SB Nation - Gaines Adams

Even at 1-15, no guarantee the Bucs can get 1st pick.

Niko Houllis — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:25:01 -0000

He is a favorite to go in the top 5 if not #1 overall. Which team wouldn't take him, and which teams would?

Even if the Bucs commit themselves to having the most losses in franchise history, the Bucs will likely still lose out on the chance to draft with the first pick in the NFL draft. After his performance in the Big 12 championship game, Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is first on the list for Bucs fans this offseason, to join the Pewter Pirates in April. But even if the Bucs lose out the rest of the year, and end up with a 1-15 record, worst in club history for total losses, (They went 0-14 in 1976) that still does not guarantee them the first crack at picking Suh. Thats because by NFL rules one of the first tiebreakers for the draft is strength of schedule, and the Bucs has been a doozy. Meaning, they are supposed to lose all these games, but the Rams and Browns with their easier schedule should have won more games, and thus they will pick ahead of the Bucs if they both or either finish tied with Tampa Bay at the end of the season.

We have to root for the Browns and Rams.

In as much as we hope for a win this year, that means we need the Brownies and Rams to win twice then! What are the chances of these teams winning one more game and giving us first place in the Suh-weepstakes?

Cleveland Browns- Probably the best chance to win a game here. They play on a short week this Thursday home against the Steelers who have lost 4 straight. After a full 10 days of rest, they play at Kansas City, and return home to finish off the season playing the Raiders in the Bruce Gradkowski Bowl.

St. Louis Rams- This is a little tougher, but its possible. They play Sunday at Tennessee, which is probably going in the Titans favor, but remember the Rams are playing bad teams close. Then they Host the Houston Texans which is winnable. The final game of the year is at Arizona, and you have to hope that the Cards are resting all starters after the regular season playoff spot and division title should be won by that point.

So there you have it.

US? We host the Jets, play at New Orleans who now has a two game lead for the NFC home field, and that game would be the clincher, and then host the Falcons last game of the year...who may still be in it at that point.

Jets are our best chance at a win wouldn't you say?

In 2006 the Bucs beat the Browns and then required a coin toss to determine draft order. Cleveland won the toss, and took Joe Thomas left Tackle. We took Gaines Adams. Lets get Cleveland this time guys.

Thoughts From Biggs After Sunday's Victory

Dane Noble — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:39:07 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

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We've gotten our own opinions out in the open after the win yesterday, but it's always good to be able to hear from one of the best writers covering the Bears: Brad Biggs.

Biggs always provides a fresh perspective, and doesn't get caught up in all the hoopla that the media can sometimes generate.

Here's an excerpt from his column today:

7. Anyone else wondering aloud about defensive end Gaines Adams being inactive? Instead, the Bears had two backup interior offensive linemen dress--Josh Beekman and rookie Lance Louis. Why dress Louis ahead of Adams when Louis wasn't going to play? Could it have been the coaching staff sending a message to the front office about the trade? Probably not, but it's at least worth mulling over. Adams has barely played. The coaches remain high on him but it's pretty evident there just isn't going to be a spot for him out there this season unless some type of injury occurs.

Make sure you click the link and catch the full article.

How the Bears can move up in the 2010 NFL Draft

wiltfongjr — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:00:16 -0000

by Jason DeCrow - AP

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With no first or second round picks thanks to the Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams deals, getting an impact rookie will be challenging, but not impossible. The Bears need to find a way to get into the first or second round, and then of course, not whiff on the picks. The Bears currently have one pick in the third through seventh rounds for a total of five picks. As far as I can tell the most picks you can start draft day with is ten, but you can wheel and deal once the draft starts to get as many as you want. The Bears need to do what ever they can to get ten draft choices before draft day in order to maximize their dealing capabilities.

Looking over the Bears roster you'll see plenty of players under contract that shouldn't be a part of their future. Some players will have to be cut, but some have enough value to pick up a late round pick. Jerry Angelo (if he's still the GM this off season) has to deal away some dead weight. Just remember, making trades in the NFL isn't like other sports, player movement through trades just doesn't happen that often, but Angelo will have to thoroughly explore all possibilities. And the biggest thing he must consider is he may be drafting for the last time in Chicago, so if the opportunity arises use some of the 2011 draft choices to help get some picks in 2010.

One thing to keep in mind when dealing away some of your depth is the special teams will suffer. But with Dave Toub coordinating that phase of the team it's a chance you have to take. I'll speculate on some possible moves the Bears could make.

A) Nathan Vasher has a big money deal, but could be moved because he has had some past success. All you need is one GM to think a change of scenery could revive his career. Someone will want a former Pro Bowl corner, and a change just may do him good. Depending on the timing of the deal you could possibly get a fifth or sixth round pick for him. If the Bears could squeak out a few reps at free safety for the "Interceptor" it could help his trade value or if he fills in adequately at corner for a game or two they'll see his value go up, maybe as high as a fourth round pick.

B) I know the Bears were burned by trading away a safety a few years ago in Chris Harris, but it's clear the Bears are moving forward with Al Afalava as the strong safety. He outplayed Kevin Payne to win the job, but Payne has starting experience on his resume. He has some value around the league. The Bears seem comfortable with Craig Steltz backing up SS, so moving Payne makes sense right now. Depending on team needs this off season the Bears might end up with as high as a fifth round pick for him.

C) With Greg Olsen winning the starting tight end job from Desmond Clark, and with the emergence of Kellen Davis as a serviceable back up, Des Clark is expendable. Neither Olsen or Davis can block as well as Clark, but blocking is something they can improve on. Remember Clark was a wide receiver at Wake Forest and worked to become a better than average blocker. You need your reserve tight ends to be core special teamers and Clark doesn't fit that. If he fully recovers from this years injuries and finishes strong he might bring you a fourth round pick. Besides this season, he's been a reliable starting tight end for the Bears, and even though Clark is an 11 year vet he could be a starter for another team.

D) Garrett Wolfe, currently on IR because of a lacerated kidney, is expected to be ready for full participation come this off season. It should be with another team. For what ever reason the Bears have never been able to find a way to fit him into the game plan. He's excelled on special teams the last couple years and in his limited time with the ball in his hands this year he's been ok. With Jones expected back next year in some role and Khalil Bell able to fill the special teams spot of Wolfe, the Bears need to float Wolfe's name out there to gauge his value. At most I think they could get a fifth round pick for him, but their probably more likely to get a sixth.

The next two players I'll throw out there I really can't see traded, but you never know. Trading away players of their stature is difficult because one side will never feel truly compensated in any deals that may get to the table.

E) A popular name that is mentioned in trade speculation by many fans is Tommie Harris. With his production coming no where near his contract, moving him could be next to impossible. He has however, started playing better of late. Here's the question to ponder; If Harris is 100% and playing like the Tommie of old do you still want to trade him? If he has a strong finish to the year and they decide he isn't worth the risk, they could get a third (maybe a second) round pick for him if the right situation arises.

F) Before the recent drama surrounding Brian Urlacher I never would have even considered trading him away. But with him dropping those quotes for the Yahoo Sports piece, I could see him moved. Now finding someone that would want to take on that contract is another thing entirely. With his recent injury history teams may shy away from him, but there will be a few organizations that'll show interest. If his wrist heals properly, and all indications are that it will, he could fetch as high as a second round pick.

* Of course any of these players and any future draft choices could be used to pick up a legit number one wide receiver. In that case, picking up a guy like Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin would trump any plans I touched on above.

But if the Bears do stockpile lower round picks they'll then need to be used to move up in the draft, something Jerry Angelo hasn't done much of in the past. Using an NFL Draft Pick Value Chart, one of which every GM in the league uses, you can see the points needed to move up in the draft. If you've never seen the chart go take a look so what I say next makes sense (well... I'll try and make sense).

There are always teams looking to trade down, whether to save on the first round draft pick contract or because of how the draft is falling they realize "their guy" will be available later. The Bears would need between 600-900 points to get into the bottom half of round one. Many times the team trading up will have to overpay to make the move. I won't take into consideration any picks potentially obtained by moving Harris or Urlacher (like I said, it's unlikely they'll be moved).

OK, so in the scenarios outlined above the Bears would have their own 3rd-7th round picks plus two 4's a 5 and a 6. I'll look at some draft day deals that could move them into day 1 (1st round) or day 2 (2nd and 3rd round) of the 2010 NFL Draft.

1) The three 4th round picks (approximately worth 200 points) could get them into the 3rd round.

2) They Bears could package their third and fourth round picks (about 300 pts.) and move into the lower end of round two.

3) To get into the latter part of the 2010 1st round they could always move their '11 #1 pick and a handful of late '10 picks. There seems to always be a team picking in the late 1st round that is looking to get out of that pick.

4) If the Bears finish 10th worst this year their 3rd round pick (220 pts.), their 4th round pick (82 pts.), and their 5th round pick (37 pts.) could move them up to the bottom third of the 2nd round. That 2nd plus their 2011 2nd could get them into the 2010 1st round.

5) We'll call this the "Ditka Deal"; If the Bears trade every single one of their 2010 picks, their 3rd-7th (375 pts.), plus their 4 picks acquired in my moves above (approximately 200 points), they could jump up near the top of the 2nd round.

You can see how a creative GM could work the phones to move up. All you need is a willing partner and the guts to pull the trigger on numerous deals. With day 1 of the draft limited to the 1st round this year there will be more time to work the phones before day 2 and the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

Where are they now? A detailed look at the released Veterans from 2008

Niko Houllis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:00:17 -0000

Jovan Haye appears to be the best player we let go from 2008; his half sack and 22 tackles, are they missed?

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Smoke.

Mirrors.

Some say that is how Jon Gruden won 9 games with the 2008 Bucs team, that was a suscpicious 9-3 going into the last quarter of the season. The Bucs fell behind a 2-14 KC team 24-3, and fell behind an 0-16 team 17-0 before coming back. They beat a 6-10 Green Bay team at home, and a 4-12 Seattle team at home too.

It would seem the last 4 games are the ones that truely defined us as a team in 2008. Some say Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik took a playoff team and destroyed it. Lets take a look at that assessment, and look at the work the two guys did to Jon Gruden's final hurrah in Tampa.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia - OUT OF FOOTBALL

QB Brian Griese- OUT OF FOOTBALL

Linebacker Derrick Brooks- OUT OF FOOTBALL

See more player status reports after the jump...

DL Kevin Carter- OUT OF FOOTBALL

WR Ike Hilliard- OUT OF FOOTBALL

RB Warrick Dunn- OUT OF FOOTBALL

K Matt Bryant- OUT of NFL, Kicking for UFL

WR Joey Galloway- Signed with New England, cut- OUT OF FOOTBALL

LB Cato June- Signed by Houston; 2nd string, IR

TE Alex Smith- Traded to New England- Cut: Back up with Philadelphia; 2 catches 22 yards

Jovan Haye- Starting in Tennessee- 22 tackles and half sack.

Philip Buchanon- nickle corner, Detroit Lions; 32 tackles, 0 ints

Gaines Adams- Chicago via trade- 2 tackles, 1 Pass breakup, 0 sacks

Uninformed Recap: Ravens Beat Steelers in OT, 20-17

Brandon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:27 -0000

The Steelers at Ravens game was a twofer. Here's the boxscore. It had 2 of the Green Bay Packers' next 3 opponents.

In between their games against the Ravens and Steelers, the Packers play the Bears in Chicago. I watched a little of the Bears at Vikings game, but what I did see was ugly (for the Bears). Their defense has looked bad for weeks, and they couldn't do anything to stop the Vikings. 537 yards for the Vikings, and the Bears only had 169. In the 2nd quarter, despite their meager offensive performance, the Bears drove twice into Vikings territory, only to watch QB Jay Cutler throw back-to-back drive killing INTs. And why did they give up their (high) 2nd round pick in 2010 for DE Gaines Adams? He only has 3 tackles in 6 games.

As far as the Steelers at Ravens game goes, my recap is uninformed because I don't know a lot about either team. They both have great defenses, through week 11, according to Football Outsiders, the Steelers had the No. 3 defense and the Ravens' D was No. 4.

The Steelers were able to run straight up the middle, which was where RB Rashard Mendenhall, who had 24 carries for 95 yards (4.0 YPC), went every time he carried the ball. The Ravens D might have lost a step. Just as the Packers have lost Kampman and Harris, the Ravens have lost their top pass rusher, LB Terrell Suggs (torn MCL), and a starting cornerback, Fabian Washington (torn ACL). But the Steelers were forced to start 2nd year QB Dennis Dixon, his first career start, and he was just overmatched. On the Steelers final offensive play, Dixon misread a zone blitz and he threw an INT right at the Ravens' rookie defensive lineman. Overall, Dixon only completed 12 of 26 attempts for 145 yards, but you could tell at times during the game that the Steelers offensive coordinator had lost some faith in him.

The Ravens offense is built around getting the ball to WR Derrick Mason and RB Ray Rice. Though WR Mark Clayton had a big game, 7 catches for 129 yards, that was due in large part to the awful coverage by Steelers CB William Gay. Mason is still a good, Donald Driver type receiver. Rice is an explosive playmaker and he's maybe even more dangerous as a receiver. I don't see how any team can cover him with a linebacker. Despite generating 393 yards of offense, it was boom-or-bust. Most of that yardage came on their 3 scoring drives, while the rest of the time they struggled and were forced to punt 6 times. Their offense isn't any better than the Vikings or Cowboys.

And while the Packers are still No. 1 in most penalty yards allowed per game, the Ravens are a close 2nd. They had 9 penalties for 80 yards against the Steelers, including a killer special teams penalty that erased a huge punt return near the end of regulation. If that return hadn't been called back, the Ravens would likely have kicked a late game winning FG, instead of having to win in OT.

The Packers and Ravens are two comparable teams, and both teams need to keep winning to keep pace for a wild card spot.

Lake Michigan Getting More Bitter Every Day

Gonzo — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:57:34 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Allen: Did you hear what Jon Greenberg said about me? Rogers: Who? (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Jon Greenberg, a writer for ESPNChicago.com, did a wonderful little hit piece on Jared Allen this weekend, full of backhanded complements as he drones on ad nauseum about #69's past transgressions.

(Can anyone explain to me how we can justify an ESPN offshoot for Chicago? Is it the mid-80s? Did Michael Jordan come back? Are Chicago sports somehow relevant again and I've just missed it somehow?)

Greenberg spends the article alternating between calling Allen annoying, stupid, and a cheap-shot artist, in so many words. He brings up the DUIs, naturally (not bothering to note that the guy has been clean and sober since his last incident, meaning he's been clean the entire time he's been in Minnesota), the low hits on quarterbacks, all that other good stuff, and then makes a half-hearted attempt to make it sound like he respects him after all.

Sorry, Jon. . .not buying it.

Honestly, I might be a bit biased as a Viking fan, but I don't get how anybody can hate Jared Allen. The guy came into the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick, busted his tail to become the best pass-rushing DE in football, and has made huge strides to being a great all-around defender. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the trade has worked out so well for the Vikings to this point. In his 26 games with Minnesota, Allen has registered 24.5 sacks and has transformed the Minnesota defense from merely being good to being outstanding. So, really, I don't get the Jared Allen hate.

But there is somebody coming to the Metrodome tomorrow that doesn't get nearly the level of hate that they should, in my opinion, largely because so many people are too busy trying to make excuses for him. Allow me to explain myself a bit. . .and there won't be anything backhanded in this article, believe me.

So, Mr. Greenberg, and anybody else that might be out there listening. . .let me tell you a little bit about Jay Cutler.

When we look back at the end of the 2008 season, we remember that the Vikings held off a challenge from the Bears to win the NFC North. After watching each team for 16 games. . .17 in the case of the Vikings. . .the football intelligencia out there made the declaration that the Bears and the Vikings were both merely a quarterback away from being serious Super Bowl contenders. So, when the Denver Broncos made Jay Cutler available, the Vikings and Bears were immediately named as the two most logical suitors for the Broncos to trade with.

Cutler, if you'll remember, was the guy that spent the last three games of the 2008 season not securing the one victory it would have taken for the Broncos to eliminate the San Diego Chargers and win the AFC West title, including a season finale that saw him get his head stomped in repeatedly by the Chargers on national television. He was also second in the NFL in interceptions in 2008, and finished the season with a QB rating of 86.0. (For the record, Tarvaris Jackson had a 2008 QB rating of 95.4. Just sayin' is all.)

So, with such a stellar performance in his back pocket, you can surely understand why it is that when Cutler got wind that new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels had explored the possibility of trading him, Cutler thrown what my late grandmother would have referred to as a "conniption fit." He whined, he cried, he pouted, he screamed, he trashed McDaniels in the press, and refused to meet with McDaniels, all because the coach had the nerve. . .the gall. . .to potentially explore an option that he thought might improve his team.

For such an elite, outstanding, mature specimen, the Chicago Bears were willing to give up two first-round draft choices, a third-round choice, and quarterback Kyle Orton. Bears' GM Jerry Angelo had, apparently, bought into the "one player away" hype, and was immediately lauded for bringing the greatest damn quarterback since. . .heck, I don't know. . .Sid Luckman, I guess, to the Windy City.

And I, for one, am so glad that he did. See, like Greenberg said about Allen, I should like Jay Cutler. But I should like him for different reasons than Greenberg should like Allen. Greenberg should like Jared Allen because he hustles, he always gives 100%, and he's outstanding at what he does.

I should like Cutler because he's a loser and a coach killer. Don't believe me? Here's the record of every team that Jay Cutler has been the starting quarterback for since he left Heritage High School in Lincoln City, Indiana.

2002 Vanderbilt Commodores: 2-10
2003 Vanderbilt Commodores: 2-10
2004 Vanderbilt Commodores: 2-9
2005 Vanderbilt Commodores: 5-6
2006 Denver Broncos: 2-3
2007 Denver Broncos: 7-9
2008 Denver Broncos: 8-8
2009 Chicago Bears: 4-6
Total: 32-61

This is worth three draft choices and a $30 million extension? Man, am I glad the Vikings "settled" for Brett Favre for $12 million a year. Think that chair that Lovie Smith is sitting on isn't significantly warmer now than it was at the beginning of the year?

In Denver, Cutler had a great coach in Mike Shanahan, a great offensive line. . .he took only 11 sacks in all of 2008, and has taken 20 already this year. . .a great group of receivers and tight ends in Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, and Tony Scheffler, and a solid running game. He has none of those things in Chicago. With the Bears, his #1 receiver is a guy that's at the position because Lovie Smith woke up one morning and said to himself, "Hey, you know what I think would really help our football team? Let's take the single most devastating special teams weapon in the history of the league and turn him into a significantly below-average wide receiver. Man, I'm a genius!"

(And Bear fans have the nerve to imply that Brad Childress is an idiot.)

The thing that disgusts me most about Cutler is the way he carries himself on the field. He whines. He cries. He pouts. He blames teammates. There isn't one single thing about him that would make you mistake him for any sort of a leader at all, which a lot of teams depend on their quarterback to be. He's realizing just how hard it is to be a quarterback in the NFL when you're not playing with guys that are capable of bailing you out all the time. And with a dearth of draft choices for the Bears (having used their first-rounder this year on Cutler and wasting their second-rounder on Gaines Adams), the cupboard isn't going to fill up for him any time soon.

As I said in my article about Favre's candidacy for the MVP award the other day, some quarterbacks can raise the games of the rest of the players on the offense. Some quarterbacks, on the other hand, need to have their games raised for them by the rest of their offensive teammates. Cutler falls firmly into the latter category. He doesn't know what it takes to be a winner, because he's never been a winner at any level. And there's a very good chance that he never will be. Forget comparing him to Favre. . .I'm not sure if he's a better quarterback than Tarvaris Jackson at this point.

So thank you, Chicago, for putting an absolutely ridiculous offer on the table and saving us from Jay Cutler. Thank you for actually thinking that you were only one player away from glory, despite the fact that your offensive line is awful, your secondary isn't very good, and your defensive line is getting old.

Chicago deserves Jay Cutler, and Jay Cutler deserves Chicago. I didn't like Cutler when he was with Denver, and I sure as heck can't stand him now.

(See, Jon. . .if you're going to hate someone, you should really try for somebody more hate-worthy.)

Comcast Red Zone: Keys To Victory

Dane Noble — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:33:24 -0000

This post is sponsored by Comcast's Red Zone. Catch Every Touchdown From Every Game. Every Sunday Afternoon.

The Chicago Bears have played three straight weeks of uninspiring football, and the pressure is on Lovie Smith and company to take care of business this week when the Arizona Cardinals come to town. What are my keys to victory this week?

Defense, defense, defense. Arizona's high-flying offense will look to jump out quickly on Chicago's recently soft pass coverage, so the Bears will have to play solid defense for four full quarters of football. The front four will have to generate pressure on the QB, the linebackers will have to be fast in covering the middle of the field, and our DBs will have to be on their "A" game to compete with the talented WR corp of Arizona.

Certainly, we need more consistency and productivity from our offense, but if the defense doesn't show up, it won't matter. The Cardinals will be looking to exploit Lovie's suddenly ineffective Tampa-2, and with a guy like Kurt Warner leading the charge, it could get ugly in a hurry.

I'm hoping that we hear more from Gaines Adams this week, as he should be getting more comfortable in his new environment.

Analysis: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Through 7 Games

Brandon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:15:17 -0000

You might have noticed that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only NFL team without a win this season, and the Green Bay Packers are going to play them on Sunday. And rookie QB Josh Freeman will have his 1st NFL start. The Packers should be favored, but they still have to travel to Tampa and win the game. Though I don't expect Mike McCarthy will let his players overlook any team.

Since I haven't watched a Bucs game this season, and don't know how the team that beat the Packers last season in week 4 has managed to become the only remaining winless team, I asked Buc 'Em blogger Niko Houllis a couple questions:

Brandon: What happened to the formerly great Tampa defense? The draft hasn't been kind in recent years, but they were still very good in early 2008. The collapse seems sudden to me.

Niko: That is a fanastic question. Most would say it's on the sideline singing "Rocky Top"! People can say what they want to, but the collapse started the game after Monte Kiffin announced he is headed to Tennessee to coach his son's defense. Other things happened around the same time too though. We got hurt on our D line, which wasn't that good to begin with. Carolina found a weakness. They were able to put 3 receivers on the field and keep us in a defense which favored their running attack. They were able to gash us for almost 300 yards on the ground in that Monday night game that Bucs fans were waiting all day for so we could finally pronounce our team for real...and give us an inside edge on the 2nd seed just like we had in our Super Bowl year. Little did we know we would not win a game again! Truth is, the Bucs misfired on their #1 draft pick Gaines Adams, and were lucky to get a #2 for him. But the defense had gotten old, and started to patch things up with bandaids like the offense had been doing too. Instead of tearing the team apart and starting over like were doing this year, the team kept using bandaids, and drafting poorly just about every draft.

Brandon: Are their offensive problems solely due to poor QB play, or have other areas on offense let you down?

Niko: Some feel the offensive line has not been playing up to its potential, but truth is it was a FAR drop from starting Center Jeff Faine to second string Sean Mahan, who was released in preseason, only to be called up again due to Faine's injury during game one. Teams were blitzing the heck out of our gap between our left guard and center, and we couldn't do anything about it. So that is not a fair assesment. The biggest problem has been the quarterback play. I'm not sure what the Bucs were thinking during preseason, everyone just knew Byron Leftwich wasn't starting material anymore, and then they traded Luke McCown, who really didn't beat anyone out to prove his worth this preseason anyways. Josh Johnson has some upside, but he doesn't have the pedigree Josh Freeman has. This team has now taken the step, this is the 6th generation of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and we will build around Freeman, though it may be ugly to watch at first.

Brandon: I've read articles that made it seem like Tampa's coaches have been unprepared. Is Raheem Morris a capable NFL head coach?

Niko: This is a hot topic. Any article I write about Morris gets many comments. Mostly negative. The older football fan (not trying to tick off any younger fans...) tend to be more patient because they have seen more seasons of football and understand this happens, while the younger fan tends to be more impatient and want him gone now for the big name guy . Funny how we forget the past, when Steve Spurrier and Jimmy Johnson were wanted but a guy named Tony Dungy came instead!

The 2010 Draft - Where We Stand in Chart Form

Jeremy Bolander — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:37:57 -0000

[Editor's Note: This is a draft order chart based completely off of the current standings. Tiebreak rules were used to establish order of playoff teams, and then playoff "wins" were awarded to the team with the best record, or whomever came out ahead in tiebreaks. For those who are wondering, Denver topped Indy in the #4 tiebreak scenario, "strength of victory" (.504 to .305). Obviously, this chart will change drastically from week to week, and I will update it as time permits to keep us abreast of developments.]

#	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	TEN	STL	TB	¹⁰TEN	STL	TB	TEN
2	TB	⁷NE	STL	TB	TEN	STL	TB
3	STL	TB	TEN	STL	¹⁷CLE	TEN	STL
4	KC	CLE	KC	CLE	KC	CLE	²⁶MIA
5	CLE	KC	CLE	KC	CLE	KC	CLE
6	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET	DET
7	WAS	OAK	¹⁰~~WAS~~	OAK	WAS	²¹CAR	WAS
8	OAK	WAS	OAK	WAS	OAK	²³MIA	OAK
9	SEA	CAR	MIA	SEA	¹⁸KC	MIA	SEA
10	MIA	SEA	CAR	MIA	SEA	CAR	MIA
11	¹SF	MIA	⁹PHI	CAR	¹⁹KC	SEA	CAR
12	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF
13	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX	SD	SF	BAL
14	SD	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX	SD	SF
15	JAX	SD	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX	SD
16	²DEN	⁶NE	SD	SF	BAL	CHI	JAX
17	BAL	⁵TB	JAX	SD	SF	BAL	CHI
18	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU
19	DAL	PHI	DAL	PHI	^13,11NE	²²BUF	DAL
20	PHI	DAL	PHI	DAL	PHI	DAL	²⁸NE
21	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	¹⁶CLE	NYJ	NYJ
22	ARI	GB	ARI	GB	ARI	GB	ARI
23	GB	ARI	GB	ARI	GB	ARI	²⁵GB
24	NE	NE	⁸OAK	NE	¹⁴TB	NE	²⁷NE
25	ATL	⁴KC	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	²⁴STL
26	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG
27	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN
28	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT	CIN	NYG	PIT
29	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
30	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	²⁰PHI	IND
31	NO	NO	NO	NO	¹⁵PHI	NO	NO
32	³SEA	DEN	DEN	DEN	¹²DET	DEN	DEN

First round

1. Carolina to San Francisco. Carolina traded its 2010 first-round selection for San Francisco's 2009 second-round selection (43rd overall, used to select Everette Brown) and its 2009 fourth-round selection (111th overall, used to select Mike Goodson).

2. Chicago to Denver. Chicago traded its 2010 first-round selection, its 2009 first- and third-round selections, and quarterback Kyle Orton to Denver for quarterback Jay Cutler and a 2009 fifth-round selection.

3. Denver to Seattle. Denver traded its 2010 first-round selection for Seattle's 2009 second-round selection (37th overall, used to select Alphonso Smith).

Second round

4. Atlanta to Kansas City. Atlanta traded its second-round selection to Kansas City for tight end Tony Gonzalez.

5. Chicago to Tampa Bay Chicago traded its second-round selection to Tampa Bay for defensive end Gaines Adams.

6. Jacksonville to New England. Jacksonville traded its 2010 second-round selection and its 2009 seventh-round selection to New England for the first of New England's 2009 third-round selections (73rd overall, used to select Derek Cox).

7. Tennessee to New England. Tennessee traded its 2010 second-round selection to New England for the third of New England's 2009 third-round selections (89th overall, used to select Jared Cook).

Third round

8. New England to Oakland. New England traded its third and a conditional pick to Oakland for defensive end Derrick Burgess.

9. Seattle to Philadelphia. Seattle traded its third-round selection in 2010 and its fifth- and seventh-round selections in 2009 (137th and 213th overall) for Philadelphia's third-round selection in 2009 (91st overall, used to select Deon Butler).

10. Washington (forfeit). Washington will not have a third-round selection in 2010, as it used a third-round pick in the 2009 Supplemental Draft to choose defensive end Jeremy Jarmon.

Fifth round

11. Dallas to Denver. Dallas traded its fifth-round selection to Denver for guard Montrae Holland.

12. Denver to Detroit. Denver traded its 2010 fifth-round selection and a 2009 seventh-round selection (#235 overall, used to select Zack Follett) to Detroit for a 2009 sixth-round selection (1st selection in round six, #174 overall, used to select Tom Brandstater).

13. Denver to New England. Denver traded its fifth-round selection to New England for defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith and New England's seventh-round selection, which was later traded back to New England.

14. New England to Tampa Bay. New England traded its fifth-round selection to Tampa Bay for tight end Alex Smith.

15. New Orleans to Philadelphia. New Orleans traded its 2010 fifth-round selection and a 2009 seventh-round selection (#222 overall, later traded to Indianapolis) to Philadelphia for a 2009 fifth-round selection (#164 overall, used to select Thomas Morestead).

16. New York Jets to Cleveland. New York traded its fifth round pick, as well as a conditional third-round pick, WR Chansi Stuckey, and LB Jason Trusnik, to Cleveland for WR Braylon Edwards.

17. Tampa Bay to Cleveland. Tampa Bay traded its 2010 fifth-round selection and its 2009 second-round selection to Cleveland for tight end Kellen Winslow II.

18. Carolina to Kansas City. Carolina traded its 2010 fifth-round selection to Kansas City for defensive end Tank Tyler.

19. Miami to Kansas City: Miami traded its 2010 fifth-round selection to Kansas City for quarterback Tyler Thigpen.

Sixth round

20. Indianapolis to Philadelphia. Indianapolis traded its 2010 sixth-round selection to Philadelphia for a 2009 seventh-round selection (#222 overall, used to select Pat McAfee).

21. Oakland to Carolina. Oakland traded its 2010 sixth-round selection and a 2009 seventh-round selection (#216 overall, used to select Captain Munnerlyn) to Carolina for a 2009 sixth-round selection (#202 overall, used to select Brandon Myers).

22. Philadelphia to Buffalo. Philadelphia traded its 2010 sixth-round selection and 2009 first- and fourth-round selections to Buffalo for tackle Jason Peters.

23. Washington to Miami. Washington traded its 2010 sixth-round selection and 2009 second-round selection to Miami for defensive end Jason Taylor.

Seventh round

24. Atlanta to St. Louis: Atlanta traded its 2010 seventh-round selection to the Rams for Tye Hill.

25. Green Bay to New York Jets (returned): Green Bay traded its 2010 seventh-round selection and quarterback Brett Favre to the Jets for the Jets' 2009 third-round selection. The Jets acquired this pick as part of the conditional agreement of the trade in which Favre's performance resulted in the Packers receiving the Jets' 2009 third-round selection, coupled with Favre retiring after the 2008 season. However, this pick has been returned to the Packers.

26. Kansas City to Miami: Kansas City traded its 2010 seventh-round selection to Miami for Miami's 2009 seventh-round selection.

27. New England to Denver (returned): New England traded its 2010 seventh-round selection and Le Kevin Smith to the Broncos for their 2010 fifth-round selection. Denver then traded the selection back to New England for offensive lineman Russ Hochstein.

28. Philadelphia to New England. Philadelphia traded its 2010 seventh-round selection and wide receiver Greg Lewis to New England for New England's 2009 fifth-round selection.

Conditional/Undetermined

29. Carolina to Cleveland: Carolina traded a conditional 2010 selection to Cleveland for DT Louis Leonard.

30. Jacksonville to Tampa Bay: Jacksonville traded an undisclosed 2010 draft choice to Tampa Bay for quarterback Luke McCown.

31. Kansas City to Miami: Kansas City traded an undisclosed 2010 draft choice to Miami for offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe.

32. New England to Baltimore: New England traded a conditional 7th round 2010 draft choice to Baltimore for LB Prescott Burgess. Burgess was placed on the Patriots' practice squad, but was claimed by Baltimore after their game against the Patriots, thus nullifying the trade as Burgess did not meet the condition for playing time.

33. New York Jets to Philadelphia: New York traded a 2009 fifth-round selection and a conditional 2010 selection to Philadelphia for CB Lito Sheppard. Depending on Sheppard's playing time in 2009, the selection could be in the second, third, or fourth round.

34. New York Jets to Cleveland. New York traded a conditional third round pick, as well as a fifth round pick, WR Chansi Stuckey, and LB Jason Trusnik, to Cleveland for WR Braylon Edwards. The third-round pick can become a second-round pick based on Edwards' performance with New York.

35. San Diego to Houston: San Diego traded an undisclosed 2010 draft choice to Houston for defensive lineman Travis Johnson.

Bucs on the verge of a Top 10 Pass Defense!

Niko Houllis — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:45:10 -0000

More photos » by Reinhold Matay - AP

One of the reasons the Bucs have improved in pass defense.

Browse more photos »

Before you go down your own "Life on Mars" checklist of possible causes of this unbelievable headline, know one thing. It is NOT a misprint or typo. Use whatever reasoning you want to in coming up with an explanation, (like the fact we have the 31st rushing defense) but the numbers do not lie. We are currently the 11th Passing defense, at 198.5 yards per game, and that's not the only statistic that the Bucs are better than the average bear in.

In what is exclusively an offensive catagory, the Bucs are tied for 14th in sacks allowed. This is easy to understand, as Josh Johnson is not easilly sacked, and the fact that our Offensive Line is one of our biggest assets.

Then you have probably the only catagory that both sides have to contribute to, the turnover margin. In this realm, the Bucs are a respectable 16th (Tied) at -1, meaning with one more interception by a Tanard Jackson or so, the Bucs will have given the ball away as often as they have taken it.

So what does it all mean? Well speaking of T-jack, it may be no mystery that since his return the Bucs pass defense has improved (along the lines of Jimmy Wilkerson and Styles White increased results in rushing the passers) in passing stats. Rushing stats however, the Bucs are virtually dead last, 31st, at 171.7 yards per game, absolutely absurd for an NFL team. Clearly the Bucs need to invest in their interior defensive line, somthing has really has not been news for several years now, going back to the weekly requests by former Head Coach Jon Gruden calling for more effort from his D line. One by one the stars on the line have gone, and have not been replaced adequately.

Simeon Rice ---> Gaines Adams---> Styles G White...

Warren Sapp--->Chartric Darby---->Anthony McFarland--->Ellis Wyms---->Jovan Haye---->Ryan Simms....

Brad Culppeper---->Anthony McFarland---->Chris Hovan....

Greg Spires---->Kevin Carter---->Jimmy Wilkerson

as you can see, only one, and that is probably debatable, is close to the same level as the guys who rushed the passer in the heyday of Franchise. Luckily, the 2010 draft of which the Bucs are stacked with an ultra high #1 and #2 pick, as well as an extra #2 pick of the Bears for the trade involving Gaines Adams. Expect youngsters like Roy Miller to get serious playing time for the rest of 2009 as Raheem Morris looks to see what he has from the latest picks.