Buccaneers Finally Get A QB: It’s Byron

One national Web site called him “Fat Albert.” Some say he looks like an overgrown Gary Coleman. Others call him a “windmill,” or “The Big Dipper.”

Whatever name you choose to call him, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris has one of his own: “starting quarterback.”

He is Byron Leftwich, proud winner of the competition to take the snap on opening day against the Dallas Cowboys in Raymond James Stadium.

Word came out early Saturday morning when radio station WDAE broke the news before the Buccaneer practice. Morris had let the team know before practice of the decision.

After practice, Morris announced his decision to the media and explained this decision and why it dragged on so long. He said Leftwich emerged as the leader after the OTAs. The race drew closer during camp and after the Jacksonville preseason game there was a split among those who had input.

He said that ownership had no input, contrary to ongoing reports and rumors.

Morris downplayed experience as the sole determining factor, but at the end of the day he seemed to go with the safe pick. This was the pick that was bantered abouot nationwide during the Fox broadcast Thursday night, when Pam Oliver, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman all went on the record saying Leftwich was the guy.

They were right.

Now it will be interesting to see how the rest of the QB lineup shakes out. Morris said Luke McCown is the backup, Josh Freeman will hold a clipboard and that Josh Johnson may still make the team.

Confusing, at best. A $2.5 million backup and a multimillion-dollar baby inactive for the games?

This is not over yet.

Bank on it.

The story is just beginning.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB Decision Goes To ‘Committee’

Imagine if you will, Raheem Morris on the show “Who Wants To Be An NFL Head Coach?” Regis Philbin asks him the million dollar question:

 

Regis: “Ok, Raheem, for ONE MILLION DOLLARS:

“Who is the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?”

“You answers are:

A. Byron Leftwich B. Luke McCown C. Josh Freeman D. Josh Johnson.

Raheem: “Geez Regis, I’m so excited about all four! Can I use my lifelines?”

Regis: “Sure Raheem, you have all your lifelines available. You can poll the audience, you can phone a friend, you can ask for the 50-50.”

Raheem: “Oh Regis, I’m so excited. How about if I poll the audience?”

Regis: “Ok, Raheem. And the audience says:

“40% Byron Leftwich, 40% Luke McCown, 15% Josh Freeman and 5% Josh Johnson.”

Raheem: “Geez Regis, that’s not helping me, this is so tough, can I phone a friend?”

Regis: “Sure Raheem, who do you want to call?”

Raheem: “I want to call Mark Dominik…”

(phone ringing)

Regis: “Hello, Mark Dominik!”

Dominik:  “Yes…”

Regis: “Mark, this is Regis Philbin on ‘Who Wants To Be An NFL Head Coach’. I’ve got Raheem Morris here with us, and he has a question for you…”

Raheem: “Hey Mark!”

Dominik: “Raheem, how goes it?”

Raheem: “Well Mark, I have a tough question here and I want to run the answers by you..”

Dominik: “Ok.”

Raheem: “The question is ‘Who is the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers…the answers are: A. Byron Leftwich B. Luke McCown C. Josh Freeman and D. Josh Johnson.”

Dominik:  “Well, Raheem, I don’t think it’s C or D, but I’m not sure about the other two. Sorry…”

Regis: “Well, Raheem, I’m sorry too.”

Raheem: “Regis, I still have the 50-50 left, let’s try that…”

Regis: “And the  50-50 is: A and B.”

Raheem: “Geez, I’m so excited about both.”

Regis: “Ok Raheem, decision time…”

Suddenly, horn blast.

Regis: “Oh goodness Raheem, that’s all the time we have for tonight, we’ll have to come back next week and play, ‘Who wants to be an NFL head coach?’

“See you then.”

Raheem: “I’m so excited!”

Buccaneers-Dolphins: Tampa Bay Gets a Mixed Bag in Rain-Soaked Loss

In between the rain, the lightning, the penalties, and a second half that could cure insomnia around the world, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a 10-6 yawner Thursday night in Tampa to the Miami Dolphins, but this third game of the preseason proved a mixed bag for this young, developing football team.

There was some great news amidst the 60 minutes of football.

Cadillac Williams came out of the garage and got his motor running, early and often.

Yes, there was the surgically “restored” Cadillac, looking like the rookie sensation he once was, churning around and through the Miami Dolphins defense. He put some life in the rain-soaked crowd and perhaps gave head coach Raheem Morris some reason to feel that his team may actually be able to run the football in the season opener against Dallas.

Cadillac, whose double-whammy knee injuries threatened to send him to the “cash for clunkers” program, ran with a vengeance. He finished with 54 yards, carried the ball eight times, and ripped off a 19-yarder in the process. You could envision him going for 150 if he played all night.

Earnest Graham broke through as well with 39 yards on five carries and broke one for 29 yards.

Those runs by Williams and Graham were sparked by the return of the offensive line intact. Tackle Jeremy Trueblood was back, as was center Jeff Faine.

The unit looked effective in creating the opportunities for the runners.

Which now leads us to the multimillion-dollar question:

What about that quarterback race?

The only thing that really helped that answer was Caddy and Earnest. If they can show what they showed Thursday night, then it might not matter who wins this never-ending quarterback contest.

“Slowfoot” Byron Leftwich was unexciting at best. Sure, he completed 9-of-17 for 100 yards, but he again proved he can move the ball between the 30s and stall as he gets close to the red zone.

Leftwich often overthrew open receivers but did manage to help Maurice Stovall move up the receivers ladder. Stovall hauled in a half-dozen catches from Leftwich for 73 yards and actually looked like a candidate for the third receiver slot.

But still, Leftwich was no ball of fire.

No touchdowns were proof enough.

Poor Luke McCown never had a prayer with his playing time. His 0-for-4 start sent him into an evening of mediocrity and perhaps pushed Leftwich toward the starter’s job.

Although there was little comfort for Raheem from his quarterbacks, the defense gave him and the Tampa Bay faithful hope that this team can compete.

The defense totally dominated the early going. The Dolphin offense looked lousy at best. The Buc defenders found a pass rush, stopped the run, and made life miserable for Miami starter Chad Pennington, a frustrated quarterback.

The bad news was the great performances were interrupted by lightning, and after the 45-minute delay and then halftime, the second team Buc defense fell into a mire of mistakes and poor performances.

Josh Freeman got the mop-up duty, and by the fourth quarter he was getting mauled by the Dolphin defense and took multiple hits that surely made his head coach nervous.

He took one shot on his knees that could have been disastrous, but the big specimen of a quarterback showed his toughness and survived.

Yes, the Buccaneers survived all right, but showed the good and the bad.

There is still much to be resolved, but at least on that rainy night, a Cadillac rolled out and showed his “all weather” tires and restored transmission.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Shopping Their Quarterbacks?

“The Buccaneers have been contacting other teams this week to gage interest in their quarterbacks after putting off a decision to name a starter, according to league sources.”

Jason LaCanfora, NFL.com

The “no decision” by Raheem Morris on the starting quarterback dilemma in Tampa has spurred a landslide of rumors.

The latest comes from Jason LaCanfora on NFL.com. His word is that the Buccaneers are calling around and seeing if there might be any takers, offering all quarterbacks not named Josh Freeman.

That would include Luke McCown, Byron Leftwich, and the young Josh Johnson.

“They sounded like they’re willing to deal any one of the three, an executive said.” LaCanfora wrote. “They’re looking for someone to make the decision for them.”

Ouch!

LaCanfora’s twitter account announced:

“Tampa Bay shopping 3 QBs other than Josh Freeman. Leftwich or McCown could probably be had for a 5-6th rounder, which would end Bucs QB comp.”

Decision or no decision, something will shake loose following Thursday night’s home preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.

That being said, the lack of a decision has become a major topic around the league.

Matt Bowen of National Football Post, a former NFL player with a journalism degree, wrote his thoughts this week on NFP:

“I understand that Raheem Morris is a young coach and that this is the biggest decision he has probably ever had to make, but he’s seen Leftwich and McCown since spring minicamp, throughout training camp and now through two preseason games. Plus, if you can’t put your confidence in a quarterback, what does that tell the rest of the team? If Morris can’t make a decision now, when can he? One game is not going to make a difference in the overall evaluation process.

“I am surprised that the Bucs haven’t given the job to Leftwich, who gives them the best chance to win and delaying isn’t doing the team justice right now.”

Strong words from Bowen, for sure.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Get Great News: Tony Romo Is Cursed!

Breaking news: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have a decided advantage when they open the 2009 NFL season at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

The advantage?

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is cursed.

Yes, cursed, as in a spell cast on him by a, um, er, ah, yes, a witch.

You read it correctly — a witch.

You know all about that “fury of a woman scorned” deal and all that comes with it.

Romo’s former girlfriend, starlet Jessica Simpson, recently “scorned” by Romo, has taken steps that perhaps will help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they face Romo and the rest of America’s team.

ProFootballTalk.com latched onto the story in the most credible of all national publications: The National Enquirer.

Per the Enquirer story and the Celebedge blog  (Bang Media International):

“She (Simpson) found a woman in California. The two met at the star’s Beverly Hills home where they lit a chandle, burned some incense and performed a couple of incantations.

“The scorned singer and actress hopes the meeting will also taint the sportsman’s (Romo’s) career and is waiting in readiness for his next match on September 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”

Yes, they claim the woman who helped Simpson with all of this is indeed, a “witch.”

So there you have it, Buccaneer fans. Get ready for that opening day victory over the ‘Boys.

Should come as good news to Raheem Morris and the rest of the Buccaneer team.

They need all the help they can muster.

  

Buccaneer Quarterback Controversy In The Making?

“They talk about him as the quarterback of the future. After what I’ve seen, I’m not so sure he shouldn’t be the quarterback of the present.”

former Tampa Bay Buccaneer John Lynch on Josh Freeman

The Tampa Bay Buccaneer ship sailed out of Jacksonville Saturday night with a nail-biter 24-23 preseason victory over the Jaguars. But it wasn’t that game that has folks talking all over Tampa, it’s the decision that young head coach Raheem Morris has promised he will make this week.

It’s the promise of a starting quarterback for his football team.

It may not matter if it’s the veteran, Byron Leftwich, the athletic Luke McCown or the youngster who would-be-king, Josh Freeman. What Morris is likely to end up with this season is a bonafide, dyed-in-the-wool quarterback controversy.

For Morris, it may be a no-win situation, at best.

There was large “It’s Leftwich” contingent going into Saturday night, including Tampa Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly who openly declared there was never a contest, it’s been Leftwich all along.

Then McCown threw a wrench into the Leftwich machinery Saturday night with a pair of touchdown passes in the red zone to Jerramy Stevens and the spunky find-of-the-draft, the amazing Sammie Stroughter.

Then there was Johnny Lynch, yes that Johnny Lynch, beloved Buccaneer, he of the big hits, now Baron of the broadcast booth.

Lynch lowered his pads and laid another huge hit, this time on Raheem and his decision-making process. His quote at the top of this story came at the top on the Saturday broadcast.

And Freeman backed Johnny up with a cracker-jack performance that included a 28-yard touchdown run, leaving most Buccaneer fans giddy and saying to themselves, “He’s really fast for a guy his size, isn’t he?”

Not sure that Leftwich ever had a dream where he ran that far for a score.

Sure, Leftwich was somewhat effective in the first quarter but with him under center, the offense would stall long before it reached the red zone.

McCown came into the game in the second quarter and this time he was the beneficiary of good field position, the way Leftwich was in the first game in Tennessee.

McCown made good choices, looked confident. He connected with Stevens for 17 and Stroughter for nine, two nice TD passes. In all, 6-of-9 for 51 yards and the two scores.

Leftwich went 6-of-12 for 63, Freeman, 3-of-5 for 47 and that exciting TD run. Freeman is the most talented of the three, has the best throwing motion, best arm, best feet and strongest arm.

Yes, Morris got his first win as a head coach.

Now comes the hard part.

Perhaps WFLA’s Dan Lucas might have been just a little over-dramatic when he talked about the quarterback race and the decision in front of Morris and called it:

“A decision that could define his (Morris’) coaching career.”

This decision will not define Morris coaching career, but it is simply the first of many hard choices the young head coach will make.

And depending on how those first one, two or three regular season games go, Raheem Morris could indeed end up with a major quarterback controversy.

No doubt, there are those who favor Leftwich, those who favor McCown.

And then there’s Johnny Lynch and his vote for Freeman.

And as it was in his heyday and still is today:

When Lynch talks, people listen.

Buccaneers-Jaguars Matchup is So Very Important and Here’s Why

Saturday night in Jacksonville will be a crucial evening for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There is a lot on the line for the new face of this team: coach Raheem Morris.

There is a lot on the line for many of these younger and older players.

Here’s why.

First and foremost, the starting quarterback of this football team will emerge from this game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Starting will be the former Jag himself, Bryon Leftwich.

Morris has been emphatic that he will name the starting quarterback next week and he won’t waiver once the season starts.

It is an opportunity for other positions as well. This Jaguar team, like the Buccaneers, has been stepped on and talked down nationally and deposited into the lower realm of NFL expectations.

Neither team is a Pittsburgh, nor an Indianapolis, nor any other perceived powerhouse for that matter.

It is important for the Bucs to show they can dominate a “lesser” opponent in the NFL pecking order.

Second, the first unit needs to show some sort of running capacity—that wasn’t the case last week.

Michael Clayton returns to the starting lineup and he, along with other wide receivers, need to step up and be counted as dependable.

Third, the first unit defense needs to show it can mount a pass rush.

Other facets of the game need to emerge.

With punter Josh Bidwell gone for the season, that facet of the game needs to look better than the first game.

The safety situation is very iffy, at best.

Tanard Jackson will play because his replacement for the regular season, Will Allen, has a sore shoulder and it would be a huge risk to play him this week.

There are a host of other Bucs in question. Gaines Adams may not play, center Jeff Faine’s groin is still bothering him, Kellen Winslow has been limited in practice and in the first game last week.

It seems that the more this team plays, the more questions linger.

Answers need to appear and Saturday night will be very live as a result.

The third game, next week is basically the dress rehearsal for the season opener against Dallas.

 Starters need to emerge, players need to step up and Morris needs to find out who will be in that rehearsal.

Tampa Bay Bucs Have Four Million Reasons to Let Luke McCown Go

The theory has suddenly grown wings.

We asked the question back on July 9 when former Buc quarterback Jeff Carlson evaluated the four Tampa Bay quarterbacks.

“Will the Bucs keep both Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich?”

At the time, Carlson thought they would.

Now the media world is saying “not so fast,” on that one.

Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network threw it out there, so has the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times.

Will the loser of the McCown vs. Leftwich competition hit the waiver wire?

It’s the question that makes the Saturday night preseason game at Jacksonville a huge event for Leftwich and McCown.

What no one has thrown out there for us is the financial implication for the Buccaneers.

Suddenly it could be a matter of Luke McCown’s pay versus Josh Johnson’s pay.

What’s the cost to keep one versus the other.

The Bucs signed McCown to a two-year, $7.5 million deal last year. They gave him a $2.5  million signing bonus—nice for Luke.

He’s due $2.5 million in base pay for 2009 and again in 2010.  Total $5 million in base pay over two years, simple enough.

Josh Johnson is under a contract that will pay him $426,833 if he makes the final roster this season then $511,833 if he’s around in 2010, and $596,853 for 2011.

Sure, if McCown doesn’t beat out Leftwich, there’s a decision to be made, but it could entail dollars and cents, which is of utmost importance to the Buccaneer ownership.

The team would eat the $2.5 million bonus but would save $2,073,167 this season and another $1,988,167 next season if they keep Johnson over McCown. 

Total savings for 2009 and 2010: $4,061,334.

It all depends if the team is comfortable with the trifecta of Leftwich, rookie Josh Freeman and Johnson.

Freeman’s a big ticket item and the future starter.

Leftwich and McCown are short term solutions.

The only remaining question: Is there room for two short-term solutions?

Four million bucks says probably not.

Buccaneers’ Troubles Spelled T-A-L-I-B

“He’s my wild child….”

Buccaneers Coach Raheem Morris on Aqib Talib

You’d think the Tampa Buccaneers have had enough bad news for one week.

The four-game suspension of safety Tanard Jackson for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy left the organization in shock earlier this week.

On Thursday, coach Raheem Morris woke up to the news that one of “his guys,” starting corner back Aqib Talib, is in trouble again. Morris was the defensive secondary coach before he ascended to the throne of head coach.

Talib was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning and booked by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office, per reports in the Tampa Tribune.

Talib was arrested by a Florida Highway Patrolman just before 1 a.m. and charged with simple battery and resisting arrest without violence.

No. 25 on the Buccaneer roster is now No. 1368098 on the Pinellas County arrest and booking information.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has often cited NFL sources as saying “Trouble just follows Talib….”

Trouble followed him in his college days, then followed him to the NFL rookie symposium where he got into a fight with a teammate. Then Morris’ “wild child” picked a fight with lineman Donald Penn on the field this summer and ended up injuring teammate Torrie Cox.

The Buccaneers ended their training camp Wednesday and Morris eased their curfew restrictions. It was supposed to be, by custom, “rookie night” where select rookies treat their position teammates to lavish, expensive dinners, then pick up the often hefty tab.

Talib simply got picked up.

It’s not the news the Buccaneers needed.

For now, the team will no doubt take the “innocent until proven guilty” posture with Talib.

Still, it has to be very troubling for Morris and the Buccaneers.

And trouble is the last thing this young, rebuilding team needs.

Buccaneers’ Mid-Week Stock Report

While the Buccaneers try and recover from the shocking development of Tanard Jackson’s suspension by the NFL, we present this mid-week stock report for Bucs moving up and Bucs moving down as the important second game of the preseason is just three days away.

 

PLAYER STOCKS ON THE RISE:

Sammie Stroughter: The seventh round draft pick is one of the feel-good stories of Camp Raheem, which ends today. Looks like Stroughter will be on the field when the regular season begins. Says his coach, Raheem Morris: “He fits the mold of Raheem Morris. He fits into the mold of being aggressive. He fits into the role of no excuses.”

Sabby Piscatelli:  Sabby’s performance against the Titans speaks for itself. He’s had a great camp and will need to play even better now that Jackson has been suspended for the first four regular season games.

Stylez G. White: The defensive end formerly known as “Greg” was a disruptor on Saturday. He was called out by Morris earlier for his effort, or lack thereof, in practices. Stylez got the message and let his play talk for him last week.

Josh Johnson:  JJ is getting more reps in practice and may have thrown the third quarterback decision into turmoil. Warren Sapp spoke highly of him on the NFL Network and Sapp confirmed that Morris likes JJ as well.

Brian Clark: He stepped up his game against Tennessee and is making his case for a roster spot.

Roy Miller: He’s doing what many expected. He’s a force in the middle and has shown that he is as advertised—a very strong young man.

Ronde Barber: Declared by his coaches as the best corner in camp.

Mike Nugent: Performing well with Matt Bryant on the sidelines. Could end up as the place kicker on the final roster.

PLAYERS MOVING UP SLIGHTLY:

Byron Leftwich: Never has a 24-yard touchdown pass received so much acclaim. There are those who are anointing BL the starting quarterback. He’ll start against Jacksonville on Saturday and sometime next week, Morris will name his starting QB for the season.

Kareem Huggins: Made some excellent runs in the second half of the Tennessee game and finished as the team’s leading rusher.

Clifton Smith: Made his case as a great third option in the backfield.

DEFINITELY FALLING:

The secondary: The suspension of Tanard Jackson will hurt this team, no doubt. It is something the Bucs didn’t need as the defense will be needed early and often in the regular season and Jackson has been a cornerstone of the secondary.

Punting game: With Josh Bidwell sent to IR, the Bucs will find out how valuable he was  last year with his ability to affect field position. Morris and GM Mark Dominik may bring in more punters to compete with Dirk Johnson.

Maurice Stovall: Did nothing against Tennessee to help the perception that he is average at best.

Gaines Adams: Could possibly lose his starting job. He needs to look the way Stylez White looked last week.

Donte Nicholson: His mistake last week left Titan receiver Kenny Britt wide open for the touchdown pass from Vince Young.

Luke McCown: Didn’t do anything to label himself the starter last week. He looked uncomfortable out there, thus allowing many to deem Leftwich the leader in this quarterback competition. Needs desperately to redeem himself against the Jags.

Earnest Graham: Needs to look better than he did last week. Can’t fumble the football.

Kellen Winslow Jr.: He’s been called by Morris a “one a day” player, meaning they can’t work him twice a day in camp. Needs to show in the regular season that he won’t be injury prone, otherwise, management will look really bad on this one.

Adam Hayward: Didn’t play well against the Titans. Needs to have a better game at Jacksonville.

There you have it. It’s a quick list but these are the most visible moves.

Second exam on Saturday.

Stay tuned.

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