So I understand Dominik and the rest of the Bucs front office saying that they are going to going to wait for the draft to play out before adding any more free agents. Yet over the weekend they went out and signed DT Amobi Okoye. I really like the sign as Okoye adds quality depth and could even push DT Price for the starting spot. This lead me to wonder what else was out there? What other potential free agent could have an impact on this team? So I took a look at who is still looking for a home, but are they are cheap enough, and do they fit our scheme? Here's a few positions I feel we still have a need as of 4/7 - UFA's only. (all of this not knowing who they plan on selecting in the upcoming draft).

OLB -

Geno Hayes, Mike Peterson, Keith Brooking, Rocky McIntosh

ILB -

London Fletcher, Gary Brackett, Larry Grant, EJ Henderson, Bradie James, Chase Blackburn

CB -

Terence Newman, Will Blackmon, Phillip Buchanan, Dominque Foxworth, Elbert Mack, William Middleston, Lito Shepphard, Bryant McFadden

S -

Yeremiah Bell, Brian Dawkins, Deon Grant, Chris Harris, Bob Sanders, Jim Leonhard, Hamza Abdullah, Husein Abdullah, Chris Hope

WR/TE -

Jerricho Cotchery, Dominek Hixon, Patrick Crayton, Jerome Simpson, Scott Chandler, Dallas Clark, Bo Scaife, Visanthe Shiancoe, Justin Peele

RB/FB -

Kevin Faulk, Chester Taylor, Ryan Grant, Joseph Addai, Earnest Graham, Cedrick Benson, Justin Forsett, Kevin Smith, Jerious Norwood, Jacob Hester

OL (depth) -

Kareem McKenzie, Marcus McNeil, Max Starks, Leonard Davis, Derrick Dockery, Russ Hochstein, Montrae Holland, Andrae Gurode, Todd McClure, Casey Wiegmann, Brett Romberg

There's a reason why many of these guys are still out there - many are old, washed up, injured or for whatever reason, but I think the Bucs could find a contributor or two on the cheap if they look hard enough. London Fletcher is a guy I think that could make an impact, even if he is 37.

Holy smokes! I had no idea the adversity that Brian Price has faced in his life. Growing up with 6 sisters and 2 brothers, Price grew up in South Central L.A. From what we all know, South Central is not the place where you want to plan a family vacation. Not taking away anything from people who are from there, however, listening to just a little bit of Price's story makes me grateful for the life I have lived. His 2 brothers were murdered when he was fairly young and he talks about how so many others were killed in his neighborhood ( at one point some 30 in a span of 2 weeks) - It's amazing he was able to make it.  Here's the link: http://pewterreport.com/articles/view/7001. BTW, there is some sweet info on the start of today's mini camp including Rah's excitement of Mike Williams (who left early with cramps) as well as Matt Grothe's emotional response to his roller coaster senior season at USF (dealing with injury). We all know Grothe won't make it, but I hope they sign him to work in some capacity within the organization as he wants to coach.

As for Price - I have absolutely no doubt that barring injury, he and McCoy are going to become the best DL tandem the Bucs have ever seen. Have you guys heard that HOF to be Warren Sapp is taking them both under his wing? From what Sapp saaid, he will be in mini camp to help both Price and McCoy out. Wouldn't it be sweet if Coach Morris was able to hire Sapp to tutor these two for the next couple of years? If only there was something written in the contract that Sapp dealt with them ON the field, not OFF! We wouldn't want Sapp to be clouding the minds of these young men now would we? Here's the link of Sapp coming to Mini Camo courtesy of tampabay.com -

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/warren-sapp-plans-to-share-his-knowledge-with-tampa-bay-bucaneers-draft/1091331

 Have any of you seen the movie Coming To America? You know the part of the movie in the barber shop where the white guy (Eddie Murphy) tells a joke and then repeats the phrase "A-Ha" wondering aloud if you get it? After reading this article and a little more into the 2011 draft, I also said to myself, "A-Ha"! I get it.

 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andrew_perloff/04/27/2011.mock.draft/index.html?eref=sihp 

At least this is how I feel after looking at several mock drafts (already?) to the 2011 NFL Draft. I know we just had a draft, but I couldn't help but wonder why in the world the Bucs passed on their choice of DE all throughout the draft (and FA) this year. I know Erik Lorig is a stud and all, but to wait until the 7th round to pick a DE I was left confused. Couple that with the fact we really didn't sign anyone (and let Wilkerson go) in the off season and all we have on the roster is Moore, Crowder, and White.

It all made sense when looking at the beasts coming out in next years draft. Sadly, we probably will still have a top 5, maybe top 10 in next years draft. I predict this will be our last year before we get to where we need to be. Here's a look at the extremely deep DE position - Most mocks have ALL these guys being drafted in the 1st round. Who do you choose?

1. Da'Quan Bowers*, DE, Clemson

2. Robert Quinn*, DE, North Carolina

3. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State

4. Marcell Dareus*, DE, Alabama

5. Greg Romeus, DE, Pitt

6. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa

7. Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M (projected as OLB in NFL)

8. Ryan Kerrigan/DE/Purdue

9. Allen Bailey, DE/DT, Miami

10. Sam Acho, DE, Texas

Some are underclassmen, but most predict they will opt for draft.

II disagree with all the hatin on drafting CB Myron Lewis.

I think because he isn’t a recognizable name we tend to hate on him – As for value, I think it’s a good pick as well as a pick of need. BTW – look who’s left to us in the 4th round. There are picks available many of you would have chosen in the 2nd round -

Our choice at DE – Everson Griffin, Corey Wotten, and Rickey Sapp are there. At WR we still got Mardy Gilyard, Carlton Mitchell, Mike Williams are there. At CB Perry Cox, Dominque Franks, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, and Walter Thurmond are also there as is S Myron Rolle. Personally I am shocked OT Bruce Campbell is still available and I would scoop him up in a minute if I were the Bucs. I had him as a top 10 pick!

Remember this – We aren’t the only team that let these guys slide. What a draft. I personally hope the Bucs can package their 7th round picks and/or some next year and get another one of these guys. I would do backflips if we landed any 2 of the players mentioned above.

We all have been consumed by the idea that Sam Bradford will be drafted by the St. Louis Rams. What if that doesn't happen? What if the Rams get smart and draft the most hyped DT to come out, maybe ever? I for one am anticipating that very scenario. There's a possibility the Rams could trade for say a Jason Campbell or maybe draft Colt McCoy if he is still there in the 2nd round. If Suh indeed is selected #1 overall by St. Louis, look for Detroit to do one of 3 things: draft the next best DT in Gerald McCoy, select OT Russell Okung, or trade the pick to a team like the Browns or Bills who would be salivating over Sam Bradford. Let's play out those scenarios and decide what we think Dominik and company will do. Here's my best guess if Rams pick Suh -

A- If Detroit drafts DT McCoy, we trade down for a team who wants Bradford and stock up on a boatload of picks.

B- If Detroit trades pick to a team wanting Bradford, we stand pat and draft DT McCoy

C- If Detroit drafts OT Russell Okung, then we have a choice to stand pat and draft McCoy or trade the pick to a   team who wants Bradford and stock up on a boatload of picks. If we did the latter, the probability of McCoy being there isn't going to happen so we pray that Eric Berry is still there (assumming we trade to Browns or Bills).

                                                                        FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Whoever the Bucs sign third overall (assumming they stand pat)  will sign a contract for more guaranteed money than any player in the history of our organization. Thank God for the talk of a rookie wage scale. It's almost like whoever picks that high is blessed to get what possibly could be a great player but also cursed as well. The problem with that is the player drafted could be the next Peyton Manning or the next JaMarcus Russell and no matter what, you gotta pay....ALOT

Here's a list of teams the are in need of a LT and their draft positions

Team - (Round) - Pick Overall

Bills - (1) 9, (2) 41, (3) 72, (4) 107

Cowboys - (1) 27, (2) 59, (3) 90, (4) 125

Redskins -  (1) 4, (5) 103, (5) 135

Steelers - (1) 18, (2) 52, (3) 82, (4) 86

Cardinals - (1) 26, (2) 58, (3) 88, (3) 89, (4) 123

Seahawks - (1) 6, (1) 14, (2) 60, (4) 104, (4) 127

Packers -  (1) 23, (2) 56, (3) 86, (4) 122

Lions - (1) 2, (2) 34, (3) 66, (4) 100

Colts - (1) 31, (2) 63, (3) 94, (4) 129

Chiefs- (1) 5, (2) 36, (2) 50, (3) 68, (4) 102

Raiders - (1) 8, (2) 38, (3) 69, (4) 106

 *Notice I didn't add anyone from the NFC South to this list. That's because we aren't the Eagles and send players we know that can hurt us to our rivals.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my face. While yes it is sad we likely will trade Donald Penn, the return should be good and the potential of having 2 first round picks AND 2 second round picks in a draft like this is almost like a dream. This possibility should keep our new draft consultant/talent evaluator a little busy.(http://pewterreport.com/articles/view/6910). Teams that jump out to me are the Chiefs and the Seahwaks simply because of the amount of high picks they have and the desperate need for a LT. Walter Jones is retiring so maybe we could snag Seattle's latter 1st round pick otherwise it will be a long (or short) year for new QB Charlie Whitehurst. It's possible Seahawks could draft Russel Okung, but look for the Redskins to draft him if he's available when they pick fourth overall. Or the Chiefs could offer something sweet to protect Matt Cassel's blindside.

Sadly, this is the state of the Bucs. We trade our best players at their respective position because we can't sign them to long term deals. I have come to terms with it and hope Dominik has a decent return on this trade. Surely we will shuffle our line if/when Penn goes, but as it stands - Demar Dotson - it is your time to shine...or not.

Word is the Philadelphia Eagles are willing to trade one of there QB's. I am assuming they want to keep QB Kevin Kolb which would mean Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick would be available. I know Andy Reid has stuck by his man McNabb, but I think he is the odd man out. I hear the 49ers are interested as are many others will be for sure. The question is, do we stick with Josh Johnson and Byron Leftwich as Freeman's backup or do we invest on more of a reliable QB if Freeman goes down? I think McNabb would be a great teacher to Freeman and would create a great atmosphere at the QB position if he were brought in. I just don't know what we would offer. I know I wouldn't want to give up anything from this years draft except from the later rounds. Anyone have any suggestions or agree to disagree? What would you offer?

Here's the link courtesy of ESPN - http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5023906

 According to espn.com: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4807719 as well as a report from fanhouse.com: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/01/08/south-florida-cuts-ties-with-coach-jim-leavitt/. I know this isn't Bucs coverage, but some of you are Bulls fans. I am a Gator 1st, but because I live in the Bay Area, I am a HUGE Bulls fan. All I can say is this is bulls*&@t. I am so mad I don't think I can watch another Bulls game (which is not true, but I feel that way). Jim Leavitt IS South Florida. I am certain he didn't intentionally try to harm this kid. Joel Miller won't be happy with the backlash from this. Jim Leavitt,hold your head high because you are a good man and will come out on top of this jacked up situation.

Courtesy of Pewterreport.com and Profootballtalk.com, Rah will be back for another year. Here's the link:

http://pewterreport.com/articles/view/6619

I am not sure if how accurate this report is, but I follow both sites regularly and am pretty confident to say Coach Morris gets another shot. This move makes the most sense for the Glazers. If we fire Morris, then the Bucs will be paying for 3 coaches contracts (Gruden, Morris, presumably Cowher). Gruden is due 5 million and Cowher will command 8-10 million. Cowher is worth it, but it would still take 2-3 years at least to get a playoff team together. Plus report is he decided "stay retired". In other words he just wants to wait another year until the Bucs are really in shambles and coach us then.

Off topic but since it appears Raheem stays, any possibility we get Lovie Smith back as DC if he gets canned from Chicago? That would be sweet. What about Basachia? Does he stay or leave? Who helps Greg Olsen with the O?

 As I am typing this, the Denver Broncos are losing 44-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs. With a Chiefs win, our beloved Buccaneers will have the 3rd pick in next years draft. Assuming Suh is already taken, what should we do with the pick? Take the "best player available" or trade down for more picks? I say trade down. Only because the players(s) we want or need would be available later in the draft. If we trade down only a few spots and pick up another 2nd round pick or maybe a 1st round pick in 2011 we STILL could end up with either Safety Eric Berry or DT Gerald McCoy. I know from now until draft day there will be tons of posts and different scenarios of who we should pick, but I figured why not start a little early?

Thanks to yahoo sports for the info. Here's the link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=At6GfQfOqd8rpsLFrNzBFFkdsLYF?slug=ap-patriotsmoves&prov=ap&type=lgns

Too bad about Galloway, but he was inactive the past 3 games and only had 7 catches in 3 games before that. It would have been nice to play against him, but this cut seemed inevitable. I am surprised that he actually made it this long. Galloway getting cut goes to show that Dominik and company knew what they were doing in not signing him. Nobody has signed Brooks, Dunn, Hilliard, and Carter either.

 With Brian Urlacher out for the season with a dislocated wrist (WOW), Chicago surely will be looking at their options at LB.  Here's some info courtesy of Yahoo Sports:

"Veterans like former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brooks(notes) and Zach Thomas(notes), who was cut by Kansas City this month, are still out there, too. The 36-year-old Brooks, who was cut by Tampa Bay in February, has a good relationship with Smith dating to his days on the Buccaneers’ staff."

“Derrick’s been a great player for a long time in the league,” Smith said before the Bears announced they signed  Tim Shaw.

I'm not saying it's  impossible and I guess if Derrick Brooks was ever in another uniform I guess I couldn't blame him if he signs with the Bears. His history with Coach Smith could be key. Here's the link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bears-urlacher&prov=ap&type=lgns

Via Pewterreport.com Linebacker Angelo Crowell left the game with an injury in the third quarter that Raheem Morris said was "season-ending" after the game. Ouch. So much for that low cost high reward investment. Can we now even let Flip move back to Safety? I know were thin in that position, but we may be combing the waiver wire and checking roster cuts. I have a feeling Coach Morris and Company will aquire a few players that aren't in camp right now when it comes down to our final 52. The question is what positions they will fill. Surely it depends if both Jackson and Talib are lost due to suspension. Two guys for me I hope make the team are QB Josh Johnson ( 4 QB's probably won't happen) and RB Kareem Huggins (there is no way he makes it to the practice squad, but do we really carry 5 RB's?)

On Friday, the Bucs waived Byron Storer with an injury settlement, according to ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas, but the team did not announce the move.

Storer’s release leaves the team with just two fullbacks – starter B.J. Askew and reserve Jameel Cook. This will likely prompt the Buccaneers to add another fullback prior to training camp to compete with Cook and help the unit practice without Cook and Askew taking so many reps.

Storer, who made the team as an undrafted free agent from California in 2007 after a stint on the practice squad, was mostly a special teams player for Tampa Bay, finishing his Buccaneers career with 16. Last year, he saw some duty as a fullback, starting three games in place of the injured Askew (vs. Green Bay, at Denver and vs. Carolina), but did not record any statistics. During the 2007 season, Storer caught two passes for three yards.

Now buccaneers.com says Storer was put on IR, not waived. Here's the link to that story. http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=7096 Time will tell if Storer was waived or put on IR but either way he won't be with us.

In other news, Maddon was caught in the Tropicana Field parking lot huffing paint. When team security approached him and asked what that silver stuff on his face and fingertips was he responded with, "It's nothin guys, just another day at the office." (Ya know I'm kidding Joe, but your killing me here)

Here's the source from today's St. Pete Times regarding Percy:

 NO WORRIES: Maddon said he's not "overly concerned" about closer Troy Percival, who entered with the Rays up 8-2 in the ninth inning Wednesday and gave up two homers (and four runs). Maddon pointed to how Percival is healthy and he hit 93 mph, "which might be the high point for him in a while." He just didn't have the location.

The only location Percival needs to be at is California, the place he calls home. Our bullpen for the most part has failed us this year. I have lost almost as much hair as Wheels has on his head watching him pitch and Balfour is making me want to call him Ball Four, same with Nelson. Not all of our bullpen has tanked this year with Cormier, Shouse, and Howell having pitched well.

It's early and I know this, but for me Memorial Day in baseball is the first real point in the season that a team should re-evaluate their roster and make changes if changes are needed. If Maddon continues to stand pat and hope for the best then in my opinion we should prepare for the worst.

I'm not trying to set a double standard here. Kevin Winslow's situation and Barrett Ruud's are two totally different animals. First off, Winslow has a track record and carries with him a somewhat tenuous history coming from the Browns. He is on a new team and with a fresh start and a phat contract he just signed. I assummed he would make the most of it and be at the OTA's like I posted earlier.

 Ruud, however, is the hard working cog that is pretty much the face of the defense. Besides that, he has no bad track record, is in his last year of his rookie contract that he signed in 2005 and pretty much just wants to be paid like he should be. Granted he is getting paid 1.6 million this year, but the first 3 years he got paid an avg of 350 K and didn't have a huge signing bonus. This is the last year of Ruud's contract. I know, I know, some people will say he needs to play out the remainder of his contract and quit whining, but if we do that he may never come back. Surely we could franchise him, but I say we should just show him the money!

Check out this article I read on tampabay.com: http://blogs.tampabay.com/pointafter/2009/05/ruud-skipping-workouts-in-may-is-no-big-deal.html

And if your interested, rotworld.com has a list of everyone who is team's current contract. If we can pay Mike Clayton what we pay him and Sean Mahan what we pay him then we can definitely pay Barrett Ruud. Here's the link: http://www.rotoworld.com/content/clubhouse_contracts.aspx?sport=NFL&majteam=TB

According to some of the other blogs, I am going to say I'm not the only one pissed off to see that K2 hasn't showed up for OTA's. For a guy with the history that he has and the money we have invested he should be out there Day 1 kissing Coach Morris and the rest of the coaches ass. The Bucs claim that they knew why he wouldn't be there, but for me there is NO excuse. Here's a link courtesy of profootballtalk.com: http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/05/12/team-anticipated-winslows-absence/. Time will tell if I am overreacting or if this is the beginning of something more.

WOW!! So many players to choose from, I'm not sure where to start. But here's my choices......

Worst ever drafted in 1st round:

1. I say RB Bo Jackson simply because he never played a down for us and we    were stupid enough to draft him when he said he wouldn't play for us.

2. LB Keith McCants -I knew there was an underlying reason why I hate Alabama!

3. OL Charles McRae - Nothing more needs to be said

4. DE Eric Curry - Did I say I hate Alabama?

5. OL Kenyatta Walker - Makes me embarrassed to say I'm a Gator Fan

I know he wasn't picked in the first round, but every time I here the name Booker Reese I want to wish I had Alzheimer's

Worst ever FA signee:

1. WR Alvin Harper - It's painful to think how much money we wasted on this guy. Granted it he signed a 4 year 10.6 million dollar deal, but back then that was ALOT.

2. WR Bert Emmanuel - He signed a 4 year 16.4 million dollar deal and was almost as as bad as Harper.

3. OL -  Luke Petigout/Derrick Deese - What the hell were we thinking?

4. RB - Charlie Garner - Uhh...See above

5. C - Jeff Faine - I know I'm gonna catch some flack for this, but was he REALLY worth almost $40 million? After further review, maybe he was worth it because our current o-line is the best I have ever seen us have.

Also, I have to tip my hat to bucpower.com. Only they could come up with the worst 50 players to ever don a Buccaneer uniform. Wow, after reading some of these names you may want to hit the bottle. Here's the link:

http://www.bucpower.com/feature-worstever.html

Thank you to Pewter Report for the news. Here's the link:

http://www.pewterreport.com/articles/view/5446

The Bucs signed seven try-out players to contracts Monday. The Bucs signed USF DE Jarriett Buie, OL Marc Dile, WR Amari Jackson (we did this last year with him), Louisville WR Pat Carter, Hofstra RB Kareem Huggins, James Madison CB Evan McCollough and Southern Miss T Demar Dotson. The team also released three players.

In order to make room for these seven players on their 80-man roster, the Bucs released wide receiver Paris Warren, T Andre Douglas and CB Greg Fassitt.

Bucs Received Fifth-Round Pick For TE Smith courtesy of pewterreport.com

The following try-out players will participate in this weekend's rookie-mini-camp. I see alot of Floida ties. A few USF players. I like LB Maurice Crum out of ND. He'a a Tampa product too.

33 TRY-OUT PLAYERS WITH BUCS
LB Adetokunbo Abanikanda - Southern Miss
RB Gary Anderson Jr. - Rice
DE Jarrett Buie - South Florida
FB Michael Christen - North Carolina A&T
FB Conredge Collins - Pittsburgh
LB Maurice Crum - Notre Dame
G Calvin Darrity - North Carolina
OL Marc Dile - South Florida
T Demar Dotson - Southern Miss
P Matt Fodge - Oklahoma State
G Michael Gates - Mississippi State
TE Cedric Hill - South Florida
RB Kareem Huggins - Hofstra
S Jeffrey Jack - Grambling
WR Amari Jackson - South Florida
WR Dorrell Jalloh - West Virginia
S Merrill Johnson - Auburn
QB Rodney Landers - James Madison
RB Jay Lucas - Southern Louisiana
DT Melvin Matthew - Grambling
CB Evan McCullough - James Madison
RB Paul McKinnis - Murray State
DE Geneath Moffett - Florida State
LB Terrence Moore - Troy
CB Armando Murillo - Nebraska
WR Co-Eric Riley - Mississippi State
DT Nate Robinson - Akron
WR Tommy Saunders - Missouri
G Dion Small - Troy
LB Marcellus Speaks - Jackson State
WR Desmond Tardy - Purdue
LB Nathan Williams - Murray State
TE Chris Zellner - Miami

Thanks to Peewter Report for for dish and more info on the picks. My favorite is CB Willingham even of he is from Tennessee....Here's the link: 

http://pewterreport.com/articles/view/5428

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed eight undrafted free agents to their roster on Friday in time for the start of the team's three-day rookie mini-camp at One Buc Place.

The Bucs signed Iowa center Rob Bruggeman, Georgia safety C.J. Byrd, Temple tackle Andre Douglas, Ole Miss guard Maurice Miller, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Rashaad Duncan, Florida International cornerback Marshall McDuffie, Richmond running back Josh Vaughan and Tennessee cornerback DeAngelo Willingham.

All eight players will participate in Tampa Bay's rookie-mini-camp, which begins Friday and ends Sunday.

Although some considered it a pressing need heading into the 2009 NFL Draft, the Bucs waited until the seventh round to address the cornerback position. They drafted Western Michigan CB E.J. Biggers.

But the Bucs used undrafted free agency to land two cornerbacks they were high on heading into the draft in McDuffie and Willingham.

Matthew Stafford agreed to 6 year 41 million dollar contract with all 41 million guaranteed. He also has the chance to make up to 78 million total if he meets incentives. Here's the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4097641.

The Lions have certainly set the going rate at what seems reasonable at first glance, but after realizing he is guaranteed 41 million dollars one doesn't feel too bad for Stafford. This getting done makes tomorrow all the more interesting.

Well slap me and call me silly. According to espn.com it appears the Cardinals have lowered their demands and all they want now is a 2nd round pick in this years draft. (see link):

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4096399

And what's the only draft pick we don't have available this year? Go figure. Now I am not taking away anything from Mark Dominik, Jim Hickey, and company. However, if we would have held out just a little longer we possibly could have had Winslow for less or we could have traded for Tony Gonzalez instead for a pick next year. Not only could we have possibly traded for Gonzalez, but we still would have had this years 2nd round pick to dangle in front of Arizona for Boldin. WOW

Probably not. However, Jerry....you gotta break out the polls and get a vote on this one. Buc Fans, would you sign Plaxico Burress? Personally, I think the guy is going to prison, but if he were to manage to stay out of jail, I would definitely sign him. I am not sure if he fits in Jagz system or not, but holy shiite, can you imagine McCown being able to throw to Burress, Bryant, and Winslow. Now that would be insane. One thing I can say is this: What a freaking crazy offseason!