Bucs could stumble.
 

Is it just me, or does all the news about the Bucs seem to be negitive these days. Players going to jail, threatening to hold out of training camp, Sapp not happy,etc..

While all of this might not affect the Bucs , it will be interesting to see how well the Bucs come out of the gate this year.

Last year there was expected to be an adjustment period for the Bucs as they learned a new system under Gruden. This year however, they will be expected to shine like superbowl champs at the begining of the season.

If the Bucs lose a couple of games early on, players always like to have excuses, and there have been plenty of off the field problems for them to point their fingers at.

Gruden has done a good job of making light of the problems in the off season, but if things don't go as well as expected, Warren Sapp and Keyshaun Johnson have a habit of running off at the mouth and blaming other people for not playing well. This could spell trouble for the Bucs this year.



[Edited on 21/7/2003 by BillyCarpenter1]

Bucs could stumble.
 

Everything I read and hear lately sounds the opposite. Sapp is in shape and supposedly slimed down some, Rice is after LT\'s sack record, Mcfarlane is 100% and on a mission, Brooks wants another ring so on and so on. Not much about the offense that is overly possitive but they are drumming up the D. I still think we\'ll hand it to them again this year though. Actually I\'m more concerned about Atlanta than I am about Tampa. Atlanta thinks they are better than they are and did improve over the off season which when you combine the \"gotten better\" mentality with the player improvements they did make it\'s scarey. Plus they did beat us twice last year. WE OWE THEM BIG TIME!!!!!

Bucs could stumble.
 

Sapp was not happy with Brad Johnson\'s new deal and felt they should have taken care of him first. This is probably Sapps last year with the Bucs and that\'s his own words. The Bucs are having more than their share of problems this year. Both on and off the field.

Right now they are enjoying being champs. Pride and enthusiasm are riding high. A couple of losses early on and they might start jumping off that pirate ship.

Bucs could stumble.
 

I agree that if they stumble through the first part of the season things will go down hill quickly for them. Sapp and Keyshawn are big mouths especially when they are loosing games. Both want to point fingers and cry which does nothing but breed animosity amongst the team. I\'m not sure who thier first three or four opponents are but I hope they start the first quarter of the season 1-3 or 2-2 at best. This will just set the stage. Of course this all means that WE take care of business.

Bucs could stumble.
 

Here\'s their first loss in prime time fashion............


Mon 9/8/2003 at Philadelphia 9:00 PM

Bucs could stumble.
 

Coastalkid..... I think you should change your name to The Voice of Reason! Execellent post.....

Sounds like someone has been lurking around another board with some of that old news. :D

But there is some weight behind it. We\'ve had issues, but the guys seem to have not let it affect them. EVERYONE. I repeat.... EVERYONE has reported to camp in shape and ready to go. The O is looking much better and Gruden has added a few new wrinkles......

It\'s going to be lovely. Simply lovely!

It is my hopes that you guys \"don\'t\" worry about us and let us open a can of whoop\' azz on ya\'ll.

We play in 11 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bucs could stumble.
 

I read about those new wrinkles. Taking defensive players and putting them at running back and wide receiver. That tells you just how pathetic the offense really is. No?

Bucs could stumble.
 

Sapp is in his last year with the Bucs - do you really think that\'s a problem for them on the field? Sounds to me like he is playing for a new contract. He may talk trash about the organization, but he will give 100% once he\'s in uniform. How bad is the offense? They just need a decent running game and Johnson (still underrated in my opinion, especially on this board) will take care of the rest.
The Superbowl hangover? I don\'t see it. All I see is a bunch of focused players who feel they haven\'t gotten the proper respect yet.
Only question mark is the running game, other than that they look pretty impressive.

Bucs could stumble.
 

Have you looked at their receivers??????????/

Bucs could stumble.
 

BC I disagree. I don\'t think they will franchise him after this season. They just can\'t afford to. McFarlane\'s contract is also up after this year. McFarlane is alot younger than Sapp (I think 25 verses thirty something) but if they sign Mcfarlane to an extension this year that will no doubt upset Sapp and they won\'t be able to pay them both after the season. My guess is they sign Mcfarlane after this year to a big contract and let Sapp shop around hoping he will allow the team to match any offers at a \"home town discount rate\". But none the less Sapp isn\'t all of the Bucs defense just a part. I respect the ability of Mcfarlane (who was out during our meetings last year) and Rice and Brooks more than Sapp. Tampa\'s defense will be the same as last year. They have no worries there it\'s the offense that is the concern. That\'s what will allow us to beat them. They can\'t out score anyone and I don\'t think they can stop our offense from scoring.

Bucs could stumble.
 

LAKE BUENA VISTA - NT Anthony McFarland\'s deadline for completing a new contract expired Saturday morning, but that won\'t keep the Bucs from continuing to work toward an agreement.
A Bucs official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Sunday the team will renew talks shortly and that it hopes to get McFarland under contract before departing July 29 for its exhibition game in Japan.

Re-signing McFarland is not the only objective. Though it may be a few months before negotiations get serious, the official said re-signing fellow DT Warren Sapp is a goal the team has set for this season.

McFarland and Sapp become free agents if they are not re- signed before March 1, 2004. Re- signing McFarland is clearly the team\'s first order of business and completing a deal should not be difficult.

In previous discussions, the Bucs and McFarland\'s agent agreed in principal on the length of the contract (believed to be six years), total value (believed to be approximately $33 million) and signing bonus (approximately $11 million).

The only disagreement was how the money would be paid out. The Bucs wanted to pay 40 percent of the value in the final two years. McFarland is believed to be seeking a more even allotment.

McFarland\'s agent, Karl Bernard, did not respond to phone messages Sunday.

Sapp has said in recent weeks that he expects the Bucs to apply the franchise tag in an effort to retain him next year, but that would force the Bucs to pay Sapp $7.9 million against the salary cap in 2004. The Bucs can greatly reduce that figure by re-signing Sapp to a new deal. GOING BOTH WAYS: Coach Jon Gruden loves to mess with opposing coaches\' minds. That\'s one reason he had Sapp line up at tight end on about seven goal- line plays last season.

It\'s also one of the reasons he\'s contemplating using CB Ronde Barber and McFarland on the offensive side of the ball this year.

``We\'re not trying to stimulate anybody or trying an experiment here,\'\' Gruden said. ``We\'re working on improving our team and trying to figure out the best way to utilize our roster and win.\'\'

Barber, who played running back in high school, has run four plays out of the flanker position, where he had two balls thrown to him during drills Sunday.

``There were certain games last year when we only had four receivers and there were certain games I wish we had five, sometimes six,\'\' Gruden said in explaining his possible use of Barber as a receiver.

``We\'re hoping Charles Lee or Jacquez Green can step up and be an active part of our team,\'\' Gruden added. ``But until then, we\'re going to get Ronde ready to contribute as a wideout, as a special teams player and as a defensive back.\'\'

Barber said he\'s up for whatever Gruden wants.

``It\'s nothing I can\'t handle,\'\' he said. ``I have some offensive qualities. I\'d like to think so, anyway. I mean, I think I have good enough hands.\'\'

McFarland, who played some fullback in college (LSU) and twice lined up there for the Bucs during the 1999 season, has yet to line up on offense for Gruden, but the coach said no one should be surprised if he does.

``We\'ll discover where later, but you might see Anthony McFarland show up in the offensive huddle for a couple of plays,\'\' he said. ``I mean, we\'re just trying to win here, and this is a contingency plan. Nothing else.\'\' BUCS BITS: Former Atlanta RB Jamal Anderson said recently he\'d like to come out of retirement and play for the Bucs, but Gruden said the team is a little full at the position. ``I did talk to him once. I\'m a big fan of everybody who has played great, but that\'s just gossip right now,\'\' Gruden said. ``We\'ve got so many backs right now, we don\'t know who to hand the ball off to.\'\'... Gruden isn\'t a glutton for punishment. He has a good reason for wearing long sleeves in the Florida sun. With his fair skin and freckles, Gruden has to be careful of sun exposure. ``This is a special kind of material,\'\' Gruden said. ``I learned about these from the fishermen that I met - the captains that go out fishing that cover their ears. I burn bad so I try to find a material that breathes.\'\'

Bucs could stumble.
 

Keyshawn Johnson 6\'4\" 212lbs, 45 career TD\'s, 1000+ yards in 4 out of 7 seasons; big frame, soft hands, premiere reciever in the league.
Keenan McCardell 6\'1\" 191lbs, 44 career TD\'s, 1000+ yards in 4 out of 11 seasons; epitome of what you want out of your secondary reciever, makes the tough catches and can block well.
Joe Jurevicius 6\'5\" 230lbs, could play as the secondary reciever on a few teams in the NFL, if someone was looking for more of a possesion reciever to fill that #2 role.
Karl Williams 5\'10\" 177lbs, yeah, well, he had some speed when he was younger.

Their recieving corp isn\'t great, but it\'s nothing to scoff at either. They are aging, but still solid. It could be alot worse, just ask Cincy, Houston, Miami, Baltimore, Carolina, Arizona, Detroit, or Chicago. These are just a few teams that would be more than happy to take one or more of the above players to their respective teams.

Bucs could stumble.
 

B&B,

Your right. They are not that bad, but they are not that good either. They have no home run threat or speed in general to stretch the field. Defenses can key in on stopping the run. Overall as a group they are a problem for the Bucs.

Bucs could stumble.
 

The Bucs main area of concern has to be their running back situation. They ranked 27th in rushing in the league last year and with Pittman seemingly headed for jail the Bucs have no solid answer. Gruden has said Arron Steckler would move up to the #1 tailback spot if pittman can\'t go. Arron Steckler???? Sure he has a long run for the Bucs but he has only one start ever, and what happned to Jones? The Bucs were able to over come their lack of a running game last year, the Defense will have to come up just as big again to overcome what could be an even worse ground attack this year.

Bucs could stumble.
 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp0...n/1583441.html

I just read this. Ronde Barber at Tailback?This is not a move born out of confidence.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- In the latest example of how the fertile imagination of Jon Gruden runs deep, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach has taken a dive into the genetic pool, apparently hoping that the athletic traits shared by the NFL\'s most celebrated twins extend to running with the football.

Ronde Barber had two interceptions and three sacks last season.Halfway through the opening session of training camp on Saturday morning, Gruden had cornerback Ronde Barber, one of the league\'s best coverage players over the last couple seasons, line up for a few plays at tailback. Barber\'s twin brother, Tiki, is a star tailback, of course, for the New York Giants.

It marked the first time since he shared the backfield with his brother at Cave Spring High School in Roanoke, Va., that Ronde Barber had lined up on the offensive side of the ball. How long the training camp experiment lasts probably depends on whether Ronde Barber can actually make a splash at tailback or if he is just a half-(ground)-gainer in a move he acknowledged was \"a dive into the unknown.\"

The move was prompted, in part, by the possibility starting tailback Michael Pittman could be facing jail time, and by the Bucs\' fairly mundane running attack.

[Edited on 7/22/2003 by saint5221]

Bucs could stumble.
 

The Buc\'s offense is at best mediocre. If Sapp really isn\'t happy that is great news for us. With Sapp pissed off and Keshaun being a tick away from a melt down (on a good day), it is very possible by 11/2 the Bucs could be 3 and 4 (losing to PHI, ATL, IND, and SF). I\'m morte concerned with ATL and their cake schedule. I only hope the reports of a new NO defense (zone playing and conditioned) are true.

Bucs could stumble.
 

Bucks tinkering with offense using Barber at RB, Sapp at TE, and McFarland at FB has interesting possibilities, especially Sapp and McFarland in goal line sitiuations. The use of Sapp at TE last year proved successful there.

The Barber experiment looks more like a reach. Didn\'t most all pro DBs play RB or QB once upon a time? Can\'t wait for him to run up in the hole and get Ruffed up or Tebuck knocked out of him. Then while he is still seeing stars two plays later Deuce is running over him into the endzone. That experiment won\'t last long.

Hey, then they might be forced to move an offensive player to defense in his spot to team up with the Lynchmob. Maybe Joe \"JeriTall\" Sid Vicious.