Bucs' Blogs:

Did you know the Bucs passed on John Taylor? Probably just as well. If he had come to Tampa, I might be referring to him and not Alvin Harper in all my jokes.

Could Aaron Sears' career be over?

Local and National Media:

Replacing Sears at the moment is Jeremy Zuttah.

B.J. Askew just wants to stay healthy.

The banners are returning!

John Clayton weighs in on the quarterback situation.

Amarri Jackson needs to turn his swag on!

Our "Local" Teams:

Get ready for the NBA Finals!

Matt Joyce is going to be a good one.

First of all, a big round of applause to all of you that nominated anyone for inclusion in the first year of the Buc ‘Em Ring of Honor. We received nominations for 47 different individuals (although we had to throw Ronde Barber out as he is still an active Buccaneer). And 21 individuals received multiple nominations. From there, the four of us went through a number of different ideas of how to narrow it down, before coming up with the ultimate decision. Here’s a little background of why we decided to go with the finalists you see below…

To start, we decided 47 was just too many. While there were some great nominations and no one is undeserving, we decided to eliminate anyone who only received one nomination. Why? Well because most of them would probably not end up getting a single vote when we got to the poll. We definitely appreciate the nominations, but we didn’t want a list of that many people to vote for when realistically a much smaller number would be getting probably 99% of the votes.

We then looked at the 21 who received multiple nominations, but again decided that was too much. Although it’s great that a couple of people thought Mark Carrier was worth a nomination, is he really going to get inducted over someone like Lee Roy Selmon or Warren Sapp? No, he’s not.

So we went back and forth on the final number before deciding on 10. 10 is a nice number. It gives each person a good chance to get a number of votes. And it had a clean break (each of the finalists received 6 or more nominations). So without further adieu, we present to you the Buc ‘Em Ring of Honor Finalists:

Lee Roy Selmon
Ricky Bell
Doug Williams
James Wilder
Hardy Nickerson
John Lynch
Mike Alstott
Derrick Brooks
Warren Sapp
Tony Dungy

Over the next few weeks, you will be provided with bios of each of the finalists and sometime after that the voting will begin. We plan on inducting the first two members of the Ring of Honor before the 2009 season begins. But until then, enjoy a video of the finalists put together by niko521bucs.

Wandering around ESPN.com this morning, I stumbled across the 2009 fantasy projections. Below are some projections for our beloved Bucs. Debate away.

Quarterbacks

Luke McCown - #284 Overall - 1,868 yards, 9 TDs, 11 INTs
Byron Leftwich - #388 - 1,305 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs
Josh Freeman - #420 - 641 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs
Josh Johnson - #484 - No Stats

Running Backs

Derrick Ward - #46 Overall - 948 yards, 4 TDs, 47 receptions, 409 yards, 1 TD
Earnest Graham - #89 - 835 yards, 6 TDs, 30 receptions, 239 yards
Cadillac Williams - Not Ranked Due to Injury Status

Wide Receivers

Antonio Bryant - #57 Overall - 91 receptions, 1,164 yards, 6 TDs
Michael Clayton - #319 - 34 receptions, 391 yards, 1 TD

Tight Ends

Kellen Winslow - #106 Overall - 70 receptions, 694 yards, 6 TDs
Jerramy Stevens - #356 - 15 receptions, 178 yards, 1 TD

Defense

Bucs - #290 Overall - 19th Ranked Defense

Kickers

Mike Nugent - #329 Overall
Matt Bryant - #410

Now before you all debate too much, remember these are fantasy projections. This is looked at differently than someone actually predicting the season. A lot of it is based on the player's past performances as well as how the team may do. I, for instance, am not sure who will step up as our #2 receiver (Clayton will have the first shot), but whoever it is, I think that guy will have more than 34 receptions. Over the last 5 years, the #2 has averaged 41.2 catches per season. So just keep in mind, these are FANTASY projections.

An interesting note: the highest ranked Buccaneer is Derrick Ward at #46 overall. The fantasy guys don't seem to think our offense will be anything to brag about.

While driving by Ray Jay today, I noticed something I've never seen in the stadium's entire history. The massive player banners on each corner of the stadium were gone. Over the years, many a Bucs' star has graced the outside of the stadium. When it was time for one player to come down, another was put in his place almost seamlessly. But now they are all gone. I don't know if they will return. Does anyone? Whatever the case, a new era has started in almost every aspect of the franchise.

UPDATE: Nominating is now closed.

With the 2009 NFL Draft coming to a close, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers family has grown. With each player added to the roster there is a chance for future greatness. There could be a first-rounder destined to be a legend. Or a diamond in the rough that proves to be a valuable contributor for years to come. No matter how they became Bucs, they will all strive over their careers to be the best. We don’t know what the future holds for the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers players, but we do know how past Bucs performed. So, we officially announce the Buc ‘Em Ring of Honor.

Each year (before the start of the new season), we will be inducting two former Tampa Bay Buccaneers into the Buc ‘Em Ring of Honor and you have a chance to choose who those individuals are are.

The criteria are simple: they must be a former Buccaneer (don’t worry, active players will get their chance one day) and they must be known primarily for what they did as a member of the team (players or staff are acceptable). The reasoning behind these rules is we don’t want to prematurely induct someone still playing just because they had a Pro Bowl year or two. This is really for the best of the best. And this isn’t about what the player or coach did in college or for other teams. It’s about what they brought to the pewter and red.

So here’s how it works. Starting today, you can nominate whoever you like. Please add your nominations in the form of a comment to this post. And don’t forget to say why you believe each individual should be selected. What you say could have an impact on whether that individual ends up making the Ring of Honor or not. If someone has already nominated someone you had in mind, then please add your thoughts as well. The more reasons you give us, the better.

You have until May 15th (next Friday) to make your nominations, so don’t delay!

Once we have compiled the nominations, we will post bios about each person nominated to give everyone a better look at their overall body of work. That will be followed by fan voting, where you get the chance to select one of the inductees to the Ring of Honor. Once that post is up, you will also be notified of the voting deadline. The individual that receives the highest percentage of the vote will be one of the two inductees and the second will be selected by the Buc ‘Em staff.

Before the season starts, we will have official inductions into the Buc ‘Em Ring of Honor and those individuals will become a part of history. So, what are you waiting for. Let the nominations begin!