Sailing Around the World | Tampa Bay Bucs Franchise

[Mit]

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 OLB

Haha. I graded the picks on the value of them. I don't think Grimm was a high value pick, as the Bucs are already set at LB. Bowden's not bad, though.

And I would have preferred Dwyer on team cause Cadillac and Ward blow.

[beamerball811]

Haha. I graded the picks on the value of them. I don't think Grimm was a high value pick, as the Bucs are already set at LB. Bowden's not bad, though.

And I would have preferred Dwyer on team cause Cadillac and Ward blow.

I understand that, but they both have brighter futures than Dwyer. :D
He played in a run-only system, Grimm had a phenomenal DC and Bowden is Bowden lol, the name is legendary lol

[Mit]

I understand that, but they both have brighter futures than Dwyer. :D
He played in a run-only system, Grimm had a phenomenal DC and Bowden is Bowden lol, the name is legendary lol

Ehhh. I think Dwyer will be a pretty good back alongside Mendenhall.

[Mit]

Dolphins | Dolphins sign veteran LB
To bring more depth to their LB squad, the Dolphins signed OLB Keith Bulluck to a 1 year deal, worth 5 million. Bulluck could earn another 500k in incentives. Bulluck has seen a recent decline in his tackles, but he should be solid for the Dolphins, as he provides an upgrade at OLB.

Eagles | CB Ellis Hobbs out 4 weeks with broken ribs
Starting Eagles CB Ellis Hobbs went down with broken ribs after he attempted to bring down Maurice Jones-Drew in their first preseason game. He is expected to miss 4 weeks and should be back by the first or second game of the regular season.

Patriots | Rookie CB McCourty out for 10 weeks
The rookie first round pick, Devin McCourty, was lost for 10 weeks after dislocating his hip. McCourty said he heard a pop when he was trying to defend Julian Edelman in practice. This is a huge setback for the Patriots, as they were looking for big things out of this guy. He should be missed for atleast half the regular season.

Ravens | Ray Rice only has a dislocated elbow
The life was sucked out of the stadium when Ravens star RB Ray Rice went down in the 1st quarter against the Panthers. Rice was brought down hard by Jon Beason and clutched his elbow. He was able to get up but did not return. Luckily, for Ravens fans, he only had a dislocated elbow and should be back by the start of the regular season.

Redskins | Skins add Atogwe to their team
The Skins signed Oshiomogho Atogwe to their team yesterday, as they signed him to a 1 year, 9.13 million dollar deal. This deal makes Atogwe the highest paid safety in the NFL. Atogwe will provide an immediate improvement at the position, as he will be starting over Kareem Moore and Reed Doughty, who are mediocre players. Atogwe bolsters this already above-average secondary.

[beamerball811]

Ehhh. I think Dwyer will be a pretty good back alongside Mendenhall.

I hope so lol. But I think I'd rather have Grimm to play OLB than Dwyer...Dwyer better fit a team need as a backup RB though so idk.

[Rudi]

Dwyer was a beast in NCAA 10.

[Mit]

Flowers's INT Proves To Be The Game Winner

EA Sports: Madden NFL 11 Video Highlight

Brandon Flowers had an interception late in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the eventual game winner for the Chiefs, as Kicker Ryan Succop kicked a field goal that put the Chiefs up. The Bucs weren't able to score on the ensuing possession and gave the ball up. Jamaal Charles got a pass in the flats from Brodie Croyle and was able to scamper 39 yards for the touchdown. That was the icing on top of the cake for the Chiefs, as they were able to win the game 32 to 24.

It seemed as though turnovers was the primary issue for the Bucs in this game, as they had 7 turnovers, with a -5 margin. Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson both got picked off two times each. Freeman also fumbled the ball once and Derrick Ward had two fumbles. This has been a pressing issue for the Bucs all of training camp and through the first two games of preseason. The Bucs have a total of 9 turnovers through their first two games and that must change if they want to win some games.

"I know I did a really bad job of passing the ball today. I just wasn't getting a very good read on the 3-4 D. They sent a lot of blitzes in and it just confused me. I definitely need to start studying the 3-4 a little more", said Josh Freeman after the game.

[dMerch]

whys johnson playing?

[beamerball811]

I love Brandon Flowers, former Hokie corner! Congrats to him, however tough loss

[Mit]

whys johnson playing?

It's preseason.

I love Brandon Flowers, former Hokie corner! Congrats to him, however tough loss

Haha, I like him a lot too. He's an up and coming CB. And yeah, was a tough loss. Couldn't really get anything going.

[Mit]

Bucs Trample Over In-State Rivals

EA Sports: Madden NFL 11 Video Highlight

A week after committing 7 turnovers in a loss against the Chiefs, the Bucs only committed one turnover. They were able to force three against the Jags. Josh Freeman was the one responsible for the turnover, which was an interception by Rashean Mathis.

Both Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson looked pretty good in this preseason game, as they threw for a combined 3 touchdowns and over 400 yards. Although, their completion percentage averaged below 40%. The Bucs were also hard to stop on the ground, as Cadillac Williams ran for 90 yards and Derrick Ward added 27 yards on 6 carries. Ward also had the lone rushing touchdown for the Bucs. The great passing game and rushing game were a winning combination against the Jags.

Arrelious Benn was the star of the game. He only caught three passes, but two were for touchdowns and he had 139 receiving yards. He had touchdown receptions of 54 and 69, which were both from Josh Freeman. This is definitely a good sign, as Freeman and Benn were on the same page in this game.

"I felt like Josh [Freeman] was giving me catchable balls and I was able to take advantage of the passes. He was able to put the passes where Rashean [Mathis] wasn't able to get them.", said Arrelious Benn in response to his and Josh Freeman's connection on the field.

[Mit]

Bucs Beat Texans 44 to 31

Josh Freeman was definitely on in the preseason finale against the Texans. Even though the Texans don't have a very good defense, Freeman lit them up for 3 touchdown passes and 200 yards just in the first half. Josh Johnson came in the second half to throw for 2 touchdown passes as well.

Cadillac Williams had another good game, as he ran for 95 yards on 12 carries.

Dan Orlovsky was picked off two times. Once by Elbert Mack, who brought the INT back to the house for a touchdown. Then, Myron Lewis got an interception against Orlovsky to close out the game, as the Bucs won 44 to 31.

[Mit]

By ESPN Analyst Adam Schefter

Impressions of Preseason

• Josh Freeman didn't look too bad during preseason, as he had 5 touchdown passes, along with 5 interceptions. In training camp, he was not particularly making progress in reading the defense or with his accuracy. His accuracy did not improve in preseason, but Freeman worked really hard in trying to read defensive schemes. After the loss against the Chiefs, Freeman sat down and tried to see the type of schemes the Jags and the Texans would bring. His work paid off, as he had great passing games against those two teams.
  
  It looked as though the QB position was wide open after training camp due to the lack of progress of Josh Freeman, but Freeman has secured his spot. He just needs to continue spending a lot of time in the film room. He also needs to start working on his accuracy, which is a big concern for him.

• Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward have both been rushing the ball fairly well during preseason, which will hopefully carry into the regular season. The main concern for both RB's is their problem with fumbles. They fumbled for a combined 5 times during the preseason. There is a good chance that one or both of these guys won't be on the Bucs roster next year, as the Bucs are looking at Mark Ingram or Evan Royster for next year.

• The receiving corps looked pretty good during preseason. Josh Freeman had found a favorite WR in Arrelious Benn. Mike Williams has not been passed the ball very much, but should see a lot more passes as Benn will be going up against #1 receivers. Slot receiver, Reggie Brown, has proved to be useful out of the slot. He has shown to be exceptionally deadly during short slants. Kellen Winslow has not been too big of a target during the preseason for Josh Freeman, but should be his go-to-guy in the regular season, as Freeman has rookie WR's starting.

• On the D-Line, rookies Brian Price and Gerald McCoy have looked very well. Price has shown that he can be a good run-stopping force in the future. McCoy showed that he can be dominant against the run and the pass, as McCoy boasted with a team-leading 3 sacks in the regular season. Tim Crowder and Stylez G. White will be the two starting DE's when the regular season rolls around, but they are definitely not in the Bucs' long-term plans.

• Aqib Talib has shown in the preseason that he is ready to become an elite corner. He held Brandon Marshall to only one catch in the first preseason game, Dwayne Bowe to 2 catches, Mike Sims-Walker to one catch, and Andre Johnson to one catch. He has been jamming the receivers at the line and has shown his physicality. Ronde Barber did decent in the preseason and should be the #2 CB on the depth chart. The #3 CB position is up for grabs, as Elbert Mack and rookie Myron Lewis have both had good preseasons. Both ended preseason with two interceptions and the next week will determine who will be the #3.

[Mit]

[Mit]

Putting scores on next page.