SB Nation User Blog: the420bucsfan

Buccaneers work out an extension with TE Kellen Winslow, Jr.

the420bucsfan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:12:36 -0000

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.

Samarri rolle released.

the420bucsfan — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:15:21 -0000

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?

yes, we need somone with experience.

55 votes

no, we need to develop a good young DB

44 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

bucs, bills looking at crowell

the420bucsfan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:54:36 -0000

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 !

Brooks speaks!

the420bucsfan — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:12:57 -0000

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.

Random question ?

the420bucsfan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:35:48 -0000

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 --

the420bucsfan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:09:58 -0000

-- 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.

I think we'll try to get him again !!

the420bucsfan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:13:14 -0000

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.

Bucs, Lions Try to Talk Broncos Into Trading Jay Cutler

the420bucsfan — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:05:59 -0000

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.

MUST READ !!

the420bucsfan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:09:09 -0000

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.

is raheem morris in over his head ?

the420bucsfan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:06:05 -0000

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.