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Buccaneers sign DT Gary Gibson

The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with free agent DT Gary Gibson. Gibson is 6'3" 312 pounds with six years NFL experience. The last three of which were with the St. Louis Rams. The deal is for two years, $2 million dollars with $400k guaranteed. One interesting fact, Gibson hails from Plant City, Florida.

Winslow's Passion is DJ'ing!

With all the new beginnings and player dedication that has been spreading such a great feeling around Tampa Bay recently, some players have other plans. Buccaneers' TE Kellen Winslow will be DJing at Breathe Pool Lounge at Hard Rock-Vegas this weekend. Winslow statement: "DJing has become a real passion of mine the past 7 years, so I’m really looking forward to a good time." I truly hope that in some way Winslow finds his passion to actually practice with his team mates this season.  

Saints still claiming innocence. Really?

It truly seems that no matter the circumstances, New Orleans players, fans, and media have circled their wagons and refuse to acknowledge anything was ever wrong. There has been audio released that clearly depicts a coach telling players to target other players for injury. There have been players claiming to have admitted knowledge of the wrongdoings. Yet, Mike Triplett of The Times-Picayune writes the following: 

"Once again, as interim head coach Joe Vitt put it so memorably last week, the New Orleans Saints have been punished more for the spoken word than for the clenched fist."

In Triplett's questioning of why only 4 Saints players were punished when the league has mentioned on several occasions that 22 to 27 players were involved; one of Triplett's reasonings is:

"Or is it because the league didn't have enough concrete evidence to accuse players of specific wrongdoing or harmful intent on the field, especially knowing that the NFL Players Association would likely fight back through the federal court system?"

"Although the NFL insisted several times in its statement Wednesday that it had evidence of "a significant number of players" participating in the bounty/incentive program, and said it shared that list of names with the NFLPA, the league only decided to punish the players who "participated at a different and more significant level."

Ultimately, the league decided that it only had a strong enough case to punish the Saints for the "spoken word" and not for the actual "clenched fist" on the field.

And in that sense, Wednesday's decision was something of a victory. Not only for the rest of the Saints players who avoided punishment, but for all of those critics of the NFL's investigation who have been demanding to see more evidence of wrongdoing -- including the NFLPA.

That's been the one missing piece in the NFL's investigation all along: a lack of damning on-field evidence that the Saints were routinely using dirty hits or cheap shots to injure other players."

So, in a sense, Triplett is sounding the victory horn and claiming that the poor little Saints are only being punished for what someone said they did and not what they actually did. How about a different perspective. Maybe Commissioner Goodell is trying to help your team and not destroy it completely. Maybe he decided that suspending the majority of players involved would certainly sentence the overall team to a miserable, no-chance season. And just maybe, he thought the fans of New Orleans don't deserve to be punished by having to watch patch and play performances. Sometimes it serves a person well to not ask why something is happening but ask what could be happening and why it is not. You may be benefiting more than you are willing to see. 

Ex-Cowboy Arrested in Tampa

Wow! I truly don't know which one should feel more embarrassed. The two year starter for the Dallas Cowboys, who allowed his athletic potential to fall so far as to become a bouncer at a Tampa strip club. Or the Tampa Police officer who is maximizing his potential by investigating a $20 bag of weed from a strip club bouncer.

Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Torrin Tucker is accused of delivery of marijuana. The 32-year-old Tucker was arrested Tuesday night. According to the arrest report, Tucker did the unthinkable. He sold a $20 bag of weed to an undercover Tampa Police officer while working his security job for Hollywood Nights strip club

No offense, but I don't know which one wasted their career time more.

Junior Seau found dead

Junior Seau found dead as result of gunshot wound.
Kristina Davis of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Oceanside police have responded to a reported shooting and suicide at the house of retired NFL star Junior Seau.
911 dispatch received a call mentioning a possible suicide around 10 o’clock this morning. Police are now on the scene, and TMZ reports that Seau has been found dead by law enforcement.

Saints Player Suspensions Handed Down

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has handed down the player suspensions for the New Orleans Saints.
Scott Fujita suspended three games.
Anthony Hargrove suspended eight games.
Will Smith suspended four games.
Jonathan Vilma suspended 1year.

Buccaneers Sign New Defensive Tackle

The Buccaneers sign Rutgers Defensive Tackle Eric LeGrand.  
Why is this noteworthy?  Well, LeGrand is currently in a wheelchair and hasn't walked in 19 months.  On October 16, 2010, he was paralyzed from the neck down while tackling Army kick returner Malcolm Brown in a game that Rutgers played Army Giants Stadium.

Buccaneers Head Coach Greg Schiano, Rutgers head coach during that game, explained very easily why the Buccaneers made this acquisition:

“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” said Schiano. “This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men."
Way to go Bucs! And welcome to BucNation Buccaneer Defensive Tackle Eric LeGrand!!!!!!!!!

A familiar feeling is in the air

Just take one glance at Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman and you get a glimpse of the change that is taking place at One Buc Place.  Freeman is possibly a good 15 to 20 pounds lighter and appears to be in top shape. Those shaggy curly locks have been removed and a sleek business style cut has replaced them. Yes, just one look and Freeman appears all business. He appears completely focused and serious about the season ahead. Now this is not to say in any way that Freeman was ever in the past not serious and focused. But for some reason Freeman appears different.  Almost like that boxer whose opponent has talked trash to him for six months leading up to the fight. Freeman has that serious look that says he can't wait for the bell to ring and let him come out of the corner so he can come out swinging.

This entire persona seems to have swept over everyone at One Buc.  Almost to a person you can see that serious, business attitude.  It remains the "off season" yet Buc players on their own arrive early at One Buc and work hard at their craft.  Heck, Adrian Clayborn arrives early enough that he has to get past the stray cats that guard the front door in the mornings.

Now I have no idea if it is the new head coach, or maybe the new coaching staff, or maybe just the players themselves being sick and tired of the NFL analyst saying they rank toward the bottom of the league. But something has changed. The attitude is different. Who or what gets the credit for that change is irrelevant.  Those of us that have been here from the beginning can remember being the favorite opponent on other teams schedules. We also remember being the feared opponent on other teams schedules. But it's that feeling in the middle that we remember also. That feeling when you knew something was different. Something is changing.  A new leadership had stepped in with Tony Dungy. A new direction and a new purpose was clearly defined and adhered to. Yes, it was a different feeling and one that I personally will never forget.  It's that feeling that, for whatever reason, seems to be building at One Buc this very moment.  Enjoy the ride Bucs fans. You'll remember this feeling for a long time. GO BUCS!

Judge Sapp?????

Well it appears that Warren Sapp must really be bankrupt.  Sapp has agreed to act as a judge, yes I said judge, as in Judge Wapner, in some spoof series for The NOC.  The NOC is a YouTube channel with more than 11,000 subscribers.  “Dishing out a little blind justice!” Sapp said. 

Wow! From up and coming NFL analyst on NFL network to a pretend judiciary justice of the peace on an internet feed.  

Ex-NFL player arrested during tax fraud investigation

Former  Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, and Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bennett, 33, was arrested in Miami in connection with a federal tax fraud investigation.  Bennett was charged with wire fraud for allegedly trying to obtain a $200,000 loan from the store last month, using a falsified bank statement indicating that he had $9 million in collateral for the loan.  No other details have been released.

Buccaneers sign 2 more undrafted free agents

The Buccaneers sign Northern Illinois' Offensive Tackle Trevorn Olson, 6'5 1/2" 289# and Central Michigan's Offensive Tackle/Guard Rocky Weaver, 6'5 278#. With a name like Rocky Weaver you have to be one tough player! 

Five teams that may surprise a few

Featured columnist of BleacherReport Josh Cembellin put together a list of five NFL teams that he believes may surpass their expected benchmark for wins this season.  

Five Teams that will surprise people this year: by BleacherReport

Putting it "Blount"ly!!

It appears a notice has been served to Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount.  GM Mark Dominik and HC Greg Schiano traded back into the first round of this year's draft to grab Boise State running back Doug Martin.  The Buccaneers then turn around a grab Utah State speedster running back Michael Smith in the 7th round.  During his rookie campaign of 2010 Blount hit the field in 13 games for the Buccaneers. Blount turned heads with powerful runs and amassed 1021 total yards, 6 touch downs with 4 fumbles.  This production would have most saying that all he needs to do is work on ball security during the off season and he would be a surefire running back for the following season.

In 2011 Blount appeared in 14 games. Although there were a couple of high-lite reel carries, Blount totalled only 929 yards from scrimmage, 5 touchdowns and 5 of those dreaded fumbles. This lack of production and the consistent ball security issues has most scratching their heads. I mean, look no further than the picture attached to this post and the evidence is clear. Ball security is not in his head.  Now the rumor mill has ran rampid with talks of Blount's lack of dedication to his craft. There is chatter of Blount being 1/2 hour to an hour late to meetings and absolutely no work ethic to be found. But only Blount's coaches and team mates know the truth of what Blount brings to this team. We on the outside only know what we read and hear. But I think a true shot has been fired from the pirate cannons and it just flew directly over Blount's bow. Wake up young man and get your priorities together. If you do not, and with the two running backs that were just acquired, you may find the true meaning of the NFL (Not For Long).

LSU QB Jefferson may get a Bucs tryout

Jefferson will have a free-agent tryout with the Bucs on Monday, his agent, Patrick Lawlor told NFL Network and NFL.com. LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette tweeted thatJefferson will likely sign with Tampa Bay.
BuccaneerTalk.com will keep an eye for anything that may come of this.