RUUD Haters.....

[alldaway]

Ruud plays softer than Jamie Duncan (which is hard to do).

[Skull and Bones]

Joe Pawlek out of Baylor would be a great T2 MLB.  He is a tackling machine and can cover.  Could get him in the 4th.

[SHIVVER]

Mouth of the south? �What's that? � Rudd makes a lot of tackles true......but he is not a "playmaker".....Look that up when you get a chance.

He "made" 142 "plays" homie, 107 solo....... Like I said, tied for 2nd in the league with the likes of Jon Beason, and 8 more than 2009 Pro Bowler Ray Lewis......� �

I'll take it!!!!

btw "mouth of the south" = 99 �

Again This goes back to the old Mark twain line:

There are three kind of lies; Lies, damn lies and Statistics.

If you watch the games and know what you are looking at there is no way in hell you can come away saying Rudd is as good as the stats makes him look. �
Did you ever consider that the reason he gets high tackle numbers is because teams run right at him on purpose? Is there any coincidence that the 3 games the Bucs won were the 3 games where Ruud had his fewest number of tackles. All of the Games were Ruud has a bunch of tackles we get crushed? You get it. �In fact I would venture to say that the Bucs would have gone 0-16 if the Packers, Seahawks, and Saints didn't all stop running the ball right at Ruud like every other team did for 4 quarters. People the reason he gets a ton of tackles is because #1, teams run right at him because he is the mute, and #2, he likes to jump on top of guys after they have already been tackled or hit by another player and he gets his little gay assist tackle. The guy has not made one big hit all year while two rookies on his outside are making plays. Stopping the run should always be the #1 priority because it sets up the rest of your D. Ruud always seems to be thinking pass first and is always on his heels. You can cover up MLB pass coverage with good secondary play, but you cannot hide a Soft MLB unless you put him next to a Hall of Famer. Some seem to forget that Hayes and Black were essentially ROOKIES out there. Neither had started or even seen any real long game experience. So Ruud who was in his 5th season including 3 full seasons as the starter was getting outplayed by the 2 rookies next to him. Don't underestimate the value of a Good MLB. Brooks covered up for Ruud so well that some of you thought he was good or some even thought great. Now you saw 20 game of evidence that Ruud is not a good or even mediocre MLB, last 4 from 2008 where Brooks was clearly hurt and all 16 without Brooks in 2009. Just think back to how good Quarles made us and How important Nickerson was to our defense. When those guys went out of the game there was a huge drop off. Remember when we had Jaime Duncan and it was not that pretty, well Ruud is worse because at least Duncan would attack the LOS and stick his nose in and hit the ball carrier straight on instead of diving for ankles. I can't stand having a MLB that ankle tackles like a little ankle bitter dog when there are so many MLB out there that will stick their nose in and be physical at the point of attack. You cannot tell me that Ruud does any of that. In fact Ruud is more apt to be leaning on his back foot at the snap instead of looking to attack, that is unacceptable. The team needs to go in a different direction at MLB mainly towards the LOS. Get a real MLB in here.

Ruud isn't the problem dude.... Barrett isn't a thumper as Jason stated, but he's not the ankle biter you paint him to be either.  What Ruud gives up on the physical side, he makes up for by being instinctive and intelligent...  The problem starts and ends up front, PERIOD!  Hovan and Simms getting man handled makes if virtually impossible for Ruud, or any other MLB for that matter to attack the LOS...  Why?  Because our D-Line is getting blown off the ball 9 out of 10 times, and the Center, Guards and FB are reestablishing the LOS 5 yards down the field.  Attacking the LOS means getting lost in the wash...  Ray Lewis was being eaten alive after Tony Siragusa left....  They drafted Haloti Ngata, and Ray returned to form...

Draft Price, Suh or McCoy and watch how Ruud's game benefits......

[bucpimpin]

Just to put a myth to rest... In the last six games (post-Bates), Ruud was making tackles on run plays that averaged 3.44 yards from the line of scrimmage. Baltimore Ravens led the league as a team at 3.4 yards per run... Ruud's median tackle during that same six games was 3 yards for run plays...

Those stats come from nfl.com in their play-by-play analysis for each game... (Hint for FSUBUC)

Not putting anything to rest man.. The reason and only reason we did better the last quarter and a half of the season is because we played Garbage teams.. The team didn't improve under Morris as DC.. the level of comp got worse. thats why Freeman was set to begin play after the bye.. Had nothing to do with anything but it was the weakest part of the schedule.. we ALL saw that prior to the season. Ruud is better as a C2 LB.. But we need better than what Ruud has to offer.

[Hate]

You guys crack me up....  Kid was tied for 2nd in the NFL in tackles (142) this season, and you geniuses want him the hell out of town, PR STAFF INCLUDED.....  Barrett plays behind the WORST defensive line the NFL has seen in years and still manages to make 142 tackles, only 10 behind Patrick Willis who lead the league.....  Yes, he making tackles 4-5 yards down the field, because his own DT's are being driven down is throat, or their getting azzez ragged dolled...  Keep in mind Barrett did all this in a NEW defense, that was all wrong for him, and everyone else on this team....  Is Ruud perfect? No, but he's far from the damn problem....    [banghead]

I'm not an advocate for trading Ruud...but as MLB, he def needs to be replaced. He's adequate in a complimentary role but as my sig suggests....he's Robin, but far from Batman!!!

[TOP SECRET]

I don't like Ruud for the middle, I don't think he is strong enough to hold up in the middle. I think he could be a very solid SLB though.

[cheveliar]

Ruud plays softer than Jamie Duncan (which is hard to do).

Dannnnng, that's just not right.  No one is that soft...LOL 

[calicojack]

Just to put a myth to rest... In the last six games (post-Bates), Ruud was making tackles on run plays that averaged 3.44 yards from the line of scrimmage. Baltimore Ravens led the league as a team at 3.4 yards per run... Ruud's median tackle during that same six games was 3 yards for run plays...

Those stats come from nfl.com in their play-by-play analysis for each game... (Hint for FSUBUC)

Not putting anything to rest man.. The reason and only reason we did better the last quarter and a half of the season is because we played Garbage teams.. The team didn't improve under Morris as DC.. the level of comp got worse. thats why Freeman was set to begin play after the bye.. Had nothing to do with anything but it was the weakest part of the schedule.. we ALL saw that prior to the season. Ruud is better as a C2 LB.. But we need better than what Ruud has to offer.

Those "GARBAGE" teams included three teams in the top 5 in rushing average, and 5 games against teams in the top half...

[alldaway]

Ruud plays softer than Jamie Duncan (which is hard to do).

Dannnnng, that's just not right.  No one is that soft...LOL 

Duncan had issues in coverage which at least Ruud is better at than Jamie.

[alldaway]

The majority of complaints are levied against him in the running game because it wasn't poor DT play alone that contributed to a poor run defense ranking.  When your mike who you are counting on misses so many tackles it doesn't help.  Hayes and Black missed a lot of tackles as well, but they were both first year starters.  Tanard and Sabby also missed a lot of tackles.   Yes the defensive tackle tandem the Bucs were starting was arguably the worst in the league, but that is not an excuse for the poor tackling we saw this past season from the entire defense.  Ruud is the most seasoned "veteran" compared to Tanard, Sabby, Black, and Hayes.  Tanard is next and it was his third season starting and coming off a suspension.  He at least made some splash plays as well as Sabby, Black, and Hayes.  Ruud's splash plays were very few in comparison.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=by_position&season=2009&pos=ILB&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=75&numgames=1

According to this site Ruud is #6 overall in pass coverage and #16 overall (with Gary Brackett #17) against the run with an overall ranking of #16.  With better DT play I would believe he would be above the median, but he is right in the middle of the pack which reinforces my belief that he is a Tampa 2 system LB like Gary Brackett. Nothing special and can easily be upgraded. Would you build a team around Gary Brackett?

Also according this site Ruud missed 8 tackles, Geno missed 18 tackles, and Black missed 6 tackles.  Tanard Jackson missed 17 tackles. and Sabby missed 20 tackles.   On the bright side Ruud is the second best tackler out of this group (with Black being the best), but relatively speaking that is because of how poor of a tackling team the Bucs were this past season.  Against the league Ruud's missed tackle ranking puts him in the middle of the pack at #13 which again reinforces the point that Ruud isn't anything special.

[bucpimpin]

Just to put a myth to rest... In the last six games (post-Bates), Ruud was making tackles on run plays that averaged 3.44 yards from the line of scrimmage. Baltimore Ravens led the league as a team at 3.4 yards per run... Ruud's median tackle during that same six games was 3 yards for run plays...

Those stats come from nfl.com in their play-by-play analysis for each game... (Hint for FSUBUC)

Not putting anything to rest man.. The reason and only reason we did better the last quarter and a half of the season is because we played Garbage teams.. The team didn't improve under Morris as DC.. the level of comp got worse. thats why Freeman was set to begin play after the bye.. Had nothing to do with anything but it was the weakest part of the schedule.. we ALL saw that prior to the season. Ruud is better as a C2 LB.. But we need better than what Ruud has to offer.

Those "GARBAGE" teams included three teams in the top 5 in rushing average, and 5 games against teams in the top half...

They Owned us.

Ronnie Brown - Out
Michael Turner - Out both times
Snelling 25 Carries 150 yards.
Pierre Thomas - Out / Owned us in first game
Deangelo Williams - Out / Owned us first time
Thomas Jones / Shonne Green - Owned us for 150 yrds
Julius Jones / Forsette -  21 Carries for 120 yards

We also got beat by 3 back up QB's. (Man this year sucked)

[calicojack]

The majority of complaints are levied against him in the running game because it wasn't poor DT play alone that contributed to a poor run defense ranking. When your mike who you are counting on misses so many tackles it doesn't help. Hayes and Black missed a lot of tackles as well, but they were both first year starters. Tanard and Sabby also missed a lot of tackles. Yes the defensive tackle tandem the Bucs were starting was arguably the worst in the league, but that is not an excuse for the poor tackling we saw this past season from the entire defense. Ruud is the most seasoned "veteran" compared to Tanard, Sabby, Black, and Hayes. Tanard is next and it was his third season starting and coming off a suspension. He at least made some splash plays as well as Sabby, Black, and Hayes. Ruud's splash plays were very few in comparison.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=by_position&season=2009&pos=ILB&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=75&numgames=1

According to this site Ruud is #6 overall in pass coverage and #16 overall (with Gary Brackett #17) against the run with an overall ranking of #16. With better DT play I would believe he would be above the median, but he is right in the middle of the pack which reinforces my belief that he is a Tampa 2 system LB like Gary Brackett. Nothing special and can easily be upgraded. Would you build a team around Gary Brackett?

Also according this site Ruud missed 8 tackles, Geno missed 18 tackles, and Black missed 6 tackles. Tanard Jackson missed 17 tackles. and Sabby missed 20 tackles. On the bright side Ruud is the second best tackler out of this group (with Black being the best), but relatively speaking that is because of how poor of a tackling team the Bucs were this past season. Against the league Ruud's missed tackle ranking puts him in the middle of the pack at #13 which again reinforces the point that Ruud isn't anything special.

Interesting that you should mention poor tackling.  On that same website (forget the ratings, that's too much like ice dancing), click on the MT heading and you'll see that Ruud missed fewer tackles than any of the NFC South ILBs.  Also, in coverage, Ruud did really well in % Ct and YAC...

[acacius]

Against the league Ruud's missed tackle ranking puts him in the middle of the pack at #13 which again reinforces the point that Ruud isn't anything special.

I agree that he isn't anything special, but there are a lot of guys in this team who are a heck of a lot worse than merely not being anything special. 

[alldaway]

Against the league Ruud's missed tackle ranking puts him in the middle of the pack at #13 which again reinforces the point that Ruud isn't anything special.

I agree that he isn't anything special, but there are a lot of guys in this team who are a heck of a lot worse than merely not being anything special. 

The critical difference is they aren't asking for top five money or improving their golf game in the off season. 

The majority of complaints are levied against him in the running game because it wasn't poor DT play alone that contributed to a poor run defense ranking. When your mike who you are counting on misses so many tackles it doesn't help. Hayes and Black missed a lot of tackles as well, but they were both first year starters. Tanard and Sabby also missed a lot of tackles. Yes the defensive tackle tandem the Bucs were starting was arguably the worst in the league, but that is not an excuse for the poor tackling we saw this past season from the entire defense. Ruud is the most seasoned "veteran" compared to Tanard, Sabby, Black, and Hayes. Tanard is next and it was his third season starting and coming off a suspension. He at least made some splash plays as well as Sabby, Black, and Hayes. Ruud's splash plays were very few in comparison.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=by_position&season=2009&pos=ILB&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=75&numgames=1

According to this site Ruud is #6 overall in pass coverage and #16 overall (with Gary Brackett #17) against the run with an overall ranking of #16. With better DT play I would believe he would be above the median, but he is right in the middle of the pack which reinforces my belief that he is a Tampa 2 system LB like Gary Brackett. Nothing special and can easily be upgraded. Would you build a team around Gary Brackett?

Also according this site Ruud missed 8 tackles, Geno missed 18 tackles, and Black missed 6 tackles. Tanard Jackson missed 17 tackles. and Sabby missed 20 tackles. On the bright side Ruud is the second best tackler out of this group (with Black being the best), but relatively speaking that is because of how poor of a tackling team the Bucs were this past season. Against the league Ruud's missed tackle ranking puts him in the middle of the pack at #13 which again reinforces the point that Ruud isn't anything special.

Interesting that you should mention poor tackling.  On that same website (forget the ratings, that's too much like ice dancing), click on the MT heading and you'll see that Ruud missed fewer tackles than any of the NFC South ILBs.  Also, in coverage, Ruud did really well in % Ct and YAC...

Ruud's coverage ranking in my opinion is a little bit misleading given how poor the run defense rating of the overall defense was, but I will give him credit for his coverage skills.  Why pass the ball when you can run at will?  Only towards the end of the season we saw improvement in run defense, but it was very inconsistent.

[acacius]

Against the league Ruud's missed tackle ranking puts him in the middle of the pack at #13 which again reinforces the point that Ruud isn't anything special.

I agree that he isn't anything special, but there are a lot of guys in this team who are a heck of a lot worse than merely not being anything special.

The critical difference is they aren't asking for top five money or improving their golf game in the off season.

Fair point that.