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Definitely click on through to learn more and/or shop online at Ed Morse Brandon Auto Mall. Joe bought his pre-owned Ford at Ed Morse and had a fantastic experience. Not a peep of trouble with the vehicle in 17 months. You’ll be amazed by the selection, price and service at Ed Morse.
Joe has gone on record several times calling the Bucs’ 2011 linebacking corps the worst linebacker unit in all the NFL.
And it wasn’t close.
When teams ran the ball at the Bucs, once the ballcarrier got past the first level, it was quite simply a jailbreak, snap after snap, the way opposing running backs ran wild on the Bucs.
Since it is early July, the unofficial dead season in the NFL calendar until training camps begin later this month, the football eggheads at ProFootballFocus.com decided to study tape of the last three years and they camp up with the worst group of tacklers playing linebacker in the NFL.
Not surprisingly, two Bucs were in the top (bottom?) five, Geno Hayes and Quincy Black.
In 2,563 snaps, Hayes had more missed tackles than assists. So did Black, logging 1,833 plays.
Following hot on his heels in the list are Hayes and Levy, both of whom have racked up misses and whose ratios are only marginally behind that of Weatherspoon’s.
Hayes’ teammate in Tampa, Quincy Black also notched his fair share of missed tackles, as the entire Buccaneers defense seemed to be engaged in a competition last season to see who could miss the most.
Unless Sam Monson, who did the research, was totally off in his study, Joe has no earthly idea how any defensive player can have more missed tackles than assists. Hell, you just fall on a guy who is lying on the ground and you get an assist.
Yes, Joe knows Hayes is gone, but Black is still among us. Still, this is a disturbing thought that such a sloppy tackler remains in the Bucs’ starting lineup as training camp approaches.
No wonder new Bucs coach Greg Schiano said his No. 1 goal is to somehow fix the defense and to stop the run.
Joe will give Black some slack this season as this is a new regime and from all the whispers coming out of One Buc Palace, Black wasn’t coached up (along with many others, apparently).
Yes, Joe’s read all your emails about Team Glazer preparing to sell shares of Manchester United in the United States.
Joe’s simple response is that Joe really isn’t too interested, and Joe’s confident all this talk about a $100 million IPO isn’t going to get the Bucs defense to get after the quarterback, it won’t make Mike Sullivan an experienced playcaller, and it won’t drive the Bucs to buy more expensive free agents.
More importantly, no matter how much cash Team Glazer raises in this venture, it won’t force NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell to raise the salary cap ceiling.
For those still interested in Team Glazer’s kickball cash, Joe recommends this video from the folks at Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. Click below.
Former Bucs center and captain Jeff Faine, a man who Joe crossed swords with over the years, opened up on all things Bucs this evening to electronic media czar J.P. Peterson on 1010 AM.
In a stunning show of professionalism, Faine said the Bucs made the “right decision” to cut him (and the mega-millions left on his contract) and re-sign Jeremy Zuttah and sign Carl Nicks.
“I can understand the decision. They made an investment in Carl Nicks. Looking into the future and trying to build through youth, and I think it was the right decision,” Faine said. “I’m going to be playing for two, three more years, and they’re looking to build something to last.”
Faine went on to praise rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and how he communicated with Faine through the process that led to his release.
“I had a fantastic time. I have nothing but good things to say about this organization and how they do business,” Faine said. “I can’t be bitter. I still have years to play, and hopefully win games wherever I go.”
In rather telling commentary about the unraveling of the Bucs last season, Faine said Greg Schiano’s leadership style was “desperately needed.”
“Coach Morris will be a head coach again, but he’s gotta be a head coach of a very veteran team that can handle the style that he brings,” Faine said.
That’s not much of an endorsement for Raheem, considering he led the youngest team in the NFL to a 10-6 record in 2010.
Joe will have more goodies from Faine’s interview this weekend.
Yeah, the Bucs have legitimate talent wide receiver. And with the addition of Vincent Jackson, it seems his presence as a top-flight No. 1 receiver puts everyone else where they belong within a hopefully great offense.
Tampa Bay Times beat writer Stephen Holder penned a piece today talking about how wide open competition is in the Bucs’ receiving corps. But Joe doesn’t buy into that premise.
Jackson and Mike Williams are the clear Nos. 1 & 2. Joe realizes some fans are down on Williams, but he has elite skills and he’s caught 65 balls in each of his first two seasons.
Arrelious Benn was the 39th overall pick in what widely was considered the deepest NFL Draft in history (2010). Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik was calling for Benn to get the ball more last season — a very telling statement, on the Buccaneers Radio Network of all places — but Greg Olson and Raheem Morris wouldn’t listen. Benn is fully recovered from his knee issues and Joe has no doubt Benn will be maximized under the New Schiano Order.
Preston Parker got a new contract and was an offseason standout, per Greg Schiano. He’ll fill his role nicely.
And if Sammie Stroughter can remain completely healthy through the preseason, he’s a lock for the No. 5 receiver slot, in Joe’s opinion. Stroughter plays special teams, is an above average returner, and he’s got the work ethic and runs solid routes. The Bucs would be nuts to dump him, assuming he’s healthy, and considering Parker’s past ball-security issues on returns.
Joe thinks it’s a big “if” whether the Bucs will carry six receivers. Given that the New Schiano Order wants to pound the ball like the 1972 Dolphins and will need more than typical depth on the defensive line and in the secondary, Joe would be somewhat surprised to see the Bucs with six receivers on opening day.
Joe’s got nothing against Dezmon Briscoe, but one would think he’s lost his “Buccaneer Man” card with his offseason absences, and he’s not as valuable with Jackson on the roster. Tiquan Underwood and Ed Gant, Joe considers them huge longshots. Briscoe, Underwood and Gant all likely need banged up teammates in the receiving corps to make it to opening day.
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Look, Joe’s not going to even attempt to make an excuse for Eric Wright’s mistake the other morning in Los Angeles, getting into an accident and being charged with a felony DUI.
Joe could sort of understand this happening in the sticks someplace where there is no such thing as a cab. But Wright was in the second-largest city in the United States. Throw in the fact he could afford to buy a limo service much less afford a cab, this was stupidity at it’s worst.
But the dumb move could be worse for the Bucs, so writes Bradenton Herald columnist Alan Dell, who believes Wright’s dumb-headed stunt could really screw the Bucs.
He was brought in to play corner opposite Aqib Talib, who just got a get-out-of-jail-free card, but still hasn’t escaped the long arm of NFL top sheriff Roger Goodell.
The Bucs could begin next season without these two cornerbacks if Goodell seeks to suspend them a few games for conduct unbecoming to everything pure and wholesome in the NFL.
Wright could become another Dominik mishap and an embarrassment to himself and the organization.
This is a subject Joe didn’t exactly think about when he heard of Wright’s arrest. There is no guarantee NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell won’t suspend Talib, despite the fact Talib’s charges in Texas were dropped.
Throw in Wright’s wreck, and Goodell could see to it that the Bucs are down two cornerbacks to open the season. This leaves open the door for Ronde Barber to return to a starting cornerback gig.
So what the hell does that mean, Joe?
Well, the NFL’s decision to let teams only sell as little as 85 percent of tickets for home games and still have them televised comes with a catch. Per Mike Florio, of ProFootballTalk.com, a team must pick an exact percentage that covers every game for the entire season, and if a team sells more than whatever percentage it chooses for a game — 85 percent, 88 percent, 92 percent, etc. — then the team must give 50 percent of the ticket revenue over the percentage to the visiting team, versus the 34 percent previously required.
That could discourage every team from picking 85 percent as its new blackout threshold. The San Diego Union-Tribune says the Chargers are unlikely to take advantage of any rule change, despite two blackouts last season.
If a team lowers the bar for blackouts, the number is fixed for the season. Whenever the team clears the mark, it will be required to share more ticket revenue than usual with other teams in the league. It’s that part of the new rules that the Chargers believe would be too high a price to pay, said A.G. Spanos, the team’s executive vice president and chief executive officer.
“And even if you went to 15 percent lower, hypothetically an 85 percent manifest, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a lift of the blackout for every game,” Spanos said Monday. “It’s also important to understand that the manifest is set for the year for every game, whether it’s a big game for us or a game with a less attractive opponent.”
Joe gets teams like the Bengals and Chargers wrestling with the new rule; the Bengals have a night game against the Steelers and their home-opener against state-rival Cleveland, two guaranteed sellouts. The Chargers also have two night home games.
But the Bucs on the other hand have no home night games and no opponent guaranteed to put butts in the seats other than Philadelphia in December. Joe would think it would be an easy decision for the Bucs to choose the 85-percent mark or something darn close to it.
Regardless, barring an intervention or a huge rush of ticket sales, Joe’s not seeing how the Bucs’ preseason games are going to find their way to live television next month.
It’s a blast to go to one of the official Rays watch parties at Hooters, and there’s one tonight at the Original Hooters on Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater, aka State Road 60, just east of US Hwy. 19.
Why watch the Rays at home when you can take advantage of the great beer and food specials at Hooters? Plus there are amazing Rays giveaways all night long — gear, tickets, all kinds of stuff. Nobody can top the great viewing at Hooters. (Yes, Joe’s talking about the multitude of cutting edge TV sets).
Visit OriginalHooters.com now to find the location near you.
Florio’s got some intriguing takes here, including one that says the Bucs might not care as much about public perception of how Wright is handled because the change in blackout rules will alleviate much of the pressure to sell tickets.
When Mike Sullivan was hired as the Bucs’ new playcaller and offensive coordinator, much was made of his twirl drills with Eli Manning and other unconventional quarterback training techniques.
Bucs fans’ hopes/expectations were that Sullivan would be able to help Josh Freeman recapture his 2010 form and develop into the poised, two-time Super Bowl champ Manning is.
“I don’t know if he’s gotten any credit but … he’s certainly been a catalyst in the good year Eli’s had,” offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said last month.
Manning also threw much better while moving in the pocket and on the run, which backup quarterback David Carr attributed to Sullivan’s unconventional drills.
“He has some different drills where it’s uncomfortable movements,” Carr said of Sullivan last month. “You’re not just dropping back, moving to the left and right, stepping up and throwing the ball, which never happens in the game.
“You move up, you sprint out, run away from someone and then try to throw off balance. We do that drill every Wednesday and something every Thursday and Friday that’s similar to that, where we move around and twirl.
So it was interesting to Joe to read NFL Films guru Greg Cosell’s new breakdown of Manning. It’s a long enjoyable read for football junkies, and one that seems to back up that Sullivan’s tactics with Manning brought direct results.
In 2011, I saw significant improvement in two other elements of Manning’s game: progression reading and pocket movement, with the corollary ability to extend plays outside the pocket. We all remember the 38-yard completion to Mario Manningham late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVI; it was the single biggest play in the game. It also reflected many of the attributes that I have often written about, beginning with pre-snap recognition of the coverage. … …
The other part of Manning’s game that dramatically improved in 2011, and I believe it was a defining reason as to why he had his best season yet, was his efficiency moving both within the pocket and outside the pocket. As I’ve discussed numerous times, pocket mobility is an essential trait to perform consistently at a high level. Manning, once a little frenzied and out of control when he was forced to react in response to the pass rush, is now more poised and composed. His movement is more deliberate and calculated. His downfield focus is sharper, with better clarity. In addition, his ability to extend plays on the perimeter was particularly evident last season. In years past, there were times Manning would be somewhat scattershot with his throws off movement. That deficiency has been lessened, and it’s led to better overall play. It’s a huge reason why Manning elevated his game in 2011.
Now Freeman is not Eli Manning, and surely Sullivan is busy crafting his playbook and Joe is concerned that Sullivan has never called plays on any level. However, there’s no question that Sullivan is here, in part, because of his work with Manning and for what he can do for Freeman.
The optimist in Joe believes Sullivan, while busy with other duties, will at least be successful in improving Freeman in the areas noted above: progression reading and pocket movement. Joe suspects the former will be most critical, given that the Bucs’ pocket should be more stable than usual given all the accomplished beef on the offensive line.
The strange tale of the Aqib Talib local fender bender in 2010, after which Talib allegedly told the other driver that he was going to put “a cap in” her, has not gone away.
Four months ago, grandma Betty Atwood, 54, sued Talib in Hillsborough County civil court (not criminal) for damages related to the car accident and alleged resulting pain and suffering.
Joe’s recent review of the civil court hearings and events of the case reveals that motions to dismiss two of the three counts against Talib were denied, and after various subpoenas of Atwood’s medical records, the court recorded two “notice of service of proposal settlement” entries last week, covering all three counts against Talib. So one can assume a check likely is forthcoming to put this matter to rest.
Another weight off Talib’s shoulders should only help him as he works to stay out of trouble and on the positive path he’s been on the last eight or nine months.
Joe will keep you posted on the case, and Joe promises to look deeper into the case file.
Good morning. Joe wants to wish all his loyal readers (and even his haters), a very happy Fourth of July.
This is always Joe’s favorite holiday. For Joe, it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day all rolled into one.
Joe wallows in beer on this day, usually participates in some water activity on the Gulf, stuffs his grill with all sorts of grilled up goodies and, often after watching a little baseball, heads out to watch the fireworks.
Joe hopes all of his readers have fun today. Don’t forget, Joe is here 24/7/365, and the fact that July 4 is here, that means training camp is just a few weeks away.
It’s over for Derrick Ward, so the former Bucs running back has Twittered, via ProFootballTalk.com.
Ward is hanging it up after nine seasons in the NFL.
Now many Bucs fans might say Ward retired the moment he finished signing his fat free-agent contract with the Buccaneers in 2009, when Ward was supposed to be part a ridiculous 2-2-1 rotation, a three-headed monster at running back (Ward-Cadillac Williams-Earnest Graham) engaged in a bizarre Raheem-Olson shuffling per offensive series.
That plan failed and Ward was used sparingly and was inconsistent. After getting cut late in the 2010 preseason, Ward went on to have a couple of solid seasons for Houston as a backup.
When history looks back on Ward, yeah, he had a 1,000-yard season and earned a ring with the Giants, but his South Tampa pool parties might be more memorable as well as his Kardashian-dabbling. Joe wishes Ward well.
Joe’s drooling at the thought of enjoying this amazing deal tonight at Hooters on 4th St. in St. Pete and at the Tyrone Square Hooters in St. Pete. What a great way to feast and watch baseball. Don’t miss it! Click here to get the exact locations.
Veteran Bucs fans know all about culture change.
Father Dungy walked into Tampa in 1996, and brought new rules, order and overhauled the defense, replacing wacky Sam Wyche, whose ’95 team started “5-dash-2” but finished 7-dash-9.
The Bucs struggled mightily out of the gate for Dungy, but finished 6-10 in 1996, before making the playoffs in ’97.
Former NFL safety Matt Bowen, now a scribe for NationalFootballPost.com, relayed a similar story of successful culture change when he was with the Redskins. The loose ship of Steve Spurrier gave way to the return of legendary Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs did alter the “culture” in our locker room and on the field. We were prepared, dealt with adversity in a professional fashion and displayed a much more physical attitude in our play on the field.
Accountability. That’s the word I’m looking for under Gibbs.
But that first year was still a transition period for our team. No playoffs, some rough losses and plenty of film to work with. However, in our second season under the new coach, we ran off five straight wins to get into the playoffs, won the Wild Card round and eventually lost to the eventual NFC Champion Seahawks up in Seattle.
In Tampa, Schiano has some young talent, a QB in Josh Freeman and has already made some roster moves. And I expect to see a very physical football team this season on the field. Does that mean we will see the Bucs compete for a playoff spot this season? I can’t say that without seeing them play under the new coach. But this will fall on the shoulders of the players.
As a locker room, we bought into Gibbs, his style of coaching and a training camp environment that was pure hell on a humid August day.
Is Greg Schiano a Tony Dungy or Joe Gibbs? Surely nobody knows.
But even if he is in that caliber, the Bucs are still looking at an uphill battle for 2012. They’ve got an offense with win-now weapons everywhere, but the defense has so far to go and so many question marks, it pains Joe to think about likely growing pains on that side of the ball.
Naturally, the Bucs have received word of the troubling situation early this morning when cornerback Eric Wright was charged with a felony count of driving under the influence, and thus have released a statement.
“We are aware of the arrest and are in the process of gathering information. We take such matters very seriously and will handle it appropriately.”
Joe has touched upon the first tough decision of the New Schiano Order. Rest assured, Joe feels it is safe to assume, that if the Bucs do not penalize Wright in some manner, NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell certainly will.
The arrest of Eric Wright is a pivotal situation for the leader of the New Schiano Order
Today’s felony impaired-driving arrest of Eric Wright is new ground for the leader of the New Schiano Order.
This isn’t Rutgers. Wright just signed a contract reported to deliver $15.5 million guaranteed, and $37.5 million total, over five years (not too shabby for a guy without a Pro Bowl.)
Joe gets that some fans will want the Bucs to cut Wright and send a message. But given his contract, that’s about as likely as Joe getting a call from Rachel Watson requesting shaving assistance.
One can be sure that every Buccaneers player is watching closely. Joe believes how this is handled is a pivotal moment for the team. Yes, the legal system has to play out and the situation must be investigated. Yes, Roger Goodell is lurking. But Schiano’s next move will speak volumes.
Wright will need to be disciplined. Joe’s eager to see how the new “Buccaneer Men” are handled in such a situation, but it’s likely Schiano will keep any discipline of Wright under a cone of silence.
