Come to think of it, how about dialing down the sensitivity of that "Radar" so it only picks up large objects, or objects at high altitude, such as Cutler.

All I hear is how we won't "foolishly" spend money on FAs because we need it sign our own guys.

$62mil in cap room not enough to sign this guy? I'm really starting to loose faith in this team.

We are probably low-balling everyone until one of our own (Clayton) schedules a visit to another team, then we panic and overpay. (I like Clayton, but his play wasn't worthy of the contract)
D scheme calls for DB that press off the line, and if I'm not mistaken, that's p-bucs specialty.
The bottom line is, for a team that is rebuilding with $60+ mil of cap space, to have not signed ANY FA's thus far, is not really in the game.
It seems logical if you have somebody you REALLY want, you do what you can to get them, even if that means you overpay (a little) - yet we have done nothing.
There is still time to do some things via trades as the FA's are all but gone (good ones anyway), but every day that goes by unfulfilled leaves a sting of a 2 or 3 win season upon us.

BucsRunsht -

I agree wholeheartedly that if the Bucs argument for not going after other free agents is to sign their own - then they damn well better sign Buchanon, phillips, and haye.

But I would advise to be patient. They are letting the market set the price on these players. They want to see what Detroit offers so they can set their bid accordingly. Do you really think Pbuc would go to an 0-16 team when he can get the same deal from a team and coach he loves to play for. Of course not. The Bucs know that Pbuc's agent will come back to the Bucs to match. It's a smart way to do business. When a team bids against itself and doesn't let the market set the price - you see ridiculous contracts like the one the Redskins gave to Deangelo Hall. Seriously - no other team was going to come close to giving that kind of money to a guy that was cut last year.

The dilemma is this: this core we are trying to keep together hasn't won a playoff game since 2003. Thi notion of using the cap to resign our own players and only our own players is great for a defending Super Bowl Champion like the Steelers. But the Bucs are coming off back to back mediocre seasons and have cut the vast majority of their veteran leadership. Without adding better players, how exactly do they improve? You cannot rest on the philosophy that the players on your roster will simply get better because they're a year older.

Clair - I'm not so sure he wouldn't sign with the Lions. At this point, there is absolutely no reason to think we will do much better than them next season.

Jovan Haye is also expected to meet with the Titans.

Seconds Bucfan47's notions.

bucafan47,

I will be the first to admit that the Bucs have a zero percent chance at a Super Bowl title next year. But I can't fathom how we estimate them to be a 2 or 3 win team next season. Losing Galloway, Hilliard, and Dunn will not doom the offense. Winslow more than makes up for the loss of the WR's and I'm positive a ward or Kevin Jones will have more in the tank than a 34 year old dunn. I'd argue the offense is improved at every position except QB. Is a 39 year old garcia absolutely better than a 27 year old McCown? That's the big question - and to be perfectly honest - no one knows for sure. Mccown can have a Cassel type season or crumble completely and leave us stuck with griese by midseason. If McCown is closer to the former (or the Bucs land a solid QB via trade) then I see the offense being improved upon this year's team.

Defense is where the big hits have been taken. But I honestly feel that getting rid of the older players and giving the young linebackers a chance will not be as big a dropoff as people expect. I can see this team as is right now winning 7 games (yes I am aware of the schedule). With free agency not yet even close to being over and the draft on the way... this team has a great chance ta being better than last year's team. You can never underestimate the fire a new young coach can bring to a team. Morris was hired for a reason. His effect hasn't been given a chance to be felt yet.

Well to me, I can justify a 4-5 win season by simply pointing out two things: Team chemistry and new system.

It takes time to bring 53 guys together when many of them will be lining up alongside each other for the 1st time, attempting to play teams that have the majority of their starters back (like New Orleans - returning all 22 starters).

Those of the things the new coaching staff cannot make up for and have nothing in their disposal to combat. Will we beat New Orleans next year? The obvious answer is NO.

There will be some games the team will win merely because they start putting it together and play great and during some stretch of the season, but I'd look for that to happen later in the year when the team starts to grasp the offense and come together.

Remember, even when Jon Gruden came onboard back in 02, 1st year here, it took Brad Johnson and that offense over 12 weeks to start putting up points consistently and demonstrate that they can be an effective offense.

The years team has Luke McCown, who's very unproven, with an entirely new offensive blocking scheme that must be learned, and we all know what happens if teams cannot run the ball.

Couple that with the brutal schedule and the FACT this defense is going to surrender many points per game and it's not hard to take our unbiased caps off and see this team winning 3-5 games.

It's really not. I hope they win more, but it's going to take time for these guys to come together, and you cannot make this many changes and expect the Bucs to win more than 5-6 games. It just would not be realistic.

Bucfan47,

All your arguments are valid. Looks like we're arguing the same points with different outcomes. I look at that same 2002 season to see a team mired with back to back mediocre season who brought in a young fiery new head coach, implemented a new offensive system, and sparked incumbent players to max out their potential and win a super Bowl. I see what Miami did last year (getting rid of older players, giving an uncertain QB a chance, and letting their younger players play) and feel like we could see that kind of effect here as well.

What if those players that have been mred on the bench actually have talent? What if the bucs actually have drafted very well in recent years and all these players needed was a chance? And what if Raheem Morris really is a as good and fiery as people hope he is - and we see that effect the second he is given a chance to coach?

A lot of what ifs, I know. But why the hell not. There is precedent. It doesn't always pan out that way - but I have no doubt this is the ratonale the Bucs are thinking along with in their decision making.

Clair don't forget how Atlanta almost won the division. I think this team will be fun to watch this year. The players were tight under Gruden, always afraid of making a mistake, and getting f bombed to death by Gruden. Jags saying touchdown before checkdown has me fired up, and most likely all the players on offense. You gotta love it when he says throw it up I exspect our receiver to come down with it or nobody. The best part is it won't be a 2 yd pass on 3rd and 8!!. I'm hearing to much gloom and doom on this site lately. We need to enjoy this change and see how it pans out.

Well Clair, of course, you could be right. The only HUGE difference between this upcoming season and 02, is the #1 defense in all of football.

Like I stated earlier, it's the combination of alot of things that make this season too much of an uphill climb. We aren't like Atlanta, we don't have a QB like them, we DON'T have Michael Turner, we DON'T have their Special Teams, and chances are, we DON'T have thier defense.

There is just so much to talk about when you look at team chemistry and the fact these guys are going to go to war in the trenches with one side of the ball having to learn an entirely new blocking scheme and the defense, which has many holes up front, we now lost Jovan Haye, and basically an entirely new LB core.

If you put that to the test against our upcoming schedule, how on Earth can anyone predict more than 5 wins? If you do, it's merely because like everyone in here, we ARE biased towards the Bucs. We want them to do well.

The upcoming Bucs have nothing in common with the 02 version, nothing at all. These guys like it or not are on the same page as the Kansas City Chiefs and just a step above the Detroit Lions. And that's only if you take into account their free agent moves up until this point in the offseason.

The Buccaneers have now put enormous pressure on themselves to hit in the draft. Let me rephrase, "The Glazers" have now put enormous pressure on the organization to hit in the draft. If they don't get some quality players in April, they're in BIG trouble. I don't care if Luke McCown plays like Tom Brady.