping power needed by a MLB. Many times when meeting the ball carrier, said ball carrier will get an extra 1-3 yards after contact which can be the difference between a punt or first down. Barrett is in the middle of a contract squabble with the front office as he is looking for a long term commitment from the Buccs. No one knows for sure why the team hasn't offered him the deal, he is seeking but it can only be assumed the team doesn't feel he is the MLB they desire to anchor their defense. At 12:19 of the 1st quarter Saturday, Barrett put himself in position to make a great play and drop Ronnie Brown for a 1 yard loss on 3rd and 2. Instead Ruud completely whiffed on the tackle allowing Brown to run free for extra yards and pick up the 1st down. It is these types of plays that leave this fan wondering if Ruud can be our long term answer at MLB.

The Ugly - The only thing uglier than the playing surface Saturday night was watching Derrick Ward run the ball. It was pathetic and saddening. I would not be hurt if he were cut tomorrow. However, because of Carnell's injury history we might be forced to hold onto the bum. Derrick had a few good runs last seasons, but failed to live up to the hype of being the team's biggest Free Agent acquisition last season. There were a lot of excuses as to why Ward underperformed last season, as I'm sure Ward would love to have us believe the field conditions were to blame for his paltry performance Saturday of 20 yards on 12 carries(1.7 avg). Unfortunately he has no defense in that argument as Cadillac and 2nd year Practice Squad player Kareem Huggins ran for 21 yards on 4 carries(5.3 avg) and 55 yards on 8 carries(6.3 avg) respectively, while running on the same surface as Ward did. If Huggins continues to outperform Ward like he did the other night, Ward could find himself spending lots of time on the sidelines this fall or maybe even find himself donning a different colored uniform?

Go Buccs!!!
ABuccsFan/JJC

Starting Fresh For a New Era

First thing I would like to do is apologize to my faithful readers and friends for my long absence. I am ashamed to say that I let my emotions get the better of me, and therefore lost interest in my hobby of writing about my beloved favorite team....the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I had grown so frustrated and angry watching the Jon Gruden led Buccaneers underachieve that I let my frustration and disappointment turn into a unhealthy hatred for Jon Gruden. Instead of trying to find good things to talk about and write about, all I could focus on was trying to prove the the Gruden Groupies wrong by pointing out all Jon's faults and why I thought he was overrated. Thankfully this blog is not littered with a bunch of anti-Gruden rhetoric like some of the message boards I have left in my wake.

Well friends and fellow fans, there is so much to be excited about now in this new era of Bucc Ball that it's time to start fresh. Time to turn over a new leaf, forget about the former coach and focus our attention on our new and exciting young players. It's time to get back to enjoying everything that is Red and Pewter.

Go Buccs!!!!
ABuccsFan/JJC