I thought the team was on a youth movement. Why sign a 29 year old wide receiver who is 6′1″ 198 pounds? Didn’t the Bucs have a 29 year old 6′ 1″ 205 pound wide receiver last year? Wait……I’ve got to check,…………. just another minute………yup, they did.

That would be Antonio Bryant. Okay all you draftniks getting ready to tell me I’m nuts. Hold on a minute. Reggie Brown will be joining the Bucs after posting 2008/2009 combined season total numbers of 27 receptions for 407 yards and one touchdown. I believe the Bucs  already have a receiver like that, his name is Michael Clayton. Actually, Browns’ numbers are better than Clayton.

Bryant was run out of town, and all he did was post 2 year numbers of 122 receptions, 1848 yards, and 11 touchdowns. And Bryant has a bad attitude. Yeah. Many of us who buy tickets to Bucs games currently have bad attitudes towards the ownership, and as ownership continues to mirror what happened to this team in the 1990’s, we will not buy tickets.

So, the Bucs big splash in free agency was Reggie Brown. I’m doing a small little dance in front of the computer tonight. Because I know Reggie will score a touchdown early on in the Bucs season (before getting injured) and it will appear the Bucs might have a chance to win a game, but Freeman will throw a few picks or have a fumble or two and the Bucs will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once again.

If these are the signings the Bucs are working on, the tarps in the stadium in Jacksonville won’t have anything on what Tampa is going to have to do next season. Season ticket holders in the 300 level, get ready to move down a level if you can stand to watch the quality of football played next year. Reggie Brown. Really? Reggie Brown. Holy crap, this team is going to be worse than I expected. Even the Lions made some upgrades, and that is saying something Bucs fans. Reggie Brown. WOW!

Brady Quinn running for political office?

Okay, this is a tad misleading. I subscribe to the Twitter feed from the Rasmussen polling group and I received a Tweet regarding the Illinois Gubernatorial race. R-Bill Brady is running against D-Pat Quinn. Imagine if they were on the same ticket, the campaign yard signs would read- Brady Quinn. Browns fans would be quick to point out to Illinois residents that such a ticket would come with great hype but only fail to deliver.

I come bearing gifts…………

Early reports on Friday morning stated that Lions coach Jim Schwartz was at Kyle Vanden Bosch’s house right after the free agency period started after midnight. The Detroit Free Press reports now that Schwartz showed up with teddy bears and T-shirts for the children and a 200.00 bottle of wine. (a 2005 Opus One Cabernet) After drinking wine all night, then inking his name on a 26 million dollar contract, KVB most likely woke up in the morning and said, “I did WHAT? I’m going WHERE?”

The NFL has eyes everywhere

WTSP channel 10 out of Tampa reported this week that Willie “Chill Will” Smith has been sentenced to 6 months in prison. His crime? Counterfeit NFL merchandise. Smith reportedly has a history of selling counterfeit merchandise at NCAA and NASCAR events as well as a previous run in with the NFL.

WTSP claims “Chill Will” was selling the counterfeit items just a few blocks from Raymond James Stadium prior to the Super Bowl in 2009. Smith had also been served with a “cease and desist” letter from the league and failed to abide.

I can understand the NFL wanting to protect it’s trademark, but this sentence comes on the heels of the league re-instating a player who killed a man. Current Baltimore Ravens WR Donte Stallworth, ran a man over in Miami on March 14, 2009 while driving drunk and only served 24 days in jail. Smith sells some counterfeit shirts and gets 6 months. Does anyone else not see something wrong here?

Show me the money!

12:01am Friday saw the start of the free agency signing period. Just as the sun rises in the East, death and taxes, such an event means that Dan Synder will have his checkbook out ready to overpay players past their prime. Not this year.  Instead on the eve of free agency, the Redskins released a slew of them. Not to worry though football fans, there is always some team ready to over spend.

And if you need proof, just look at some of these guaranteed money numbers. WR Nate Burleson, 12 million. 30 year old, 3rd down back, Chester Taylor, 7 million from Chicago. CB Dunta Robinson 25.5 million, for a career 13 interceptions from Atlanta. LB Karlos Dansby, 22 million from Miami. TE Brandon Manumaleuna, 6 million from Chicago. DE Julius Peppers, 42 million from Chicago.

At one point on Friday, I thought Dan Synder must have actually purchased the Bears as they spent money like a drunken sailor on leave. 6 million guaranteed money for a blocking tight end in Manumaleuna? Really? Does this move now make Jay Cutlers’ favorite safety valve from last year, Greg Olsen, expendable?

But the biggest gamble has got to be the 42 million guaranteed from Chicago to Peppers. From a Buccaneer standpoint, I love the move as the Bucs won’t have to face him twice a year any longer, and he made a living against Tampa for years. But Peppers has a history of being a streaky player, taking plays off, playing soft at times. I understand Lovie Smith is on the hot seat in Chicago, but this is a very risky move in my opinion. Did Bruce Smith or Reggie White either make 42 million total during their entire careers?

Biggest mover at the Combine?

Well, perhaps not the biggest mover, but one which created plenty off buzz. Bruce Campbell, OT out of Maryland. Campbell ran a 4.85 40 yard dash on the combine floor. In his Under Armour gear, he looked like the Greek God of physical fitness streaking down the lane.

Bruce is 6′ 6″ and 314 pounds, he completed 34 reps of 225 pounds on the benchpress, but the Maryland junior has only started 17 games in his career. He’s had a lackluster career and reports state he’s struggled with durability issues. Regardless, based simply on his performance at the NFL Combine, he’s most likely make himself several millions more dollars while rising in several mock drafts across the internet.

Campbell comes with the dreaded moniker, “upside potential”. Whether or not the potential is realized will be something else. Ryan Leaf had potential and made millions based on simply potential, it never translated out onto the field.

I believe this is why the NFL needs a rookie salary cap. Simply because a player like Campbell, with limited college experience has a great performance at the Combine, should not automatically translate into millions of more dollars. David Boston looked like he was chiseled out of granite and how did his career work out?

It will take several years to see if Bruce Campbell becomes the next Orlando Pace (in his prime) or the next Tony Mandrich. Meanwhile, teams will line up to throw out millions to find out, while he and his agent are rejoicing after their trip to Indianapolis.

As always, thanks for reading, and hit me up on Twitter, @bucco40

The first player is DE Aaron Kampman, formally of the Green Bay Packers. Kampman has signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He brings with him 54 career sacks and a very strong leadership presence in the locker room. He plays much better in a 4-3 defense and was rumored to have been on the trading block last year while with the Packers. He is coming off ACL surgery, but is expected to recover fine.

The terms of his deal have not been reported yet, but reporters speculate it might be in the neighborhood of what DE Kyle Vanden Bosch received from Detroit. (4 years, 25 million and 10 million guaranteed) The Bucs are sorely lacking on the defensive line and if they continue to play a Tampa 2 scheme next year, they will need to generate a pass rush.

Tampa is widely expected to address the defensive line needs in the upcoming draft, but a veteran presence such as Kampman could have served a mentoring role with the youth movement.

Jacksonville signed another player which was on my radar, WR Kassim Osgood. Now before I get ripped to shreds over this selection, hear me out. Osgood struggled to find playing time in San Diego, while stuck on the bench behind Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd. However, he did make the Pro Bowl as the AFC special teams player. Osgood is a physical specimen at 6′5″ 220lbs and now will have an opportunity to showcase his receiving abilities in Jacksonville while playing opposite Mike Sims-Walker.

Kassim is an 8 year veteran player and with the speculation that Michael Clayton might be released, such a move would leave the Bucs even thinner at the wide receiver position. Not that Clayton has been much of a receiver after his rookie year anyway. Clayton was signed to a 5 year 25 million dollar contract at the start of last year and failed to produce yet again. His injury plagued season saw him produce 14 receptions for 214 yards and a single score. (93 of those yards came in the first week) Hardly worth a 25 million dollar investment.

Osgood was signed to a very reasonable 3 year contract worth a reported 6,675 million dollars. In the new era of frugality at One Buc Place, I don’t think such a contract would have been unreasonable. Jacksonville must have seen something in Osgood they liked, as he was signed in the first wave of free agency.

So Bucs fans, we sit and wait, and wait some more. I’m feeling a sense of disappointment with my favorite team I haven’t felt since the 1990’s. I thought those days had finally passed. I suppose it is true that history repeats itself.

Make sure to bookmark my site, whatthebucs.com and come back often for visits. Or you can follow me on Twitter @bucco40

Okay who won today?

Detroit has got to be on the top of the charts. Trading for Corey Williams for a 5th round pick, signing Kyle Vanden Bosch and inking the streaky WR, Nate Burleson, in my mind, takes them to the top of the list of the first day of free agency.

The trade of  free agency period in my opinion was Antonio Cromartie to the Jets for a conditional 3rd or 2nd round pick in the 2011 draft. Cromartie now lines up on the other side of the field from Darrelle Revis next season on a squad that was statistically the best defense in the league in 2009. However, if the Jets lose out on Thomas Jones, can Shonn Greene be expected to carry the Jets into the next level next season? Sure, the defense is going to be great but are the Jets going to get over the hump without Jones?

Who lost today?

Chicago. Chester Taylor received a 3 year 12 million dollar contract, with 7 million guaranteed? Really? Julius Peppers got a contract which pays him 40 million in 3 years? Please. Hello Chicago……..you need offensive line help, and you just dumped all this money between Chester Taylor and Julius Peppers? And that makes sense how?

Seattle. Well not exactly yet. Rumors are still swirling that the Seahawks will make a run for Brandon Marshall from the Broncos. Why? If the Seahawks surrender one of their first round picks for Marshall, it’s an absolutely stupid move with an injury prone 34 year old quarterback and a team with huge holes to fill.

The Bucs. No moves today. None were really expected. Rumors of Willie Parker, Jake Delhomme, and Aaron Kampman, were just that, all rumors.

Hardy Nickerson and Derrick Brooks. Nickerson was acquired as a free agent from Pittsburgh and was a 5 time Pro Bowler, recording 1,028 total tackles for the Bucs. Derrick Brooks will be one of the greatest Bucs of all-time for those fans who got to watch him play. He played in a team record 224 games, was an 11 time Pro Bowl selection, 2002 NFL AP defensive player of the year and recorded, 2,195 tackles. (1497 solo and 698 assists)

Second, largest comeback in a regular season game?

Week 9, 2008 season. Down 24-3 in Kansas City against the Chiefs, Clifton Smith returned a kickoff 97 yards to record his second career kickoff return for a touchdown. The Bucs rallied, holding the Chiefs to only 3 more points for the rest of the game, and won in overtime 30-27.

Third, other than James Wilder, the only other NFL player to lead his team as all-time rusher and receiver?

Walter Payton. Payton is the all-time rusher by a wide margin in Bear’s history with 16,726 yards and has 492 receptions.

Fourth, other than Matt Bryant, the only other kicker to have of 80% accuracy for the season.

Steve Christie, who finished the season 38/47 for 80.9% accuracy.

Fifth, the leading receiver for the 2007 season?

Ike Hilliard, with 62 catches.

Thanks for playing this week, and follow me on Twitter @Bucco40

I think this move shifts the entire dynamics of the upcoming draft. Detroit also acquired WR Nate Burelson to play opposite Calvin Johnson, which is an upgrade. However, what does Detroit do with the second overall pick now? Detroit just spent 26 million with a 4 year contract for KVB and has to take on Williams contract of 6 million for this year.

Does Detroit make a move on Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy if they are available? Or, move on to shore up the hideous offensive line and draft OT Russell Okung. How much money does Detroit was to invest in a defensive line? I believe thier only move is now to draft Okung. Stafford was pounded last year and Okung is the most NFL ready tackle according to most scouting reports.

Where does this leave Tampa? According to my theory, one of the top two defensive linemen will be available with Detroit selecting Okung. Which one? I don’t know. Then again quite possibly both, provided St Louis opts for Sam Bradford. The signing of AJ Feely by the Rams this morning signals Bulger is most likely out the door, and Feeley could hold the reigns for a while as Bradford is groomed as the quarterback of the future for St. Louis.

A thousand different scenarios will play out in the next 48 days, but the possibility of the Bucs acquiring a play making DT have just greatly improved, well in my mind anyway.

At 3:30am, Gregg Rosenthal of PFT.com reported the Bucs have their eye on former Pittsburgh RB Willie Parker. What? Tampa has needs all over the field, but signing a 30 year old oft injured running back isn’t one of the nor does it make any sense. I thought the Bucs released WR Antonio Bryant becuase Morris and Dominik stated the “team is getting younger”. If we are looking to bring in a 30 year old back, how about Thomas Jones for a second tour of duty? Jones has shown he can still be effective. Or former San Diego RB, LaDainian Tomlinson who this season scored 13 rushing touchdowns, the total Bucs team managed 5.  A Parker signing makes no sense whatsoever.

In another related freaky free agency story, ESPN beat writer Pat Yasinkas opines that it would be a good move for the Bucs to sign former Carolina Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme, who was released Thursday night. Pat is the ESPN writer which covers the NFC South and I know he must have seen Delhomme play at least one of his final 13 games. We could start with the final game of the 2008 season for the Panthers. It was the divisional playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals where Jake tossed 5 interceptions. Before getting benched in week 13 this season, Delhomme committed 24 turnovers (18 ints and 6 fumbles) and appeared to have lost any bit of confidence throwing the ball down the field, throwing for 200 yards or less in half of his 2009 season starts. Does it really make sense to bring in a 35 year old quarterback who has lost his confidence and become a turnover machine to mentor a young quarterback who is turning the ball over just fine on his own currently (Freeman-23 turnovers in 9 games) ?

I know Bucs GM Dominik said that Tampa wouldn’t be big players in free agency, but I seriously hope this isn’t the direction the Bucs are leaning.

Farr went through the usual suspects as possible suitors, but he had one interesting team that Vick mentioned that he would like to play for, the Carolina Panthers. Vick said the team was close to home and that he liked the uniforms. The article states he said this on 107.9FM in Atlanta, I’m not making this up. He likes the uniforms.

Are these the words coming out of a starting quarterback in the NFL or the irritating chick down the hall in human resources who wins the office football pool each week because she picks the teams based on colors?

Over the years, I’ve read many reasons why free agent players switch teams. A larger market, move to a state with no state income tax, wanting to win a championship, but I can’t ever seem to ever recall any football player stating he wants to play for a team because they have cool uniforms. And as a Bucs fan, I think the Panthers uniforms suck.

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In 2008, CB Ronde Barber became the thrid player in a Bucs uniform to record 1,000 tackles, can you name the other two?

Can you name the largest regular season come from behind victory in team history? Hint, it was an overtime victory.

In the spirit of yesterday’s article on James Wilder, can you name the only other Running back to lead his team as the all-time rusher and receiver?

Entering the 2008 season, Matt Bryant made 82.5% of his field goals. Who is the other kicker in Bucs history to complete over 80% of their field goals?

And an easy one, who was the leading receiver for the Bucs in 2007. Now, no peaking. No using Wikipedia, or searching other sites. Answers coming tomorrow and as usual, hit he up on Twitter, @bucco40 and keep following at whatthebucs.com.

I’ve never been a hockey fan. I’ve watched hockey in person and always felt that television did the game a great disrespect. I was sucked into the first Team USA/Canada game, which was unreal in the qualifying rounds. Like many millions of other Amercians, I was glued to the tv on Sunday to watch the Gold medal round between the same two teams.

Granted, these two squads were the equivalent of an NHL All-Star Game but with a bit more on the line for the winner than a pat on the back. The viewership for the gold medal game was huge in both Canada and the USA.

So after the Olympics finished, I decided I’d watch the hockey game between Tampa and Philly tonight on Versus network. And once again, I can’t watch NHL hockey.

Why? Penalties every few minutes and the ever present commercials. NFL, please take note up there in the front office in NYC. Commercials are the bane of hockey and are  soon be the bane of football. Numerous commercials during the pregame show. The hand off from the network to the affiliate carrying the NFL game of the week, 2 minutes of analysis, then 6 commercials. Network comes back for live coverage of the kickoff, 12 seconds of contact, and then 4-5 more commercials. Ease up already on the commercials, just as commercials disrupt the flow in NHL hockey, it’s even worse in the NFL.

With no collective bargaining agreement coming this year, and the real possibility of a lockout in the 2011 season, NFL team owners should not take fan support as a given. (read my post from two weeks ago to see how I buy my Bucs gear)

This is setting up to be a complete ugly situation between players and owners. In the current economy, neither side will get any sympathy from fans, but NFL owners might want to cut down the advertisements. If the Owners really wanted to make a statement in the upcoming uncapped season, reduce the advertisement revenue and make a point.  Don’t take our loyalty for granted. We do without NFL football 7 months out of the year, we can fill our football fix with college football. If you decide to lockout the players and shutdown the NFL in 2011, that move will come back and bite owners and players in the ass, it benefits neither.

But, as I tried to watch NHL tonight, the commercials ruined the flow of the game. So, take note NFL. Enough with the commercial overload already.