The new schedule has come out, and its very attractive. I break down all the splits of it, but the nice thing to me is

1) The division games are spread out

2) No major back to back to back  road trips.

The Bucs with todays trade of QB Byron Leftwich now have the most picks of any team in the NFL, and your going to see the Bucs Salary Cap numbers come out a little more even with three high picks. But the Sheer number of picks in the deepest draft in over 20 years sure has me excited to be a Bucs fan.

The BUCS 2010 SCHEDULE is out...so GO BUCS!

Your bypassing the HDTVs, even though that new 3D model has a few extra set of glasses for you to try out, and your passing right on by the XBox and PlayStation areas too. Sure you'd like to upgrade those sections of your home entertainment center, but you know youve got them taken care of for now, you want to add one nice piece that you've been missing: A Surround Sound 7.1 Tuner and appropriate speakers. Your going to go home with nothing but the best, because it's all you've been looking at for weeks, and you know what your doing.

And likewise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be bringing home tomorrows stars when they leave the 2010 draft, because much like my comparison, the draft is what they have focused on for some time now.

This team isnt interested in sacrificing a few wins now for a potential dynasty tomorrow, they understand that every high priced veteran with 4 years left on their life that plays today, is robbing a 10 year star like Lynch or Brooks from developing into their future. And so our Buccaneers already know exactly where they are going to lay their money, its just up to us to try to figure out.

1)Defensive Tackle- Without a doubt, the Tampa Two has always started with a fierce pass rush from a dominate 3 technique Defensive Tackle, and Warren Sapp made this defense work. While the Bucs wont always like up in T2 formation, the linemen will still hold true to form; that is, a one gap, undersized line that gets penetration into the opposing backfield, disrupting the play there. This differs from how they played to begin last season under Jim Bates, when they were trying to be a 2 gap line that help up blockers for linebackers to make a play. It was essentially trying to run a marathon with sprinters, the wrong guys for the job. If McCoy or Suh are there, one of them will be the first pick.

2) Wide Receiver- unlike before, the Bucs are going to try to build their next version by distributing talent on both sides of the ball. Tony Dungy held the defense to a very high level, one he rarely held the offense to. In the modern version of the Bucs, the offense has actually been built first. The franchise is being put together around the arm of Josh Freeman, and the Bucs feel they have found a true star Quarterback, one that will be a real leader and take the team to new highs. Instead of matching him up with players that have already established their habits, the Bucs will put receivers that are the same age around Freeman, and have them come up with the team together. Each year, each offseason program, each OTA, Freeman and his group of pass catchers will become more polished than the year before, and will learn to compliment and think together as a unit. The first of the Bucs second round picks will go towards a receiver.

What the Bucs will do with the rest of their top 50 picks and 8 total picks in all really depend on how the draft unfolds, but here are some areas of concern:

Cornerback: Tampa Bay could go with a safety first, but a strong corner to replace Ronde Barber would make sense with so many available in this draft.

Linebacker: How the Bucs view Barrett Ruud will be answered in just around a week, because a middle linebacker selection will mean the Bucs really don't have confidence in Ruud being a leader on this team. Ruud is a good player, with a load of special abilities, but taking the reins isnt one them, and whether or not the team is willing to ride with that is about to be settled.

Offensive Line: Don't be too down on the O-line Bucs fans, remember what they went through last year. Regardless of whose fault it was, they were told to slim down and learn a zone blocking scheme, then their Offensive Coordinator was removed and before you knew it, they were told to put weight back on and power block again. How well Aaron Sears returns to the line will have a lot to do with the overall success of the unit, but the Bucs are having issues with locking up Donald Penn, and are still waiting for a maturer Jeremy Trueblood to stop making so many drive stopping penalties.

Draft grading is really something that cannot be done for several years. The Texans are probably getting more out of Mario Williams than the Saints are out of Reggie Bush. No Bucs fans, it will be a few years before we will be able to talk about the 2010 draft and its impact on the team,  but know this. Like the shopper who is able to focus his energy on one area, this Bucs regime that didn't do that bad of a job with last years crop, will go into this years war room with plenty of information, and should come out with the best draft squad since 1995.

 will make this short and sweet...

Im not going to bash anyone, instead I'll take my bashings on the Fanposts and in here from the people who will do so. 

I originally had an idea of what I thought a good Bucs Blog should be. That idea was www.Bucstop.com. The only reason I came to Bucem to begin with was to post videos so Bucs fans from all eras could enjoy them. SBNation has shyed away from videos so as not to offend the NFL. 

It took a simple email, 5 minute phone call, and a few favors, to get permission from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers front office to not only do my Top 25 of all time Bucs Games, but 30 second shorts any other time as well, with some restrictions.

Given the events of the past couple of days, I saw absolutely no reason to bring those rights to this website. 

That decision has nothing to do with its readers. Ive found some of you ANTI Morris/Dominik/Glazer people of good nature. We dont agree with each other, but I like having Cracker Ball and BucsfanlostInIowa around! 

www.Bucstop.com is not really big on comments, it was never meant to be. I have the same feelings about it as Jim Rome does....where he makes fun of Radio hosts who say " No one takes more phone calls than us", which means "we cant come up with original content so we need you to do our job for us.

While I think the SB Nation ideal of fan based posts is a profitable one, I think most people just want to come to this site to read what we have to write, and, to watch videos and other content, which I will be providing on my own site.

2000 people come here in a day, but only 30 post anything. My point is justified.

I havnt gotten along with all of you, and for that I apologize. Ive spent my life sharpening my tongue having to deal with fans of other teams when my teams sucked for so long. I did not expect to find myself going up against the same thing with fellow Bucs fans. 

If for anything, I hope everyone understands that I always had the Blogs best interest at heart. But I find absolutely no joy in doing anything on this site anymore.

And so off to Bucstop.com I go, and hope you will visit, take in some of the videos, read a story or two, check out other content, in between coming here for your hilarious antics from BucsFanDave. 

Im very fulfilled knowing I was able to reach some of you devoted fans who like me have cherished the Bucs for many years and look forward to every game, every season. 

As this text was edited, Ive ensured myself the ability to keep it up for the weekend, for anyone who DOES want to know where I went, can follow me there.

Niko Houllis

www.Bucstop.com

Stephen Holder for the Times reports on Aaron Sears condition.

Read with caution. Nowhere does the article say he likely will do anything, yet many fans will take this as negative and that he WONT be ready. That is just as wrong as taking it that he WILL be. I think we all here at Bucem can agree that we wish Aaron a speedy recovery, as we need his services in his 2007 form.

Rick Stroud does a little leg work for the St. Pete Times and talks about the Glazers Man U situation.

Highly volatile subject on our website and others....probably best if its just read.

Another Holder story on the TampaBay.com website, which talks about how the Bucs will be in better shape if the Glazers plan works.  

If? It worked before, it will work again. The landscape of Pro Football has not changed much since 1978 and 1981 in respects to defense and offense. 1978 being the rule changes giving Wide Receivers more leeway in their routes. Before that, a defender could kill a WR and "Play Ball" is all you would get. '78 gave us the front palms of refs hands faced towards us, with the words ..."defensive pass interference...". 1981 was a vilification of Bill Walsh's west coast offense. It had worked before under its creator Paul Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals under offensive coordinator Walsh and QB Sam Wyche, but not to this extent. Brought to San Francisco in 1979 under the direction of Steve DeBerg and finally Joe Montana, the idea of short passes to replace runs caught on when the 49ers won a SuperBowl with the offense. Today a west coast playbook is in just about every teams arsenal. Other than minor defensive adjustments, Free Agency and technology (which granted are big changes in an of themselves), football as a sport hasnt changed since those days. 

www.bucstop.com has a video of former Bucs WR Bruce Hill catching a pass in the middle of the field, and having the smarts (and ability) to get out of bounds knowing his situation!

The Bucs had NO timeouts left, and were out of field goal range vs the Lions in the Silverdome. The Lions just tied the game with a TD with :52 seconds left, but by 1988, Vinny Testeverde was letting Footballs fly with reckless abandon (To the tune of 35 interceptions!). And with Mark Carrier and Bruce Hill along with Ron Hall under them, occasionally the Bucs could move the ball with the best of them. As this video shows, Hill took the catch in the middle of the field, and somehow reached his objective. Of course, he picked up GREAT blocks along the way! That shouldn't be skipped.

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The caution raised yesterday by Joel Glazer that Bucs fans will have to face the inevitable; Blackouts in 2010, has caused an uproar among some fans, and here on Bucem.com its no exception. Some have taken it as a slap in the face, when this is simply not the case. The Glazers are accused of many things, creating the 72 hour blackout rule is not one of them. The root cause of frustration is what the fans see as a "Chicken and the Egg" scenario; you caused this mess by not spending money on players, and now your telling us we cant watch the games because the stadium is empty, its empty because you made it that way. The only problem with that argument is..its not entirely true.

LETS LOOK AT SOME FACTS:

• People do not change- Regardless if papa Glazer ran the team back then, and Joel and Co. run it now, its still the same family, they share the same values. Also, Malcolm is not fully out of the picture.
• The Glazers Built the Bucs by drafting a core group of players, and surrounding them with talented free agents when available. Thats not to say they drafted these players and said " You are our core". No, they ones that turned out filled the roll. That holds true today too.
• This years Free Agents were older and more expensive. Because only 6 year vets qualified, that means 29 year olds were available, not 27 like before. Laws of supply and demand say the few quality FA are going to drive their price up.

WHY ARE THE BUCS IN THIS BOAT

Is it a failure by the Glazers to spend money on Free Agents? Clearly the numbers do not lie; the  Bucs are one of the lowest spending teams in the last report to come out. Why is that?

For starters, since 2003, there hasn't been a Warren Sapp, Mike Alstott, Derrick Brooks player on the Bucs to invest that kind of money in. Some of the biggest contracts were the signings of our own star players. The Bucs stopped restocking the talent pile with young talented draft picks and resigned them to nice lucrative long term contracts, because 1)The picks were not there for a few years via the Gruden Trade 2) the Picks did not pan out, they were not quality draft picks. You can blame the Glazers for some things, but you cannot blame them for missing on the later round picks. Cadillac Williams, Davin Joeseph, Aqib Talib, and other first round picks are one thing, but prior to last year, the Bucs simply hit duds in the later rounds. That is an important part of drafting, being able to get good talent in the middle rounds. 

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Rick Stroud of the St. Pete Times reports the Glazers have NOT placed restrictions on spending, at least that is what Mark Dominik is saying about his bosses.

Then I will have to eat an increasingly larger amount of a particular black Corvus, because I have blamed the lower than expected free agency spending on the Glazers lack of funds. Not that I disagree with the plan: the FA market this year is more expensive than usual, and lower overall on talent. The Draft on the other hand is very deep and represents almost two years worth of future star players because of the possibility of a Rookie Cap, Juniors are coming out in droves.

Buccaneers.com website begins a position by position analysis starting out with Corner Backs.

We still have two players that we don't know a lot about as far as their futures. Elbert Mack and E.J. Biggers are promising. Talib is an emerging star, and the addition of one more like him could cement the Bucs DBs as one of the leagues best.

With Buffalo driving into winning FG range, the '82 Bucs Defense comes up big! Re-live the moment Or view it for the first time HERE. 

Will never forget this, I was in the end zone with the Bills coming towards us. There were a lot of turnovers in the game too! This was a must win game, the first of three straight home games the Bucs needed to win all three to finish 5-4. They won each game by a FG or less, all at the last minute or OT.                                               

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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin talks about his former Protegee and how he will improve in 2010.

Its really hard to figure out what needs to improve, because we dont know who was responsible for the major messes of 2009. Who hired Jags? Who hired Bates? Who decided to keep Clayton and sign him to a huge contract? Whose idea was it to have a McCown vs Lefwich preseason only to have the loser shipped off and winer start for only 3 games. My thinking is that all of the above had at least two sets of finger prints on each. We do know Morris was to blame for in game decisions, and that is bound to improve from last season to next as time goes on.

Joey Galloway didn't just flex his Biceps after catching the ball, as this video shows, he ran one back for us too!

We were still convinced the Keyshawn for Galloway trade benefited Dallas more than us. Of course it wasnt really a fair way to compare it, by 2005 he became a 1,000 yard WR, first of 3 in a row.

Josh Bidwell gone as a Buccaneer, picked up by the Redskins. 

Im sure I'm not the only one a little confused by this, as Bidwell was a solid punter over the last few years. I hope this isn't the beginning of questionable personnel moves. In the Bucs defense, Bidwell is 35 now, with some injuries.

Pat Yasinskas and Pewter Report feel the Bucs will improve in 2010

It's still too early to predict the Bucs record with any kind of accuracy when we don't know who is coming in via the draft. Not that you will know then either, as draft picks are touch and go for years sometimes. But at least we will be able to guess better based on how the Bucs filled need positions. There will still be a stream of free agents coming in after that, some of which will have an impact on the season. Then We have the announcement of the 2010 schedule. Few people predicted the Bucs would come out of the gate with any wins when we saw the first 5 games dominated by the NFC East! Still, we have one of the weakest schedules in the league, were going into the season with a full offseason as Freeman in his role as QB, and the defense is not learning a new system anymore, just some of the new players! The return of Aaron Sears and an O line on the same page should help this prediction come true. What is considered improvement, that is the question. 

NOTE: As mentioned below by BW, NFL Owners voted to approve New OverTime rules.

Its coming up fast, and we cannot wait! For a team that is building through the draft, having the 3rd pick, and 3 of the top 50 best collegiate players, and 5 of the top 100, this years selection process is probably going to make or break this franchise for the next decade. Not to mention determine what will happen to Mark Dominik, Raheem Morris, and anyone else associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While we look forward, its always prudent to take a look back. Have a gander at our greatest successes as well as a peek at the worst of the failures; and boy have we had both in Orange and Pewter, enough to fill a library. 

Well, at the very least, fill one good blog post.

Keep in mind I realize that Hindsight has perfect 20/20 vision. No one knew some of yesteryears players would turn out to be Gems, or vice versa. Still its fun to see who was available with a busted pick.

So here we have it, for better or worse.

5 WORST DRAFTS IN TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS HISTORY-

Honorable Mention- 2002- Oh sure, how do you put down a draft that the first two rounds were used to get us the coach that Won us our first Superbowl?? Am I trying to say Jon Gruden had no part in that? Of course not. But the decision was made in 2001, not 2002. The Picks were given away, so what they were used for is really not going to count here. However, who else was picked in 2002? Marquise Walker (of "Get your ass in there Marquise" fame), Travis Stephens, John Stamper, and the immortal Tim Wansley of 2003 MNF Indianapolis Colts fame! Remember Pro Bowler Center Zach Quaccia? oh that was the alternate universe, sorry. Jermaine Phillips is the only pick from 2002 worth mentioning, but we cant just pretend the round 1&2 picks didnt give us Chucky.

#5- 1985- Ron Holmes was the number one pick for the Bucs in 1985, he was going to replace Lee Roy Selmon. He did, in the line up. Not the stat sheets. The second round pick was traded away for Steve DeBerg, and Ervin Randle in the 3rd round was the only player besides WR Phil Freeman in round 8 to get playing time. There was one starter choosen in the whole draft, in round 10 Place Kicker Donald Igwebike. Donald Kicker as Ray Perkins would call him, Or Iggy as everyone else did, went on to set records for the Bucs. But one player, a kicker, in a draft that was 12 rounds, does not a draft make. Oh Jerry Rice was taken 8 spots later. 

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When Hugh Culverhouse passed away in the mid-nineties, it revealed a club that was quite profitable yet riddled with debt. Hugh Culverhouse JR., son of then owner, forced the sale of the franchise down the windpipes of the shareholders. George Steinbrenner was one interested buyer, so was Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who publicly announced if he purchased the team he would relocate them to his home area that lost the Colts to Indianapolis. Malcom Glazer swooped down and saved the Bucs when they paid the most amount of money for an NFL franchise; 192 million dollars.

They told the Tampa Bay community straight up, they needed to pass local tax referendums to build a new stadium, because they didn't pay only 16 million for the team like Culverhouse, they would need a far larger income base that comes from new stadiums with Club Seats, etc. Taxpayers and voters came together and approved the new stadium, and both sides benefited. The Glazers made money, and spent money and put together a team that competed year in and year out every since they bought the team.

Until now. Until  Manchester United.

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Hey fellow Bulls fans! Congrats on getting your very own space to belong! 

Ive been into USF since I was a kid, and remember the very first Football game over Kentucky Weslian if I remember right! Unfortunately, Ive been a Cane fan since I was young for Football, but once the Bulls went 1A, and scheduled the Canes a few years ago, I knew I was going to have to make up my mind who I was going to root for. 

And I chose the Bulls. Even though they lost to Miami that year, they played them respectable even though Julmiste fumbled the ball so much.

The win over FSU this year was just awesome. Big things are on the Horizon for USF football, one day we will break that mark of #2!

GO BULLS

Stephen Holder of the St. Pete Times reports on how Coach Morris has plans for his new toy in the secondary....
If the Bucs didn't respect their former players numbers, we'd find out about it now! Because I bet #47 would be on Jones' back in no time the way it sounds! That was the nice thing about Lynch, he commanded respect two ways. 1) A QB knew if he threw that ball, it might end up in the arms of the multi-probowl safety. 2) WR would tread carefully in Lynch territory for fear of going back to the huddle like a cartoon character from Looney Toons. A couple good hits from Jones and everyone will know to tread carefully, "thar be head-hunters lurkin'"

How about some Moore Orange Video, pardon the pun! 

On top of being so versatile, Moore had some great hands for a tight end. And his color commentary isnt that  bad side by side with  Gene's!

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have solidified one of the better safety tandems in the NFL Tuesday with the acquisition of Sean Jones from the Eagles. Bucs fans have become used to a Strong Safety who lurks along the line of scrimmage while having the ability to collect footballs in the secondary like Stamps. Sixteen INTs in four years is a nice portfolio for such a player.

The Bucs have been last among stopping the run lately, and Jones will probably be an asset in helping with that department. Coming out of the University of Georgia in 2004, the Bucs were scouting Jones with a young secondary assistant named Raheem Morris. Now having started 53 of his past 59 games, the 6' 1" 220 pound Jones will go directly up against incumbent Sabby Piscitelli in camp for the Strong Safety Position.

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His piece "As a lifelong Buc fan I sit and I stew...." beat out Cracker Ball's "Stinkeroo" post by one whole point out of a possible 50!

While bias insinuations are sure to be coming up probably as soon as comment one, the truth is I was more than fair in my assesment of the only two stories that were even close to being elegible.

Thanks To keysersoze for trying, but I completely edited his post, thus it was ineligible (and Illegible too if I may add, waka waka).  Hopefully next contest we can get greater participation.

Here is the scoring used to determine the winner:

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Stephen Holder says the Bucs are serious about acquiring Sean Jones from the Eagles.
We've been hearing this for a few days now, so what is it all about? Is it a Brandon Marshall type rumor, for is this something everyone can see happen? Can YOU see it happening? Steve Duemig is saying its a done deal according to Bucem Reader PasadenaPadre....
Rick Stroud, also of the Times, says the Steelers are hot after Leftwich.

Exactly who is lining up at One Buc place to stop him from leaving? He did lead us to the number 4 offense and made Michael Clayton look like he was a real receiver! 

Ever wonder exactly how strong Doug Williams arm was? Check this Video out, where a flick of the wrist goes over 50 yards downfield. 

He barely puts any arm into it and it flys.

Bucpower.com features an in depth look at the original 1976 draft, the first one ever, and the one that brought us Lee Roy Selmon.

Trading for Steve Spurier?, what were we? An Expansion team?

One of the popular knocks on Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris (there are many after a 3-13 inaugural season) is the lack of major coaching experience. A Coordinator's duties seem to be the magic mark on a resume that many feel would qualify a candidate to run an NFL organization. With the difference between the Professional and Collegiate level becoming hazier every year, a deciding standard such as the leadership of more than just a handful of players is what leans most people to approve or disapprove a Man from taking over a team in the Big Leagues.

To be fair, the more experience a coach has the better; its one less thing at at a critical juncture that he will have to deal with for the first time ever. But is it a requirement?

In short, No.

There are many atributes that qualify a man to be a leader, but there is first time for everything, as this list of first time Head Coaches attests- not one man in this list had deeper experience than Raheem Morris did before the Glazers appointed him Head Buc in Charge.

Some of the names are from many years gone by. Some just a decade or so ago. Then you have the list of recent coaches who have yet to prove anything, but do have the job and do have their team competing. Take the list for what you will; it is not a concrete slab where it can withstand major salvos of criticism. However, for the most part, when taken as a whole, its a wall of evidence that supports one major etiquette that cannot be refuted: You do NOT have to be an Offensive Coordinator or Defensive Coordinator to be considered for Head Coach.                                                                               ---- List after the Jump----                                                     

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While we gear up for the draft which is sure to cause 19587 to the 3rd power more interest than Free Agency, I thought a little diversion is in order. Your thoughts in the comments are welcomed if you can correct me and replace someone I have nominated as a better candidate in his position. 

I take into effect not only stats, but how they played the game. Size, speed is of  no concern, because players from 2009 would obliterate those from 1979 in sheer size. The Bucs offensive line in 1979 was considered one of the better ones, yet its the size of the average NCAA O-line today. 

No Bucs fans, this list is made up of the best of the best in each position. At time when there is simply a need, a reserve is allowed because two players from different eras simply cannot be left off the list.

And so I bring you, the ALL TIME, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team:

OFFENSE:

QB- Doug Williams- Forget being a trend setter by being the first full time African-American starter at the position, Williams had a canon arm, and a physique that wouldnt go down. He was sacked less than ten times in 1979 for example. The knock on Doug was his low completion percentage, but you have to remember, he played in a day that predawned the West Coast Offense. Doug would heave the ball rather than take a sack, and take the hit on the stat sheet. He threw a TD by the seat of his pants, and a flick of his wrist would shoot the ball downfield over 50 yards. No Bucs QB has been to as many Playoff games, and when he left in 1983 after 3 of 4 playoff years, the Bucs didnt go back to the dance until 1997.

FB- Mike Alstott- What can you say about the A train, he bulled you over, and when you thought he was going to do it again, he side-stepped you! Mike was an instant success in the NFL and in Tampa, when the Bucs were a laughing stock for being soft, he was the tough guy you couldn't make fun of. He could catch the ball out of the backfield, or get you that first down on 3rd and 2. Alstott played the FB position, but really didnt learn to block as well as the best until the later days of his career. He was pretty much a hybrid at the position, but it earned him multiple trips to the pro-bowl, and even more highlight reel clips on ESPN, as Chris Berman would say,   "your in good hands with Alstott".

TB-James Wilder- "Born to Run" would blast over the Tampa Stadium loudspeaker when he would get the ball, and get the ball he did. In 1984 Wilder was a handful of yards shy of the NFL single season all purpose yardage record. He currently holds the Bucs record for most yards in a season with 1,544, and followed that up with 1,300 in 1985. He did that last year with a 2-14 Bucs team that was out of most games by halftime, when defenses knew he was going to get the ball.

Tight End- Jimmy Giles- Number 88 had it all as a Tight End, Size, Strength, Speed, and a pair of hands that would catch even Doug Williams bullets. The big man has 34 TDs and averaged 15.4 yards per catch; as a Tight End. On his watch, Ricky Bell and James Wilder both rushed for over 1,000 yards too. Since 1976, only two other players have more receiving yards than Jimmy Giles, the Bucs best TE ever.

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At one point the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the 4th ranked offense in the NFL. Then we blinked.

Reality set in, and a few Quarterbacks later, the Bucs settled back down to their normal spot towards the back of the theater! The unusual part was watching Tampa Bay Defense and Last Place have a synonymous relationship in 2009. Once Jim Bates defensive duties were replaced by Head Coach Raheem Morris, that unit started marching towards their normal front seats they've been comfortable in for several years. 

The one thriving unit that most Bucs fans were unaware of, has been Special Teams. Tampa Bay had the best special teams in several categories last year, giving up the least amount of real estate on Punt returns or Kick Off returns, and that usually is a sign of good quality backups on the roster. Players like Maurice Stovall, Will Allen, and Matt McCoy may not have been good enough to crack the teams starting roster, but their contributions are missed when they are injured, not able to play, or in these cases, traded away or released.

While it may seem to be a move to immediatly replace the depth at linebacker, signing former Raider LB Jon Alston gives Special Teams Coach Rich Bisaccia another speedster to replace the loss of McCoy and Will Allen who was signed by the Steelers last week.

Alston is a former Stanford Cardinal who ran a 4.5 second 40 yard dash at the 2006 combine, and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round. As a Cardinal, Alston saved his best for last: accumulating 113 tackles, 16 sacks, 23 tackles for a loss and causing 6 fumbles, all in his last two years in school.

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Stephen Holder uses a nice play of words regarding Safety Brodney Pool and the NY Jets.

Not really sure if we were interested in a FA Safety or not. Tends to tell me that the Bucs have one in mind for the future in the draft. But which one?
What does a blocked punt sound like? Watch this video in HD and hear it for yourself!

Love this, you hear it over and over and over..., and I thought THUD was funny.

"It's Not Sam's Club" says Raheem Morris. True! Check out the Joe Henderson article...

Its not Costco Either. Most free agents these teams got were very pricy due to the simple but reliable laws of Supply and Demand. 

Bucpower.com has their version of ESPN's hit show, and you can read the panel's opinions which are pretty interesting...

This site is like the Buccaneer's Bible for information; and there is good reading of opinions too. Nice take on the ESPN show around the horn, kinda. I like when they mute the guys towards the end!!

READER M

BUC WILD

Contact me you guys have one the two 'door prizes' for the Town Hall meeting.

The one prize I decided to give to whomever was in spot #521, my birthday and that is BucWild.

The other prize is for best comment, which I decided was this one from ReaderM:

Rome vs Everett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8

Both winners will receive one Game from 2009 in HD on BluRay.

Email me to make arrangements to receive your prize!

Enjoy

Would of posted sooner but Youtube for some strange reason was taking longer to load then Clayton into a WR

Got something on your mind? Give us your two cents, and you'll get some serious interest: as in compounded!

Announcing a $20 first place grand prize for the best fanpost this weekend. 

Its this weekend only, and the rules are posted after the jump. Staff is not eligible.

Only Fanposts that go up from 12:01 Friday AM until Sunday night 11:59 PM are elegible.

GOOD LUCK!

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ESPN's Todd and Mel make their picks in Mock 3.0, and Bradford going to Rams has McCoy landing in Bucs' lap.

How sweet this would be. One thing we can all agree on is the Bucs desperate need for a dominant defensive tackle. I'm sure we are all tired of hearing about " the next Warren Sapp".  McCoy can come in here and develop his own legacy, and we'll love every minute of watching it happen.

Antonio Bryant signs with Cincinnati for 28 Million dollars.

Will this turn out to be a case of "The one that got away"? Only time will tell. No one should be surprised if AB has a 1,000 yard season in Cincy. Even less if he complains that Ocho is getting all the balls thrown his way. With Palmer throwing there should be plenty to go around. This might be a situation where we never know what would have happened. 

TBO.com's Roy Cummings talks about how the Bucs are FAR from the only team staying away from this years FA crop.

My sentiments exactly: with no cap, players that would have been free agents this year because they finished their fourth season are NOT FA yet, they have to wait until their   6th season. Instead they are restricted free agents, meaning their teams can be compensated with draft picks. So not only are there less FA players, but to get one, you have to give up draft picks. Supply and Demand tells us these players are more expensive than in years past. While the FA market is low on available talent, the draft is stocked with more than normal amounts of help because agents have told Juniors this may be your last chance to get a big payday in the NFL before a rookie salary cap is created.

Representing the side that feels the Bucs are not doing enough in FA, is former Bucs QB Jeff Garcia, who is looking to get picked up as a backup. 

I understand the position, but it sounds like it is self motivated for Jeff. Two teams passed on him last year after being on their roster. His tools are not what they used to be: in 2008 Garcia had the worst redzone stats of all QBs.                                               

Speaking of Jeff Garcia, check out this Video of a nice TD run vs the Panthers in 2007.

Makes you wonder how far the Bucs would have gone in 2007 had Garcia not gotten hurt by a hit to the back on the first play of the Redskin game that year. Jeff wasn't really rusty, but once the Giants realized Galloway was a decoy, they shut down our running game. Would a healthier Garcia have meant a healthier Joey G?

It's an unusually cool Florida this season, even for Winter; and it gets me teased for football as I feel like its ready to start again. Then I hear draft talk and I realize we have to endure the sweltering heat and the crack of Rays bats first before we can even think about walking up those turnstiles at Raymond James.

The RayJay was open for a good half-season before I made it up into the stands; the first loss for the Minnesota Vikings of the 1998 season to be exact, and I stared around in amazement at this new marvel that was going to be 'home' for the next quarter century or more. Still, something was missing.

The 'Ye Mystic Krew' Buccaneer wall of fame, splattered above some concessions, was no longer there. The cracks in the shiny concrete that used to guide me to my seat; gone. This is the feeling you get when a team you've rooted for all your life into adulthood vanishes and changes its colors. 

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Note: if your under 30, you will probably understand 80% of the words. If you are over 40, youll be lucky to know half, and thats only because your reading this on a computer. 16-24 range should score an A+ and you will be laughing at Bucs Tight End Ryan Purvis.

Video courtesy of Paymaker.com

We've set the bar a little higher on the Fanposts, so we want to see the best, from the best. Meanwhile, we've relaxed the strictness of the Fanshots, to give you a place to sound off. So we're announcing two prizes for two contests: Best Fanpost and Best Fanshot articles, starting RIGHT NOW....and going on until the end of the month.

FanPost are in the right column on top, they are blog posts, written by you, instead of us. They must be of the same quality as a story we would post. Spelling, Grammar, all must be of high quality. A fanpost can be your opinion on a subject, or you reporting something. It must be 75 words minimum, a good rule of thumb is you should have 100 words no problem. If your hunting for more words to reach the 75 word minimum, you probably have a fanshot instead.

FanShots are your way of saying something, thats not just a comment. The bar is lower, so you can be more free to sound off the way you feel. Your "i" letters should be capitalized, but your grammar doesn't have to be perfect. U can incorporate text standards or other effects. Its up to you, but if you want to be taken serious, the way you format your Fanshot can make a difference.        

Best Fanshot Contest - Prize: Keepsake ornament with Jeff Garcia, Joey Galloway and Ronde Barber hugging in celebration, and choice of any Bucs Game in my Library on DVD. Oh, Joey has #83 for some reason!

Fanshot guidelines are not as strict as the Fanposts. There is no limit to #of characters. And you can write what you want. You still have to follow the community guidelines: no attacking other members. You can ease up on the grammar a little, to add some effect to your message, within reason. If it looks ridiculous, like every i lower case, its subject to removal just like a fanpost.                                                      

Best Fanpost Contest - Prize: Mike Alstott Bobble-Head from the #40 retirement ceremony Sunday Night October 19th at Raymond James Stadium when the Bucs took on the Seattle Seahawks, and choice of any Bucs game from my collection on DVD.

The new guidelines are in place, your fanpost should have quality grammar. Accidents happen, just fix them by following the recommendations in your browser, or make your post in Word and copy and paste it over.

FanPost and FanShot posts may be removed if they are found to be in violation of Community Guidelines. Your post will NOT be removed because of 

• The basis of your opinion
• Who you are
• What you have posted before                           

So what are you waiting for? Tell us whats on your mind!

Sorry, Contests are for fans only- Staff cannot win one of these prizes :)                          

NOTE: Coming Tuesday 6pm-8pm The first Buc 'Em Town Hall meeting. Everyone is welcome. Topic of Discussion will start out with the current Free Agency situation. More details at noon.

There are some things that need to be cleared up on this blog, especially before tonights town hall meeting. I do not want the meeting to be about us, but about the Bucs.

That is what this site is about. Its a Bucs site.

Over the time Ive been on Bucem, here and there I have said things about myself,  but perhaps some people may not have been around to read them. Because of that, I think some have taken me the wrong way.

FANPOST ISSUE- We changed the requirements of the Fanposts lately not because of what was being said, but because of how it was being said. The Grammar was so poor it was hardly understandable. I was one of the people who was fighting against doing that, but after consulting with other SBNation bloggers, it became obvious it would be in the best interest of the Blog. I was told "What if you met someone on an airplane and told them about your blog. Then they looked up your site. What would they see?"

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Rules of the Town Hall Meeting:

NONE of the following will be allowed;

• F bombs or the major curse words- you can get your point across without them.
• Person to Person attacks- Make your point, defend your point, attack a belief, player, coach's ability, etc, not a fellow fan. "You Dont Know Football" is for other sites, ours is all about how much we all know!
• Racial, Religeous, Ethnic, or political comments. - They are the ones the inflame and turn a good convo into a flame war faster than anything.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• a fast typer on the keyboard!
• an opinion, or an argument.

Opening Topic will probably be Bucs situation with Free Agency. It can morph into anything.

SEE YOU THERE!

NOTE: Two prizes will be given out. 2x BluRay HD (or standard DVD) of any game in 2009 will be given out.

1 to the XXXth comment, in order, when the event is over.  Number to be determined by lottery.

The Other, A BEST COMMENT prize will be given, as voted on by staff, to the best comment of the night!

1 BR/DVD game to each winner!

Rick Stroud of the Times reports on the trade for WR Brown

I find it a little hard to believe there would be ANY negative or pessimistic reaction to this deal. The Bucs are NOT going to over-spend on over the hill or over-valued free agents, instead they are going to pick up players who can compete for starting jobs. Reggie Brown led all rookie receivers when he came into the league, and his production fell off after an injury, and the emergence of Maclin and Jackson. His story is similar to that of Michael Clayton, but 2010 will be a fresh start for him to compete to be a starting Wide Receiver. No one knows that type of player he will be this year, but if he is a bust he came at hardly any expense.  The Bucs need WRs, and here is one who needed a change of scenery. I would be shocked if the Bucs do not draft another WR in the second day of the draft (this year, the first day is the first round only). These are the types of players we should expect to see coming in through the doors at One Buc for the rest of the season.

Will Allen signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Allen hasn't been a potential starting Safety for the Bucs since Tanard Jackson removed him of his duties in 2007. However, Allen has been a great asset on Special Teams, which is probably why the Steelers picked him up. 

Watch Will Allen in 2005 does a scoop n score against the Dolphins!

Ahhh the good ole days, when the Bucs had the no.1 defense in the league. 

Stephen Holder of the Times talks about how the Rams moves lately dont exactly mean what they seem.

With so much talking by just about everyone in the business, its impossible to know what moves are diversionary, or not. The Bucs draft pick will be affected most by the Rams however, not as much as what the Lions do.

Pewter Reports Insider coverage by Charile Campbell is predicting the Bucs are interested in Jordan Shipley. A subscription to PR is required to view this and more inside info. 

While we cannot link to PR.com Insider content, Mr.Cambell may be onto something. I highly recommend checking out PR.com and subscribing. 

A nice little piece on Bucpower.com about Bucs rumours.

The "Welcome to the Crazy Train Pt I" story is entertaining reading.

Jim Flynn of PR.com reports the charges against Flip have been reduced.

It may not matter, as any Safety picked in the first two rounds will surely be Phillips replacement, probably as soon as this season. Phillips cannot make it through a season without ending up on IR, The legal problems may just as well be the proverbial straw.

If you are one of the Bucs fans who are upset the team hasnt made a move in Free Agency, you may want to rethink that stratagem. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports writes an interesting article about the 2010 Free Agency period, and what is going on with teams spending, make that OVER-spending for players past their prime instead of the normal prime free agents, which are absent from this years FA because of the Cap situation.

Normal Free Agents are NOT free agents, and so the only available FA are the ones most smart teams are staying away from. 

My favorite Line...

 

Smartest move

Teams that sat out the first couple of days on the sidelines were the smartest of them all. Most of these players are on the market for a reason. There is no way you should be overpaying for good players with great money. Teams that draft well -- see Steelers and Colts -- don't need to dive into the free-agency pool -- or pond, as it may be.

Here is the link to the piece...

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/13024969/teams-empty-pockets-for-better-or-worse-as-free-agency-kicks-off?tag=globalNav.nfl;cover

or click the link above. 

Im sure this topic will continue its heated debate right on up into the Town Hall meeting  Tuesday night from 6PM to 8 or beyond. 

Take a moment and read the article, then comment away.