Latest Tampa Bay Buccaneers Blogs:

Last Updated: Monday, 05-12-08 3:50 am PDT

Bucs Snubbed From Pro-Bowl - (12/18)

In other news, the Bucs were snubbed by the voters. Barber, Brooks, Ruud, Jackson, Garcia, and Galloway were all snubbed, despite the fact that they all could have been in it. Brooks probably had the least case, as the splash plays haven't been there, even though he's been racking up tackles left and right. Ruud, who was the league's leading tackler for most of the season, just didn't get the love, despite the fact that he's forced several fumbles, defensed 3 passes and picked off two. Ruud should have been in. Barber should always get the nod, but didn't. Jackson is a rookie so I can understand him not getting the nod, but he has defensed 13 passes with 2 picks. Garcia's been the heart and soul of the offense, but it was apparently not enough to convince voters. And Galloway keeps getting passed over, though the field is pretty deep with some big time receivers in the NFC. Oh well. Maybe Barber will have some things to say on the field going forward like when he got snubbed in 2002. His infamous "Pro-Bowl my ass! I'm going to the Super Bowl!" quote would be great to hear again.

Bucs shut out at Pro Bowl - (12/18)

Pro Bowl rosters coming later - (12/18)

Stingy defense - (12/18)

Gruden weighs rest vs. momentum - (12/18)

Stats galore for Barber - (12/18)

Reality hasn't hit Spurlock - (12/18)

Third seed still within reach - (12/18)

Going for the crown - (12/18)

Special teams decisions coming - (12/18)

Pro Bowl announcement next week - (12/18)

Cadillac says 9-12 months - (12/18)

Bucs Historic In 37-3 Blow Out! - (12/18)

With all the crap going on with my house construction winding down, it's a miracle I've found the time to sit down and write this. But dang it...it's about frickin' time because that win was historic on a number of fronts. Several historic notes include Graham getting a TD in 6 straight games, setting the franchise mark; Gruden getting the Bucs to their third Division title in 6 years (3 in the prior 26 years); Barber getting his 33rd interception, and for a TD; the Bucs going 5-0 in the Division, setting up a chance to go undefeated in their Division for the first time ever; the defense stopping an opponent from converting any third downs for the first time; and something about some kick return for a TD, or something along those lines. On Offense, the Bucs were up 14-3 before the Bucs offense had even started their second series. Then went up 17-3. Garcia, who apparently was still suffering from a cold or flu, had a pedestrian day as the Bucs ran the ball 48 times versus 25 pass attempts. The Bucs racked up 190 yards rushing, which meant that Garcia didn't have to pass that often, which is good, because Galloway had some drops, and Garcia got picked off once with a lazy intermediate throw toward Galloway on the sideline. Garcia finished 15 of 25 for 109 yards a TD and an INT. Graham finished with 119 total yards, 79 on the ground at 3.6 per rush. He didn't break off the customary long run that could have put him over 100 yards again, but he was effective. Pittman and Bennett came in and both looked fresh and explosive, though Pittman continues to plow into his blockers. Pittman finished with 50 yards on 13 carries (3.8ypc) while Bennett finished with 63 yards on 9 carries (7.0ypc). Bennett made some nice explosive runs that left no doubt that he can run the ball consistently. If he can get his blitz pick-up and pass blocking down, he may see the field more often the next two weeks as the Bucs want to take some of the load of Graham to let him rest a little. The offense finished the day scoring 23 points, which, in and of itself, was enough to blow out the Falcons. The offensive line played very well, with both sacks being more coverage sacks than mistakes by the line. A solid day overall for all, though they still need to work on the redzone offense. On Defense, the Bucs managed to have a stellar day shutting the Falcons down. It started when Redman's third down pass attempt got picked off by Ronde and taken back for 6 points. That got the Bucs up early, and they would never look back. Though they allowed the Falcons to take the next possession down the field for a field goal, the Falcons would never threaten again. The Bucs managed to keep the Falcons from converting any third downs (0-9), a first, which helped them hold the Falcons to a grand total of just 133 yards. That included 106 on the ground, and just 27 through the air. The Bucs had some issues with Norwood early, but tightened up on him later in the game. He finished with 73 yards on 9 carries. Dunn was held in check again to just 32 yards rushing. The Bucs managed to get a sack in the game with Adams forcing a fumble. Later Phillips would pick off a pass, and White would force Dunn to fumble. Ruud also forced a fumble, but Atlanta recovered that one. The Bucs managed to keep getting Atlanta off the field and kept them to only 17 minutes of possession time. On Special Teams, something very special happened. For the first time in Bucs history, a kick was returned for a TD. Michael Spurlock will be forever memorized alongside Vernon Turner who returned the first punt for a TD back in 1994 against the Lions. The instant he broke past the main line of tacklers, I hoped right out of my seat and started yelling, which turned into unbridled, totally ecstatic happiness. It was an unbelievable moment, and it was the loudest I had ever heard the crowd at Ray Jay. That moment managed to put us up 14-3 and the Falcons were pretty much done at that point. The rest of the Special Teams play, which was stellar for the most part, including Bryant's 3 FG's, is all a blurry "who cares?" type of thing. I mean...really...they returned a kick for a TD!! That alone is worth a ton of goodwill! Coaching was very strong in this game. The offense, worked just enough early on to run the score up at the start of the second quarter. Once that happened, seeing the Falcons were already defeated, Gruden just pounded them with the running game, mixing in an occasional pass attempt to throw them off. The offense took advantage of field position and put up 23 points, none of which they even really needed. Monte's defense was spectacular, and just shut down the Falcons' offense. They had some success with some nice runs, but that was it. The Falcons could barely muster a threat, and were forced to punt often, or had the ball taken away. Bisaccia may have gotten himself an extension after that miraculous display of TD production from the kick return unit. That kick is a moment that few people, if any, will ever forget. Overall, the Bucs came into this game ready to play and well coached to deal with an inferior Falcons team. They beat the snot out of them, and managed to draw anger from the Falcons prompting the crowd to yell "losers!" after a little scuffle near the endzone. The Bucs also wrapped up their Division and a playoff spot. Outstanding work boys!

Who Is Michael Spurlock? - (12/18)

Gameday: Falcons @ Bucs - (12/18)

The Times Is Ass-Kisstacular - (12/18)

A couple weeks after fellow Times writer and former hater Gary Shelton wrote his article/admission about how Jon Gruden deserves to keep his job, John Romano publicly declares that Bruce Allen deserves credit for the Buccaneers' turnaround.

Yet, now that the Buccaneers have won their second division title in three seasons, it might be worth reconsidering Allen's value as a general manager. As in, maybe he has more than you realized.

That's where my pupils dilated and I could feel myself turning into the Hulk (I really did it once.) "More than I realized"?!? But then I read on and discovered that he actually did place the blame on the media bias, which is good for him. He wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Neither would you. I'm not nearly as funny or sexy when I'm all big and green like that.

So why is [Rich] McKay considered a strong talent evaluator, while Allen is portrayed as a paper pusher? One factor is the way they handle media chores. McKay is likable and mostly accessible. Allen is condescending and usually unavailable. Fair or not, it colors their coverage. Think of it this way: What if another GM had accomplished what Allen had this season? What if another GM signed Greg White out of the Arena Football League? What if another GM plugged Donald Penn in at left tackle or Jovan Haye at defensive tackle? What if another GM had the NFL's youngest offensive line protecting one of the league's oldest quarterbacks? If we're being honest, that GM would be hailed as a miracle worker.

I've never really had a problem with Romano and I don't think he's been one of the major contributors to the hate mongering that has been Tampa coverage of the Buccaneers as of late. But there's no way Rick Stroud would have been able to put his name on this article after the Chris Simms thing earlier this year, so they gave it to a less controversial writer and hoped that the whole thing would just go away. And it pretty much has except for my petty bitching. But I'm done for now. What will be really interesting is seeing how everyone reacts if the Bucs start slow next season. Have Gruden and Allen earned a little benefit of the doubt with this season, or will the sharks start a frenzy as soon as they smell a little blood? And will I make a huge stink out of it if they do? Let me put it this way... I'm going to be wearing pre-ripped pants and shirts before I read the papers next year.

We Love The Tight Man! Wait... What? - (12/18)

This story was bound to get written this week. Isaac Hagins returned a couple kickoffs for touchdowns during the 1976 preseason but separated his shoulder before he could do it in the regular season. He's been following the Bucs ever since and was as happy as anyone that Micheal Spurlock finally got the first one in the regular season. He was thinking the same thing I was when it first happened.

"Where are the penalty flags?" he said. There were none. "Been watching the replays ever since," Hagins said. "I was part of the streak."

The Tribune spoke to Parnell Dickinson and Doug Williams. Dickinson especially wants to remind people that Hagins was returning kickoffs before the other whippersnappers were even born.

Hagins returned 40 kicks for the Bucs. His two longest went 41 yards. Parnell Dickinson was Hagins' teammate in 1976. He was at Sunday's game. After the game, Parnell reminded anyone he could. "Ike was the first in the preseason," Dickinson said. "I want people to remember Tight Man." "Tight Man." That's what teammates called Ike Hagins.

Hmm. "Tight Man"? If he had been a tight end, I could see it maybe. But Hagins was a wide receiver. You know the clip of the inaugural Bucs where the pass bounces off a guy's helmet? That's him. Williams explains the nickname a little.

"He had all those muscles," Doug Williams said. "Ike was small, but muscle-bound. He could hardly put his arms at his sides. It might have hurt his range of motion. But when Ike was going, he went fast."

So, he was small and compact but strong, so he was Tight Man. Ok, I'll buy it for the sake of history. But I think if you tried to stick that nickname on a short, muscular guy today like Maurice Jones-Drew or Willie Parker, you'd get punched square in the teeth.

History Has Been Preserved - (12/17)

It's worth mentioning that the Dolphins finally won a game this year. With the win, the Dolphins have given the 1976 Buccaneers the gift of sustained infamy and hope that the media will again seek them out when the next batch of NFL losers hasn't won though November. What should they toast with, Colt 45? The funny thing is that this one game will probably let Cam Cameron stick around for one more season and at the same time will almost definitely lead to Brian Billick's termination. Thirty years ago, another Super Bowl winning coach was beaten by a team that had gone winless for the entire season. Hank Stram of the Saints was fired at the end of the season after giving the Bucs their first franchise victory. The same thing is going to happen this January. Of course, Atlanta will be looking for a head coach in January as well. Common sense says they'll stay away from guys who have never held a head coaching job or from college coaches this time around. Look for Brian Billick to be seriously considered for the Atlanta job.

NFC South Champs - (12/17)

Let's do the good news first. There's a lot of it. Chris Redman had a passer rating of 0.0 against the Bucs defense yesterday. The poor guy completed only 4 of 15 passes. Just a couple weeks ago he was 16 for 24 and Falcons fans were speculating who he would compete with to be the starter. This should come to be known as the "Ryan Fitzpatrick Paradox". When an unknown quarterback does well coming off the bench, be careful of entrusting him with your enthusiasm too soon. Bucs cornerbacks had one tackle on the day. Remember, this is good news. Passes weren't caught in front of the cornerbacks for them to get tackled. It also means that the defensive line was doing their job. Barrett Ruud was back to the top of the tackle list again. Especially in the first half, he seemed like he was everywhere. The Bucs had the ball for almost 43 minutes. The running game was a big part of that. Earnest Graham continued his excellent play, Michael Pittman looked healthy again and Michael Bennett should have inspired some confidence from Jon Gruden. Granted, it was in the fourth quarter against a beaten up Falcons team, but 63 yards on 9 attempts is impressive. I don't know what Michael Clayton has been eating lately, but the Bucs need to keep feeding it to him. Maybe it was the humility of being relegated to special teams or Maurice Stovall breathing down his neck. This is how I expected him to play in every game. Good hands and tough running after the catch. And I suppose it's worth mentioning again: Micheal Spurlock's kickoff return for a touchdown. Bask in it. I will never, ever get tired of watching that. Ok, now for the other stuff. There's no way the Falcons should have been able to rush for 106 yards, including a 29 yarder. Kevin Carter lost contain on that particular play and next thing you know, Jerious Norwood is up the side. And why is his name pronounced with a short "e" and "serious" has a long "e"? Don't get me wrong, the defensive line did a very good job yesterday. But one sack on Redman and over 100 yards rushing makes me think that a lot of it had to do with Redman just being really bad combined with outstanding linebacker play by the Bucs. If the Bucs are going to go anywhere in the playoffs, these dropped passes have to stop. It's the reason Joey Galloway was considered expendable in Seattle. Galloway's performance for the past couple years has been exemplary and I'm not panicking or anything, but I think his mind is a little preoccupied with protecting himself for the hit rather than making the catch first. I suppose it's natural for an older guy to think that way, but if it keeps up, one of those drops is going to come at a critical time and will mean a lot more than his drops did yesterday. The game was a blowout, but this was not an outstanding offensive performance. Take away the kickoff return and the interception return. The Bucs had three drives end in field goals, and two of those drives started at the Atlanta 26 and 23 yard lines. Are you kidding me? This is the same problem the Bucs have had all season long: the inability to punch the ball into the endzone. When the offense is given a short field, it's absolutely imperative that they take advantage of those opportunities, like the one they had that started on the Atlanta 6. If they had settled for a field goal that time, I probably would have had liver failure right there. This means that the Bucs had two non-trivial scoring drives. One started at the Bucs 26 and ended 64 yards later with a Matt Bryant field goal (nice job in the wind, by the way.) The only really sustained touchdown drive came in the fourth quarter when the Falcons had already given up and were chugging cheap vodka on the sidelines in an attempt to go blind. And even that drive was only 55 yards. Michael Bennett came in fresh and pounded the ball to the right behind Jeremy Trueblood and Davin Joseph and it was an impressive display of blocking and speed. But at that point it kind of reminded me of an SEC game against a 1-AA team. I'm afraid that once the playoffs start and the Bucs can't sustain a real offensive drive against good competition, the Bucs will be checking out early. All right, enough of that. It was a nice win that brings the team up to 5-0 against divisional opponents. No NFC South team has ever swept the division. It also brought an end to every curse the Bucs had against them. Cold weather victories, road playoff victories, and finally returning a kickoff for a touchdown. They've all finally happened. The Bucs will be in the playoffs and have at least one home playoff game. It's time to celebrate with some pictures.

Orange Crush - (12/17)

I say ‘Orange Crush’ because I’m reminded of the Bucs of old, who wore the orange and brown. That team that was conceived 31 years ago, and has been battling a demon that whole time. Today, that demon is exorcised. Today is one of the greatest days in franchise history. In the 10 years that [...]

BREAKING NEWS: Bucs Return Kick for TD for First Time In Franchise History! - (12/16)

When I saw it scrolling on the sports ticker, I spit out my drink, screamed “Oh my God,” rubbed my eyes, and hit rewind on the DVR over and over again. When I finally hit play, I asked my mother to pinch me several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It seemed too good [...]

Mission: Atlanta Falcons - (12/16)

The 8-5 Bucs try to wrap up the NFC South this week with a victory over the 3-10 Falcons. The best part about all of this? Jeff Garcia has been confirmed as the starter. Thanks, Luke McCown, but this is Jeff Garcia’s team. And it’s only fitting that they’re going to win the division with [...]

HOLY SHIT! - (12/16)

Micheal Spurlock returns the first kickoff for a touchdown in team history. Congratulations. I guess it just goes to show you never know who is going to step up and make a difference. Chris Berman is sad today because now he has to find some other crutch to lean on when he talk about the Bucs. (for those who are asking, the number is 1,864 kickoffs without a touchdown.)

The Talking Plank - Week 14 - (12/15)

The Talking Plank - Falcons At Bucs: After a disappointing loss in Houston, the Bucs come home to face their Division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. The Bucs still need to win a game, or have the Saints lose one, in order to clinch the Division. If they hope to do so, they really need to take care of business this week by sealing the deal against the Falcons. The Bucs weren't, as a team, very happy with last week's flat performance, and will likely come out fired up in this game. The Falcons, on the other hand, will be coming in without their head coach, and on their third QB, Chris Redman, who wasn't even in football the last 4 years. The Falcons' players may be looking to show what they are worth, but the reality is, if they get behind, they'll fold like a cheap tent. It's important that the Bucs come out flying on defense and strike early on offense. If the Bucs can get two scores up early in this game, it will make the Falcons want to curl up into the fetal position. If they are allowed to hang around for a while, then they may be able to do something, and even steal the game. On Offense, the Bucs will be getting Garica back and will come into this contest ranked 19th overall in total yards (323.6/g), 19th in points (19.6/g), 17th in passing yards (207.6/g), and 10th in rushing yards (116/g). The Falcons' defense is 24th in yards allowed (343.5/g), 22nd in points allowed (23.5/g), 19th against the pass (219.8y/g), and 27th against the run (123.7y/g). With Garcia back at the helm, look for the Bucs to try and get up early on the Falcons, then start to grind it out with Graham. The Falcons have had problems all year against the run, allowing Graham to run for 6 yards a pop the last time these met as the Bucs put up 149 yards rushing. Garcia hit Galloway on a nice double move for a 44 yard bomb, and will probably look for the right moment to catch Hall being too aggressive again. Garcia was sacked just once in the last game, but was hurried a few times. With Penn having gotten some experience against Abraham, he should be able to hold up well again. With Coleman and Lewis both being placed on IR after the last game between these two teams, the Bucs will have a lot less to worry about from Atlanta's front four. One question mark for the Bucs is Ike Hilliard who looked like he might be out for this game, but then came in and was able to practice fully this week. Even though he may be able to go, Gruden may choose to try and get Clayton more reps, as he started last week and managed to haul in 4 passes for 39 yards and appears ready to continue what he was starting to do before he injured his ankle. The Bucs could really benefit big time if Clayton was able to really come on during the next three games and re-establish himself, and I think Gruden may be thinking the same thing while hoping he can limit Ike's role so that he can get healthy for the playoffs. To be honest, while I expect the Falcons' defense to fly around early, with the injuries up front, and the overall atmosphere in Atlanta, the Bucs should be able to really move the ball all game long and put up some impressive point totals. On Defense, the Bucs come in ranked 3rd in yards allowed (289.2/g), 2nd in points allowed (16.5/g), 4th against the pass (185.8y/g), and 15th against the run (103.3y/g). The Falcons' offense comes in at 24th in total yards (301.1/g), 30th in points scored (14.2/g), 16th in passing yards (209.7/g), and 26th in rushing yards (91.4/g). With Chris Redman (think Brooks pick against the Ravens in 2002 for a TD) playing, even though he's been playing somewhat well, the Falcons are still not able to consistently move the ball. Dunn hasn't been able to consistently get good runs, and Norwood is still not doing enough on every down to warrant staying in, though his run average is considerably better than Dunn's. Roddy White is questionable with a knee injury, so even if he plays, he's not likely to be able to get the separation he has in the past. The Falcons will have Horn for this game, but he's been somewhat ineffective this season when he's played. If White is out, or ineffective, it will seriously hinder the Falcons' offense. The Bucs will start by trying to stop Dunn and Norwood. If they can do that, and force the Falcons to pass (which they did the last time), then the Bucs should be able to take advantage of the match-ups up front and get to Redman and force some problems. The Falcons have, after all, given up 42 sacks (league high), and gave up 4 sacks to the Bucs the last time around. I see Adams, White, and Haye having a strong game and getting 4-5 sacks between them. I also see Redman getting hurried a lot, and he has thrown a couple of picks in limited action. Look for the Bucs secondary to really clamp down on an out of his prime Horn, and a less than 100% White. Jenkins could still be a problem, and will likely still be the number 1 or 2 receiver, but the Bucs will try to limit him when they can. Crumpler will probably be forced to stay in and block a lot, but Cato June did a pretty decent job limiting the number of catches he had, though not necessarily the yardage. I suspect the Falcons will have a tough time getting yardage, much less points. On Special Teams, the Bucs look to rebound after allowing a kick return for a TD. The Bucs had been one of the best teams in the league in keeping kick returners under control. The Bucs are still only allowing 19.1 yards per kick return and 7.2 per punt. The Bucs are getting 23.1 and 7.3 per kick and punt return themselves. The Falcons are allowing 22.4 per kick and 8.1 per punt, while getting 23.8 and 6.2 themselves. Both punters are good and the kickers are both good, though Bryant has more range. Andersen has missed 3 of 7 FG attempts beyond the 40 and inside the 50, and hasn't attempted a 50+ yet this season. Bryant has only missed one between the 40 and 50 yard range, on 6 attempts. He has missed all three 50+ yard attempts this season. The Bucs nearly got a kick return for a TD themselves when Spurlock broke off a big return to the Texans' 47 yard line. If he had cut it back inside and gotten past the kicker, he'd have been gone, but he ran toward the sideline, and got pulled down. Who knows? Maybe the Bucs can rip one off and get that monkey off their back. I think they might get a good shot at it in this game. In general, if the Bucs can win the field position battle, this won't be a game. The Falcons only real hope in this game is staying close early and getting some turnovers. If that doesn't happen, which I don't think it will, then this game will turn into a blow out. I see the Bucs coming out pissed and ready to win the Division outright. Bucs 35 Falcons 10.

Everyone Wants A Piece Of The 1976 Buccaneers - (12/14)

The 1976 Buccaneers haven't gotten this much attention since John McKay said he'd cut every one one of them if they didn't get behind the sideline. Just imagine how it's going to be if the Dolphins go 0-15. The week leading up to that last game is going to be crazy. They might even plan some kind of get-together or something for those guys. This week, various papers have dug up even more of the old team including Mark Cotney, Lee Roy Selmon, Richard Wood and Steve Reese.

"They're going to win one, I really feel good about it," said Steve Reese, a linebacker for the Buccaneers' 1976 team, who now coaches high school football in Stone Mountain, Georgia. "I don't want to see them go through what we went through."

But the winner for best 1976 Bucs story today is, again, Pat Toomay.

One of his favourite moments was the team plane arriving home at 4 a.m. after a 49-16 loss at Oakland in Week 12. Team officials promoted ticket sales for the inaugural season with the slogan: "Bucs Fever. Catch It." "We start to file off the plane and there's three fans at the foot of the stairs, and they're totally wasted," he said, again erupting in laughter. "As we come down the stairs, two of them unfurl this gigantic banner of the Bucs logo, and the most inebriated of the three steps in front of the other two and he starts the chant: 'What have we got?' And all three in unison say: 'Bucs fever!' I thought I was going to cry."

The "Bucs Fever" promotion was much better than the other disease-related slogans they pitched, including: "Bucs Lepercy. Leaving it all out on the field!" "Bucs Spastic Colon. Give a shit!" "Bucs Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. We need your support!" "Bucs Herpes. We're with you forever!" (yes, I know none of these clips are of the 1976 Bucs, but as long as we're talking about the old days, you might as well remember some of the good times too.)

>>More Tampa Bay Buccaneers blogs...