WalterFootball slams the Buccaneers.

Wow! Will the Buccaneers player, coach or staff member that stole the girlfriend, kicked the dog, smacked the mom or disrespected the sister of WalterFootball.com please apologize to the man. I have read a great deal of haters-hate articles during my days as a Buccaneers fan. After all, our Buccaneers have left quite a path of ammunition for haters to fire away. But the latest article, 2012 NFL Offseason:Tampa Bay Buccaneers, posted at WalterFootball.com takes hating to a whole new level.

WalterFootball.com has been in existence for a great deal of time. They carry a database that is highly respected when it comes to the NFL draft.  I would love to give individual credit to the author of the piece but there is no name attached. So WalterFootball.com it is. 


So let's see. The article is said to be an inside look at "Draft Grades, Season Previews, Offseason Needs, Free Agents". According to the writer, the Buccaneers were an off-season failure and "There's little doubt that Tampa Bay will be the last-place team in the NFC South."


In the writer's opinion "The Buccaneers did make two positive offensive acquisitions." No, it was not the fact that the Buccaneers went out and got the number one available wide receiver in free agency with Vincent Jackson. According to the writer, "If Jackson wanted to have the best pro career possible, he would have stayed in San Diego or signed with a team that has an established, top-tier quarterback." "And how great is Jackson anyway?" "He was the 61st pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, so it's not like he was really highly regarded when he came into the league." It was not the fact that the Buccaneers got rid of a player that did not participate in practices, only participated in 1/3 of actual plays and was a bad influence on Freeman's decision making in cutting Kellen Winslow Jr.. In the writer's opinion, "A player who was a high pick was Kellen Winslow Jr., but he's gone because head coach Greg Schiano didn't want to deal with him. Winslow was a declining player anyway, but the Buccaneers somehow managed to downgrade him by signing Dallas Clark, who looked like he was running in quicksand last year. It's quite possible that Clark won't even make the team".


The only two positive off-season moves for the offense were "Doug Martin, whom Tampa moved ahead of the Giants for in the 2012 NFL Draft." and "Carl Nicks, arguably the top guard in the NFL".

Now let's look at the defensive side of the team. We all know that the defense extremely under-performed last year. We all watched as a great deal of the players appeared to quit on their coach. But according to the writer the quit was not the problem. "Several of the players mailed it in, but don't take that to believe there's not a lack of talent on the roster. There definitely is."

"The Buccaneers have jettisoned some of the bad apples. In addition to Kellen Winslow offensively, they let go of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and safety Tanard Jackson. The only poor-character individual still remaining is Aqib Talib, who is facing a possible suspension for an arrest. He may be sidelined for 4-8 games."  Now according to the writer the only reason the Buccaneers did not cut Aqib Talib is because he is "because of the dubious situation it has at cornerback. It's just Talib and no one else." I know what your thinking, what about Eric Wright? GM Mark Dominik went out and grabbed the corner during the off-season. "He'll probably be inserted into the starting lineup eventually because of his ridiculous salary, but he'll quickly be demoted because he can't cover anyone."

How about the Buccaneers idea of moving Ronde Barber to safety? "Ronde Barber used to be a starting corner, but he has moved to free safety - a move that has occurred a year too late based on how brutally he was torched in 2011. Unfortunately, he's 37, so it's unlikely that he'll have much success in his new position."

What about Dominik and Schiano getting the player they secretly targeted with the 7th pick over-all in the draft?  "strong safety Mark Barron has no NFL experience. He was chosen No. 7 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. There's no question that he was a reach; he was pushed up because of the alarming lack of safety prospects."

So the writer's final:  "2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis: The Buccaneers will be much more competitive than they were last year, as long as they don't quit on their head coach again. Assuming Josh Freeman is able to fully concentrate on football, the offense should be pretty solid. The defense, however, will make it extremely difficult for this team to win football games. There's little doubt that Tampa Bay will be the last-place team in the NFC South."

I, as a Buccaneers fan that bleeds red and pewter, have a pretty good understanding that I see our team through red colored glasses with pewter frames. I know that I may see a little more positive in some of the acquisitions than what may actually come to fruition. But, as a man who has watched, played and been around the game of football for well over 40 years, I do have a decent grasp of what may or may not be a positive move for a team. Adding Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks, Doug Martin, Eric Wright, LaVonte David, and Dallas Clark are absolutely positive moves. Getting rid of a declining, sometimes player that badly influences Freeman's decisions in Winslow is absolutely a positive move. Moving Ronde Barber to safety will eliminate the questions of declining speed and optimize his game knowledge and instincts. Positive move.  Am I saying that all of these decisions will absolutely pan out 100%? No, I'm not. But I certainly am not believing all the negative banter that the writer has posted either.  

Training Camp Public Schedule

Here are the dates for the Buccaneers training camp that will be open to the public. Practices will be held at One Buc Place with the exception of the one night practice that will be held at Raymond James.

SCHEDULE

Friday, July 27
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, July 28
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, July 29
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, August 1
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Friday, August 3
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, August 4
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. (Night Practice at RJS)
Monday, August 6
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, August 7
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 12
8:45 - 11:30 a.m.

Defensive playbook of Gruden's offense revealed.

I won't go into the debate of whether Gruden should have been fired. I definitely have my own opinion on that matter. But my wife will gladly explain to you just how sick she was of me losing my brain while sitting in RayJay watching our offensive performances. I was well aware of Gruden's "offensive guru" status. However, I was very disappointed with the actual production. I know that Gruden love to have multiple pre-snap shifts. At times it looked like players were going in every direction. There is only one problem. Everyone has to come to a set position before the ball is snapped. As soon as they would come set, I would tell everyone sitting near me what the upcoming play would be. Believe me or not, I would be correct on 80%. For the longest time I would ask our friends in our seating section, "If I can sit in the stands and get close to 80% correct, don't you think the experts on the sidelines that are getting paid watch enough film to get close to 100%"?

Well Matt Bowen of the National Football Post has shed some light on that question. Bowen posted an article detailing an inside look at Gruden's offense.  Bowen was a player for the Washington Redskins under Mike Shanahan and Andy Reid. Bowen kept his defensive notebook and now has revealed exactly what the Redskins knew about Gruden's offense. Here are the defensive notes:

Tendencies, formations, personnel, routes, etc., all posted from my defensive notebooks as we prepared to head down to Tampa to play Gruden's Bucs.

Redskins at Bucs (2005)
(Offensive tendencies compiled from previous four opponents)

Offensive I.D.
-Personnel
-Formations
-Run Game

ICONGruden's game plan centers on pre-snap shifts and motions.

GRUDEN’S PERSONNEL GROUPINGS
-Regular (2WR-1TE-2RB)
-Pony (2WR-1TE-2TB)
-Ace (2TE-2TE-1RB)
-Posse (3WR-1TE-1RB)
-Houston (3WR-1TE-1RB)
-Jet (4WR-1RB)
-Heavy (1WR-3TE-1RB)
-Tank (1WR-2TE-2RB)
-Jumbo (3TE-2RB)

*Key personnel in breakdown: WR Joey Galloway (No.84), FB Mike Alstott (No.40)

OFFENSIVE TERMINOLOGY
X=Split End
Z=Flanker
Y=On the line TE
U=2nd TE in the game
W=Slot WR
H=4th WR/3rd TE in the game
R=RB
F=FB

SCREENS
-4 total screens
-Posse: 3x
-Ace: 1x
-No.84 aligned out of position=Screen alert
-Run screens in minus territory
-No.84 aligned in bunch formation=Alert “Bubble” screen

GADGETS
-Only two reverses
-No.84 motion to formation
-Tank (align in empty): WR motion to backfield=Alert WR Toss

“FIRST 15" TENDENCIES
-Shifts early followed by tempo
-Will try to get big names involved early (Galloway, Alstott)
-Will break tendency early to get it out of the way—and then go back to normal game plan
-Alert quick passes (Out, Hitch)
-Top Runs: Power O, Counter Strong
-No.84 will see 50% of targets
-Alert deep shots between 40’s (“Yankee” concept)

1ST AND 2ND DOWN TENDENCIES
Rabbit=Run
Bird=Pass

PRO SETS
-80% run when they shift
-WRs in Nasty split=Alert Rabbit
-RB at 6-yards=Bird
-Split Pro=Bird
-FB in “chowed” alignment (outside leg of tackle)= Bird
-Far backs=Alert Bird
-Y (TE) movement=Alert Rabbit

SLOT SETS
-WR aligned 3-yards or tighter to tackle=Alert Bird
-WR with normal splits=Alert Rabbit
-WR motion, stops in core=Alert run away
-Near Slot=Deep ball
-WR Flip (with normal splits)=Alert Bird
-I Flip=Hitch route

DOUBLES
-Curl-Flat, Slant-Flat to TE side
-RB at 7-yards=Alert Rabbit
-Aligned or motion to stack look=Alert Bird
-Speed into boundary=Alert Bird
-“Vice” alignment=Flat-Outs/Yankee

UNIT/SPREAD/TREY SETS
-WR aligned tight to formation=Alert Bird
-Y to our right=Alert Bird (80%)
-Trey formation=Alert Bird

TWIN SETS
-“Divide” motion=Alert Rabbit
-Motion drifts to backfield=Alert Bird
-Motion out of the box=Alert Bird
-RB offset=Alert Bird
-Stack WRs= Alert Bird

3X1 SETS
-RB at 6-yards=Alert Bird
-“Waste” motion=Alert target to No.2
-RB offset=Dodge route, Slant-Flat
-Will run to open (weak) side

ORANGE SETS
-Alert to West Coast concepts

1ST AND 2ND DOWN RUN GAME
-O-Line will open up splits when they want to run the ball
-WR motion to core=Rabbit
-“Pony” personnel=Rabbit
-Shift to 2-back look=Rabbit
-Shift to 1 back look=50/50 run-pass

1ST AND 10/2ND AND 1-6
-Power O
-Counter OF
-Lead Weak
-Toss Strong
-Lead Draw

2ND AND 7-PLUS
-Draw
-Lead Weak
-Lead Strong

1ST AND 2ND DOWN DROPBACK PASSING
-Level Option
-Spot
-Boot
-Hi-Lo
-Options
-Split Hook
-Yankee
-Flat-7
-Hi-Lo Opposite
-Spacing

3RD DOWN TENDENCIES
-QB Under center=3-step routes/Rabbit
-5 runs: Alert Zone Dive
-Posse personnel=52%
-Houston personnel=22%
-Ball is going to No.84
-3rd and 11-plus=Alert Screens
-Stack into boundary=Level Option
-Houston Split=Middle Read
-Houston Split Stack=OVS, Split Hook, Spot

3rd DOWN TOP CONCEPTS
-3rd and 2-6: Hi-Lo, Spot, Level Option
-3rd and 7-10: OVS, Middle Read, Rail
-3rd and 11-plus: Split Hook, Yankee, 4 Verticals

3RD DOWN PROTECTION SCHEMES

3RD AND 2-6
-6 Man: 13x
-7 Man: 5x

3RD AND 7-10
-7 Man: 9x
-6 Man: 5x

3RD AND 11-PLUS
-7 Man: 9x
-6 Man: 5x

RED ZONE TENDENCIES
-62% pass
-Posse/Ace=Alert Bird
-No.84=Alert inside concepts
-Alert to Boots
-Concepts: Spot, Y-Shake, Whip Options, Boot

HIGH RED ZONE TENDENCIES
-Will motion to make us adjust
-Alert to double-moves
-3rd down=Hi-Lo, Zone Pass
-Concepts: Outs, Pump-Seam (No.84), Hi-Lo

GOAL LINE TENDENCIES
-8 plays: 6 runs=2 passes
-Jumbo: 7x
-Tank: 1x
-Runs=Lead, Lead G, Power O
-Run to our right: 4x
-Run to our left: 2x
-Alstott at TB=Alert Lead
-Pass=Play action Flat-7

CRITICAL PLAYS/SHORT YARDGAE TENDENCIES
-17 Plays: 13 runs-4 passes
- Alert to shifts-motions
-Tank: Alert Rabbit
-Big Wing=Alert Rabbit
-Jet: 999 route
-Alert to Crack Toss/ Perimeter runs
-WR over split=Alert QB sneak
-Posse Double Slot=Hi-Lo Whip

2-MINUTE TENDENCIES
-Posse: 75%
-Will use Ace/Regular personnel to stop pressure
-Protections: 6 Man (24x), 7 Man (9x)
-Jet 2x2, 3x1=Deep Ball
-Motion=Target No.84
-Runs: Zone, Power O

2-MINUTE TOP CONCEPTS
1. Zone Pass
2. Slant-Flat
3.”999”
4. Hi-Lo
5. Split Hook

4-MINUTE TENDENCIES
-Start using shifts at 6-minute mark
-True 4-minute starts at actual 4-minute mark
-Tank=Power O, Lead
-3rd down=Bird (Spot, Hi-Lo)

BACKED UP TENDENCIES
-Runs: Power O, Lead, Crunch, Zone
-Passes: Zone Pass, Spacing, W Post, Hitch, Sticks
- Personnel: Regular, Tank, Posse, Houston, Heavy
-Heavy/Tank=High Rabbit alert
-Posse/Houston=Bird
-Regular: 50-50 run-pass

“GOTTA HAVE IT” PLAY
-Spot Route

That's a very interesting read. With all that information you could probably surmise that the Redskins knew close to 100% of the time what play the Buccaneers were running. I have said it 100s of times. I don't care about your shifts. Shifts merely identify what defense you are facing, zone or man. I care about multiple plays that are ran from the same designed set. If you have tendencies that indicate where your play is going then you are dead before the snap.  If multiple plays including run and pass are ran from the same identical set, defending that set becomes very difficult. I am one Buccaneer fan that can't wait to see what our new offense has to offer. Hopefully, I am absolutely wrong on 80% of their play calls. 

Buccaneers and Patriots to hold joint practices?

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Saints interim coach Joe Vitt have acknowledged they’ve discussed conducting joint practices. Belichick also acknowledged that his Patriots may look to conduct a few joint practices with another unnamed team.


That other team could very well be the Buccaneers. With HC Greg Schiano and Belichick having such a close relationship, I would keep an ear open for some type of announcement that the two teams will hold joint practices during week of their Aug. 24 preseason game in Tampa.

It's Time to Leave Aqib Talib Alone. He's a Buc, and Staying a Buc.

Just like our flag, the Bucs need to stay Behind Aqib

We here at BuccaneerTalk.com are getting pretty sick and tired of hearing sports talking heads, locally and nation-wide, talking about the Bucs somehow trading or releasing Bucs CB Aqib Talib.  We've grown weary of seeing blogger websites and news publications writing about if the Bucs will trade him, and if so, where he might end up.  We can answer any question, quell any rumor, and kill any speculation with the following statement :  Aqib's not going anywhere, he's staying right here.



Aqib Talib's future was in doubt for quite some time.  And during that time, many Bucs "fans" and "followers" showed their true colors and called for the dismissal and removal of one of our best defensive players we've had since the championship days.  Without knowing the real facts about what happened the day that Aqib went to defend his sister from her ABUSIVE, CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER EX-BOYFRIEND, many people abandoned Talib and wrote him off.  Fortunately, the people who mattered the most, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, stood by his side and in our eyes, did the right thing by waiting this out, and letting the judicial process run its course, before they made a decision.

The evolution of Josh Hamilton from troubled youth, to Man-Beast

Tampa Bay Sports has a long history of abandoning young, troubled talent, and then begrudgingly watching them excel into elite players with a later team who took a chance on said player.  Case in point, the above pictured Josh Hamilton.  Its well known that he was the 1st overall draft pick, by the terribly named Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1999 MLB draft.  He was moving along in our minor league system until his career was derailed by an automobile accident in 2001.  This started a downward spiral of injuries and drug addiction, which according to Hamilton, began with his dependency on pain prescriptions, which in turn, evolved into dependency on hard drugs and alcoholism.  While still under contract with the Devil Rays, Josh took 2004 through the first half of 2006 off, and fought his addictions.  He eventually overcame these demons enough to make a return to the Devil Rays in late 2006.  With some doubt still lingering about his fully abandoning these habits, Tampa Bay left him off of their 40-man roster, and left him vulnerable to be picked in the Rule-5 Draft. The Rule 5 draft is a means to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to have them play in the majors.  Josh Hamilton was picked 3rd overall, and within mere months, he made his Major League debut and became the MLB rookie of the month.  The rest is history.  He is now the most dominating hitter in the game.  And we simply let him slip through our grasp becuase we didn't have the patience to help him.

Talib has the talent to shut down the game's best.
Just as Larry Fitzgerald

Aqib Talib has the talent and skill-set to be one of the league's best defensive players.  Notice we didn't just limit his potential to "best defensive backs".  We said "best defensive players" because he can be that good.  Coach Greg Schiano seems to believe this as well.  With so many reports claiming that the Bucs are currently concerned about his behavior, Greg Schiano stomped that fire out pretty quickly when he exclaimed, “The thing that I can tell you is since I arrived here Jan. 26, he’s been awesome.  The way he’s worked, he’s been here every day.  I hope that it’s left behind him and there isn’t anything, and that we can move forward because, again, I can only judge people since I’ve been involved.  I can’t stick my head in the sand, as I’ve said before, but on the other hand, he’s been extremely focused here, doing everything that we asked. So I’m pleased with that and hope everything can just kind of sort itself out.”  Does that sound like a coach who's really troubled by Aqib's character?  NO.  It sounds like Schiano is doing the RIGHT THING, and giving Aqib Talib a fresh slate.

This is the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE.  This is not the "National Upstanding Super Clean Citizen League".  If it were, we'd have no beef here.  But if this young man posesses the talent to make an impact on our ability to be a championship team, we need to do the right thing and stand behind him during the tough times.  Instead of abandoning him, we should cultivate his evolution from a young troubled youth, to a seasoned, changed-for-the-better man.  If Derrick Brooks, the golden standard for high-character in Tampa Bay Sports lore, vouches for Aqib Talib; its time that talking heads and media type start laying off this young man.  All young men make mistakes.  But real men learn from them and grow.  This is Aqib's opportunity to do just that, and the Bucs would be smart to continue to stand behind him while he does so.

Earnest Byner - How Did He Fall Into Our Lap?

Coach Byner with Chris Johnson #29, and Maurice Jones Drew #32

How can a man coach two of the last three year's rushing champions, and end up without a job?  Under Earnest Byner's tutelage, Titans RB Chris Johnson and Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew each had their best year as a pro.  Not only were they formidable weapons on the ground attack, but they became better blockers under Byner, and more importantly, each also became supremely viable weapons catching passes out of the backfield.  Did we mention that both runningbacks won the NFL's single-season rushing title with him as their coach?  How did the Titans let him get away?  How did the Jags not renew his contract when it expired at the end of last season?  We have no idea what Tennessee's or Jacksonville's thinking was, but we here at BuccaneerTalk.com are very appreciative of their lack of loyalty and appreciation for one of the league's most underrated assistant coaches.

"The Fumble"

There's a dark cloud that ominously follows Coach Earnest Byner wherever he goes.  That dark cloud, is "The Fumble".  Its a chapter in his history, that it seems will never go away.  In the 1987 AFC championship game, the Earnest Byner and Bernie Kosar led Cleveland Browns stormed back from a 21-3 halftime deficit, to tie the game at 31-31.  With six minutes left, the John Elway led Broncos scored the go ahead touchdown.  Under Byner's running and pass catching, the Browns got to within the Broncos 8-yard line with 1:12 left in the game.  On the legacy-altering next play for Byner, he ran a draw, and had a clear path to the Broncos end zone.  But, when he got to the 2-yard line, an admittedly fearful Broncos defensive back, Jeremiah Castille, avoided trying to tackle Earnest and instead reached out for the ball.  It worked, Byner lost his grip on the football, and Denver recovered the fumble to seal their trip to the Super Bowl.  According to the scared/lucky Castille, "I saw it was a draw play, and that Byner had the ball. I remember thinking that Byner ran all over us that entire second half, so there was no way I was going to tackle him. Instead, I went for the ball the whole time."  If you google "Earnest Byner", countless references to this play will be listed on your search results.  Any time there's been a featured story on this coach, "The Fumble" is always mentioned.  To us here at BuccaneerTalk.com, its a damn shame that this is what he is remembered for.  What about the 67 rushing yards, 7 receptions for 120 yards, and 2 touchdowns in that AFC Championship?  Everyone seems to forget that he was the reason that the Cleveland Browns were even in contention to win that game.

LeGarrette's biggest hurdle = fumbling

Speaking of the word "Fumble", Bucs RB LeGarrette Blount has earned himself the reputation of being one of the league's most fumble-prone ball carriers.  He also has a reputation of not being much of an option in the passing game.  If there ever was a coach that can help somebody get over a costly fumble, it would be Earnest Byner.  During their seasons playing under Byner, Maurice Jones-Drew and Chris Johnson both became highly regarded as pass-catchers out of the backfield.  We hope that Coach Byner will have us speaking of LeGarrette in the same breath as the two aforementioned backs when this season is all said and done.  Word is, LeGarrette Blount has treated this offseason very seriously, and has done everything asked of him by Coach Byner.  This is a very good sign for our team.  If Blount's bought into Byner's philosophies, coaching style, and NFL experience-based life lessons, this could be one of the league's best rushing attacks along with rookie RB Doug Martin.

Coach Earnest Byner and LeGarrette Blount

In 2009, with Earnest Byner as their runningbacks coach, the Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson had 2,006 rushing yards, and won the league rushing title.  He also had an extra 503 receiving yards to go along with that, and led the entire league in total yards from scrimmage with a grand total of 2,509 yards.  He broke Hall-of Famer Marshall Faulk's NFL record for most yards from scrimmage for a single season.  How did Tennessee reward Earnest Byner?

The Titans let Coach Byner go.


Two years later, last season to be exact, with Byner as their runningbacks coach, the Jacksonville Jaguars also enjoyed a season with their runningback being the league's rushing champ, Maurice Jones-Drew.  He had 1,606 rushing yards, a franchise record for a single season.  He also added in another 374 receiving yards as well.  His season total of 1,980 total yards from scrimmage was also another Jags single season franchise record.  How did the Jags reward Earnest Byner?

The Jaguars let Coach Byner go.

We here at BuccaneerTalk.com are absolutely thrilled.  Ecstatic.  Elated.  Overjoyed.  For their shining examples of overlooking production, and lack of loyalty, we would like to thank the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars for allowing a highly accomplished coach to fall into our laps.  Go Bucs!

Happy Birthday!!!

Bucs RB Robert Hughes, #33, turns 23 years old today

Happy Birthday from BuccaneerTalk.com to a guy that we hope makes a bigger impact than expected.  Bucs RB Robert Hughes was born on this day back in 1989.  Happy Birthday young Buc, and we wish you nothing but the best during your career as a Buccaneer.

BuccaneerTalk.com adds translation tool. Thank you for reading.

Translation has come to BuccaneerTalk.com. First, we would like to say thank you to all of our readers. We understand that we now have readers in Russia, Morocco, Malaysia, China, Japan, Canada and many other countries. For this reason, we have installed a Translation tool on our site. When you are on your PC and click the article you want to read, you will then see a "Translation" button at the top right. Choose the drop down menu and select the language that you want. The article will automatically convert to your chosen language for reading. Once again, thank you for supporting our site and GO BUCS!!

Josh Freeman Destined to Fail in 2012. Why Play the Games?

Deep breath... Draw it in... Ahhhhh... It's that smell of a fresh, new football season in the air. That time of the year when the fans of each team are just beginning to dream that dream. We all know that dream. The dream of a successful season. The dream that OUR team will rise to the top. The dream that we can wear our team's apparel with pride and have a good reason as to why our team is better than theirs.

But, as it goes with our Buccaneers, there seems to always be those "experts", "analysts", and "pundits" that enjoy urinating on our dream. It's hard to make an argument that the Buccaneers did not have one of the best offseasons with our acquisitions. With WR Vincent Jackson, G Carl Nicks, CB Eric Wright, S Mark Barron, RB Doug Martin, and the list goes on, the Buccaneers have to be ranked at or near the top for upgrades.

But look no further than the Bleacher Report for a clear attempt at dumping yellow water on the optimism. B/R's June 20th article by Andres Botero is entitled Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Reasons Josh Freeman Will Fail in 2012.  Does it get any more clear as to what Botero believes will happen with Freeman this year? It's right there in the title, "Will Fail in 2012".

Now let's look at the factual basis behind this Nostradamus of the NFL.

Reason 1
Lack of Decision Making and Accuracy:

He is strong, large, has a strong arm, and can be speedy when scrambling out of the pocket. Yet last season, Freeman was mind-bogglingly poor. He may have thrown for 3,592 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he also threw 22 interceptions. The game against the Chicago Bears in London last year is a example of Freeman buckling under pressure and not making smart choices.

So Botero's Reason 1 for this year's performance under completely new coaching and game plan is based off of last year's performance under a completely different regime and game planning?

Reason 2
A New Playbook:

It's reassuring to see that Tampa Bay is trying to invigorate the offense but with Freeman's inconsistency and poor decision-making, it will be interesting to see how well Freeman adapts to the new system. If Freeman is unable to learn the intricacies of the playbook, he will have many problems on the field. If he has difficulty reading coverages, how will he be able to call audibles or adjust on the fly once a play breaks down?

I'm at a complete loss as to how this lends any credence to "A New Playbook" causing Freeman to fail in 2012. All I'm reading is a lot of "Ifs".

Reason 3

The Running Game

New Head Coach Greg Schiano wants to establish a strong running game in Tampa Bay but lacks the personnel to do so.  Schiano has high hopes for this offense but they may be misplaced; the Buccaneers only rushed 1,458 yards and nine touchdowns last year.  The more imbalanced (pass-heavy) the offense is, the more inconsistent Freeman will be.

Where has this writer been? The Buccaneers upgraded their offensive line with the best run blocking guard in the league, Carl Nicks. They grabbed a starting caliber running back in the 1st round of the draft in Doug Martin. (Of which most have compared to Ray Rice). And, once again, his factual basis is predicated off of last year's production. It's a new year. It's a new scheme. It's a new coordinator calling the plays. It's a ridiculous factual basis.

Reason 4

Lack of Receivers

A receiver is only as good as his quarterback. The reason why Vincent Jackson became a major wide receiver in San Diego is because of Phillip Rivers. As for the other receivers, Mike Williams never established himself as the top receiver last season. Dezmon Briscoe, Arrelious Benn, and Preston Parker are a young and inexperienced group. 

Wait, which came first, the wide receiver or the quarterback? The quarterback makes the receiver but it's the lack of receivers that will doom our quarterback? And once again, last year's production is also his basis.

Reason 5

The Defense

Bleacher Report columnist Dan Van Wie power ranked the league's 2011 defenses and Tampa Bay's was 30th.  According to Van Wie: The 2011 defense dropped 13 spots from the prior season, and the coaching staff will have to find a way to restore confidence in the defense again. The Bucs were in the bottom 10 in overall defense, points allowed, rush defense and sacks. They did not have a top 10 finish in any defensive category. If Tampa Bay cannot cut down on the amount of points given up per game, Freeman will have hard time focusing on play-calling instead of the scoreboard.

Wow! I almost don't know where to start with this one. One of the reasons that Freeman WILL FAIL in 2012 is due to the Buccaneers' 2011 defense being poor. Really? And due to this, Freeman will have a hard time focusing on "play-calling". The last I checked the offensive coordinator called the Buccaneers plays. Or is Freeman going to be in such fear of the numbers on the scoreboard that he can not regurgitate the called play in the huddle? Is that what he's saying? 

Let me summarize Mr. Botero's factual basis for the five reason's as to why Josh Freeman WILL FAIL in 2012. Freeman WILL FAIL because there is no evolutionary determination as to which came first, the quarterback or the wide receiver AND the Buccaneers were terrible LAST year. There you have it. Sorry Josh, if I were you I would just take the year off. You have no chance anyway.

NFL Power Rankings, What a Sham!

Once again, and to absolutely no surprise, the Buccaneers are discarded to the bottom of the pile from another NFL analyst. Gil Brandt, a senior analyst at NFL.com, released his Power Rankings  for this year's NFL. Just a quick glance and you'll see the normal NFL darlings all ranked at the top.

Apparently, in his infamous wisdom, Brandt can see no draw backs to the New Orleans Saints off season and has ranked them 7th in the league:

" Obviously, this is entirely predicated on Drew Brees being behind center. Without him, this team is almost unrecognizable. That being said, I was extremely impressed with the Saints' focus during the practices I attended last week. This group's doing a remarkable job of handling a traumatic offseason. The Saints boast one of the NFL's young stars of the future in tight end Jimmy Graham and a huge matchup problem in running back Darren Sproles. The defense must be better than it was in 2011, though, and I think it will. It's a more sound approach under Steve Spagnuolo -- no more reckless blitzing like under Gregg Williams. One player who could break out: second-year hybrid defender Martez Wilson."


Brandt ranks the Atlanta Falcons as 11th in the league:

"Change is afoot in Atlanta with two new coordinators: Dirk Koetter on offense, Mike Nolan on defense, both upgrades for the Falcons. Matt Ryan needs to take that next step for his team to follow suit. This is a make-or-break season for tackle Sam Baker. Defensively, the Falcons still need to find a rusher. John Abraham turned 34 last month and Ray Edwards just isn't the impact player the Falcons thought they'd signed last offseason."


And Brandt ranks the Carolina Panthers as 18th in the league:

"Can Cam Newton improve from his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2011? The answer is yes. He'll be better with a year under his belt and a full offseason. Newton's dedication to the game is reminiscent of Peyton Manning -- he's always looking for ways to improve. The Panthers need to improve their defense, though, which ranked 27th in points allowed last year. Luke Kuechly will help, though -- he looks like one of the best linebackers to enter the league in the past five years."


Now of course I listed the teams that are within the NFC South for the purpose of illustrating that in Brandt's opinion, the Buccaneers are at the bottom of the division. But just to carry it a little further, in showing Brandt's opinion of the Buccaneers, he ranks the Miami Dolphins, with no established quarterback, no established wide receiver and only Reggie Bush worth mentioning in the back field, as the 25th ranked team in the league.

"This is the first head-coaching gig of Joe Philbin's career, but I think he's going to be pretty successful. Offensively, the Dolphins lack receivers. (Yes, even after the signing of Chad Ochocinco.) That means they'll need another productive season from running back Reggise Bush. I think they've finally found a quarterback of the future in Ryan Tannehill. Is he good enough to start this year? He just might be, but Miami shouldn't force the issue if he's not ready, as the Dolphins have a capable place holder in Matt Moore."


In Brandt's opinion, or maybe just the mere circumstance that he had gotten to the bottom of his list with all the darlings gone, he ranks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 27th in the league. Here is his massive, four-line explanation.

"This is an interesting team with a new coach in Greg Schiano. College coaches have not had a lot of success in the NFL in the past, but I think this one will. The free-agent signings of wide receiver Vincent Jackson and guard Carl Nicks were huge upgrades. But quarterback Josh Freeman must return to 2010 form for this team to compete in a loaded NFC South."

As always, it appears another national pundit has taken the opportunity to regurgitate the common rhetoric, behind the common NFL darlings and post it as their "rankings" once again. As soon as you get past the normal NFL Network's most hyped teams, you are left with four line-filler adds for the remaining black sheep teams. Then there are those teams that are just thrown in to finish the list, in no particular order, with a few sentences behind them, in a cheesy attempt to justify the placement. Outstanding journalism.

Truth Behind Price Being Excused from Mini Camp, Stress May be Taking it's Toll

DT Brian Price

Most of us Buccaneers fans are well aware of the stressful career that DT Brian Price has undergone. We have all watched as Price has fought back from tearing both hamstrings from his pelvis, to taking the field as a starter once again.  Emotions have been running high for Price, and understandably so. As if that is not enough for one man to deal with, the talented tackle has been dealing with another family tragedy. Like we have previously described Price has seen his share of tragedies, obstacles, and roadblocks for such a young man. Most recently this off season, Price lost his sister in a fatal car accident.  Price was extremely close with his sister, and the grief has been a tremendous obstacle for him.

Knowing what Price is dealing with, it was not a big surprise that he was excused from the team OTA's and mandatory mini camp. It all fit. Give the man time to get his head and body together and he'll be ready for training camp.

1st round draftee CB Mark Barron

Well it now seems that there is more that went into the decision of Price being excused than mere thought. Price may not have given the team a choice. Information is now coming out that describes a physical altercation between Price and 7th overall draft choice Mark Barron.  It appears that early in the morning at the start of an OTA day, the team was assembling for a meeting. Defensive Tackle Brian Price told rookie Safety Mark Barron that he was sitting in Price's seat.  It's unknown as to exactly what Barron said in response, but within seconds, Barron was getting pummeled by Price. The third-year tackle was said to have gotten in a good number of punches before teammates pulled him off of Barron. Both players were removed from the meeting as Barron's face was said to have been slightly bloodied.

By all accounts, Price has always been a good teammate and has always gotten along well in the locker rooms. Price is going through some serious mental stress, and it seems that his emotions are on an extremely thin edge. Price has fought back from some serious issues during his short career and the team has been steadfast in standing behind his return. But Price has not provided enough return on the Buccaneers' investment to assure him a guaranteed position.

We at BuccaneerTalk.com are truly pulling for Brian Price. There is nobody that can ever question the man's heart and desire to play the game. The majority of men that would ever have both hamstrings torn from their pelvis would definitely hang up the cleats and call it a night. Price has persevered. Now let's hope he can overcome the two hardest parts of the human body to heal; the heart and the mind!

Aqib Talib's Criminal Case Dismissed!

The criminal case against CB Aqib Talib has been dismissed by the Dallas County courts. Talib's attorney Frank Perez has stated that the Dallas County prosecutor's office has reviewed the case and have elected to dismiss the charges against Talib. We will post more as we get the facts!

It was Only a Matter of Time Before Winslow Jr. Flapped His Gums!!

We believe the majority of us knew that it would only be a matter of time before Kellen Winslow Jr. opened his gums and started laying his blame toward the Buccaneers organization. On a blog called TheRealRobReport.com Winslow explains his departure from the Buccaneers.

Now we all know that when the normal media pundits are in a locker room for interviews, the players are watching their P's and Q's. Apparently Rob, of the real Rob report, has locker room access in Seattle for candid audio/video interviews. When he approached Winslow Jr., Winslow responds with "Real sh-t, real sh-t, Schiano came over there all yelling 'Toes on the line! Toes on the line!' Blowin' the whistle.You can't laugh, you can't joke around, so I decided not to go to OTAs. And they got my man 'Rah' up and out of there, and I was loyal to him. I would've taken a bullet for that dude, so I had to roll, man."

Let's hear that again "so I had to roll, man".  Hah! Hah! Like it was his choice to leave. Listen Winslow Jr., (yes we did not say K-2 because you will never be anything like your daddy, just in name only), you "rolled" because you are not disciplined in your craft! You "rolled" because you are not dedicated to your craft! (unless it is DJ'ing in Vegas while your team mates are at OTAs). You "rolled" because you are not a team player! You "rolled" because you do not practice! You "rolled" because you can not block! You "rolled" because you can not stay on the field for more than two consecutive plays! You "rolled" because you will never, ever, amount to anything above a "sometimes" player due to all the above reasons.

Then you want to claim your allegiance to Raheem Morris? Where was your allegiance when you were quitting on your routes at the end of last season? Where was your allegiance to Raheem when you took your own self off of the field every other play? The only allegiance you had or have for Raheem, is the after-the-fact spewing of your own self proclaimed allegiance. If you wanted to be loyal you should have stepped up when the feces was hitting the fan and staked your claim. You should have strapped on your helmet and left a clear and decisive path of allegiance on the field as you fought for every inch of turf that may have saved your head coach his job. No, you had no loyalty, no allegiance, except to your own self promotion.

You came out of the University of Miami and was given instant star power based off of your daddy's name. You have accomplished absolutely zero with your career besides a few worthless stats and a path of disappointment behind you. Make sure to hang on to your daddy's name, it may be the only respectable tie you have to the NFL when your done.

Fundamentals, Fundamentals, and a Little More Fundamentals!

Stressing the fundamentals has become a daily routine at One Buc Place. HC Greg Schiano has brought his teacher's mentality with him and he has a daily lesson plan. Fundamentals, fundamentals, and after that, a little more fundamentals.

At some point during every practice Schiano will sound the horn and begin barking "get to stations". Each player's group, divided by position, has an assigned station that the player must immediately report to and begin working on fundamental drills. Offensive players work on ball security. Defensive players work on stripping the ball and tackling.

"Everybody talks about fundamentals, but he hammers it,'' CB Ronde Barber said. "We get fundamentals every day. He's definitely a teacher and that's a good thing. He takes that coach moniker to a whole other level.''

Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said: "We do a tackling circuit before every practice, and I've never done anything like that before. I realize now that, before, I was just playing football. Now, I'm really learning how to tackle and I think it's going to help me a lot.'' McCoy has openly admitted that he has never really been shown the techniques of proper tackling until these drills.

"You have to brush up on your fundamentals; there's no question about that, because you have to have a fundamental base to go with the talent you have,'' CB Eric Wright said. "I think it's something that's necessary and I'm glad we're doing it and doing it every day. Other teams do it, but not on a consistent basis. We do it every day here, and I think it's a good thing.''

Along with teaching the fundamentals for on the field play, Schiano has also been stressing off the field improvement. Weight lifting. This year's team spends time in the weight room every day. Every player has a daily gym assignment designed specifically for said player. As they enter the weight room, a computer is located just to the right of the door. Each player enters his assigned uniform number and receives a print out of that day's workout assignment. Each assignment is designed to maximize that specific player's body structure according to his physical characteristics and playing position.

Fundamentals and details. Like it has been reported, right down to the room temperature being precise during meetings. HC Greg Schiano is leaving no stone unturned to make sure this year's Buccaneers players are prepared and focused.

Just Say No To "Blount vs. Martin"

The new version of "Thunder and Lightning"

We here at BuccaneerTalk.com are getting pretty tired of hearing sportswriters, talk radio personalities, and other sports pundits speculate about who Tampa Bay's starting Runningback will be.  It is our opinion that it truly does not matter who will start.  There are countless headlines that deal with this subject, and even some with the ignorant heading of "Blount vs. Martin".  To us, this is absolutely ridiculous, and seems to us like this is just a way to distract our team that already has enough on its plate to deal with.

Honestly, who starts as our Runningback is a subject that should not even be bothered with.  If you've paid attention to the NFL in the last few years, you will know that most successful teams go with a Runningback-by-committee approach.  The only exceptions are the teams with "all-galaxy" Quarterbacks, i.e. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers.  Those teams depend so much on their Quarterbacks that their Runningbacks are basically irrelevant.  We do not have that luxury of depending on a golden-armed Quarterback.  We are still developing our young QB, Josh Freeman, and the more Runningback help he has, the quicker he will get to "elite" status in the eyes of "experts" in the media field.

Legarrette Blount

We find it highly ironic that the media is trying to pair up Legarrette Blount versus another Boise State product in Doug Martin.  We all know what happened the last time Blount was at odds with a player from Boise State.  It almost seems that making a big deal out of who will start, is a way for the media to try to get a rise out of Legarrette Blount.  At this point of time, its also somewhat disrespectful to Blount to even bring this matter up.  Doug Martin has not played or practiced a single down in a game or practice.  So he still has much to prove and would be wise to not stir the pot by giving these insinuations of a "position battle" any type of credence.  Martin or Blount fanning these flames will only cause an unwarranted and unnecessary distraction to our team.

Doug Martin

The success of our ground attack depends on these two young men working together as opposed to working against each other.  There's nothing wrong about trying to outperform and outproduce each other, but it must be done in the name of "what's best for the team", and not "what's best for me".  These two men will each get their touches this season, and we believe that this will make our offense much more dynamic, and much more difficult for defenses to contain.  If these two young men are smart, and the team's Media Relations Director is smart, these two Runningbacks should only discuss working together, and making this the best ground game in the league.  They have a potentially dominating offensive line at their disposal.  A harmonious running back committee is much more worrisome for a defense than a committee comprised of individuals. 

Two-time Super Bowl Champs Brandon Jacobs (L) and Ahmad Bradshaw (R)

If you're reading this, and thinking that what's being discussed here is wishing for something out of the realm of reality, you don't have to go any further than this past season's Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.  They had at their disposal, two entirely different Runningbacks that were dynamic in their own respective ways.  In many ways, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are eerily similar to what we expect from Blount and Martin.  If reference for a successful ground attack is needed, just watch how these two not only rooted for each other, but also pushed each other, and celebrated each other.  They became extremely close friends, and as a result, became two-time World Champs.  Local media, radio talk show personalities, and Bucs bloggers should shy away from the "Blount vs. Martin" nonsense. 

The blueprint has been placed before us by Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.  If Legarrette Blount and Doug Martin can figure out a way to work together harmoniously, this offense can potentially carry us to another World Championship.  Go Bucs!