Bucs come to agreement with Ruud

Linebacker Barrett Ruud (who's name is Germanic), the second round pick from Nebraska, has agreed to a five year deal expected to pay an average of $950,000 a year with a bonus of more than $2 million.

Ruud was originally slated to play strongside linebacker, but he impressed the Bucs coaches enough to warrant a middle linebacker position. The middle backer position carries more responsibility since it would require Ruud to call plays in the huddle. You can expect Shelton Quarles to start the year at middle backer, but I would expect Ruud to get plenty of playing time and eventually some starts sometime around week 10.