Any doubts about MD and RM should be erased

[audioboy]

We should be in good hands for a number of years because of these two.  Players love playing for Raheem and Dominik has done an outstanding job of rebuilding this team.  I'd say even the most optimistic of fans didn't see us winning more than 6-7 games and I think we should easily get to 8 wins this season, probably 9 and possibly 10.  Unbelievable.

Also great to think how young we are. 1/3 of our starters today were rookies. 5  on offense( Blount, Lorig, Benn, Williams and Larsen), 3 on defense (McCoy, Watson, and Grimm) and our punter (Malone). Add 3 second year players in Freeman, Miller and Barth and that's 1/2 our starters!!  Dominik has done a great job rebuilding this team in a hurry

Anyone who has a problem with the way our team is shaping up is just clueless or just is trying to stir up controversy.

We are far from a finished product, obviously we need to get a couple of pass rushers, a few offensive lineman and shore up the run defense, but given the moves the front office has made recently the future is very very bright

[BuccinTex]

Here's my opinion.   Dominik yeah he's already earned a few more years because the free agency and drafting have been worlds better under him while still being fiscally responsible like Allen.  Raheem should stay around too but let him coach out this season and make sure we don't see a Gruden like December collapse to possibly knock them out of the playoff scene.  So far he's doing well with young guys.   They made a decision to live or die by Josh Freeman and so far that decision was knocked out of the park.  If he continues to develop they will have a long tenure as Gm and HC.   Almost hate to break up the chemistry with Olson and Freeman too even though I'm not his biggest fan.

[TheChronicHotAir]

Thanks, easy schedule!

I think 'Easy Schedule' should be signed to a longterm deal.

[BucBalla85]

I think they deserve to stick around for a while. Our team will grow for a few years and the expectations will be raised every year from here on out. Right now they are exceeding expectations set for the year which is great. They are doing enough to keep the haters away for now. Even when they lost last week there was still a good amount of positivity around to know that the team is heading in the right direction. For now and probably for a few years down the road they will be safe.

[dbucfan]

audioboy wrote:

Anyone who has a problem with the way our team is shaping up is just clueless or just is trying to stir up controversy.

Wow - you are very impressed with the opinions offered.  I would offer there is indeed a lot to like.  There is a pretty good list of issues that go hand in hand with the 'good' outcomes

No FA spending - left McCoy, Price and Miller to learn the NFL from guys who are hangers no - not guys who know what it takes to be successful.

The offensive play calling remains iffy.  

The LB group remains iffy - in their positioning, their tackling and blitzing.

STs remains hot and cold.

So there are player and coaching concerns - which I don't think stirs controversy - but rather acknowledges this group has a lot of room to improve.

[smove28]

BuccinTex wrote:

Here's my opinion.   Dominik yeah he's already earned a few more years because the free agency and drafting have been worlds better under him while still being fiscally responsible like Allen.  Raheem should stay around too but let him coach out this season and make sure we don't see a Gruden like December collapse to possibly knock them out of the playoff scene.  So far he's doing well with young guys.   They made a decision to live or die by Josh Freeman and so far that decision was knocked out of the park.  If he continues to develop they will have a long tenure as Gm and HC.   Almost hate to break up the chemistry with Olson and Freeman too even though I'm not his biggest fan.

Morris is growing into his role as a head coach pretty well. He's gonna make mistakes, but I like the way his team is playing. I think I'm starting to understand the Glazers. You cannot listen to Tampa fans. Make up your mind and do what you think is right because they will complain regardless. This team is not a playoff caliber team and yet they are 6-3. If they win two more games and suck in Dec, Morris should be signed long term. I see players playing their butts off on a team with huge holes. You cannot scheme that.

[ABuccsFan]

dbuc, you need to stay away from those other PR Get Together clowns because you are starting to sound like them.

Please, please list all the great FA's that were available that we didn't sign? Merriman? Haha 10 minutes into practice and he is out. Who else? Peppers? Yeah, let's spend millions on an old player who's injuries were up and production was down the past couple seasons. Sure he started out well, but I'm sure no one expected us to be this great, so you don't sign an old injured guy to a young rebuilding team. Who else? Who else did you want dbuc? You can't just keep posting that we don't sign FA's and not list all these big names that we should have signed.

[cyberdude558]

First off, this is a very soft schedule. Next year we play the NFC North and the AFC South. It will be a much tougher schedule.

Second, offensively there are some things to be excited about. But this team has a LOT of problems defensively. Roy Miller is a bust. He's getting destroyed on every play. The DEs are horrible. Ruud and Mack are back-up material AT BEST. We have question marks at safety. Barber won't be there forever. It's just one problem after another with that unit.

Without some big Free Agent additions, this defense is at least 3 or 4 years away from prime time. We got OL problems too. So you can't use the entire draft on defense. We already invested our top two picks in DL in 2010 draft, one is on IR and the other still needs more development to be decent.

[TheChronicHotAir]

Jake Delhomme
Jiminy Clausen (R)
Charlie Batch
Sam Bradford (R)
Max Hall (R)
Jiminy Clausen (R)


TRASH.


Next up?: TROY SMITH (trash)








Also,
New Orleans 3rd or 4th string RB rushes for WELL OVER 100 against us...
Carolina's 3rd string RB goes for 100+ against us...

[audioboy]

The soft schedule really isn't an issue. This is an issue of the direction we are headed. We've added young playmakers and are putting pieces in place. We've had good drafts and astute free agent pick ups (Blount, Larsen, maybe Al Woods and Dez Briscoe).  The front office seems to have direction.  When evaluating players we seem to give the benefit of the doubt to the young players. No more older veterans who we think we can get a year or two out of (Jeff Garcia, Randall McDaniel, Tim Brown, etc).  

Again, we aren't a finished product but the arrow is definitely pointing up instead of down or sideways and Dom and Raheem deserve a great deal of credit

[Captain Hindsight]

Yes, if Raheem is only able to win against the bad teams and lose against the good teams, he should be canned just like our previous coach.

[audioboy]

The soft schedule really isn't an issue. This is an issue of the direction we are headed. We've added young playmakers and are putting pieces in place. We've had good drafts and astute free agent pick ups (Blount, Larsen, maybe Al Woods and Dez Briscoe).  The front office seems to have direction.  When evaluating players we seem to give the benefit of the doubt to the young players. No more older veterans who we think we can get a year or two out of (Jeff Garcia, Randall McDaniel, Tim Brown, etc).  

Again, we aren't a finished product but the arrow is definitely pointing up instead of down or sideways and Dom and Raheem deserve a great deal of credit

[audioboy]

The soft schedule really isn't an issue. This is an issue of the direction we are headed. We've added young playmakers and are putting pieces in place. We've had good drafts and astute free agent pick ups (Blount, Larsen, maybe Al Woods and Dez Briscoe).  The front office seems to have direction.  When evaluating players we seem to give the benefit of the doubt to the young players. No more older veterans who we think we can get a year or two out of (Jeff Garcia, Randall McDaniel, Tim Brown, etc).  

Again, we aren't a finished product but the arrow is definitely pointing up instead of down or sideways and Dom and Raheem deserve a great deal of credit

[cyberdude558]

The schedule is the reason this team is 6-3 and not 3-6.

At the start of the year, people said this team was 6 to 8 wins AT BEST with an average NFL schedule. That was consensus opinion. That may be true. But you wont see much improvement until the defense improves. And that will be awhile.

Statistically, you don't get winning records and playoff berths when you have no pass rush AND can't stop the run. What we are getting away with this year is the exception, not the rule. With next year's schedule, we will be murdered if we dont establish a pass rush.

This team absolutely MUST bring in at least one proven free agent pass rusher. They have to. They can draft a guy as well. But somebody needs to start putting pressure on the QBs until this line is developed. Or this team will regress.

[smove28]

Captain Hindsight wrote:

Yes, if Raheem is only able to win against the bad teams and lose against the good teams, he should be canned just like our previous coach.

I cannot wait until Tampa fans realize that Jon Gruden was nothing more than Barry Switzer with much better press conferences.