SB Nation - Brian Griese

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?

Jet Memories countdown: #2 - 2005, Vinny Testeverde, from your couch to our living room.

Niko Houllis — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:37:17 -0000

It was only 18 years after he came into the league FOR the Tampa Bay Bucccaneers. A lot has happened to both Vinny and the Bucs since then. The Bucs won a Superbowl finally, and VInny took the Jets to the brink of one.

But in this case, the Jets were without their starting QB Chad Pennington, and the Bucs were riding the Brian Griese wave since the 2004 season. Griese led the Bucs to a 4-0 record so far, but up 6-0, he threw a pick returned to deep Buccaneer territory where the Jets scored to make a game out of it. No one told Vinny he was just on the couch a few days before! No, literally, the Jets started Vinny Testeverde only days after being on his couch retired in New York.

Matt Bryant kicked 4 FGs, and was within range for another, when Joey Galloway caught a deep ball over the middle however, as time expired. Cadillac was on the sideline, and Brian Griese was a game away from getting knocked out of the Bucs line up for the year.

This was probably the best chance to get a win over the Jets in the modern era. Tampa Bay has only beaten NY Jets once, in 1984. John McKay's last game.

Check out Gary Shelton's St. Pete Times article about the game.

One interesting part of this game I saved on video was the accidental hit by Ronde Barber on a referee, where he tried to chop down to break loose someones hold but grazed an official with the hit on the way down

I think the officials gave Barber the benefit of the doubt with his reputation, or he would have been ejected. It does not matter that it was incidental, ANY contact between an official and player is grounds for an ejection.

Should Ronde have been ejected?

Dont Miss the #1 Jets memory tomorrow night!

Another Potential Bears O.C., Weis, Martz and now ...

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:00:13 -0000

There is a constant theme of comments being left on the threads of the series I'm doing looking at possible new offensive coordinators for the Bears. Many are wondering, why hire a new OC instead of a new coach. And some are even looking for a complete overhaul, from GM on down.

At this point in the season, even with as bad as things have gone, I still don't see them launching Lovie Smith. It's not in the character of the franchise to eat a contract as big as Smith's or Jerry Angelo's for that matter. The odds say that if a move is made it'll be one of the assistants that is canned. Look at the last few years and the coaching turnover on the defense. It's logical to assume that someone on the offense will be fired after this season. Sorry Ron Turner. It's possible the Bears will clean house, and depending on the remaining games, it may even make the most sense. But until we see how the '09 season plays out, there's no way to know. In the mean time speculating on a new offensive coordinator will have to suffice.

After the jump I'll look at another potential candidate, one with Denver Bronco ties, but not one of the names you'd expect.

Gary Kubiak has been on the hot seat for a couple years now. Every time a "hot seat" list is compiled the Houston Texans coach is on it. I don't exactly agree with it as he's had some injury issues and he plays in a tough division, but .500 seasons just aren't acceptable in this day and age of the NFL. He had another tough home loss this week and is sitting at 5-6. The Texans have some winnable games on their remaining schedule, but if they don't sneak into the playoffs I think they'll make a change at the top.

If Kubiak is fired he could be in the hunt for an NFL head coaching job, and he'll no doubt receive some offers from a few colleges, but I see him as an NFL lifer. He'll look to get into the best possible situation for himself and coaching Jay Cutler would appeal to him. He runs a very similar offense to the one he coordinated in Denver under Mike Shanahan, a more run heavy variation of the West Coast offense, and it's an offense that Cutler would be familiar with. He even joked upon his hiring by the Texans that his playbook will only be in a different shade of blue. Even though Kubiak likes that power running style of the old Bronco teams, he isn't afraid to put the ball in the air and utilize the talents of his quarterback.

He coached Steve Young to his best season while the QB coach in San Francisco, and had John Elway playing the best football of his career while coaching in Denver. He coached Brian Griese to a Pro Bowl season and helped Jake Plummer get his name in the Bronco record books. And his offense in Houston has never been the reason they aren't winning more games, Matt Schaub (when healthy) puts up really good numbers.

Gary Kubiak knows offensive football and would be an outstanding fit in Chicago.

Enemy Flashback Video; New Orleans Saints

Niko Houllis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:15:10 -0000

This series has had its share of surprises. a bit of surprise when we handled the Saints week 2 of 2007, of the brilliant last second win at the Superdome with a Jon Gruden GO FOR IT on 4th down. Last second losses to spoil Bruce Gradkowski's debut, and Brian Griese's heroics to replace Chris Simms' first start...

Relive them all Right here!

Enemy Flashback Saints from Bucs Videos on Vimeo.

BucsFanDave wins the Buc'em FanPost Contest!!

Niko Houllis — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:36:09 -0000

Congrats BucsFanDave!

View full size photo »

For his great work on "View from the Owners Seat", BucsFanDave will receive his authentic NON-throwback, original unworn Bucco Bruce hat via Mail in time for the Green Bay game!

Well, I have one true gift and that is my abilty to spot trends, fads, popular shows/songs well before they are popular and call them. For example, I was the first person wearing a Hawaiin shirt in the mid to late '90's. The first time I heard "Tubthumper" by Chumbawamba I knew it would be played on local radio until the point of inducing vomit. And finally, at the age of 5, I called the whole "football will be really popular" phenomenan. Obviously, I know what I'm doing here folks. (Con't after the jump)

In all seriousness, I have watched football my entire life. I have only played organized football for one intramural game in college (I played right guard and pulled a Trueblood). So, here is what that does not qualify me to do: (1) I can not watch high school or college players and project them to the next level (apparently Mel Kiper Jr. can't do that effectively either considering Jamarcus Russell was at the top of his draft board) (2) I can not make in-game adjustments. I've never watched a Buccaneers game and thought to myself, "they need to pull their offside guard to seal cut back lanes since the other team is running a stunt. (3) I can not develop a playbook or offense or call plays (of course, I could obviously still get hired by Raheem as offensive coordinator). Am I leaving anything out?

However, having watched football all of my life I do know a few things, as do the rest of the loyal readers of Buc 'Em. You do not have to have professional experience to see some obvious problems. I may not know how to build a dishwasher, but I know if it cleans the dishes. Thus, while I can't detail the many intricacies of a zone blocking scheme, I do realize that seven rushes for 4 yards means you didn't execute your philosophy correctly.

My point of all of this is the examine the thoughts of the owners in the past several years and see if they are truly to blame for our problems. Let us begin with the purchase of Manchester United. Obviously, we've read that the Glazers took on a massive amount of debt to fund the purchase, and that the soccer team runs an operating loss due to the debt service. Thus, many assume that the Glazers have been pillaging the money from their profitable Buccaneers club to fill for that loss. That may be possible, but I do not believe that is the problem the Buccaneers face. I think that the Glazers understand the football landscape much better than we give them credit for, and are trying to save the franchise, while at the same time keeping their soccer investment. I have three main points of defense:

1st: The Glazers understand that investing in this club produces revenue. Upon purchasing the club they improved everything from marketing to uniforms, brought in great coaches, committed to good general managers, and showed a willingness to make trades or moves to get them over the hump. It took a lot of courage to fire Tony Dungy, a coach who could build great teams, but vastly underachieved in the playoffs. Yes, he won a Super Bowl, but in all of his years of coaching, more often than not, fans were disappointed with the playoff results of very strong teams. I understand that point is debatable, but no one can debate the bounty paid for Gruden. At the end of the Gruden tenure, I believe more than anything, he sealed his own fate by starting a rusty Brian Griese on the road against Atlanta, and tried to say he made the right call when his offense put up 10 points against the 23rd ranked defense in the league. I think at that point the Glazers knew they had plateued with a coach that routinely refused to draft a quarterback and develop him. Again, I've never coached, but even I know that Brian Griese will never get you where you want to go. So the decision to fire Gruden and hire Raheem falls to point 2:

2nd: The Glazers understand the disastrous labor situation on the horizon. No matter how much you pay your coach, they have to have players playing to win. When owners opted out of the collecitve bargaining agreement, allowed an uncapped year next year, and already have dug in for a potential lockout in 2011, the Glazers understood the darkening clouds. Independently, I can imagine that the Glazers realize spending on players and resources produces a direct increase in merchandising, corporate sponsorships, and ticket sales/stadium revenue. Tampa has enough money that they will support a winning team and support them passionately. I still wear my 2002 NFC Champions T-shirt and watch by Bucs Super Bowl DVD regularly. So, the Glazers have entered into a two year hibernation cycle to try and eliminate as many fixed expenses as possible. We will not see the Glazers get involved in heavy bidding for free agents. You may be thinking "they still have to pay Allen and Gruden for three years". Yes, they do, but not if those two land new jobs. Do you really believe that after this year, Gruden will remain unemployed. They fired him late so that he would not coach this year, but would be available for next year. I think his salary will come off the books courtesy of Dan Snyder, Jerry Jones, or Penn State or Florida State, just in time for everyone to forget the end of his tenure. At any rate, the Glazers are in the owners meetings and they understand the fight that is coming. Rich people, both owners and players, have lost a grasp of how lucky they are to have what they have, not all, but quite a few, and will try to get as much for themselves as they can, rather than reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

3rd: Do football people actually know what they are doing? I understand the anger over $30 million of salary cap space. However, would that actually translate to improved play? This team started leaking oil last year in both the Kansas City and Detroit games. Was the Albert Haynesworthsigning a good deal for the Redskins? It did not markedly improve their team. When we made a bold move to get Kenyatta Walker in the draft, how did that work out? To this day, I'm yet to unveil my homemade "Congratulations on making your first Pro Bowl, Kenyatta" T-shirt. This year we spent $2.5M on a bonus for Luke McCown, and then the "football experts" said he needed competition at that spot. Why did we give a bonus to a guy who needed competition? How many free agents did Gruden bring in circa 2004 only to see "dynamic" Charlie Garner carted off after 3 games. If all of these coaches are such geniuses, why does luck play such a huge roll in success. Bill Belicheck didn't start Tom Brady in the first game of the 2001 season. He started Drew Bledsoe, and the Patriots would have sucked if he hadn't been hurt. We all watched Mr August get relegated to the practice squad, then bust out with 10 rushing touchdowns and huge contributions to a playoff squad in 2005. Is Ben Rothlisberger the master of clutch because ever since Troy Polamalu got hurt, he sure doesn't look as clutch. I think at the end of the day, based on the upcoming labor situation, the Glazers said forget this free spending, let's roll the dice with the draft and some cheap staff until we have some semblance of stability going forward. Then we'll find the next generation's Hardy Nickerson to restart a new dynasty.

We just have to be patient. After all, it is still football.

ON THIS DAY RECAP- 10/16/2005- Simms/Griese injury swap Pt II

Niko Houllis — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:16:32 -0000

Simms takes over for Griese, but takes a few games before he finds success

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Yes that was today, 4 years ago! If you read this mornings NFL piece, the Miami game in Miami is the scheduled 'rematch' for that game. It was the final game for the efficient Brian Griese who got the Bucs to 4-0 on the year, and 4-1 all together. The Bucs were in command when Griese had his leg rolled up on, and that paved the way for Chris Simms to take over the team. It took a few games, until that incredible Washington game when he threw that TD pass to Edell Shephard and Alstott converted the two point conversion! But on this day, Michael Pittman was almost tacked for a loss and took it the distance, and almost got caught napping at the ten yard line. The 5-1 Bucs would make the playoffs for the first time in 2 years, and you have to wonder how we would have faired had Griese not been hurt.

Cedric Benson misses out on AFC Offensive Player of the Week to Kyle Orton

Kirkendall — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:39:33 -0000

While Cedric Benson is nominated for the weekly FedEx Ground Player of the Week (don't forget to vote by going here... a lot), Benson didn't win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Sure, he was nominated. But Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton won the prize. Here's the story on Orton's performance during the Broncos win over the New England Patriots:

Orton completed 35 of 48 (72.9 percent) passes for 330 yards with two touchdowns versus one interception and a 96.7 passer rating in Denver’s 20-17 overtime win against New England.
Orton’s two touchdown passes came in drives that covered 98 and 90 yards.
He completed 6 of 10 passes for 76 yards on Denver’s 98-yard TD drive that tied the game at 17 with 5:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.
In overtime, Orton completed 4 of 6 passes for 31 yards and led Denver 58 yards on 11 plays to set up a game-winning field goal by kicker Matt Prater.
Orton helped Denver post a 5-0 record for the first time in 11 seasons (1998).
In his fifth year from Purdue, this is Orton’s first career Player of the Week Award. He joins Jay Cutler, John Elway, Brian Griese, Gary Kubiak and Jake Plummer, as the sixth Broncos QB to win the award.

Also nominated for AFC Offensive Player of the Week are:

Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson, who rushed for 120 yards (4.4 average) on 27 attempts with one touchdown in a 17-14 win over the Ravens.
Indianapolis rookie wide receiver Austin Collie, who totaled eight receptions for 97 yards (12.1 average) with two touchdowns in a 31-9 victory over Tennessee.
Miami quarterback Chad Henne, who completed 20 of 26 passes (76.9 percent) for 241 yards with two touchdowns versus zero interceptions and a 130.4 passer rating in a 31-27 win over the Jets.
Cleveland running back Jamal Lewis , who gained 117 yards (3.8 average) on 31 attempts.
Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning , who completed 36 of 44 passes (81.8 percent) for 309 yards with three touchdowns versus one interception and a 109.2 passer rating.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 23 of 30 passes (76.7 percent) for 277 yards with three touchdowns versus one interception and a 123.9 passer rating.

In case you're interested, James Harrison won AFC Player of the Week and punter Dave Zastudil won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. If you're interested even more, then:

NFC Offensive Player of the Week: WR Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
NFC Defensive Player of the Week: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Arizona Cardinals
NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: P Jason Baker, Carolina Panthers

ON THIS DAY RECAP- 10/10/2004; Simms, no Griese new Bucs QB!

Niko Houllis — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:18:19 -0000

Most of the greats were there, but the 2004 defense was struggling to recover from the loss of Sapp and Lynch, at least as far as their positions were concerned.

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Jon Gruden had enough of Brad Johnson. He just wasnt effective anymore, especially without two receivers like Keyshawn and McCardell in 2003. So he was yanked for a more mobile QB, Chris Simms, who would get his first start at the SuperDome! He added a much needed spark to the offense, getting the team down for a FG on the opening drive! But the next posession, he was tackled late (A flag was thrown) and hurt his shoulder enough to knock him out of the game. In came Brian Griese, the 3rd string QB only a few weeks before.

Griese didnt accomplish much at first, but in the second half, he caught on fire, and was super efficient throwing the ball around; 16 of 19 for 194 yards and a TD. It was the birth of a very exciting passing offense that season, as Griese finished with the highest QB Rating for a Bucs QB ever that season. Still, an 0-4 start is hard to overcome.

In a twist of Irony, the next year, around the same time, Brian Griese would have a knee injury that would lead to the ascension of Chris Simms back to the Starting QB.

All that happened, ON THIS DAY in 2004!

Analysis: Atari Bigby Injured

Brandon — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:00:23 -0000

Mike McCarthy announced at his Wednesday press conference that S Atari Bigby "had a significant injury" and "we're looking at a time frame of at least four weeks." I'm starting to feel really bad for the guy. After a promissing 2007 season, last season he was injured at Detroit in week 2, and now he's hurt in the very first game.

McCarthy has announced that S Aaron Rouse will start in place of Bigby. If they have to dig deeper, my guess is that S Jarrett Bush is the top backup. I'm not sure if they really feel S Derrick Martin is a starter; they might think he's just a special teams ace.

It's hard to tell who's the better safety; Rouse or Bigby. They each started 6 games in 2008, but they each battled injuries too. Rouse had missed some preseason games with a bad hamstring, but he looked fine against Chicago last week. Here's how the pass defense did in games they started last season:

Bigby:

Game	Passing Yards Allowed
Week 1 – Minnesota	178
Week 2 – Detroit	282
Week 9 – Tennessee	180
Week 10 – Minnesota	151
Week 11 – Chicago	159
Week 12 – New Orleans	323

Rouse:

Game	Passing Yards Allowed
Week 3 – Dallas	260
Week 4 – Tampa	149
Week 6 – Seattle	83
Week 7 – Indianapolis	229
Week 16 – Chicago	142
Week 17 – Detroit	225

Bigby started in the week 2 game when QB Jon Kitna imploded in the 4th quarter, although Bigby was already knocked out by that part of the game, and the week 10 game at Minnesota when they owned QB Gus Frerotte. He was also the starter during the week 12 fiasco at New Orleans when the pass defense was shredded.

Rouse started the loss to Dallas in which most of those yards were given up on a long bomb to WR Miles Austin and a big screen pass to RB Felix Jones. QB Brian Griese and QB Charlie Frye were awful during the Tampa and Seattle games. QB Peyton Manning had 229 yards passing, but that doesn't include the 99 INT for a TD he threw to Rouse. The pass defense wasn't great in the week 17 game against the Lions.

So the pass defense was pretty good when Bigby started, except for the disaster against the Saints. It seems like the pass defense was better in the games when Rouse started, but it's not a huge difference. That would confirm what I expected; that Bigby is the weak link in the pass defense and they're a little better when Rouse starts.

But there has to be a reason the coaches have never seemed to consider taking the starting job away from Bigby. Based on the coaches determination to start Bigby ahead of anyone else, I'm sure the Packers will lose something, but not a lot, in pass coverage with him out.

Potential Rams QB options beyond 2009

VanRam — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:20:59 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

The Rams are looking for Marc Bulger to turn it around in 2009. If he doesn't they'll be looking for QBs. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Browse more photos »

If you clicked through and read the entire page of the link I posted yesterday, in the post comparing the Rams of '09 to the Redskins of '08, there was another interesting tidbit, sure to feed plenty of rumors and angry message boarding (like water boarding, but it hurts your brain). It involves some baseless trade speculation, the kind of thing that could start getting out of control if the NFL down time runs any longer. Here's the tidbit in question:

With Marc Bulger facing a do-or-die season, the Rams are among the most likely teams to make a quarterback trade before or during camp. Bulger's never played in an offense like Shurmur's and could struggle this preseason. Tarvaris Jackson, who is expected to ask out once Brett Favre signs in Minnesota, and Kevin Kolb have played in the same system. Shurmur was Kolb's position coach in Philadelphia for the last two years. Other names of interest could be free agent Brian Griese, Todd Collins, and Vince Young or Michael Vick if the Rams really want to get creative.

Argh, the Vick thing pops up again, and Vince Young isn't a free agent, yet. Other than that, the Tarvaris Jackson and Kevin Kolb notion is kind of interesting, though pure speculation on the part of that author.

If Bulger doesn't work out this season, it's guaranteed that the Rams will be looking for a quarterback. The timeline here is way off, Devaney isn't going to start the search for a new QB during camp nor during the season, unless there's an injury. However, any of these names would be very intriguing should Bulger come up short in his make or break year.

Jackson, a second round pick from 2006, has decent career numbers, except for in the games lost to injury department. I don't know how good he really is; he lost time to Gus Frerotte last year. Before Brett Favre inseted himself in to the conversation, a battle between Jackson and Sage Rosenfels for the Vikings starting QB job was shaping up. There's even an outside chance the Jackson could be released this year if Favre signs on.

I'd be more interested in Eagles backup Kevin Kolb. A second round pick from Houston (same school as Donnie Avery), Kolb has been touted with the Eagles, and you'll remember the media's McNabb watchers said his presence meant the end of McNabb's days in green. Obviously, that wasn't the case. Kolb's contract expires after next season and McNabb has one year after that, complicating the equation of whether or not Kolb would even be available.

As for the other QBs mentioned above...do we really even need to respond? Griese, Boller's better than that. Todd Collins? The Rams don't do ancient backups anymore. Vince Young? Would he be a fit in this offense, can he play anymore? Michael Vick? We've covered that.