Dan, your lecture is basically the same thing the guys were doing. Why does it bother you that they are bothered blah blah blah. Thomas does not have a higher standard. You are right about feeding the Troll though, and that is one hard thing to do.

And Mike Wesley- it’s his off the field problems that I have problems with. Everyone should! We are all grown men here. Adults don’t act like that! It’s called accountability, and I don’t apologize for it at all. Being a good football player doesn’t give give you the excuse to be a total idiot. There are much better football players in this team who act intelligently! Talib doesn’t get a free pass!! But if he learns and grows up- alls forgiven. I hope he does!

I have always said, I wasn’t a Ruud fan. But I know the defense. I know what his job was, and he did it well. The hatred poured out on the guy was misdirected. I dont like to see anyone crucified unfairly.
Bit he didn’t make many game changing plays. He wasn’t physical. He brought no “fear factor” to the defense.

So if they wanted to get rid of him, Ok! But have a replacement trained and ready.it’s the lack of plan B that bothers me . A rookie? Really?? He’ll be struggling to learn his job! How’s he gonna know everyone else’s, and direct them to adjust based on his knowledge of offenses he’s never seen??? He never did that in college, but he’s gonna learn on the fly in the Pros?????

Again- it looks like Dominick made a “fan popular” decission, when he should have listened to his head coach. Brees, Ryan, Manning, Etc can’t wait to head game our young Rookie. And Quincy Black has never produced any big plays, shown leadership, or called the defense before.

It just seems like a train wreck waiting to happen. I hope I’m wrong

Every real buc fan remebers that being Brian Kelly who got beat and Lynch closed but got there a smidge late. Now I know why your opinons are what they are. You are a newbie. No problem, I respect that. You just jumped on the wagon, well there is plenty of room with a 38k season ticket base since rah rah took over.

Ronde Barber, Warren Sapp, Rah Rah, Derrick Brooks (I think) Captain Tim, myself, Eric etc.

I would say that we are in some credible company. Now as for why the defense will be worse, very easy.

Three (4 if you count GMC) of your front 7 players are rookies, the other 3 or 4 are totally unproven vets (Jane is probably your most validated player and many think that he is below average), I like Talib and Ronde as nickel – I think that Biggers is a mediocre athlete (hence his 7th round selection) but he is a worker and fairly tough. Cody Grimm has a ton of heart and hits bigger than his size but he is not healthy, Lynch will start and is really a special teamer, Sean Jones is a solid tackler but both safeties are a liability in Pass D (which is required bc they must be run-support players due to the team’s inability to be even average against the run without a safety in the box).

So, for 2011, the defense will slightly regress, and probably improve slightly in 2012 when McCoy arrives and Bowers and Clay gain experience. Miller is just a neutralizer, he is not an asset at all, not much of a liability but he is a dime a dozen player (fine if you have 4 or 5 other studs up front, but not when you are the bucs).

Example, arguably are best Defense was when you had Sapp, Rice, Culpepper and Spires (2 penetrators and 2 neutralizers) and Brooks, Quarles and Singleton (2 pursuit backers and a solid establish the point backer) = 4 playmakers (Sapp, Rice, Brooks, Quarles) and 3 (solid assignment players), and of course Lynch and Ronde providing excellent run support from the secondary.

Today, we don’t know what type of players these guys will be. I actually think that Bowers is a more natural right end (like a Simeon) but Clayborn can’t play the left side because of his medical condition. Teams like to have their biggest, baddest (often slowest) tackle on the left side to protect the Right Handed qb’s blind side which allowed Simeon and presumably Bowers to beat them with a speed rush. Clay isn’t a speed rusher but he is physical. I think that Hayes is a pursuit-style (sideline to sideline) tackler but he has no discipline and is weak at the point, Black should be an animal but he just isnt, Foster- who knows? (I did like his film at Wash. He looks slow but has a nose for the football and is tough).

I remember Barber being the rookie and making the mistake.I remember him in the game with the Rams and the fans blamed him for the Ricky Proel catch,and look what he became so rookies make mistakes thats new to all of us.Great insight,but does that mean the season is over?

Barber wasn’t covering Ricky Proel on that play.