No Offense to the guy at all, but hes in way over his head, and might as well be raheem all over again. His titans last year only had 28 sacks.. to put that in perspective clayborn alone was a fourth of there sacks.. Titans also allowed 355 yards a game which is less then the bucs.. but havent we been looking for more sacks, not less??? now i know hes prolly filling the rooney rule but so was raheem hahaha!!!

First off i just want to state the obvious.. This guy does not excite anyone to buy tickets and believe that the buccaneers are turning things around. First off this guy was just fired by a College team? wow sounds like a hot commodity to me! His offensive skill set is top notch and he would fit in great as an offensive coordinator. what everyone doesn't realize is who did Sherman employ as his defensive coordinator in Green Bay? JIM BATES.. Sound familiar? our defense was a joke then and if you bring in this offensive minded coach we will still allow 35 points and be a laughing stock just like texas A&m was this past season!! Texas A&M would rack up 45 points and lose by 7 or three in the last minutes cause his team collapsed and had no tackling morals.. Sound Familiar?? NO SHERMAN!!!

 Dear Bucs fans, I was up very early this morning almost wishing the bucs played today!! Anyways on my way through reading my local bucs news i learned brian price was fined?? Thats right he was fined $7,500 for an illegal swim move, he accidentally brought his arm to high and made contact with the o-lineman's helmet?? what a joke!!!! first illegal swim move ive ever heard of!!! then to enrage me even more at the bottom of the article, it informs me that the league notified the falcons that Moore the SS who launched himself helmet  to helmet with freeman doesnt get fined!!!

 

Im sorry for my horrible grammar and just need to vent!! the article can be found at http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/with-sellout-tampa-bay-buccaneers-indianapolis-colts-game-will-be-on-bay/1194664

So i was thinking about our pass defense being so good and wondered how with all the big plays we have given up. Most of our big plays have been given up by talib even though sometime he just thought he had a safety over top. i looked at all the teams we played and looked at there # 2 wide out. i noticed that they were shut down most the game i looked deeper and most the time it was E.J. Biggers shutting them down. Barber and him do change back and forth on guarding the # 2 wideout. Look closely at the bengals game though and you'll realize it was E.J. biggers who shutdown Ochocinco..the man dominated a pro bowl reciever and looks to dominate plenty more. I think Biggers needs more respect from opposing quarterbacks, he may not get picks but he covers them so good thats why they have been attacking talib i think????

I know its a little early to be talking 2011 draft...but with our team showing that legarrette blount isn't going to see the field much there must be something wrong. We all know legarrtte blount has a short  temper but why haven't we seen him but three carries since the steelers game? I say we draft a talented half back with our first selection next year if not a defensive end to help pressure the quarterback!! whats your opinion what should we be looking forward too for the 2011 NFL DRAFT ???

as the trade deadline nears should Tampa Bay go out and get any key positions?  As we constantly keep seeing our defensive backs get beat it would not hurt to see whats out there. the team  can afford to give up a third or a fourth rounder for some decent talent, as the jets did for Braylon Edwards. If you feel like we should trade for some help, what position? and what should we give up?

as we all know our game this week could be ugly, going against such a veteran offense and possibly a hall of fame coach. we need to get pressure on Donovan Mcnabb and rattle him, besides last week we haven't been able to get anywhere near a quarterback. I feel Jim Bates defensive scheme is a joke. Sure it worked in miami with Jason Taylor, Sam Madison and Zach Thomas .. but it didn't work many other places, especially denver ! Look at denvers defense now, top ten and getting tons of pressure on the quarterback. If this team keeps following bates scheme on defense we'll end up with players like jarvis moss and fail horribly

reports are coming out that kellen winslow jr. has signed an extension with the buccaneers. the contract is for six years and extends his current one of two years. Winslow is to make 4.25 million this year and 4.5 next year off his old contract. No numbers were released about his new contract as is team policy. As a fan of the bucs i find this as great news and can't wait to see his natural abilitys dominate the opposing defenses.

Craig T: Kudos to The420BucsFan for bringing the news to the community.  Kellen Winslow, Jr. has signed a 6-year, $36.1 million extension with the Bucs that could exceed $42 million with incentives.  This is the largest contract in NFL history for a TE.  I'll repeat that again.... THIS IS THE LARGEST CONTRACT IN NFL HISTORY FOR A TE.  Christ amighty.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they worked out an extension, but it seems like a high figure for this early juncture.  I understand that Winslow is entering a contract year and I don't know how long they've been negotiating since the trade, but it's only April.  I only wonder if the Bucs put up more dough than they needed to. 

reports are coming out that samarri rolle will be released today. i dunno if we should go after a veteran cornerback with a rebuilding team. i feel that theres plenty of young corners in the draft that we should find one to mold into our system . I know that Jenkins out of ohio state keeps running slow fourty's but his game speed is amazing ! whatever happens i'm seeming to gain a lot of trust in Dominick and Raheem

Poll

should we get a veteran corner back to replace Buchanon?

55%

yes, we need somone with experience.

55 votes

44%

no, we need to develop a good young DB

44 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

I just read this report about us being in talks for a one year contract with crowell from the bills. The only problem is he scheduled an appointment to talk with the bills on monday . anyways heres the link  read it for yourself http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/03/bucs-bills-interested-in-crowell/.

 

as i need 75 words i must say i hope we land this guy i consider him a big name free agent if he hadn't been injured last year !

NEWS! Brooks won’t retire, is open to returning to Tampa Bay

Hopefully he joins us for one more year ! he shows how bad he wants to play by saying he'll be part of a rebuilding team.

Click here to read the entire article posted on NFL.com about Derrick Brooks announcing he is not ready to retire from football and would consider returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if they gave him an offer.

So i was thinking about the draft and what the buccaneers should do with that pick ! now j scott might think i'm crazy, but if the buccaneers timed out on there draft clock and gave the pick to the lions , does that mean we get there 2010 first round pick ? i saw the cowboy do this a few years back, if we did it we could potentially have two top ten picks in 2010 ? am i right ? let me know

-- Bucs to Host Derrick Ward --
Sun Mar 1, 2009 --from FFMastermind.com

ESPN reports the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now officially in the running for free-agent RB Derrick Ward. He reportedly will make a visit to Tampa on Tuesday. It's believed the Bucs have had an interest in Ward all along, but were a little concerned about his initial asking price. But Ward, who is concluding a visit to Denver on Sunday, may not be getting the kind of initial offers he was hoping for.

Bucs need to go out and land Cutler

March 1, 2009 2:03 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Go ahead and criticize the Bucs for not doing more, so far, in free agency. But don't question their effort.

The Bucs made a very serious run at defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth before losing out to the Washington Redskins. All indications are they were willing to spend something close to what the Redskins ended up giving up for Haynesworth.

Now, there's growing evidence that all that talk about the Bucs trying to land Jay Cutler in a trade Saturday was far more than an exploratory effort. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the Bucs offered to trade for Cutler in a three-way deal that would have given the Chiefs Matt Cassel and the Patriots a draft pick that would have been much higher than the second-round choice New England ended up taking from Kansas City in a trade for Cassel. Mortensen said the Patriots could have received a pick that could have been as early as No. 12 in the first round.

This story is not over yet. Mortensen reported Cutler is not happy with the fact that he even was shopped for a trade and you can't blame him. The guy is coming off a very nice season and he can't feel good that the new regime was considering unloading him and bringing in Cassel.

That hurt isn't likely to just go away. If the Broncos were even thinking about trading Cutler this time, there's a very good chance he still might be on the block. There's also a chance that this might be such a blow to Cutler's ego, he may now ask out of Denver.

The Bucs have to be keeping a close eye on this situation. A lot of people think they should have made a run at Cassel. They didn't and apparently have identified Cutler as a guy they really like. They've got to continue to pursue this one.

They've been coming close to a lot of big deals, but haven't come up with much aside from tight end Kellen Winslow. The Bucs have finished second a couple of times already in this round of free agency.

With Cutler on the table, the Bucs have to make sure they go out and finish first in this situation. If it comes to giving up their first-round pick (19th overall) and maybe even more, this is a move they need to make.

Cutler's already a good quarterback and he's young enough to have lots of upside. He's better than anybody the Bucs will be able to draft and he's better than any free agent. If Tampa Bay can go out and get Cutler, they can make everyone forget about Haynesworth and other second-place finishes. This one would excite a tense fan base. More importantly, adding Cutler instantly would make the Bucs a much better team.

Posted Feb 28th 2009 3:45 PM by Ryan Wilson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Broncos, Buccaneers, Lions, NFL Free Agency, NFL Rumors
Matt Cassel is the big story of free agency thus far, but it's not from lack of trying on the Bucs' part. On Friday, Tampa Bay traded for tight end Kellen Winslow. And today, via NFL Network's Adam Schefter, we learn that they were trying to talk the Broncos out of Jay Cutler, presumably an idea they came up with after dropping a lot of acid.

Tampa approached Denver to try to make a three-way trade that would have sent Cassel to the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler to the Buccaneers. The Broncos entertained the notion and pondered it but ultimately decided against it. ...

The Broncos firmly maintain that they never intended to trade Cutler, that they were approached to make the trades. But, as of Saturday afternoon, Cutler was angry to hear that his name had been floated in any trade conversations.

I don't blame the Broncos for listening -- that doesn't cost anything -- even if Cutler wasn't jazzed about the news when he found out. (Philip Rivers, on the other hand, fully supports the trade.) He'll get over it. But here's my question (and maybe Jay will feel better after considering it): why would the Broncos be interested in a quarterback (Matt Cassel) that the Bucs were trying to pawn off on them? I mean, if Cassel's so great, why wasn't Tampa Bay working a deal for him?

There's more intrigue, however, this time courtesy of the Lions.

Also, the Lions approached the Broncos about a trade for Cutler, trying to dangle Cassel as bait. Once again, Denver debated the deal and opted against it apparently. What made it a moot point was that while all Tampa, Detroit and Denver engaged in trade talks with New England, the Patriots went ahead and dealt Cassel to the Chiefs.

Huh. So Detroit, a team in desperate need of a quarterback, has no interest in Cassel -- even though he's NFL ready -- and now face the specter of using the first-overall pick on Matthew Stafford or, hell, Mark Sanchez? Curious.

By the way, I sure hope things work out for the Bucs this season, because they've basically turned the roster upside down since Raheem Morris, 32, was named head coach and Mark Domenik, 37, got the general manager gig. If things go south early, some people might wonder if these two are in over their heads.

February 27, 2009

Bengals, Bucs, Lions battle for Ward

Updated: 12:44 p.m.

Neither of these teams were on Derrick Ward’s original wish list, but the soon-to-be-ex-Giants running back is drawing heavy interest from the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ward reportedly already has an offer on the table from Cincinnati. The Bucs have also made first contact and are trying to set up a visit. And now I see the Lions want him as part of their 1-2 backfield punch, too.

(You should know there are conflicting reports out there on just how interested the Bucs actually are. Things are moving fast. I’ll keep you updated as quickly as I can).

***

Meanwhile, you can apparently forget WR Nate Washington. I told you he might be a guy the Giants could target in the second tier, but an NFL source said they’ve expressed absolutely no interest in him, and his situation could be wrapped up very soon. The most likely landing spot for him appears to be Tampa Bay.

Posted by Mike Florio on February 25, 2009, 8:08 p.m. EST

On the Wednesday before the Super Bowl, Jason Whitlock of FOXSports.com and the Kansas City Star didn’t realize that the source of a compliment on a recent column he had written was brand-new Bucs coach Raheem Morris.

On the last Wednesday in February, Morris didn’t come off as an NFL head coach in his handling of the stunning news that Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks and four other veteran players were being abruptly and collectively dumped by the team.

Though the words when reduced to writing won’t be all that troubling, the manner in which they were delivered suggested a man who might eventually be a great NFL head coach, but who currently might not be ready for the job he holds.

Listening to the press conference via the live stream at WDAE, we thought that Morris sounded nervous at times.  He sounded flustered at other times.  He sounded like anything but a man who is ready and able to command a room full of professional football players.

We’re not saying he can’t get there.  And most of his experiences won’t be nearly as challenging as the events of Wednesday, February 25.  But, today, Morris came off as a guy who’s in way over his head.

G.M. Mark Dominik seemed a little less unprepared to deal with the questions from the assembled media.  But the entire exercise seemed oddly confusing, unnecessarily secretive, and ultimately a failure.

For example, Morris seemed to be braced for a brawl, bristling a bit at an innocuous question regarding Brooks’ future playing prospects.  And Dominik simply couldn’t sell to the press the basic reality that the decision to cut the players had nothing to do with clearing cap space (especially since the team already had much more cap space than it needs) and everything to do with giving the players the best chance at getting paid in the early stages of free agency, when the money is flowing more freely.

The whole thing made us think that, even though Morris asserted that he and Dominik were the decision makers, the vague sense of going in a new direction without actually engaging in a youth movement and searching for players who possess many of the same qualities as the five players who abruptly have been deemed not part of the future of the franchise seems to have been the best thing that Morris and Dominik came up with in response to a directive from someone else in the organization to dump the players in question.

As if the bizarre inside-job termination of Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen wasn’t enough evidence of it, today’s press conference convinces us that something is very wrong with the Tampa Bay franchise, and that barring a miraculous offseason the Bucs could be destined for the basement of the NFC South in 2009, and beyond.

Posted by Aaron Wilson on February 16, 2009, 11:26 p.m. EST

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are intent on retaining unrestricted free agent cornerback Phillip Buchanon to bolster their secondary, according to ProFootball Weekly.

While the Buccaneers may use the franchise tag to hold onto free agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant, they’d like to lock up Buchanon’s services with a contract extension.  That organizational desire was described as a “high priority” for new General Manager Mark Dominik.

While last year’s first-round draft pick, cornerback Aqib Talib, intercepted four passes as a rookie and seems to have a bright future, the Buccaneers are reportedly concerned that veteran starting cornerback Ronde Barber’s play is beginning to slip.

According to an unnamed source cited by Pro Football Weekly, Barber may play a less significant part in the defense next year as he heads into his 13th NFL season.

The St. Petersburg Times reported last March that the Buccaneers had broached the prospect of a hammering out a contract extension with Buchanon.  Per NFL.com, he registered 52 tackles and two interceptions with one touchdown last season.

BUCCANEERS’ PENN WANTS A LONG-TERM DEAL

Posted by Aaron Wilson on February 11, 2009, 7:46 p.m. EST

Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting left offensive tackle Donald Penn isn’t content to play this season under a restricted tender, telling Pewter Report: “I’m not too fond of a tender.”

Although Penn’s agent is currently negotiating with Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik to try to strike a long-term deal, Penn was adamant that he thinks it’s time for some contractual security.

“I’m not too fond of a tender,” Penn said. “I don’t think I deserve a tender. I started two years and I thought I’ve done a good job protecting the backside of my quarterbacks for those two years. I think I deserve a contract.

“I think if they do tender me and I get a chance at the free agent market next fall that I think there will be a little bit of trouble because I’ll be a hot commodity. But I’m going to let everything fall in place and hope that everything works out like it’s supposed to.”

Penn, 25, could make as much as a $2.792 million salary on a one-year tender if no deal can be worked out between now and Feb. 27, the start of free agency.

Of course, another team could submit an offer sheet and Tampa Bay would have the right of first refusal. If they let him depart, it would cost a first and a third-round pick at that level of restricted compensation.

“My agent and I talked about that,” Penn said. “We’re pretty confident that if they do tender me with an offer that another team would come get me. Like I said, the film doesn’t lie. The last two years, I’ve been the lowest-paid starting left tackle in the league. There are no complaints from me about that. I know I worked my way up from the bottom. I’m just going to keep working. I want to be one of the best when it’s all said and done.

“I’m just being patient. I’ve done everything I can do. It’s in Tampa Bay’s hands and my agent’s hands. I was patient in waiting to become a starter and now I feel like I have earned everything I deserve. I love playing in Tampa and I know that Mark and Raheem Morris know that I want to stay here. We’ll see how it plays out.

with the hiring of our new offensive coordinator it makes you wonder whats the future plans ? rookie quarterback ? well think of it this way the only other job raheem morris has had was at kansas state , Josh freemans school. do you think they would risk the talent pool and take players they've already worked with ? mel kiper seems to think so , in everyone of his mock drafts tampa gets josh freeman !! what do you think ?

Garcia Says Bucs Needed The Change

From Stephen F. Holder of The St. Petersburg Times:

Jeff Garcia, addressing last week’s firing of Jon Gruden for the first time Wednesday, said the Bucs “needed the change” and believes the coach’s poor relationship with players played a key role in his dismissal.

The quarterback had a long-running feud with Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen stemming from the team’s preseason courtship with Brett Favre and its reluctance to renegotiate his contract last summer. And it was long believed Garcia’s two-year relationship with Gruden had deteriorated.

“I know for me, personally, going through that with him was a very difficult time, disappointing time,” Garcia said before a community relations appearance in Tampa, according to WTSP-Ch. 10. “But the one thing that I always tried to look back on or reflect on was that I wasn’t the first and I won’t be the last. If it continues to be this way with players, it is going to get to a point where somebody who is above or in control will say, ‘Enough is enough.’ I think that’s what it got to.

“There are players who were here … before I got here who had their own experiences of how they were treated or how they were misled. For the two years that I was here, I enjoyed my experiences on the field with Coach Gruden. But there were some things that obviously rubbed me wrong. And I’m sure they were not easy to deal with.”

Garcia’s assessment of Gruden’s handling of players mirrored receiver Michael Clayton’s sentiments hours after the firings were announced Friday.

Garcia also suggested Gruden should share in the blame for the team’s late-season collapse: “Statistics don’t lie. When you look at how the team played in December, when you don’t finish strong like you need to finish, and especially when you’re in a playoff hunt like we were this year, we have to be accountable as players. But everybody has to take responsibility.

“With Jon being … the head guy here a number of years and having different players come in and out and yet the end of the season not really changing as far as how the team is finishing … then that’s something that needs to be focused on. And you need to find answers. And if the answer was changing the head coach and changing up the staff a little bit, then that’s what they had to do.”

Garcia, a free agent who turns 39 on Feb. 24, said of his future: “I am open to listening if they want to talk. … The ball’s not in my court. It’s in theirs.”

The   Milwaukee       Journal-Sentinel reports the favorite to sign Tennessee Titans DT Albert Haynesworth once the free agent period begins could be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who run a two-gap tackle system and will have the most cap room of any team when free agency starts - a reported $40.4 million.

 

Could you imagine the pressure we'd get with gaines adams, and the run stuffing of albert haynesworth ! we'd be a dominate front four !

 

 

Posted: Around The Web | NFL.com Staff | Tags: Bill Belichick, New England Patriots, Pete Mangurian, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has lost another assistant. This time, it’s tight ends coach Pete Mangurian, the Boston Globe reported today, citing an NFL source.

Mangurian already has another destination in mind, according to the Globe:

Mangurian is the fourth member of Belichick’s staff to part ways with the team this year, joining offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels, who left to become head coach of the Denver Broncos, special teams coach Brad Seely and special assistant/secondary coach Dom Capers.

Like Seely, who landed in Cleveland as assistant head coach/special teams coordinator, and Capers, who was named the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator this week, Mangurian, 53, is expected to hook on elsewhere — with Tampa Bay, joining the staff of new Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris.

Morris coached under Mangurian at Cornell, where Mangurian was head coach from 1998-2000. In 1999, Morris coached defensive backs for the Ivy League school.

 <!-- /RIGHT2 AD POSITION --> <!-- OLD YAHOO POSITION2 New Right AD POSITION --> <!-- /YAHOO POSITION2 AD POSITION -->

By ROY CUMMINGS

rcummings@tampatrib.com

Published: December 2, 2008

Updated: 12:11 am

TAMPA - Bucs general manager Bruce Allen says he knows where Monte Kiffin will be coaching next season. He wasn't willing to share that knowledge on Monday. He really didn't have to.

Allen's refusal to say Kiffin will extend his tenure as the Bucs' defensive coordinator to a 14th season fueled a growing belief that Kiffin will leave after this season to coach the defense at the University of Tennessee, where his son Lane was introduced as coach Monday.

Given a chance to end the speculation regarding his father, Lane Kiffin rode a path similar to Allen. He said he knows who he wants for his staff but refused to name names. Like Allen, he really didn't have to.

Kiffin's decision to tell Volunteers defensive coordinator John Chavis that he will not be retained lent even more credence to the belief that his father will join him after the NFL season ends and will leave the Bucs on the lookout for a new defensive coordinator.

It seems on the surface to be a daunting task. After all, during his 13 years on the Bucs sideline, Monte Kiffin established himself as one the best coordinators in football.

The designer of the vaunted Tampa 2 scheme, Kiffin is largely responsible for the Bucs being the only team in NFL history to rank in the top 10 in fewest points and fewest yards allowed 10 times in 11 seasons.

Filling his headset won't be easy, but Kiffin has been grooming potential successors for almost as long as he's been coaching here and some of those would-be replacements could soon become available to Tampa Bay.

Lions coach Rod Marinelli, Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry and current Bucs secondary coach Raheem Morris are among the potential candidates who already have ties to Kiffin and the Bucs.

Should the Bucs decide to go outside their extended family for a new defensive leader, they could tap someone such as former 49ers coach Mike Nolan or Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt.

No matter what they do, the Bucs have the luxury of time. Coach Jon Gruden made it clear Monday that no matter the outcome, Kiffin will remain with the Bucs through the end of the season.

"Yes, yes he will," Gruden said when asked if Kiffin would finish the season here. "He's my friend, and I want what's best for him, but we've got work to do here. We've got to finish the job."