There are alot of "would haves" ,"should haves", and "could haves" but if you look at the draft breakdown during the Gruden area, it really explains why we are in the shape we are in.

BAD DRAFT #1

2002 draft without a first and second round pick produced one player really, Jermaine Phillips. The entire draft that year other than the first round was subpar. We had picks like Marquis Walker, Travis Stephens, John Stamper, Tim Wansley, Tracy Winstrom, Aaron Lockett, and Zack Quaccia.

BAD DRAFT #2

2003 draft without a first round pick produced picks like Chris Simms, Sean Mahan, and Tori Cox. Dewayne White was the best pick of the draft but left after becoming a free agent joining the Detroit Lions. The player I was high on that year was Drew Henson QB, who was selected in the 6th round. Mr. Yankee never panned out with the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, or the Detroit Lions even though Jerry Jones pushed the issue during his time at Dallas.

BAD DRAFT #3

2004 draft gave us first round pick Micheal "Hands of Stone but I can Block" Clayton. We know how that story is developing. The best pick out of the draft was Will Allen, our rotation safety that gets toasted nearly every week. We had Marquis Cooper, Jeb Terry, Nate Lawrie, Mark Jones, Casey Cramer, and Lenny Williams, whom all are no longer on our team and might not even be in the league. I was high on Matt Schaub who went to the Atlanta Falcons in the 3rd round. He could have been our franchise quarterback but played behind Micheal Vick until he got his opprotunity with the Houston Texans.

GOOD DRAFT #1

2005 draft gave us Cadillac Williams, our 1st round pick, which without injury would have been one of the best running backs of the decade. He is back from two- season ending knee injuries and we are glad he's back. Barrett Ruud, Alex Smith, and Dan Buenning all came from this draft and have proven to be solid assets. We still drafted Casey Comer, Donte Nicholson, Larry Brackins, Anthony Bryant, Rick Razzano, Parris Warren, and J.R. Russell, but I said it was a good draft because it's the best out of all of them.

BAD DRAFT #4

2006 draft gave us the right side of our Offensive Line with Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood in the 1st and 2nd Rounds. After that Maurice Stovall and Bruce Gradkowski. The rest with the likes of Allen Zematis, Julian Jenkins, T.J. Williams, Justin Phinisee, Charles Bennett, and Tim Massaquoi. This draft filled some needs but not enough.

BAD DRAFT #5

2007 draft could have been the best draft in Buccaneer history but they passed up on the BEST PLAYER in the NFL. I don't care how many runningbacks you have or don't have, you pick Adrian Peterson. Don't give me that "we didn't know" excuse because we did know and Jon Gruden has been creaming on himself everytime his name is mentioned. Instead we pick Gaines Adams with our 1st round pick. You know what I'm thinking, so I'm not going to comment. Aaron Sears had a huge upside and would have been the best pick of the draft but fell due to mental issues. I hope he can pull through. Sabby Piscitelli, Quincy Black, and the best of the bunch Tanard Jackson have proven they are future commidities. Greg Peterson, Adam Hayward, Chris Denman, Marcus Hamilton, Kenneth Darby didn't pan out like expected. I gave this a bad draft rating because of plain stupidity.

BAD DRAFT #6

2008 draft gave us a solid player in the first round with Anquib Talib. I had no problems with that even though we were in desperate need of a wide receiver. I was hoping on moving up in the draft to get Deshawn Jackson but instead we pick Dexter Jackson because Applician St. beat Michigan. I guess. We did however pick Jeremy Zuttah and Geno Hayes, solid picks. Josh Johnson and Dre Moore we have to wait and see. It was our second best draft in the Gruden era, but the bonehead move with Dexter is unforgivable.

This brings us to NOW. Six bad drafts with one in the past seven years doesn't cut it. Instead of retooling, we rolled the dice based on poor scouting. I look back and see players like Matt Schaub and Adrian Peterson, who would have been franchise players for us, and it just makes me shake my head. We wouldn't be rebuilding now, we would still be retooling and competitve.

We have just claimed M. Bennett. These are things that I have been saying that need to happen. I like the effort. We need to continue with this kind of effort so we can get competition and possible sleepers. I like the moves, need help and go get someone to try and help.

I would love to see some kind of trades, smart trades. Key spots. Anything is possible, to improve a little at a time.

With the recent trade between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets, makes me wonder if there is still something left that could make this a productive season. Here are some possible trades and Free Agent pickups that could put our team in the right direction.

Antonio Bryant- with his Franchise tag, I am sure that we would have to do a sign and trade with him. He isn't a #1 receiver here because we have no #1 receiver. He is most likely gone at the end of the season, so why don't we try to get value from him. Possible 5-7 round pick, it's a lose but better for both parties.

Solution: D. J. Hackett and Reggie Williams are available. Put Micheal Clayton as #1 to see if he can prove himself and Sammie Stroughter at #2. Bring in Hackett or Williams as a solid #3. Next season Brandon Marshall #1

Barrett Ruud- He is a Beast when given the proper scheme. We could get solid value for him with his youth and talent. Possible 3rd and 5th.

Solution: Nate Webster and Ryan Nece. Would put up the same numbers under Bates' crappy defense so no harm. Next season use FA or 2nd round pick.

Will Allen- if we could get any value it would be in the 7th round area. With Tanard Jackson back, he won't be seeing much time on the field.

Solution: Marlon McCree, Dwight Smith, or Todd Johnson to rotate in with TJack and Sabby. Chris McAllister and Ty Law are also available and could play corner or safety and help out the youth.

Byron Leftwich- He is not going to be the starter anymore, so why have him waste his time. We could get a 3rd or 4th round pick for him.

Solution: Brian Griese could be brought back to help teach Josh Freeman the ropes and he would make for a solid back-up.

Earnest Graham- poor guy! He has lost touches and hasn't done anything wrong. He has major value and we could capitolize on that. Trade him and let him have a chance somewhere else. Possible 2nd or 3rd round pick.

Solution: Dominik Rhodes is available and would be good if Ward or Williams gets banged up.

Available Free Agents:

DT- Dwayne Robertson, Shaun Smith, John Thorton

DE- Paul Spicer, Kalimba Edwards, Earl Cochran

OLB- Marcus Washington, Boss Bailey, Marlon Greenwood

CB- Adam Jones, Patrick Surtain

OT- Langston Walker, Levi Jones, Mark Tauscher, Kwame Harris

OG- Pete Kendall, Dan Buenning

We have so many problems and so many holes. The youth movement isn't working, so I feel that some valuable veterans could come in and give us a boost. We need to obtain value for players that might test the market and we need value for players that are wasting up bench space but are good enough to play. I know after 4 weeks blowing up the team might seem ridiculous, but the trade deadline is coming up fast and I hope we utilize it before it's gone.

 I went to the game and I witnessed alot of things that the television doesn't show. I have been a supporter of the Morris coaching regime until today. In the post game press conference, Coach Morris makes the statement " We have a couple of areas to clean up". Well how about these:

#1 Head Coach Raheem Morris

The antics on the sidelines with the players show that he is an immature head coach. It's fun and all to see your coach with emotion, jumping and chest bumping, but at least act like you have been a professional coach before and tone it down abit. These actions get old, especially when you are 0-3 and only leading by 7 pts. You are losing some of your players respect. (Antonio Bryant and K2 to name a few) Watching the players on the sidelines, the inter actions with the coaches and body language shows that some of the players are getting frustrated. If Morris doesn't get it together, he will lose them all together. We played a bad football team today and we were worse. I'm not jumping ship but I can say we are looking at a 0-16 season. Our schedule is too hard and there isn't a game coming up that will be as easy as the one today. Prove me wrong Coach Morris! Go Bucs!

#2 Defensive Coach Jim Bates

This system is wrong with these players. Gaines Adams had a great day when he lined up on the right side. Adams had good pressure and strong run defenses. When he crossed over to the left, he was doubled and pushed out of the play. Geno Hayes played well except for a few miss tackles. Talib made plays on Jason Campbell's terrible plays. The defense looked good, only because Campbell is a terrible quarterback. There is zero safety support for the run, that is a system problem not a player problem. The Defensive Lineman stand the OL up and leave gaps for the Linebackers to fill. If the Linebackers can't cover the gaps, you are looking at 8-10 yd runs per carry. That again is a system problem not a player problem. The defense system is making the decent players we have on defense look bad, it's out dated and as many have said at Buc'em, Bates wasn't worth anything at Miami or at Denver and he isn't worth anything here in Tampa. If Raheem Morris wants to be a good head coach then he needs to clean up by getting a quality Defensive Coach.

#3 Offensive Coach Greg Olson

The play calling today was Intermediate at best. I have seen more creative offenses at the High School Level. There were ZERO pass plays on 2nd and short. Longest pass attempt was 20 yards, that by the way was intercepted by DeAngelo Hall.(Sandy's favorite Corner) The television didn't show that we had receivers open all game long, but we did.(Antonio Bryant and Kellen Winslow both came off the field yelling at Morris after they had been open) The worst was the play before the field goal before half time, Antonio Bryant was wide open on the left side of the endzone. Josh Johnson, like he did most of the game, got spooked and took off running and never looked to the left side. It is nice to see a mobile quarterback, but he used it too much. When the 1st option WR was not open, he took off. He was 3-6 on check-downs, when actually used a 2ndoption. When the Redskins adjusted their defense in the second half, we didn't. Josh did fine for his first NFL start and I'm not going to punish him, but he is a "college" quarterback. Olson needs to get his Quarterbacks. since he is the QB coach, to run his offense. This offense has too much talent to be playing so poorly (Cadillac excluded) and it keeps dropping in productivity then Morris needs to clean up by getting a better OC in Tampa, also.

Players of the Game

Cadillac Williams - excellent game is a premier back on a pitiful football team (call Barry Sanders for advice)

Anquib Talib- being in the right place at the right time, he could have dropped them if they didn't hit him in the hands.

Gaines Adams- he showed up for a game this season.

Duds of the Game

The coaching staff- I'm done with giving them excuses, they are inexperienced and incapable of running an NFL team. The systems don't match the quality of players they have and they can't adjust. There needs to be changes, maybe not for firing Raheem Morris but something has to happen.

Mike Nugent- If he is still on the team tomorrow, then Morris needs to be fired. That was beyond sad. Clean snap, clean hold, wide right. Not once but twice, where is Matt Bryant.

I live in the Southeast Region of Virginia, in other words, Redskin territory. My parents tried to brainwash me long ago, but it didn't take. Don't feel bad Buccaneer fans, the Redskin fans feel the same as we do. The only upside to the Washington season thus far is a 9-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams. That is not saying much. The Redskins have had scoring problems in the Redzone and holes in the Defense. They don't have the excusees of a young team or a new head coach, there problems run deeper. London Fletcher has stated that the team hasn't had continuity since he has arrived two seasons ago. That's why having a Fantasy Football Owner is not an advantage and the fans feel the same. Poor spending in all the wrong places or throwing money at the Flavor of the Week.

This week can be the Bucs week of opportunity. Not because the Redskins lost to the Detroit Lions, but because we have something they don't. Urgency for direction, trying to find an identity. The Reskins have lost confidence in their coach, their GM, and in themselves. Which gives us a perfect opportunity to capitalize on. If we win a game this year, this is the time and place to do it, or we could possibly look at a 23 game losing streak heading into the 2010 season.

Key Match-ups:

Gaines Adams vs. Chris Samuels

Samuels has had a injury prone career and hasn't been able to live up to his Pro-Bowl potential. He has the capability but his body hasn't allowed him to be otherwise. Gaines has an opportunity to put up or get off the field. If he can't cause problems this week, then his future will be clear. Cut him and move on without the BUST.

Anquib Talib vs. Santana Moss

Moss still has speed and still can catch anything around him. The only problem, Jason Campbell. Talib just needs to play him tight and let Campbell do the rest. Moss will only get 2-3 receptions, nothing of any threat.

Jason Campbell vs. Himself

I have never seen a Quarterback that allows air to cause a fumble. He is his worse enemy and the Redskin fans have been calling for his head for over a season now. He will not hurt us no matter if we pressure him or not.

Barrett Ruud vs. Clinton Portis

Portis can change the momentum of a game at any time. Ruud will have a long day if the Defensive Line doesn't start stepping up and getting pressure. If we can't contain Portis, he will make us pay. Keep 7-8 in the box and let Campbell try to win the game.

Zuttah,Compas,Joseph vs. Albert Haynesworth

The 100 million-dollar man. He will find double and triple teams all game long. He can clog up the middle, so we will have to keep the run off tackle. He won't dominate because the defense in Washington is nothing like he had in Tennessee.

Donald Penn vs. Andre Carter

Carter is a decent defensive end but he isn't nothing special. If Penn can do the job like he did against Dallas, then Josh Johnson will have plenty of time.

Josh Johnson vs. Man-to-Man D

First lets hope he can tell the difference between the defenses and act accordingly. The main target to attack in man-to-man is Carlos Rodgers. He is like Jason Cambell, his worse enemy. He overplays every pass defense and kills himself or makes a great play. He hasn't been making great plays yet this year.

Josh Johnson vs. Zone D

Reed Doughty is getting the start over Chris Horton. If we get Sammie Stroughter up the seams, Josh could have big play potential all day. Josh will have to get creative with his legs, to keep the defense guessing.

The bottom line is this. We match up well against the Skins. They are in complete disarray. This will be our chance to pull out a victory and could give us the confidence to pull out victories against Carolina and Miami later in the season. I will be there in attendance and take some pics, hopefully post them on the site. GO BUCS!

BUCS 24 REDSKINS 13

I'm going to start my Christmas wishlist for next years Free Agency Pickups.

RE DeMarcus Ware DT Richard Seymour DT Vince Wilfork LE Jimmy Wilkerson

OLB Shawne Merriman MLB Barrett Ruud OLB James Harrison

FS Darren Sharper SS Will Allen

We can move Tanard Jackson to LCB and Rhonde Barber to Nickle. Top 3 Defense in the NFL. I think so. The payroll might go through the roof but atleast for the next 3 years the Defense would be as dominate as it has ever been.

On the offensive side of the ball......hey T.O. and Brandon Marshall will be available. Wouldn't that be alot of fun? But if we are winning they would be under control.

"Josh Freeman wouldn't helped"

Why did we draft him again? Any quarterback drafted in the first round in the past decade (even Ryan Leif) would have helped today.

"We will be better next week"

The record has officially started. After the Dallas game. I heard it. After the Buffalo game. I heard it. After this sorry excuse of a professional football. I heard it. When does the getting "better" start?

Gaines Adams' stats-------------- 1 TACKLE

One.One. One. You know every time I say it, I become speechless which most of you would probably enjoy. I don't think I need to really comment, you all can read my mind.

Today's performance is absolutely inexcusable.

86yds.........5 1st downs.......0-9 3rd down conversions......28 yds rushing (15 by Josh Johnson)......16 min TOP

I was on the Raheem Morris bandwagon but the team apparently jumped off. The player's performance, lack of professionalism, and lack of respect. Respect for their coaches, the city, and the fans. Who is to blame?

That is the multi-million dollar question! And I say multi-million dollars because that is what it will take to fix what was established back in 1996. Is it the coaching staff, the team officers, the players? Will a leader please stand up!

When this season started, we understood the things that would occur. The Dallas game, struggling defense but great offense, The Buffalo game, fell early got knocked out of our game plan. We complained but we understood and could remain positive. The Giants game, what are we left with?

I'm not going to say we suck, we have many issues. I'm not going to say fire anyone, what would that solve at this point? With this performance, what can I say? I'm not getting paid for my opinion.

I played organized football for 12 years. Never experienced stats like that. I coached for 8 years. Never experienced stats like that.

Is there any PRIDE left? We as fans can only be so optimistic. These players have lost something.

Instead of bashing the team, let's find answers. What is the root of the problem? Constructive Criticism! Pray to the Football Gods for guidance! HELP! HELP! HELP!

Washington Redskins are next week, what can be done in one week that we could be a team that is absolutely beatable. No Rush Defense. No Rush Offense. There are many holes to capitalize on! I will be in attendance for this step into our franchise future. A win, we should have something to build on. A lose, we won't have to worry about fans jumping ship but the players. You might say, why is so much being put on the 4th game of the season? Because a team in the right direction will win games they are suppose to.

GO BUCS!

Here are the list of the upcoming Free Agents.

Pos	Player Name	FA Status	Previous Team	Current Team
WR	Antonio Bryant	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
WR	Maurice Stovall	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
PK	Mike Nugent	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
OT	Jeremy Trueblood	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
DL	Jimmy Wilkerson	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
LB	Angelo Crowell	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
LB	Barrett Ruud	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent
SS	Will Allen	UFA	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Free Agent

Antonio Bryant

He proved in the 2008 season that he could be a top receiver. With the franchise tag placed on him, does he get his extension or does he test the market? IMO it will be determined when he returns from injury and how well he does when he gets back. If Bryant returns and finishes the season with 70+ receptions and 700 yds, he will test the market for a team that will pay him and could be a contender. There is no such thing with loyalty, it is a business and he will be looking for the best opportunity available. 50% chance of returning

Maurice Stovall

Jon Gruden had a love affair going on with Stovall but he hasn't panned out. IMO Gruden wanted Stovall to be the great draft pick steal but instead turned out to be just another so-so player that Gruden had become customed to drafting. He is the type of receiver the will get you 30 receptions for 200-250 yds a season. I see Stovall looking for someone to take a chance on him. 10% chance of returning

Mike Nugent

I don't even know if Nugent will make it through the season let alone wondering if there is a choice in the off season. 0% chance of returning

Jeremy Trueblood

I can say Trueblood has turned into a decent Right Tackle. Him and Davin Joseph do a great job on the right side and have a good partnership. IMO Trueblood will return and get a decent amount of money. He is young and he is strong. 90% chance of returning

Jimmy Wilkerson

He was a solid pickup in the off season and would have given us great depth at the Defensive End position if we had good starters. We don't and I feel he is doing what he can and has the most upside of any of the ends on the team. I hope we do keep him and build up the right and left side with him in the rotation. 75% chance of returning

Angelo Crowell

It is a shame that he was injured before we had the opportunity to see how good he is. He has all of the ability in the world but his health is a major problem. I would like to see us get him for one more season to see but I doubt we will. 10% chance of returning

Barrett Ruud

He has the resume, he has the ability, and he could be a valuable asset to this team for years to come. I think it was completely wrong not to sign him to an extension and I think it will hurt us in the long run if it doesn't happen before he becomes a Free Agent. He is a top notch MLB in this league, even though this new defense has people questioning his ability. Everyone on the defense is being questioned. IMO he will test the market and he should. It will be a bidding war and I don't think we come on top. 25% chance of returning

Will Allen

Back up journey man that hasn't been able to move into the starting lineup. He has the opprotunity to show some skills with Phillips going down to injury, so we will have to see. IMO the only way he stays on the team is he blows up in the next two weeks before Jackson returns. 5% chance of returning

We need to be big players in the Free Agency to be competitive for next year and use the draft for more depth.

Is this too soon? or can we look at this years team and face reality?

Continue reading this post »

Our defense has the "experts" saying too many holes, too young, and players not proven. As far as the youth movement goes, I'm not sold either. Between punching cabbies and getting suspended for illegal substances, it shows that the players on the defense can't step-up.

To start with the defensive line, Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims will show up for game time and put in the solid game play. Roy Miller is a great draft pick for the future to come. The big questions are about the defensive ends. Will Gaines Adams become the prolific pass rusher that he was drafted to be? Stylz G and Jimmy Wilkerson have stepped their game up, but will it be enough? D+ for the line until proven otherwise (Miller and Moore will raise the bar but in a year or two down the road)

The linebacker group, I am most excited about. Barrett Ruud deserves a contract extension and top money. He is the leader of the defense and the best player and the organization should recognize that. I was excited to see the Jermaine Phillips experiment, well because of the lack of maturity of our defensive backs, we will have to wait to see if that will ever be an option again. As far as Geno Hayes and Quincy Black go, I am glad to see them finally given a chance to play every down and to see how far they have come. B+ for the linebackers (Ruud and company have the speed and will have alot of opprotunities to make plays since the front four is sub par)

The defensive backs were the biggest hope for this defense until the recent weeks. Rhonde is a true veteran and will always come to play. Phillips moving back to Safety will be an upside since playing linebacker gave him an opprotunity to get a better feel for the defense. Sabby is young but shows signs of becoming the next John Lynch. I know that is a bold statement but in a year or two from now, you will see what I am talking about. Jackson and Talib were the young studs that were to elevate this defensebacks group into the top in the league, but with their immaturity and selfish attitudes are the most dissapointing of all. We don't have the depth to counter what we will miss with them being suspended for X amount of games. C minus for the backs (only because of Rhonde and Jermaine)

This defense had the potiential off being good enough to hold other teams in check long enough for the offense to score more points. With the defense alone, I see us starting off 1-5 or even 0-6, because of the time Jackson and Talib are gone and will have to come back and get in playing mode.

A long season awaits until the defense finds a identity. By the end of the season, they will improve and we will have a feel of what the future has in store and what players we need to draft.

All of the "experts" are anticipate a 3-11 season for the Buccaneers. The new coaching staff, the new zone blocking scheme, new defense, holes in the defense, and question marks at receiver have been the reasons of a poor season.

To start with the coaching staff, I believe that the hiring of Raheem Morris and company was an excellent call. The NFL experience of the staff alone is enough for first year head coach to rely on and be successful in the future. I love Coach Morris' interviews, he actually tells you something and doesn't talk to the media like they are watching football for the first time.  If he is withdrawn on giving information, he will explain why he is not discussing the issue. Much better than the Gruden high and mighty, I'm smarter than you, and the no comment explanations.

The Quarterback decision to go with Byron Leftwitch wasn't the pick I had in mind but neither was the idea to draft Freeman in the first round. I have always believed that a first round draft pick should and always be a starter the first year. If not, then the pick was a waist. They could have had Leftwitch as the starter and waited next year to use a first round pick on a quarterback. Percy Harvin would have given us an above value slot receiver and a Kick Return threat with Smith. C minus for the quarterbacks (no excitement for the position this year and McCown needs to be traded to have a chance to earn a spot elsewhere)

The Runningback Trio of Ward, Graham, and Williams is the strongest trio group in the NFL. First off, congratulations to Cadillac on his healthy return, I can pull my jersey back out of the closet and shake off the dust. Even though the pick of any three in fantasy football would be a bad idea because of lack of carries for each. The group as a whole could easily achieve 150-200 yards per game. No 1000 yd year for any or maybe a 1000 yd each....has that ever been done? A+ for the backs ( with Askew at fullback, one of three will bust a 50+ yd run in each game)

The Wide Receivers are the question mark of the offense, with Bryant and Clayton coming back from injuries. Stroughter was a pleasant surprise and should be the slot receiver. Stovall should be used to back Bryant and Clayton up if injuries occur. Winslow was blamed for some of the bad throw that Leftwitch threw for running wrong routes. I thought it was the receivers job to get separation and if the quarterback was good enough, he could adjust to the player and not throw where the playbook tells you to. C minus for the receivers (just because Leftwitch is not going to hit open receivers and timing hasn't been established since Bryan and Clayton have been out)

The Offensive line is a young group with a new scheme and Sears is still holding out. You could see that Morris is not happy with the Sears situation and I feel you need to cut your loses. Sears is a lose cause and get some value. The Offensive line will improve every game throughout the year but will it be in time to win some games. B for the OL(improvements to come as they learn the scheme and a great backfield will make their job easier)

We will score points this year, but will it be touchdowns or just field goals. That could be the difference between a 3-13 season and a 8-8 season. The success of the offense will be all up to Leftwitch, he has the line, the backs, and the receivers.