Yet Another Experiment in Futility: Grading Past Drafts

You now what my favorite part about summer is? Watermelon. Of all the melons watermelon has to be favorite (although melondew is a close second). Nothing beats a slice of watermelon on a warm summer day, especially if you've been grilling all day. And who ever invented seedless watermelon is a fucking genius, although one has to wonder how seedless watermelons are propagated if they lack seeds. What does any of this have to do with the draft? Nothing. I just like watermelon and wanted to make sure you were aware of that.

Few tasks are more futile than assigning grades to drafts what just happened, yet come Monday Mel Kiper Jr and the usual suspects will do just that. And we will read them. Which will lead to even more draft grades next year. Its like an endless circle jerk without a money shot.

So when I sat down to eat my watermelon tonight I asked myself if there was someway I could get in on this grading goodness and also test my theory that Gruden is one of the worst drafters in the league. As much as I love Gruden, he's also the same guy who took Sebastien Janikowski in the first round.

Warning: My theory here is that Gruden is a bad drafter so it is very likely my grades will reflect that fact, which would make this entire execise about as productive as the aforementioned draft day grades.

Few rules before we get started, I'm only looking at first day picks (rounds 1-3) since Gruden joined the team in 2002 to 2005. I'm ignoring 2006 since the players have only been around for one season, and if we only judged players on their rookie seasons Michael Clayton would be a Pro Bowler.



2002: Marquise Walker, wr, 3rd RD (#86)
We're off to a good start here en route to confirming my theory. Walker has never caught a ball in the NFL and only stayed with the team one year. Walker's current location is most likely working the deep fryer at your local burger butt. Although in Gruden's defense he had very little time to research draft picks in the offseason. You don't expect much of a third round pick but you at least expect him to contribute.
Grade: F

2003: Dewayne White, de, 2nd RD (#64)
A little better for Gruden and company although White never worked his way into the starting lineup for four years despite showing flashes of brilliance. This offseason White signed with Detroit.
Grade: C

2003: Chris Simms, qb, 3rd RD (#97)
A good test case for our little experiment, Simm has exceeded expectations but also is at risk of losing his starting job. Gruden's speciality has always been quarterbacks so it is likely Simms has done better in Gruden's offense than he would elsewhere. I'm going to give Simms a good grade but I reserve the right to change this grade if Simms bombs this season, which he probably will.
Grade: B


2004: Michael Clayton, wr, 1st RD (#15)
It's funny how time changes your perspective on players. Just a year ago everyone made fun of Peyton Manning and loved Shawm Merriman. If I was grading Clayton after his rookie season he would receive an "A" but if we're just looking at years 2 and 3 he would get a "D".
Grade: C

2004: Marquise Cooper, olb, 3rd RD (#79)
One thing I should point out here is that Gruden didn't have a lot of draft picks to work with his first three years in Tampa. The more ardent Buccaneer fans know this but for those who are unfamiliar the Bucs had to give up 2 first round draft picks and 2 second round draft picks in exchange for Gruden. Why did I mention all this? Because I honestly can't remember a single thing about Cooper.
Grade: F

2005: Cadillac Williams, rb, 1st RD (#5)
Some people might argue I should drop Caddy's grade due to his decreased production last season but I blame that more on the team constantly playing from behind more than anything. Caddy doesn't look like he has LT potential but he can be scary when he gets in the open field and is one of the more difficult backs to tackle in the league.
Grade: A

2005: Barrett Ruud, mlb, 2nd RD (#36)
Ruud looks like he'll be a really good player in the league but he has failed to move past Shelton Quarles in two years. Although in Ruud's defense Quarles has played really well the past two seasons. Like the Simms grade I reserve the right to change this if Ruud stinks up the joint this season.
Grade: B

2005: Alex Smith, te, 3rd RD (#71)
Smith has become one of my favorites players on the team, and is the best tightend people have never heard of. He was originally drafted to be a receiving tightend in the Tony Gonzalez/Antonio Gates but offensive line deficiencies have forced Smith to become a blocking tightend. If the Bucs can ever solve their blocking woes Smith could become one of the most feared tightends in the league.
Grade: A



2005: Chris Colmer, ot, 3rd RD (#91)
Colmer had a lot of potential coming out of NC State but back problems have prevented Colmer from ever playing a down in a Bucs uniform. Colmer suffers from Parsonage-Turner Syndrome which caused him to miss his entire 2003 season at NC State. I'm no doctor so Colmer may come back and play for the Bucs this season but I wouldn't bet on it.
Grade: D

Some other players worth mentioning in the later rounds who became starters are Dan Buenning, Will Allen and Jermaine Phillips, all of whom were drafted in the fourth round.

Overall, this more or less confirms what I thought of Gruden. His only really impressive picks came two years ago, i.e. Alex Smith and Dan Buenning. I'm not counting the Cadillac pick since anytime you pick in the top five you are guaranteed to be getting an impact player. Gruden has also drafted a surprising number of busts, although most of those came early in his tenure with Tampa. So I would rate Gruden at about average to below average when it comes to drafting.

Bucs Bid Quarles Adieu

Shelton Quarles back problems finally got the best of him and it appears the Bucs are going to cut ties with their former middle linebacker. Quarles joined the Bucs rather unceremoniously in '97 following a two year stint in the CFL. Quarles didn't start until '99 (5 years after he went pro), and originally started at strongside linbacker. When Gruden took over in '02 he moved Quarles to middle backer and Quarles earned his first and only Pro Bowl berth, after he helped lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl victory. In the last two years, perhaps responding to competition from Barrett Ruud, Quarles had excelled, and at times looked like the best defensive player on the field for the Bucs. Shelton will be remembered as a tough-nosed, smart player who overcame long odds to lead the Bucs defense to the Super Bowl.

But enough of Shelton, what happens next?

Not much actually. The Bucs were prepared for this, and have been grooming Ruud to replace Quarles. While he looked lost at first Ruud performed well, especially in sporadic starts in replacement on an injured Quarles last season. I want to say the Bucs picked up another middle backer this offseason but I honestly can't remember the guys name, so I'm going to assume he's no good. Of course, linebacker is one of those positions (as Quarles proved) where you can find undrafted free agents and turn them into Pro Bowlers so the Bucs may want to look through the rubbage and see if they can find a diamond to back up Ruud.

Oh, and this in no way impacts the draft unless you care about who the Bucs draft in Round 6.

(By the by the Bucs have already deleated all pictures of Quarles from their website. In lieu of a gameday pic of Quarles here is another one of the man in action.)

The NFL Network laughs at Mel Kiper Jr and Chris Berman

For those who have debated whether to watch the draft on ESPN or the NFL Network (assuming you get NFL Network) your decision has been made for you....the NFL Network will feature the FishCam, a camera mounted on Joe Thomas' boat. Thomas, as you will remember, will decline to attend the draft in favor of spending a day at the lake. Because, as ESPN's Bass Fishing has proven nothing kills in the ratings more than fat guys catching fish.

Gosselin's second mock is out....

1. Oakland	Calvin Johnson	WR	Georgia Tech
COMMENT: Say goodbye to Randy Moss
2. Detroit	Gaines Adams	DE	Clemson
COMMENT: Best pass-rusher in the draft
3. Cleveland	JaMarcus Russell	QB	LSU
COMMENT: Browns like his 85-yard arm
4. Tampa Bay	Adrian Peterson	HB	Oklahoma
COMMENT: Bucs need more big plays on offense
5. Arizona	Joe Thomas	OT	Wisconsin
COMMENT: LT Leonard Davis left in free agency

I find the Peterson selection especially peculiar since the Bucs seem to have a number of backs on their roster, including a first round pick from just two years ago, Cadillac Williams. Why do I continue to focus on Gosselin? Because he has a repuation as the most accurate draft predictor.

(HT to AA)

You Give Me Cause for Love I Can Not Hide

I'm taking the GMAT tomorrow which means I've undergone self exile this Friday night. Which means you, my beloved reader, receive the benefit of my restless fingers (hurrah!).

With roughly a week to go before draft day speculation is running rampant, and misdirection has become the soup du jour. The Raiders, beneficieries of the worst record in the league, are playing games with the first overall pick, flirting with both JaMarcus and Calvin Johnson (who shall henceforth be referred to as The Second Coming in this post). Which is awfully egotistic yet quintessentially "Al Davis" of the Raiders. But fret not Bucs fans, this can only benefit our team.

File this under wishful thinking, but the Raiders are almost certain to draft the Herculean JaMarcus, who more closely resembles a tree trunk gifted with a trebuchet for an arm. Al Davis has an infatuation with the deep ball which is why he brought Randy Moss, and then Kerry Collins to town. The Second Coming may be awfully tempting but even Al Davis can not have his cake and eat it to, the Raiders pick will be JaMarcus.

In the interim, teams are a hell of a lot less likely to work a trade with the Lions if they think The Second Coming may come off the board before pick number two. It's no secret the Lions want to trade down (or up right Plugs?) and everyone wants to trade up for rights to The Second Coming. Although, on a side note, I find it interesting everyone seems to be assuming Matt Millen won't pick a receiver considering he has done so in the first round the last three years and the Lions still have a need at receiver. By comparison, if you walk past a house and get bit by the same dog three straight days, wouldn't you expect the dog to bite you the next day? But I've veered off topic....

As I was mentioning before the latest rumor mongering involving the Raiders can only benefit the Bucs, since it would likely scare away teams from giving up a king's ransom for the #2 pick. And there are, based on rumors, no lack of teams which would be interested in trading up for the rights to The Second Coming. But maybe. just maybe, the latest rumors will scare off these teams from doing just that.

Although I stand by my previous assesment that Joe Thomas is a smarter pick for the Bucs. Changing gears slightly...

Rick Gosselin's latest mock draft has the following order.....

1. Oakland	JaMarcus Russell	QB	LSU
2. Detroit	Adrian Peterson	RB	Oklahoma
Matt Millen has struggled with top-10 picks in his stint as general manager of the Lions. Peterson would be a safe and popular choice. Detroit had success using first-round picks on Oklahoma runners Steve Owens (1970) and Billy Sims (1980).
3. Cleveland	Calvin Johnson	WR	Georgia Tech
4. Tampa Bay	Brady Quinn	QB	Notre Dame
5. Arizona	Joe Thomas	OT	Wisconsin

For those not familiar with Gosselin he is a sports writer for the Dallas Morning News who has earned the reputation as the most accurate predictor of the draft order. Gosselin, as opposed to Mel Kiper Jr, bases his mock draft on his network of NFL scouts and coaches, as opposed to scouting the college ranks himself. Although judging by Gosselin's mock pick for the Bucs I am hoping Gruden plans to unleash the first three quarterback offense ever, maybe something similar to the Emory and Henry offense. Actually, I think I'm on to something there....

But did he pass to the left?

(Whole New Meaning to Green Room) Three of the Bucs four most likely picks in the first round (Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams, Omobi Akoye) admitted to smoking pot in college, and in other news the sun rises in the east. I'm certain the Rush Limbaugh types will attack these guys for their honesty but I think Michael Wilbon has the best take, this news should only stregthen their draft stock. EVERONE who is COOL smoked pot in college, which makes CJ, Gaines and Amobi the three coolest guys in the draft.

(Does He Use Real Bait?) Joe Thomas, the other player most likely to be drafted by the Bucs, has turned down the NFL's Draft invite, instead choosing to spend the day fishing with his family. Which is probably the way to go. Fishing beats making awkward jokes with Drew Rosenhaus while 5 million people watch every move you make any day of the week.

(Just a Free Fallin' Man) Heat seeking missile Reggie Nelson is falling down the draft charts and may even be available to the Bucs in the second round. Apparently scouts don't like it when you confuse a nickelback for a tax refund.

I'm calling shenanigans

We'll see how this plays out but I agree with BucStats on this one, don't see Bucs trading #4 and Simeon Rice for Detroit's #2. Like Scott said it doesn't make sense to trade up to #2 when you aren't guaranteed to get Calvin Johnson. Although this post could raise speculation that Scott and I are actually the same person....

This Will Be My Last Tech Post

My incompetence with html coding in the previous post aside, please consider donating to the Virginia Tech Family Fund. I have often debated internally the purpose of donating to a relief fund, questioning how much good it really does the families, and quite fairly it probably gives them little comfort in the grand scheme of things. At the same time I would like to think that if I were ever placed in the situation any of the Tech families are now placed in I could depend on the kindness of people I will never meet. So with that in mind, my check is in the mail. And I mention this not to brag but simply hope I can give the ball enough momentum to get it rolling. Anyway, as I mentioned in the title this will be my last Tech post.

UPDATE: Here's a way to donate to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund through the internet.

Moment of Silence

And thanks to EDSBS for the help.

Black Out the Ice Palace

The Bolts come home tonight tied 1-1 with the Devils, and BoltsMag is leading the charge to Black Out the Ice Palace. If you're heading to the game wear dark colors (black or blue) to support the home team. Also, tip of the hat to DRays Bay for the heads up that the Rays drew a 1.7 television rating on FSN on Thursday while the Bolts only drew a 0.5 rating on Sunshine. I bring this up only to complain that I still can't watch any of the games, and truth be told I'm not even sure which channel I would go to watch the games. I have Direct TV so it's not as if I lack enough channels, in fact it would probably make a lot of sense to put a game involving a New York area team on national, or at least, eastern seaboard television. To quote Tony Kornheiser, for all intents and purpose hockey has disappeared.

One event which will be on tv is the NFL Draft (in fact it will be on two channels, ESPN and NFL Network). In the runup to the draft, BucStats has a contest with real prizes and everything. First place wins a gift certificate to BucGear.com and second place even gets a free hat. All you have to do is guess which players the Bucs will draft.

Finally, Buccaneers.com has a draft contest of its own and is only offering game tickets to the winner. While game tickets are not nearly as good as free swag (after all we can all watch the games on tv) it ain't all that bad.

Should the Bucs draft Joe Thomas?

With two weeks to go until the draft I feel obligated to argue in favor of Joe Thomas, the left tackle out of Wisconsin. Gruden seems to have become absolutely smitten with Calvin Johnson to the point that he likely dreams of the Herculean Golden Jacket running through opposing secondaries in those three hours of sleep Gruden gets between 2:15 am and 5:15 am. But would it be smarter to draft Thomas even if CJ is available?

Left tackle is, by most accounts, the second most important position on the offense behind the quarterback (those who have read the Blind Side will have seen this argument before). In brief, there are very few men who possess the rare combination of size and agility required to protect a right handed quarterback's blindside. The intelligent design of the blind side pass rush (starting with Lawrence Taylor) has led to the increased importance of the left side, most especially the tackle, who is often isolated on an island against the defense's best pass rusher. In fact, the left tackle is, on average, the second highest paid player on the offense.

The Bucs look especially thin at left tackle this season, which would be incredibly risky if Jeff Garcia ends up as the starting quarterback. Dan Buenning will likely still be injured when the season starts which means current left tackle Anthony Davis will be moved to left guard to replace Buenning. Which means recent addition Luke Petitgout would be the starter at left tackle. There is absolutely nobody behind Petitgout on the depth chart worth mentioning, and I shudder to think what would happen in the very likely scenario where Petitgout was too injured to play.

Drafting Thomas would not only give the Bucs depth at the position, it would finally let Gruden unleash Alex Smith on opposing secondaries. Smith is the best tightend nobody has ever heard of because he has to stay on the line to help block far more often than he should. The strength of Gruden's Raiders team was their offensive line which allowed four and even five receiver sets. With Thomas added to a rebuilt offensive line Gruden could finally recreate some of the offensive fireworks he produced in Oakland.

Don't get me wrong, I love CJ and think he will be a great player in the NFL. But fans tend to fall in love with positions players while the contributions of lineman are often overlooked (except by John Madden it should be noted). Truth is that championship teams are built on both sides of the line, offense and defense. You can have the best skill players in the world (i.e. Arizona) but if you don't have a line to match them you might as well be playing with replacement players.

Call me crazy but I'm starting to think the drafting Joe Thomas over Calvin Johnson may be the smart choice....

Go Bolts!

As you probably know by know unless you're a commie Nazi terrorist, our Bolts begin their playoff series tonight against the New Jersey Devils. Last year I mocked the canuck team the Bolts played in the first round of the playoffs, but I will refrain from doing that this year, there is just nothing about Jersey to mock. Head on over to BoltsMag for all your Lightning Playoff Fever.

Ryan Nece will be receiving a JB Award tonight in Washington DC, which is part of an annual ceremony celebrating the "good guys" in the NFL. The event was created by James Brown and will be hosted by the Better Half of PTI, aka Michael Wilbon. If you'll excuse my bit of social commentary so much press is made out of Pacman Jones and Chris Henry but what are the chances ESPN will even mention the JB Awards? Anyway, congrats to Nece for the well deserved honor.

Schedulin'

Sun.	Sept. 9	at Seattle	4:15 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Sept. 16	NEW ORLEANS	1:00 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Sept. 23	ST. LOUIS	1:00 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Sept. 30	at Carolina	4:05 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Oct. 7	at Indianapolis	4:05 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Oct. 14	TENNESSEE	1:00 p.m.	CBS
Sun.	Oct. 21	at Detroit	1:00 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Oct. 28	JACKSONVILLE	4:05 p.m.	CBS
Sun.	Nov. 4	ARIZONA	1:00 p.m.	FOX
Sun.	Nov. 11	-- bye week --
Sun.	Nov. 18	at Atlanta	1:00 p.m.^	FOX
Sun.	Nov. 25	WASHINGTON	1:00 p.m.^	FOX
Sun.	Dec. 2	at New Orleans	1:00 p.m.^	FOX
Sun.	Dec. 9	at Houston	1:00 p.m.^	FOX
Sun.	Dec. 16	ATLANTA	1:00 p.m.^	FOX
Sun.	Dec. 23	at San Francisco*	8:15 p.m.^	NBC
Sun.	Dec. 30	CAROLINA	1:00 p.m.^	FOX

* nationally televised game
^ subject to time change

I would love to complain about how NFL has turned what should be an otherwise meaningless act of releasing the schedules into something of a celebration by teasing us for two weeks with opening day and turkey day games, and then releasing the schedules one by one on the NFL Network akin to what CBS does for Selection Sunday. I would love to point out how we should all ignore this event and treat it for the over-hyped creature that it is, yet here I am about to give you my initial thoughts about the schedule. Soooo, since I don't want to be a hypocrite I won't tell you to ignore the release of the schedule and focus on more important things like say....Sanjaya's hair.

• (Shiver Me Timbers) Good news, there are no cold weather games this year. The closest the Bucs have to cold weather games are San Fran and Houston in December. Personally, I think the Bucs record in cold weather games is a bit exagerrated since they were just dreadful for roughly 20 years and would have lost those games even if they had been playing in Hawaii. But, Gruden's passing offense does not tend to do well in the cold with the New England game two years ago and last year's Pittsburgh game coming to mind.

• (At Least They Will Know How to Get Around TIA) For the 6th time in five years the Bucs will play the Skins, and for the fourth straight time the Skins will come to Tampa. Now it isn't a surprise that Tampa Bay plays Washington, we know exactly who the Bucs play from the moment the prior season ends, but I can't imagine who in DC could have so annoyed the NFL that they keep forcing the Skins to play in Tampa.

• (No Rain in Mons) It sure is nice of Pacman Jones to get banned for a season during the year his Titans play the Bucs.

• (Thanks NFL) This is a much easier schedule compared to last season when the Bucs had to play three games in five days (or something like that). With the exception of the early season @ Carolina, @ Indy stretch there are no difficult back-to-back games for the Bucs. Personally, I prefer front loading the tough games since it seems teams tend to have more post season success if they get hot in the second half of the season as compared to the first half. Throw in the late bye week and the fact that the final game is at home against a division rival, and I would venture the Bucs have one of the easier schedules in the NFL.
  

sometimes you write simply to write

It's been a week since I last updated this page (yet some how my site visits have been increasing) so I figured I would stop by with my two cents on the latest Bucs news...

For some inexplicable reason Scott, the proprieter of BucStats, has been handed his pink slip from TBO. In addition to his own site, Scott wrote for a Bucs blog at the Tampa Tribune's website, which was aptly named BucShots. Roughly a week back Scott wrote a post (and a well written post at that) joking about how he was denied entrance to One Buc Place (it's still called One Buc Place right?) despite his media credentials as a blogger for TBO.com. Apparently someone at TBO forgot that "media credentials for a blogger" is an oxymoron along the lines of jumbo shrimp or student athlete, and now BucShots has gone the way of the dodo. Which is a shame. The Tampa Tribune has sacrificed good writing for the phantom threat of decreased access.

In other news, we have a little less than three weeks to go before the draft and rumors are swirling about what the Bucs will do. Gruden is doing his best to spread misinformation about his draft pick, but it is clear by now that Gruden has his heart set on Calvin Johnson. Which is great except rumors are that CJ may not be available with the fourth pick. Supposedly the Lions are not set on any of the top four players (JaMarcus, CJ, Joe Thomas or Adrian Peterson) and wouldn't mind moving back in the draft to go after defense. In response Gruden has been telling the whole world he loves every player at the top of the draft not named Calvin Johnson, and has even gone so far to suggest he would draft Adrian Peterson.

If I'm Gruden I would quit suggesting I would love to draft a runningback or a quarterback (since nobody really believes that) and instead preach the greatness of either Gaines Adams or Amobi Okoye. It is much more believeable that the Bucs need to draft defense than it is they need to draft another qb or runningback. If you really want CJ to fall to you at four the Bucs need to convince every potential team which could trade up that CJ could fall to the fifth or even sixth spot. At this point in the game I'm not sure how believable that would be, but it could create enough doubt to prevent another team from giving up a king's ransom to move up to two or three.

And if for some reason CJ does not fall to the Bucs I have no problem with the Bucs drafting Joe Thomas instead. In fact, Thomas would be a much more valuable addition to the Bucs considering: a) the larger talent gap between Thomas and Davis compared to CJ and Clayton, and b) the greater value of elite left tackles compared to elite receivers. It would be a mistake to trade up for Johnson, which would, in effect be trading two starters for one starter. If the Bucs were close to making the Super Bowl this would be a good idea but for a team struggling to get over .500 it would be foolish.

Mock Draft Goodness

Mock drafts abound this time of the year and the Swamp has its own version of fake drafting. But this one is different, this one is special, I picked for the Bucs. The first round has finished up, and I'm on the clock for the Bucs in the second. But I'll get to that in a bit. First, the first round...

1. Oakland Raiders - Diddystyle - JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
2. Detroit Lions - briandtw - Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
3. Cleveland Browns - Sabo! Sabo! - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ski - Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
5. Arizona Cardinals - BoSoxFanatic21 LaRon Landy, S, LSU
6. Washington Redskins - gary.clark - Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
7. Minnesota Vikings - IcyCandy2 - Jamal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
8. Atlanta Falcons - GritsGoBlue - Patrick Willis - MLB - Ole Miss
9. Miami Dolphins - EdZipper - Amobi Okoye Louisville
10. Houston Texans - TexansTragedy - Levi Brown, OT, Penn State
11. San Francisco 49ers - Mister Delaware - Alan Branch, DT, Michigan
12. Buffalo Bills - Diamond - Marshawn Lynch, RB, Cal
13. St. Louis Rams - bcg11 - Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska
14.Carolina Panthers -eerrx - Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
15. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jerloma - Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State
16. Green Bay Packers- BigPapaC - Ted Ginn, Jr., WR, Ohio State
17. Jacksonville Jaguars -jhiphop - Reggie Nelson, S, Florida
18. Cincinnati Bengals - tennbengal - Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
19. Tennessee Titans - Tom1860 - Charles Johnson, DE, Georgia
20. New York Giants - bc3412 - Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas
21. Denver Broncos - San Carlos Kid - Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan
22. Dallas Cowboys -redarmy - Jarvis Moss, OLB/DE, Florida
23. Kansas City Chiefs- Brontoburglar - Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU
24. New England Patriots - Chumley - Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh
25. New York Jets - Coz - Greg Olsen, TE, Miami
26. Philadelphia Eagles - timgod99 - Lawrence Timmons, LB, FSU
27. New Orleans Saints - Oiler - Aaron Ross, CB, Texas
28. New England Patriots - Chumley - Jon Beason, LB, Miami
29. Baltimore Ravens - Kranepool - Justin Blaylock, OT, Texas
30. San Diego Chargers - SL22 and Barbaro - Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee
31. Chicago Bears - DSafetyGuy - Ryan Kalil, C, USC
32. Indianapolis Colts - Billy22g - Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno State

I would be surprised if the Lions DID draft Calvin Johnson but if the Yellow Jacket does not fall to the Bucs Joe Thomas is a pretty damn good alternative. The Bucs need someone to protect Jeff Garcia's blindside next season. I also considered Amobi Okoye and Gaines Adams in this spot.

Anyway, as I mentioned before the Bucs are on the clock for round two, and Arron Sears and Brandon Meriweather are off the board. I am considering Justin Harrell (DT, Tenn), Michael Griffin (S, Texas), and Anthony Spencer (DE, Purdue). Your thoughts? (And yes, this is my first real Bucs post in two weeks, but screw it, it's the offseason.)

This falls squarely into the realm of no shit Sherlock

The NFL has released it's opening day primetime schedule, as well as the Turkeyday schedule and there are a few things which should not surprise us; 1) the Bucs are NOT playing on Turkeyday, 2) the Cowboys and Lions are playing on Turkeyday, 3) the NFL Network will continue to screw over its potential fanbase by broadcasting games nobody can watch. I get the NFL Network but my parents do not even have the option of subscribing which means we will once again be limited to the two worst NFL games that fourth Thursday in November.

Anyway, you've got to appreciate how the NFL teases us by releasing the limited schedule a week before they release the full schedule. No other sport could get away with this but I can guarantee ESPN will have a rundown of each one of these games by the 6:00 SportsCenter complete with final score predictions and rushing totals.

"Get your head out of your ass!"

This SNL spoof commerical from last night is quickly making the rounds on the intertubes but I'll join in on the Peyton love (just call me Kenny Chesney)....

See? Garcia is totally not gay

He's even getting married. Now, would a gay get married? (Not if Dungy has anything to say about it.)

Obligatory cheesecake shot.

Welcome Kato (erghhh....Cato)

The Bucs have signed Kato.


No, not that Kato.


Not that one either.


There we go.

The popular consensus is that this is a good move as it upgrades an average linebacker corp and creates competition for the weakest backer position, strongside, between Cato and Ryan Nece.

Anyone else notice that the Bucs big defensive free agent signings have all been tweeners, i.e. guys who can play two positions? Kevin Carter is between a tackle and end, Chuckwara is between an end and a outside linebacker and Cato could play either outside backer or strong safety. The Tampa Two defense has been good to tweeners who would struggle in a more traditional defense, so it will be fun to see how Kiffin utilizes his newest weapons. The Bucs defensive cupboard has gone from being very barren to well stocked, and should look even better after the draft (Marcus Thomas anyone?).

Oh, and Tampa Tribune, June Arrives Early for Bucs? Nice.

Hells Yeah

Screw the Simms-Garcia cat fight. Screw the minor league signings by the Bucs. Screw (even) the text message Rays bill board (although it makes me want to go to a lot more Rays games). Today and tomorrow, here at the BBB it is all about the VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY.


CAA Represent.

My thoughts, predictions, and other useless insights into the NCAA Tournament

You have to love March madness, if for no other reason that with the exception of the Super Bowl no other sporting event is as widely talked about as the NCAA Tournament. The tournament is held across America with teams from every conference. Everyone has a bracket, and chances are the middle aged mother of two who thinks George Mason is in Georgia will win your tournament. Unless you are bolshevik or a Seminole you should be a fan of March madness.

[and I meant to add this orginally but check out the creatively named Chris' Sports Blog for plenty of NCAA Tourney goodness]

Anyway, on to my thoughts on the bracket with my picks to be released on Thursday...

• Everyone is picking Florida to win it all, which as I have argued is more than fair. Not since Wooden's era has a team brought back all five starters from a championship team, and only UNC and Kansas can rival Florida's talent. And while I think Florida is a lock for the Final Four, I do not think they will win it all this year. Since Kansas beat Florida in overtime (at a neutral site) back in November I have been leaning towards Kansas to win the championship and I'm still leaning that way right now. My advice for filling out your bracket is to pick a Final Four and work backwards. For example, before the brackets were announced my Final Four was Florida, Kansas, Texas and Oregon. I'm feeling less confident about Texas and obviously Oregon and Florida both can not make the Final Four, so I have no idea who my current Final Four would be.

• I'm a shameless SEC apologist so I will make an argument for Arkansas. The Hogs have a great neutral site record (6-2) beating Southern Illionois, West Virginia and Vandy and losing to Texas Tech. In addition Arkansas lost at Texas, so nobody can say Arkansas did not have a difficult non-conference schedule (like say Syracuse). In addition, the SEC is the second best conference by RPI (behind only the ACC).

• I hate that Stanford is one of the last four teams in. Their non-conference schedule is less than impressive (Texas Tech, Virginia and Air Force, and they got killed by Air Force 45-79), and they lost in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. The best thing Stanford had going for them is they finished 6th in the PAC-10 with a 10-8 record. If the Comittee was simply looking at conference records then Kansas State (10-6), which finished fourth in the Big 12, deserved to get in ahead of Stanford. But then again, I watched very few middle of the pack games involving either the PAC 10 or Big 12 so I don't have a good feel for either team.

• One team which I do have a good feel for is FSU which for the second straight year is one of the last four teams out. FSU is a great case study of what the Selection Committee takes into account when handing out at-large bids.. FSU has the best player in the ACC (Thornton) and played a great non-conference schedule (Florida, Wisconsin, Pitt). But the Noles went a pitiful 7-9 in conference, and no matter how deep the ACC is this year the Selection Committee was not going to let in a team with a losing record in conference. FSU has the ability to beat any team it plays (they did beat Florida) but the Noles are horribly inconsistent. If FSU could have picked up one more win February (when they went 2-5) they probably would have been playing in the tournament.

• Prepare yourself for plenty of Jim Boeheim whining over the next 24 hours. And I might actually feel some pity for Boeheim if his team has left New York more than once before New Years Day this season. Syracuse played three decent teams out of conference (Wichita St, Oklahoma St, and Drexel) and lost to all three teams. Additionally, Syracuse didn't have many impressive Big East wins despite going 10-8 in the conference. The Orange beat Marquette and Villanova early in the season and defeated Georgetown in a classic let down game for the Hoyas (Georgetown had just defeated Pitt).

• The mid-majors got hosed and not because Drexel didn't get in. I don't have any problem with the number of mid-majors which earned at large berths. You could make an argument in favor of Drexel based on their out of conference record (beat Syracuse, Villanova, Creighton) but any team which losses to my alma mater, William and Mary, should not earn an at-large bid. Maybe someday when William and Mary sells it soul and spends the money to field a decent team (and with the current president that may happen) losing to William and Mary will not be a black mark on a team's resume. Instead, it appears the Selection Committee hates mid majors because eight mids are matched up against each other in the first round of the tournament. The Nevada-Creighton and Old Dominion-Butler matchups are especially disheartening. There is no way that mid majors will be as big of a story this year as they were last year (although that was bound to happen before the brackets were announced anyway).

• I think we're going to see a return to chalk this year, with runs by middle of the pack conference teams like Maryland, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. This isn't exactly going out on a limb but I think at least three of these teams will defeat either a #1 or #2 seed.

• I really like VCU to make it to the Sweet Sixteen for several reasons; 1) they are coached by former Florida assistant Anthony Grant, 2) they won an underrated CAA (also know as George Mason's conference) and, 3) they are from Virginia. VCU pulls weak Duke and Pitt teams in the first two rounds.

• Just something worth pointing out, there are a lot of freshman point guards on teams which are getting a lot of pub. Ohio State, Texas, UNC and Maryland all start freshman at the point guard position and while all of these rookies are talented, it remains to be seen how they dish the ball when the pressure is on.

A Story in Pictures

Because everything's easier to understand when all you have to figure out is bright shiny images.....

The Buccaneer quarterback saga begins March 13, 1972 with the birth of Trent Dilfer (for convience's sake we will fast forward 22 years and several dozen other Buc quarterbacks).

Dilfer (the one with his shirt off) had a few good years in Tampa, got chased off by that fat fuck Bubba the Love Sponge, then got to tell Tampa to suck his dick before beginning his Kung Fu-like destiny to roam the league going from one city to the next every year.

Dilfer was replaced by a series of forgetable quarterbacks beginning with Eric Zeier. This is the only existing picture of Zeier.

Everyone loved Shaun King until people realized his arm was weaker than FDR's legs. He now has a promising career in the Arena League.

Then came Brad Johnson, who despite not being able to throw the ball further than 15 yards down field, won a Super Bowl. The BJ is 68 and currently looking for a team interested in his services.


For roughly two years the quarterback position was manned by either Rob Johnson or King whenever the Bucs had a late game as the same time as the Ponderosa early bird special (the BJ has to eat).

Rob Johnson's current whereabouts are unknown. Despite what his website might lead you to believe King is still in the arena league.

For a brief time we were teased with the suckitude of Chris Simms before....

...we had to live through a year of Brian Griese....

...only to go back to the Liberace-loving, spinach-dip making quarterback. These years are largely forgetable.


In stepped Bruce Gradkowski (let's be honest you have no idea what Grads looks like) and Tim Rattay when the Panthers defense decided they like Simms better without a spleen.

And now we have Simms and Jeff Garcia on the same team (and maybe Plummer if he wants to make it a holy trinity?). I'm sure this will work out well....

Could the Bucs be the big winners this offseason?

With the initial flury of free agency slowing down it appears the Bucs could emerge as the big winners of the offseason. With a shallow free agent pool and an unprecedented 27% increase in the salary cap, the best value this offseason lies in quantity not quality. And no team has signed more players than the Bucs.

Take a look at the right hand side bar, the Bucs have signed at least seven free agents, including five who were not on the team last year (I'm not including Plummer in that number). The Bucs have upgraded three crucial positions on the team which were weaknesses last year, quarterback, offensive tackle and defensive end. More importantly, the Bucs have not broken the bank signing any of these players.

The surplus of cash has resulted in over valued contracts for some of the premier free agents. Joey Porter has received $20 million in guaranteed cash in a 5 year, $32 million contract from the Dolphins. Adalius Thomas has $15 million guanteed in his 6 year contract with the Pats. Patrick Kerney's 6 year contract with the Seahawks includes $19.5 million in guaranteed money. In comparison, the Bucs signed Kevin Carter to a contract with less than $5 million guaranteed. As Buccaneer Harbour points out, that is some shrew maneuvering by Bruce Allen.

After the disasterous '04 offseason which led to the signings of Todd Steusie, Charlie Garner and Darrell Russell (all busts), the Bucs seem to have retooled their approach to free agency. The Bucs have had mixed success pursuing value free agents like Chris Hovan, Jamie Winborn and Ike Hilliard. Some players turn into starters like Hovan, others (like Winborn) don't stick with the team. Either way the Bucs are not spending a good deal of cash signing these players.

On the flip side, the Bucs have only lost two players so far (although if Mahan signs somewhere else it would be a big loss). It is unlikely the Bucs will lose any starters this offseason (although, again, there is a possibility middlebacker Shelton Quarles may be lost for the season due to injury). When taken on the whole, so far the Bucs have come out ahead this offseason. We still have another month or so to go until the draft so it is too early to say for sure the Bucs came out winners this offseason but based on the early reports I would say they have to be front runners for the honor.

The Buccaneer Ministry of Truth

Hat tip to the Times Bucs blog (and Stephen Holder) for revealing this tid bit from the press conference with Bruce Allen regarding the Plummer trade...

Reporter: "Is this a conditional draft pick?" (The Broncos press release says it is)

Allen: "No. There's other conditions with the pick we sent. . . They're undisclosed."

Reporter: "So, it IS a conditional pick?"

Allen: "No."

I'm no Nobel Laureate but I'm pretty sure if a pick has conditions it is, by definition, a conditional pick.

I've had some time to digest the qb moves and I still like it, if for no other reason than it involves Gruden and company thinking outside the box. In the best case scenario, the Bucs pick up Carr or a draft pick in exchange for Plummer or Simms, respectively. In the worst case scenario the Bucs carry three starting-caliber qbs on their roster heading into the season which, compared to last season, ain't all that bad. The Bucs have a good deal of flexibility because of the increased cap as it is. But we'll see how this plays out. Moving on....

Scanning the headlines......ahhhh, the Bucs have signed defensive end Kevin Carter (go Gators) to a four year deal for $25. Spires ain't happy about the move, not that I blame him. Holder indicates Carter could play the tackle position previously manned by Booger and before him Sapp. I haven't seen much of Carter since he moved to the Dolphins but I don't remember him being big enough to man the under tackle position (although he is talented at getting to the quarterback).

I know I'm forgettting something......that's right, check out my latest installment of the sunshine state roundball update over at the sticks, which is apparently not a fan of not gay jokes.

What the hell is going on here?

I've pretty much quit doing the whole BREAKING NEWS thing, but ESPN News is reporting that the Bucs have signed Jeff Garcia and traded for Jake Plummer.

I've have no idea what is going on here.

My first impression is that Gruden and company are going with the theory that if you throw enough shit against the wall some of it has to stick. That being written both Garcia and Plummer are better fits for Gruden's west coast offense than Chris Simms. Plus, with Plummer on board the Bucs quarterbacks, on average, are slightly less effimenate. And if Plummer regrew his beard it might make the Bucs quarterbacks the most manly squad (again on average) in the NFL.

With this many former starting quarterbacks on the roster you can expect two results: 1) a very heated training camp battle, and 2) a lot of media hype surrounding the Bucs going into the season. I think Garcia is the odds on favorite to win the job for the upcoming season, with Plummer set to enter the roll of quarterback for the future. Which leaves Simms as the odd man out (and a very good chance that Simms sees the writing on the wall and asks to be traded). But ESPN has been wrong before so we'll see how this plays out.

UPDATE (1:54 pm): ESPN is now reporting that if Plummer does retire then the Bucs would not have to give up a draft pick. Rumors are flying in certainly one of the most interesting Buccaneer offseasons in recent history. Some of the more interesting ones.....

• Bucs may try and trade the rights to Plummer to the Texans for either Carr or a draft pick.
• Bucs may try and trade away Simms, maybe to the Raiders.

UPDATE (2:42): ESPN's Michael Smith reports Plummer had turned in his retirement papers to the NFL front office according to the Pewter Report message board.

A lover spurned...

Dear Jake,

Fuck you. What did we ever do to you that pissed you off? Was it the Largo sex change firing thing, 'cause if it was we're totally not down with that. That ain't Tampa baby.

We could have made you so happy. You could be throwing to Joey Galloway and Calvin Johnson, and handing off to Cadillac and Mike Alstott. We would even over look your suckitude when you tried to throw a 30 yard pass into double coverage using your left hand. Anything's better than the pussy we're with now, he can't even get his balls past the line of scrimmage (if you know what I mean).

We had so much to offer you; plentiful beaches, quality steak joints, no state income tax....we would have even turned a blind eye when you went to our ample strip clubs. 'Cause we're down with that.

But hey, it's cool. We don't need you or your beard. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. In fact, we've been talking to this other guy who is totally not gay. So enjoy retirement fucktard.

-Tampa Bay

Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Kenyatta cut by Bucs.

You ever have that guy in college who makes a great first impression but then you get to know him and you realize all he ever does is make bad jokes, argues with people and brings nothing to the table? Everyone has a friend like that, and I won't say his name (Snake), but when he leaves you are slightly relieved. You still wish him well, just as long as he's not in the same zip code. Well, that's what Kenyatta was to the Bucs, he tried hard but he never lived up to the expectations.

Anyway with Kenyatta gone, Trueblood is left to man the right tackle position which should work great as long as the Bucs run the ball every play. Trueblood is big and works as hard as anyone on the line but he struggles in pass protection. In his defense, pass blocking typically takes more time for young tackles to learn and requires working in synch with another equally young lineman in Davin Joseph, so Trueblood may get better. But if I'm the Bucs I would try and sign Jeff Gracia or Brad Johnson for more quarterback depth if you know what I'm saying.

(Like a Virus) The number of Bucs blogs continues to expand with the addition of Buc Em to the Sports Blogs Network. While many Bucs blogs can lay claim to spot on analysis and commentary only Buc Em features pics of the Oscar Meyer Weiner-mobile.

(White Wants Green) You want an indication for how much money teams are going to throw at free agents? It looks like Dewayne White will not resign with the Bucs because they are not going to give him Simeon Rice money. Assuming White leaves it would leave the Bucs pitifully thin on the defensive line.

(Drum Roll Please) And my selection for the Bucs first round pick is.........Calvin Johnson.

CJ blew away most everyone at the combine, and the biggest question in my mind isn't "do the Bucs want him?" but "will he be available at #4?" Supposedly CJ has been ranked as the number one talent in the draft, which combined with a weak free agent pool at receiver, could lead to CJ being picked before the Bucs' clock starts. Even if JaMarcus and Joe Thomas go to the Raiders and Lions respectively, I think there's a good chance the Browns trade down, possibly with Minnesota at seven. The Browns could still draft Adrian Peterson at seven and would pick up an extra second round pick in the process. And Minnesota could use a safety net for whomever they throw out there at receiver. We still have two months to go before the draft so plenty can happen between now and then.

Calvin continues to prove that his only weaknesses are kyptonite and Reggie Ball.

In defense of the Gators

I'll just get it out of the way, I still think Florida should be the favorites to win the NCAA Championship.

Everyone and their mother are dogging the Gators right now because they've lost 3 out of their last 4 games, and if you've seen any of these games you would to be dogging them to. The Gators came out expecting their opponent to roll over, and then looked confused when their opponents refused to roll over. Still, I think the Gators are a lock to get to the Final Four.

(They ARE the Champs) It's a double edged sword wearing the crown. Sure, you're the king of the hill, but at the same time every peon out there wants a piece of you. Every SEC away game for Florida this year has been the biggest game for their opponent all season. Just look at the Tennessee game, the Vols second biggest alum (behind Larry the Cable Guy) Peyton Manning was at the game and fem fatale coach Pat Summit tried her best to fulfill my fantasy. Nobody could have beat the Vols the way they were playing last night. The Vols shot a .580 field goal percentage and went 21-34 from the 3 point line. NBA team don't shoot that well.

(But it is No Big Ten) The SEC is better this year than most people realize. Just looking at the RPI rankings they are the second best conference behind the ACC, which is even more amazing considering there is only one legit contender in the conference. It was just a few years ago that Kentucky ruled what was essentially a football conference. But times have changed since the SEC was the worst basketball conference and now there is not a bad team in the SEC. Vandy, LSU and Tennessee are all better teams than people give them credit for.

(They Still have Talent) Come Tournament time all that matters, unless your name is George Mason, is how much talent you have. Only two teams can rival Florida's talent (Kansas and UNC). The next week will be the biggest test of Billy Donovan's career seeing as how he has to pick up his team and motivate them to play their best starting. But fortunately, Billy has plenty of talent to work with starting with Al Horford. Horford, not Noah or Brewer, is the backbone and best player on the Gators. Over the past few weeks when the shit hit the fan, it was Horford that stepped up his game. Green may score the most points and Noah may get the most attention but it is Horford that does all the little things such as guarding the opposing team's best player. Next you watch the Gators pay attention to Horford, the rest of the team thrives off what he does.

Anyway, consider me firmly on the Gators bandwagon come March. I think they are the best team in the country. But hey, if I'm talking crazy tell me I'm crazy.

You Should Have Picked Tails

Bucs lose coin flip, pick fourth.

This shouldn't really change the draft all that much since most mocks have the Browns picking Adrian Peterson. Which means Calvin Johnson is still on the Bucs radar, although don't expect Gruden to tip his hand. Although even with Bruce Allen trying to rig the flip the Bucs couldn't win.

Allen actually supplied the only necessary equipment, a special commemorative coin presented to him on behalf of the commander of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. A beautiful, multi-colored coin emblazoned with a motto that always inspires Allen – “Mission First. People Always. America Forever.” – it is almost always in his possession. MacDill representatives gave it to Allen before a game last season to recognize the outstanding relationship the team and the military have long enjoyed.

Around the Ebays

(Here Come the 'One Last Stop' Cliches) A bit of good news to lead off the post, the A-Train has declared his intention to return for next season. Since Gruden has already said he would welcome Alstott back all that remains is for the two sides to work out a contract for one more year. The St Pete Times reports the deal would be in the $1.5 million range.

(Is 'Thrashers' the Worst Nickname in the NHL?) The Bolts finish up their two week stretch of division games tonight against Atlanta. Winner of the game takes the division lead. Normally I would point you in the direction of BoltsMag but John has apparently decided to take this game off.

(When are They Bringing Back the Hit Show?) One of this sites favorites blogs, Rays Index is back and bringing the big stick. With the start of spring training, The Professor, is all over the Devil Rays and which pitcher bears a striking resemblance to Bruce Sutter.

(Sign Andre Wadsworth!) Scott continues to make the argument for keeping Simeon Rice, and I'm starting to buy what he's selling. What with the dearth of free agents and the ass load of cash teams have from the new CBA/TV deals I get the feeling we are about a month away from seeing some baseball style exorbitant contracts. By comparison Rice's contract may not seem so painfully high.

i know it's not football but...

It's almost March when means the second best time of the year (or maybe the best if baseball and football in October is not your thing) is just around the corner. Despite Florida's loss I still think they have to be the favorites to win the Tournament, mostly because they have the exact same team which won last year. Every team Florida has played has been gunning for the Gators, much the same way every team looks forward to playing the Super Bowl Champions.

Florida has been playing much closer games than most people have realized, and were actually down by 11 to Alabama at half time last week. Billy Donovan's team have not been playing with a great deal of fire, while Vanderbilt undoubtedly considered Saturday's matchup their most important game all year. Not that I blame either team. The closest Vandy will come to the National Championship is beating Florida, while Donovan has to prepare his team for another month and a half of basketball.

Which leads me to my second point, I think the Gators stand a better chance of winning the National Championship if they lose in the SEC tournament. Everyone knows the Gators have the talent to win it all, it simple comes down to whether they want it enough. Getting handed a loss in their conference tourney would give the Gators that chip on their shoulder to motivate them come NCAA Tournament time. After all it worked last year.

Finally, be sure to check out my sunshine state roundball update at the Sticks, this and every Monday until the NCAA Tournament.

Oh yeah, Vandy's coach is a dick.

Consider this neither here nor there

Every couple has their list (or at least they should). Number One with a bullet on mine has been Christina Ricci. Which is why I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I saw this.


I don't know if it's the chains or Christina running around in her skimpies in the preview, but I want to let my future wife know (because I'm sure she reads this) that she is welcome to join me here in Northern Virginia.

Provided she brings the chains.

It's that damn Lecavalier, he's so hot now

Did you know Vinny Lecavalier is the leading scorer in the league right? I had no idea until Oiler of the Sportsfrog and Breakaway Beach clued me in this morning. It seems the Bolts have been on bit of run the past few weeks....

Overshadowed a bit by the Pittsburgh Penguins recent 11-0-2 run, the second hottest team in the NHL right now has to be the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After dusting off the Coyotes 5-3 last night, the Lightning have won 13 of their last 16 games and have moved just 3 points out of the Southeast Division leading - and currently slumping - Atlanta Thrashers. Tampa Bay also has played two less games than Atlanta has, entering Wednesday's action.

Martin St. Louis is tied for third in total goals scored, and both of the Bolts stars are behind only one player in total points (Sidney Crosby). Their goal play and defense has still been dreadful compared to their Stanley Cup run, but the Bolts have four straight division games on their schedule coming up and a chance to move into first in the division.

(HT to Oiler)

This Post Contains Nothing About the Bucs

Bit of catching up to do....

(A Very Well Trained Monkey) First, as you can tell from the right hand side, I have been fired from AOL's Buccaneer Fanhouse. Citing something about downsizing/outsourcing/globalization I have been handed my pink slip. Quite frankly it was painful to get cut, mainly because the Fanhouse is a unique collection of some of the best bloggers on these here intertubes and ebays (minus yours truly now) but such is business. I believe either someone from India or possibly a well trained monkey will be taking over the Buccaneer Fanhouse. Still I recommend checking it out if you have not done so.

(Something about Closing Doors and Opening Windows) If you are starting to get the ski withdrawal shakes, which is a common affliction affecting Northern Virginia's 20-something female population, you can find me at the Sticks of Fire. If you are not familiar with the Sticks it is the best (and only) collection of Tampa Bay bloggers you can find. I am already writing on local college basketball over there and you can expect to find more draft goodness as April closes.

(So I Lied) This post does contain something about the Bucs. Be sure to catch Scott's position review at The Official Tampa Tribune Buccaneer Blog BucShots. If I could ever find the motivation to do something like this it would not be half as good.

...and my new first round pick for the Bucs is now Amobi Okoye. Check later as I change my prediction on a lunar cycle basis.

One of these two is now writing the Buc Fanhouse

repeat after me. i am. sofa king. retarded.

For those paying attention at home I was 0 for 4 on my Super Bowl predictions, and was wildly off on my prediction of a Bears Super Bowl win, and thus owe BucStats a solid dose of my own humiliation. Check it.

Just for the record Scott, I'm a rebel and I will damn well seperate points with a number, period, parenthesis, semicolon and question mark if I feel like it. Thats just the kind of education you receive from The Streets U.

As for the draft, it's on like Donkey Kong. I think the Bucks will take Al Hordford with their first pick, which would be a steal since I believe Big Al is the most talented player on the Gators. Noah gets all the love cause he's so damn quirky, but Horford is the backbone of the number one team in the country. (Seriously, I'll take Calvin for your double or nothing.)

Random side note on the Bolts, what the hell happened to this team? Was losing the Buhlin Wall that big of a loss to the team? They looked primed for a one of those 5 or 6 year dominating runs, then the strike hits, and the Bolts can't find a decent goalie. John?

And your Super Bowl winner will be......

Before I get to my Super Bowl pick, I would like to mention that I correctly picked da Bears to make it to the Super Bowl before the season started. Suck it Nostradamus AND Miss Cleo. My prognosticating powers are only rivaled by the Sex Cannon's sexual prowess. (We'll just conveniently ignore that I also picked the Bengals to make the Super Bowl.)

Anyway, my pick for el Bowl del Super are the Chicago Bears. And here's why...

(Piss Poor Excuse for Game Analysis) Call me misguided but I have faith in the Sex Cannon. Grossman does have a history of sucking but the games he shat the bed have been unimportant. Take the Bears last season game against the Packers, in which Sexy Rexy went 2-12 for 33 yards passing and three interceptions. That game was meaningless to the Bears, they had already locked up homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

On the flip side, Peyton Manning has a history of shitting the bed when there is any kind of pressure on him to succeed. This year's AFC Championship is the lone exception to Peyton's long history of choking. Peyton never beat the Gators or won a National Championship when he was at Tennessee. At Indy, Peyton pads his stats against piss poor teams, and then struggles against quality teams. Has everyone forgotten the crime against humanity that was the Colts-Ravens kickfest from just a few weeks ago? Adam Vinatieri is the only reason the Colts beat the Ravens, who are a much better team than the Pats.

My key to the game is a player who nobody has talked about all week, Cedric Benson. In the interest of full disclosure, Benson killed two of my fantasy teams when I made the mistake of actually believing he would be the starting runningback for the Bears. That aside the Tampa Two defense both teams deploy has always been susceptible to a power running game. The Tampa Two relies on speedy under-sized defenders who can be pushed off the line more easily. Of all the four featured runningbacks in today's game, Benson is the only true power back. Even before I saw there was a forecast for rain in Miami today I believed Benson would be the difference in the game.

(Lame Attempt at Comedy) As I did last year, I have a Super Bowl wager with the purveyor of Buc Stats AND Buc Shots. I have the Bears, Scott's taking the Colts. Loser has to supplicate themself before the winner. If my prognosticating skills hold true to form check back in a week to see my humiliation.

Anyway, have a good time at your assorted Super Bowl parties and remember to enjoy what truly matters tonight....the commercials.

Covering Super Bowl Coverage: What Super Bowl?

The two week buildup to the GREATEST SPORTING EVENT EVER is probably slightly uneccessary. In fact, I am absolutely sure it is uneccessary, seeing as how (gamblers take note) the starting defensive end for the Bears has been out drinking in Miami at least twice this week. But has the 2 week delay had a negative effect on the Super Bowl?

The Chicago Tribune actually ran a story today entitled, "Super Bowl hype: Had your fill yet?" Not surprisingly most of the comments on the story ranged from "of course not!" to "da Bears" to "I like Polish sausage." Not that I blame da Bears fans (kilbasa is delicious), 'cause there just hasn't been that much hype. GC at the Sports Frog ran with this story earlier in the week but the hype isn't what I've come to expect from el Bowl del Super.

And ticket buyers, or lack thereof, would tend to agree with me. For the low, low price of $1500 you can buy your self a ticket to the game. Ticket prices have dropped by as much as a grand, mostly because ticket brokers overspeculated on demand and now the hype hasn't lived up to the hype. Even Miami hotels have had to drop room prices so they are only charging twice their normal rates.

So don't come crying to me about how your life life sucks, these poor ticket brokers and hotel owners have had a pretty shitty week.

RANDOM SIDE NOTE: How great woudl it be to be a fly on the wall in Miami? I'm not talking about the Playboy parties, night clubs, or watching Michael Irvan snort coke off a hookers ying-yangs. I'm talking about watching the pasty mid-westerners interact with the denizons of Miami. If my buddy Plugs from Cincinnatti has taught me anything, the midwest does not mix well with South Florida (or Mons Venus).

Covering Super Bowl Coverage

I'm a bit late to the party, but it's Super Bowl week which means every journalist and wanna-be journo in the country descends on Miami with the faint hope of attending the Playmate Party, the P Diddy Party, the Maxim Party....and maybe the Super Bowl if they get the chance.

Florida icon Dave Barry eases us into the cesspool hot bath that is Miami with a guide to the city which includes everything from arriving at the airport to inept politicians.

Chances are you'll arrive -- Lucky you! -- at Miami International Airport. Here you will find a spacious, modern, convenient, well-designed, passenger-friendly, state-of-the-art facility depicted on murals showing what the airport allegedly will look like if they ever finish it. This is unlikely to happen in the current century because the airport is under the control of Miami-Dade politicians, who traditionally fall into one of three categories: (1) incompetents; (2) criminals; and (3) incompetent criminals.

Media day has become a right of passage for many journalists, as it oftens contains questions so idiotic they make Ali G look like Barabara Walters. For example....

- In a sign of solidarity with his equine counterpart, Colts wide receiver Aaron Moorehead has pledged to win Sunday's game for Barbaro.

- Bears receiver Bernard Berrian is on a mission to marry Oprah. Poor Berrian doesn't he know he's at best fourth on the Oprah list after Steadman, Dr. Phil and Dave Chapelle.

- Bears cornerback has a snappy comeback to the age old Super Bowl question, if you were a tree what kind of tree would you be? Hint, it's a Japanese tree.

(HT to With Leather for the pic. This blogging thing can be tough, considering how many Maxim pics I had to look at to find the right one.)

I want the Bucs to draft this guy?

What have I been smoking? And why does it taste like black twizzlers mixed with lemon juice?

Troy Smith would look good in a Bucs uniform. That's right, Troy Smith.

41-14. Blouses.

Wow. It's tough to imagine a championship better than beating Free Shoes University in a bowl game but on a personal level this win is better. And the only team to hold a basketball and a football championship in the same year? Even better.


It's great to be a Florida Gator.

Root Root Root for the Away Team

I did something the last two Sundays that I have never done before. It has been a couple of days now and I think I am finally ready to talk about it.

I rooted against The Bucs.

I know. I never thought it would happen either. But look at what happened when we beat the Cleveland Browns - The Bucs will be drafting either 3rd or 4th in the 2007 draft (depending on a freaking coin flip of all things) when if they had simply lost one more game we could be looking at Brady Quinn instead of Chris Leak.

Don't flip out on me Gator fans. You know you wanted Brady Quinn too.

Look, I am not proud of what I have done, but I had to root for a high draft pick. I let myself get optimistic about Chris Simms, then Brian Griese, then Simms again, the Bruce Gradkowski but I will not let myself get all worked up over Tim Rattay. You can't make me.

Here's hoping we lose the coin flip.

And that the Lions are happy with Kitna (snort).





Cross posted at Draft Day Suit

Moving to the country, going to eat a lot peaches

Considering the way the season ended with a thundering silence, I was all to ready to pull a Professor and abandon this trainwreck for the next month or so. But then somewhere between Boise State's hook and ladder touchdown and Ian Johnson proposing to the head cheerleader I rediscovered my love for the Pigskin.

It's been well over a decade since a Bucs season threatened to destroy my will to live. If not for wins over two team I love to hate (Iggles, Skins) and one team I hear far to much about (Bengals) this season would have driven me to the edge of a very tall cliff. The losses varied from gut punches (Carolina take 1, Chicago) to down right embarrasing (B-more, Thanksgiving Day Massarce). When the Bucs looked like they were about to get the ship back on track, the Panthers defense decided they liked Simms better without a spleen. Forget the Ravens loss, the Bucs season started going downhill when Tampa Bay first learned what splenectomy meant.


Let me be as crystal clear on this as possible, Gruden is one of the top ten coaches in the NFL. I have never shied away from making bold and potentially flame throwing statements so let me take this one step further and state, for the record, any one demanding the resignation of Gruden deserves to be taken out back and beaten with the stupid stick.

I could spend the next 1,000 words explaining why Gruden deserves to stay, in fact I have already made the argument for why Gruden should stay. If somebody has a rational counterpoint to my argument beyond the whole "it was Dungy's team, I HEART Alstott, why do the Bucs suck, ARGHHHHH!!!!" I would be willing to listen to it.

Heading into the offseason the Bucs have a shit ton of things they need to do. The defense needs to be restocked and several free agents need to be resigned. The local inksheets (specifically Gary Shelton) have argued that the Bucs need to bring in 11 players to be competitive, which is absurd. The Bucs need at least four players (all on the defensive side) to be get back to the playoffs in the wretched NFC. The NFC should be a breeze to get through, and in one game against the AFC anything can happen.


Step One: Resign Chris Simms

The Bucs already accomplished their first offseason priority, resigning Chris Simms. While this made much easier by the lack of teams bidding against the Bucs this was the first step the Bucs needed to be competitive next season. Even if Simms is a poor fit for Gruden's offense (and that's the one thing that really scares me about the Bucs chances) he's the best thing the Bucs have going on at quarterback right now.

Also, I have resisted all season from tooting my own horn on this point (note: that would be your cue to skip this entire paragraph) but not resigning Griese was easily Gruden and company's biggest mistake last offseason. I made the argument that the Bucs essentially had no offensive line and no one decent backing up Simms and was mocked, roundly. But then again, any one who defends Brian Griese deserves to be mocked.

Step 2: Resign Sean Mahan, Dewayne White, Tim Rattay, Phillip Buchanon/Torrie Cox, Blue Adams, Kalvin Pearson, Mike Alstott in that order

In the interest of simplicity I will address these one at a time...

-Mahan: Mahan was supposed to be demoted to B Squad with the arrival of Davin Joseph. Instead Mahan became the essential glue guy an offensive line needs, filling in for injured Joseph and later Dan Buenning. Throw in Mahan's ability to play center and he is a must sign for a still developing offensive line.

- White: I wasn't sold on White until the Seattle game. White played with an unmatched enthusiam against Walter Jones and pressured Hasselbeck all game. Although it sends up a red flag that White waited until the last game before he hit free agency to actually try.

- Rattay: For much the same reason I supported bringing back Griese I now support bringing back Rattay. Neither is all that impressive but at least they can run the offense.

- Buchanon/Cox: I grouping these two together because they are both, at best, nickelbacks. Both saw extensive action due to injuries at corner. Although Buchanon showed more flashes of promise and could be coached into a starting corner.

- Blue: Just because I love saying his name. Is also pretty good at special teams.

- Pearson: For reasons I mention below I could care less if the Bucs bring back Pearson. He was a decent backup strong safety. That's about it.

- Alstott: I considered moving the A-Train to the top of the list until I read that Gruden would like to bring back Alstott if he wants to play another year. Considering that Alstott has stated he only wants to play for the Bucs, this decision most likely rests entirely with Mike.


Step 3: Dump Rice, Keep Kelly

For some reason the local inksheets have hinted that the Bucs may dump Brian Kelly. Not sure why the Bucs would do that considering Kelly is vastly underpaid and one of the better corners in the league. Kelly has another year on his contract and I would like to see Gruden and company offer him a two or three year extension.

As much as Simeon Rice has done for Tampa Bay he should be cut unless he agress to lower his cap figure. Rice has one of the more expensive contracts for the Bucs, and even discounting his injury Rice was not living up to expectation this season. He had 2 sacks through 8 games, and looked a step slow all season. I know he struggled through injuries even before he sat out the second half of the season but the Bucs can find a better deal than Rice next season.

Step 4: Spend some of that cap money on the defense

If there's one theme you are going to see this offseason it's this..............RESTOCK THE DEFENSE. The Bucs have roughly $24 to $30 million in cap room next season which should make them buyers in free agency. Gruden and company have always looked for the best value in free agency so I don't expect any wild shopping sprees.

I have taken a close look at who will be free agents this offseason but some of the names I have heard brandied around are Lance Briggs, Charles Grant and Dwight Freeney. I sont know much about Briggs othen than he plays in the Tampa Two in Chicago in a position the Bucs need, linebacker. Grant and Freeney are both appealing options if the Bucs can get them a decent price.

Step 5: Draft Wisely

Much like I did last offseason I'm going to vacillate a dozen times on what the Bucs should do with their first pick. A month ago I was sold on the Bucs picking defense first, but now I'm coming around on Calvin Johnson or JaMarcus Russell. Both could be special players (especially CJ) which the Bucs could use even if they don't have as pressing of a need at receiver or quarterback.

If the Bucs go defense Gaines Adams from Clemson would likely be the pick. The defensive end is the top rated defensive player in the country at a position the Bucs could use help at. At the beginning of the season Adams was considered a top ten pick but was behind Georgia's Moses as the best defensive end in the country. Adams saw his draft stock continue to rise as Moses level of play dropped and Adams level of play stayed.... well, level.