Buc 'Em

5 Best (& Worst) Drafts in Bucs History!

2010-03-21T13:23:07Z

Auburn Tailback Bo Jackson was the dream of many Bucs fans. Then, he became their nightmare.

Its coming up fast, and we cannot wait! For a team that is building through the draft, having the 3rd pick, and 3 of the top 50 best collegiate players, and 5 of the top 100, this years selection process is probably going to make or break this franchise for the next decade. Not to mention determine what will happen to Mark Dominik, Raheem Morris, and anyone else associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While we look forward, its always prudent to take a look back. Have a gander at our greatest successes as well as a peek at the worst of the failures; and boy have we had both in Orange and Pewter, enough to fill a library.

Well, at the very least, fill one good blog post.

Keep in mind I realize that Hindsight has perfect 20/20 vision. No one knew some of yesteryears players would turn out to be Gems, or vice versa. Still its fun to see who was available with a busted pick.

So here we have it, for better or worse.

5 WORST DRAFTS IN TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS HISTORY-

Honorable Mention- 2002- Oh sure, how do you put down a draft that the first two rounds were used to get us the coach that Won us our first Superbowl?? Am I trying to say Jon Gruden had no part in that? Of course not. But the decision was made in 2001, not 2002. The Picks were given away, so what they were used for is really not going to count here. However, who else was picked in 2002? Marquise Walker (of "Get your ass in there Marquise" fame), Travis Stephens, John Stamper, and the immortal Tim Wansley of 2003 MNF Indianapolis Colts fame! Remember Pro Bowler Center Zach Quaccia? oh that was the alternate universe, sorry. Jermaine Phillips is the only pick from 2002 worth mentioning, but we cant just pretend the round 1&2 picks didnt give us Chucky.

#5- 1985- Ron Holmes was the number one pick for the Bucs in 1985, he was going to replace Lee Roy Selmon. He did, in the line up. Not the stat sheets. The second round pick was traded away for Steve DeBerg, and Ervin Randle in the 3rd round was the only player besides WR Phil Freeman in round 8 to get playing time. There was one starter choosen in the whole draft, in round 10 Place Kicker Donald Igwebike. Donald Kicker as Ray Perkins would call him, Or Iggy as everyone else did, went on to set records for the Bucs. But one player, a kicker, in a draft that was 12 rounds, does not a draft make. Oh Jerry Rice was taken 8 spots later.

#4- 2004- The Michael Clayton Draft, is how it should be known. For one year, it looked like a draft where the top pick was a steal. Of course we all know what has happened to Clayton since. What we dont know is what happened to the rest. Marquis Cooper (RIP) one year starter Will Allen, Jeb Terry, Nate Lawrie....all unknowns, and never to be knowns. About the only player besides Allen who got some time was Mark Jones who returned punts for a bit.

#3- 1984- The Throwin Samoan, Jack Thompson! Bucs traded their #1 pick in 1983 for the rights to #14 when they let Doug Williams go. Ron Heller was a servicable O-Lineman taken in the 4th round, and Linebacker Chris Washington played ok for sometime. But Fred Acorn, Michael Gunter, Jay Carroll, Fred Robinson, and Quarterback Blair Kiel- 12 rounds of worthless endevours only downstaged by the next two drafts! Oh Cincinnati would trade the Pick to New England who took WR Irving Fryar. Carl Banks, Bill Maas and WIlber Marshall were still on the board.

#2- 1983- Compounding the poor draft efforts of 1982, We traded away our 1983 first round pick so that we could move back into the late first round of 1982 so we could take Booker Reese. Reese was a total Bust who forgot his lessons as soon as he left the practice field and was cut in no time. The Bears were the recipients of that pick, and used it on Willie Gault. If your Keeping track, that would have been a receiving corp of Jerry Rice, Willy Gault, and Irving Fryar. Think Vinny would have turned out to be Vinny if we had those guys???? Randy Grimes was taken in the 2nd round and he became the Bucs center for the better part of the next decade. Jeremiah Castille was a servicable corner. Kelly Thomas, Tony Chickillo, Ken Kaplan, and Mark Witte fill out some of the "whos not who" in 83.

DRUM ROLL- #1 Worst Draft in Bucs HISTORY!!- 1986- BO Knows...not to come to Tampa! - Not that 1986 was a deep draft of talent, but Keith Byars or Will Worlford would have been better than nothing! Jackson was warned away by a still bitter Doug Williams, and warned the Bucs he would not play for them if drafted. To add to the misery were the 12 rounds of futility known as an NFL draft that would follow. Rod (Toast ) Jones, and Kevin Murphy would play on defense for a few years, nothing spectacular. Tommy Barnhardt was drafted as a punter but would not play for the Bucs until about a decade later, coming back around 96-98! Legendary names like Craig Swoope, JD Maarleveld, Ben Reed, Mark Drenth of Purdue round out the worst attempt at stocking an NFL Franchise ever in the history of Orange or Pewter.

THE 5 BEST DRAFTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Honorable Mention- 1981- much like the Best draft chosen, '81 features the top two picks being major impact players that won games for the Bucs on their own. Hugh Green in round 1 and James Wilder in round 2. Were it not for the fact Green was traded away 4 years later and Wilder would not really become a star until 1984 and that would only last for two years, This draft would rank higher. But the rest of the picks really amounted to nothing more than training camp fodder, and thus the Honorable Mention status.

#5- 1987 - Its hard to rank a draft this high that really didnt amount to much as far as any championships, or even winning seasons, but the '87 draft brought it a ton of talent that would remain for quite some time. Almost half of the late 80s and early 90s offense came in the form of this '87 draft. Round 1- Vinny Testeverde was a QB with limitless potential, but it wouldnt be until Bill Parcells and a trip to the NY Jets until anyone could get it out of the Ray Perkins ruined QB. Round 2- Ricky Reynolds was an anchor at Corner for the Bucs for 7 years. Round 2b- LB Winston Moss was a starting linebacker for half a decade. Round 3 Mark Carrier is the leading receiver in Bucs history to this date. He still owns the largest yardage game in Bucs records. Round 4b Ron Hall was a major receiving threat at Tight End, and later in round 4 Bruce Hill would come as the second WR in the draft. The entire Receiving corp of Carrier, Hill and Hall put together in one draft!

#4- 1996- Alas our heroes begin to arrive! But before Mike Alstott could be drafted in the 2nd round, Tony Dungy and Rich McKay would bring in some Defensive Line help in the form of DE Regan Upshaw (1st round) and DT Marcus Jones(2nd) who would play End anyways. After these three starters, CB Donnie Abraham was picked with the 3rd round selection, and became the 1st rookie to start for Monte Kiffin, and last until Tanard Jackson in 2007. Tackle Jason Odem came in round 4, and WR Nilo Silvan was a dangerous Sammy Stroughter like returner who brought back some in preseason, just enough to wet our whistles but nothing more. Out of 7 rounds, the first draft for Dungy was a very solid one.

#3- 1999- Following the release of popular Defensive stars like Hardy Nickerson and Brad Culpepper, the Bucs defense slipped from ranked 3rd to 9th. More help was needed, and DT Booger McFarland would line up next to Mr. Sapp for sometime before trying to replace him. Shawn King came in round 2 and had no idea he would be in the NFC Championship game the very same year, not to mention probably the most exciting Bucs game in history the next season (MNF Rams 38-35). Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson came next in round 4. The rest of the picks were uneventful, but the quality picked up was considerable, and 3/4 of the picks would help the Bucs win the SuperBowl.

#2- 1997- The first year in Pewter Uniforms, The Bucs brought in two of its greatest players ever; Ronde Barber in Round 3 and Warrick Dunn with their first pick! The Bucs had the 6th pick in the draft, but traded it to Seattle for the Seahawks 12th pick and 3rd round pick. The 'hawks got Walter Jones. Bucs took Dunn and with the 3rd pick got Barber! So Warrick Dunn and Ronde Barber for Walter Jones? Pretty good trade there Mr. McKay and Dungy! The O-line was beefed up too with 2nd round pick Jerry Wunch and 3rd rounder Frank Middleton. WR Reidel Anthony also came in the Bucs 1st round (we had two 1st round picks). For the defense, to go along with Barber was Alshermond Singlton, who left for the Cowboys but would come back in time for the Super Bowl! 6th round pick Al Harris never played a down for the Bucs, but went on to have a great career with the Packers and such. Funny how that star slipped past the Bucs defensive gurus Herman Edwards and Monte Kiffin! Patrick Hape was a nice backup tight end. In terms of sheer volume, this may be the best draft ever...however the two players that came next, are what make up....

..#1 BEST DRAFT IN TAMPA BAY BUCS HISTORY - 1995 NFL DRAFT! Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks both came to us in Round 1!! How did it happen?

The Eagles were hot on DE Mike Mamula. Warren Sapp was falling fast because of pre-draft reports of Marijuana use. The Bucs Traded their first round pick (#7) and 3rd round pick to the Eagles for their 1st round pick (#12) and TWO 2nd round picks, giving the Bucs 3 total 2nd round picks. The Bucs selected Warren Sapp at #12, but werent done yet! Getting down towards the bottom of the first round, someone else high on their draft board was still there, but they knew he would not last long. So the Bucs worked another trade. Two second round picks (46 and 59) for Dallas' late 1st round pick (28), and used it to take Florida State's undersized linebacker Derrick Brooks.

The Cowboys took Sherman Williams and Kendell Watkins.....for Derrick Freaking Brooks. And we got Warren Sapp for Mike Mamula. Sandwiched around Mamula, two 1st round picks that would end up playing for the Bucs on their 2007 NFC Southern Division championship team; #6 pick for St. Louis Rams Kevin Carter and #8 pick for Seattle Seahawks Joey Galloway. Two picks after the Cowboys took Sherman Williams in the 2nd round, the Colts would take our future Super Bowl Tight End Ken Dilger.

After all this madness, the rest of the 1995 draft was pretty uneventful. Melvin Johnson was a Safety who would help out over the next few years, and that was pretty much it. But the cornerstones for the franchise were set in the 1st round. The result of the aggressive trades were the 1999 and 2002 NFL defensive players of the year winners, and hopefully a couple of hall of famers all the same stage in Canton!

PIK-ing apart The Glazers Debt Situation

2010-03-20T11:57:25Z

via gulfnews.com

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When Hugh Culverhouse passed away in the mid-nineties, it revealed a club that was quite profitable yet riddled with debt. Hugh Culverhouse JR., son of then owner, forced the sale of the franchise down the windpipes of the shareholders. George Steinbrenner was one interested buyer, so was Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who publicly announced if he purchased the team he would relocate them to his home area that lost the Colts to Indianapolis. Malcom Glazer swooped down and saved the Bucs when they paid the most amount of money for an NFL franchise; 192 million dollars.

They told the Tampa Bay community straight up, they needed to pass local tax referendums to build a new stadium, because they didn't pay only 16 million for the team like Culverhouse, they would need a far larger income base that comes from new stadiums with Club Seats, etc. Taxpayers and voters came together and approved the new stadium, and both sides benefited. The Glazers made money, and spent money and put together a team that competed year in and year out every since they bought the team.

Until now. Until Manchester United.

The purchase of the premier sports franchise on the planet has caused many problems, and understanding these issues is at the heart of this post on Bucem.com.

WHAT IS A PIK? It stands for Payment in Kind. Its a sort of Credit Card like personal finance tool, and the Glazers used these to help them purchase Man U. These are borrowed from U S Hedge funds that have very high interest rates, 14.25% to be specific. The Glazers are desperate to refinance these, as the intention was always to pay these off within a few years of the take over in 2005. To show the devastation not paying these off can do, the £175 million of debt is now at £275 million, and will be £518 million by 2017 if not paid down. This is where all of the Glazer's money goes, as Man U fans are quick to point out, £70 million has been taken out of the club to be put here.

How did this get out of control? The Glazers bought United in a £790 Million Pound leveraged Buy-out deal. They paid £272 million in cash, and borrowed the remainder in the form of the JP Morgan-led syndicated bank loan, as well as from the hedge funds than lent money in the form of these high interest-bearing Payment In Kind loans. Favored by private equity groups in the mid-2000s, which are akin to credit cards on which repayments are deferred for several years. Interest is paid 'In Kind' meaning the load grows as interest is paid on interest. Although the family restructured the debt in 2006, it was left with PIK loans it could not start to pay off until the debts with the banks were settled first.

In January of this year, it raised £507 Million by issuing bonds to clear the bank debt. These bonds provided longer term financing at a fixed rate without the tighter restrictions that come with bank loans, and would enable the family to start to deal with the PIK loans finally. The 14% figure was agreed upon last time a refinance was accomplished, given the economic climate.

It is in fact the interest on these PIK loans that has been hurting the Glazers. Since the take-over, it has been accumulating at a rate of 14.25% a year, reaching £202 MIllion at the beginning of 2010. Under terms of the loan, the rate will actually CLIMB two percentage points from August if, as seems likely, the club exceeds a ratio of five times net debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.

Financialy the club is doing well, as earnings have actually doubled under the Glazers rule. David Newman, fund manager at Rogge Global Partners, says that all things being equal, United should continue to prosper in the Premier League and play in Europes lucrative Champions league, thereby enabling the Glazers to pay their coupons and refinance their bonds in the future. However, Perry Capital and Citadel, the two US Hedge funds that provided the Glazers with their PIK loans, have stipulations that if revenues plummet, they could even assume control of the club.

Sources:

www.Gulfnews.com

www.timesonline.co.uk

www.manutd.com

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:47:52Z

>> Take SB Nation Survey

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By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

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Free Agency drones on.

2010-03-19T12:52:39Z

We are now just over two weeks into the free agency period. It's been a relatively quiet free agency period, something that most league experts expected with a lower than normal amount of unrestricted free agents and a lack of concrete information on how future potential capped years may work. Most teams not named Chicago have been pretty even handed when doling out money, not breaking the banks and trending downards on spending. While the uncapped years signalled a free for all to many fans in terms of spending, it has been quite the opposite. With no floor in place, and many players either under contract or able to be retained via the one year restricted free agent tender, spending has been very lackluster to this point.

Some teams, like the Bears, have a coach and GM on the hot seat, thus the pressure is there to win. This is a potential problem anytime a team has a coach on the hot seat. The gut reaction is to go spend, pick up players and try to save the job. Afterall, if they win, they stay employed and collect paychecks. If they lose, they get fired and don't have to worry about the cap mess they left behind.

The other end of the spectrum are the teams who don't spend, but stand pat with what they have. A lot of fans have thrown Tampa into that mix, though they have signed a few players, the most notable (and recent) being Sean Jones. We don't know if this signals the end of the Bucs spending in free agency, but there are still some potential targets out there, mainly in the secondary.

When free agent spending isn't happening, there is always the chance to work out a trade. We've seen teams ship picks and players all across the league. The most interesting, and potentially foolish trade seems to have been consummated by Seattle when they gave up a 3rd rounder for Charlie Whitehurst, a quarterback who has seen zero regular season snaps. The trade itself isn't the bizarre part. It makes sense for Seattle to try and get a backup and heir to Matt Hasselback, especially after losing Seneca Wallace. The infuriating part of the trade, if you're a Seahawk fan is the $4-5MM a year given to Whitehurst.

What does this have to do with the Bucs? Afterall, we are a Bucs blog. Well, we've been harping on the front office for not spending, for not trading, for sitting back, but when we evaluate their activity, or lack thereof, it's important to keep a few things in mind. We all want the Bucs to sign players who will help us win. What we have to realize is that not every player will fit in with our scheme, our checkbook, or our direction. Additionally, I would much rather the Glazers sat on their wallet and be a bit "cheap" then start handing out fat deals to guys who don't deserve it. We've been down that road with Clayton, I have no interest in paying a backup level player like Whitehurst starter money. We certainly do need players to help us win, but at what cost? Bringing in a top tier or second level guy for good money is fine, but I'm in no rush to pay big money for a guy who may or may not pan out.

Free agency is going full speed right now, regardless of what we see happening down here in Tampa. It will be years before we can assess the Glazers success or lack of it in the 2010 free agency period, but thus far, it seems they have addressed a need without spending top dollar and have avoided blowing up the bank for minimal gains.

Pop Culture Overdose

2010-03-18T17:20:17Z

More photos » Paul Sakuma - AP

Todd McShay's love for Jamarcus Russell lasted until ten minutes after he was drafted. His love for hyperbole continues today...

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I have been enjoying the offseason quite a bit. However, I'm continually amazed at how excited analysts get over rather routine and cyclical events:

QUESTION (from breathless analyst): "The Browns cut Derek Anderson, where will he end up now?"

ANSWER (from monotone Bucsfandave): On another team's bench. If you can't start for one of the three worst teams in football, who cares?

QUESTION (from excited analyst): "Has Tebow reworked his footwork to be an NFL quarterback?"

ANSWER (from a nonplussed Bucsfandave): "Jamarcus Russell was the first overall pick after Todd McShay sent him a love note after watching, and this is a legitimate quote, 'the best individual workout for a quarterback I've seen in ten years of scouting'. I remember thinking at the time, 'Who cares if he can throw eighty yards from his knees.' And by the way, how long does it take to redo footwork? I can teach seven year olds to throw a baseball properly in three practices, but Tebow works around the clock for a month to fix his throwing motion and it may take years to perfect it?"

As you can see, I've been observing. But I have a lot of thoughts on offseason football and some pop culture happenings in this, the greatest country on earth. Read more after the jump....

+++ Does anyone drink Vitamin Water? All of their flavors have a purpose for choosing that beverage on the bottle, like Energy, or Revive. I've tried every flavor, and I can't tell a difference between reviving and energy and balance or focus. Actually, when I drink focus (Kiwi-strawberry), I can't focus, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Of course, I can't focus even when I drink something else, so there is that.

+++ Are you watching Lost? Okay, I have a problem with this movie/show concept: two people are in love and the guy is unable to have a relationship or dies, and the love interest is immediately pursued or pushed off on a friend or relative. Why does this happen? In the recent episode "Sundown", Sayid deems himself unworthy of his true love Nadia, so he pawns her off on his brother and they marry. Um, I never remember when my brother would break up with a girl, that he would say, you can date my brother, and she did without any questions. Do girls in this day and age, go for that? Only in Hollywood.

+++ The NFL draft is a crapshoot at best. Lots of fans do not want us to draft the "next Gaines Adams", but no one knew that Gaines Adams was the first Gaines Adams. Every round is chock full of great prospects that don't pan out. I will not be terribly upset if we don't get Suh or McCoy because, hey, highly touted Glenn Dorsey has not dominated the NFL from his number five overall status.

+++ People always talk about how great GMs stockpile picks. Why is this great? The New England Patriots built a championship team via several avenues: the draft, free agency, and developing late round picks. Willie McGinist and Teddie Bruschi were great players drafted by the previous regime. Tom Brady was a sixth round pick that developed into a great player. Mike Vrable and Rodney Harrison were brought in via free agency. All contributors, all different sources. The Patriots have thirty six second round picks next month, so every analyst thinks they are awesome. A pick is only as valuable as the player selected. If you draft a guy that stinks, it wasn't a great trade (see Anthony McFarland for the second round pick that became Sabby Piscatelli).

+++ Breaking Bad starts its third season this Sunday. If you aren't watching this show, rent the first two seasons and catch up, because it is a pretty intriguing examination of a desperate man's transformation. Walter White, high school chemistry teacher, learns that he has terminal lung cancer and decides to cook and sell meth to leave some money for his family. If you are at a stage, and with this economic downturn many are, where your life is not quite where you thought it would be, this show offers an interesting glimpse in to the motivations and ramifications of those feelings and the decisions that arise from them. It can be slow and painful at times, but quite rewarding (much like being a Bucs fan).

+++ The goal of drafting is to find great players. If you think the best player is Eric Berry, take him. Don't tell me that he went too high because of positional value. After all, Gaines Adams had great positional value at the number four pick. Would you rather have drafted Troy Polamalu? I know they came out different years, but you get the idea.

+++ Just so this is firmly on record, I was very much against drafting Josh Freeman. Now, I think we have the next Ben Rothlisberger, but without all of the sexual assault allegations. So, obviously, I have no idea what I'm talking about. With that being said, I want us to draft Tim Tebow. Can you imagine how versatile Olson could get with Tebow as a Mike Alstott type with the ability to pass. Again, take all of my recommendations with a grain of salt.

+++ The Significant Other and I are huge fans of Modern Family. I've thought of changing my screen handle to Clive Bixby, but we'll see.

Well, those are my random observations thus far in the period between football games. Feel free to drop some comments on your favorite shows, especially if you can tell me what in the world is happening on Lost.

BUCSHOTS: March 18th- Morris has plans for Jones, Moore Orange Videos, new "Kick Off or Receive" strategy & More

2010-03-18T11:17:33Z

Dave Moore was an H-back, Moore-Back, Full Back, Long Snapper and Tight End! Anyone know what position he played during the Bucs Superbowl Season?

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Stephen Holder of the St. Pete Times reports on how Coach Morris has plans for his new toy in the secondary....
If the Bucs didn't respect their former players numbers, we'd find out about it now! Because I bet #47 would be on Jones' back in no time the way it sounds! That was the nice thing about Lynch, he commanded respect two ways. 1) A QB knew if he threw that ball, it might end up in the arms of the multi-probowl safety. 2) WR would tread carefully in Lynch territory for fear of going back to the huddle like a cartoon character from Looney Toons. A couple good hits from Jones and everyone will know to tread carefully, "thar be head-hunters lurkin'"

How about some Moore Orange Video, pardon the pun!

On top of being so versatile, Moore had some great hands for a tight end. And his color commentary isnt that bad side by side with Gene's!

Speaking of More, here are some- as in thoughts from the Head Coach; Aaron Oberlin of the Tampa Tribune tells us how how Mr. Morris is becoming entranced by Gator DB Joe Haden.

Could Aqib Talib be paired up with a 4.39 speedster who wowed em at the Gator Pro day too? Is #3 too high for Haden? Is he the best player left after Suh and McCoy?

AP story on Overtime rule changes to be talked about at this months owners meetings.

We talked about this a few weeks ago. The proverbial straw was obviously the NFC Championship game in which the Brett Favre led Viking's offense never got off the bench. Seems fair to give the other team at least a shot. You can't use the college system entirely because you cant have 4 more touchdowns counted on a QB stats when your getting the ball 4 times at the 25 yard line. Finally, if your going to do it in the playoffs, why not do it during the regular season? Probably because the playoffs cannot end in a tie. I just answered my own question. Sure sign of insanity. At least I'm not talking to my.....

Getting to know new Bucs Safety Sean Jones

2010-03-17T11:53:08Z

Now a Buc, Jones will compete with Sabby at Strong Safety.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have solidified one of the better safety tandems in the NFL Tuesday with the acquisition of Sean Jones from the Eagles. Bucs fans have become used to a Strong Safety who lurks along the line of scrimmage while having the ability to collect footballs in the secondary like Stamps. Sixteen INTs in four years is a nice portfolio for such a player.

The Bucs have been last among stopping the run lately, and Jones will probably be an asset in helping with that department. Coming out of the University of Georgia in 2004, the Bucs were scouting Jones with a young secondary assistant named Raheem Morris. Now having started 53 of his past 59 games, the 6' 1" 220 pound Jones will go directly up against incumbent Sabby Piscitelli in camp for the Strong Safety Position.

The Versitile Jones played both Quarterback AND Defensive End in Westlake High School where he passed for 2,490 yards and 31 touchdowns, and also ran for 800 more yards and 11 more scores on the ground. As a Bulldog, he started 24 games and finished with a sack, ten stops for losses, three recovered fumbles and seven interceptions. As a special teams candidate, he blocked 4 kicks!

Check out this YouTube Video of Mr. Jones scoop n score ability vs the Volunteers.

The Cleveland Brows saw fit to bring him into their organization, using a second round pick (#59 overall) on the 2004 draft day, but he missed his entire rookie season with a knee Injury that he suffered before play started. He played almost exclusively on Special Teams during the 2005 season for the Browns, and started all 16 games as Safety in 2006, picking up AFC defensive player of the Week on 10/29 vs the Jets with 3 tackles and 2 interceptions. The next year brought 16 more starts for Jones, with improved stats; 96 tackles and 5 picks. An injury in 2008 prevented him from starting more than 12 games, yet still amassed 56 tackles, a forced fumble, 4 more picks and 4 deflected passes! To say he has a knack for the ball, well would be a bit of an understatement for our newest member.

As an unrestricted Free Agent, Jones was signed to a one year contract by the Philadelphia Eagles, the highlight of which was his pick of Bears QB Cutler to preserve the victory.

Fox.com's Scout section ranked Jones the 33rd highest Free Agent in the 2009 preview, about twenty spots below our own Jermaine Philips. He is not listed in their top 50 for the 2010 edition.

MORE

First on the scene was LeeCaz, and some great comments collected here....

Pasadenapadre looked to be the first to break the BigDog's story in the Fanpost!

...and Paul Mueller confirmed the story just before midnight...

Is our defense back on the right track to this? Re-Live Sapp to Brooks for TD during Super Bowl!

WE HAVE A WINNER... 22-21, Best FanPost of the weekend: ROB20819

2010-03-17T09:00:27Z

Rob20819 gets the 20 for his Anti-Anti Buc fan rant, which scored 1 point out of 50 possible better than Cracker Ball's "Poor Draft"

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His piece "As a lifelong Buc fan I sit and I stew...." beat out Cracker Ball's "Stinkeroo" post by one whole point out of a possible 50!

While bias insinuations are sure to be coming up probably as soon as comment one, the truth is I was more than fair in my assesment of the only two stories that were even close to being elegible.

Thanks To keysersoze for trying, but I completely edited his post, thus it was ineligible (and Illegible too if I may add, waka waka). Hopefully next contest we can get greater participation.

Here is the scoring used to determine the winner:

ORIGINAL THOUGHT- Total 20 Points Rob20819 6, Cracker Ball 7 - Reason being I have been kinda saying the same thing lately, and Cracker Balls rant on our draft practices was more original.

QUALITY OF CONTENT- Total 20 Points Rob20819 8 Cracker Ball 7 - I felt both pieces were laid out pretty nice, but when reading aloud, Rob20819's flowed better when reading the two after one another a few times.

PUNCT/GRAMMAR- Total Points 10 Rob20819 8, Cracker Ball 7 - I copied and pasted each story into Word 2008. Cracker Ball had two incomplete sentences pointed out, and one mispelling. Rob had two mispellings but no major fragments.

INTANGIBLES- I had a few friends read both, people who do not read Bucem at all, and 3 of 4 liked Robs piece better. I felt that was security I needed to make sure I wasn't being biased, besides, I agree with Cracker Ball too, our drafting has sucked bad!!

Rob20819, contact me via email from the email address your are registered to your Bucem account to claim your $20 Grand Prize. AND NO! Not $20,000 which is how you write a $20Grand, Grand Prize!

Report: Bucs sign Safety Sean Jones

2010-03-16T21:09:24Z

Welcome to the team Mr. Jones. Welcome back to special teams Mr. Piscitelli.

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Multiple sources are reporting that Jones came to a contract agreement with Tampa today after leaving Tennessee empty handed yesterday. We have no information at this time as to the terms of the contract but as details come in we will be sure to get them to our loyal and faithful readers as quickly as we hear about them.

Welcome to the team Mr. Jones. Welcome back to special teams Mr. Piscitelli.

NOTE: As reported here by LeeCaz, the Buccaneers have officially agree to terms with safety Sean Jones, according to Stephen F. Holder of The St. Petersburg Times. - Paul Mueller

BUCSHOTS: Jones close? Doug Williams/Byron Lefwich, & More

2010-03-16T21:05:41Z

Now we know how he got his number.."Low and Outside; ball four.

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Stephen Holder says the Bucs are serious about acquiring Sean Jones from the Eagles.
We've been hearing this for a few days now, so what is it all about? Is it a Brandon Marshall type rumor, for is this something everyone can see happen? Can YOU see it happening? Steve Duemig is saying its a done deal according to Bucem Reader PasadenaPadre....
Rick Stroud, also of the Times, says the Steelers are hot after Leftwich.

Exactly who is lining up at One Buc place to stop him from leaving? He did lead us to the number 4 offense and made Michael Clayton look like he was a real receiver!

Ever wonder exactly how strong Doug Williams arm was? Check this Video out, where a flick of the wrist goes over 50 yards downfield.

He barely puts any arm into it and it flys.

Bucpower.com features an in depth look at the original 1976 draft, the first one ever, and the one that brought us Lee Roy Selmon.

Trading for Steve Spurier?, what were we? An Expansion team?

Rumor - Bucs and Broncos looking to swap first rounders (#3 and #11) in which the Bucs would also...

2010-03-16T11:22:08Z

Rumor - Bucs and Broncos looking to swap first rounders (#3 and #11) in which the Bucs would also net.............Brandon Marshall.

It is just a rumor at this point. Here's a link (thanks to CubFanRaysAddict)

Heard on 620 AM and per other sources.

Ruud tells Tampa Tribune he is frustrated by his RFA tender, but will still participate in OTAs this season.

2010-03-15T21:45:03Z

Ruud tells Tampa Tribune he is frustrated by his RFA tender, but will still participate in OTAs this season.

Ruud, who missed all OTAs last season in an attempt to garner a contract extension, has announced that he will participate in every one this year. Probably a good idea because the general consensus amongst fans is that Ruud needs to step his game up, despite the fact that he finished tied for 2nd (alongside Patrick Wilis) in total tackles throughout the NFL.

Ruud went on to say that he did not regret holding out last year, and he is hoping for Tampa to land one of the two premier defensive tackles with the #3 overall pick.

What happened to "you get what you pay for"?

2010-03-15T14:46:31Z

Earlier this season, I ran a few articles discussing the production of our starting wide receivers, Michael Clayton and Antonio Bryant relative to their salary. Through the first few games, it appeared the Bucs had significantly overpaid both guys, as their production was lagging behind a full year's worth of a number two receiver. With the season completed, and with Bryant gone, I though we could take a quick look at one of our favorite punching bags, Michael Clayton. This isn't just an excuse to bash him, but more a look at how the Buc's dollars are being spent. Afterall, we hear terms such as "cheap", "thrifty", and "frugal" being thrown around, but then we are expected to laud the organization for throwing handfuls of cash at undeserving targets.

We've all been part of the argument, you know, the argument over whether the Glazers are cheap or not. They have spent money in the past, and even in 2009. But it's how we are spending that money that makes me worry. I'd rather be the cheapest team in the league than dispense huge contracts to lackluster targets. Case and point. Michael Clayton.

Before he signed his monster second deal, lets look at his career stats. I've also included career totals, averages, last 3 year average and average season without 2004 (rookie year).

Year	Games	Rec	Yards	TD	YPC
2009	13	16	230	1	14.38
2008	15	38	484	1	12.74
2007	14	22	301	0	13.68
2006	12	33	356	1	10.79
2005	14	32	372	0	11.63
2004	16	80	1193	7	14.91
Total	84	221	2936	10	13.29
Career Avg	14	36.83	489.33	1.67	2.21
Last 3 Avg	14	25.33	338.33	0.67	13.36
w/o 2004	13.6	28.2	348.6	0.6	12.36

The table tells us nothing we don't already know. He burst onto the scene in 2004, had us all scrambling to buy #80 jerseys, ready for a Hall of Fame career, and then he produced numbers that would make most running backs look like receiving threats. An honest bit of feedback here. I literally laughed when I saw his numbers in black and white. I don't know if I blocked them out or what, but this was even worse than I thought.

So back to our argument at hand. The Bucs, after seeing Clayton put up years including 33,2, and 38 catches for a total yardage of roughly 1,000 (over 3 years), we decided to reward him and outbid ourselves to the tune of a 5 years, $24 million with $10.5 million guaranteed. That equates into a salary of $13.5 million, or roughly (if each year were the same salary) $2.7 million a year in salary and guarantees of (again, over the life of the deal) $2.1 million per year for a total annual pay of approximately $4.8 million dollars.

I'll give you a second to take that paragraph in again.

Back? Now that you've presumably snapped back to reality, what does it all mean? Well, to get an idea, lets take his 2009 numbers and put them into context. In terms of yards (230), he is lumped in with guys like Legedu Naanee (242), and Keenan Burton (253) while having less yards than running backs, Jason Snelling, Rock Cartwright, and Julius Jones. When looking at receptions (16), he was in line with Marty Booker and Deon Butler. And in the ever popular touchdown category, he was behind just about anyone with a pulse like Eric Weems. We could compare players all day long, but I'll refrain for the sake of my sanity.

So with his monster season of 15 catches for 230 yards and 1 TD, what did we pay him for each catch, yard and TD? This again assumes that each year of salary was equal.

Per catch - $300,000

Per yard - $20,869

per TD - $4.7 million

A quick fun fact. Clayton's last 3 seasons combined, he would have been 24th in the league in yards for 2009. That's 3 years of Clayton against 1 year of everyone else and he still barely cracks the top 25.

So now that we've summed up Clayton's (non) contribution to the team, lets make this more of a team-centric exercise. Back to the spending argument. I don't think any Bucs fan is advocating blowing cash on players who can't play or don't deserve it. But if we truly are trying to build a team, watch the cash flow and create a winner, what in the heck was the front office thinking when they doled out this contract? Again, I'd rather be stingy misers who rightfully are called cheap because they refuse to spend on everyonethan spend this kind of cash on under performers.

We have the examples of the Winslow deal (so far so good), the attempted wooing of Haynesworth, and the Ward signing (so far not so good) to appease the "we do spend" crowd. We have the inability to sign anyone of note thus far in 2010, and the horrific Clayton signing, as well as Ward to give fodder to the "we don't spend" or "we don't know how to spend" crowd.

I'll leave you with this thought. As we continue into the offseason and draft portions of the year, it has become painfully obvious that we just flat out refuse to spend in free agency. I won't debate the merits with anyone as this seems to be a front office philosophy, but before we defend the FO and their frugal ways by touting the examples I laid out, are we even reasonable sure that if the FO decided to spend money that we would feel comfortable with how they do it? All I have to do is point towards #80 and I think I could rest my case.

Should OC/DC experience be a prerequisite for a Head Coach?

2010-03-15T10:54:05Z

One of the popular knocks on Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris (there are many after a 3-13 inaugural season) is the lack of major coaching experience. A Coordinator's duties seem to be the magic mark on a resume that many feel would qualify a candidate to run an NFL organization. With the difference between the Professional and Collegiate level becoming hazier every year, a deciding standard such as the leadership of more than just a handful of players is what leans most people to approve or disapprove a Man from taking over a team in the Big Leagues.

To be fair, the more experience a coach has the better; its one less thing at at a critical juncture that he will have to deal with for the first time ever. But is it a requirement?

In short, No.

There are many atributes that qualify a man to be a leader, but there is first time for everything, as this list of first time Head Coaches attests- not one man in this list had deeper experience than Raheem Morris did before the Glazers appointed him Head Buc in Charge.

Some of the names are from many years gone by. Some just a decade or so ago. Then you have the list of recent coaches who have yet to prove anything, but do have the job and do have their team competing. Take the list for what you will; it is not a concrete slab where it can withstand major salvos of criticism. However, for the most part, when taken as a whole, its a wall of evidence that supports one major etiquette that cannot be refuted: You do NOT have to be an Offensive Coordinator or Defensive Coordinator to be considered for Head Coach. ---- List after the Jump----

MAJOR ACCOLADES:

Chuck Noll: DB coach with Baltimore; straight to HC. Result 4 Superbowl championships.
John Madden went from Linebackers coach to Head Coach.
Joe Gibbs spent one year as OC with the 5-11 Bucs before becoming HOF coach with the Redskins.
Mike Ditka spent only one year as the OC for Dallas before being named HC of Da Bears. Ditka replaced Dan Reeves.

Some Familiar Names:

Herman Edwards- Debatable if you want to count him as successful, however he was a Head Coach twice in this league..
Andy Reid- Eagles went from QB coach to HC. 5 NFC Championship appearances...

Current Head Coaches ...

Superbowl participant Jim Caldwell, Colts.
John Harbaugh- Baltimore DB coach to HC.
Josh McDaniels did a lot with what he was given.
Tony Sparano spent 4 years as an OC @ boston college 20 years ago, does that disqualify him from this list?? Morris did have one year as DC in 2006, You can scratch this guy off if you want....
Mike Singletary-YOU tell him he shouldnt be a head coach LOL.

Of course, this is not to say that Raheem Morris is going to turn out like any one on this list. The Bucs could go 5-11 in 2010 and he could be let go, never to be heard from again.

Coaching decisions play only a part of the big picture, albeit a very large part. Having or not having the right personnel on a team can have its effect to. For example, Im sure we all can agree that Jim Caldwell inherited a well oiled machine.

So again, it doesnt make it a forgone conclusion that Raheem will follow in any of these footsteps. Instead it only means that there is a first time for everything. A lot of mistakes were made in 2009 that cannot happen again. There were some equally good decisions to, we just need to take off the glasses, or blinders, and see them for ourselves.

Raheem Morris- Head Coach Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

1998 Graduate Assistant; Hofstra

1999 DB/ Special Teams assistant; Cornell

2000-2001 Defensive Backs; Hofstra

2002-2005 Defensive Quality Control/Defensive Assistant; Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2006 Defensive Coordinator: Kansas State

2007-2008 Defensive Backs Coach; Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2009- Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator; Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ALL TIME Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team 1976-2009

2010-03-14T14:16:31Z

At DT, Best of the Best was #99....but what about the rest?

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While we gear up for the draft which is sure to cause 19587 to the 3rd power more interest than Free Agency, I thought a little diversion is in order. Your thoughts in the comments are welcomed if you can correct me and replace someone I have nominated as a better candidate in his position.

I take into effect not only stats, but how they played the game. Size, speed is of no concern, because players from 2009 would obliterate those from 1979 in sheer size. The Bucs offensive line in 1979 was considered one of the better ones, yet its the size of the average NCAA O-line today.

No Bucs fans, this list is made up of the best of the best in each position. At time when there is simply a need, a reserve is allowed because two players from different eras simply cannot be left off the list.

And so I bring you, the ALL TIME, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team:

OFFENSE:

QB- Doug Williams- Forget being a trend setter by being the first full time African-American starter at the position, Williams had a canon arm, and a physique that wouldnt go down. He was sacked less than ten times in 1979 for example. The knock on Doug was his low completion percentage, but you have to remember, he played in a day that predawned the West Coast Offense. Doug would heave the ball rather than take a sack, and take the hit on the stat sheet. He threw a TD by the seat of his pants, and a flick of his wrist would shoot the ball downfield over 50 yards. No Bucs QB has been to as many Playoff games, and when he left in 1983 after 3 of 4 playoff years, the Bucs didnt go back to the dance until 1997.

FB- Mike Alstott- What can you say about the A train, he bulled you over, and when you thought he was going to do it again, he side-stepped you! Mike was an instant success in the NFL and in Tampa, when the Bucs were a laughing stock for being soft, he was the tough guy you couldn't make fun of. He could catch the ball out of the backfield, or get you that first down on 3rd and 2. Alstott played the FB position, but really didnt learn to block as well as the best until the later days of his career. He was pretty much a hybrid at the position, but it earned him multiple trips to the pro-bowl, and even more highlight reel clips on ESPN, as Chris Berman would say, "your in good hands with Alstott".

TB-James Wilder- "Born to Run" would blast over the Tampa Stadium loudspeaker when he would get the ball, and get the ball he did. In 1984 Wilder was a handful of yards shy of the NFL single season all purpose yardage record. He currently holds the Bucs record for most yards in a season with 1,544, and followed that up with 1,300 in 1985. He did that last year with a 2-14 Bucs team that was out of most games by halftime, when defenses knew he was going to get the ball.

Tight End- Jimmy Giles- Number 88 had it all as a Tight End, Size, Strength, Speed, and a pair of hands that would catch even Doug Williams bullets. The big man has 34 TDs and averaged 15.4 yards per catch; as a Tight End. On his watch, Ricky Bell and James Wilder both rushed for over 1,000 yards too. Since 1976, only two other players have more receiving yards than Jimmy Giles, the Bucs best TE ever.

Wide Receiver-(Opps, thanks for pointing out the oversight!)- Mark Carrier- Was the only receiver to ever have more than 200 yards in a game until Antonio Bryant did it in 2008; however Carrier's 215 is still the record. Only Wilder has more receptions, and while his lead is oh so slight over Kevin House in yardage, he did that with one less season, He played his entire career with Vinny Testeverde too.

Kevin House- Averaging a full 2 yards per catch more than Carrier, the Bucs had average receivers until House came to the team in 1980. The blazing speed was a perfect match for Doug Williams' canon arm. In 1981 House scored 3 TDs of 70 yards or more. Honorable Mention: Joey Galloway- The only WR ever in Bucs history to have 3 back to back to back 1,000 yard Seasons (2005-07) and was the primary deep threat during this time. Keyshawn Johnson was the first Bucs WR in a long time that gave the offense an identity of which the defense had for many years with their stars.

Left Tackle- Paul Gruber- Drafted during the low days of Buccaneers history, he suffered on many poor Bucs teams, and never received the adulation he would have had he been on a better team or bigger market. But Gruber stood up tall against some of the best Defensive Ends in the business, and time and time again performed at an exceptional level. Gruber started 183 Bucs games in a row, surpassed only by this list's outside linebacker, one No. 55. Gruber got to taste a bit of winning, being on the 1997 and 99 playoff squads, but broke his leg in the season finale in '99, he appeared as Captain in crutches on the floor of the NFC Championship game, his farewell appearance in either Orange or Pewter.

Left Guard- George Yarno- 1979-83/85-87- Yarno has one unique place in Bucs history: in the 1983 season finale, HC John McKay was so fed up with his placekicker, that he send Yarno out to kick the Extra Point of the final TD scored in the game. He straight kicked it through, and then was mugged by his OL team-mates. Honorable Mention: Frank Middleton.

Center- Tony Mayberry- In 1999, the Bucs had only seen 3 centers in the past 22 years. Mayberry held the position throughout the 90s starting 145 games in a row, having only been passed by Ronde Barber in recent history. Honorable Mention: Randy Grimes and Steve Wilson.

Right Guard- Ian Beckles- A stalwart on the right side of the line next to Mayberry, A very good pulling guard, Beckles helped solidify the middle of the Bucs line during the 90s. Honorable Mention: Sean Farrell: 1982-1986

Right Tackle- Charlie Hannah- Brother to famous O-lineman John Hannah, HC John McKay used to love to take guys and move them to the other side of the ball. Hannah was a defensive end. He started most of 1978 as RE opposite LeeRoy Selmon. Then in 1979 he started as the Left Tackle, and never looked back. He dominated from the get-go, and teamed with rookie Greg Roberts, Hannah helped pave the way for Ricky Bell and the 1979 NFC Championship team.

Place Kicker- Matt Bryant- if his 83% successful career FGs made doesnt impress you, his perfection (100%) of FGs in the 30-39 range should. The only knock on Bryant was his deep kicks, going only 2 of 10 in 50+ kicks, but he makes up for that with the second longest kick for a game winner in NFL history in 2006 with his 62 yard kick. Honorable Mention: Steve Christie: who was able to go 9/11 from 40+, was a plan B free agent casualty that Sam Wyche left unprotected because he gave his word he would not leave.

Punt Returner- Karl The Truth Williams

Kick Returner- TIE- Michael Spurlock, Clifton Smith

DEFENSE

Left Defensive End- Greg Spires- The Crane has he was known by his teammates, Spires was the lone defensive addition to the SuperBowl team of 2002, and he stayed until 2007 getting 26 sacks along the way, with a high of 8 in 2004. Honorable Mention: Chidi Ahanotu who started from 1993 to 2000.

Nose Tackle(4-3) Brad Culpepper(1994-1999) Pep as Sapp would call him was notorious for getting the double team that freed up Sapp for his sacks. But not only did he do that unselfishly, he didn't have a problem getting to the QB himself, cleaning a thrower off the ground 33 times in his day. or Nose Guard (3-4) David Logan (1979-1986) Before the modern draft of 7 rounds, drafts would last much longer. Logan was a 12th round draft pick that became a starter in his second season when Randy Crowder went down with an injury. Logan disrupted offenses, often teaming with someone else like Selmon for a TD scoop n score. Logan is 4th all time in sacks behind LeeRoy Selmon, Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice. Honorable Mention- Dave Pear- First Buccaneer ever to go to a pro bowl. Pear was a ferocious Nose Guard who made a mess of many offensive lines during an era when the Bucs were not competitive. He was traded to the Raiders before the 1979 season, which led the Bucs to draft Greg Roberts, a guard that was supposed to go early in the first round but lasted until early in the second.

Defensive Tackle- Warren Sapp-What can you say about #99 that hasnt been said already. He is 3rd alltime in sacks from the defensive Tackle position, a place where sacks are not supposed to come from. He would have been a very high draft pick but rumors of Marijuana use caused the Hurricane Defensive star to fall to the Bucs. Sapp was familiar with his new team as an Orlando resident growing up, but hated the Orange uniforms. He would not have to wear them long, and by the time the team went to Pewter, signs on the stadium scoreboard would start to read "You've been SAPPED" each time he took a QB to the ground, which happened frequently.

Sapp made the 3 technique famous in the Tampa Two, lining up on the Gaurds shoulder and shooting the 3 gap causeing all sorts of havoc. Bouts with Packer QB Brett Favre starting with the Bucs playoff birth in 1997 became legendary, as was his late hit on Chad Clifton in 2003 which resulted in a confrontation with Packer Head coach Mike Sherman. Those who spoke to Sapp say you never knew which type of person you were going to get, but for Quarterbacks, they always knew.

Right Defensive End- LeeRoy Selmon- The end all be all of defensive players for the Bucs, Mr. Selmon, who is in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame, was the very first Buccaneer ever. The No.1 pick in the 1976 draft, he is the all time sack leader with 78.5. You would never guess from talking to him that he is a ferocious QB sacker, he has a very calm demeanor. But get him on the field and you have a man who beats double, even triple teams to get to the QB, and when he does destruction ensues. Selmon was inducted into the HOF in 1995, and so far is the only Buccaneer representing in Canton.

Left Outside Linebacker- Shelton Quarles- Hard to believe that during the heyday of the Tampa Two defense, no player other than Quarles started more than 2 consecutive seasons at the same left outside or Strong Side LB spot. One of the few moves HC Jon Gruden did on the defense was recommend Quarles to move from outsidie to Inside, a move that was very successful for the Superbowl 2002 season. Starting out as a special teamer, he quickly rose to the top and became a starter on the 1999 team that was destined for NFC Championship fame. Honorable Mention: David Lewis- Drafted out of USC by his old coach John McKay, Lewis started on the Bucs from '77 until he would up in the coaches doghouse in 1981.

Inside Linebacker/Middle - Hardy Nickerson- He was the Bucs first major Free Agent pick up, in 1993 Tampa Bay got him from the Pittsburgh Steelers where he was already a budding star. Nickerson brought a toughness to Tampa Bay that had not been seen in over a decade! He instantly clashed with Kieth McCants loafing on the field in between plays, resulting in McCants removal from the team. Finishing with over 200 tackles in the season didn't hurt much either. He instantly became the team leader, and a player the young guys could look up to. Nickerson's signature muscle flex move became a constant celebration on the field, as he finished with over 1,000 tackles in the 7 years he started here.

Right Outside Linebacker- Derrick Brooks - Hardy Nickerson was looking for a student. Someone who had the smarts to learn his position, and the heart to play up to Hardware standards. The Bucs obliged with the rookie from Florida State who everyone watched take over the outside LB positionf rom Day one. Brooks was an instant starter on the team, finishing second on the team in tackles behind his mentor. Brooks would become the second Buccaneer to be named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year along with Sapp, and had a streak of 4 straight games where he scored a defensive touchdown, and put the icing on the cake in the Super Bowl with the game clincher. He is almost a lock to join Selmon in Canton in 2014. Honorable Mention: Hugh Green was a defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Panthers, but became a ball hawking Linebacker in Tampa Bay. To be honest, he was every bit the linebacker Lawrence Taylor was, but not working in New York City for everyone to see. He was the kind of player that could, and did, single handedly take over a game.

Left Corner- Ronde Barber- The only one of the last wave of Bucs heroes never to wear Orange as his normal uniform, Barber was taken in the 1997 draft and can be seen in most of the 97 games as the guy in his civies on the sideline. Barber was made for the Tampa Two, and in his career which is still far from over, he has taken over the teams all time interception lead from fellow CB Donnie Abraham. Barber is most famous for his twin brother Tiki who was drafted out of Virginia the same year. In a bit of irony, Barbers elementary football team was named the Eagles, and later in life he became most famous for his interception return of a Donovan McNabb pass and subsequent return for a TD that sent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl in 2002. Ronde has 11 defensive TDs to his credit, and is part of the 20/20 club, defensive players with at least 20 sacks AND 20 interceptions. Barber is 7 sacks away from 30/30. Honorable Mention: Mike Washington- The original No.40 came to the Bucs in 1976 and grew along with most of the first Buccaneer defense to rank No.1 in the league. Washington is 4th leading interceptor in Bucs history! Only a handful of TDs were scored because of Washington.

Right Corner- Brian Kelly- Unfortunatly, the misconception surrounding #25 is the memory of his outstretched arms just missing a ball that goes over his hand and into the waiting arms of Rams receiver Ricky Proehl. Truth is Kelly had fantastic coverage, and Lynch was a step late with safety help. Kelly was in some ways a better tactical corner than Barber, as he was the guy used to shut down big name receivers. He became a starter early in 2001 when he replaced Donnie Abraham who was himself a great corner. Brian was injured regularly later on in his career with the Bucs, but led the team in interceptions 2 of 3 season, and ended up finishing with 20 interceptions before moving on in Free Agency to Detroit. Honorable Mention: Ricky Reynolds- a second round pick with the Bucs in 1987, he played 7 seasons in Tampa Bay and scored every way imaginable: Int return, Fumble return, and blocked FG return too! Left via Free Agency for the Patriots in 1994.

Free Safety- Cedrick Brown- Brown was part of the first pair of great safeties in Bucs history. #34 was a ball hog, he is still 3rd on the all time interception list, and was responsible for many wins in the early days of Bucs history. . Honorable Mention:Tony Covington- part of the all rookie safety combination in 1991 with Marty Carter, another great safety in a line of them.

Strong Safety- John Lynch- Perhaps the biggest fan favorite the Bucs have every seen along with Mike Alstott. Lynch came to the Bucs in the 3rd round of the 1993 draft, the same year Nickerson joined. Lynch played special teams and was a ferocious tackler from the get-go. By 1995 it became obvious to the team they had a good tackling safety on their hands. John became a full time starter in 1996 under DB coach Herman Edwards. A Stanford product, Lynch was a pitcher in baseball too, and threw out the very first pitch in Florida Marlins history. Coach Bill Walsh is credited with saving Johns career, as he showed him what a good safety he could be. Walsh called his former QB Sam Wyche who was HC of the Bucs at the time, and #47 became a household name in no time. Lynch was released in an unpopular move by the Bruce Allen/Jon Gruden regime after 2003 in which it was unsure if his shoulder would let him play football again. Edwards, Tony Dungy, and Lovie Smith all had chances to pick up Lynch but declined due to his injury. The Broncos took a chance and it paid off for both . Honorable Mention: Mark Cotney- Cotney was the 70s version of Lynch. A virtual clone if you will, he was a hard hitting safety that no receiver felt comfortable crossing into his territory. Mark was one of the original Bucs and played until 1984 when John McKay retired.

Punter- Tom Tupa- He actually performed better in 2003 than the Super Bowl season, but that is only because of his high standards to begin with. Originally a 3rd round pick of the Cardinals, he made the probowl three times.Honorable Mention: Josh Bidwell- The heir to Tupa, Bidwell is a cancer survivor and left Green Bay to come to the Bucs where he has excelled till injury ended his 2009 season.

Special Teams Ace (gunner)- Kenny Gant- One of the better reasons to go to the stadium was to watch Gant do his "shark dance", where he would garner up support from the 5 yard line behind the kickoff team, then run up to the line at the last possible second. Usually, he was in on the tackle. Honorable Mention-Curtis Buckley- Just a wild man on the coverage units. Half of his energy could light the stadium for weeks!

Hope you enjoyed this BEST OF THE BUCS, ALL TIME....Thank You for your pointing out things I forgot, and would love to hear MORE of YOUR thoughts on the list!

Alston signing should maintain Bucs high standards in Special teams

2010-03-13T13:56:22Z

Alston impressed well at the 2006 combine.

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At one point the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the 4th ranked offense in the NFL. Then we blinked.

Reality set in, and a few Quarterbacks later, the Bucs settled back down to their normal spot towards the back of the theater! The unusual part was watching Tampa Bay Defense and Last Place have a synonymous relationship in 2009. Once Jim Bates defensive duties were replaced by Head Coach Raheem Morris, that unit started marching towards their normal front seats they've been comfortable in for several years.

The one thriving unit that most Bucs fans were unaware of, has been Special Teams. Tampa Bay had the best special teams in several categories last year, giving up the least amount of real estate on Punt returns or Kick Off returns, and that usually is a sign of good quality backups on the roster. Players like Maurice Stovall, Will Allen, and Matt McCoy may not have been good enough to crack the teams starting roster, but their contributions are missed when they are injured, not able to play, or in these cases, traded away or released.

While it may seem to be a move to immediatly replace the depth at linebacker, signing former Raider LB Jon Alston gives Special Teams Coach Rich Bisaccia another speedster to replace the loss of McCoy and Will Allen who was signed by the Steelers last week.

Alston is a former Stanford Cardinal who ran a 4.5 second 40 yard dash at the 2006 combine, and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round. As a Cardinal, Alston saved his best for last: accumulating 113 tackles, 16 sacks, 23 tackles for a loss and causing 6 fumbles, all in his last two years in school.

Being only 26, he fits in well with the overall youth movement and will back up Geno Hayes at least initially, with placement in a depth chart likely not to happen until OTAs or camp. During his rise up mock drafts due to his combine performance, several teams expressed an interest in switching him to Safety. Its possible the Bucs were one of those teams and may be considering that move now.

Bucs are still interested in signing Sean Jones of the Eagles to compete at Safety. Jones concluded his visit last Friday, and normally teams that work deals for players are done before they leave a teams complex.

CLAYTON UPDATE: Michael Clayton will be going to the bank again, as he is due a $1,000,000 deferred bonus on March 15th. This is money the team owes their receiver as part of the contract he signed in 2009, but there is no roster bonus or new money that would force the Bucs to make a quick decision on him. With a career low 16 catches for only 230 yards last year, it is increasingly uncertain whether we will see #80 catching footballs for the Bucs after August.

BUCSHOTS: Pool of Safeties gone, The UGGHHH Video of Punt Blocking, Sams Club and More...

2010-03-12T20:55:34Z

"Pool" of safeties shrinks thanks to Jets!

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Stephen Holder uses a nice play of words regarding Safety Brodney Pool and the NY Jets.

Not really sure if we were interested in a FA Safety or not. Tends to tell me that the Bucs have one in mind for the future in the draft. But which one?
What does a blocked punt sound like? Watch this video in HD and hear it for yourself!

Love this, you hear it over and over and over..., and I thought THUD was funny.

"It's Not Sam's Club" says Raheem Morris. True! Check out the Joe Henderson article...

Its not Costco Either. Most free agents these teams got were very pricy due to the simple but reliable laws of Supply and Demand.

Bucpower.com has their version of ESPN's hit show, and you can read the panel's opinions which are pretty interesting...

This site is like the Buccaneer's Bible for information; and there is good reading of opinions too. Nice take on the ESPN show around the horn, kinda. I like when they mute the guys towards the end!!

Linebacker depth and special teams always is a big need for the Bucs. That's why Raiders free...

2010-03-12T19:41:56Z

Linebacker depth and special teams always is a big need for the Bucs.

That's why Raiders free agent linebacker Jon Alston is visiting with the Bucs today.

Buc Wild: With McCoy gone and no other depth to speak of, this would be one of those signings we might would make, but probably never talk about. Thanks to Vin for the heads up.

per Rick Stroud

ANNOUNCING TOWN HALL PRIZE WINNERS!!! Reader M and BucWild!

2010-03-12T00:38:33Z

Winners will receive any game from 2009 in BluRay HD.

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READER M

BUC WILD

Contact me you guys have one the two 'door prizes' for the Town Hall meeting.

The one prize I decided to give to whomever was in spot #521, my birthday and that is BucWild.

The other prize is for best comment, which I decided was this one from ReaderM:

Rome vs Everett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8

Both winners will receive one Game from 2009 in HD on BluRay.

Email me to make arrangements to receive your prize!

Enjoy

Would of posted sooner but Youtube for some strange reason was taking longer to load then Clayton into a WR

Give us your Two Cents, We'll turn them into $20!

2010-03-11T17:00:49Z

$20 Visa/Mastercard awarded to best Fanpost that goes up between 12:01 AM Tonight (Fri) to 11:59PM Sunday.

View full size photo »

Got something on your mind? Give us your two cents, and you'll get some serious interest: as in compounded!

Announcing a $20 first place grand prize for the best fanpost this weekend.

Its this weekend only, and the rules are posted after the jump. Staff is not eligible.

Only Fanposts that go up from 12:01 Friday AM until Sunday night 11:59 PM are elegible.

GOOD LUCK!

RULES: Fanposts must meet fanpost guidelines as listed on front page. Fanposts must be 75 words, and represent your original thoughts. You can present a link and discuss it, or anything relating to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This is a fanpost contest, for this weekend only. Only Fanposts will be considered, not fanshots.

Only Posts that go up between 12:01 AM Friday to 11:59 PM Sunday Night.

Winners will be announced by Wednesday.

Posts with "75 words 75 words" or any attempt to extend wording will be deleted.

Posts with extremely poor grammatical errors, meaning obvious ignorance of Word or Browser recommendations, will be deleted.

Feel free to ask any questions between now and midnight tonight when the contest starts.

Prize will be awarded as Visa/Mastercard and mailed certified mail, signature required.

Winner will be judged on following criteria:

Original Thought (1-20 Points)
Grammar and Puntuation (1-10 points)
Quality of Content ( 1-20 Points )