Not really, but history shows the odds are in the Bucs favor. 8 times the Bucs have started the first 4 games 3-1 or better and 6 times the Bucs have made the playoffs, that's a 65% record.
The two times the Buccaneers have started 3-1 and have failed to make the playoffs were in 1990 and 1992. 1990 was Ray Perkins last year and as the Bucs started 3-1, they finished 5-11 and were painful to watch. There was very little talent on that team. Vinny Testaverde was on the squad but he had no one surrounding him. In 1992, Sam Wyche came to town and started 3-1 but finished 4-12. Vinny had a bit more talent around him with Reggie Cobb running for 1100 yds and 9 scores while Lawrence Dawsey (FSU grad) and Mark Carrier combined for almost 120 receptions, but only 5 scores. Another team which was painful to watch.
The Bucs history from the mid 1980's to late 1990's is easy to forget so let's look at the 6 years the Bucs made the playoffs after starting 3-1 or better. Four times the Bucs won their division and twice they made the playoffs as wildcard participants.
1979- started 4-0, finished 10-6. Division Champions. (won the NFC Central because of a better conference record than Chicago which also finished 10-6)
This was the season which cemented me as a Bucs fan forever. I remember the criticism of Doug Williams as being he threw the ball too hard. If you liked defense, this was a fun team to watch as they gave up the leagues least points, 237. There wasn't much offense. My hero, Doug Williams, didn't have much to work with. Ricky Bell and Jerry Eckwood ran the ball and the tight end Jimmie Giles was the main target. But, unknown to these players nearly 30 years ago, they were laying the blueprint for Bucs ball in the future, defense first. This team advanced all the way to the NFC Championship game, but lost 9-0 to the Los Angeles Rams, who eventually were routed by the Steelers 31-19 in the Super Bowl.
1997- started 4-0, finished 10-6. Wildcard.
This was the first season of the uniform changes for the Buccaneers from the orange creamsicle look with Bucco Bruce on the helmet to the current Pewter and red with the battle flag pirate look. I love the retro, but the current uniforms are a MAJOR upgrade. Quickest way to get to the playoffs, is a uniform change. (see future post)
Trent Dilfer threw for 2500 yards and 21 scores this season, led the Bucs to a wildcard playoff win 20-10 against Detroit but ultimately lost the divisional game 21-7 in Green Bay.
2000- started 3-1, finished 10-6. Wildcard.
Shaun King got the starting nod after leading the Bucs to the NFC Championship game against the Rams in the previous season. King threw for 2700 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Bucs underwent a 4 game losing streak during the season. Tampa loses to Philly in the Divisional game 21-3.
2002- started 3-1, finished 12-4 (best season record) Division Champions, Super Bowl Champions
This was the first year of the NFL realignment, creating 4 divisions in each Conference. The Buccaneers were moved from the former NFC Central to the NFC South division aligned with Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta. Brad Johnson threw for 3000 yards and 22 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. The running game only scored 6 touchdowns for the regular season.
In the playoffs, Tampa destroyed San Fransisco 31-6 at home, Philly 27-10 at Philadelphia and Oakland 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.
2005- started 4-0, finished 11-5. Division Champions.
The Bucs started the season 4-0 with a new running back, Carnell (Cadilliac) Williams, who set the 3 game rushing record for a rookie. Brian Griese started the season as 5-1 as a starter but was lost to a season ending injury in the Miami Dolphins game. Chris Simms came on to assume starting QB duties and the Bucs finished the season 11-5. The Bucs lose the game late to the Washington Redskins on a questionable touchdown catch in the south endzone 17-10.
2007- started 3-1, finished 9-7. Division Champions.
In a season filled with injuries, the Bucs finally were able to give significant playing time to a fan favorite, Earnest Graham. Graham was a player known as Mr. August, who received copious playing time during preseason but never during regular season. After injuries to RB Carnell Williams and Michael Pittman, Graham responded with a 898 yard and 10 touchdown effort.
New free agent acquisition quarterback Jeff Garcia threw for 2400 yards and 13 touchdowns, but missed games late in the season. Tampa played the eventual World Champion New York Giants in Tampa during a Divisional playoff game and lost, 24-14.
So, if history is on the Bucs side, we might see the Bucs in the post season this year.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Bucs score 30 and guess what?
Yes, a Bucs victory. We are now 2-0 when scoring 27 points or more in the 2008 season. Certainly today the Bucs tried to grab defeat out of the jaws of victory and several mistakes were made. There is still the issue of red zone scoring, which seemingly is an annual issue. Today's game should have been out of reach for the Packers by halftime but the Bucs continue to settle for field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. Brian Griese has thrown 6 interceptions in the past two weeks, granted a few were tipped, but his ball control has to improve.
Dexter "skids" Jackson finally was able to give Bucs fans a glimpse of why he was drafted. He was solid in his kickoff returns today and late in the 4th quarter, weaved his way up the field on a punt return which helped the field position for Tampa Bay to kick the go ahead field goal.
The defense, which was written off the National media (phissssssssshh!) as not being the same Tampa defense of days gone by, showed everyone that they can bring it with the best of them, creating 4 turnovers, scoring a touchdown and knocking yet another quarterback out of the game. Derrick Brooks must have found the Fountain of Youth last week because he was flying all over the field, getting an interception, missing out on two others, forcing a fumble, and being involved in some key plays of the game.
Next up? The Denver Broncos. The last time the Bucs have traveled to Denver was September 15, 1996. The Buccos lost 27-23. Any Tampa fan knows the struggles this team has traveling West. However, the seemingly invincible looking Broncos lost today 33-19 to the lowly Kansas City Royals, errrrrrr, I mean Chiefs. It's a surprising season.
Dexter "skids" Jackson finally was able to give Bucs fans a glimpse of why he was drafted. He was solid in his kickoff returns today and late in the 4th quarter, weaved his way up the field on a punt return which helped the field position for Tampa Bay to kick the go ahead field goal.
The defense, which was written off the National media (phissssssssshh!) as not being the same Tampa defense of days gone by, showed everyone that they can bring it with the best of them, creating 4 turnovers, scoring a touchdown and knocking yet another quarterback out of the game. Derrick Brooks must have found the Fountain of Youth last week because he was flying all over the field, getting an interception, missing out on two others, forcing a fumble, and being involved in some key plays of the game.
Next up? The Denver Broncos. The last time the Bucs have traveled to Denver was September 15, 1996. The Buccos lost 27-23. Any Tampa fan knows the struggles this team has traveling West. However, the seemingly invincible looking Broncos lost today 33-19 to the lowly Kansas City Royals, errrrrrr, I mean Chiefs. It's a surprising season.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Week 4 picks
Last week, I rebounded a tad over my near .500 first two weeks by correctly picking 11 of 16 match ups. My season record after week 3 is 25-18. This week 6 teams get an early season bye. The Mullets, Lions, Patriots, Giants Colts and Seahawks are all off this weekend. There are some pretty good matchups this weekend.
So here we go,
Carolina over Atlanta
Cincy over Cleveland
Jacksonville over Houston
Denver over Kansas City
Arizona over New York Jets
Tampa over Green Bay
Tennessee over Minnesota
San Diego over Oakland
Buffalo over St Louis
Dallas over Crackheads
Eagles over Bears
Ravens over Pittsburgh
upset pick of the week-
San Fransisco over New Orleans
Highest scoring team-
Dallas
Lowest scoring team
Oakland
So here we go,
Carolina over Atlanta
Cincy over Cleveland
Jacksonville over Houston
Denver over Kansas City
Arizona over New York Jets
Tampa over Green Bay
Tennessee over Minnesota
San Diego over Oakland
Buffalo over St Louis
Dallas over Crackheads
Eagles over Bears
Ravens over Pittsburgh
upset pick of the week-
San Fransisco over New Orleans
Highest scoring team-
Dallas
Lowest scoring team
Oakland
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bucs score 27 and win. Read this before?
I felt compelled to repost an earlier blog posting from February which supports my earlier post.
Monday, February 18, 2008
26 points and we win!
As the Bucs move towards the free agency period and the draft, there seems to be three areas to focus on, the defensive line, cornerback and the dire need to add a couple of playmakers on offense. Sure, Joey Galloway continued on his Darryl Green-like career, notching his third consecutive 1000 yard season, but wound up at the end of the year playing with a bad wing and was a non factor in the playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants.The simple fact is that the offense has to improve. The Bucs struggled in the red zone this season and settled for field goals when they should have been scoring touchdowns. The Jacksonville loss this year immediately comes to mind. An interesting trend emerges when you look at the Jon Gruden tenure with the Bucs. In the 6 years with Gruden holding the tiller, when the Bucs score 26 points or more, including the playoffs, they have a 21-3 record. They were 7-0 in the Super Bowl year of 2002, 3-0 in 2004, 5-0 in 2005 and 4-0 this past season. Actually, the only year Tampa had a losing record when scoring 26 points or more, was the abomination in 2006, when they lost 34-31 in Chicago, even though Tim Rattay led a valiant comeback effort in defeat.In this day and age of prolific scoring in the NFL, 26 points a game shouldn't be such an insurmountable goal. It's simply 28 points more than the Bucs all-time single season scoring point total of 388 in 2000 when second year quarterback Shaun King was under center and he was throwing to the likes of Keyshawn Johnson, Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green. So how to rectify the problem?The first thing I would address is the return game. While the Bucs did finally produce their first ever franchise kickoff return for a touchdown this season, the punt return game suffered greatly. I realize injuries took their toll as the season progressed, but by the end of the year, the Bucs should have simply put all 11 men on the line and tried to block the punt rather than set up a return. Through either free agency or the draft, the front office should focus on finding one player which can return both kickoffs and punts while being able to fill in at a wide reciever position. I really like Devrey Henderson from New Orleans for this. He's a young player who has great speed. Second, the wide receiving corps has got to be upgraded. Galloway could most likely play 2-3 more years, but he's got to get some help. Ike Hilliard had a good year but suffered a neck injury late in the season. Maurice Stovall shined on special teams until he was lost at the end of the season with a broken arm. And once again, Michael Clayton stood out with his blocking ability but had a lackluster year in receiving, 22 receptions for 301 yards and no scores really strikes no fear in opposing defenses. This writer believes that Clayton and Stovall are really on the bubble this year. One player which could be considered an upgrade at the wide reciever position and is now available is Donte Stallworth. This former first round pick in 2002 by the New Orleans Saints, played for the New England Patriots this past year in the third wideout position recording 46 receptions for nearly 700 yards and three scores. Thats really not all bad when you consider he was playing with Moss and Welker. The front office should move on bringing Donte in for a tryout/interview. Stallworth has played with Jeff Garcia in the past, and while he's never posted a 1000 yard season in his career, I feel he would be a major addition to the recieving corps. He's a solid reciever, not another Alvin Harper or Bert Emanuel. Remember, the objective is to get to 26 points per game.Third, there is always the nagging position known as tight end. For so many years, the Bucs have had to rely on a big blocking tightend so he could stay in and help block with the dire state of the offensive line. With a young o-line coming together, perhaps we can actually utilize that position in the offense more next season. I thought Jerramy Stevens did some good things down the stretch this year, but recently there have been some character issues brought up again regarding him. Alex Smith, who always seems to look like he's right on the cusp of becoming an elite player, but then something happens. Anthony Becht, along with Stevens are both free agents this offseason and might not be back. I've read reports after the Super Bowl that the Bucs front office might want to trade for Jeremy Shockey from the Giants. Shockey might be a good player, but it just brings to mind how the egos of Gruden v. Shockey might co-exisit harmoniously. Then there is Alge Crumpler, expected to be released today from the Falcons. 30 years old, and doubt regarding a knee injury. I say bring him in for a physical and if he's healthy, sign him to a reasonable deal. If not, does anyone have Jackie Harris or Jimmie Giles on speed dial?The last position to address is running back. Usual readers already know I'm excited about the re-signing of Michael Bennett. Earnest Graham will most likely have his contract extended. Mike Pittman might be the odd man out here. I'd love to see him back for another season or two, but not at break the bank money. If Pittman moves on, I'd like to see Dominic Rhodes fill his roster spot. Carnell Williams is up in the air as to whether he will play in 2008 or even ever again in the NFL. I like the fact that Ken Darby can be in the mix in the offseason. I see alot of Warrick Dunn features in his game, pass catching abilities and speed on the outside. There seems to be alot of discussion about Michael Turner from San Diego on the message boards now, but he's going to get a break the bank type deal and really isn't the type of back which fits with the Bucs. Turner is a talent, no doubt, but he needs a Denver, Pittsburgh, Chicago, grind it out style of offense. Tampa needs a Roger Craig, Ricky Waters, or Michael Westbrook type back.In 2002, Gruden instilled the motto, "Pound the Rock" in the lockerroom. Perhaps in 2008, Gruden can work on scoring 26 points or more a game. It's a proven successful combination.
Monday, February 18, 2008
26 points and we win!
As the Bucs move towards the free agency period and the draft, there seems to be three areas to focus on, the defensive line, cornerback and the dire need to add a couple of playmakers on offense. Sure, Joey Galloway continued on his Darryl Green-like career, notching his third consecutive 1000 yard season, but wound up at the end of the year playing with a bad wing and was a non factor in the playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants.The simple fact is that the offense has to improve. The Bucs struggled in the red zone this season and settled for field goals when they should have been scoring touchdowns. The Jacksonville loss this year immediately comes to mind. An interesting trend emerges when you look at the Jon Gruden tenure with the Bucs. In the 6 years with Gruden holding the tiller, when the Bucs score 26 points or more, including the playoffs, they have a 21-3 record. They were 7-0 in the Super Bowl year of 2002, 3-0 in 2004, 5-0 in 2005 and 4-0 this past season. Actually, the only year Tampa had a losing record when scoring 26 points or more, was the abomination in 2006, when they lost 34-31 in Chicago, even though Tim Rattay led a valiant comeback effort in defeat.In this day and age of prolific scoring in the NFL, 26 points a game shouldn't be such an insurmountable goal. It's simply 28 points more than the Bucs all-time single season scoring point total of 388 in 2000 when second year quarterback Shaun King was under center and he was throwing to the likes of Keyshawn Johnson, Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green. So how to rectify the problem?The first thing I would address is the return game. While the Bucs did finally produce their first ever franchise kickoff return for a touchdown this season, the punt return game suffered greatly. I realize injuries took their toll as the season progressed, but by the end of the year, the Bucs should have simply put all 11 men on the line and tried to block the punt rather than set up a return. Through either free agency or the draft, the front office should focus on finding one player which can return both kickoffs and punts while being able to fill in at a wide reciever position. I really like Devrey Henderson from New Orleans for this. He's a young player who has great speed. Second, the wide receiving corps has got to be upgraded. Galloway could most likely play 2-3 more years, but he's got to get some help. Ike Hilliard had a good year but suffered a neck injury late in the season. Maurice Stovall shined on special teams until he was lost at the end of the season with a broken arm. And once again, Michael Clayton stood out with his blocking ability but had a lackluster year in receiving, 22 receptions for 301 yards and no scores really strikes no fear in opposing defenses. This writer believes that Clayton and Stovall are really on the bubble this year. One player which could be considered an upgrade at the wide reciever position and is now available is Donte Stallworth. This former first round pick in 2002 by the New Orleans Saints, played for the New England Patriots this past year in the third wideout position recording 46 receptions for nearly 700 yards and three scores. Thats really not all bad when you consider he was playing with Moss and Welker. The front office should move on bringing Donte in for a tryout/interview. Stallworth has played with Jeff Garcia in the past, and while he's never posted a 1000 yard season in his career, I feel he would be a major addition to the recieving corps. He's a solid reciever, not another Alvin Harper or Bert Emanuel. Remember, the objective is to get to 26 points per game.Third, there is always the nagging position known as tight end. For so many years, the Bucs have had to rely on a big blocking tightend so he could stay in and help block with the dire state of the offensive line. With a young o-line coming together, perhaps we can actually utilize that position in the offense more next season. I thought Jerramy Stevens did some good things down the stretch this year, but recently there have been some character issues brought up again regarding him. Alex Smith, who always seems to look like he's right on the cusp of becoming an elite player, but then something happens. Anthony Becht, along with Stevens are both free agents this offseason and might not be back. I've read reports after the Super Bowl that the Bucs front office might want to trade for Jeremy Shockey from the Giants. Shockey might be a good player, but it just brings to mind how the egos of Gruden v. Shockey might co-exisit harmoniously. Then there is Alge Crumpler, expected to be released today from the Falcons. 30 years old, and doubt regarding a knee injury. I say bring him in for a physical and if he's healthy, sign him to a reasonable deal. If not, does anyone have Jackie Harris or Jimmie Giles on speed dial?The last position to address is running back. Usual readers already know I'm excited about the re-signing of Michael Bennett. Earnest Graham will most likely have his contract extended. Mike Pittman might be the odd man out here. I'd love to see him back for another season or two, but not at break the bank money. If Pittman moves on, I'd like to see Dominic Rhodes fill his roster spot. Carnell Williams is up in the air as to whether he will play in 2008 or even ever again in the NFL. I like the fact that Ken Darby can be in the mix in the offseason. I see alot of Warrick Dunn features in his game, pass catching abilities and speed on the outside. There seems to be alot of discussion about Michael Turner from San Diego on the message boards now, but he's going to get a break the bank type deal and really isn't the type of back which fits with the Bucs. Turner is a talent, no doubt, but he needs a Denver, Pittsburgh, Chicago, grind it out style of offense. Tampa needs a Roger Craig, Ricky Waters, or Michael Westbrook type back.In 2002, Gruden instilled the motto, "Pound the Rock" in the lockerroom. Perhaps in 2008, Gruden can work on scoring 26 points or more a game. It's a proven successful combination.
NFL update week 3
Just some random thoughts after week 3 of the NFL season.
Is the balance of power finally shifting back from the AFC to the NFC?
It's early in the season, yes. But it looks like the stronger teams early in this season are in the NFC. It's a long season, and injuries always play a part in a team's direction, (ask the Patriots) so all I'll say at this point and time is that it appears that the NFC is becoming more competitive with the AFC than it had been over the past decade.
Brett Favre, savior.
Not so much. I watched Favre and the Jets play against the 0-2 Chargers last night. As the Jets offense came off the field, Favre was being force fed the playbook by coaches. I know many Bucs fans were hoping and praying that Favre would come to Tampa Bay but comments by Jaws last night on MNF should seal the deal that Favre would not have made an impact for the Bucs this season. The Jets are now running a static offense, with no one going in motion so Favre can grasp the offense. Gruden throws 4 people in motion one play, 5 people the next. There is no way in hell Gruden would have changed his offense that much to accommodate Favre. And I for one am glad he didn't bring in Brett. It's going to be a long year for the Jets, Favre will throw 25 ints, and the Jets will finish 8-8. By week 12, he'll regret coming back
Bucs- Air Gruden 67 attempts.
While watching the Bucs on Sunday, I thought I had fallen into a 1980 time warp and somehow Dan Fouts was quarterbacking and Don Coryell was coaching. 67 attempts passing?! That was the 4th largest number of attempts in league history. Bucs chatrooms across the internet were filled with the "what if" questions following the game asking whether Garcia, or even Favre, if he had been signed to the Bucs, could have orchestrated such a comeback. As readers of my blog know, I am not a Greise fan, however I supported trading for him. He's not mobile, he make stupid decisions which result in interceptions usually returned for touchdowns, but for some reason this guy works really well in a hurry up offense. Last season, when he was the quarterback of the Chicago Bears, he led a 90 yard touchdown drive to win the game.
At this point, I'm not going to argue, we turned the ball over 4 times on the road and were down 10 with 6 minutes to go and came out with a win. Bonus.
Bennett, Williams, what the hell is going on?
For the third week in a row, Michael Bennett was listed as inactive for the game. The Bucs traded for the former 1st round pick last year when they suffered injuries to both Carnell Williams and Michael Pittman in consecutive weeks. Bennett looked fantastic in preseason, after finally getting a grasp on the complex playbook Gruden's offense presents. Yet, he not been active in any of the first three games this season. This year the Bucs have activated 2 FB and 2 RB each week, and with BJ Askew looking like he might not play with a hamstring issue this week, and the poor play of the next player I'm going to rip, Dexter Jackson, if Bennett isn't activated this week, I don't expect him to play for the Bucs this season.
Why does this Front office do these sorts of things with players? The Bucs traded for Bennett last year, but yet in the off season, signed him to another contract. He ran all over folks in the preseason, but now he can't even get on the field. Why? Gruden wants playmakers in his offense, but refuses to even activate a running back which runs a 4.24 40 and was on the olympic relay trial team. Graham's great, Dunn's older, but neither of them are coming close to running a 4.3.
Now here comes the next surprise. After watching Grudens post game presser on Sunday, he made mention that Cadillac Williams is knocking at the door. Now, Carnell suffered a near career ending injury last season, and has been on the PUP list for the year, meaning he can return to the squad on week 6. Carnell burst on the scene in his rookie season of 2005, rushing for more yards in 3 games than any other rookie, but since then, has been injury prone and has shown he can't catch a ball out of the backfield. Thats a pretty big thing for a back working out of the West Coast Offense that Gruden runs. Carnell was a college teammate of Ronnie Brown at Auburn who torched the Patriots for 5 touchdowns this past weekend. Ronnie and Carnell split time in Auburns backfield, Ronnie suffered a serious knee injury last season as well, but he has come back and shown he can be a bigtime player in the NFL, prior to both players injuries, I believed Brown would be a better back and I stand by that prediction. If I were the coach , activate Williams off the PUP list and put him right on the IR list, then active Bennett weekly.
Dexter "Skids" Jackson-scared of a hit?
The Bucs with their second round draft selection this year, selected 5'9" 170 pound wide receiver from Division II-A Appalachian State. Football fans would recognize him from the cover of last years' Sport Illustrated after Appalachian State upset Michigan early in the season. Dexter has blazing speed and can be a major play maker for the Bucs according to Coach Gruden, he runs a 4.2 40. In case you maybe skipped over a few paragraphs above, we have a running back named Michael Bennett which is just as fast and has 4 years history in the NFL with Minnesota and Kansas City.
Skids Jackson had a punt return for a touchdown in game four of the preseason with 8 minutes to go against a team of people who will never play in the NFL. D-Jax, as he wants to be known as, will be referred to by me as DJ-Skids. I have watched every minute of every Bucs game this year and this kid is scared of contact. He falls down, each and every time he gets a punt or kickoff return. He should be benched this week, made inactive and allow Bennett to return kickoffs.
Is the balance of power finally shifting back from the AFC to the NFC?
It's early in the season, yes. But it looks like the stronger teams early in this season are in the NFC. It's a long season, and injuries always play a part in a team's direction, (ask the Patriots) so all I'll say at this point and time is that it appears that the NFC is becoming more competitive with the AFC than it had been over the past decade.
Brett Favre, savior.
Not so much. I watched Favre and the Jets play against the 0-2 Chargers last night. As the Jets offense came off the field, Favre was being force fed the playbook by coaches. I know many Bucs fans were hoping and praying that Favre would come to Tampa Bay but comments by Jaws last night on MNF should seal the deal that Favre would not have made an impact for the Bucs this season. The Jets are now running a static offense, with no one going in motion so Favre can grasp the offense. Gruden throws 4 people in motion one play, 5 people the next. There is no way in hell Gruden would have changed his offense that much to accommodate Favre. And I for one am glad he didn't bring in Brett. It's going to be a long year for the Jets, Favre will throw 25 ints, and the Jets will finish 8-8. By week 12, he'll regret coming back
Bucs- Air Gruden 67 attempts.
While watching the Bucs on Sunday, I thought I had fallen into a 1980 time warp and somehow Dan Fouts was quarterbacking and Don Coryell was coaching. 67 attempts passing?! That was the 4th largest number of attempts in league history. Bucs chatrooms across the internet were filled with the "what if" questions following the game asking whether Garcia, or even Favre, if he had been signed to the Bucs, could have orchestrated such a comeback. As readers of my blog know, I am not a Greise fan, however I supported trading for him. He's not mobile, he make stupid decisions which result in interceptions usually returned for touchdowns, but for some reason this guy works really well in a hurry up offense. Last season, when he was the quarterback of the Chicago Bears, he led a 90 yard touchdown drive to win the game.
At this point, I'm not going to argue, we turned the ball over 4 times on the road and were down 10 with 6 minutes to go and came out with a win. Bonus.
Bennett, Williams, what the hell is going on?
For the third week in a row, Michael Bennett was listed as inactive for the game. The Bucs traded for the former 1st round pick last year when they suffered injuries to both Carnell Williams and Michael Pittman in consecutive weeks. Bennett looked fantastic in preseason, after finally getting a grasp on the complex playbook Gruden's offense presents. Yet, he not been active in any of the first three games this season. This year the Bucs have activated 2 FB and 2 RB each week, and with BJ Askew looking like he might not play with a hamstring issue this week, and the poor play of the next player I'm going to rip, Dexter Jackson, if Bennett isn't activated this week, I don't expect him to play for the Bucs this season.
Why does this Front office do these sorts of things with players? The Bucs traded for Bennett last year, but yet in the off season, signed him to another contract. He ran all over folks in the preseason, but now he can't even get on the field. Why? Gruden wants playmakers in his offense, but refuses to even activate a running back which runs a 4.24 40 and was on the olympic relay trial team. Graham's great, Dunn's older, but neither of them are coming close to running a 4.3.
Now here comes the next surprise. After watching Grudens post game presser on Sunday, he made mention that Cadillac Williams is knocking at the door. Now, Carnell suffered a near career ending injury last season, and has been on the PUP list for the year, meaning he can return to the squad on week 6. Carnell burst on the scene in his rookie season of 2005, rushing for more yards in 3 games than any other rookie, but since then, has been injury prone and has shown he can't catch a ball out of the backfield. Thats a pretty big thing for a back working out of the West Coast Offense that Gruden runs. Carnell was a college teammate of Ronnie Brown at Auburn who torched the Patriots for 5 touchdowns this past weekend. Ronnie and Carnell split time in Auburns backfield, Ronnie suffered a serious knee injury last season as well, but he has come back and shown he can be a bigtime player in the NFL, prior to both players injuries, I believed Brown would be a better back and I stand by that prediction. If I were the coach , activate Williams off the PUP list and put him right on the IR list, then active Bennett weekly.
Dexter "Skids" Jackson-scared of a hit?
The Bucs with their second round draft selection this year, selected 5'9" 170 pound wide receiver from Division II-A Appalachian State. Football fans would recognize him from the cover of last years' Sport Illustrated after Appalachian State upset Michigan early in the season. Dexter has blazing speed and can be a major play maker for the Bucs according to Coach Gruden, he runs a 4.2 40. In case you maybe skipped over a few paragraphs above, we have a running back named Michael Bennett which is just as fast and has 4 years history in the NFL with Minnesota and Kansas City.
Skids Jackson had a punt return for a touchdown in game four of the preseason with 8 minutes to go against a team of people who will never play in the NFL. D-Jax, as he wants to be known as, will be referred to by me as DJ-Skids. I have watched every minute of every Bucs game this year and this kid is scared of contact. He falls down, each and every time he gets a punt or kickoff return. He should be benched this week, made inactive and allow Bennett to return kickoffs.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
FSU- It's time for a change
My beloved Florida State Seminoles have fallen on hard times. The past few years the Seminoles have posted 7-6 seasons, after being one of the Nations elite team in the 1990's.
I am watching the Noles play Wake Forest, Wake "freaking" Forest. The Noles have turned the ball over 6 times and the Wake place kicker has missed 3 kicks.
Bobby Bowden is a coaching icon, however, it's time to turn the reigns over to someone else. This team is a mess and it has been for 3 years now. The way Jimbo Fishser is switching quarterbacks in and out during this game, and he is supposedly the coach of the future at Florida State, I don't like the future. This is the second game in a row at home in Tally where the Noles did not score a touchdown.
The Noles have fallen from an elite program in college football which used to challenge for national championships each year to now being the 5th best team in the state of Florida. My how the mighty have fallen.
I am watching the Noles play Wake Forest, Wake "freaking" Forest. The Noles have turned the ball over 6 times and the Wake place kicker has missed 3 kicks.
Bobby Bowden is a coaching icon, however, it's time to turn the reigns over to someone else. This team is a mess and it has been for 3 years now. The way Jimbo Fishser is switching quarterbacks in and out during this game, and he is supposedly the coach of the future at Florida State, I don't like the future. This is the second game in a row at home in Tally where the Noles did not score a touchdown.
The Noles have fallen from an elite program in college football which used to challenge for national championships each year to now being the 5th best team in the state of Florida. My how the mighty have fallen.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Joe Maddon- Manager of the Year
Once again, I've got to reiterate my decision that Joe Maddon must be the MLB Manager of the Year, regardless of what the future holds for the Rays. For the first time in Rays history, the Rays won the season series over the Red Sox, 10-8.
Maddon has managed a team which is on the current pace to set the record for the largest rebound in bullpen era, a differential of over 3 runs a game. When the Rays hit a slump just prior to the All-Star break, the media elite, wrote off the Rays. They were done, it was a good run, but Boston or New York will attain the top spot by the seasons' end. Hmmmm.
Then the Rays lose Evan Longoria, Troy Percival, BJ Upton, there is no way they can maintain their pace with losing the #2 and#3 hitters in the lineup. Guess what? Just as this team has done all season, other players stepped up. Carlos Pena went on a home run tear. Willy Aybar showed how good he is as an everyday player. Each and everyday, it seemed as if there was a new hero which would lead this team to victory.
Going into this season, I believed that the Rays would be improved, but after all the criticism of Joe Maddon and Rays management last offseason, I believe Rays management, which is rooted in the NYSE, built a business plan which was successful. Perhaps more successful than expected as soon, but Rays fans will take it.
Go Rays!!!!!!
Maddon has managed a team which is on the current pace to set the record for the largest rebound in bullpen era, a differential of over 3 runs a game. When the Rays hit a slump just prior to the All-Star break, the media elite, wrote off the Rays. They were done, it was a good run, but Boston or New York will attain the top spot by the seasons' end. Hmmmm.
Then the Rays lose Evan Longoria, Troy Percival, BJ Upton, there is no way they can maintain their pace with losing the #2 and#3 hitters in the lineup. Guess what? Just as this team has done all season, other players stepped up. Carlos Pena went on a home run tear. Willy Aybar showed how good he is as an everyday player. Each and everyday, it seemed as if there was a new hero which would lead this team to victory.
Going into this season, I believed that the Rays would be improved, but after all the criticism of Joe Maddon and Rays management last offseason, I believe Rays management, which is rooted in the NYSE, built a business plan which was successful. Perhaps more successful than expected as soon, but Rays fans will take it.
Go Rays!!!!!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Classic NFC East Matchup
What a great Monday night game. Announcers still suck, but the play on the field was fantastic.
I'm breaking from my tradition of late week picks for the upcoming games, I've gotta do something here to shake off the rust. It's been a very rough 2 weeks in the early season.
I was 8/15 last week and that brings my total to 14/27, brutal ratio.
My picks for the coming week:
Atlanta over Kansas City
Buffalo over Oakland
Tampa over Chicago
Minnesota over Carolina
New England over Miami
Giants over Cincy
Titans over Texans
Cardinals over the Crackheads
Broncos over Saints
49er's over Detroit
Seahawks over Rams
Browns over Ravens
Indy over Jacksonville
Steelers over Philly
upset pick
Green Bay over Dallas
San Diego over Jets
high scoring game of the week- Denver/New Orleans
lowest scoring game of the week- Tampa/Chicago
I'm breaking from my tradition of late week picks for the upcoming games, I've gotta do something here to shake off the rust. It's been a very rough 2 weeks in the early season.
I was 8/15 last week and that brings my total to 14/27, brutal ratio.
My picks for the coming week:
Atlanta over Kansas City
Buffalo over Oakland
Tampa over Chicago
Minnesota over Carolina
New England over Miami
Giants over Cincy
Titans over Texans
Cardinals over the Crackheads
Broncos over Saints
49er's over Detroit
Seahawks over Rams
Browns over Ravens
Indy over Jacksonville
Steelers over Philly
upset pick
Green Bay over Dallas
San Diego over Jets
high scoring game of the week- Denver/New Orleans
lowest scoring game of the week- Tampa/Chicago
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Shaping up to be bizzare season
San Diego lost a game this Sunday based on a questionable call, but at the end of the day, they have lost 2 games which they have lost by a total of 3 points. Brutal for a team many picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
The New England Kodacks ruined Brett Farve's home opener. Somehow the Pats are 2-0 but the Bills are looking tough and could be the team to beat in the AFC East.
Jacksonville, this team is now 0-2. They have lost both of their starting guards on the OL and there doesn't seem to be any quick answers to this team I thought might challenge for the Divisional title.
Seattle, the perennial NFC West Champions are now 0-2, and going into the season were weak at the wide receiver position, with Bobby Engram and Deion Branch on the IR list. Nate Burelson stepped up in week one and then suffered a season ending injury in that first week game. Then today, reports are out that both wideouts from todays game are injured as well. I can't see this team making a serious push towards the playoffs when they could lose 4 of their first 5.
Detroit, I picked you to win the NFC North, but you screwed me in week 1 in fantasy football and now week 2 in my football picks, looking in retrospect, I should have picked the Packers to win the division. Aaron Rodgers looks great and the Packers defense looks solid.
After week 2, I believe there has to be some serious consideration given to the Broncos representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. This team is loaded with weapons, albeit, a weak defense, but they can score some serious points.
The New England Kodacks ruined Brett Farve's home opener. Somehow the Pats are 2-0 but the Bills are looking tough and could be the team to beat in the AFC East.
Jacksonville, this team is now 0-2. They have lost both of their starting guards on the OL and there doesn't seem to be any quick answers to this team I thought might challenge for the Divisional title.
Seattle, the perennial NFC West Champions are now 0-2, and going into the season were weak at the wide receiver position, with Bobby Engram and Deion Branch on the IR list. Nate Burelson stepped up in week one and then suffered a season ending injury in that first week game. Then today, reports are out that both wideouts from todays game are injured as well. I can't see this team making a serious push towards the playoffs when they could lose 4 of their first 5.
Detroit, I picked you to win the NFC North, but you screwed me in week 1 in fantasy football and now week 2 in my football picks, looking in retrospect, I should have picked the Packers to win the division. Aaron Rodgers looks great and the Packers defense looks solid.
After week 2, I believe there has to be some serious consideration given to the Broncos representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. This team is loaded with weapons, albeit, a weak defense, but they can score some serious points.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
NBC- we get your bias
I've been a longtime fan of SNL and tonight I tuned in to watch Michael Phelps as he hosted tonights episode of SNL. What a disgraceful episode of the show. NBC should be embarassed in airing such a politically slanted program. The first 5-6 skits of the show had no humor, just blatant digs on McCain and mostly on Sarah Palin. Interesting, in twenty years, I've never seen so many attacks on a VP candidate. She must just scare the hell out of the left and the Messiah, Obama's campaign. You should be scared on the left. Why didn't Obama go down to the coast in Galveston with his staff, lay his hands upon the water, and abate any damage from Hurricane Ike?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Week 2 picks
Welcome to another unpredictable NFL season. Last week New England lost their general, Indy looked lost, San Diego loses at home to Carolina, Atlanta shows up with a new team and lights it up, Buffalo looked good and of course, Lord Favre won against the Mullets.
I was 6/12 last week. Not a good week thats for sure. We'll see if we can improve this week.
Tennessee over Cincy
New Orleans over The Crackheads
KC over Oakland
Chicago over Carolina
Giants over St Louis Rams
Buffalo over JAX
Indy over Minnesota
Seattle over San Fran
Tampa over Atlanta
Arizona over the Mullets
San Diego over Denver
Jets over Patriots
Pittsburgh over Cleveland
Dallas over Philly
if the game is played- Houston over Baltimore
upset- Detroit over Green Bay
Highest scoring game- Pitts/Cleve
Lowest scoring game- Carolina/Chicago.
I was 6/12 last week. Not a good week thats for sure. We'll see if we can improve this week.
Tennessee over Cincy
New Orleans over The Crackheads
KC over Oakland
Chicago over Carolina
Giants over St Louis Rams
Buffalo over JAX
Indy over Minnesota
Seattle over San Fran
Tampa over Atlanta
Arizona over the Mullets
San Diego over Denver
Jets over Patriots
Pittsburgh over Cleveland
Dallas over Philly
if the game is played- Houston over Baltimore
upset- Detroit over Green Bay
Highest scoring game- Pitts/Cleve
Lowest scoring game- Carolina/Chicago.
What the HELL is wrong with the league office?
Hey Commish Goodell, I realize you are from Jamestown NY, but does the league office not get the Weather Channel on tv? What the HELL are you thinking about by simply moving the Texans/Ravens game in Houston from Sunday until Monday night? Forecast models are showing the possibility of as much as a 25 foot storm surge in areas of Galveston Bay.
This is not to mention the large wind field associated with this storm, there will be massive power outages and there is going to be no way in hell that this game is going to be played Monday night. The league office should have relocated this game today to a neutral site, ie, Atlanta, because if this game is postponed, the make up game will cause a scheduling conflict down the road, hampering either team especially if they are in a playoff run later on in the season.
Come on Goodell, move the game tomorrow morning. And those of you in Texas, you are in my thoughts.
This is not to mention the large wind field associated with this storm, there will be massive power outages and there is going to be no way in hell that this game is going to be played Monday night. The league office should have relocated this game today to a neutral site, ie, Atlanta, because if this game is postponed, the make up game will cause a scheduling conflict down the road, hampering either team especially if they are in a playoff run later on in the season.
Come on Goodell, move the game tomorrow morning. And those of you in Texas, you are in my thoughts.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Quick picks for Sunday
After watching the Rays lose in 13 innings, I'm now watching USF, so a short post to pick Sundays games.
Detroit over Atlanta
Buffalo over Seattle
New England over KC
Jacksonville over Tenn
Tampa over New Orleans
Philly over St Louis
San Diego over Carolina
Arizona over San Fransico
Dallas over Cleveland
Indy over the Bears
Minnesota over Green Bay
Denver over Oakland
Highest scoring game- Dallas/Cleveland
Lowest scoring game- Jacksonville/Tenn
Detroit over Atlanta
Buffalo over Seattle
New England over KC
Jacksonville over Tenn
Tampa over New Orleans
Philly over St Louis
San Diego over Carolina
Arizona over San Fransico
Dallas over Cleveland
Indy over the Bears
Minnesota over Green Bay
Denver over Oakland
Highest scoring game- Dallas/Cleveland
Lowest scoring game- Jacksonville/Tenn
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Media Morons
Well, Hurricane Gustav has come and gone. What a wide variety of coverage of this storm there has been over the past 48 hours. Big Fat Michael Moore stated that God hates the Republicans and that is why Gustav was bearing down on New Orleans on the eve of the Republican Convention. Hey Mike, since when did you start believing in God? Worry less about Sarah Palin and more about your waistline.
One thing I feel needs to be addressed is how those in the know, "media types", reporters, reporter-ettes, etc, constantly will feed all of us lemmings on how we are supposed to behave during the time of the storm. Evacuate. If you stay behind, secure your property, stay inside, hunker down, wait for word from local officials. Hmm. I've always wondered what actually constituted a "hunker", is that a huddle, is that the crash position from the airline instruction, is that a huddle in the supposed bunker we all are supposed to have? There should be a Congressional law passed to ban the use of the word Hunker Down, during hurricane season.
Well, as in almost every facet of our lives, the media reporters and reporter-ettes felt compelled to go out in the elements to show those of us hunkering down to display the fury of Gustav.
You could almost sense a feeling of disappointment of many reporters that the damage wasn't worse than it was. The evacuation was well planned and very well executed. There was no levee breaches, no massive flooding in downtown New Orleans. It's interesting as the NHC always says never focus on the thin line of the forecast track, but look at the area which can be affected.
The media didn't follow their own advice given to us lemmings and harbored the bigwigs of all the networks right on Canal St in the French Quarter. They were all waiting, waiting, and waiting for the floods, looting, massive ruination all around. Instead we saw a few signs blowing around, a few trees down, and a street light or two blown down.
Viewers of every network on Monday morning were treated to see some moron or another standing in tropical storm force winds, dressed in the latest foul weather gear from LL Bean, looking like they were ready to scale Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, explaining how bad the rain bands are. Then you'd see three normally dressed folks walk right behind them on camera down the street or beach. The reporters would complain about how bad the sand was pelting them, or they can't see. Simple answer morons, get out of the weather. Prior to Gustav, Jim Cantore basically leveled a death sentence on shrimpers who stayed on their vessels near Houma.
The most irresponsible reporting I saw during this storm was by Geraldo Rivera. Surprise? Still looking for something in Capone's vault? Rivera decided he was going to go to the Industrial Canal Levee in the height of the storm and walk right up to it, climb on the levee and make his camera man follow him to get film footage. You could tell the camera man wasn't crazy about this idea as Geraldo keeps yelling at him, giving him directions. After watching this, I compared Geraldos' behavior to the man who was seriously injured while kite surfing in Miami in advance of TS Fay. The kite surfer was in critical condition after his accident and his video made almost every media outlet and reporters comments were all surrounding how foolish his behavior was.
However, if the levee had failed in the foolhardy action taken yesterday by Geraldo and his cameraman would have been killed, these two would have been held up in media glory about 2 individuals which perished while bringing the news to the world. Media folks think the mass public can't think for themselves.
Here in Lee County, there has been local flooding as a result of sheetflow after TS Fay. The local reporter-ettes have been dispatched to cover the flooding story in Bonita Springs. For some reason, local reporters always feel the need to stand in ankle deep water, wearing hip waders, and report to viewers the need to stay out of flood waters. Let's hope Darwin and natural selection might take effect.
One thing I feel needs to be addressed is how those in the know, "media types", reporters, reporter-ettes, etc, constantly will feed all of us lemmings on how we are supposed to behave during the time of the storm. Evacuate. If you stay behind, secure your property, stay inside, hunker down, wait for word from local officials. Hmm. I've always wondered what actually constituted a "hunker", is that a huddle, is that the crash position from the airline instruction, is that a huddle in the supposed bunker we all are supposed to have? There should be a Congressional law passed to ban the use of the word Hunker Down, during hurricane season.
Well, as in almost every facet of our lives, the media reporters and reporter-ettes felt compelled to go out in the elements to show those of us hunkering down to display the fury of Gustav.
You could almost sense a feeling of disappointment of many reporters that the damage wasn't worse than it was. The evacuation was well planned and very well executed. There was no levee breaches, no massive flooding in downtown New Orleans. It's interesting as the NHC always says never focus on the thin line of the forecast track, but look at the area which can be affected.
The media didn't follow their own advice given to us lemmings and harbored the bigwigs of all the networks right on Canal St in the French Quarter. They were all waiting, waiting, and waiting for the floods, looting, massive ruination all around. Instead we saw a few signs blowing around, a few trees down, and a street light or two blown down.
Viewers of every network on Monday morning were treated to see some moron or another standing in tropical storm force winds, dressed in the latest foul weather gear from LL Bean, looking like they were ready to scale Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, explaining how bad the rain bands are. Then you'd see three normally dressed folks walk right behind them on camera down the street or beach. The reporters would complain about how bad the sand was pelting them, or they can't see. Simple answer morons, get out of the weather. Prior to Gustav, Jim Cantore basically leveled a death sentence on shrimpers who stayed on their vessels near Houma.
The most irresponsible reporting I saw during this storm was by Geraldo Rivera. Surprise? Still looking for something in Capone's vault? Rivera decided he was going to go to the Industrial Canal Levee in the height of the storm and walk right up to it, climb on the levee and make his camera man follow him to get film footage. You could tell the camera man wasn't crazy about this idea as Geraldo keeps yelling at him, giving him directions. After watching this, I compared Geraldos' behavior to the man who was seriously injured while kite surfing in Miami in advance of TS Fay. The kite surfer was in critical condition after his accident and his video made almost every media outlet and reporters comments were all surrounding how foolish his behavior was.
However, if the levee had failed in the foolhardy action taken yesterday by Geraldo and his cameraman would have been killed, these two would have been held up in media glory about 2 individuals which perished while bringing the news to the world. Media folks think the mass public can't think for themselves.
Here in Lee County, there has been local flooding as a result of sheetflow after TS Fay. The local reporter-ettes have been dispatched to cover the flooding story in Bonita Springs. For some reason, local reporters always feel the need to stand in ankle deep water, wearing hip waders, and report to viewers the need to stay out of flood waters. Let's hope Darwin and natural selection might take effect.
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