Stop Worrying About Rutgers Alumni
May 8th, 2012Of the 90 or so men on the Bucs roster, six are former Rutgers players, including newly signed wide receiver and former Patriots backup Tiquan Underwood. (Joe’s not including Eric LeGrand for this discusssion).
Here’s the list:
Gary Gibson DT
George Johnson DE
Derrick Roberson CB
Desmond Wynn OT
Tiquan Underwood WR
Jeremy Zuttah C
Some Bucs fans find this alarming. “Too many Rutgers players. Rutgers sucks!”
Joe finds that mindset ridiculous this early in the offseason. (Now if Ray Lucas shows up for a comeback, Joe will freak out.)
First off, Zuttah and Gibson are established professionals and were unquestionably sound and wise free-agent signings. Johnson started his career with the Bucs in early 2010. So he was already here. That leaves Roberson, Wynn and Underwood as Rutgers guys one could say are only here because the head coach trusts them.
Big deal. Joe doesn’t see this as a repeat of Steve Spurrier hauling ex-Gators, including his quarterback, to the Redskins.
A primary mission of Greg Schiano is to transform the bad habits of the Buccaneers that reached peak ugliness last season. To do that, the head coach needs players he’s sure will exemplify the practice and training habits of the New Schiano World Order. Roughly 40 percent of the current roster won’t make the team come opening day. So why not bring in a few guys that have some talent but definitely will deliver the proper work ethic and subsequently make those around them better Buccaneers?
Every coach — good and bad — does the same darn thing. Heck, Raheem Morris snatched “the driving force of our football team” from the scrap heap, a guy from his hometown and 1-AA alma mater.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Not sure why people are freaking out either Joe. A few of these most likely won’t make the team but they can let everyone know on and off the field what their new coach will expect.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Well put Joe
May 8th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Yeah, I can’t believe anyone is making an issue about this. When we get to the final roster, if any Rutgers guys beat out better players, then it’s time to complain. It’s not gonna happen. So my message to all the complainers is to shut the f**k up and get a grip on reality.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Well said Joe. Another player that Raheem played a big part in bringing to the Bucs is our franchise QB after getting to know him at Kansas. As far as Rutgers goes, the sad thing is that by the end of last season the Bucs would have been hard pressed to beat Rutgers.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
This serves multiple purposes. First it breeds familiarity for the teams OTA’s. It’s a smart move. It places peers within the team for younger and veteran players to go to with questions they may not want to ask the coaching staff. It also breeds an environment of trust for the players new to Schiano. This shows that if you work hard and put in everything coach will do what ever he can to help you in the future. I’m sure all the RU guys here worked hard and played hard for the coach. Coach Schiano is a very cerebral coach.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
I have not been in the camp that too many Rutgers guys is becoming an issue, because I think it’s a fine strategy to take, this year. Schiano needs to successfully implement his “new world order” as Joe likes to put it, and having players and not just coaches who have been through that already will certainly help during the offseason.
But this can’t be something we do every year, so I think we should at least raise flag of caution. The NFL is equally about how elite your player talent is, as much as it is philosophy and coaching. If not more.
So bringing in workout-warrier good-guy types from Rutgers instead of available players with the best talent out there, might cause us to lose out on some of those diamonds in the rough, like Blount was a couple years ago. Again, I’m not completely against this philospohy, just saying we shouldnt for example, sign a Rutgers guy every time when someone better is out there.
I think this will fix itself once the “new shciano order” is firmly established, and then we can take a flyer on someone with maybe less character but more talent, but this team is certainly not ready to do so…yet.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Is this the first guy who ever took over accompany and brought in people he trusts?
May 8th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Tampa Bay Rutgerneers
May 8th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
I posted this on another thread, now buried but still relevant!
I had the privilege of getting a tour of One Buc Place yesterday and came back with two very strong opinions.
The Glazers most certainly are NOT cheap. That facility from top to bottom is incredible. It’s obvious why it’s a selling point to potential free agents. The weight room alone……Anyway, it has got to be the NFL’s best, seriously.
Second, Coach Schiano, who we briefly met, is an extremely focused and organized man. Trust me guys, the man knows what he’s doing and the players will follow suit. It is getting DONE at One Buc these days and leadership is leading.
That kind of sort of YOU THINK?????? over rides the “expert” opinions of the Eric’s……..
May 8th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
The only one of those players absolutely guaranteed a roster spot is Zuttah. Gibson will most likely make it as well. Then after that the best shot would be Johnson as the 4th DE. Roberson, Wynn and Underwood are facing an extreme uphill battle to make it.
I’ll start worrying if every single one of these guys makes it onto the final 53.
May 8th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Oh and not to mention but also cut a Rutgers alum….Ron Girault
May 8th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Oh ok its totally rediculous.
After all these guys can come in and show the other players the disciplinary techniques that won Rutgers the Big East.
Its all good.
Keep the toes on the line and run around those goalposts. Fully hydrated of course.
May 8th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
“Every coach — good and bad — does the same darn thing. Heck, Raheem Morris snatched “the driving force of our football team” from the scrap heap, a guy from his hometown and 1-AA alma mater.”
Raheem wouldn’t know a slacker if one was dropped on his head from 1000′ high.
He evidently was one of the bigger slackers on our team!
May 8th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Lets double down on what Rah was doing!
May 8th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Come on Eric,
Schiano developed the system he deployed at Rutgers through a very impressive and steady climb.
Schiano worked on Paterno’s staff, and was the Defensive Coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes under Butch Davis (who is helping now).
Also, he was offered the University of Michigan job after Lloyd Carr, but he turned it down.
I just don’t understand your strong doubt for Schiano and his regime?
Give it a chance, and do us all a favor and stop being a “mental midget”.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:13 pm
@Stevek
28-41 conference record is a steady climb?
1-6 in 2010? Even with all the discipline?
Heck at least Skip Holtz won confernce USA! Offered job at Michigan?
soooooooooooooooooooooo? This is the NFL my friend.
He may do well, but the bringing in Rutgers guys is highly questionable IMO.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
“He may do well, but the bringing in Rutgers guys is highly questionable IMO.”
@Eric
John McKay did the same thing when he came from USC. David Lewis, Anthony Davis, Richard “Batman” Wood, J.K. McCay, and some others. All were pretty darn good, except for A.Davis and McKay, but hey being the head coaches oldest son explained a lot.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:29 pm
In the late 90’s we had 6 or 7 players on the ACTIVE Roster who played for Texas A&M Prairie View. But then again, in the late 90’s there weren’t blogs for morons to read and cause a stir over nothing.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Agree 100% Joe. This is a major non-issue.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
@jb
Actually Mckay also picked Ricky Bell over Tony Dorsett, because Bell went to USC. (and coached by Mckay).
Mr. Dorsett is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I’m not upset about it… but I am having flashbacks to Steve Spurrier bringing in a bunch of Gators to the Redskins.
Not ANGRY over here… just have an eyebrow up.
May 8th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Eric is an idiot.
May 8th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
To continue to bring up his record at Rutgers is ignorant. You have to realize where that program came from to realize how successful he was there. College football is not an even playing field, and Rutgers was one of the worst programs in D-1. It’s convenient for negative Nancy’s like Eric to bring up, but completely ignorant and foolish sounding. Get a clue before you make yourself look worse.
May 8th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Eric,
Who in the hell else wanted to coach the Bucs? We were turned down by Chip freaking Kelly.
Impressive, a 28-48 record in the Big East, but a 68-67 record over all.
Also, he won 5 of 6 bowl games.
Rutgers is not exactly a market that attracts top tier prospects, but nonetheless Schiano made them relevant.
Schiano made Rutgers atleast “respectable”, and look at the state of the Bucs?
3 years 17-31, zero friggin discipline…
You better believe Schiano is going to resotore order amongst the Bucs.
I can promise you, Schiano will make the Bucs a better “team”.
At least he will get the most out of these guys, and if they slack off, he will cut their ass.
Gotta love the new world order in Bucs Nation.
You gotta love the way Schiano took Rutgers to relevancy. The Bucs are in bad shape, and Schiano has the track record of turning around an otherwise uneventful program.
May 8th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Eric you have obviously not played football before because you sound like an IDIOT. Even more so than thomas, there’s a reason behind everything he does and it goes further than just football but you wouldn’t know that because you are a f****** moron.
May 8th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
All these comments … and nothing about that picture …
That picture makes me laugh every time I see it.
May 8th, 2012 at 6:07 pm
4-8 in his tenth year at Rutgers. Never won the big east which is crappy conference.
No need to transport guys from that to this team, as examples for nfl players.
May 8th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Everyone knows Eric and Thomas 2.2 aren’t actually Bucs fans. It doesn’t matter the move, they’ll hate it– the only good bucs are those of the past, because it’s already done and on record. Anything, anyone new? Terrible! Terrible!!!
May 8th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Oh yea D!
I love the Schiano hire! Great move, couldn’t be happier.
Love the hiring of the staff. Pleased with the draft an free agency, all professional moves.
First time we have been run professionally since January 2009.
May 8th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
If I were a new manager coming into let’s say a McD’s. And I saw video of how the crew I’m inheriting was slacking off and eating all the profits.
Of course I would get people who I knew would come to work, give an honest day’s work, and I know they are high character people.
Nothing wrong with that!! It’s dinner time and I’m gittin yungry for McD’s.
May 8th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Well put Thomas, I believe you’re a TRUE FAN. No one would put that much effort into critique if it weren’t so.
And Eric,
Valid point, guess we are in the “start up phase” of proving to you.
Either Schiano is an upgrade;
Our last HC was a Big 12 D Coord.
May 8th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
That’s funny, my buddy who is a Packer fan was just asking me about Kareem Huggins. Weird timing for you to post that Joe.
May 8th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Spammed again…Joe. Sigh.
I swear this website has it out for me. No symbols, no html.
May 8th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Joe this is completely off topic yet incredibly related to the Bucs. The Minnesota senate just passed a clause in the new stadium bill stating that, since the city is funding so.e of the stadium, there can be NO LOCAL BLACKOUTS.
We all know you refer to our stadium as the CITS, Tampa footed a large pirtion of the bill for the Bucs stadium and we’ve all know too well the blackout rule. I hope you make some kind of story out of this, just sayin
May 8th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
Jrock
Joe’s previous stated position is in support of the NFL’s policy of blacking out non-sellouts even in communities that paid for the team’s stadium. Joe dismissed a bill that was introduced in Florida’s legislature aimed at banning NFL blackouts in non-team paid for stadiums.
I agree with you, Minn and others – this should be deemed unlawful.
May 8th, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Thomas 2.2! I must say I am totally impressed with your last post. Absolutely no bashing of players, reference to any has been and very positive.
Keep moving away from the Dark Side!
May 8th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
You posted again while I was commending you. The post before this one.
May 8th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
@buckleberry
This is more like the McDonald’s manager hired to operate Berns.
Best hire folks that know the wine cellar.
The fries cook, although honest and hardworking, won’t help….
May 8th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
High Top Fade…Nuff Said, Go Bucs
May 8th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Personally, i am really digging all the moves that have been made this year. It seems Dom and the Glazier got the message.
It has been one smart move after another with a few splash moves mixed in for excitement.
It really seems they are learning from past mistakes. They have brought in an “experienced” coaching staff (with 2 consultants to help the rookie HC).
They have added good veterans to the team to help the young guys grow, while also gaining 2 top tier players in their respective positions. The future back ups aren’t eye popping, but they should present competition and fire to each position (if not push for a start).
The Draft was a good success. Some of the trades may have made you go, hmmm? But after all was said and done and we were able to see exactly what we’ve gotten. You must admit we were all quite pleased. We filled major holes with great talent, with out reaching to far for any one player!
Schiano’s demeanor is the icing on the cake. I find my self forgetting this guy is a Rookie head coach in the NFL. Everything he says and does just comes across to me like any other veteran HC in the league. The man is just pure football. No frills or gimmicks with this guy. Football is the Business and it is ALL business with him.
On top of it all. He is all about reconnecting The Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the Fans of Tampa Bay! He wants the Tampa Bay area to be a proud community once again. This is one of my most favorite things about him.
Anyways, I’m just saying now have hope if nothing else we are definitely are heading in the right direction under his leadership. Lets hope it proves successful on the field come Sunday’s.
May 8th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Eric, you b!tched and moaned for 3 years now about how we haven’t brought in any free agents, and how incompetent Raheem is. Now, we got rid of Raheem and brought in 2 top tier free agents, plus a couple other quality free agents. Not to mention that we had a very good draft (on paper), as judged by every expert under the sun. Yet, you are so desperate for something to b!tch about that you are worried about the 90 man roster in May containing too many guys from Rutgers! You don’t think that’s a little odd? You don’t think perhaps you are just bound and determined to be negative about something? Do you wonder why fans on this site could grow a bit weary of your constant negativity? You are more than free to have an opinion, but you are grasping at this point. If we have any more than 2 guys from Rutgers when the season starts, perhaps you have a legit complaint. But seriously, who the hell cares who is on the 90 man roster in early May, before we’ve even had one OTA? More than half of those guys will never step on the field for us in a real game. Can’t you find something else to b!tch about, instead of bringing all the rest of us normal people down?
May 8th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Thomas:
You claim to be a lawyer. Surely you know a state body has zero governing authority over the FCC, which regulates broadcast policies. A handful of state legislators grandstanding to waste (taxpayers’) time and money to enact a toothless law is far more obscene than someone whining about they can’t watch a game from their recliner.
Now if people were pumping Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson to submit a bill in Washington to have the FCC strike down the NFL’s broadcast contracts, that’s a totally different matter.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:03 am
Jrock:
That would be like the city council of St. Petersburg mandating Rachel Watson perform tricks in Joe’s bedroom once a week; Rachel lives in Pasco County.
The Minnesota legislature has zero authority over the FCC or the U.S. Congress, which oversees broadcast regulations and permits the NFL to establish it’s current blackout policy. That’s nothing more than grandstanding by a couple of two-bit politicians.
You and Thomas should take a quick glance at how the NFL blackout policy came to be.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:06 am
Pete:
Less is more. Your novels disguised as posts often triggers the spam block.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:15 am
jb:
Difference is, USC at the time was what Alabama is now: An absolute freaking powerhouse.
Rutgers wasn’t even a Big (L)east power.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:57 am
Joe,
The NFL Blackout Rule can effing suck it.
I understand the bill, but it’s absolute rape. Kind of similar to Goodell making $20 million in his last year of contract.
He’s a Facist Pig, and he wreaks of greed and Napoleon like qualities.
With that said, anything new on Talib?
– He clean/ing up his act?
– Can Goodell Castro aka Ozzie’s boy drop the hammer on him?
May 9th, 2012 at 2:30 am
What we really need to know is, can Schiano hang with Joe Maddon? I mean socially.
May 9th, 2012 at 8:31 am
Of course Eric is a tool. He actually makes Thomas seem like an optomist.
May 9th, 2012 at 10:14 am
Joe Says:
May 9th, 2012 at 12:06 am
Pete:
I swear this website has it out for me. No symbols, no html.
Less is more. Your novels disguised as posts often triggers the spam block.
.
I call crock there. It wasn’t even a long post this time. A short list and a sentence? I post longer comments in my sleep! ;P
May 9th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Oh come on Joe…these posts I made are not long. I just got SPAMMED AGAIN.
May 9th, 2012 at 10:16 am
And, Joe…the government gains that authority when the FCC dips into public funding through taxes.
May 9th, 2012 at 10:29 am
Pete:
No other reader has as many problems with posts as you. No other reader write 300-word posts, save for an occasional Thomas 2.2 rant.
Joe is not a programmer so he is not jimmying the spam filter software written by WordPress just to persecute you. There are three things common things that trigger the spam filter: links, HTML codes and long posts. Unless there is something on your side which is triggering your posts to go to the spam folder, Joe’s pretty sure one of the three aforementioned items is causing it.
Sorry, other than that, Joe doesn’t know what to tell you.
May 9th, 2012 at 10:31 am
Pete:
Federal government; not state. State governments have zero authority over the FCC (as in Federal Communications Commission) just as state governments have zero authority over the Defense Department or FBI.