Official Tampa Bay Buccaneers Forum Thread

[Bmore]

So hows Aaron Sears? I heard he has some brain/head injury, that may end his career. Whats the 411 on him?

 

[Poundtherock]

So hows Aaron Sears? I heard he has some brain/head injury, that may end his career. Whats the 411 on him?

Sears [concussion] still on the Reserved/Did not report list. Last anyone seen or heard from him, he was walking around in the locker room writing answers on a piece of paper.

Personally, I don't see him coming back or the Bucs taking a chance on him even if he did want to come back for that matter. IDK what the Bucs legal moves could be, if any, other than time.

Jeremy Zutta, big kid, is coming along very well at LG, and the four weeks of pre-seasonfirst-time reps are helping.

BTW, love your avatar!!

 

[Bmore]

Sears [concussion] still on the Reserved/Did not report list. Last anyone seen or heard from him, he was walking around in the locker room writing answers on a piece of paper.

Personally, I don't see him coming back or the Bucs taking a chance on him even if he did want to come back for that matter. IDK what the Bucs legal moves could be, if any, other than time.

Jeremy Zutta, big kid, is coming along very well at LG, and the four weeks of pre-seasonfirst-time reps are helping.

BTW, love your avatar!!

Thx

 

[Poundtherock]

Nice article, Blitz. That is almost exactly what I was talking about in post #39 right after the week 1 pre-season game.

It's always been Luke's job to lose because of inheritance....and I think Morris has given him his due to step up, but from what I see and read, that hasn't happened.

And yes, I am a JJ fan too. I just wonder what that kid could have done with some additional reps with the first team...but I understand.

Like I said the other day, and unless he totally blows it, Lefty will most likely take the lead for the job with a good performance in Jax Saturday. And I'm sure he is pumped for that return to his old stomping grounds.

And if JJ [this guy is scary] has another good performance Saturday, which I believe that he will, the buzz on him being the odd-man-out will gain even more momentum. Lefty has no trade value, so it makes sense.

 

[Poundtherock]

The Caddy is out of the garage............again.

Williams will start tomorrow night against the Phins. He will be in a

2-2-1

series rotation with Derrick Ward and Ernest Graham, respectively.

As everybody prob knows by now, Leftwich will start at QB, play a quarter and a half, followed by Mccown for the same amount of time. This will pit both QBs up against the Dolphins mostly first team for 3-quarters, most likely. Free and JJ...the 4th quarter.

A decision as to the starter may come after the Phins game.

Flip goes back to his SS position and will be there at least thru the 4th week of the season...Geno Hayes will start at weakside.

FA LB Bo Rudd, brother of Barrett Rudd, has been signed. Placed LB Angelo Crowell on injured reserve.

Re-signed CB Darrell Hunter.

No blackout: Bucs spokesman Jeff Kamis said a limited amount of tickets are available for Thursday's preseason game, but added the game will not be blacked out. The game will be televised nationally by Fox, locally on WTVT, Channel 13.


Credit: TBO.com

 

[Poundtherock]

Round 3, Bucs QB battle:

Byron Leftwich 2
Luke McCown 1​

However, round 3 could just as easily have been a draw. Lefty wins it on paper, and the fact he came up big on third down plays. He finished 9 of 17 for 100 yds, was sacked once, and ended with a QB rating of 70.7.

McCown, during his play time, didn’t fare as well, completing 5 of 11 passes for 38 yds and was sacked twice, and ended with a rating of 54.4. McCown did not seem to exhibit a lot of confidence and seemed to be too quick to “run” on most of his pass plays.

Josh Freeman completed 6 of 15 for 50 yds, entering the game with a little over 6 minutes left to play.

Josh Johnson did not play., which could bode good or bad news for JJ. The good, the Bucs intend on keeping four QBs, or the bad, they plan on giving him a lot of playing time in the Houston game to audition for other teams.

I still like my alternative to that scenario, the loser between Lefty and Luke being traded before the final roster cut-down. And at this point, I still feel that Lefty has a slight edge in securing the QB job for week one. Luke has trade value as a backup QB.

Personally, I think the “shopping” is already being done for teams that are looking for a back-up. And I hear that a certain team “up North” as in the frozen Tundra, is looking.

Watching a game on TV doesn‘t give you the benefit of seeing some of the peripheral action on the field as you get from the stands, however you stay dry [play interrupted 45-minutes due to lighting thunderstorm. You see a lot in replays, but sometimes, to fully realize the play of an individual, the stats be the place to look.

The Caddy looked great and the crowd loved his entrance, and it was set that he would be introduced last in the starting line-up……..Williams had 8 carries for 54 yards, a 6.8 avg, and one a 19-yarder.
Earnest Graham, 5 carries for 39 yds, an avg of 7.8, and a bruising 27-yarder.

In Morris’ 2-2-1 test, Ward ended up with only 4 carries for 3 yards. Ward must and will get more than 4 touches. I just think last night was all about the ‘Lac…and he showed up!

Maurice Stovall had his best showing, 6 receptions for 73 yards, 3-third-down catches.

The entire first team defense, playing the first half, gave up only 3 points, combined with the reserves in the second half to hold the Phins to only 79 yards total rushing yards for the game, and only 173 passing. Miami was able to score a TD with their first team against the Buc reserves, except for Flip and Sabby, early in the third quarter.

Newly-signed [this week] CB Steve Cargile, didn’t play like a new signee, making 6 tackles, 5 solos, and recovered a fumble. Of course, Cargile has been in Bucs’ camp before. Still………

The play of Geno Hayes was promising, making 4 solo tackles. Hayes, starting at weak side LB since Phillips moved back to safety.

Rashaad Duncan, 3 tackles and a sack; others getting a sack included Jimmy Wilkerson; Louis Holmes; E.J. Biggers and Chris Bradwell, who, in addition, snagged an INT.

The only injury for the Bucs, LB Adam Hayward [Ankle]. Status unknown.

Blogged

Credit Stats & Photos, Bucs.com; TBO.com

 

[Poundtherock]

Saturday was a busy day for the Bucs......besides naming Byron Leftwich as their starting QB...........the team also made some roster moves.

Released from the team include : DL Jarriett Buie, CB DeAngelo Willingham, OG Julius Wilson and WR Kelly Campbell.

EDIT: 8/31/09
Credit: TBO.com

TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers apparently saw something they liked in WR Kelly Campbell.

Though the team waived Campbell as injured a few days ago, he has been retained by the team and is now on injured reserve.

Players who are waived-injured automatically go on injured reserve if they clear waivers.

Campbell, 29, was signed by the Bucs as a free agent in the offseason. He originally joined the league in 2002 as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.

Campbell spent the 2008 season with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, gaining 1,223 receiving yards to rank sixth in the league.

 

[Poundtherock]

If the earlier QB trade talk doesn't pan out, anyone think we might roll with all four?

Lefty=#1
Luke=#2
Free=$3
JJ=#4

Personally, I do not think JJ will be "released" by the 53 cut-down day, so if a trade of McCown doesn't happen....we keep all four.

Aug 31, 2009 - Bucs.com
Bucs Release Jackson, Get to 75
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived second-year wide receiver Dexter Jackson, completing the first round of NFL-mandated roster cuts.

The release of Jackson trims the Buccaneers' roster to 75 players, which was necessary by Tuesday to comply with the new limit. After playing their preseason finale against Houston on Friday, the Bucs must further reduce their roster to 53 players, the regular-season limit.

Sheet, fastest guy on my Madden team.

 

[RyanLeaf16]

Sheet, fastest guy on my Madden team.

I released him prior to the start of my season in my 'chise a few weeks ago. Speed doesn't amount to much in Madden this year. I kept seeing Jackson get pressed and basically fall backwards b/c he was so weak and couldn't beat press coverage.

Then again, I just lost a tough and physical Antonio Bryant in the off-season. He signed with Baltimore for less money...

 

[Poundtherock]

I released him prior to the start of my season in my 'chise a few weeks ago. Speed doesn't amount to much in Madden this year. I kept seeing Jackson get pressed and basically fall backwards b/c he was so weak and couldn't beat press coverage.

Then again, I just lost a tough and physical Antonio Bryant in the off-season. He signed with Baltimore for less money...

I was motioning Jackson out of the slot. Worked quite well. Can't let him get pressed...you are right....and he will get knocked off his route very easily.


Bucs sign 6-6, 320-pound offensive guard Marcus Johnson, just after he was released by the Oakland Raiders....and they release offensive guard Sean Mahan to make room. According the Bucs.com, "Johnson [becomes] the Buccaneers most experienced backup.

According to the Bucs, Johnson will be listed behing Davin Joseph at right guard on the depth chart.

They also "claimed rookie center Jonathan Compas off waivers, also from the Raiders, and released rookie guard Ryan Schmidt."

 

[Poundtherock]

Coaching shake-up at One Buc Place....................

Anwar Richardson of the the Tampa Tribune just reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced this morning they have fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Greg Olson.

The move comes on the eve of the Bucs' preseason finale against the Houston Texans and 10 days before the regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

In a statement released by the team, Jagodzinski said he turned down a demotion to quarterbacks coach, which would have meant swapping jobs with Olson.

"I am certainly disappointed but I wish nothing but the best for Raheem Morris and the entire Buccaneer organization," Jagodzinski said. "I was given the chance to remain on staff as the quarterbacks coach, but felt that the timing for such a move was not in the best interest for either side.

"I appreciate the opportunity that was given to me. Again, I wish nothing but the best for this organization."

Jagodzinski was hired in January, three weeks after being dismissed by Boston College for pursuing the New York Jets' head coaching job.

Nobody saw this coming!!!

 

[Poundtherock]

one thing to say:go bucs!

Yes, sir!

Roy Cummings and Ira Kaufman, of The Tampa Tribune, report the Bucs have released PK Matt Bryant.

Bryant has not been able to practice, he said, because of a lingering hamstring problem....the release coming after airing his feelings on a local radio show regarding Mike Nugent, and then apologizing for his semi-rant.

Nugent now looks to have solidified kicking duties as of week 1.

Brian Clark, with his performances during camp and pre-season is expected to make the roster, and so is E.J. Biggers, who suffered a shoulder injury [status unknown] in Friday night's game.

Expect more cut-down to 53-man roster as the dealine rolls near..

 

[Poundtherock]

Official Bucs 53-man roster!

Official Bucs 53-man roster!

...........or more appropriately.....cuts to get to 53.................or 52!.

As expected....Bucs keep 4 QBs..................for now!


Credit: Bucs.com

Rookie T Demar Dotson, who played just one season of college football, was one of eight rookies to make the opening-day roster for the Buccaneers
​

Fifty-Two Pickup

Sep 05, 2009 - Elbert Mack and Clifton Smith were two of the 52 players the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept after Saturday's final round of cuts. The Buccaneers' coaching staff hopes there are a few more Macks and Smiths among the other 50.

One day after concluding their 2009 preseason with a 27-20 loss to the Houston Texans, the Buccaneers trimmed their roster from 75 players to 52, one below the NFL-mandated limit of 53. That's an indication that the team has its sights set on a player or several players who may soon become available as the league's other 31 teams make similar cuts.

One spot on the roster was cleared in an unfortunate manner, as rookie tackle Xavier Fulton was placed on injured reserve. Fulton suffered an ACL tear in his left knee during Friday night's game. Also, safety Tanard Jackson will revert to the reserve/suspended list and will not count against the 53-man roster for the first four weeks of the season. Scroll down for a complete list of Saturday's roster moves.

As always, there were difficult decisions; likely among them this year were the releases of veterans Matt Bryant, Jameel Cook and Cortez Hankton, and the exact makeup of the depth along the offensive line. Of course, tough choices are a function of good and productive depth, something Tampa Bay's management is striving to create.

"It's never easy to cut a guy," said Head Coach Raheem Morris in the week leading up to Saturday's deadline. "That's probably the worst part of my job. But when we start making the tough cuts, that's when we become a good team, that's when we become a really great team."

Last year, then-rookie Mack was one of the surprising choices for the season-opening 53-man roster, especially considering his roots as an undrafted free agent out of Troy. He proved to be one of the team's 53 best players and, a year later, he is the obvious front-runner for the team's nickel back job.

Mack had a very good game in the team's 2008 preseason finale, sealing his spot. On Friday, second-year quarterback Josh Johnson showed off his athletic potential and wound up as one of four quarterbacks kept by the Buccaneers. Johnson completed 12 of 21 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception and also ran five times for 43 yards.

"We want to keep the best 53 and Josh went out again and proved he could move the football and when he’s out there he can be productive and he can learn and he can go without a whole bunch of reps," said Morris after Friday's game. "That’s big-time quality in this league when you have a guy like that. That’s a special quality, I believe, a Jason Garrett-type of quality. A guy [like Garrett] can back up Troy Aikman for 12 years, or whatever it was, and go in a game and when they need him he wins football games. When he gets his opportunity to go play, he plays well and then he fights his way to the top. That’s what I want this team to be built on.”

Other young players who simply proved too valuable to let go included tackle Demar Dotson, cornerback E.J. Biggers and linebacker Rod Wilson. Dotson might be this year's most surprising success story. He played just one year of college football at Southern Miss after previously playing on the school's basketball team, and that was at defensive tackle. Agile and big (6-9, 315 pounds), Dotson represents a major find for the Buccaneers' scouting department.

"Last year it was Mack," said Morris. "Last year, E-Mack went up there and got a pick, hit the quarterback, got the crowd fired up. The next thing you know, he's on our team and we didn't know his name. We just called him 'Nook.' We're going to look for those types of players to step up and go out there and play this year and do the same things."

Here's a rundown of all the roster moves the team made on Saturday in order to get to 52 players.

Waived:

•T Anthony Alabi

•CB Kyle Arrington

•DT Chris Bradwell

•C Rob Bruggeman

•DE Jarriett Buie

•S Steve Cargile

•WR Patrick Carter

•DT Rashaad Duncan

•DE Louis Holmes

•RB Kareem Huggins

•CB Darrell Hunter

•T James Lee

•TE Jason Pociask

•TE Ryan Purvis

•LB Bo Ruud

•WR Mario Urrutia

Waived/Injured:

•S Donte Nicholson

Terminated Vested Veterans:

•K Matt Bryant

•FB Jameel Cook

•WR Cortez Hankton

•WR Marcus Maxwell

Placed on Injured Reserve

•T Xavier Fulton

Moved to Reserve/Suspended List

•S Tanard Jackson

Despite the common term of "final cuts," Saturday's moves are far from the last ones the team will make in 2009, and they do not necessarily represent the end of the road for the players above, either in the NFL or specifically in Tampa. That lesson is represented by Smith, who earned a spot on the offseason roster in 2008 with a fine tryout performance in the May rookie mini-camp. Smith had a fine training camp but did not initially make the 53-man roster; however, he landed on the practice squad and was later signed to the active roster in October. All Smith did from there was make the Pro Bowl as the NFC's return man.

The Buccaneers will be able to form their practice squad on Sunday, after all of the men cut on Saturday around the NFL have cleared waivers. The first iteration of the practice squad every September is usually a combination of some of the players listed above and a few others snagged off the waiver wire.

Though Fulton will spend his rookie season on injured reserve, the rest of the Buccaneers' 2009 draft class made the regular-season roster. That includes a pair of seventh-round picks, cornerback E.J. Biggers and wide receiver Sammie Stroughter. Here are some additional notes about Saturday's roster moves and the resulting 52-man roster:


•The Bucs' 52-man squad includes eight rookies. In addition to the five 2009 draft choices listed above, the team also kept undrafted free agents Dotson, offensive lineman Marc Dile and center Jonathan Compas.

•Obviously, Tampa Bay's offensive line group will feature quite a bit of youth. The nine linemen kept by the Buccaneers combine for an average opening-day age of exactly 25 years old, including the starters. The Bucs' oldest offensive lineman, Marcus Johnson, is 28, and four of the nine are 24 years old or younger. Of the four reserves – Johnson, Compas, Dotson and Dile – only Johnson is not a rookie.

•Compas and Johnson were able to make a good impression in a very short period of time. Both were former Oakland Raiders who joined the Buccaneers in the week leading up to Friday's game. Compas provides the Buccaneers with depth at center and Johnson has started in the NFL at both tackle and guard.

•Mike Nugent obviously won the competition at kicker for the Buccaneers, though Matt Bryant's preseason struggle with a hamstring injury essentially made the point moot. Bryant had four very good seasons in Tampa Bay – his .831 field goal percentage from 2005-08 is the best in team history and his 62-yarder against Philadelphia in 2006 is a franchise record – but the intended battle between him and Nugent never materialized. Nugent made six of his nine field goal attempts during the preseason and also knocked 10 of his 16 kickoffs into the end zone.

•The Buccaneers kept four quarterbacks at the beginning of the season for the third year in a row. In 2007, the Buccaneers had starter Jeff Garcia backed up by Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski, and they also retained Chris Simms, who was returning from a severe 2006 injury. Simms was later moved to injured reserve. Last fall, the Buccaneers had McCown and Brian Griese backing up Garcia but wanted to hold on to Johnson, the rookie.

•Smith wasn't the only player cut at this time a year ago who was able to reestablish a foothold on the Buccaneers' roster. Defensive tackle Dre Moore didn't make the regular-season squad in 2008 despite being a fourth-round draft pick. However, Moore stayed around on the practice squad and then showed significant improvement during the 2009 offseason. Moore is one of four defensive tackles the team kept, joining rookie Roy Miller as backups to Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims. Also, wide receiver Brian Clark started last year on the practice squad but later got a promotion to the active roster and has once again won a spot on the 53-man crew.

•Clark is battling Stroughter and Maurice Stovall to be the third receiver behind starters Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton. The Buccaneers kept just five receivers and will probably address that position on the practice squad. Tampa Bay expects to have its tight ends and running backs heavily involved in the passing game.

•With the release of Jameel Cook, the Buccaneers will go with just one fullback to start the 2009 season. That allows the team to keep four tailbacks – Smith, Earnest Graham, Derrick Ward and Cadillac Williams – and is not surprising given that the team's new offense doesn't make heavy use of the fullback position.

•The Buccaneers' 52-man roster includes 15 players who were not with the team at any point in 2008. In addition to the eight rookies, the newcomers are P Dirk Johnson, G Marcus Johnson, LB Niko Koutouvides, QB Byron Leftwich, K Mike Nugent, RB Derrick Ward and tight end Kellen Winslow.

•Dirk Johnson has the punting job after Josh Bidwell landed on injured reserve in the preseason due to the aggravation of an existing hip injury. With Nugent replacing Bryant, the Buccaneers have new players at both kicking spots in the same season for the first time since 1999. That season, kicker Martin Gramatica and punter Mark Royals replaced Michael Husted and Tommy Barnhardt, respectively.

 

[ZMnsr1]

Luke Mccown traded to the Jags

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=7288&trid=home

The Buccaneers traded QB Luke McCown to the Jaguars on Saturday

Print Version

McCown Traded to Jaguars
Sep 05, 2009 - Luke McCown arrived in Tampa via a trade, and he leaves the same way.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in 2005 to acquire McCown and obviously saw potential in the 28-year-old passer, keeping him on the roster for four seasons. In fact, the Buccaneers re-signed McCown, a potential unrestricted free agent, this past February and promised him an opportunity to compete for the starting job.

However, free agent acquisition Byron Leftwich — coincidentally a former Jaguar himself — won that competition and will open the 2009 season as the Buccaneers' starter. With promising young passers Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson creating a logjam at the position, the team chose to send McCown to the Jaguars, where starter David Garrard is backed up by Todd Bouman and rookie Todd Boeckman.

It is unusual for a team to carry four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, but the Buccaneers were in that situation for a few hours after announcing their roster moves early Saturday evening. Tampa Bay brass obviously believed it had a deep stable of NFL-caliber passers, and the trade of McCown indicates the team's belief in the potential of second-year passer Josh Johnson. Obviously, roster spots had to be reserved for Leftwich and 2009 first-round pick Josh Freeman, who is considered the team's quarterback of the future.

McCown battled hard for the team's starting job and had several strong moments during the '09 preseason. In his four seasons with the team, the former Louisiana Tech star appeared in seven games and made three starts, all during the 2007 season. He completed 94 of 140 passes for 1,009 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions as a Buccaneer. McCown's best outing with the team came in a critical contest at New Orleans late in December, when he threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns and led Tampa Bay to a last-minute victory.

McCown first entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Browns in 2004, and he started four games during his rookie campaign in Cleveland.

Leftwich signed with the Buccaneers in April after spending the 2008 season as the primary backup to Ben Roethlisberger for the Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2003 and he spent the majority of his four seasons in Jacksonville as the starter. The Buccaneers believe Leftwich's strong arm and good downfield touch will be major assets in an offense that expects to run the ball well and look for big plays via the play-action pass.

Johnson was a fifth-round pick out of the University of San Diego in 2008. With his small-school roots, Johnson was considered a somewhat raw prospect, but his talents are unmistakable. In his 41 games and 34 starts for the Toreros, he threw 113 touchdown passes and also ran for 1,864 yards and 19 scores.

Those talents were on display Friday night at Raymond James Stadium when Johnson completed 12 of 21 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception and also ran five times for 43 yards. Head Coach Raheem Morris praised Johnson after the game as a player who could be effective in relief even without much previous playing time.

The trade of McCown leaves the Buccaneers with two open spots on their 2009 roster. The team initially pared down to 52 players on Saturday, one below the regular-season limit. It is likely the Buccaneers will fill those spots quickly, after the players released by all 32 teams clear waivers on Sunday.

 

[Poundtherock]

Glad to see this move this quick, and, in fact, didn't think it would take very long for this to happen, but the Bucs need to re-sign a player or two that they released yesterday as soon as waivers are cleared.....namely receiver Mario Urrutia and cornerback Kyle Arrington, who may be headed for the pratice squad if re-signed.

The trade officially makes rookie QB Josh Freeman the team's No. 2 quarterback behind starting QB Byron Leftwich. and solidifies Josh Johnson as #3.

 

[Poundtherock]

Labor day weekend but things are shaking at One Buc!


Yesterday, free-agent DE Maurice Evans (Giants) and free-agent CB William Middleton (Falcons) were claimed off waivers.

They Bucs also announced they have re-signed free agents CB Kyle Arrington, WR Patrick Carter, DT Rashaad Duncan, RB Kareem Huggins, OT James Lee, TE Ryan Purvis, WR Mario Urrutia.

 

[Poundtherock]

The Bucs are officially listing RB Cadillac Williams is the No. 1 running back, followed by RBs Derrick Ward, Earnest Graham and Clifton Smith, respectively.

Caddy has performed very well since his second rahab and had some very good showings in camp and pre-season work. the one-two punch of Williams and Ward, and the continued beefing up of our O-line should give the run-game better success.

However, I look for the Bucs to try and victimize the Cowboys' not-as-strong pass defense just enough to open some things up front. Looking for an upset? No, but I'm looking for a better performance from the Bucs than most. Personally, I don't think Romo is the QB that he is put up to be. I'll more on what I personally think about the game later this week.

The Bucs latest depth chart from Bucs.com:

Sidesheet: Paying attention, Mr. Moore?

 

[Poundtherock]

Bucs/Dallas Game - No Blackout!

Credit - St. Pete Times

Buccaneers still short of sellout, but there will be no blackout
You can still buy a ticket for Sunday's season opener against the Cowboys as the Bucs say there are still a limited number available, but the team is now confirming the game will be shown on local television.

The NFL requires that games be sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff or a local blackout takes effect. The local area is defined as a 75-mile radius.

The league said it had no plans to make exceptions in reaction to an.economic downturn that has hit Florida particularly hard. But in this case, it appears the Bucs are close enough that the league has decided to, in effect, look the other way.

The Bucs didn't comment specifically on the NFL's decision, but a team spokesman was adamant there is no possibility of a blackout at this point.

The Bucs have not had a home game blacked out since moving into Raymond James Stadium in 1998. There are some possible blackouts brewing elsewhere. In Cincinnati, for example, the Bengals today were granted a 24-hour extension to try and sell their remaining seats for Sunday.

Due to the economic situation nationwide, I don't think the NFL should risk a black-eye and black out any games unless they fall at least 50-60% short of the mandatory limit.

 

[BigBucs]

Love to hear your Post game opinions Leaf. You may be eating some Crow this season. Solid team effort minus a poor pass rush and atrocious secondary play. This team can win this season with minimized mistakes and the return of Tenard. Sabby and Elbert Mack played terrible.

 

[ZMnsr1]

man this hurts
http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=7319&trid=home

Triceps Injury Sidelines Faine
Sep 14, 2009 - As impressive as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense was in its 2009 season opener on Sunday, it also suffered a major loss that could affect its ability to sustain that success in the coming weeks.

On Monday, Head Coach Raheem Morris revealed that starting center Jeff Faine, recognized as one of the team's most critical players on offense, sustained a triceps strain in his left (non-snapping) arm against the Dallas Cowboys that will force him to miss "a few weeks."

Because the injury will not require surgery, the exact prognosis for Faine's recovery is difficult to nail down at this point. Faine is a tough player who can perform through discomfort, but it's not yet certain how long it will take him to regain the necessary functions in the arm to be able to play at an acceptable level. However, it is certain that Faine will miss next week's game at Buffalo, so the Buccaneers are hurriedly exploring the possible options at center.

"We're going to look on our roster and off our roster," said Morris. "We've got some guys. [Jonathan] Compas came in yesterday and finished off the game for us. We've got guys on the roster and we also have guys off the roster that we've got to keep an eye out for."

Compas played in the fourth quarter after Faine's injury and helped the Bucs' sustain a 72-yard drive that culminated in Kellen Winslow's touchdown catch. An undrafted rookie out of Cal-Davis, Compas joined the Buccaneers as a waiver claim in the final week of the preseason after he was released by the Oakland Raiders.

A third-team AP All-American in 2008, Compas operated in a zone-blocking scheme similar to what the Buccaneers use during his four years at Cal-Davis. He also notices some overlap in schemes and terminology from the offense he learned while with in Oakland and that of the Buccaneers. Still, he knows he has some busy days ahead of him if the Bucs decide to start him during Faine's absence.

You've just always got to be ready to step up," he said. "It is a lot to absorb in a short time. I was in Oakland before this and we ran a West Coast offense and some of the technology carries over. Obviously, at the same time there's a lot of things to learn so I've got to have a steep learning curve, especially this week."

The Buccaneers gained 450 yards of total offense against the Cowboys and received outstanding play from the offensive line, as evidenced by the 174 rushing yards and zero sacks allowed. Morris believes the team will be able to maintain that success even during Faine's absence, but doesn't minimize what the team will be missing without their veteran center on the field.

"It's just his intensity, him starting the game," said Morris. "He kind of fires me up, looking at him in the pregame. He fires me up looking at him in the game. [He has] the knowledge; [we] know how smart he is, how well-prepared he is, how good of a professional he is. That's exactly what he is: He's a pro. He's a professional athlete and he treats his job like a professional. He teaches his room how to be a professional. That's a huge loss, losing a guy like Faine. Huge."

The Buccaneers could also choose to fill the void at center by shifting starting left guard Jeremy Zuttah to the middle and inserting another reserve, perhaps Marcus Johnson, at guard. Johnson played left guard for a brief period against the Cowboys on Sunday after Zuttah suffered a minor left ankle sprain. Zuttah did re-enter the game in fourth quarter and said the ankle felt better on Monday morning than he had expected.

Zuttah took snaps at center during the Bucs' first mini-camp during the 2009 offseason but has since played almost exclusively at guard in the absence of 2008 starter Arron Sears. Still, given his demonstrated versatility, Zuttah could get the call to slide over one spot.

"Whatever they ask, I'm willing to do," he said. "It would just take some adjusting, that's all."

The Bucs may look for reinforcements along the line no matter what the final solution to Faine's absence proves to be. Behind the original starting five, the team's depth on the O-line consisted of Johnson, a fifth-year player who was also claimed off waivers from the Raiders in the final preseason week, and three undrafted rookies (Compas, Marc Dile and Demar Dotson).

Besides Faine and Zuttah, the only other player Morris identified as having an injury worth watching after Sunday's game was wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Bryant did not sustain a new injury but rather missed time late in the game as he dealt with soreness in the knee that required arthroscopic surgery in early August. Morris said that the Buccaneers would have to monitor Bryant's knee each week but did not indicate that he is expected to miss any time.