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Benn would be sick in the slot IMO
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By ESPN Analyst Adam Schefter
Three Questions
1. Is Gerald McCoy the answer to the Bucs down-in-the-dumps defense?
The Bucs drafted Gerald McCoy when the Lions drafted Ndamukong Suh 2nd overall. The Bucs are hoping that he can restore the defensive swagger that the team had in the last decade. The Bucs were the definition of great defense, but that has not been the case the past few years. They were near last in run defense last season and that was the main reason for drafting McCoy, who will be playing alongside fellow rookie, Brian Price. McCoy has looked really sharp in training camp thus far. He has showed excellent work ethic and has exploded off the line of scrimmage to stop the run quite a few times. The fellow next to him on the defensive line, Brian Price, has struggled. He has not been able to get to the RB or QB with the ease that McCoy has. Price has also been a little too jumpy, as he has been offsides quite a few times. Regardless, these two guys are two major components in rebuilding this entire defense. Both should provide solid play this season and should be able to give the Bucs a boost in the run defense.
2. Is Aqib Talib ready to become a shutdown corner this year?
Aqib Talib has all the tools of becoming a shutdown corner, but he currently holds the "Great Cornerback" title. He is not mentioned amongst the best like Darrelle Revis, Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Leon Hall, etc. Talib is definitely in the top 13 of the best CB's in the league. I think this is the year that he steps it up. There is a chance Ronde Barber retires at the end of the season, as he is in the last year of his deal and he is also 35 years old. Talib is a very physical corner and must improve on his technical skills and becoming a better tackler to become one of the best. Arguably the best CB in the league, Darrelle Revis, is a great player all around. He has textbook form, can cover really well, and isn't afraid to tackle. With extensive practice, Talib will be in discussions with Revis and Asomugha by the end of the year.
3. Who is going to be starting alongside Aqib Talib?
Chances are, the rookie out of Vanderbilt, Myron Lewis, will be starting alongside Talib. Lewis is another physical CB, like Talib, who prefers to jam receivers at the line than cover them in the open field. Lewis will push Barber into the nickelback role, which is a good place for Barber at this point in his career. The Bucs hope that Lewis can pan out and become a solid #2 CB alongside Talib, as they would make a nice 1-2 combo.
Three Hot Issues
1. Can Josh Freeman lead this team?
2. Is Mike Williams ready to put his past behind him and mature on and off the field??
3. What can fans expect out of the Bucs this season
Biggest Surprise
Wide Receiver Reggie Brown has surprised coaches during training camps. He hasn't been dropping passes, he has been running his routes well, and he also has been working really hard to fix his mistakes. Brown has been a disappointment for Eagles fans, as he was supposed to be the WR for the future for them. Unfortunately, he did not pan out. If he wasn't getting the ball, he didn't really care if he played or not. The Bucs are giving him a chance to be the vet in the locker room and mentor the young receivers.
Biggest Disappointment
QB Josh Freeman was expected to make progress after a learning experience last season. Unfortunately, he has not shown this progress so far during training camp. He is still not able to locate passes where he wants to and he is still having trouble reading the defense. There were multiple times where Freeman was only looking for Kellen Winslow on passing plays. He needs to learn to spread the ball out, so that he can utilize all his weapons.
Observation Deck- Defensive End Stylez G. White has been working really hard so far in training camp. Definitely a good sign from White, as this is a contract year for him.
- I saw Ronde Barber trying to cover Reggie Brown on a post pattern and Brown burned Barber on the play. Looks like Barber has lost a step or two since last season. There's no doubt that Barber's best days are behind him, but if he fails to perform well, Barber could be let go if he doesn't retire.
- Head Coach Raheem Morris is still unsure if he wants to start Sean Jones or Sabby Piscitelli at Strong Safety. Jones is good if the Bucs want to send him in on a safety blitz, but Piscitelli is a better tackler and is also faster. This is definitely one of the many position battles.
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- Defensive End Stylez G. White has been working really hard so far in training camp. Definitely a good sign from White, as this is a contract year for him.
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Leon Hall a top corner in the league. I like it.Comment
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Following.
^ Shouts to MvP for the sick sig. GFX TEAM BACK
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NFC South Preview: New Orleans Saints
The Super Bowl champs, New Orleans Saints, are back this season and are looking to repeat. They are returning most of their key players, other than LB Scott Fujita and DE Charles Grant, who left the Saints in free agency. The Saints have a ton of weapons on offense, which will make their offense dangerous, again. The Saints picked up CB Patrick Robinson out of Florida State, which will move Malcolm Jenkins to safety. This should improve the Saints secondary a bit. With an excellent offense and a good defense, the Saints should easily win the NFC South.
2009 Record: 13-3 (1st in NFC South)
2010 Projected Record: 12-4 (1st in NFC South)
Key Additions: DE Alex Brown, DE Jimmy Wilkerson, LB Clint Ingram, OG Terrence Metcalf
Key Losses: RB Mike Bell, DE Charles Grant, LB Scott Fujita, DE Bobby McCray
2010 NFL Draft Selections: 1st: CB Patrick Robinson (Florida State); 2nd: OT Charles Brown (USC); 3rd: TE Jimmy Graham (Miami); 4th: DT Al Woods (LSU); 5th: C Matt Tennant (Boston College); 7th: QB Sean Canfield (Oregon State)Comment
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some really good writeups so far. When you plan on starting the season?Comment
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Nice work so far
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Bucs Edge Out Dolphins In First Preseason Game
The game started off a defensive battle, as neither team scored a single point in the first quarter. The second quarter rolled around and both teams were able to break through. The first touchdown was scored by Cadillac Williams, who went out on a flat and received a pass from Josh Freeman. Williams outran LB Karlos Dansby for a touchdown.
Head Coach Raheem Morris seemed very happy after the play, as he went for a gutsy fourth down play earlier in the drive to keep it going.
On the ensuing Dolphins possession, they were able to march down the field with ease, as Chad Henne completed a few passes on that drive. It was topped off with a receiving touchdown by Davone Bess from 9 yards out, with only 41 seconds left in the half.
The Bucs started off the second half with the ball and they utilized the possession. They had a 13 play, 85 yard drive, which lasted nearly 8 minutes. The drive was finished by Cadillac Williams, as he ran the ball in from 1 yard out on 3rd and goal
The 'Phins were able to drive the ball up the field on their next possession, but they failed on the 3rd down conversion. Chad Pennington tried to squeeze the ball into the hands of Brandon Marshall, but Aqib Talib stopped the pass. The Dolphins had to settle for a field goal.
Luckily, the 'Phins were only down 4 points and they forced a three and out on the next Bucs possession. The Dolphins got the ball and were able to drive up the field again, but they were hit with penalties when they were in the red zone. They were at the 1 yard line and then Chad Pennington got sacked by Aqib Talib. That forced them back to the 6 yard line and then the Dolphins got a false start penalty, which forced them back to the 11. They had to settle for a field goal and this was the end of their scoring for the day. The Bucs were able to hold onto the ball for the remaining of the game and won a close one 14 to 13.
"This was definitely a great win for us today. I sure as [expletive] didn't play well, but it's all good. We won and that's all the matters", said Cadillac Williams after the game.
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Always good to get a W. but everyone knows pre-season doesnt mean poopComment
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By ESPN Analyst Adam Schefter
Bucs | Bucs have multiple free agents work out for them
The Tampa Bay Bucs were working out players, who were looking for jobs the day after their win against the Miami Dolphins in their first preseason game. Head Coach Raheem Morris examined the team's needs after the game.
"We are lacking a speed back that can be used on runs to the outside. I feel like there are a lot of teams that have a balance of speed backs and power backs. We already have the power backs, but we need one or two speed backs on the depth chart."
To accommodate for the lack of speed backs, Morris called up long-time veteran, Michael Bennett, to see if he wanted to work out for the Bucs. Along with Bennett, Morris also called up Anthony Aldridge and Chad Simpson.
Head Coach Morris also assessed the QB's on the depth chart and realized that they needed somebody that had experience in the NFL.
"We got Freeman, who's only been in the league on year. Josh [Johnson] has been in the league two years, but he hasn't seen much action. He saw some last year, but he performed poorly. Then, we brought in Snead this year, who we thought could compete with Johnson for the backup spot. We expected Freeman to be our guy for the future. He has yet to make any progress from last year. He has still been making a lot of mistakes and still cannot accurately pass the ball. We're gonna try to get someone in here that can truly challenge Freeman for the starting spot cause Johnson or Snead won't."
Morris decided to contact former 1st overall pick, JaMarcus Russell, to see if he was interested in working out for the Bucs. Morris also called Daunte Culpepper, who Morris thinks can mentor the young guys.
All the players that Raheem Morris contacted came to work out a few hours later, as they were able to catch a plane immediately to Tampa.
Bucs | RB Michael Bennett: Scouting Report
The former 1,000 yard rusher, Michael Bennett, looked like he had a lot of mileage on him. He wasn't running as hard or fast as he was earlier in his career. He definitely failed to impress the coaches today. He was also dropping quite a few passes and there was one time where he was tackled and was down for a little while. He has obvious signs of wear and tear and he is way past his prime. Grade: D+
Bucs | RB Anthony Aldridge
The second guy that worked out was Anthony Aldridge, who is a 3rd year player out of Houston. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Aldridge has had trouble keeping a steady job on an NFL team. The Bucs see a lot of potential in this kid, as he is still only 26 years young. Aldridge was inconsistent today in his workout. He showed flashes of greatness, but there were also times where it was surprising how this guy played football. Aldridge was smooth and quick in and out of his cuts. He also did a few runs to the outside, where he used his speed and acceleration to run past the defenders. Although, Aldridge fumbled the ball on numerous occasions. It just seems like he didn't know how to receive the ball from the QB on a handoff. Grade: C-
Bucs | RB Chad Simpson
Out of the three RB's that worked out today, Chad Simpson wowed the coaches the most. He does not have the explosiveness off the line of scrimmage that Bennett and Aldridge have, but he does have the same sort of speed in the open field. He has all the nifty tricks to break a tackle, but he needs to work on finding where the open holes are. Like Bennett and Aldridge, Simpson showed his problems in holding onto the football, as he fumbled quite a few times. Although, he was consistently breaking tackles and used his speed to get past defenders in the open field. The Bucs coaches were definitely intrigued by Simpson. Grade: B
Bucs | QB Daunte Culpepper
Culpepper has seen it all. He has seen victories. He has seen losses. He has seen injuries, starting roles, and backup roles. He has experience, which is exactly what the Bucs are looking for. They need someone that can mentor the young QB's that they have on their roster, especially Josh Freeman, who they have such high regard for. Freeman has shown little improvement this year and the Bucs need someone to "coach" him. Culpepper played the game with a fiery intensity. Culpepper didn't need to wow the coaches with his passing, as he would not be brought to Tampa for that reason. They only need him to help Freeman improve. Culpepper would not be starting, or even playing for that matter. Freeman can look up to Culpepper, who at the peak of his career, had 39 touchdown passes. Not bad there. Grade: B
Bucs | QB JaMarcus Russell
Coach Raheem Morris wanted to give Russell another shot in the NFL. He realized that players can change, which is one of the reasons why he gambled on WR Mike Williams in the draft. In interviews, Russell has said that he's changed his mentality about football. He wants to improve now and be on the field. He wasn't joking when he said that. Russell still had that cannon arm, but he was quite accurate when he was working out. He wasn't overthrowing the receivers on deep posts and other long routes. More importantly, he was holding on to the ball, which is a good sign. Russell was also working hard on every single play. He was attempting to read the defense before the snap and try to make adjustments. Definitely a good sign here from Russell. Although he doesn't have that much experience, he's been around the block. He was the player that impressed coaches the most today. Grade: B+Comment
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Anthony Aldridge was pretty sweet at Houston. You should sign him. And LOL, dont bring that syrup sippin lazy sob to Tampa
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BOOO Cody and Brent were not bad picks!!!! Sure Dwyer was there, but Bowden is a great punter, Cody is the son of Russ, though 2 totally different players. Cody is electric fast and plays with a lot of heart. With some grooming, he has the work ethic, he can turn into being a very solid OLBComment
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