Turning the page to 2009

[yuccaneers]

To avoid what is beginning to look like a colossal collapse by the Bucs this season going to start getting ready to look at 2009 while washing away the memory of what might have been in 2008.

The loyalty that is shown to the coaching staff on the offensive side of the football along with the constant band aide that is placed on the quarterback position within a scheme that is solely driven by the play at quarterback should have a few front office types along with some coaches rear ends firmly planted on the hot seat for the failure to adequately man the position.

Sometimes it is best to keep it simple stupid the shifting and motion while works to get a match advantage does nothing if you dont have a player under center to pull the trigger.

Heading into the off-season there are several million questions facing the Bucs and very few quality answers.

With Garcia being ineffective and old along with the play from Griese and the lack of trust the coaching staff has shown with McCown and the very raw prospect in Johnson the team is a mess for 2009.

The receiver position isnt much better with Galloway old and injury riddled along with Bryant and Clayton being free to walk along with the lack of development from Jackson and Stovall the team could have a whole new set of receivers to go along with a newly minted depth chart of ineffective quarterbacks.

When looking at the running back position not much to peak ones interest either an aging Warrick Dunn, then there is the once brief streaking array of light known as Carnell Williams. While Earnest Graham is serviceable he is marginal at best and not a game changer in an offense that doesnt feature the run.

The offensive line has just as many question without many answers the increasing inability of a waist bender to gain leverage and anchor against bull rushes and speed rushers has to be a major concern along with his ill advised enforcement role and the penalties one gets for having no control over ones emotions. The lack of  a quality position coach who can teach fundamentally sound technique is badly needed.

The interior of the defensive line is like taking candy from a baby when they need to bow up and stop a team, Haye has been just that like finding a needle in a hay stack this season, there was a reason no other team was willing to give the Chiefs a draft pick for Sims. Kevin Carter should have stayed home and not gotten a free pay check in 2008 and you say Adams is a work in progress I say he will never reach his full potential because he is afraid of contact and is a finesse type player. The smart ones said wait and see about White while others said sign him up long term now how's that been working out.

Derrick Brooks while he meant everything in the glory days, those days are long long gone, while there is a saying one mans trash is another mans treasure there is a real big reason no other team signed Cato June  a few years ago must of his tackles game 5 yards down the field and he is too light in the loafers to hold up effectively against the run.

The defensive backs while have shown flashes Jermaine Phillips has his first real chance at a hefty payday, Barber is in a down season and is only getting older, how much longer before what little bit of speed will be gone and then he is burnt even more. Phillip Buchanon is he worth investing the franchise tag on just to keep him from testing the free market?

Bottom line the team has tried to maintain a competitive balance will refraining to use the word rebuild and bite the bullet. If it have worked it would have been great but the up and down seasons along with the ineptness of the offense is just horrid to watch and then fans wonder why the media give the team no love, I ask whats to love if you are not a true fan of the team and not someone trying to sell papers or adds on TV?

[3drdre]

I hate to say this but I wouldn't think it is a 100% bad thing if we win 3 or 4 games next year if that is what it takes to get a FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK

[TURBO]

I hate to say this but I wouldn't think it is a 100% bad thing if we win 3 or 4 games next year if that is what it takes to get a FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK

*shaking head*

[rocko23]

great read Bravo!!! are u a writer??

[3drdre]

Dude

I hate to say this but I wouldn't think it is a 100% bad thing if we win 3 or 4 games next year if that is what it takes to get a FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK

*shaking head*

So you would prefer to go 7-9 with Luke mcCown and live the next 10 years with mediocrity under center as opposed to a FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK?

[TURBO]

No, but I can never hope for a loss as aBUCS fan, just isn't in me...

[3drdre]

I am sacrificing short term losses for long term Championships...you gotta have a different mindset for this sorta thing

Look at Atlanta and Baltimore they had picks in the top 10 (Ravens traded down then back up, but they coulda stayed at 8 if Flacco was good enough) and now they are playoff contenders and have BRIGHT futures.

We on the other hand won the division, got toasted in the playoffs by the SB Champs, and we have no future.

I dont want to look ahead to 2009.  we're a worse team next year....   QB and RB and WR situation.  This team can not compete when it has a QB, RB and WR situation.  Do you honestly think bruce Allen is going to pay what it takes to keep Antonio Bryant on the team?   There is no way he pays him what other teams will offer him.  Galloway is gone, he doesnt even dress for games anymore.   How are we going to score points when we cant score any points this year?

Also, our pass rush is ridiculous.   We have none.  This is a 6-10 team next year.   There's nothing to look forward to.

[dmajik85]

I think it's ridiculous to say we need to garner a top 5 pick to get a "franchise QB" because 1) how many non-top 5 guys are franchise QB right now, and 2) who's to say we don't have a viable option left on the roster... or can't at least get one in FA. I'm in the same boat as TURBO regardless, and that's the one where I don't want to see a loss period.

As for Yuccs' post... well done in terms of writing, but I think the majority is off base. Your opinions, and that's fine, but I don't think it's all doom and gloom as you write. Just because some in the FO reportedly have written off McCown I haven't. That, and I'm not ready to write off the OL as bad just yet, and I think Caddy can come back to being an upper-tier RB. Defense isn't completely dominant, but they have the pieces to be solid, and I'm sure some upgrades are forthcoming.

mcCown will never start while Gruden is the head coach.  Gruden will always go with a burned out 35 year old QB before letting mcCown develop.  besides, isnt mcCown out of here after this year?

[GoBucs40Bulls8]

instead of losing a ton of games for the franchise qb, can't we trade up to draft someone?? Hoping we lose is ridiculous

[yuccaneers]

I am for what every it takes to get a true franchise quarterback in here, bottom line the money does no good during the season if one is unwilling to spend it to acquire talent, so is the team going to not spend this off-season even though they have the cap space to fix two glaring weaknesses? With the three to free agents being two of the most needed in DT and DE will the Bucs go ho hump and continue to be frugal with the cap and point at other things   

[SLOBGOBLIN]

The loyalty that is shown to the coaching staff on the offensive side of the football along with the constant band aide that is placed on the quarterback position within a scheme that is solely driven by the play at quarterback should have a few front office types along with some coaches rear ends firmly planted on the hot seat for the failure to adequately man the position.

Exactly!Time for the Bucs to Man Up & realize the SB is in there staduim!this non chalant effort the past 2 games is putrid.we have a very good chance to lose to the chargers maybe it is time to look ahead,but the Buc fan in me wants to wait till this season is officially over first.

[yuccaneers]

dmajik - If the team further more the head coach had any faith in McCown he would have been the one playing verse the Falcons not Griese who had been out for two months unable to throw. Then the fact the McCown took the majority of the starters reps in practice all week is a clear sign Gruden is reluctant to use McCown for what ever reason

[cyberdude557]

Not every top 5 QB pick works out. You got to have some luck to go with it just to be mediocre.

Franchise QBs are very rare in this league...there are maybe only a half-dozen. Defenses in the NFL have gotten too good. The masks and the schemes drives most QBs completely nuts. And the speed of the game is so much faster than the college game that its difficult to judge who in college is going to be good.

It's made the draft a crap-shoot.