JoeBucsFan hits the nail on the head...

[CBWx2]

regarding Barrett Ruud.


Bucs Loser In The Draft… Barrett Ruud?
May 4th, 2011

There are players on the Bucs roster that if the recent draft didn’t raise their antennae, then they are in for a rude awakening whenever training camps begins this summer (fall?).

Good guy Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times yesterday afternoon listed several (one of which is Kyle Moore, who Joe wrote about as well). Holder writes about Bucs players as winners and losers in the draft and atop the list he has for Bucs losers is middle linebacker Barrett Ruud.

Barrett Ruud: The Bucs plan to have third-round pick Mason Foster begin his career at middle linebacker, which is of great significance to Ruud. The four-year starter at middle linebacker is a free agent and is looking for a long-awaited payday after having his free agency postponed last year because of the uncapped season.

There have been some ill feelings on Ruud’s part because he wasn’t offered a contract extension as Donald Penn — also a restricted free agent at the time — was.

The addition of Foster doesn’t automatically mean the Bucs are moving on. But it does mean Tampa Bay, at a minimum, has a Plan B in place and will certainly use that to their advantage in contract negotiations.

Joe will have more about Ruud and Raheem Morris later today that Bucs fans will want to read. But Joe’s not ready to pack the U-Haul for Ruud quite yet. Many Bucs fans simply cannot grasp the concept that in Raheem Morris’ defense, Ruud is not required or asked to be a prototypical linebacker that every football fan has a popular image of. In layman’s terms, Ruud is a glorified safety; not a linebacker.

Putting a Ray Lewis or Jack Lambert-type middle linebacker in Morris’ defense would be a horrible fit, like having a wishbone quarterback play instead of Josh Freeman. To have such a linebacker would mean Morris would have to completely rebuild and retool the defense.

In other words, it would be a return to the heinous Jim Bates Experiment.

Joe is exactly right, and it's basically what I was saying about Ruud's role all year in 2010, and pretty much echo's what Raheem Morris himself has said about Ruud. People wanting some snarling beast in the middle who charges the line every play are completely missing the mark. Ruud plays like a glorified safety because in Morris' defense, that's basically what he is. What's needed is better D-Line play and consistency from our OLB's. Ruud is not the problem, and if he weren't a FA and was simply under contract for the next three years, he wouldn't be going anywhere. Who know's, he still might not be.

[Condor Bastadon]

A young Ray Lewis could easily do what Ruud is doing, plus actually play like a beast in the run game. It's ridiculous to say that he couldn't play in our scheme. Maybe the fat 3-4 ILB Ray Lewis couldn't, but then again I wouldn't want any 3-4 ILB covering the deep middle

As for Ruud....even if Rah has told him to play completely horizontal football, that is no excuse for him getting dragged around, run over, ran around, and getting beat in coverage. If we wanted our LB to be doing that, then we could have just put Sabby at MLB and saved some money.

[CBWx2]

A young Ray Lewis could easily do what Ruud is doing, plus actually play like a beast in the run game. It's ridiculous to say that he couldn't play in our scheme. Maybe the fat 3-4 ILB Ray Lewis couldn't, but then again I wouldn't want any 3-4 ILB covering the deep middle

As for Ruud....even if Rah has told him to play completely horizontal football, that is no excuse for him getting dragged around, run over, ran around, and getting beat in coverage. If we wanted our LB to be doing that, then we could have just put Sabby at MLB and saved some money.

Or at WLB, but I digress.

All the dragged around, run over, beat in coverage crap is overblown. You don't think Ray Lewis has ever gotten blown up on a play? It happens to everyone from time to time. Ruud's just get highlighted and exaggerated by those who have illusions that we need some 250lb hawk beast of a MLB when it's obvious that Rah's scheme doesn't call for that. People constantly bring up the play in the Saints game last year where he got ran over by Chris Ivory. What's missing in your criticism is the fact that on that very same drive, Ruud forced a fumble on the goal line that prevented the Saints from going up 14-3. Instead, the Bucs scored a TD on the next possession and went up 10-7.

What's funny is all the excitement by some over Mason Foster getting tried at MLB, as if he's somehow the big time thumper that we've been missing. He's not a thumper, he's a tackler. His game is more like Barrett Ruud's than any of you are seemingly aware of. So is Tyrone McKenzie's for that matter. There is a reason all these players are in the same mold, and it's because that is the type of player we need.

I'd like to see Ruud stay, but if the asking price is too high, then good riddance. I'm under no illusion that Ruud is irreplaceable. But I'm also not going to bash the guy for doing his job the way he's asked to do it.

[GameTime]

What's missing in your criticism is the fact that on that very same drive, Ruud forced a fumble on the goal line that prevented the Saints from going up 14-3. Instead, the Bucs scored a TD on the next possession and went up 10-7.

and how did he force that fumble?  someone else tackle ivory and ruud jumped on top as ivory was going down?

ruuds a great safety valve.  ruuds a very smart player.  but he can easily be replaced by someone that plays downhill.  someone who plays violent.

[Beatles123]

one fumble does not a good player make.

dont make me get the gif again....

[Benchwarmer#1]

If he was only a bit more aggressive.

If he could improve his strength but still keep up in the backfield, he'd be flat out dangerous.

Brooks spoiled us a bit, so honestly I feel like we can't judge this situation right. Too many variables.

I'll go with whatever Dom and Rah think is best on this one.

[Nicodemus]

Right and it's not like Blount hasn't been making some very good LB's look very silly either. Ruud does exactly as he's asked to, and that's to prevent big gains given up by the front 4 and the two OLBs. He has never been and never will be a shoot the gap thumper, if the 2 LBs either side of him actually did thier jobs properly then a lot of you wouldn't be getting you panties in a bunch about him. Rudd is not the problem, the front 4 were and the LBs next to him were. We've addressed the front 4, now we need to address the 2 extremely mediocre LBs either side of him. If the 2 LBs beside him can actually stick to thier assignments and tackle properly, Ruud will not be having to drag down other peoples mistakes 5 yards plus down field.

[GameTime]

. Ruud does exactly as he's asked to, and that's to prevent big gains given up by the front 4 and the two OLBs. If the 2 LBs beside him can actually stick to thier assignments and tackle properly, Ruud will not be having to drag down other peoples mistakes 5 yards plus down field.

so what you are saying...is that the MLB's (ruud) main job is to be a safety valve?

[tatmanfish]

What's missing in your criticism is the fact that on that very same drive, Ruud forced a fumble on the goal line that prevented the Saints from going up 14-3. Instead, the Bucs scored a TD on the next possession and went up 10-7.

and how did he force that fumble?  someone else tackle ivory and ruud jumped on top as ivory was going down?

ruuds a great safety valve.  ruuds a very smart player.  but he can easily be replaced by someone that plays downhill.  someone who plays violent.

GT- Ruud hit the guy head on and got lower, making impact with the ball and knocking it out. It was pretty much a text book tackle.

That same game though he got ran over. In many peoples minds here, one bad play outweighs 10 good ones when it comes to a select few players. Im not defending Ruud as I think the Bucs should hold onto him until a replacement is found....not before then. Ruud basically is a safety valve for the front 7. The two guys next to him are far from assignment sound and the front 4 have still been below average. McCoy started to come on, but lets not pretend like he wasnt a rookie. Ruuds game could improve a bunch with added talent around him and hell look more like the guy from 3 years ago, but we all know hes not going to become physical overnight. Morris knows this as well and uses Ruud playing to his stregnths and ask him to be "the clean up guy" in the middle.

IMO, the Bucs either need the talent around him to step up, or replace Ruud once they know they have someone as good or better. Ruud is Robin on a D without a Batman. Get a Batman or two, and Ruuds critisisms will fade some and hell be the guy we all saw 3 years ago. Without that, hell continue to be the whipping boy.

Honestly, I think most people here want an MLB that only comes around ever 10 years or so. One that sheds blocks, lays the wood, can cover, make the D calls, etc. Truth is there may only be a handful of guys like that playing MLB in the NFL at any given moment. Patrick Willis is considered one of those by most and Blount  made him look silly a couple plays. Thats a point many fail to respect on these boards....every LB is going to get owned at one point or another, and every LB is going to own someone at some point. I think people analyze Ruuds play so much, they start only focusing on the plays missed and fail to give credit for plays made.

Once again, Im not saying Ruud is comparable to Willis or anything, just that Bucs fans might be a little too focused on Ruuds negatives. Most would have him ranked middle of the road as far as MLBs even with his knocks. If he were as bad as some make out, he wouldnt be a starter on any team.

[GameTime]

i had to go back and watch it again.  ruud actually did a good job evading the G.  but crowder had already tackled julius jones.  ruud didnt get lower, and he didnt stop jones from getting more yardage.  but luckily he did knock the ball out.

and it was far from textbook.

[JDouble]

JBF is even worse than Ruud. Just sayin......that site has been banned on my computer! lol

[Nicodemus]

. Ruud does exactly as he's asked to, and that's to prevent big gains given up by the front 4 and the two OLBs. If the 2 LBs beside him can actually stick to thier assignments and tackle properly, Ruud will not be having to drag down other peoples mistakes 5 yards plus down field.

so what you are saying...is that the MLB's (ruud) main job is to be a safety valve?

2009 for sure, the team was so awful that he was the person cleaning up. Last year he started the year off doing the same thing until the DTs in front of him started to show that they could control their area, but he was still cleaning up for Hayes and Black.

Before 2009 the focal point of the D was to funnel to Brooks to make tackles, or let the front 4 do it. No one complained about that when Quarles was here or for that matter when Ruud first joined. People only started to complain about Ruud because he didn't have the same supporting cast around him and then expected him to be the thumper in the middle that he was never going to be. He was drafted to be a coverage MLB to complement Brooks.

Now the scheme may have changed, and responsibilities are different, but if you all wanted a proper thumper in the middle why did we not draft one? Instead we drafted another player that is almost identical to Ruud, a sound tackler but not prone to "splash" plays. Foster would make a perfect complement to Ruud to play next to him, but not to replace him.

The issue has always been the front 4 and the OLBs, Hayes and Black are mediocre at best, they need to be replaced more than Ruud does. The front 4 has been addressed in the past 2 drafts and should now be solid, next year should be the year of the LB so mayhap that area may well be addressed there. Ruud may well price himself out of Tampa, but i think you'll all be whining about the poor LB play again this year even if Ruud is not here. I am hoping that I am proved wrong, but to consistently bash Ruud when the team has said they might bring him back for the right price is wrong as all he's done is exactly what the team has asked him to do.

[jeanclaud]

The Ruud situation has been done to death but the crux for me is the lack of splash plays. Sometimes he may be out of position or struggle taking on blocks or get run over by a physical RB. It can and does happen to many LBs. But the fact is he's a bad blitzer, he's not physical enough to force fumbles on a regular basis (if we're being real the FF in New Orleans was a fluke), and for a guy who's supposedly good in coverage he has very few passes defended or interceptions. Even when he gets his hands on a pass he'll probably drop it.

Ruud is a known quantity. Would he look better with better D-line play? Of course, find me a LB who wouldn't. It doesn't mean we should settle if we can find someone better.

[Hate]

JBF is even worse than Ruud. Just sayin......that site has been banned on my computer! lol

2nd

[GameTime]

i just have a hard time believing that when morris schemes his perfect defense the MLB is just there in case the OLB's miss the tackle.  and like you said, ruud was great when he was complimented by arguably the best OLB of all time.