Why Geno Hayes, not Barrett Ruud, needs to be replaced...

[JDouble]

Well written post CBW!! Hayes is the weakest link at this point of time, even though Ruud is taking most of the flak.

I think we all agree that Ruud has been far from playing his best game and that there are other MLBs in the league that everyone would prefer to have. I am no Ruud-fan as such but the important question in the off-season will off course be what upgrade to prioritize, and in that regard I don't see a change coming at MLB unless we can get a strong FA player. Our need to upgrade the horrible DE's should outweigh the need to upgrade an average MLB.
It should however very possible to upgrade Hayes with a mid round pick which combined with upgrades at DE will make Ruud very serviceable for another year. After that if he continues to suck then by all means draft a new MLB.
Ruud has proven in 07 and 08 that he can play well and with the right surrounding cast I think he has the possibility of performing well once more. To say that he has shown his ceiling as compared to Hayes is not a true assessment imo.

On the other hand Rah's public affection for certain MLBs in the draft off course can be seen as an indication that he is looking for a replacement. Much will probably depend on how much $ Ruud is looking for next year...

I think we can grab a DE and LB in free agency, and then use our first two picks in the draft to grab another DE and LB.....and replace both. The question is what does Rah think. I can't imagine he's happy with what he has at LB, but you never know.

[PWNASAURUS]

People, they wanted to draft Brandon Spikes in the draft last season to replace Ruud but Bill Belichek beat them to it. After They let Ruud walk in the offseason a new starter will be drafted.

[barbernbrooks]

So what you're saying is it's the coaching?

Yeah, I think anyone with a brain knew that we have one of the worst run defenses in nfl history, but not the least talented defense in nfl history...that comes on coaching....We don't blitz enough, we don't allow the linebackers to go towards the ball, and instead they back up and let it come to them....... and, we don't allow the d line to shoot the gaps....if we didn't play prevent defense, and instead played attack defense, we could be top 15 in defense, and maybe even be more like 7-2 or 8-1....morris is what will hold us back from making the playoffs, not lack of talent. Morris is fine as a motivator and head coach, but he just doesn't have the right thinking down when it comes to philosophy or playcalling......a 6th grader knows that prevent defense only prevents you from being good....we're about to get in a situation like with gruden, where the coach who's also a playcaller becomes stubborn....

[Condor Bastadon]

I basically said the same thing as the OP in preseason.

Hayes is all bust-or-boom and is just not even close mentally to being a good, consistent WLB. He is trying to play smarter, but IMO it is making him more tentative even when he may know that it's his play to make. It's a big transition for him, because clearly he's a guy that just kinda played entirely on instinct and shot gaps when he felt like it....well you can't do that all the time in the NFL and play good team defense. Of course when Ruud has to make a tackle 5 yards down the field due to Geno being out of his gap....all the casual fan sees is "Wow look at Ruud making a tackle downfield again. What a loser!"

Not to say that Ruud is having a great year either. He's a typical Buc backer that needs the D-line to spill a running play horizontally so that he(and the other LB's) can use their speed and chase the play down. Our D-line is absolutely awful at this nowadays. Our D-line can't hold double teams either, so there is almost always a C or a G(or both) going to the 2nd level to take out our LB's....none of them are any good at shedding blocks(Black is okay, he should be better at it). So we're just gonna continue to get gashed on the ground until the D-line play respectably at the point of attack.

[ryan24]

Glad to see some finally coming to the realization that the poor LBer play isn't limited to Ruud.

[JDouble]

I'm still trying to understand why Micah Johnson went undrafted and is a free agent. He was considered a top 5 LB for awhile and then he ran a ridiculously slow 40 and his stock crashed...but there has to be something else going on. The guy was a beast in college. I can't figure out why he isn't at the very least on a practice squad. Anyone have any insight?

[Bileur]

Geno Hayes is 23 years old. Far too early to give up on him. I'd like to see the bucs draft a guy like Herzlich who has some versatility to line up at several LB positions, get a better LB coach to coach all these guys up in OTA's/Training camp, have the players scrap it out for starting positions and let the chips fall where they may.

Drafting/signing some upgrades at DE will also make a big difference in our LB play.

[Detrimental]

Linebacker is one of the easiest positions to translate into the NFL. That is why you see a lot of DROTY that win that are typically linebackers. Age is NOT an excuse considering how typically easy the position he plays is.

[JDouble]

I'm not saying give up on him....I'm saying keep him on the roster but make him compete for his job against some FAs and Rookies next year. He was handed the job after Brooks...he didn't earn it, and he's done nothing to show he deserves to keep the spot.

[BTownBucFan]

I'm glad to see others are finally seeing what we've been talking about at the office for a few weeks now.  Ruud may not be an elite MLB, but both of our outside backers are not pulling their weight.  Both SLB & WLB need upgraded before MLB, but with Ruud a FA next year I doubt they bring him back which IMO makes all 3 LB spots a huge need in next years draft & FA.

If a new collective bargaining agreement happens next year, two things should help us. 1.  A Rookie salary cap should keep us from spending a lot on unproven youngsters.  2. There would be a cap & floor again and with us having one of the lowest pay-rolls, we'd have to spend A LOT in FA to reach the floor.

AND if for some reason a new agreement doesn't happen, we could end up having two drafts THEN FA to fix our woe's before the next season is played.

[CBWx2]

People, they wanted to draft Brandon Spikes in the draft last season to replace Ruud but Bill Belichek beat them to it. After They let Ruud walk in the offseason a new starter will be drafted.

Most scouts viewed Spikes as being exclusively a 3-4 linebacker, and was actually thought to be a much better fit playing OLB in our defensive scheme. While many have speculated Spikes was scouted to replace Ruud, it was nothing more that just speculation. It's just as likely that Spikes was being scouted to replace Black or Hayes as it was that he was being scouted to replace Ruud.

[Biggs3535]

People, they wanted to draft Brandon Spikes in the draft last season to replace Ruud but Bill Belichek beat them to it. After They let Ruud walk in the offseason a new starter will be drafted.

Most scouts viewed Spikes as being exclusively a 3-4 linebacker, and was actually thought to be a much better fit playing OLB in our defensive scheme. While many have speculated Spikes was scouted to replace Ruud, it was nothing more that just speculation. It's just as likely that Spikes was being scouted to replace Black or Hayes as it was that he was being scouted to replace Ruud.

Um, no.  Spikes is an inside linebacker in any defense.  No way anybody wanted him as an outside linebacker in the NFL.

You Ruud fans get an "A" for effort, but geez....

[Samari28]

Ruud, is that you trying to beg and plead for your sorry behind to get some money from this team??   Sorry but you can criticize Hayes, DT's, Sabby and others all you want but that still does not take away the fact Ruud sucks and he is a wimp!!  He is average in pass coverage and he sucks at playing the run - yeah just what I want an alleged top five or top ten MLB to be like.  Had Ruud just kept his whiny mouth shut and focused on playing ball rather than asking for money he does not deserve MAYBE he would get some sympathy from others but not me.  The guy sucks, I don't know how many more times I can say it.  What does he do that stands out?  Ok other than drag down tackles and getting knocked on his butt consistently.  You want to compare Geno to Derrick Brooks and of course there will be a drop off - you are talking about THE BEST WILL TO EVER PLAY vs a guy that was drafted in the late rounds and is undersized, hmmmm.  Ruud cannot even carry Shelton Quarles' jock let alone Hardy Nickerson's and I would compare him to Nate Webster - yeah thats right I said it, Webster sucked as well but at least he did not cost a high draft pick and we moved on.  We could have Sapp, McCoy, Rice and Strahan in front of Ruud and he would still suck.  You just don't seem to get it, dude is SOFT and he is more worried about his cup not going up his behind that jacking someone up!!  Why is it that a SEVENTH ROUND ROOKIE in Grimm can be more physically imposing that our sorry, patheitc, weak, whiny, baby MLB??  Ruud is probably the most hated Buc for me EVER!!  The guy is just so soft he makes Charmin look like steel wool!!! 

[Samari28]

Ruud you think you are so good go out there and dominate and be a team leader for this 6-3 team.  If this is allegedly your defense since you are a captain (joke of one at that) go out there and play like a PAtrick Willis, Ray Lewis or hell I would even take a Shelton Quarels right now!!

[ryan24]

Ruud, is that you trying to beg and plead for your sorry behind to get some money from this team??   Sorry but you can criticize Hayes, DT's, Sabby and others all you want but that still does not take away the fact Ruud sucks and he is a wimp!!  He is average in pass coverage and he sucks at playing the run - yeah just what I want an alleged top five or top ten MLB to be like.  Had Ruud just kept his whiny mouth shut and focused on playing ball rather than asking for money he does not deserve MAYBE he would get some sympathy from others but not me.  The guy sucks, I don't know how many more times I can say it.  What does he do that stands out?  Ok other than drag down tackles and getting knocked on his butt consistently.  You want to compare Geno to Derrick Brooks and of course there will be a drop off - you are talking about THE BEST WILL TO EVER PLAY vs a guy that was drafted in the late rounds and is undersized, hmmmm.  Ruud cannot even carry Shelton Quarles' jock let alone Hardy Nickerson's and I would compare him to Nate Webster - yeah thats right I said it, Webster sucked as well but at least he did not cost a high draft pick and we moved on.  We could have Sapp, McCoy, Rice and Strahan in front of Ruud and he would still suck.  You just don't seem to get it, dude is SOFT and he is more worried about his cup not going up his behind that jacking someone up!!  Why is it that a SEVENTH ROUND ROOKIE in Grimm can be more physically imposing that our sorry, patheitc, weak, whiny, baby MLB??  Ruud is probably the most hated Buc for me EVER!!  The guy is just so soft he makes Charmin look like steel wool!!!

Wonderful. None of this changes the fact that Hayes is just as big of an issue as Ruud.