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The 2000's: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team of the Decade

Niko Houllis — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:00:27 -0000

by Chris O'Meara - AP

The one position I don't have to do any thinking about.

As we come up on the last week of the year, it is also fitting to remember, this is the last week of the decade, one in which we won a SuperBowl. Only two NFC teams won a Superbowl in the 2000s, New York GIants and your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So in doing this Team of the 2000s, I decided not to just pick the best player to played at any time during the decade, I will pick one of those guys if they were that much better than the others, But if someone played a position for most of the middle of the decade, even though not as good as a guy from 2000-2002, Ill go with the longer term guy most of the time. Keeping in mind "Teams of" can be subjective, so feel free to throw in your choices or correct me where you see fit.

Here you go guys...the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team of the 2000's Decade:

Quarterback: Brad Joshnson- He played from 2001 through 2003, and for those three seasons, he completed a high percentage of his passes, was very accurate, and won a Superbowl for us. Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese had good years in the decade too. In a position that has been so volatile, the guy who plays three years dominates the decade.

FullBack: Mike Alstott- For his last 3 seasons, Mike Alstott was truely a blocker, and still toted the ball with good numbers. But no matter what, no. 40 made the Fullback position famous here in Tampa Bay, and the A train is probably the most popular Buc ever. BJ Askew is a good runner up, as is Jameel Cook.

Tailback: Warrick Dunn- Just goes to show you the lack of a dominant rusher here, when a guy who played in the first two years of the decade and came back for his final year ever takes this one, but I just cant give it to Cadillac even though his 2005 year was the best of the decade. Michael Pittman was solid but saved his best for the Superbowl.

Wide Receiver- Joey Galloway- What can you say? 3 consecutive 1000 yard seasons? Thats never happened before in Bucs history. Joey Galloway was Tampa Bays DEEP threat after his first injury plagued 2004 season, and MADE defensive coordinators plan for him in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Wide Receiver- Keyshawn Johnson- He was the dominant WR on the team from 2000 until he was let go after the 2003 season. He made the tough catches over and across the middle, and was the receiver the Bucs needed to catch the attention of defensive coordinators and players. Antonio Bryant is the default franchise receiver, and Joe Keenan McCardell would have taken this one if not for his 2 year only status as WR.

Tight End- Ken Dilger 2002-2004- With all due respect to Jeremy Stevens who I think is the Best overall Tight End we had this decade, Dilger gave the Bucs a legit weapon when we went from Dave Moore after the 2001 season. Alex Smith was a little disappointing, but again, not exactly a spot on the team that was really dominated.

Left Tackle- Donald Penn 2007- Current - I mean who else am I going to pick? Kenyatta Walker? Penn has shut down some great right ends , he will be fine there for some time, as long as the Bucs are smart enough to lock him in.

Left Guard- Dan Buenning- 2005-2006- Dan was injured in the last preseason game of 2006 and believe it or not, is the biggest cause of the poor start of that year. Cadillac Williams made a great percentage of his yards running left in 2005 behind Buenning and Anthony Davis. Aaron Sears should dominate for another decade if his comeback is successful. Special Note for Kerry Jenkins who was brought in and did well during the Superbowl year.

Center- Jeff Faine- 2008-Pres: Will more respects to Jeff Christy who Centered for the first three years, Faine in two seasons has dominated the spot that calls the protections for the QB. In between (03-07) the position was a serious weak spot.

Right Guard- Davin Joeseph 2006 Pres- Joeseph is kind of having a down year, but who isn't this season right? Davin is probably on the verge of a probowl year, or several years, but lets not forget Cosey Colman who played adequately for many seasons.

Right Tackle- Jeremy Trueblood- 2006-Pres- Trueblood and Joeseph came as bookends in 2006, and got the start when Kenyata Walker got hurt. This side of the line does not have a very dominant tackle this decade.

Place Kicker: Matt Bryant- 2005-2008- Gramatica just had too many of his best years before the decade, while Bryant had one of the best kicking years ever last season, and lets never forget the 62 yarder vs the Eagles in 2006. Very Accurate.

Punter: Josh Bidwell- 2004-Present- No other player really dominates the decade like Josh Bidwell, and in a way that is a shame that a Punter holds that honor! While Tupa punted well during the Superbowl, Bidwell came here via Free Agency from the Green Bay Packers after surviving testicular cancer.

Left Defensive End- Greg Spires- 2002-2006: The Crane he was called, Spires dominated the left side with his pressure on the QB and his attacking of the run. Marcus Jones and Chidi Ahanato were bit players until Mr. Spires came to town. SInce he left, only Kevin Carter has any kind of year there. Its a big need heading into 2010 and beyond, as is every spot on the line now.

Nose Guard- Chris Hovan- Booger McFarland was my first choice, but his time is kind of split in During Sapp and after Sapp years, when he had to play undertackle. So I take Hovan's 2005- Present years as the best Nose Guard years of the decade. This is probably Roy Millers spot to lose next decade.

UnderTackle- Warren Sapp 2000-2003: He was so good, that no matter what, he is the guy for this list. Tampa Bay is STILL trying to replace him. Chadrick Darby, Booger McFarland, Ellis Wyms, and Jovan Haye have tried. What can I say. If you don't like my pick, Suh me!

Right Defensive End- Gaines Adams- OK , just seeing if your paying attention! Simeon Rice just dominated this spot since getting him in 2001 until his shoulder gave out in 2006. Even then, he had his last monster game in week 3 vs Carolina when he tried to will the Bucs to a win.

Strong Side Linebacker- Ryan Nece- He was the Sam Backer in 03, 05 and 06. The Bucs had the no.1 defense in 2005, so you could give an argument that Nece has as much playmaking ability than Cato June there. In not for time involved, Ian Gold and Alshermond Singlton would get the nod, with Singlton coming in as the best Sam Linebacker of the decade, but were going to go with Nece, who as you probably know is long time 49er safety Ronnie Lott's son.

Middle Linebacker- Shelton Quarles- 2002-2006: Little known fact, Jon Gruden was the one who recommended to Monte Kiffin that Sam linebacker Shelton Quarles in 2001 would make a great Mike linebacker, and so he did. Barrett Ruud at times appears to be the guy...Im guessing we will find out, as he has put in as much time as Quarles did now. But Quarles played it almost as well as that Nickerson guy in the 90s.

Weak Side Linebacker- Derrick Double Nickle Brooks- 2000-2008!: Well pretty much...but there is no way you could make any effort to pick Geno Hayes over Derrick Brooks, so this is the second easiest position to pick. Brooks defined the Will linebacker in the Tampa Two.

Strong Safety- John Lynch-2000-20003: Lynch has one year less than Jermain Philips, so its a no brainer here. John Lynch could have played more as it turns out, but Phlip did a great job taking over. Lynch was the cornerstone of the Tampa Two, the Safety that snuck in the box and laid the wood on ...well, anyone.

Weak Safety- Tanard Jackson- 2008-Pres: People forget how often Dexter Jackson got burned in 2001. He had a great game in the Superbowl with his two picks, but both picks resulted in a total of 3 points. Rice or Pittman should have been MVP in my book. Jackson played well when we returned in 2005 and the defense went to NO. 1 again.

Corner no. 1- Brian Kelly-2002-2007- BK never had the public's full support like corner no. 2 did. I think its because the public perception of him is his outstretched arms while Ricky Proel catches the TD against us in the Rams NFC Championship game. But Brian Kelly was a great corner, and Aqib Talib is filling the number in properly.

Corner no. 2- Ronde Barber- The Whole Freaking Decade!: Nothing needs to be said here. Even when people call him out for a few bad plays, he makes 2 for each bad one. He even did well in a new defense. Ronde Barber will forever be remembered for his run down the Vet in Philadelphia to put the Bucs in the Superbowl.

Head Coach: I wont even touch this one. Tony Dungy is a B+ Coach and an A+ Man. Jon Gruden invoked energy into a tiring franchise that needed the juice he brought...on top of replacing HALF of the offense. He did NOT win the Superbowl with Dungy's team, but he could not have won the Superbowl without Dungy either.

I hope you enjoyed this article. I had fun remembering all the players Ive enjoyed rooting for during this up, down, up and now down decade. lets hope the next ten years are fondly remembered too. Feel Free to drop in with your opinions on the players I've listed, or maybe, if I forgot one?

Accountability? Morris, Dominik show mettle.

Niko Houllis — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:39:44 -0000

Message clear to non performers...

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The first few weeks, we heard the questions. "Where is the accountability". Then the losses piled up as did the heat on GM Mark Dominik and Head Coach Raheem Morris. "Morris is too cozy with his players".

It would seem that the gassers Morris ordered first day of camp was not enough to persuade some that he is to be taken seriously. Friday night, the message got clearer for many.

Dexter Jackson, can't return kicks or catch? Gone.

Jeff Jagodzinski? Can't give the details required? Gone.

Mike Nugent missing FGs? Gone.

And now, Gaines Adams, the franchise's compensation for the miserable 2006 season, the 4th overall pick in the 2007 draft, traded for a second round pick from the Chicago Bears.

Truth be told, most fans feel like it was a steal. Adams was expected, even challenged, to produce a double digit sack season which would've require double his efforts. Obviously the pressure was too much to ask of him; Adams went several games without so much as a single stat to show for his challenge.

Some will harp on the fact that we now wasted that #4 pick. This is not news, Adams status has been sealed for some time now, yesterday's news just became official, thats all. In much the same way Dexter Jackson's release was a sea of doom for some, his wasted pick just needed confirming too in the same way Adams had been. Instead, the topic of the conversations this weekend should focus on the Bucs management, and their willingness to make the tough decisions and cut players who are clearly not producing and a burden on the franchise, at the risk of the major backlash its sure to create.

Unlike the releasing of former Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, most of these cuts are not exactly an admission of a mistake. All except the OC were the result of poor draft records of the previous administration. Still, the message seems clear to those who are dropping passes, missing tackles, and just poor play overall. Where you were drafted does not matter. How much money you make is of no concern. Dominik and Morris are doing everything BUT use the R word, but in the process are setting up the Bucs with draft picks for next year, when the real rebuilding begins.

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.

Five questions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

JasonB — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:19 -0000

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This week I traded 5 questions with Niko over at the Tampa Bay Bucs blog Buc Em. We talk Tampa QBs, the collapse against the Skins, rookie head coach Raheem Morris, the Buc's ownership situation, and which Eagle would Tampa steal?

Check out my answers to his questions over there.

BGN - What's up the Bucs' QB situation? We know Leftwich was benched for Johnson who didn't do much better but is obviously still young. There's Freeman waiting in the wings... Who should we expect to see this Sunday and how much confidence do you have in that guy?

Buc Em - Bucs Head Coach Raheem Morris drafted Josh Freeman to be the Franchise QB of the Buccaneers. He expects him to be a John Elway, McNabb, ETC, the face of the team for a decade. Problem is the Bucs were hoping to sneak in a few wins in the first few weeks, so they wanted to have a QB dual between Luke McCown and Leftwich. In doing so, Both Joshes had critical reps taken away from them. In fact, you could say the Bucs Quarterbacks are ill prepared at this stage of the season because NONE of them really have had a large share of practice reps. Byron Leffwich has obvious mechanical flaws, and the Buffalo Bills exploited them with our starting Center out, and the NY Giants copied that game plan to the point Raheem felt since NO surprise wins were achieved, it was time for a change.

The lack of practice reps with the starting team has hindered the progress of Josh Freeman. Josh Johnson has one year of NFL experience even though its mostly just bench stuff, but he is familiar with offensive coordinator Olsen, who was the QB coach last year. You will see Josh Johnson this week, and the NFL will not see Josh Freeman until either Starting Center Jeff Faine gets back or Freeman is more ready. I expect to see Freeman after the Bye.

I know a lot of Eagles fans were watching the Bucs/Skins game hoping to see a Redskins loss and it looked like that would be what they'd get... but the Bucs seemed to implode. What do you attribute that to?

Tampa Bay came out playing hard, but they left alot of points on the field when then kicker Mike Nugent missed two FGs that would have given the Bucs a 16-0 halftime lead.

Josh Freeman looked like a rookie, and at times looked very indecisive. Then you have some questionable coaching decisions as well, such as kicking the FG on 4th down with 4:00 left instead of going for it , and having a fumble prone back as your 2:00 back. None of these plays cost the Bucs the game though, it was mostly lost on the missed FGs, and the youth and inexperience of the Bucs and their coaching staff. In time, they will learn to close out games like that one.

What are your thoughts on rookie head coach Raheem Morris so far?

I may not be the best person to ask, because I actually predicted his rise back in 2007, telling my friends to look out for Raheem Morris, who did wonders with the Bucs secondary when he came back to Tampa Bay after leaving for Kansas State for a year. Judging by what he did to K States defense the year he was there, and what he did to the Bucs secondary from 06 to 07 when he came back, I felt he was going to be a hot coaching prospect one day.

There are a number of Bucs fans (% we have no idea) who feel Morris and GM Mark Dominik are too young and in over their head, however Mark Dominik has been with the Bucs since 1993, and learned under Rich McKay (who built the Sapp, Brooks, Barber Bucs), Jerry Angelo (who left Tampa to build the Bears into Superbowl shape), and Tim Ruskell (who left the Bucs to build the Seahawks into a Superbowl team too), as well as the last GM Bruce Allen. So Dominik has been trained by and worked with some of the best football minds in the country. Then you have Raheem Morris, who has been with the Bucs since the Superbowl season, and trained under Monte Kiffin, arguably the best defensive coordinator of all time, perhaps next to Phily's own Jim johnson. Seeing as the ownership is going to be paying Jon Gruden AND Bruce Allen for two more seasons for doing nothing, it is doubtful they will do the same with Morris and Dominick. Their jobs are pretty safe; unless of course they go 0-16, and that may be unforgivable.

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the Bucs' ownership? BGN readers may not know that they also own Manchester United soccer club in the English Premier league and have over a billion dollars in debt. When you combine that with the fact that Tampa has almost twice as much cap space as any other team in the NFL... you have to wonder what is up with the Glazers? Can they afford these teams? Are they still committed to the Bucs?

This situation certainly has not escaped the Tampa fan base. The problem is the same economy that has hit the rest of us has hit the rich as well! The Glazers are required to pay a lot of money on interest payments right now, and that money has them cash strapped. The money coming in from the NFL TV contracts is more than enough to run the football operations of the team, but they do not have the cash to offer cash bonuses, instead they have been offering guaranteed contracts, which is also an attractive incentive for a player. Once the interest payments become more reasonable or gone, I personally am pretty sure they will get back to the business as usual for the bucs. Frustrated fans forget that the Glazers saved football in Tampa by purchasing the team and keeping them here at a time when the Rams, and Browns, Footballs historically relevant franchises, left their respective cities, yet the Bucs stayed in Tampa! Fans also forget that not so long ago the Bucs were in Salary Cap hell because of the unwise spending of former GM Rich McKay. The Bucs have not signed players just for the sake of spending the money, and in fact did go after big name talent this year, losing out to Washington for Albert Haynesworth. And speaking of Washington, Bucs fans also seem to not realize that the Redskins have led the league in Free Agency spending, and have not had much to show for it. A Lower Salary Cap surplus does not always spell out to more wins. The Bucs brought in K2 and Derrick Ward, the Best Tight End and Running Back available in 2009 Free agency. If the previous regime had drafted better, the Bucs would not need to rely on Free Agents so much.

Finally, my standard question... If you could steal an Eagle and add him to the Bucs, who would it be?

Right Now? We would take DeSean Jackson. Local Bucs beat writers had us taking him in the draft, but also warned that he reminded Bucs fans too much of some other WR we took with similar attributes, like Florida WR Jacquez Green. However, the Bucs ended up taking Dexter Jackson from App State, and he is now no longer with the team because he could not play WR nor could he play football in special teams duty. DeSean would be a welcomed addition to the Bucs roster. If we could go back in time and take someone off your roster, we would go back and take Donovan McNabb! Enough said there!

If you look at the Cincinnati Bengals roster, you have to ask yourself, is this team better than 2008?

Kirkendall — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:59:11 -0000

Relatively surprised by the lack of overall reaction from other fan sites, I had hoped for an idea of what others thought about the team's 53-man roster. Maybe some expected the look we received Saturday afternoon, thus electing to play off the analysis. Others could be sitting by, waiting for the practice squad announcement, as well as any changes after the Bengals make claims on the waiver wire; as well as possibly signing veterans; not that the practice squad has anything to do with the 53-man roster the Bengals will have heading into the regular season. And then maybe some are simply too disgusted to logically differentiate how the Bengals look this year, compared to last year, that led to a 4-11-1 season.

I've often chalked up last year as a season in which the Karma gods said, "it's your turn" to have a bunch of things happen that you won't recover from -- such as losing the starting quarterback, a disgruntled receiver, over 20 guys on IR (many of whom were starters), aging players where their body's are breaking down, etc. I know. It's an excuse. Excuses don't change the fact the Bengals started last year 0-8 and finished with the worst ranked offense in the league (note: we had a better record than Cleveland, so that's cool). That also doesn't mean the Karma gods won't point at us again in 2009. Perhaps it's our turn again. Carson Palmer goes down, the offensive line continues to struggle and the rushing offense becomes the biggest disappointment after high expectations. The defense has to bail us out, and historically speaking, that's not something we're capable of believing. Then again, if you believe in balance, all the went wrong last year, is righted. Palmer retains his title as the God of Golden Arms, the rebuilt offensive line comes through and Cedric Benson resumes what he did in the final three games last year -- averaging 154 yards from the line of scrimmage per game. Oh, and last year's 12th ranked defense with added personnel, makes a run at the top ten. Hey, anything could happen, right? After all, the Bengals are playing a much weaker schedule than they were in 2008. And in the division, during the past two even numbered seasons, the Baltimore Ravens struggled (6-10 in 2005, 5-11 in 2007) and the season after winning the Super Bowl in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs. We can only hope for trends.

Will the Bengals make a run this year? That, like most things in life, is totally unpredictable. And no one predicted that quarterback Carson Palmer would miss 12 games in 2008. However, I believe that the Bengals will be far better this year than 2008. You can see that if you take a position by position look at the roster.

Quarterback - Saying that Palmer is returning assumes he won't get hurt again in 2009. And I won't say that durability issues are starting to become worrisome with our starting quarterback. The fact is, injury forced him to miss 75% of the regular season last year and this year's preseason (though mostly out of caution and additional time for rehabilitation during needless preseason games). The foundation of where the question is more answerable, points towards the team's backup quarterback. If Palmer goes down again, do you believe J.T. O'Sullivan is a better passer than Ryan Fitzpatrick? Some could point to this years preseason and answer yes. O'Sullivan also has a history of being a decent performers in some regular season games. Others will point to the same collection of arguments saying that Fitzpatrick had a good preseason in 2008 and J.T. O'Sullivan also has a history of being a disaster in some regular season games.

Running back - Let me remind you of last year. Chris Perry and Rudi Johnson had decent offseasons which fooled enough people into believing that both would mimic their incredible one-two combination in 2005. Johnson was hurt through the preseason and subsequently released. Perry never recorded more than 75 yards rushing and through six games in which he recorded 10 rushing attempts or more, he averaged three yards or more in only two games.

This is what you have to ask this year, adjusting your mindset into a comparitve analysis of where we were last year: Is Cedric Benson a better option than Chris Perry? Is Bernard Scott a better option than Kenny Watson? Is DeDe Dorsey in 2009 a better option that DeDe Dorsey in 2008? I suppose if he plays more than four games this year, that answer is yes.

Wide Receiver and Tight End . T.J. Houshmandzadeh leaves and Laveranues Coles arrives. This, to me, isn't the argument. Chad Ochocinco is far more motivated to play this year and he looks to play two combined Pro Bowl seasons in 2009. Chris Henry looks like he did his first two seasons where he recorded 15 touchdowns; along with his total life change in which you get the feeling that you can finally trust him. Even if you're asking for a comparison between two wide receivers (Houshmandzadeh and Coles) to see if the position is stronger, I believe looking at Chad and Henry's motivations clearly makes the position stronger alone.

Tight End on the other hand, is different. I do believe the position is weaker. I won't go on what we expect out of Chase Coffman, he's a rookie. We won't know until the season plays itself out. Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht going down hurts the position, because two rookies are manning the position with Daniel Coats, who benefited greatly after Kelly went on IR because he was fighting for a roster spot with Coffman as the team's third Tight End. Now Coats, having the perfect scenario of two injuries playing out to make a roster spot, is now the team's starter. This will be the second time in two seasons he became the default starter because of injury.

Offensive Line. Not only is this the most critical for the team to improve upon, it's also one of the more dramatically changed compared to the starting lineup last year against the Baltimore Ravens.

	2008	2009 *
LT	Levi Jones	Andre Whitworth
LG	Andrew Whitworth	Nate Livings
C	Eric Ghiaciuc	Kyle Cook
RG	Bobbie Williams	Bobbie Williams
RT	Stacy Andrews	Anthony Collins

* Projected

I believe while we've improved at left tackle, we've dropped at left guard; Livings is replaceable at best. I also believe it's obvious that we've improved at center, while as of right, we're kind of pushing at right tackle. However, I'm too hesitant to actually say if we're improved or worse. Apart of me wants to say we are, because of the changes in perseonnel. However, another part of me just isn't sure.

Defensive End. Oddly enough, this position holds the same personnel this year as it did last year with one exception; Michael Johnson, who did not record a single sack during the preseason. In fact, this group only recorded two sacks in four preseason games; Robert Geathers sacked Tom Brady and Frostee Rucker had a sack, forced fumble and fumble recover.

This is where I believe we improved (albeit only slightly). Antwan Odom entered last year with a bum ankle, having been carted off at the start of Training Camp when he suffered the injury. He missed four games in the season and recorded three sacks on the first year of a well-paid contract. During the offseason, he gained bulk without losing the speed. Geathers looked great in the preseason, aggressively fighting blockers against the run and pass. I believe he's the best overall defensive end on the roster. Fanene has always been solid and can play both end and tackle. The biggest chance that the Bengals took was holding onto Rucker for one more season. It's not that he lacks talent; he just lacks the ability to stay healthy.

Defensive Tackle. John Thornton went into semi-retirement after this year, Jason Shirley converted to an offensive linemen and Michael Myers wasn't re-signed. The Bengals responded by replacing all of them with Tank Johnson. The Bengals will go into the regular season (as of this post) with three defensive tackles, likely using Rucker and Fanene in rotation. Is the position improved, worse or is it a push? I think this has everything to do with Sims, who led the team with three quarterback sacks during the preseason and led all defensive linemen with 13 total tackles. It's with my belief that he, not Tank Johnson, made a convincing argument to start opposite Domata Peko. The question though, is the position stronger than it was last year? I believe it is.

Linebackers. Think of it this way. Brandon Johnson recorded 112 tackles and Rashad Jeanty recorded 97 tackles last year. They ranked second and fourth respectively on the team. And there's a shot that neither will be starters against the Denver Broncos. Keith Rivers will retake his spot as the team's weak-side linebacker and it's evident that the Bengals coaching staff wants to start Rey Maualuga over Jeanty on the strong-side. Having two guys that combined for 209 tackles just shouts to the heavens that the Bengals strongest position, in terms of depth, is linebackers. The team's starting middle linebacker, Dhani Jones, is coming off a season in which he led the team with 165 tackles.

Compared to last year, the Bengals replaced Darryl Blackstock with Maualuga and Mays with Abdul Hodge, who led the Bengals with 18 tackles (13 solo) this preseason. Furthermore, if you watched the way Rivers played this year, he already looks far superior last year. He's quicker, stronger and far more aggressive than he was last year. He has the potential to be a multiple Pro Bowler. It's my belief that the Bengals linebackers is the strongest position on defense.

Secondary. Simeon Castille, Dexter Jackson, Herana-Daze Jones, Corey Lynch and Marvin White all have something in common; all were with the Bengals in 2008 when the season started; none are with the Bengals in 2009. Replacing those five are Geoffrey Pope, Morgan Trent, Chris Crocker, Roy Williams and Tom Nelson. I believe cornerbacks is improved, mostly because Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall look better this year than last. Morgan Trent lacked a solid pedigree with the Michigan Wolverines that makes us conclude we've improved the position with Geoffrey Pope as a filler. The Bengals could even look at upgrading the position from now until the season kicks off on the waiver wire or on free agency.

As for safety, we appear better. The questions are; is Tom Nelson better than Corey Lynch and is Roy Williams better than Marvin White? Chris Crocker is obviously an improvement, considering he could be one of the team's secondary leaders.

Special Teams. Kyle Larson. Kevin Huber. Set. Serve. Match.

The roster as it is, isn't perfect. No roster in the NFL could possibly be perfect. However, that isn't the question. The debate right now is: Is the 2009 Bengals better than the 2008 Bengals?

Poll

Simple poll question. Do you believe that the Bengals roster in 2009 is better than the roster in 2008?

Yes

490 votes

No

40 votes

530 votes | Poll has closed

Strength in numbers; an examination of who the Bengals started the regular season since 2006

Kirkendall — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:05:45 -0000

When the preseason marches towards a welcomed conclusion, discussion and debate takes place on who the team cuts and keeps. Sometimes the topic goes into salary cap causalities; veterans that are cut, like Willie Anderson and Rudi Johnson last year. Other times, the debate talks about players that surprisingly make the roster. As jsl413 broke down, the Bengals depth is strong in some areas, weak in others. Which means the Bengals could strengthen weaken positions by increasing the depth. It's a numbers game.

You see that notably with linebackers. In 2006, Brian Simmons was nearing retirement; his production was falling. David Pollack, while great with potential, was only then starting to adjust from being a defensive end in college to an outside linebacker in the NFL. Rashad Jeanty was a rookie. Landon Johnson was arguably our best linebacker. If you look back to that season, only one linebacker remains (Jeanty) with the Bengals and as far as I can tell, three are still in the NFL (Jeanty, Johnson and Ahmad Brooks). The position didn't improve in 2007 and grew worse when it was decimated by injury. Dhani Jones, an unlikely stability force who would join the team later in the year, became the most productive middle linebacker during Marvin Lewis' tenure. By 2008, the linebackers were on pace to be the most talented group assembled, taking less into the regular season while numerically increasing their numbers at other spots, like running back, defensive tackles -- two spots with limited production. You'll obviously see that again this year, with Jones, Jeanty, Rivers, Brandon Johnson and Rey Maualuga as the depth leaders.

Running backs is another example. In 2006, and even 2007, Rudi Johnson was considered the team's feature back. No competition. Hands down. After all, he set franchise rushing records in 2004 and 2005. However, along with the offensive line's degradation, he started degrading (some will note his inadvisable weight loss regiment, losing all of his strength in 2006) until he was finally cut in 2008. More importantly, the Bengals decided to take two fullbacks because Jeremi Johnson was simply not the force he used to be and the team liked Coats' enough to make room for him. While the talent level dipped, the team decided to strengthen the depth with numbers.

Take note of this. Am I saying that the depth and position is stronger because there's more players? Obviously not. You either have talent or you don't. A combination of average talent still makes that position average. But it is a luxury that most teams have, which largely depends on play-calling philosophy, as well as projecting your opponents philosophies. If you take on more defensive backs in any given year because your passing defense is poor, it allows you additional packages. But it's also dictated by strength. You will note how once the team had Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, they believed the position strong enough to only take four cornerbacks in 2008, as opposed to five in 2007 and 2006. Safeties increased because a long-standing issue of giving up big plays was still unanswered. You can bank on at least six safeties this year.

After the jump, you can see which players the Bengals took after cutdown day and how many players the team took at each position.

First thing we should note are the roster cut deadlines:

DATE	EVENT
September 1st	Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players
September 5th	Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players

Here's a breakdown on what positions the Bengals after final cutdown heading into the regular season.

Position	2006	2007	2008
Quarterbacks	3	3	3
Running backs (including FB)	4	4 (1)	5 (2)
Wide Receivers	6	6	6
Offensive Linemen	9	8	9
Tight Ends	2	3	2
Total on Offense	24	24	25

Defensive Ends	4	5	4
Defensive Tackles	4	3	5
Linebackers	8	7	6
Cornerbacks	5	5	4
Safeties	5	6	6
Total on Defense	26	26	25

Specialists	3	3	3

After the jump, we chart which players the Bengals kept since 2006.

2006

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson
RB / FB	4	Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Quincy Wilson, Jeremi Johnson (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Tab Perry, Antonio Chatman, Kelley Washington
O-Line	9	Levi Jones, Eric Steinbach, Rich Braham, Bobbie Williams, Willie Anderson, Andrew Whitworth, Eric Ghiaciuc, Stacy Andrews, Scott Kooistra
TE	2	Reggie Kelly, Tony Stewart

DE	4	Justin Smith, Bryan Robinson, Robert Geathers, Frostee Rucker
DT	4	Sam Adams, John Thornton, Domata Peko, Shaun Smith
Linebackers	8	Brian Simmons, Landon Johnson, David Pollack, Rashad Jeanty, Marcus Wilkins, Ahmad Brooks, A.J. Nicholson, Caleb Miller
Corners	5	Deltha O'Neal, Tory James, Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff, Greg Brooks
Safeties	5	Dexter Jackson, Madieu Williams, Kevin Kaesviharn, Ethan Kilmer, Herana-Daze Jones

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

2007

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe
RB / FB	4	Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Clinton Dawson, Jeremi Johnson (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Tab Perry, Glenn Holt, Skyler Green, Antonio Chatman
O-Line	8	Levi Jones, Willie Anderson, Bobbie Williams, Andrew Whitworth, Stacy Andrews, Scott Kooistra, Eric Ghiaciuc, Alex Stepanovich
TE	3	Reggie Kelly, Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie

DE	5	Justin Smith, Robert Geathers, Bryan Robinson, Frostee Rucker, Jonathan Fanene
DT	3	Domata Peko, John Thornton, Michael Myers
Linebackers	7	Ahmad Brooks, Rashad Jeanty, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Lemar Marshall, Andre Frazier, Anthony Schlegel
Corners	5	Deltha O'Neal, Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff, David Jones
Safeties	6	Dexter Jackson, Chinedum Ndukwe, Madieu Williams, Marvin White, Herana-Daze Jones, Ethan Kilmer

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

2008

Position	#	Players
Quarterbacks	3	Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jordan Palmer
RB / FB	5	Chris Perry, Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey, Jeremi Johnson (FB), Daniel Coats (FB)
WR	6	Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Glenn Holt, Antonio Chatman, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson
O-Line	9	Stacy Andrews, Levi Jones, Eric Ghiaciuc, Bobbie Williams, Andrew Whitworth, Dan Santucci, Kyle Cook, Scott Kooistra, Anthony Collins
TE	2	Reggie Kelly, Ben Utecht

DE	4	Antwan Odom, Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene, Frostee Rucker
DT	5	Domata Peko, John Thornton, Jason Shirley, Pat Sims, Michael Myers
Linebackers	6	Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Dhani Jones, Darryl Blackstock, Brandon Johnson, Corey Mays
Corners	4	Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, Simeon Castille, David Jones
Safeties	6	Dexter Jackson, Kyries Hebert, Herana-Daze Jones, Corey Lynch, Chinedum Ndukwe, Marvin White

Specialists	3	Shayne Graham, Kyle Larson, Brad St. Louis

Bengals settle lawsuit with fans; Sam Wyche is mulling a seat in Washington D.C.

Kirkendall — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:03:32 -0000

In 2004, several Bengals fans filed a lawsuit against the team "claiming it was forcing them to buy tickets they didn’t want." The Bengals settled last week.

The 129 fans will split $50,700 paid by the Bengals – no one received more than $2,600 and most received just $100 – and the fans’ attorneys were paid $175,000 by the Bengals. Abaray’s firm spent more than 1,000 hours on the suit and could have charged $350,000 but accepted half of that to allow the case to be settled.

James Walker responds to a reader on whether the Bengals would be interested in signing Chris Henry beyond this year. Henry is playing the final year of his two-year contract. And yes, that question is better served being asked in January -- not July.

In his continuing break-down of positions heading into Training Camp, Joe Reedy looks at Special Teams. Five story lines to watch | Practice schedule and tips.

Fox Sports ranks teams offensive line packages -- giving the Bengals a 30th ranking, pointing out that the Bengals have a lot of unknowns.

Running Back Marlon Lucky, who is a long-shot to make the roster, wants to impress the Bengals.

Dexter Jackson is still looking for a team. So is John Thornton, who will be ready when a team comes calling.

Ben Utecht says that his "primary identity is as a Christian, not a football player or musician."

Former Bengals head coach Sam Wyche is mulling a run at the United States House of Representatives with Gresham Barrett leaving his seat to run for Governor of South Carolina.

Deals with several AFC North draft picks are being made. Ravens sign second-round pick Paul Kruger | Steelers signed first-round pick Ziggy Hood | Browns sign first-round pick Alex Mack.

On Saturday, the Reds lost their fifth straight, seventh in eight and ninth of their past 11 games. Since they were a season high six games over .500 on May 27th, the Reds have gone 18-32.

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

Mario Edwards

Dexter Jackson

Brad Johnson

Greg Spires

Hurricanes

Horace Copeland

Warren Sapp

Nate Webster

Philip Buchanon

And the team with the cool stickers for good plays...

Will Allen

Joey Galloway

Ricky Dudley

It may be worth noting that had Derrick Brooks gave up his streak, Geno Hayes would have been added.

Thanks for playing!

Bengals release Dexter Jackson, three off-season roster players

Kirkendall — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:18:20 -0000

In an expected move to free up cap space, and realistically no need for roster depth, the Bengals released Dexter Jackson on Friday, along with practice squad players guard James Blair, defensive end Victor DeGrate and cornerback Marcus Brown.

At safety, after Jackson's release, he Bengals now have six guys under roster.

Chinedum Ndukwe
Marvin White
Chris Crocker
Corey Lynch
Kyries Hebert
Mike Doss

Lewis: It's going to be a way different offense

Kirkendall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:15:28 -0000

Head coach Marvin Lewis says of the offense for next season: "It's going to be a way different offense." What does that even mean? Is it the schemes? The personnel? Expected successes after closing the season with a strong running game? We still don't expect anything will change in terms of the team's offensive coordinator; position coaches, maybe. So that isn't it; though we're hardly confirmation on such matters.

Test. When did Marvin Lewis say this?

Oh, we haven't handled anything very good. We're not good enough. We haven't coached anything very good. We've turned the football over too many times. We've allowed explosive plays early on defense. We haven't played good enough on third down on either side of the football. We've had receivers drop passes. We haven't run the football effectively enough. We haven't handled anything very well.

It was after the 2007 season.

Along with having his jaw all jacked up, Keith Rivers had "arthroscopic surgery to clean out an ankle" and should be ready by late March for "offseason conditioning".

Every year, Cadillac gives away a free car to the Super Bowl MVP; like Dexter Jackson in 2003, nearly everyone picked the Escalade.

The Bengals Pro Shop is giving away free #85 jerseys with a $50 purchase. The Team's Pro Shop says it's giving away both "C.Johnson" and "Ocho Cinco" variations of the "85" jersey. We've always thought that the Chad Ocho Cinco name change was a one-year gimmick. Something for a little cash, from sales to publicity. That everything would return to normalcy after the season. The "C.Johnson" might just be over stocked (because of so many "Ocho Cinco" shirts); most popular player on the team, having a terrible off-season and regular season and no one wants to buy because no one is sure where he'll be in 2009.

Isn't there ever a point in time that one should leave a story alone? I don't care if Matt Millen is on television. It doesn't affect me, one way or another. I'm not even thinking to myself, "boy, his teams didn't do so well while he was a general manager." Sometimes people whom have been controversial in their own right, should sometimes just let things go. That's not to say I don't appreciate what PFT does; they bring up interesting stories that are otherwise buried. Sometimes they stir rumors, but you have to look past that. Differentiate the two; which is easy because they usually point those out early. On this one, no. I'm not on board.

Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski is likely getting fired for interviewing with the New York Jets. It's being reported that Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo was informed of Jagodzinski's interview by a reporter; not the head coach himself.