SB Nation - Arron Sears

Bucs offensive line buried at the bottom

Buc Wild — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0000

The Bucs offensive line got the first piece of good news in awhile on Tuesday. That news was that Arron Sears would be returning to the team. A key component to our young line, Sears was going to be counted on heavily in 2009. But he disappeared from the team in a story that still hasn't completely unfolded. The Bucs OL turned to Zuttah to fill the gap, who has done an admirable job, but the line as a whole has not performed well.

Some of this may be attributed to the new zone blocking scheme that has been installed. Other teams that took on this endeavour for the first time have said it takes about half a season to get comfortable with the blocking change. That would be right about now, except the Bucs have quietly moved away from the scheme. Jeff Faine has been quoted as saying they've (the OL) have moved to more of a man up system. The scheme is still split with some downs utilizing the zone scheme and others the man scheme, but all this change and lack of commitment probably won't serve the team well.

Through Week 10 (9 games), how has the OL compared to it's peers? Hit the jump and lets find out.

To look at the offensive line, we'll go back to some of the stats derived by Football Outsiders. We'll look at how the offensive line has fared in the run game and the passing game. First off, lets take on the passing game.

The easy metric to look at is number of sacks given up. But this only tells a part of the story. As we've discussed before, teams that drop back more can sway the stats. More drop backs equals more opportunity for sacks and more opportunities to dilute the results. Lets see what the numbers tell us.

	Rank	Sacks	AdjSack Rate
TB	10	19	5.20%
NFL	x	20	6.60%

Not too shabby. Ranked 10th in adjusted sack rate which, per FO is

sacks (plus intentional grounding penalties) per pass attempt adjusted for down, distance, and opponent

So just over 5% of the Bucs dropbacks end in sacks. That number has been greatly helped by Josh Johnson's ability to scramble, and Freeman's size as we witnessed Sunday against Miami. Looks like either our quarterbacks are doing a good job of avoiding sacks, our line is doing a great job in pass protection, or a combination of both.

The run numbers aren't so pretty. We've all seen Cadillac and Ward take a hand off and immediately be hit in the backfield. I've seen far too many running plays that end up with Penn, Joseph or Trueblood all standing up 2 yards in the backfield with no one around them. That's not a good sign.

Lets first look at the adjusted line yards.

		ALY	RB Yds
30	TB	3.44	3.75
x	NFL	x	4.3

Not hard to see that the Bucs are at the bottom of the league. Ranked 30th in adjusted line yards, this metric gives us the yards per run that the offensive line creates by opening up holes, moving guys off the line fo scrimmage etc. This of course is adjusted based on down, distance and defense. The RB yards, which is the standard yards per carry isn't pretty. It's more than a half yard below the NFL average. The line doesn't create much room and the running backs don't go much further than what's there. Not a good combo.

	Power	Rank
TB	64%	15
NFL	63%	x

Our power success if right in line with NFL averages, as is our rank. This is the short yardage stuff, 3rd and 2, goal line runs etc. At this point, I'll take an average ranking for our run game. For reference sake, the leader in power success if at 82%. They convert 4 out of 5 short yardage situations.

	Stuffed	Rank
TB	24%	28
NFL	19%	x

This is the most telling statistic to me. As much as it might seem that Caddy and Ward just aren't running hard or getting anywhere, this stat tells me enough to know that they are facing an uphill battle. The Bucs RB's are hit and tackled behind the line of scrimmage almost a quarter of the time. One out of every four running plays ends up with Caddy, Ward, Graham or Smith (gah) being hit in the backfield. That's unacceptable. There is no way to run the ball and make teams respect it when you are hit in the backfield so often.

Whether it be scheme, personnel, or just time together, something isn't working. I'm leaning more towards either personnel or ability based on the 2008 numbers only being slight better. There has been some drop off with Faine missing time and Sears being gone, but even with both healthy in 2008, we still ranked in the bottom half of the league in most run categories. It's time to do something about the run game and give it the time and overhaul it needs. Lets make some changes now to benefit our team. Controlling the ball on the ground will help out a young quarterback and an ill equipped defense.

The Offensive Line Part 3: The Healthy Year

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:51:01 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Players like Matt Hasselbeck make but also create hard decisions. He has been undoubtedly Seattle's greatest quarterback ever, but when is too soon to prepare for the future? And how can you win when you know the player you acquire is not likely better than Hasselbeck's past?

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Steve Hutchinson is an amazing talent. Seattle wasn't building a line of amazing talents. Chris Gray was sagging, Walter Jones in decline, Sean Locklear as serviceable as ever and Chris Spencer and Rob Sims still getting their feet wet. But it had a healthy line. Jones missed one game, the only game missed by Seattle's starting five, and he missed that game as a precaution. It's not well remembered today, but Seattle's 2007 offense was good, even with Shaun Alexander. It was a twelth ranked offense and a 9^th ranked passing offense. The run game was solid outside of Alexander. Maurice Morris had his best season as a pro.

Seattle was healthy in 2007 and other than right guard, it did not seem to have pressing needs at offensive line. Jones was writing the book on modern dominance at left tackle and his historic peers at the position commonly played into their mid- to late-thirties. Sims and Spencer were the subject of Mike Holmgen's scorn, but neither player played that bad, and both were still very young at a position that historically peaks late.

The big flub happened in 2006 and hurt Seattle in the 2007 draft. Tim Ruskell traded the Seahawks first round pick for Deion Branch and then signed him to a six-year, $39 million. He desperately wanted out from Darrell Jacksons's contract, could not retain Joe Jurevicius after Vicious signed for less to play for his hometown Browns, had no interest in keeping Jeremy Stevens, was about to lose Bobby Engram to Graves Disease, and had signed Nate Burleson as a inexpensive project wide receiver and return man. Burleson has fulfilled both roles well. He has cost Seattle $2, $3.5 and $4 million against the cap his first three seasons.

Ruskell saw the Seahawks a contender and didn't see a better opportunity to add a wide receiver. He may have reached a bit, but the enormity of his decision is overblown. Late first round picks are seldom superstars and often outright busts. Had Seattle switched Branch for a generic, late-first round receiver, that receiver would have underperformed the disappointing Branch. It could have used that pick elsewhere however. It could have drafted Ben Grubbs, Arron Sears or Justin Blalock. All three have been solid, though Sears career may be over after a frightening concussion.

This marks the point where we can first say Ruskell was deemphasizing the offensive line. He didn't add significant talent in a significantly talented class, opting instead to draft project player, Mansfield Wrotto, in the fourth. The team made a run at Kris Dielman, but when Dielman frowned at Seattle's weather and went home to San Diego to sign for less, the Seahawks didn't have a plan ‘B'. Its good health at offensive line may have hidden a rotting foundation. Chris Gray started 16 but arguably shouldn't have started one. Excepting Jones, it wasn't very talented, and the youth movement Ruskell started with Spencer, Willis and Sims, was not added to or challenged. Tom Ashworth and Floyd Womack were still primary depth and the most promising successor to Jones was Locklear.

The year that Ruskell's plan was its most effective was also the year Ruskell's plan looked most ominous. Seattle didn't land one of that free agent class's big name guards and didn't acquire talent that could start in a pinch. Had the same injuries occurred that year as have this, Seattle was thinner and weaker and more likely to collapse with Tom Ashworth, Mansfield Wrotto and Steve Vallos thrust into action than even Kyle Williams, modern Wrotto and modern Vallos.

But it didn't and line depth didn't seem like such an awful big deal in 2007. What line could look good blocking Shaun Alexander? It had young parts, an ageless veteran and a defense that was starting to look like the future of the team.

The good and bad of the Gaines Adams trade

Mocking Dan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:07:55 -0000

On Friday, four days before the NFL trade deadline, the Bears traded their 2010 second-round pick to the Buccaneers for defensive end Gaines Adams.

The fourth pick in the 2007 draft, Adams has largely been considered a disappointment. Buccaneers head coach Rahemm Morris called Adams out earlier this season for a lack of production

In 37 career games, including 29 starts, Adams has 13.5 sacks. Many expected more out Adams, 26, but his desire and he doesn't have the physicality to play end in the NFL.

In Adams' defense, he is clearly athletic and was maybe playing out of place for Tampa Bay. At Clemson, where he had 28 career sacks, Adams was at his best when he could line up wide outside and just get after the passer. He still has a good burst, but has basically had one good quarter this season, and that came against a Redskins team that is below-average in pass protection.

The good for Chicago is that connects Adams with defensive line coach Rod Marinelli. Considered one of the best line coaches in football, Marinelli almost drafted Adams second overall in 2007 when he coached the Lions. Also for the Bears, end Adewale Ogunleye is a free agent after this season and the team can save some money by not re-signing him.

Adams is set to make $1.08 million in 2010, $1.1 million in '11 and $1.15 million in '12. That's a relative bargain since Tampa paid his rookie signing bonus.

On one end, the Buccaneers aren't at a complete loss for jettisoning Adams. The team, and its fans, no longer have to worry about the failing expectations of a high draft choice. And although no one will probably admit it, Morris was clearly not a fan of Adams'.

But at some point, you have to question the workings of Tampa Bay's front office. General Manager Mark Dominik might be trying to make his mark in his first season, but it's just another Tampa Bay draft failure. Some recent Bucs draftees include Josh Freeman (considered a reach), Aqib Talib (decent corner prospect with character flaws), Dexter Jackson ('08 second rounder now on Carolina's practice squad) and Arron Sears (frequently hurt).

So even with another pick in next year's draft, does Tampa Bay have the front office acumen to make a sound selection? Also, what kind of security could a Buccaneers players feel after the fourth pick in the draft was given up on after 29 starts?

For the Bears, if Adams fails, the team is left without a pick in the first two rounds of the draft for the second consecutive season. At some point, that could catch up to the Bears. After all, just ask the Redskins how well trading draft picks has gone.

How does the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Offensive Line stack up?

Buc Wild — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:15:08 -0000

How did this group do in 2008? While highly touted, the numbers tell a different story.

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Grading out offensive lines is a difficult task. Other than sacks allowed, there are no commonly used metrics that can distinguish a good offensive line from a bad offensive line. We can try and judge by the naked eye and make claims like "Man, he gets beat a lot" (Robert Gallery at tackle) or "Wow he sucks, he has so many penalties" (Good afternoon Kenyatta Walker). We can try and listen to the talking heads about how one guy uses his hands as weapons, while the other doesn't swivel his hips enough.

But that doesn't really let us evaluate the offensive line. An offensive lineman's performance can be affected by the scheme run, the opponent played, and even if the team is protecting a lead or trying to mount a comeback. Other issues are the quality of players around you, specifically the running back. The best offensive lines can be made to look dismal with a below average running back while a bad line can be made to look good with a great back.

But how have they performed as a group? There are a few more advanced metrics that attempt to value the offensive line based on several different factors. I'll introduce those metrics, define them both in the technical terms as well as an easier to understand version, and then we'll look at how the Bucs fared in those categories.

Hit the jump for a look inside the numbers.

I was motivated to do this look at offensive lines based on Tomahawk Nation's excellent look at the FSU OL. The available statistics between the college game and professional game vary, but there are still some telling statistics to be looked at.

Let me be the first to say that I was/am very high on the Bucs offensive line. As a unit they have all the makings of a strong, aggressive unit. Davin Joseph, Jeremy Trueblood, Jeff Faine, Arron Sears, Jeremy Zuttah and Donald Penn all fit into the mold of what you want in an offensive lineman. We've heard for a year or two how some of these guys are future Pro Bowlers, and I have no doubt that as individuals, some of these players will take home some awards.

Let's take a look at 2008 numbers on the offensive line, which are provided FootballOutsiders.

To get you comfortable with some of the statistics/metrics that will be used, let's look at the explanations on FootballOutsiders (or FO).

Adjusted Line Yards:

Teams are ranked according to Adjusted Line Yards. Based on regression analysis, the Adjusted Line Yards formula takes all running back carries and assigns responsibility to the offensive line based on the following percentages:

Losses: 120% value

0-4 Yards: 100% value

5-10 Yards: 50% value

11+ Yards: 0% value

These numbers are then adjusted based on down, distance, situation, opponent, and the difference in rushing average between shotgun compared to standard formations. Finally, we normalize the numbers so that the league average for Adjusted Line Yards per carry is the same as the league average for RB yards per carry, (which is 4.08 yards)

In language that us regular folks might understand, each running play has a specific value for the offensive line. If a running back gains 4 yards, the OL is credited with 100% of that, or 4 yards. If the back is hit for a loss of 2 yards, the OL gets credit for -2.4 yards.

It also mentions it "adjust" the numbers based on down, distance etc. What this refers to is 5 yard gains are not created equally. A 5 yard gain on 3rd and 15 is not as valuable as a 5 yard gain on 3rd and 4. Additionally a 5 yard run from the opponent's 5 yard line is worth more than a 5 yard run from midfield.

Using Adjusted Line yards (or ALY), let's see how the Bucs fared in 2008.

Rank	Team	Adj Line Yards	RB Yards
22	TB	4.04	4.09
NFL	Avg	X	4.25

I can already hear you asking, "so what does this mean?" Remember that in Adjusted Line Yards, 4.08 was the league average. The Bucs OL was very slightly below average in this category, coming in at an ALY of 4.04 yards per carry. Additionally, the running backs averaged 4.09 yards per carry (this is in the standard metric we are used to seeing). To put it all together, on a given carry, we can expect a run of 4.09 yards, with 4.04 yards of credit going to the OL and .05 yards going to the running back. Our running backs are basically going only as far as our line will take them and were below average in 2008.

Another way of looking at this is our running backs are extremely dependent on the offensive line on any given running play. For comparison's sake, the Giants were at the top with an ALY of 4.62 and a YPC of 5.28, while the Bengals were at the bottom with an ALY of 3.31 and a YPC of 3.22 (their running backs actually gained less than what the OL provided)

This is somewhat of a shocking number for all the accolades our line received from staff, media, and fans alike. They were average, ranked 22nd in the NFL in adjusted line yards in 2008. Had you asked me before viewing these numbers, I would've guessed top 12. The ALY does vary based on where the run goes (off tackle and to which side), but we'll cover that later. On to the next metric

Power Success

Percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Also includes runs on first-and-goal or second-and-goal from the two-yard line or closer. This is the only statistic on this page that includes quarterbacks.

You might call this the "smash mouth football" look as it looks as running plays on short to gain situations. Goal line runs, 3rd and 1, 4th and 1 etc. With big nasties like Trueblood and Joseph, we had to fare pretty well in this category, right? Let's look at the 2008 numbers and see.

Rank	Team	Power Success	League Avg
17	TB	65%	67%

Again, mildly disappointing. Just below league averaged and in the bottom half of the league. We converted 65% of our "power success" opportunities, good for 17th in the league (bottom half) and slightly below league average. The tops and bottoms of the league were Carolina at 79% (I think we contributed to that number) and San Francisco at 52%.

With an undersized "power back" in Earnest Graham, and injuries at fullback, this might help explain some of the lack of success. This has to change this year if we are going to a run-based offense. We'll have more than our fair share of 3rd and short and I would put a 70-72% range as a reasonable benchmark to be successful.

Now that we've looked at the short yardage situations, let's look at long or breakaway runs.

10+ Yards

Percentage of a team's rushing yards more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Represents yardage not reflected in Adjusted Line Yards stat.

This seems easy enough. Look at all the yards that are more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Then take them as a percentage of the total yards.

The thinking here is, once a running back gets 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, the offensive line has done their part. This yardage is fully dependent on a running back making people miss or breaking tackles. This is a measure of the breakaway ability or big gain potential of a team. Any yards gained on a running play after the initial 10 yards is not counted towards the offensive line for those reasons. How did the Bucs fare?

Rank	Team	10+ Yards	League Avg
13	TB	18%	19%

Alright, our first ranking in the top 50% of the league! It comes in a category that I wouldn't have expected. While Earnest Graham is a good back, I certainly don't classify him as a breakaway threat. But with him being the primary ball carrier, we achieved a ranking in the top half of the league. While still a bit below league average, we can see that 18% of the Bucs yardage in the running game came from beyond 10 yards outside the line of scrimmage. To put it in context, the top team in 10+ Yards was Carolina with 27% and the lowest was Indianapolis with 9%. Those seem about right.

I'd expect that number to be a bit higher next year. With a dedication to the running game that we didn't see under Gruden, it should wear down defenses and allow for bigger gains. Most of Graham's long runs last year came in the 4th quarter and with Derrick Ward and Cadillac pitching in, the defense should be dead tired come the end of the game.

Let's get to the first metric where a lower number is better.

Stuffed

Percentage of runs where the running back is tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Carries for a loss are never a good thing. A running back falling forward, or getting back the LOS can sometimes be a great play, taking a 3 yard loss and turning it into a short gain. The "Stuffed" percentage is one you want to be low, or be at zero.

Rank	Team	Stuffed	League Avg
12	TB	17%	18%

Another good ranking for the Bucs. Opinion time. This would seem to be based on both the line's ability to at least get a hat on their guy, but also the decisiveness of Graham. As a one cut runner, he doesn't do a lot of dancing in the backfield, which (in theory) would diminish his chances for being hit in the backfield. The Bucs OL ranked in the top half of the league and even came in a bit better than league average. It's an interesting contract to the Power Success numbers. So while we aren't getting hit for a loss that often (in comparison to league average), we aren't converting the league average of short yardage situations.

Sack Rank

Sack Rate represents sacks divided by pass plays, which include passes, sacks, and aborted snaps. It is a better measure of pass blocking than total sacks because it takes into account how often an offense passes the ball. Adjusted Sack Rate adds adjustments for opponent quality, as well as down and distance (sacks are more common on third down, especially third-and-long). Sacks are just what you think, total number of sacks given up.

I'll do my best to translate here. The Sack Rank percentage will give us the adjusted percentage as to how often a sack occurs. To help better define this, let's look at an example. We'll look at Team A who passes more than normal (think Colts) and Team B who runs more than normal (think Ravens). Both teams give up 40 sacks. Sounds like it's pretty equal, right? Well, what if we add in that Team A had 600 drop backs (got sacked 6.6%) and the Team B only had 400 drop backs (sacked at a rate of 10%). I'd say that leads to a compelling conclusion that although the same number of sacks were given up, Team A's OL performed much better. That's just one of the factors that plays in, but you can see that number of sacks is not a truly defining measure.

Rank	Team	Sacks	Adj Sack Rank	NFL Sack Avg	NFL Adj Sack Avg
22	TB	36	7%	32	6.20%

A pretty disappointing number. Ranked 22nd in the league, the Bucs gave up 36 sacks compared to a league average of 32. "But I thought you said total sacks isn't a good measure of an OL?". You're right. Our Adjusted Sack Rate was 7%, meaning on 7% of drop backs we can expect a sack (based on a 30 drop back game, that equates to 2.1 sacks a game). The league average was 6.2%, so again, we were worse than average.

The highs and lows were as follows. High and Low total sacks given up goes to Giants/Pats with 12 and the Lions with 55. As far as Adjusted Sack Rate, the Broncos were tops at 2.8% with the Bengals last at 9.7%. Based on a 30 drop back day, that's a difference of 2 sacks a game. Pretty remarkable.

Alright, so we've looked at a variety of new stats that measure the offensive line. I'd say the numbers were a bit startling. How can our offensive line that is so young and so good (according to media) perform this poorly? Well, there are a couple of potential causes. Offensive scheme, play calling, injuries. Gruden was never much a running game guy and often abandoned it early. In 2008 we didn't have a great blocking fullback, our running back (Graham) while good is still not one of the elite runners, he was injured giving way to Warrick Dunn who definitely slowed down as the year went on and we weren't able to convert short yardage situations.

While this may lead you to want to jump off a bridge, you may want to hold up. The zone blocking scheme can be a great catalyst for our offensive line. The backs we have fit that system (one cut and go), we do have talented players on the offensive line, and we have now added another 1.5 backs to the stable (Ward and a Caddy/Clifton split). All things being equal, we should improve upon these numbers if Jagz and company stick to the gameplan.

Speaking of game plans, how did the Buc's offensive line do when running the ball in certain directions? This will all be based on ALY (explained up towards the top). We'll look at how they did running left or right, and end versus off tackle versus up the middle. We'll also take look into how often we ran in what direction.

We'll look at each split individually in terms of ALY and how often we ran that direction. First up, runs off left end.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	2.16	30	7%
NFL	4.16	x	11%

Ugh. Running off left end was not kind to the Bucs offensive line. This would be in Donald Penn's direction and you can see, we not only ranked 30th in the league, we are a full 2 yards below average. The good news? We only ran off left end 7% of the time, far below league average. Maybe a sample size issue, but nonetheless, our runs off left end didn't end well.

Let's take a look at off tackle runs to the left side.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	3.54	28	9%
NFL	4.18	x	14%

Again, well below average. Apparently running to the left wasn't a strong suit in 2008. We're about half a yard below average, though again, we ran to the left significantly less than the league average. It's tough to blame individuals based on these metrics as you don't know the outcome, but its safe to say Penn's side of the ball didn't hold up in the running game. I wonder if we ran less that way due to poor performance, or had poor performance due to running that way less. The chicken or the egg argument I suppose. Let's leave the left side and get to the runs off guard and to the middle. For clarification purposes, and per FootballOutsiders

research so far shows no statistically significant difference between how well a team performs on runs listed middle, left guard, and right guard

This just means that off guard runs are counted as runs up the middle for statistical purposes. Here are the numbers for "up the middle" runs.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	4.35	9	66%
NFL	4.14	x	50%

Now we're talking. These runs would have been over Arron Sears, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Zuttah and Davin Joseph. The Adjusted Line Yards here show the line providing 4.35 yards per carry. Above league average, but it looks like this is where the majority of the runs took place. Can't say I see an issue with that. We hammered the ball up the middle and succeeded. The perception of those 3-4 players is that they are the strongest (or most skilled/complete players) on the offensive line, and their ALY does nothing to deter from that statement.

Well, we've seen success up the middle and we've seen some horrific numbers on the left side, how did the right side fare? Let's venture into Jeremy Trueblood's territory.

Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	3.91	26	11%
NFL	4.1	x	14%

Back to being below average. It was a nice run while it lasted (bad pun intended). Going off right tackle, the line is averaging 3.91 yards per carry, about .2 yards below league average. At the bottom of the pack, again. We were close to league average in terms of number of runs off right tackle, but again, not quite evenly distributed with the league average. Any predictions on the right end runs?

Let's see if the pattern continues with runs to either direction not performing.


Team	ALY	Rank	% of Runs
TB	3.9	20	7%
NFL	3.9	x	10%

We hit the league average square on the nose, but still are in the bottom half. And again, we ran outside less than average. While not quite as bad as the left side, the runs to the right side were still below average and under that magical average of 4.08 ALY or YPC.

With virtually the same offensive line coming back and same backfield with more depth, this should be a good tool for the new offensive coordinator, Jeff Jagodzinski to look at. We will be going with a different blocking scheme (zone vs man), but the data seems to indicate that the strength of the line in the running game is up the middle.

So what did we learn? We definitely picked up some non-common metrics that can help us evaluate an offensive line's performance. On a team-centric basis, we see that in the passing game, we're giving up a sack about 7% of the time based on our offense (again, 2008 numbers). We saw that while the gross number of sacks was about in line with the NFL average, we were still giving up about 2.1 sacks a game based on offense, opponent, and other factors.

The running game, specifically the OL were a bit of a disappointment. The ALY was a touch below average, as was the power success rate, a number I fully expected to be in our favor. The Stuffed numbers showed that the Bucs OL and running game were better than average at getting hit in the backfield (in a good way) and the running backs, while capable of ripping off 10+ yard runs, still showed to be more of a ground and pound type system.

With a new scheme, new OC, new coach, a great addition in the backfield, and a healthy (crosses fingers) backfield and line, I expect us to improve in each category, across the board. The 2009 season is here, we'll keep an eye on these new metrics to see what changes are made and how they affect the team.

A look back at the first week of training camp

Buc Wild — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:30:09 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

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The players are out watching the new G.I. Joe movie. And deservedly so, they just finished the first week in training camp, one that was more physical than the last few seasons due to Coach Morris' mandate on wearing pads and hitting. We've seen and heard alot about the Bucs in the last week, but what have we learned? With week one fully in the books, let's take a position by position stop around the team and recap the first week of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's 2009 training camp.

Quarterback - We all know about the expectations, question marks, and relative inexperience at the quarterback position. But how is the battle shaping up? Josh Johnson, though not performing poorly, seems like a man destined for the practice squad, either here or with another team. Josh Freeman has had ups and downs. The young gun definitely has the arm strength, but as you'd expect, he's still green. A three interception day in camp is not what you want to see. At this point, I'd expect him to have a clipboard in hand come opening day. The last two are the vets, Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown. They'll be battling for the job all camp long. McCown has been fairly level while Leftwich started slow and has come on towards the end of the week. It'll be interesting to see who wins out. No one seems to separate themselves from the pack. I wonder if it's possible that Johnson could be kept on over Leftwich or McCown? Too soon to tell.

Running Back -Here we have the four headed monster. Earnest Graham has looked good, even ripping up equipment and ending a drill early when he pulled a cord off the goalposts. Derrick Ward is a bit hobbled right now, with his foot in a walking boot. Let's hope it's nothing serious. We need him this year. Clifton Smith is Mr. Everything right now, hitting special teams and running back. Cadillac is back at it on the field, looking good. His hands are still suspect, but he will be a valuable commodity during the year. No real movement on the depth chart here. Graham and Ward (assuming both are healthy) are the guys here.

Wide Receiver/Tight End - We know what we have in Antonio Bryant, and he hasn't let us down yet. Michael Clayton has come on strong in camp and looks like a number two receiver. The battle for the third spot continues and each day a new receiver has a strong day. Today was Cortez Hankton, but Brian Clark, Sammy Stroughter and even new addition Mario Urrutia have come on strong. Dexter Jackson started off strong but in recent days has started shying from contact again and dropping passes, not a good combo. Winslow and Stevens are known commodities and while Winslow was called out for his emotional outbursts, it's nothing we didn't know. As far as camp goes, no real surprises here as the top dogs are performing as such and there are some good battles going on for the lower spots

Offensive Line -Let's just hope everyone stays healthy. Jeff Faine is out with a groin injury and with Arron Sears still not in camp, we can't afford any more losses. The line is still adapting to the new zone scheme and for every great play and correct read, they have one that doesn't look so good. But that's to be expected in training camp.

Defensive Line -Big movers here. Gaines has been called out by the coach for a double digit sack year. Stylez G. White and Jimmy Wilkerson are having alright camps, but not spectacular. Chris Hovan hasn't had his name called much and I'd imagine he and Ryan Sims are incumbents in name only. The guys making some noise are newbies Kyle Moore and Roy Miller. Moore has been everywhere in the backfield drawing praise and Miller has been eating up the middle. I'd like to see Gaines get to the QB more and be more aggressive. This group, although the rookies are playing well, needs to step it up

Linebacker -Let's start with Barrett Ruud. I'm just happy he's in camp without that new contract. We need him to be a leader and he is doing just that. Jermaine Phillips can still hit you, but his reads have got to improve. He's learning on the job, and that will have some bumps in the road, but let's go Flip, you're a linebacker now. Geno Hayes may not be turning heads, but he's been alright. Consistent with only a few big plays. The big game changer thus far? Quincy Black. I hope his performance translates to the field. His performance in camp has been great and if he can make it count on Sundays then we have a pretty good player here.

Defensive Back -This group, well, it's been tough. Much like the OL, for every good play, there's a bad play. Ronde Barber has actually been fairly solid in the new scheme, something most Bucs fans didn't expect. Elbert Mack has been on fire, making play after play after play. Smart money is on him to be no worse than second string. The surprise? Aqib Talib and his poor play. He's been beaten, missed some tackles, just seems in a funk. Hope he can find his form quickly. The safety position has been quiet, with Tanard Jackson and Sabby Piscitelli making few plays, but also being somewhat solid in coverage. Will Allen looks to be in the mix as a rotating player.

Special Teams - Josh Bidwell is doing his thing. The kicking battle is close. Though Mike Nugent has missed more kicks, I'd say he's in the lead just based on Matt Bryant sitting out with a leg injury. Bryant has to get back into camp and make some kicks to show he's the man in Tampa. Several players have been returning kicks and punts. Clifton has been back there, Sammy Stroughter, Elbert Mack, even Cadillac. Alot of faces back there, but it's gonna be Clifton's job to lose.

So there you have it, a quick run around camp position by position. As far as dominating story lines, here you go

- Padding up: Players in full pads and live hitting in most drills. Not usual for Bucs camp

- No rest for the weary: The cool down tent is gone, get used to the heat

- McCown running with the ones: He's had first crack most days with the first team, followed by Leftwich

- Cadillac is back: Hasn't missed a practice, good to have you back

- Injuries: The lack of injuries is a great thing, though a few players have been dinged up

- All players in camp: Outside of Sears, every player has been in camp, another good sign

Practice starts back up tomorrow morning and is followed with an afternoon session. Hope the players enjoyed the night off, it's a full day tomorrow.

Training Camp Has Arrived! Tampa Bay Bucs report to camp

Buc Wild — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:50:34 -0000

In just under a few hours, the Tampa Bay Bucs will be out on the practice field at One Buc Place for their first practice of the 2009 training camp. This kicks off the intro to the pre-season where jobs will be won and lost, careers will be altered, and the team will be molded. There are several high profile camp battles going on (Quarterback, linebacker, defensive line) that will have a huge hand in shaping the Buc's season.

With the players reporting yesterday, there were a few odds and ends to tie up.

- Every man on the 80 man roster reported. Arron Sears was the lone non-attendee, which was expected. It doesn't sound like Ra or Dominik expect him soon. A team can fine any player for not showing up for camp, but the Bucs have elected to not fine Sears, for now. Get well soon big guy

- Everyone is healthy and the only limitation appears to be Greg Peterson, who will be practicing, just not involved in all the reps

- Cadillac Williams has been cleared to practice. This is (another) stunning turnaround for the young Auburn Tiger. I'll be rooting openly for him to be a key factor this year. He deserves it.

- Every player had to pass a conditioning test to enter camp, which is slightly unorthodox. Each player had to run several drills in a timed event to qualify. If they didn't meet the time, they have to do it everyday until they pass. Even Morris ran the drills, though no report on his time.

- Players will be going full pads in the AM practice at One Buc Place and shells only in the night practice at Raymond James Stadium. This is a HUGE change from years past (I'll have a brief article on this sometimes this weekend)

Things look to have changed for the Bucs. We have another young, energetic coach, but he is approaching camp differently. I'm all for it, go with what you think will work for your team. Ultimately, it's Morris and Dominik who are responsible, so why not shake it up a bit? It's early, but it's encouraging.

Bucs fans, welcome to the 2009 season. Keep tuned into Buc 'Em for training camp updates and info.

A Look Around the NFC South Blogs

Jaxon — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:00:24 -0000

I thought I would check in our NFC South bretheren blogs to see what they are talking about that might interest Panther fans. So here it goes:

Atlanta Falcon Position Battles: The Cornerbacks - The Falcoholic
This time we're going to look at perhaps the most wide open position on the entire roster. Last time we did this little exercise, William "C4" Moore ran away with the strong safety crown. Because there's so many more options at cornerback, I imagine the vote is going to go a little differently. Basically, the top four vote getters are going to be our top four corners going into the season, with the top two being assumed as our starters. Make that vote count!

They are all competing to see who gets the honor of being torched by Steve Smith in 2009.

Meet A New Atlanta Falcon: S William Moore - The Falcoholic
Role: I'd frankly be surprised if Moore wasn't bringing his tlaent to bear on some unfortunate souls from the start of the season. The Falcons didn't pick him up to sit unless he performs at a level significantly below Thomas DeCoud this summer, and he's such a force against the run already that he makes sense at strong safety. I fully expect him to get a ton of snaps and potentially factor in on special teams, if Mike Smith is willing to get him on the field for that as well. I see a very bright future for Moore, who could be a decade-long starter in the NFL if he steers clear of injury.

If DeCoud is so good then why did they draft Moore?

The Falcoholic - Falcons Have Now Signed 5 of 8 Draft Picks
"The Atlanta Falcons today signed sixth round draft pick linebacker Spencer Adkins. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Adkins, 5-11, 246 pounds, totaled 72 tackles (42 solo), 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and one interception in 31 career games at the University of Miami (Fla.). Last season, he set career highs in tackles for loss (six) and sacks (four) while contributing with 17 stops. The Falcons have now signed five of the eight 2009 Draft selections, which include: cornerback Christopher Owens (third round), cornerback William Middleton (fifth round), offensive tackle Garrett Reynolds (fifth round), Adkins (sixth round) and defensive tackle Vance Walker (seventh round)."

Looks like there is a lot of fresh meat in the Falcons defensive backfield.

Can the Saints Maintain their Offensive Fire Power While Simultaneously Improving their Defense? - Canal Street Chronicles
He noted that during offense vs. defense drills it was the offense that initially got the better of their defensive counterpart until Williams and his unit began making plays and challenging Drew Brees and company. This led me to wonder if an improved defense might actually help push the Saints offense to improve as well and not become complacent. After all, if the Saints managed to put together the best offense in the league while practicing against one of the worst defenses in the league on a daily basis, just think what they can accomplish now facing a decent defense every day.

If that logic holds, would a defense that constantly practices against a top offense benefit from that somehow? I guess the logic does not hold.

Meachem's Last Stand - Canal Street Chronicles
Originally I had planned to write some long, well-researched, inspirational post filled with facts, numbers and references that would astound the mind and boggle your brain. But I just didn't know how to work it all out and I just wasn't really feeling it. I've since come to learn that I'm pretty apathetic toward Robert Meachem. I've also come to realize that we don't really need any facts and figures to discuss this topic. There is only one factoidal truth worthy of note regarding this matter: Meachem has been a disappointment thus far given his first round pick status.

It looks like the Saints are not the only team waiting for a highly drafted WR to make an impact. I'm sure you know who I am referring to (Okay, since some slow Saints fans might be reading this: Dwayne Jarrett)

Plot to take over Da Chronic enters its final phase - Canal Street Chronicles
Now, from my secret lair in the Old City Ice House, I am prepared to take over Canal Street Chronicles for good...or evil, as the case may be. Because once the power of the Blogosphere is in my hands, I will inaugurate a little war. In a matter of hours, Sports Illustrated and Yahoo will have annihilated each other. We shall see a new power dominating the world!

Congrats to MtnExile on taking over the Lead Blogger role over at Canal Street Chronicles.

Sears Non-Starter - Buc 'Em
In a somewhat surprising release of information, it appears as if Arron Sears has lost his starting job. As you may or may not know, Sears has been inactive in the offseason due to some apparent concussion issues, either from 2008 or offseason work. The team, and Sears have maintained silence on this issue, calling it a personal matter. Apparently, Sears wasn't excused from minicamp, and as a result of not being there, a formal change in the depth chart has been made with Zuttah now occupying the starting left guard spot. Morris is quoted as saying about Zuttah.

I would like to think this helps the Panthers but Zuttah is a good player so I bet its a wash.

By the Numbers - Rehashing the 2008 Defense - Buc 'Em
We'll start by looking at the Buc's defense in relation to passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, yards per passing attempt and yards per carry. This will give us an idea game by game if the Bucs were wearing down towards the end of the season. We will also look at the Buc's per game average and year averages vs the league average. Finally, we'll look at the same numbers from the first 12 games as compared to the last 4 games, those in which the Bucs were panned for giving out.

What jumps out at me is that 299 yards rushing the Panthers hung on the Bucs during that Monday Night game! That is one stat that never gets old or loses its relevance.

Buc 'Em - Another Smith That Can Return Kicks
There's no doubt that Clifton Smith provided one of the feel good stories of the 2008 NFL season for Buc's fans. An undrafted free agent, he was largely expected to be just another NFL body. After all, we had drafted return man extraordinaire Dexter Jackson in the 2nd round to take care of the return game. To avoid any hyperbole and avoid a story we all know too well, Jackson didn't exactly pan out in year 1. Clifton Smith soon won the job and by the end of the year, was lounging in Hawaii on the NFC Pro Bowl Roster. He provided a spark to our return game and cemented the job as our punt/kick return man.

Clifton Smith did have a surprising year returning the ball. Might the Panthers find a similar gem in their bevy of UDFA kick returners in camp?

Week 12 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:15:47 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
QB	Dan Orlovsky	Hand	Out
RB	Kevin Smith	Groin	Probable
RB	Rudi Johnson	Knee	Probable
FB	Jerome Felton	Ankle	Probable
WR	Calvin Johnson	Quad	Probable
WR	Mike Furrey	Concussion	Out
OG	Edwin Mulitalo	Knee	Questionable
C	Dominic Raiola	Hand	Out
DE	Ikaika Alama-Francis	Concussion	Probable
DE	Jared DeVries	Hand	Probable
DE	Dewayne White	Calf	Out
DT	Cory Redding	Groin	Probable
DT	Chuck Darby	Calf	Probable
CB	Keith Smith	Groin	Out
S	Dwight Smith	Foot	Questionable
S	Kalvin Pearson	Shoulder	Probable

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
QB	Brian Griese	Right Elbow	Questionable
RB	Carnell Williams	Hamstring	Questionable
RB	Warrick Dunn	Back	Probable
WR	Ike Hilliard	Shoulder	Probable
TE	Alex Smith	Ankle	Questionable
OG	Arron Sears	Shoulder	Probable
S	Jermaine Phillips	Forearm	Doubtful

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game