“I’m way too arrogant to let my game disintegrate in one year,� Rice said.

[Boid Fink]

Rice is playing hard, I just think he is eroding.

[keeponbucn]

Are your lives that horrid you can't laugh at a funny a** quote? Honestly, go pinch a loaf or relieve your anger some way. Hell, rub one off and lighten up. Sorry an NFL player can make you that angry....

Well, maybe your not smart enough to realize how overpaying Rice has negatively impacted the Buccs. Maybe a Plaxico Burress and a Rocky Bernard or Drew Brees could be on this roster if Rice had been paid what he was worth over the last few years. But hey, every little kids has to have someone to look up at with child like amazment...if Rice is that guy for you, then I'm happy for you. Did you get his autograph?

totally missing the point. Think what you will, it's all good. If you walk around everyday angry at the fact the Bucs didn't dump Rice, then be mad at the Bucs, not Rice. Direct your anger in the appropriate direction. This has nothing to do with my intelligence and everything to do with you taking this way too seriously.

Direct your anger appropriately.

[keeponbucn]

Rice is playing hard, I just think he is eroding.

I'm with that. he's also playing hurt.

What I find funny is Rice hasn't mentioned his injury but Gruden has communicated the severity of his injury in his PC's on numerous occasions. Gruden knows he's hurting but it's easy to pile on somebody when they're not performing.

[ABuccs Fan]

Rice is playing hard, I just think he is eroding.

Rice was a 1 dimensional player. He had the speed to beat tackles around the corner. There has never been anything else to his game. Now if he is too slow to beat them for whatever reason(age or injury) he's worthless. Even worse now that he is making so much money and taking away from the rest of the team. This isn't baseball, where the owners can pay players what ever they want.

[Boid Fink]

Agree about everything except White.  Rotating him is not such a bad deal, because he makes plays.

He gets sacks, he blocks FGs, he is a playmaking DE.  He may not play a lot, but he makes more use of his time, per minute, than Spires does.

Are your lives that horrid you can't laugh at a funny a** quote? Honestly, go pinch a loaf or relieve your anger some way. Hell, rub one off and lighten up. Sorry an NFL player can make you that angry....

LMAO!!!

[alldaway]

He was playing a rookie making his first ever NFL start at a new position.  If he is that hurt he should be on the bech and let White play.

I agree.  What is there to lose ( 2-6) playing White at RDE and letting Rice heal up? 

[ABuccs Fan]

He's a highly skilled specialist at a job darn few guys in the NFL can do. He's not as one dimensional as a lot of folks have you think. That rep is a hold over from his time in AZ and he was much better vs the run here. He's got a quitter (unless 12 sacks the 5-11 season is quitting) and is playing though what reports say are two injuries that should have a bad effect on his game. His perfromance has been downright unacceptable this year and especially at the money he makes no matter what and his disappearance is a huge reason we're 2-6. Now the funny thing is everyone's heros White and Hovan can't even sniff picking up the slack for Simeon but dear god quick sign them up.

I find it odd that folks hate the pass rusher but if you want to keep playing this 4-3 defense then you'd better be ready to pony up $7m to another DE who plays like Sim becuase for this thing to work you need Simoen, Freeney and their ilk.

You can always count on dalbuc to chime in and defend Rice...the only Buccs player/staff member above negativity at the finger tips and keyboard of dalbuc.

[keeponbucn]

Dal, yes he did have 12 sacks but how many of those were multi sack games? My point was that if he played every game to the best of his abilities he could have 20 sacks a season.

Oh dear god not this arguement again. Go look at Freeny, KGB, Strahan and all those guys. They all have multi-sack games and I did the breakdown on Simeon and among the top 10 pass rushers he took the most average games to reach 50% of his sack total of any of them. In other words, everyone else got most of their sacks in fewer games than Sim. he was less of the al or nothing guy. No one drops 20 all the time. Period. He had more sacks over a stretch there when folks were griping than antone in the league but being the best isn't good enough, he needed to be even "bester".

BTW, how are you enjoying life w/o Simeon becuase he's basicaly gone and now we're seeing life w/o that pass rusher and my how bad does this defense look. I guess White isn't making enough plays like he always does to keep up huh?

Money Dal as usual. People take Rice for granted and it's painfully obvious this defense isn't the same without the a-game Rice.

[keeponbucn]

He's a highly skilled specialist at a job darn few guys in the NFL can do. He's not as one dimensional as a lot of folks have you think. That rep is a hold over from his time in AZ and he was much better vs the run here. He's got a quitter (unless 12 sacks the 5-11 season is quitting) and is playing though what reports say are two injuries that should have a bad effect on his game. His performance has been downright unacceptable this year and especially at the money he makes no matter what and his disappearance is a huge reason we're 2-6. Now the funny thing is everyone hero's White and Hovan can't even sniff picking up the slack for Simeon but dear god quick sign them up.

I find it odd that folks hate the pass rusher but if you want to keep playing this 4-3 defense then you'd better be ready to pony up $7m to another DE who plays like Sim becuase for this thing to work you need Simoen, Freeney and their ilk.

You can always count on dalbuc to chime in and defend Rice...the only Buccs player/staff member above negativity at the finger tips and keyboard of dalbuc.

It's hard for me to understand the stance on Rice. Sure he's an arrogant guy but in terms of in-game he will go down as one of the best. There isn't anything to argue about, he will. He's HOF material fellas, there is no question.

[umguy1999]

I would love to hear Gruden be that candid and honest.

[Itchalot]

I think Rice's problems are mainly related to being banged up, but thats the problem.  He is at the age where he will be injured more than he will be healthy.  Thats why the team won't  be able to keep him around.

[tonyflash]

Rice is playing hard, I just think he is eroding.

I'm with that. he's also playing hurt.

What I find funny is Rice hasn't mentioned his injury but Gruden has communicated the severity of his injury in his PC's on numerous occasions. Gruden knows he's hurting but it's easy to pile on somebody when they're not performing.

He is playing with a 2nd degree a/c joint seperation. This coming from a little birdy.

[ABuccs Fan]

Dal, yes he did have 12 sacks but how many of those were multi sack games?  My point was that if he played every game to the best of his abilities he could have 20 sacks a season.

Oh dear god not this arguement again. Go look at Freeny, KGB, Strahan and all those guys. They all have multi-sack games and I did the breakdown on Simeon and among the top 10 pass rushers he took the most average games to reach 50% of his sack total of any of them. In other words, everyone else got most of their sacks in fewer games than Sim. he was less of the al or nothing guy. No one drops 20 all the time. Period. He had more sacks over a stretch there when folks were griping than antone in the league but being the best isn't good enough, he needed to be even "bester".

BTW, how are you enjoying life w/o Simeon becuase he's basicaly gone and now we're seeing life w/o that pass rusher and my how bad does this defense look. I guess White isn't making enough plays like he always does to keep up huh?

Yah, what a joke...it's all Rice? Just like 1999 right?

[Badbud8]

"He is playing with a 2nd degree a/c joint seperation. This coming from a little birdy."

Then He needs to go sit down,,and Shut-Up,as he is doing nothing to Help the team.