Buccaneers Need To Find a Running Game

The first exhibition game of the season is in the books. Here’s some food for thought for your digestion this Sunday morning, the day after:

Amidst all the praise and hoopla for the Tampa Bay Buccaneer defense after the 27-20 exhibition loss to Tennessee, there was one question no one was asking.

Will this Buccaneer football team be able to run the football effectively?

Buried beneath the excitement of a good quarter of work by the first-team defenders was a disturbing statistic, or make that statistics.

First and foremost, it was a disaster of a performance by Earnest Graham. Four carries for one yard. One yard? And don’t mention the fumble after a caught pass.

Derrick Ward wasn’t much better. Four carries, nine yards. Seven game on one carry so he basically had another three carries for two yards.

Graham plus Ward equals 10 and that math has to trouble coach Raheem Morris.

Yes, Kareem Huggins was the most effective runner with 43 yards, but those came against players who won’t be in the games come regular season. Josh Johnson, the fourth quarterback, had 43 yards on one run. Thus 86 of those total rushing yards really and truly don’t fit into the evaluation equation.

Says Graham:  “Everything is going well.”

Oh really?

Here’s a quick look at some other positions and production from Saturday night:

 

 

QUARTERBACKS  Many observers are jumping on the Bryon Leftwich bandwagon. Sure, he found Brian Clark with a 24-yard touchdown pass but other than that play, how was Byron? Take away that TD strike and he competed five passes for 37 yards, a tad more  than seven yards per completion.

Luke McCown completed four passes for 19 yards, less than five yards per completion.

Yuck!

Take Antonio Bryant out of the lineup and that’s what it would look like. Take Michael Clayton out and we’re not sure. Not sure Clayton can be the threat the Bucs are hoping for. 

Josh Freeman’s debut saw him get hit square in the face with an NFL defensive pie when he had a pass picked off and returned for a touchdown. Welcome to the NFL, Josh.

Other than that, he showed his great arm, good mechanics and you can see that he may eventually be what Raheem is dreaming about.

Josh Johnson was nice in mop-up duty. The team may seek to keep him on the practice squad.

 

 

RECEIVERS  Clark stood out on offense and special teams. A couple more games like this and he’ll find himself on the 53-man roster.  Same for Sammie Stroughter. He needs to get a little better but he’s proving a capable receiver and special teams player and that’s what he needs to be.

Maurice Stovall. You have to wonder if this new regime might replace him. He caught one pass for eight yards.

Tight ends are as advertised although we didn’t see enough of Kellen Winslow Jr. to know if he’s a true threat.

 

 

DEFENSE Morris admitted that Stylez G. White, the defender formerly known as Greg, is not a great practice player. He sure did show up at game time. He was a monster and made an amazing, athletic, acrobatic interception.

Sabby Piscatelli was a wild man. He was all over the place, key tackles, a key interception, he had a nose for the football and that’s got to be comforting to this defense.

The defense flat-out shut down the running off Chris Johnson, not an easy task.

Don’t know if you saw it, but the unit did not generate much pass rush.

Biggest breakdown of the night was when Titan backup qb Vince Young found Kenny Britt all alone and hit him for a 37-yard touchdown. Britt was so wide open, you’d think he’d snuck on the field off the bench after the play started. It was a breakdown in the coverage. Donte Nicholson was supposed to be there, but wasn’t. He probably won’t be on the 53-man roster either.

 

 

SPECIAL TEAMS Some players are emerging who will make the team with their efforts on the kick and coverage teams. Sammie Stroughter has a lot of hustle in him and his stock continues to rise.

Kicker Mike Nugent hit a 51-yard field goal and missed another from 50. His stock is rising and Matt Bryant needs to get back into action or he could lose his job.

Punter Dirk Johnson averaged less than 40 yards a kick. Not good and if Josh Bidwell is lost for the season, this is a weaker football team.

To sum it all up, Morris promised a fast, physical team. He got that from his defensive unit.

The quarterback race is still a race. If you think a 24-yard TD pass can put Leftwich that  far ahead of McCown, that’s flawed thinking. Leftwich also took a 17-yard loss on a sack and he is VERY vulnerable to the pass rush. This race is still a race. It’s not fit for evaluation until there are some decent receivers on the field and Antonio Bryant will not be there until opening day. Thus, you can forget about that “let’s go deep” mantra that was bantered back and forth in training camp. Without Bryant, there is no deep threat. It’s that simple.

Don’t be surprised if the Bucs go to the waiver wire when final cuts are made and find someone who can help this team.

Next evaluation comes in seven short days.

Stay tuned.

Buccaneers May Lose Punter Josh Bidwell

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have suffered their first major loss of the 2009 season and they haven’t yet played a game.

Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune reports in Wednesday’s online edition of the Tribune that punter Josh Bidwell may be lost to the team for the season.

Bidwell is undergoing tests to determine if a degenerative hip condition may cause him to sit out this season.

Bidwell came into camp as the team’s only punter. He has been a steady, reliable part of the Buccaneer special teams and they were obviously happy with his play as no competition was brought into camp.

Now the Bucs are struggling to find a replacement.

Kaufman reported that former Pittsburgh Steeler punter Dirk Johnson could be a possible replacement for Bidwell. The Bucs will need to act quickly as they open the exhibition season Saturday night against the Titans in Tennessee.

Buccaneers Face Preseason Without Antonio Bryant

Antonio Bryant is the proven play maker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They will have to play the preseason without him.

Head coach Raheem Morris announced after practice on Monday afternoon that Bryant will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to get rid of chronic swelling.

“We’re gonna get it cleaned out. Might as well get it fixed right now while we can,” Morris told WDAE’s Steve Duemig as his team wrapped up their Monday session.

The surgery means  Bryant will miss the entire four-game preseason but he should be back in action for the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on September 13 at Raymond James Stadium.

Bryan Clark is listed behind Bryant on the camp depth chart, released on Monday.

Bryant’s absence, however, should open the spot for an assortment of receivers to get a look from Morris and his staff.

Luke McCown has been named the starter for the Saturday game at Tennessee. He is listed ahead of Byron Leftwich on the depth chart but the race has basically become a dead-heat, depending on who you talk with.

McCown will play at least the first half Saturday then Leftwich will start the following week.

This preseason should be immensely different from the Jon Gruden regime. Gruden played his starters for one or two series and that was it.

Morris needs to get a good look at a lot of his untested players so that should make for interesting action in these four games.

With the final cuts to the 53-man roster only 26 days away, jobs and futures are on the line.

General manager Mark Dominik says he’s been spending a lot of time with Morris and they’ve been reviewing different scenarios for the final 53-man roster.

They’ll have to keep a spot for Bryant, even though they won’t see him now for a month.

It’s a scenario they weren’t planning on but it was becoming obvious that Bryant’s knee couldn’t take two practices without swelling. Something had to be done, the decision was made quickly.

Now it’s a matter of the remaining receivers stepping up.

Bryant, the franchise-tag receiver, will be hard to replace, even if it is the preseason.

The Buccaneer Buffet: Hot Offerings, Hot Weather

The Buccaneers recover from the heat of two Monday practices with a single session on Tuesday. For your ingestion, these hot-weather offerings:

Raheem Morris has asked his team to embrace the heat of this August training camp. Looking at the Buccaneer schedule, you have to ask yourself: How much “home heat advantage” will the Bucs have?

First and most important, the Bucs only have seven true home games at Raymond James Stadium. Four of those will be played on or after Nov. 8. The heat is typically long gone by then.

The “home” game in London against New England, no heat there except for the heat that quarterback Tom Brady can put on a defense.

The only real home heat will be the Sept. 13 opener against Dallas. Texas heat is legendary, so you would expect the Cowboys to be acclimated. Shouldn’t be roasting in Buffalo when the Bucs visit there on Sept. 20.

Home against the Giants on Sept. 27 should be hot then by Oct. 18, it will start to cool down when Carolina visits.

So in the final analysis, the home heat advantage that Morris foresees, may not be that much in the Bucs’ favor.

Speaking of Buffalo, the Bucs defense won’t have to stop running back Marshawn Lynch in that game. The NFL has upheld his three-game suspension and he’ll sit on Sept. 20.

Injuries have not been serious at One Buc Place although two high-profile names are dinged up already. Wide receiver and the lone “deep threat” Antonio Bryant has swelling in his knee and sat out on Monday as did the greatness that is the league’s highest-paid tight end, Kellen Winslow Jr. Winslow has a bum ankle.

Others on the list include Angelo Crowell (hamstring), Joel Filani (ankle) and Louis Holmes, who is out a week with an ankle sprain. Greg Peterson returned to practice on Monday.

Another Buccaneer opponent, Carolina, was less fortunate. The Panthers lost starting defensive tackle Maake Kemmoeatu for the season to a torn Achilles tendon.

Perhaps the Bucs got a good break when they lost the Albert Haynesworth sweepstakes to the Redskins. The behemoth defensive lineman is already getting injections in a bad knee and camp has barely started.

Coach Jim Zorn has shrugged it off but it’s not something you would want to see this early, especially from a guy who weighs, well, anywhere from 350-380!

Morris has been paying a lot of attention to red-zone offense. Not doubt he’s remembering all the games under Jon Gruden when the Bucs were forced to settle for field goals. “We want six,” he said quickly. “You have to run the ball in the red zone to be effective. We want six. We want to convert at a 60 percent rate.”

If Raheem can achieve that, the Bucs would be among the league’s elite teams in the red zone.

Speaking of Raheem, he is talking for credit or responsibility for the Jermaine Phillips (picture above) to linebacker experiment. “He’s taken to it,” Morris said. “He needs a live game.”

Quincy Black continues to stand out on defense. “He’s a hybrid player. He plays FAST! That’s what a linebacker is supposed to look like…” says Raheem.

Morris likes rookie d-lineman Kyle Moore but says, “he needs to be more stout.”

Morris likes how Jimmy Wilkerson works with the younger d-linemen. “Jimmy’s a good teacher, he’s cussing ’em out before I do,” Morris laughed.

Morris has gotten after his quarterbacks often. “They don’t like to be talked about,” he said.

Morris likes new o-line starter Jeremy Zuttah: “He’s very smart, very athletic. He needs to be like Faine (Jeff), Joseph (Davin) and Trueblood (Jeremy) and be a little nasty.”

Defensive lineman Jarriett Buie, a former USF standout, had his way often with offensive tackle Anthony Alabai on Monday. Some of the USF coaching staff watched Buie from the sidelines.

The worst-kept secret in Tampa Bay was made public by the Buccaneers on Monday when they introduced Lee Roy Selmon as the first member of the team’s new Ring of Honor.

Lee Roy was his typical humble self as he spoke.

“Wow, it was 33 years ago,” he said recalling his rookie season. “It’s nice to still be alive!”

Selmon said he was most excited about the induction and wearing of the Orange “throw-back” jerseys for the Nov. 8 home game against Green Bay. Said he’s excited that a lot of players from the 1979 playoff team will be there.

Finally this tidbit from NBC anchor Brian Williams who asked this question as a lead-in Monday night:

“Does it feel like summer where you are?”

Brian has not been to Tampa in August.

The Buccaneer Buffet: Tidbits and Morsels fromTraining Camp

Day three of training camp for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is upon us. For your digestion and enjoyment, these morsels from the first weekend:

There is an obvious method to Raheem Morris’ choice of times for the one-a-day workouts. Notice that they typically are going to run from 2:35 to 3:45 in the afternoon.

That’s just about the time that the third and fourth quarters of 1 p.m. home games will be contested.

Think he wants his team at peak performance and conditioning level for those final searing 30 minutes of football?

Raheem on the heat:  “We’ve got to embrace it!”

Cadillac Williams caught everyone’s eye with his quickness seemingly restored by offseason patella tendon surgery re-hab.

Morris is cautious however. “I want to see how the leg is when he plants and makes his first deep cut on it.”

Elbert Mack (pictured above) has made some “splash” plays already in the secondary. Morris says he’s looking for “playmakers.” Mack was obviously listening.

Gaines Adams has already been called out in the media and in person by Morris. Tell us something we don’t know! Adams needs to step up this season and prove himself worthy of the high pick he was in the draft. The defense needs a huge season from him and Morris seems to recognize that.

Kellen Winslow Jr. needs to embrace the heat. Morris has called him out for being out of shape. Winslow admitted that he needs to re-acclimate to the heat and recall his days of August practice in college at “The U.”

The Bucs made a personnel move this weekend. They released Maurice Miller and brought in former USF offensive lineman Ryan Schmidt, who was let go by the Tennessee Titans. Schmidt is a big boy at 6’5″, 320 lbs.

Didn’t take long for Morris to put his team into the full contact mode. He was not happy with the way his three quarterbacks and the rest of the offensive players were performing during Sunday afternoon’s practice.

They went to live hitting after three interceptions by Josh Freeman, another pick and general poor play by Byron Leftwich and play from Luke McCown, the presumed starter, who wasn’t much better than the other two.

Speaking of QBs, McCown and Leftwich get the most reps, followed by Freeman. Johnson gets very few and at this point, looks the odd man out. First thing you notice when he stands with the others is how small he appears in comparison.

The dumb headline award goes to this beauty in the Monday Aug. 3 St. Pete Times:

“The Bucs want their QBs to throw the ball deep when they see an opportunity.”

Duh. 

This weeks practice schedule looks like this:

Today (Aug. 3): 10:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m. and 4:55-6:50 p.m.

Tuesday (Aug. 4): 2:35-3:45 p.m.

Wednesday (Aug. 5): 10:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m. and 4:55-6:50 p.m.

Thursday (Aug. 6): 2:30-4:20 p.m.

Friday (Aug. 7): 10:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m. and 4:45-6 p.m. (special teams).

Saturday (Aug. 8): 10:15 a.m.-12:25 PM and 4:55-6:50 p.m.

Sunday (Aug. 9): no practice.

Raheem ‘Obama’ Opens Buccaneer ‘Camp Hope’

“We’re young, we’re fast, we’re physical. We have high expectations!”

    Buccaneer Head Coach Raheem Morris

 

Practice hadn’t started. It was just after 10 a.m. and there was Raheem Morris, leaning against the plastic fence that separates his practice fields from the Buccaneer fans. He is smiling, talking to the people, his people, Buccaneer fans. Signing for them, taking pictures with them, talking about the season that will be.

He is not Raheem Morris, he is Raheem Obama and his personal audacity is the hope  and outlook that his team will be a huge surprise to many in this National Football League season.

His players joined him.

Donald Penn, Maurice Stovall,  Davin Joseph, Kelly Campbell, Aqib Talib, Clifton Smith, Will Allen, Derrick Ward, B.J. Askew, Brian Clark, Sammie Stroughter, they’re all out there, smiling with their fans, signing, talking, greeting, following the lead of their head coach.

Change has come to One Buccaneer Place.

Sure isn’t a Jon Gruden show anymore.

The fields are closely-manicured hybrid Bermuda—Raheem’s fields of dreams. They  glisten under the hot morning sun.

All Raheem’s men are present and accounted for, save Arron Sears, who will most  likely not report and will miss the 2009 season with an as yet undefined “condition.”

The horn sounds at 10:15 and they go to work. Stretching, getting ready. A  second horn sounds at 10:20 and the QBs are lobbing passes to backs, receivers, even place  kickers. Fans applaud every catch. Matt Bryant makes a one-handed catch.

Crowd goes wild.

The running backs then head for a bungee  drill. They are tethered to a bungee, they run toward a marker, against the resistance. Earnest Graham’s power rips the  bungee from its hitching tie.

Crowd goes wild.

The fields are set up directionally to simulate Raymond James, north and south. The offense operates in front of the west grandstands.

Luke McCown operates with the first team. He looks polished and under control. His  throwing motion is tight and accurate. It becomes clear early that Antonio Bryant is who everyone thinks he is. He is the big-play guy. He’s the go-to  guy.

Talib gets beaten on a long throw from McCown to Brian Clark.

Running back Clifton Smith stands out in his “old school” knee-high tube socks.  He is fast and elusive.

Leftwich does look slow in the pocket. His “wind-up” motion is slow. Elbert Mack turns and twists in mid-air and picks off a Leftwich pass.

Crowd goes wild.

Wonder boy QB Josh Freeman completes a long pass to Bryant.

Crowd goes wild.

Raheem watches.

The defense shows up for some 11-on-11.

Passes are tougher to complete. They get knocked down, broken up.

Ronde Barber get beaten deep on a long pass from Leftwich. Ronde grabs the receiver to prevent the completion.

Not sure how this Jim Bates bump-and-run will work out.

Still it’s early.

But this practice looked like a typical training camp.

No hitting today.

Special teams work brings out Rich Bisaccia’s men.

He’s right on top of then, watching, teaching.

Much of this team’s success, if there is to be success, will hinge on how his special units perform.

Time is winding down.

It’s well past noon and it’s hot and humid.

The players hold up well, they look well-conditioned.

The horn sounds around 12:15 p.m. and this first training camp practice of the Morris regime is over.

The fans seem pleased.

The entire atmosphere is fan friendly.

This new team needs all the fans and friends it can assemble.

Just watch Raheem.

He’s Barack in work-out clothes.

He is giving them hope.

Soon he’ll need to give them wins.        

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Burn Midnight Oil, Sign Josh Freeman

Quarterback Josh Freeman reported with his teammates to One Buccaneer Place this morning and is minimally $10 million richer.

The Buccaneers burned some midnight oil and got Freeman’s contract done, well, right around midnight, Thursday/Friday.

ESPN’s John Clayton reports that the five-year deal has guaranteed money of $10.245 million and could be worth $26-$36 million over the life of the contract.

Players were scheduled for physicals today, some were afforded the distinction of modeling the 1976 uniforms to be worn at the team’s “throw-back” game on November 8 against the Green Bay Packers.

The team will induct its only Hall of Famer, Lee Roy Selmon, into the newly-founded ring of honor at halftime of that game.

Practice starts Saturday with two sessions, the morning session at One Buc Place, the evening session at Raymond James Stadium.

Let the fun begin. 

Buccaneers Burn Midnight Oil And Sign Freeman

Quarterback Josh Freeman reported with his teammates to One Buccaneer Place this morning and is now minimally $10 million richer.

The Buccaneers burned some midnight oil and got Freeman’s contract done, well, right around midnight, Thursday/Friday.

ESPN’s John Clayton reports that the five-year deal has guaranteed money of $10.245 million and could be worth $26-$36 million over the life of the contract.

Players were scheduled for physicals today, some were afforded the distinction of modeling the 1976 uniforms to be worn at the team’s “throw-back” game on November 8 against the Green Bay Packers.

The team will induct its only Hall of Famer, Lee Roy Selmon, into the newly-founded ring of honor at halftime of that game.

Practice starts Saturday with two sessions, the morning session at One Buc Place, the evening session at Raymond James Stadium.

Let the fun begin. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Signing of Josh Freeman Is Imminent

In the world of business, when it comes to contracts, it all typically begins with something known as “good faith.”

When it comes to quarterback Josh Freeman, he has shown that and more to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the first-round pick should be in the fold any time in the next couple of days.

“Time is of the essence,” is another clause from real estate contracts and Digger Daley, the Bucs new contract guy should know that, as he is a former real estate salesman.

Time IS of the essence. The countdown is in its final stages. The crew reports on Friday for the Saturday launch of “Camp Raheem.”

Freeman has shown “good faith” to the team. He has been in Tampa, working out at the facility.

“Freeman has been working out at the facility and talks are productive and amicable,” reports Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network, commenting on discussions between Freeman’s agent and Bucs GM Mark Dominik.

The national media has put Freeman right in the middle of the quarterback competition, despite what was projected when he was drafted. The consensus is that the young fellow from Kansas State will play sooner than later.

Freeman’s debut could come by the eighth game, which means it is time to sign him and have him in camp with everyone else.

First-round signings have been few and far between. Only four picks have signed, with Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, both quarterbacks, signing over a month ago.

The quarterback position is one of the key battles for the Buccaneers and it’s that lack of certainty that has much of the national media putting the kibosh on expectations for this team.

Still the main expectation in Tampa is that Freeman’s signing will be announced by Friday’s reporting date.

It’s all about “good faith.”

Michael Vick on Buccaneers’ Radar Via Tony Dungy?

Okay, let’s connect the dots.

Tony Dungy, the beloved, celebrated, and highly respected former coach of the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the NFL-appointed official/unofficial guardian and mentor for Michael Vick and any future he may have in football.

Dungy is a Tampa resident.

No doubt, Dungy is a man who Raheem Morris and just about anybody in the United States would hold in esteem and whose counsel would be listened to.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Vick could be a phone call away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Vick WILL play somewhere now and will perhaps be less of a villain due to Dungy’s presence and willingness to help him.

It would certainly cut down on any bad feelings Tampa fans might put forth.

After all, if Tony says, “Give this guy a chance,” then who’s to say, “The heck with you Tony Dungy!” Very few, if any.

Tampa could certainly use some sort of infusion of talent at quarterback.

Does anyone out there believe that Vick couldn’t outplay Byron Leftwich?

It’s a long shot.

It’s a theory.

Dungy is right here in Tampa, right at what would be ground zero for the bomb that would be the signing of Vick.

Stranger things have happened.

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