SB Nation - Will Allen

Week 2 Preview: New York Giants (2-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)

Buc Wild — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

Two games are in the books. The Bucs record is 0-2. We knew the schedule was tough coming in to the season, but I didn't imagine that our biggest opponent would be us. The Bucs have been beaten with the help of some self destruction. The trend has to be stopped or the season will get out of hand.

Next in town are the New Yok Giants, fresh off of a last second win against the Dallas Cowboys. New York rolls into town a crisp 2-0 and looking to continue their streak. The last meeting the Bucs and Giants had seems like ages ago, but it was January of 2007 when the Giants came into Tampa as the wildcard winner and walked out of the stadium a winner, on their way to a Super Bowl win.

Both teams have changed drastically since then, so let's take a look at some of the keys to the game.

As previously mentioned, the Giants are coming off of two big wins over division opponents. The Bucs are coming off two huge losses against non-division opponents. This would seem to be a case of two teams heading in drastically different directions. The Giants are led by (almost) $100 million dollar man Eli Manning. They feature a run game with two speeds; run you over and run by you. Their receivers aren't household names, yet, but are getting the job done. I'll get into some basic stats later in the column.

The Bucs seem to be a hodge podge team thrown together at the last minute. Our offense can be efficient when the run game is working, and our defense, well, I can't even come up with a joke here. Let's just move on.

When the Giants have the ball.

Pick your poison against the Giants. They can run the ball down your throats with bruiser Brandon Jacobs and back up Ahmad Bradshaw. This used to be a team that needed Jacobs and crew to run well to win. But with Manning growing up, and with no prima donna to appease, the passing game is clicking. They have several options to use on any play and are seeing a true deep threat in Manningham emerge with a classic possession guy in Steve Smith come of age.

The targets over the first two weeks have been evenly distributed. It's ahrd to shut a guy down when Manning shows no favoritism. It will be important for the Giants to mix up the play calling and keep the Bucs on their toes. The more they feature all receivers, the tougher it is to stop someone.

On the Bucs defensive side, it's still all about the big plays. There was improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, but the big plays were still there. WIth Phillips out, we wil be relying even more on backups to help shut down the deep stuff. I almost wonder if going to zone coverage for half the game would benefit us. You have to be disciplined in zone coverage and can't sneak up (Sabby), but it takes the island responsibilities away from each guy.

Of course, man to man coverage works fine when there is a pass rush. The good news? The Bucs recorded a few sacks last week against the Bills, so it can be done. The bad news? The Giants have given up one sack all year. Adams and company have to get in the backfield. If we have to blitz, then so be it, but thus far I think we've seen that bringing four and dropping seven hasn't worked. It's time to adapt Mr. Bates.

When Jacobs gets the ball, we need the early 2000's Bucs to come to play. We need multiple people hitting and holding the carrier. Play through the whistle. Wrap up. Bring help defense to the game. Or, as we can now call it, play Pop Warner football. Everyone runs through the play. If the Bucs don't tackle well, you will see alot of Mr. Jacobs bouncing around in our secondary.

When the Bucs have the ball

18 carries last week. If we have less than 20 carries in a week, call it a loss. This goes hand in hand with throwing more than 35 times. We aren't built for it. We have to establish the run. We've got three great backs, including an ex-Giant. I bet he'd like to run wild this week, let's give him the chance. Stay in the game plan. If we're down 7-10, so be it, run the effing ball.

With Leftwich enjoying a statuesque performance in the backfield, the Bucs OL and RB/TE's have to pick up the blitz. When the heat is brought, we need to protect Leftwich. He has shown that with time, he will deliver a strike. The Bucs may luck out and not have to face Justin Tuck, but the Giants DL is as deep as any in the league. It will be important to pass block well and I wouldn't be opposed to going to a shorter passing game to start. Use Clayton, Stevens and Stovall in the short stuff. Keep Leftwich clean. Run the ball. Then go deep off of that. Easy enough to say, let's see what Olsen cooks up.

We have to find a big play threat in the absence of Bryant. Winslow stepped up last week, but while he led the team in targets, I was surprised we didn't go over the middle more. To be blunt, Stovall won't get it done as a go to guy. He might work as the red zone threat, or a chuck and pray type of offense, but we need to get Winslow and the RB/s more involved. We ran one screen last week. It failed. Let's use the whole playbook here. Keep the Giants guessing. This only helps Leftwich as he won't be getting slaughtered in the pocket.

Playaction passing has to be part of the plan. This means establish the run. Please see the first paragraph of this section.

The Giants have to do one thing to beat us. Make us one dimensional. If I'm the Giants, I load up early, stop the run, and let the DL loose to hit Leftwich. If he gets hit, he gets antsy and starts mis-firing. The run game makes our offense go. WIthout it, we're severely handicapped.

Traditional Team Stats

Bucs	Stats	Giants
20.5	Points Per Game	28
33.5	Points Allowed/Game	24
401.5	Yards For/Game	389
286	Pass yards/game	289
115.5	Run Yards/game	100
31:50	T.O.P.	35:28
450	Yards Allowed/Game	325
282	Pass Yards All/Game	157
168	Run yards All/Game	168
2	Sacks against	1
3	Sacks for	3
0	Turnover Ratio	+4
31.03%	3rd down % For	42.86%
31.81%	3rd down % against	47.83%

Oh man. They gain alot of yards through the air, we give up alot of yards through the air. Wonder how they will attack us? Their defense has been pretty stingy also, so this will be a good test for our new offense. 3rd downs will be key, check out the differences there.

Advanced Team Stats (remember positive good for offense)

Offense

		DVOA	Pass	Rank	Run	Rank
8	TB	16.90%	27.80%	14	16.10%	8
9	NYG	15.70%	68.70%	3	-29.40%	29

Pretty close in total offense, but look at the differences in pass and run. We're above average in pass offense, but the Giants are excellent in the air. On the ground, this almost seems backwards. The Giants are near the bottom. It should be noted they have zero rushing TD's currently.

Defense (negative good for defense)

		DVOA	Pass	Rank	Run	Rank
13	NYG	-1.60%	-36.20%	4	32.80%	32
32	TB	42.60%	69.00%	31	16.80%	28

See that 32 next to TB? That's not good. We are 31st against the pass in adjusted value over average. The only good news here is the Giants are awful against the run thus far and should allow us to exploit the ground game.

Traditional Player Stats

	Comp %	TD	INT	Sack	Rating
Byron Leftwich	56	4	2	2	80.5
Eli Manning	67.2	3	1	1	103.2

	Carries	Yards	YPC	TD
Derrick Ward	21	94	4.5	1
Cadillac Williams	20	106	5.3	1
Brandon Jacobs	32	104	3.3	0
Admad Bradshaw	21	97	4.6	0

	Rec	Yards	YPC	TD
Kellen Winslow	12	120	10	2
Michael Clayton	7	120	17.1	0
Steve Smith	16	214	13.4	1
Mario Manningham	13	208	16	2

Key Matchups

Penn/Trueblood vs Giants DE - If Justin Tuck is out, this gets a bit easier. But the edge rushers on the Giants are no joke. The tackle duo has to keep the pass rushers at bay. A one sack day from these two will be a win. Anything more and Leftwich might be an on-field casualty

Derrick Ward vs his old team - Truth is, Ward as one of our lead RB's has to get going. There's no doubt he wants to show well this week. He, Cadillac and Graham need a minimum of 30 total touches (carries and receptions).

Manningham vs Ronde/Talib - I couldn't tell you who will be on who. Smith seems like the number one receiver, which means he would draw Talib, but with Manningham having the speed, Talib might shift over there. This will be a battle to watch. The Bucs can't let Manningham run deep. He has the speed to beat us.

Players to Watch

Sean Mahan - It's a different OL with him instead of Faine. This will be a huge test. He has to lead the line and open up holes for the running game. The Giants DL will bring it, let's hope Mahan is up to the task.

Gaines Adams - I want one sack. That's all I ask. Get started this week.

Bo Barrett Ruud - Ruud has to be leading the attack on defense. Needs to be quick to the ball, be decisive and wrap up. Jacobs isn't a guy to be tentative with.

Brandon Jacobs - WIll just wear a defense out. He knows players like to go low on him once he gets outside, so don't be surprised to see a few low tackles that are missed. He could make this a long day for the Bucs.

Kenny Phillips - He may draw Winslow at times. Let's see if he can keep up.

Things to watch

Line of scrimmage - We've all heard it. You win the line of scrimmage, you win the game. Well, the Giants DL looks to be a menace, the Bucs OL has been fairly stout but will miss Faine. On the flip side, our pass rush is pretty weak. This doesn't set up well.

Field Position - Our offense can move the ball but our defense can't stop anyone. If the Giants have to move the ball 80 yards on every drive, I think we can get a stop or two. If they are starting around the 50, look out.

Assignments - This has been an issue I've harped on for both games. With Phillips out, our safeties are in the msot precarious position. Keep an eye on Sabby and Will Allen. Stay true to the scheme guys.

Prediction

Well, I've never been a rose colored glasses kind of guy. I've seen the Bucs play two games with the offense being a shade above average overall and the defense just allowing plays to happen at anytime. The Giants are still one of the elite teams in the NFC. I don't see this being pretty. Giants 28 Bucs 17.

From the Mouth of Morris; 8/19

Niko Houllis — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:49:40 -0000

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Coach, How was practice?

"Jacksonville preparation today, went out and did some of that stuff today. Got some individual drills in, finished in with our fundamentals like we started, finished up with core beliefs like we started, had a small red zone period. That's what we did today. We got a little bit of two-minute and also hit some third-down today – all the situational football stuff we've been talking about, things we need to get better at, all the things we've talked about from the game. Third down was a big obvious point that I wanted to get better at this week. We really wanted to emphasize it this week with our guys so we did it every day in practice. We finished it up today. I thought we got a little bit better, we've still got a ways to go, we still need to get better, we still need to do different things. We were able to see that improve this week, as far as the game as concerned."

Coach how do you feel about training camp in general?

"I thought it was very productive, I thought it went very well. The camp ran pretty smoothly besides a couple [days]…I thought we got rained out twice, but we kind of handled that pretty good. We went out 40 minutes later [once], canceled one. It was a

very productive training camp as far as how it was planned, how we got through it. I felt really good about it. No major injuries. Everybody's coming back and I felt really good about that, so that's always awesome. As far as the injuries, I'll update you guys on Thursday on a person-to-person basis to let you know who we're going to have ready to go for Jacksonville. We should get a lot more guys back. As far as roster moves, we signed Steve Cargile today, we waived [C.J.] Byrd and we waived [Joel] Filani."

We know its a touchy subject, but will Tanard Jackson get to work the rest of the preseason games?

"Yeah, because he's still coming back. You've got to work him; he's got to get his work. You really like to work those guys a lot so that they can maintain their football, because they're going to be out for four weeks. So you'll see Tanard for a little bit this week. But the plan…you guys know Will Allen; he's been playing really well for us. He started for us for two to three years. And again, there are no excuses. Tanard is not going to make or break the Buccaneers; he can only help us when he gets back. He knows that, he understands that. He knows it was a poor decision and he's very disappointed in himself.

The organization's very disappointed in him. But at the same time, we love him. That's our guy. We're going to help him get better, we're going to help him back. That's like my little brother. Shoot, I drafted him. I loved him. I saw him at the Senior Bowl, I brought him in here, I put him under my arm. I helped him yesterday, I helped him today and I'll help him throughout this situation, throughout this whole process. We'll get him right and he'll be back for us after the fourth week. And until then we'll have Will Allen, out there looking like Will Allen."

Really? Your comfortable with Will Allen there?

"Oh yeah. I was directly responsible for being one of the guys that helped start Will Allen, draft Will Allen. I'm very comfortable with Will Allen. I've been telling him for years – he was a starter in this league. It just so happened last year we had four and you

can only play three. So we played three and then we played him when we had an opportunity. Now he's ready to get back to a three-man rotation, like we thought, and it just so happens he's in a two-man rotation right now and we've got to find who else is

going to be the third. Is Donte Nicholson going to step up and be the third, or are we going to have to use Flip? We're going to have to find that out. Or one of these young guys – we just signed Steve Cargile. Who knows, somebody could jump out of the box this week."

You say your going to have the Quarterback situation settled after this week. Any other positions that you will make decisions on after this game? Where are the biggest battles that you see?

"Realistically, this third football game you are thinking that your whole football team is decided. When you get to that third week and see the guys running out of the tunnel, those are usually the guys running out of the tunnel for you against Dallas. We have been talking about quarterbacks so much, but for the most part a decision should be made on whose running out there versus Dallas. I know I have been saying quarterback, but also the entire football team, so to speak." "You need to come to my evaluation meetings and give your opinion. There are guys out there, a bunch of smart people that I will sit down and help us make all of our decisions. I don’t sit in a room by myself and run the Tampa Bay organization. I take all the opinions I can use, sit down to give my opinion about what I think. We formulate what we want to come up with and then I make the decisions. I’m going to use all my information and I’m not going to be the lone looker or the lone guy doing it. We have to make a decision and I’m going to make it."

How is Josh Freeman progressing in your mind?

"He’s obviously, since I’ve seen him, he’s developed more maturity. I’ve seen a more mature Freeman than I had seen of him as a freshman. I’ve seen a more giggly Freeman as a freshman, but still was detailed and still sharp. I’ve just seen a guy when I was at

Kansas State the only knocks you could have had on him was that he befriended everybody. But since he’s been here, he’s kind of really been on the screws with things. He’s been detailed, listening to these guys. When he was at Kansas State, I think he kind

of felt like he knew he was better than everybody, his arm was better and that was going to be the deciding factor. Like just get out of my way. When he came here, he could see stuff that he respects from Luke. He could see stuff that he respects from Byron and he can see stuff that he respects from Josh (Johnson) so now he is trying to steal it and make himself better. That’s kind of the maturity I’m talking about. He’s seen those things. He recognizes the talents in the guys around him and he’s trying to steal them as much as he can and use them as much as he can. I heard him the other day, ‘Byron, he’s got natural leadership skills and Luke can really get outside the pocket. Did you see that run by Josh?’ You can see all those things he’s talking about, talking about pocket awareness with his quarterback coach. It’s been great to watch him develop with Coach Olson, as

well as all of them, but that’s the only new thing I can say I’ve seen in him."

Thank You coach! Its been a pleasure interviewing you while not actually interviewing you this camp!

It's my pleasure.

You didnt actually say that did you?

It's not in the box. I didnt really say it.

Well, they said you would think outside of the box....!

can we end this pretend interview now?

Yes Thir.

Cannon Shots: Tuesday's Recap

Buc Wild — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

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Hard to believe we've arrived here, the last day of training camp. After 19 days, we have seen all the story lines develop and shape the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Practices will continue, but training camp is officially over. Let's hop into the updates.

- Injuries: Jeff Faine is still out. Same with both Bryants. Will Allen is still out and the Bucs are hopeful he can get back in time for the game on Saturday. No big news here (a good thing)

- Tickets are being GIVEN away to the next home preseason game. Some see it as a forecast for blackouts, I see it as no one wants to buy preseason tickets. Tough to sell those when the price is identical to a regular season game.

- Caddy showed some good hands, hauling in a long pass out of the backfield from Leftwich. I'm amazed every day he is able to play at this point.

- Stovall and Freeman hooked up on a deep pass. Nice to know Stovall still knows how to catch. Please do it in a game.

- Josh Johnson got some work in with the 2 minute drill at the end of the game. In retrospect, that TD he scored was an awesome athletic play (watch how the only person who knows whats going on is the center, he snaps it, no one else moves for a split second). I'd like to see what he can do on designed plays, not forced scrambles.

- I was pretty pleased with camp this year. Great environment, good to be that close to the players. I thought Morris and company did an excellent job. I like the fire he brought to camp, the addition of padded practices and hitting. Only one big injury that occurred, and that had nothing to do with contact (AB). Morris has got this team off to a good start. The attitude, discipline, and leadership appear to be in place. I hope it translates to the regular season.

- This is/was the last practice open to the public and full media. Hopefully the training camp updates have given you an insight into not only what goes on, but how it shapes the team. Hope the information helped to bridge the dead space of football season.

That will do it for Buc 'Em's editions of Cannon Shots: Training camp editions. Keep it tuned here for all your Bucs news.

Cannon Shots: Updates from Tuesday's Practice

Buc Wild — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:10:40 -0000

Pretty eventful day. It's the second to last day of training camp I believe, and with the Tanard Jackson suspension, it adds a few more questions into the mix. You have to wonder where Phillips will end up now. Could mean an extra LB or Safety makes the team initially.

- The big news is T-Jack got busted for his T-crack. Ok, lame jokes aside, it isn't reported what he took, but he said it's been going on for awhile. Pot would be the best guess I could offer, but it's just a guess. With him gone, Will Allen has to step up and Jermaine Phillips did take some snaps at safety today. Keep an eye there.

- I'm sure it was speculated on elsewhere, but I know that it was definitely mentioned here at Buc 'Em that the loser of the McCown/Leftwich battle may get cut. Josh Johnson is seeing a ton of reps in practice and while it may be nothing more than a chance to evaluate the young QB, it could open some eyes.

- In terms of the offensive line, check out this nugget from TBO.com's running update of practice.

11:50: And down goes McCown. The O-line continues to struggle.

Not what we wanted to hear. But this is still with Faine out and Mahan in. Hopefully Faine is the missing link

- No pads in the afternoon practice. Morris and crew rewarded the team with a light afternoon after a brisk morning practice.

- Alot of energy at practice, with the RB's doing a chant aimed at the LB's and Jameel Cook and Elbert Mack having a dance-off. No word on who won.

- Caddy was fielding punts again. They seem determined to get him involved.

- Stovall dropped a TD pass, but made up for it later with a great catch. Bad celebration though. Went to dunk on the goal post and got rejected by the post. Embarrassing.

- The Bucs are still mentioning that Hankton is in the mix for the slot WR position. I will refuse comment on this. If you want to know what I think about that, check either the game thread or my grading out the offense column.

- Injuries: Antonio Bryant is still out, Matt Bryant sat out, Will Allen, Matt McCoy, Dexter Jackson, Stylez and Winslow all sat out one or both practices. If Matt Bryant wants to make the team, he better start kicking. At this rate, Morris has to go with the available guy it seems.

Not how I wanted to wind down training camp. No Bryant (either of them), Clayton not getting a lot of reps, Caddy sitting out two games, a disaster at QB and a suspension. Maybe our adversity this year comes early?

A look back at the first week of training camp

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

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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.

Friday Morning Links for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Buc 'Em

Buc Wild — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:45:26 -0000

For those of you didn't notice, the morning links weren't posted yesterday. I'm only going to post these every other day or so, or as there's news. With it being the off-season, it's a tad bit slow right now, so there isn't always something newsworthy to post. But we're back today to get the morning started off.

Season preview by date - A quick piece that looks at the top 12 dates in the season between now and the end of the year.

One Buc Place has some new faces - BREAKING NEWS: We have new coaches and new players this year.

Piscitelli fighting for job - This is just a quick hit, but Sabby Piscitelli will be in competition with Donte Nicholson and Will Allen for the starting job.

Bucs had a pick in the supplemental draft - Jeremy Jarmon, defensive end from Kentucky was the only player taken in the NFL supplemental draft (Washington took him in the 3rd round). The Bucs interestingly enough had put in a 4th round pick to take him per Adam Schefter. If we had taken him, that means we would have lost our 4th round pick next year. Interesting given the whole "we're going into camp with a great group of guys who can compete" stuff.

Friday morning links; done. News at Buc 'Em; always going.

Thursday Morning Links for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buc Wild — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:47:47 -0000

Welcome back Bucs fans. Let's dive right in here at Buc 'Em and take a look at what's being said about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers around the league.

More gambling news - This time it's (relatively) positive. The over/under on Bucs wins this season has been set at 6.5. This article says take the over (more than 6.5 wins) and expect an 8-8 season. Hey, its better than seeing we're a long shot to win the division.

Derrick Ward may steal the job - This article essentially hands the job to Ward based on Graham's inability to keep Dunn off the field last year. Personally, I don't care who starts or who gets more carries, as long as the job gets done. Last year, Brandon Jacobs "started" but Ward and Bradshaw saw a ton of carries, not a bad way to go.

A look at our receivers and tight ends - Let me start out with the bad. The writes gives our WR/TE a C+. He mainly harps on our lack of depth, He also points towards our QB questions. We get it, we don't have a clear cut starter......yet. The good point he makes, is that we've tied up a good chunk of money this year in the receiving corps between Clayton, Winslow and Bryant. This definitely means they need to live up to the billing.

Cover 2 spreads West - The Tampa 2 isn't quite dead yet. Looks like Seattle will be running it with ex-Bucs QB coach Gus Bradley.

Look at the Bucs running back situation - This comes from a Ravens fan site that apparently are very high on Ward. They also give a quick preview of every team's running back situation.

McNair and Williams - A look at the relationship between Doug Williams and the late Steve McNair. Williams had this to say "There is a fraternity you don't have to talk about, It just is. Where he went to school, where I went. The road he had to travel, the road I had to travel. When something like this happens, it's almost like losing a brother who isn't a brother. "

NFC South: Three New Faces, Three New Defenses - A look at Bates' scheme, why it will succeed and why it will fail. A very quick overview of his defense if you aren't familiar with it.

ESPN Ultimate Franchise Standings - Well, we've fallen down the ranks a bit. Ranked 68th last year, we're now down to 73rd. There are 122 total teams so this puts us in the bottom half. Also a good read if you want to see some failed attempts at pirate/ship humor.

Bucs players visit a military base. - Two players (Will Allen and Michael Clayton) visit a military base in Japan. I think it's neat to see players take time out to do this.

That's the end of the links for Thursday morning. Hope you enjoyed them, found some good information and they helped move the morning right along. Be sure to leave your comments below and continue to visit us at www.bucem.com

BUC'Em TRIVIA WINNER! BUCSTATS edges V.Money! Recount Ordered...dismissed!

Niko Houllis — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:56:15 -0000

No Film at 11!

Congratulations to BucStats for edging out V.Money for the Win!

Email me at CONTESTS@BUCSTOP.COM

Here are the errors used for determining the winner..

V.Money was first to post, but as I said in rules that this would not end at first answer, but Friday Morning. Due to other reasons, Im ending it on Thursday. Anyone else would have simply copied one of these two guys so that wouldnt be fair.

Bucstats posted the more correct answers, when taking out the same mistakes both guys made, Bucstats is left as our winner!

V.Money both incorrectly included Errict Rhett, who did NOT start for Tampa Bay in 1997. He scored a few TDs in 3rd and Goal short yardage situation, but you guys can both contact Drew Rosenhaus and bash him over the head for giving such bad advice to the best running back to don a Bruce uniform since James Wilder. I simply overlooked the (7) count which was obviously incorrect if you just count the names. LOL.. It happens!

However V.Money also incorrectly included Martin Meyhew, and forgot to include Philip Buchanon and Kevin Carter. Bucstats included P-buc, wether by seeing someone elses post or not, he still included it.

FLORIDA GATORS have more starters in Pewter, with the Noles close behind. Im pretty sure Cane involvement was heavier overall or in Orange days, as USC probably had more starters in Orange than Ohio State did (sorry Joey G if your reading).

Gators-

Brad Culpepper

Riedel Anthony

Earnest Graham

Ike Hilliard

Jacquez Green

Jason Odom

Kenyatta Walker

KEVIN CARTER

Seminoles

Derrick Brooks

Warrick Dunn