Bucs general manager Bruce Allen held his annual end-of-the-season press conference at One Buc Place on Friday morning.
Allen said observers were looking at a 9-3 team that had players considered for the Pro Bowl and had positioned itself for a playoff run, but it was also a team that finished 0-4. Allen said it was important for the team to make an honest assessment of what transpired in 2008 when preparing for the 2009 offseason.
Allen also went on to talk about the excess room under the salary cap and why the team did not spend it. He said the Bucs' intention is to always spend the salary cap room, but needs were filled with some players and he suggested there were very few players that were worth spending a ton of cap money on. He also added, "If the trading deadline was December 15 then we would have attempted to trade for someone to help us with depth issues we had due to injuries."
Regarding accountability, Allen said he feels he has a share of it in Tampa Bay's 9-7 record and 0-4 collapse. "Disappointment is probably the kindest word I could use to describe it." He said he's pleased with the team's offensive line, which is the second-youngest in the league. Allen also said, "We need to add some juice to both the offensive and defensive sides of the football."
Regarding whether Monte Kiffin's announcement was a distraction during 0-4, Allen said, "Monte and I had discussed what he planned to do if Lane got fired from Oakland and if x happened. Monte had earned the right to make that decision. To suggest Monte's announcement was the reason why we missed a tackle vs. Oakland -- that would be shallow."
Regarding 2009 being the last capped year under the CBA, Allen said, "There are special accounting rules that need to be taken into account being that this is the last capped year. The Bucs are prepared either way."
Regarding whether the Glazers are willing to spend the cap room the Bucs have due to their ownership of Manchester United, Allen said, "Oh yeah. We want to make sure we spend our cap money on players that are going to be here and help the Bucs in 2009 and beyond, and make sure the player brought in isn't making earning something more than a player lining up alongside of him." ... "The Glazers have given us the opportunity to sign anybody we want and actually encourage us to sign players that are going to make the Buccaneers better."
Regarding Cadillac Williams' torn patellar tendon injuries in 2007 and 2008, Allen said Williams is already in the training room and determined to prove people wrong that he will not return from his second major knee injury in as many years. Allen said the Bucs would look at the RB injury and get as deep as they could with a 80-man roster (offseason) and 53-man roster.
Regarding coaching changes, Allen said assistant head coach Larry Coyer and tight ends coach Bob Casullo have "moved on" and will not return. He verified that Raheem Morris has interviewed with Denver for the head coaching job, but said St. Louis has not inquired about Morris. Allen also confirmed that linebackers coach Gus Bradley has not been hired as a defensive coordinator in Seattle.
Regarding the QB position, Allen said "We're going to make sure we give the quarterback position the proper attention," and he made a point to reference some of the first-round picks that are playing QB for playoff teams right now. "We want to look for solutions for problems at the position, and we have a pretty good idea of what those solutions might be this offseason, but now is not the right time to talk about it."
Regarding re-signing the team's own players, Allen said, "There are some of our own players that deserve to be rewarded, and we're going to try to do that."
Regarding how the Glazers felt in meetings with Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen after the season, Allen said, "It was no different than our fans. There was disappointment, and we're going to do our best to make it better."
Regarding Dexter Jackson and Dre Moore draft picks, Allen said, "The responsibility is mine. Dexter didn't developed as we had hoped as a rookie, but Clifton Smith comes in and performs well. We drafted Dre Moore with the idea that he was going to be a redshirt player and would need time to develop. They'll be given chances to compete this year."
Regarding fans calling for Jon Gruden to be fired, "I love their passion and I love that they care. That's the most important part."
Regarding Allen and Gruden being on the hot seat, "Allen said, "I don't look at it that way. I know that doesn't make sense to some people. There's nothing that drives me more than the desire to win. ... I've seen my father fired enough to understand how things work in the NFL."
Regarding the Bucs not winning a playoff game in the past five seasons, Allen said, "Not satisfied and it's unacceptable. We have to find a way to get this team on top."
Here are the two articles we filed on all of these stories today on PewterReport.com.
http://www.pewterreport.com/articles/view/5093http://www.pewterreport.com/articles/view/5094
