great sign. Running game should be fun to watch.

Now if we could only get a QB. Offense is looking interesting.

Reasonable.

Finally, some real hope that they might spend some money.

This is a good sign. Signing A Crowell would be nice, Cb Carr too.

I wouldn't mind seeing him on KR & Smith on PR.

Nice job Mark !

I am very encouraged by this signing. Looks like someone at One Buc reads PR and told Domenik that he needed to get his ass in gear. Now if we could only get a lineman.

I'm not crazy about Ward. I think he is overated. However, we needed to either sign a RB or draft one, and it looks like we didn't overpay him, so I think this is a good signing. I think Ward and Graham are solid #2 backs, and they should do just fine untill we have all our other holes filled and are ready to draft/sign a nig time RB. Should be fun to watch these two next year in this new zone blocking scheme.

Overall our Offense is looking pretty solid. If only we had a real QB. I know some of you are all high on McCown, but I'm not sold in the least. IMO McCown is a solid back up, but we need a real franchise QB. If the Cutler trade woulda went thru, I think we would have the best offense that we've ever seen in Tampa.

Now that we have all the peices in place on offense, we should try to get Josh Freeman in the draft. I'd given up on the idea, but this could be the right time to take a leap of faith. Our defense is going to struggle next year no matter who we draft, so maybe we should just go ahead and bring in Freeman to see what he can become with a good line, good RBs, good recievers and an elite TE. I'm thinking it could be amazing.

If we do draft Freeman, then I hope we go almost all defense in the next two drafts.

You know what i love this move really i do i think this running back corps will plain knock people out it is gonna feel good great full back and depth at rb awsome

i know Mark doesn't need this but great job

i agree with jdouble

Finally finally finally something to talk about. These last two signings are not splash moves but at least the water is moving..
Dominick still needs to do something more impressive to save face. Perhaps a trade for Cutler would do the trick since he tried to make that move after the Casel deal was done. Very embarassing..,

Great signing, ironic that we will have the most talented offense the 1st year after Gruden is gone. Percy Harvin and Devery Henderson would seal the deal.

But, we still need some help on defensive. Jason Taylor would be huge if we could pick him up and maybe Igor Orshanski from San Diego at Tackle.

Wow!

Slowly but surely it will come together. Have patience and reflect before the draft how well we have done. Then the next pieces of the puzzle will have to be addressed.

YES! This is a great signing. he's young, he's fast and he's not a bruiser back so he is healthier than Brandon Jacobs. I am not sure how the running game will play out this season but Caddy, Ward and Graham have the potential to finally move down the field and score more points. Awesome.

Ya know I was so excited to hear about the Cutler trade attempt, I wanted it to happen so badly, but after seeing Cutler be a whiny cry baby for the last 3 days....I'm not sure I'd want him. He seems very immature and a bit of a premadonna. I can undertsand him being shocked at first, but c'mon. This is a cut throat business. His new coach considered trading him for the QB his new coach had basicly raised. It didn't happen so he really needs to get over it and put his team first.

Just not the type of leadership I wanna see in my franshise QB.

The Bucs made a Great move by signing Ward. He and graham are almost the same type of downhill runners but Ward is a little faster but the both of them pounding on you for 4 quaters with a young smith or Caddy can be pretty imposing if our O-Coord. so desires to run the ball. The Bucs are making the right moves without blowing money...
Go Domink we support the new movement!

I keep forgeting about Smith! I hope he gets a chance to see what he can do at RB also. Using Graham and Ward to pound the rock and tire teams out could open with runs in the fourth quarter from a speedster like Smith. Really like the kid and hope he wasn't a one year wonder.

JDouble,
Consider this, if we made that trade for Cutler the qb position would be addressed but the 1st rounder we have to address the DL would be gone and Cutler does have many flaws to his game. I say we take our time on the QB and see what we have in Luke.

Not sure how were making assumptions that this will be the best offense we've ever had. Just cause we signed a couple people means nothing. Say what you want about gruden but he got the most out what he had and if Garcia was just half way decent in the red zone we would have had the best offense we have ever seen.
Just cause raheem gets along with players doesn't mean he can be a great head coach. We will need to wait and see later if these moves are good. But like I said at least we are on the board and doing something.

Finerdetailz, I don't think Rheem has anyhting to do with the offense. The reason I said Cutler would have given us the best Tampa offense ever is becuase I believe is Jags vertical passing game and zone blocking running game. I think with Bryant and Winslow as great big targets, a very good, solid, young O-line, and now two solid downhill runners in Graham and Ward....we have all the peices to be a great offense. You add in a great young ProBowl QB like Cutler and it coulda been sick.

architek, I had considered that. The thing is, even if we draft a D-lineman in the first it won't solve our problems on defense. We aren't going to have a top 10 defense this year nomatter who we draft. So my thinking is get our future QB and let's see what happens on defense. All these young guys like Mack, Hayes, Black ect are big question marks right now. Next year, after watching these guys play bigger roles, we will have a much better idea what positions we need to fix. Obviously DL is a weakness....but even if we took Freeman in the first, we could possibly trade up to get back a second rounder and draft Ron Brace.

One other thing.....Cleveland needs a center badly. I bet we could trade Sean Mahan and our 3rd to get our second round pick back from them. I'm surprised Mahan wasn't involved in the Winslow deal in the first place.

Jdouble .. If we get cutler I agree the potential and pieces look good.

Solid move and what's encouraging is that it gone done a day early. Ward wasn't scheduled to come til Tuesday so that's good to see the urgency and aggressiveness of this signing.

Ward is a better all around back than Jacobs cause he's better in the passing game and he REALLY runs hard and I would think would have to be the featured back. We are now very deep at RB which will only make subbing a fresh Caddy late in games more devastating. Caddy would never have been a feature back as Gruden wanted him to be as he wasn't at Auburn, but this move goes along with OC Jag's plan of being a running team "that runs downhill".

With a young, inexperienced QB the best thing a team can do for him is get him a safety valve (a great TE to check down to) and the Bucs have with the Winslow signing and also a great tandem of RB's which they have done with this Ward signing. Lastly a good, young OL that provides a good pocket and our OL is better at run blocking but will get better because they're very talented. This will make McCown's job and transition a lot
easier and his mobility will help the OL and receivers who will be able to break off their routes to run to the open spaces in the defense.

I sure hope we sign TE Jeremy Stevens to give Luke a very tall target which is ideal for a new QB who can catch overthrown balls that shorter TE's can snatch. I love the TD pass McCown threw in Nawlins to Stevens in the corner of the end zone with time running out to snatch the win from the Saints. Another WR will make the O pretty good and having one of the best blocking WR's in Clayton downfield for Ward will help spring him for even longer yardage. A good draft and the team will get a jumpstart on their change of direction.
Glad to see this as it's a start and I think there are more good moves that we can and will make now that Dominik is getting his feet wet and learning on the fly as we all know he wasn't given a good team to work for him and he doesn't have the contacts and connections around the league that Allen did. Few do (only a handful of GM's) Coolness.....

Nice signing. How did they do it? I thought nobody wanted to play for Morris. I thought only GruAllen could sign free agents? Did they get the outside law firm to work nights on the contract? Did they call the fired Raiders employees? How did Ward's agent get Dominik on the phone? Maybe he called Chuck Smith first. LMAO. Yeah, boy, those guys are over their head. Or maybe this isn't earth shattering news!

Dude, Ward ran wild for like 216 yds against Dallas late in the season. The game has been on NFL Network's Replay a lot lately. He punished the Dallas D....

I like the move, it definately upgrades the backfield with him and EG carrying the load. Don't forget about Caddy... if he comes back healthy and can stay healthy, you are looking at a very dangerous three headed monster. That combined with Bryant, and K2 is enough to scare any opposing defense.


I am one of those BUC fans that is ok with Luke McCown running this offense, he has talent and has the will to succeed. These kind of weapons will only aid in increasing that confidence. I am worried about the Defense though... could be the undoing of us next year. Let's hope we resign P-Buc, J-Phil, and add D-line through the draft. A trade for Rogers from Cleveland maybe???


I like it, let's turn the tides and get this ship righted!

Igor Olshansky-should take a look at this guy-he's big and young and not that bad of a player. Although he comes from a 3-4 system, maybe there is enough talent there to entertain the thought. 26 years old 6'6" and 300+ lbs.. He would fill some space on the d line...The guys a freakin beast...

Buc fans-keep an eye on the Warner situation in San Fran-if the 9ers sign Kurt expect Alex Smith to be released or traded.If we can make a trade with cleveland for Mahan,maybe we can use the pick to grab Alex Smith...Just a thought...

Wasn't Alex Smith a bust in SF... why would we want him in Tampa?

Great move......and i know there will be more....just be patient like ive been saying.........GO BUCS !!

Finally ! ! !
I am so glad that we finally signed someone who could make an impact in the games. And I don't mean on special teams, sorry Koutouvides.

I really think that Ward WILL emerge as our feature back. I think they will sprinkle in Graham, and Caddy when he is ready, but I think it is Ward's time to shine as the starter. I also think that is how they got him to sign so fast. He is quicker looking than Graham and still has a lot of power. I think Jags will like that a lot. Graham may be the third down guy, or just a change of pace power guy, but I think Ward will do just fine and I am very excited!!! Can't wait to see them ALL run in our hopefully improved zone blocking scheme!

Now all we need is a D lineman. Not many left that would be an upgrade. Maybe a trade, or as JDouble said, maybe get a player or our 2nd round pick back from Cleveland. I hope they really like Mahan. We could clearly afford to trade him, Zuttah seems like he is ready to play and already can't make the line-up.

GO BUCS ! ! ! ! I can't wait until the next news ! ! ! !

Go Marky D, bring us some more gems via free agency and the DRAFT !!!!!

Wait a minute...MY bad...

That was CAROLINA that Derrick Ward ran wild against late in the season as he set an NFL record for highest yards per carry in a game by a player with over 15 carries. Ward averaged 14.3 yds per carry against the Panthers as I remember thinking that would be sweeeet twice a year against a team I utterly hate.

Ward had a 51 yard run in OT for almost a TD to seal the deal but he ran all over the Panthers with speed, great cutting and a really good burst (I've watches so many games on NFL Network since Friday that I can't remember em' right-totally blowing off my girlfriend the whole weekend lol) yeeeaauuuuh

HarriMags1

Alex Smith has had injury problems in The City (San Francisco) and played for some horrible 9er teams which earned the 9ers the first pick in the draft. He's very mobile and extremely athletic and has a good arm. He just played behind a horrible OL til they got it together just as he was starting to suck (gunshy, injuries....)

"Wasn't Alex Smith a bust in SF... why would we want him in Tampa?"

Harrimags1, I don't think anyone even brought up Alex Smith in this thread, but since you asked....

Alex Smith has had four different offensive coordinators teaching him four different schemes in his four years with the 49ers. The entire coaching staff has sucked and been replaced, and the team has basicly just sucked. On top of that he was barely 20 years old when drafted. Not a very good situation to succeed.

He is now 24 years old, so it would be like getting a draft pick...except he has more NFL experience. He has the size, arm strength, and brains to be an elite QB in the NFL. A fresh start could do him wonders. Bottom line is he might very well be better than any QB in the draft this year, so if we could pick him up to compete against McCown it would be great.

The thing is, his rookie contract pays him like 16 million this year and the 49ers have said he can either restructure the deal for a lower salary before the draft, or he will be cut. We don't need to trade. If he wants out of San Fran he will be available before the draft....as long as San Fran doesn't trade him instead of releasing him....which they problably would since they could get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him.

So they throw a crumb out to silence the choirs of unrest – big deal !

I hope all the Duemig and mainstream fish-wrap followers choke on the kool-aid as they watch a very good organization implode on every level. In case it’s gone unnoticed, this is more than just some disgruntled fans not liking the new direction. The fan base is in full meltdown and the national perspective is that the Bucs are a complete ($60m) joke !

- Knee jerk firing of top grade NFL talent

- Followed by knee jerk hiring of “green” GM and coach

- Enhanced by lack of time to properly staff new organization

- Realization that there is “no plan” or strategy

- Poor judgment on release of veterans negatively affects FA efforts

- Trade for one of our strongest positions and lose draft choices

- Utterly mishandle free agency in every respect (Haynesworth, Smith, Boley, Housh, Cassel, etc., etc., etc…………….

- Then sign anyone willing to ink a contract to save face

- Blow the draft big time as the radioactive glow increases to a critical state at One Buc Place

- 5-11 season, last place in NFC South

- Years of lackluster management at the bottom of the division

I don’t blame the owners – I blame the media in this town for tainting Gruden/Allen with the fans. After years of an aggressive propaganda campaign to bring down the last GM/Coach they succeeded. They actually had the fans believing any new GM/Coach combo would be better for the organization.

How does that taste now ?

Kurbo I have to agree with you. I guess most of you forgot the rule that applies to all running backs.... once you hit thirty your on the down side .

Look at all the greats LT,EDGE,ALEXANDER,HOLMES,JOHNSON, and for those who will say he has low mileage well loook at Ricky Williams.
BEFORE HE TAKES A SNAP HE WILL BE 29 ! It's glass half full people like you who allow us to live in mediocrity. The way the owners see it is if you can make the masses happy with scrap heap players then why spend money. WAKE UP! EXPECT MORE !

Taste great! Take your negative ass outa here and go cheer for some other team if your so unhappy. You wanna write off Rheem and Dom as idiots, but your the only idiot here. They have had one month...what exactly did you expect them to do in one month? They've managed to put together a solid offense already which is pretty impressive IMO. Sorry we didn't blow $100 mil on Haynesworth....get over it. The team is moving on and getting younger, move on with it or take off.

3RD STRINGER

Ward has 3 years in the NFL....how is he on the downside of his career? This guy is in his prime and will most likely remain in his prime for at least 2-3 years.

I am responsible for the Alex Smith mention.With the 9ers entertaining the Kurt Warner option,Alex Smith(though viewed as a bust by many-has talent) would become available at some point if they go with Warner.I would much rather have him in the running for our QB than Greasy.Greaseman lacks arm strength and is not a great fit for our new offense..Alex is young,talented and has a decent arm.He was plagued by a crap OL and 4 different OC's in his fiery baptism into the NFL.IF he was given a change of scenery and the protection of our OL,he might actually thrive..If anything he would provide us with an NFL experienced QB to challenge McCown for the starting job.He could come to us for almost nothing,we can afford to pay him,and he makes more sense than Griese..This saves us from reaching for a QB in this years draft,wher the talent pool is thin.Freeman is being pushed on us in the first,but he is at best a 3 rounder..

Alex is 24,and a fart smella-I mean smart fella..He has a ton of upside and will try his hardest to prove he was worth the #1 pick.
This could be a win win situation-for Smith AND Tampa...

The Bucs were responsible for whooping his ass at one point - ( serious back injury,oops.) He knows our team is tough...
Regardless, the 49ers' general manager, Scott McCloughan, said that the 49ers expect to release Smith before the 2009 season, when they would owe him a salary of $9,625,000.[11] This changed, following the firing of Nolan on October 21, 2008, and there has been talk about Alex Smith most likely returning for the 2009 season should he renegotiate his contract.[12] A decision should be made regarding his future with the 49ers by the start of free agency on Feb.27

cremdonado

Alex Smith of the 9ers is a big question mark because after having a promising year for a rookie in '06 he's had injuries to his throwing shoulder twice since then. He separated his throwing shoulder in '07 and needed ligament surgery and then re-injured the same shoulder just as this past season was getting ready to start and had to go or IR (bone problems with same shoulder).

Even if he takes a significant paycut from the nearly $10 million that he's owed in '09 (and he's agreed to do so on record) it's been written that he'll probably be waived because of the Warner possible signing and he was already behind J.T.Sullivan who kept their head coach Mike Singletary his job last year by finishing strong.

Smith is a system QB from a spread formation in Utah that thrives on the shotgun and spread sets and designed QB runs and bootlegs which the Bucs OC Jags has stated he would use a verticle passing approach from spread sets but not as radical as Utah and Smith is used to. Smith won't cost the Bucs anything IMO. He also didn't get along with head coach Mike Nolan who wanted to rush him back from injury to save his job and he did play in 4 offenses in 4 years so those factors have retarded his development as a pro IMO. Since he wouldn't cost the Bucs much, and depending on how much he signs for, he'd be worth a shot but he may have lost a lot of arm strength, so I wouldn't get my hopes up too high on him. He's still young so it all depends on his shoulder recovery.

JDouble

Derrick Ward IS in his prime and is fresh because he shared carries not only with Brandon Jacobs but also with Ahmad Bradshaw all while he was a pro. This cat has really fresh legs and wants the rock full time and is no where near the downside of his career IMO. Just remember: 216 yards rushing just a few months ago against Carolina when Jacobs was still hurt or resting. He was the most seldom used of the Giants three headed monster at RB. He's a great pickup, man.

pewterdude- Nice added info on Smith.I was just bringing him up in an effort to leave no stone unturned.Since most of the Dline upgrades from free agency are now gone,I figure there is still room to bring in or trade for a QB.He might not be everything we are looking for,but he could give McCown much needed competition.I still think we need to grab another receiver(henderson,Lance Moore,or McDonald),just to make the competiton at that position a little deeper..

I just want this team to get better-I want something to cheer for.Ward's signing was a step in the right direction,maybe still pick up an RB in the draft though..

I think we have had a great last couple of days. Running game should be great especially if caddy is back and healthy. This offense should be fun. I think though everybody needs to give McCown a chance. He has all the skills that anybody else has, he can throw deep, he can run the ball, and he is accurate. He just needs some playing time to get rid of some of those yound QB mistakes. I think we may be truly shocked by what he does. Plus he got a pretty decent contract to have him sitting the bench.

I bet we see Jason Taylor in Tampa very soon, I think he still has a couple years in the tank, plus Bates was his coordinator when him and Zach Thomas were killing everybody. Things are looking good. Go out and gettem Mark!!! Nice couple days.

I am also interested to see what coach Jags can do with Dexter Jackson. We will see if he can utilize his speed, teams will have to respect it if he iss gunning straight downn the feild.

Go Bucs!!!

Jdouble,

I think our defense could be good this year if we make the following additions.

Sign LB Crowell
Sign Jason Taylor
Sign Mcfadden

and draft
1. DE Larry English
3. DT Ron Brace (Slow time at combine will allow us to get him round 3)
4. LB Marcus Freeman
5. WR Kevin Ogletree

What do you think?
Paul

cremdonado,

Hey I'm right with ya on bringin' Alex Smith in and I think he's young enough that he could heal a lot quicker than an older QB and at least it wasn't a rotator cuff tear. I'd love to see him succeed in this offense man....And it was Shaun Hill that ended up in the 9ers starting spot that saved Singletary's job after replacing J.T.O'Sullivan (they were switching QB's a lot last year but that's even more reason to waive Alex Smith with O'Sullivan, Shaun Hill and maybe Warner?. Wow, Dick Nolan and Mike Singletary are two of he most demanding coaches one could encounter at such a young age. I new environment could do him well; good attitude....He could very well bounce back and I hope we do use lots of spreads with the shotgun and multiple WR's and go verticle. I've been harping on that for years and like yourself, I'm just glad the wheels are finally starting to turn and we're seeing some progress and knowing the exisiting talent we have and with FA not over and the draft the possibilities are exciting.

hannconn,
I'd like to see what Jags can do with WR Dexter Jackson as well, since the only smallish WR Gruden ever had success with was Galloway (and McCardell if you call him small and Hilliard) and I see Dexter Jackson having a game much like Philly's Desean Jackson from Cal who was drafted in the 2nd round last year and had a great year. Everyone thought that Philly's Jackson lacked the size to make it in the pros but he got separation all season long and with the right offense and routes so can Dexter Jackson in Tampa. There will be a considerable effort to get him off since he was a 2nd round pick that the Bucs won't want to be a bust like Jaquez Green was a few years back. The transition shouldn't be that much tougher because the Buc's Jackson played Div 2 ball at Appalachian State who rocked the U of Michigan's world.

pkeyes73,

THat would be an awesome draft and FA group. I'd settle for English and Brace in the draft but what I don't understand is Crowel is close to Cato June's size so I don't get the bigger and tougher concept, although it was believed that June couldn't shed blockers, blow up the run and was primarily a coverage LB so I guess that's the difference but Crowell's not mammouth. He probably kicks ass though....All in all we'd be set with your projections and we'd just have to hope things fall into place for us but we'd be stout and very tough with that grouping you listed. Can't argue with it, that's for sure...good call...

Has everyone forgotten that we cut two of our starting linebackers? I have faith that one of our backups can fill one of the spots but we need to bring in somebody whos going to bring leadership and who is a stud. We also still need a WR. We cant count on Clayton just yet.. i know we all want to believe he can get back to his rookie form, but we'll just have to wait and see. And if we dont re-sign Jermaine Phillips or Phillip Buchannon!!!!!

Focus on getting some more playmakers on Offense, but mainly focus on the defensive side of the ball now..

Defense wins championships, Offense sell's tickets.
Maybe that is the approach the Glaziers want to take?? Scumbags..

Ward is a good sign. Truth is, nobody really knows how good he can be (or not). It has been said he is a product of a good offensive line, well news flash, our line is pretty good. His contract doesn't break the bank so that means, for the money, there is nothing but upside.
My money is that he does great and that we take DL with the first pick. Raji is expected to be off the board, but there are about 3 really good prospects for DT.
If we do take a DL with pick 1 and Freeman falls into the second round as expected, the Bucs should trade up and grab him.
Yes, we didn't get Haynesworth, so what, that's history. Let's see what the rest of FA and the draft holds.
This new Bucs team will be better than people think.
Ironically enough, it may be the Offense that carries this team for once. That in itself makes the defense better.

Nick,

We keep hearing that Geno Hayes or Quincy Black might be Brook's replacement...we will see what we have this year. We also have this new kid we just signed and Matt McCoy. We might sign or draft on more LB, but we are fine at that position.

We are also fine at WR. We need to let Clayton and Jackson get thier fair shate of oppurtunities this year to see if they can progress. If they don't, then cut em both and we'll need WRs next year.

Our defense will most likely struggle next year nomatter what last ditch FA signings we make or who we draft, so expect it and prepare yourself. On the bright side, we might just have a very entertaining offense to watch next year.

pkeyes73,


As far as your FAs, McFadden already signed. I don't know much about Crowell, but we are supposedly interested in him, and I don't see a reason to sign Taylor. I wouldn't mind, but after we just cut 99% of our veterans over 30, it would seem strange to bring in more 30+ guys to start. If we were going to get a 30+ guy to fill a hole for awhile, I'd like to see us go after Shaun Rodgers from Cleveland.

As far as your draft picks, I love Larry English. The only defensive player I'd wanaa take before him is Rey Maualuga. He will most likely go to the Broncos at 12 or Chargers at 16 though, so English would be a more likely pick.

I don't see Ron Brace being there in the 3rd, but if we can trade back down into the second and get him, I like to see him in Pewter & Red.


Here is my fantasy scenerio. We go back to the Browns for a huge trade. We give the Browns Mahan (they are hurting for a center) and our first round pick. In return, we get Shaun Rodgers and both thier second round picks. We then use the first 2nd rounder for Freeman, and the second for Ron Brace. This would give us over 700lbs or Rodgers/Brace in the middle of our defensive line, and a great young QB to compete with McCown so we could drop Griese.

My scenerio is a bit crazy, but my main idea is to get Freeman and Brace somehow. Shaun Rodgers would just be a bonus. Thruth be told, we'd probably have to throw a 4th or 5th rounder in my scenerio trade to get both 2nd round picks from the Browns.

Main thing is I have faith....in Dom anyways. I think he has done very well considering he is a one man show this year. Rheem will have to prove himself. I remain neutral on him.

I'm going to have to start checking these new reports earlier. By the time I'm finshed reading all these comments I'm too tired to write my own.

Nice move signing Ward. Now sign Leftwich. Go Bucs!!

I hope this now shuts up that crap that "Fab 5 put out about no attorneys around to do the deals for the bucs. What nonesense it was.

It's all about the value of the player for the value of the money. All we need is another QB and a DT and we are as strong or stronger than before.
Morris knows what he is doing and to many of you are to negative about this team. It's early in the free agency game.
Go Bucs! We will be better!

Horse,
At first I thought that you were being extreme in criticizing the latest Fab Five but after further review, you have a point! No one truly knows the true reason why we didn't have more visits or signed as many FA's but I will say this. We have been very deliberate and we have shown resolve along with accuracy. This is a journey not a race. Of the FA's brought in only Smith, Wilkersen, and Bryant had an immediate impact for the better. Ironically, who selected those players? Hmm...For all we kow maybe Dominik want to work with less. The point is we are not privy to this info and it is rude to assume, so KUDOS Horse! Keep remaining a faithful amongst this gronola of Bucs fans.

JDouble, you are right about the defense, in my opinion. You are also correct about the much needed support for Dominik, he is really shaking and moving. I just want to add two things if you will. Alex Smith should not be written off but in bringing him in to an QB carousel that we have does not add or change the dynamic that we have at QB. He is essentially the same as Luke with less athleticism and mobility. I personally think that Leftwich would potentially add because of his arm but he too has no mobility. I am not desiring M. Vick escape ability but I want some movement in the pocket or someone that can avoid petty sacks. Second, the key is getting last year draft class to give us something. Dre Moore and D. Jackson must come through at their respectable positions to avoid a setback. Talib did already, now mor ethan ever we NEED Moore to reach his potential or get on that path. Send him to DLine, Inc. if necessary. Hell I will pay for it, lol. But, you point about reserving your opinion about Morris is noble, I can't judge you but this guy can coach man...Just turn on the film and look at the numbers from when he returned to Tampa and his work at KSU.
Finally, I personally would pass on Freeman because the pass rush is more important than anything. If we can get any D-Line help out of the draft then we will be hurting but really there was no one in FA that moved me.
Go Bucs!

I love the WARD signing; excellent move! Bout time...but let's not forget about Clifton Smith at RB!

not sure how anyone can claim that we would be stronger than before if we don't have Brooks and have 2nd stringers starting in 2 LB spots??? Jason Taylor would be good for some vet leadership on the line.

Still waiting for all of the "RAT" & "SNAKE" talk about Coach Morris, after all, Gruden tried to get a HOF QB and was nailed to the cross for hurting lil Jeff's feelings...what's the diff? Cutler's playoff wins - ZERO

Are you gonna tell me you'd rather have MC than Housh??? Wake the hell up, this guy led the league in receptions, CJ was hurt most of the season and it didn't matter...

JDouble,

I disagree with your take that "We are also fine at WR" because Clayton has not proved that he is a reliable #2 WR in this league due to constant inuries and dropped passes and he lacks the speed to stretch defenses vertically. In a verticle offense, you need your nos 1 and 2 WR's to have very speed if you're gonna force the defense to respect that speed which will keep the safefy from dropping down in the box to stuff the run and Clayton is NOT proven as a number 2 receiver and I also don't think Freeman will last to the second round but this is a disagreement that I woudn't mind losing especially with Freeman. I like your trade proposal for getting the Brown's second round picks but I just don't see Freeman being there and neither do many draft publications.

The Bucs still need to sign a #2 receiver with speed and Devery Henderson from New Orleans visited us last year and
would be an excellent choice and the team has the cap room to pay him handsomely but one would have to question would he want to catch passes from one of the best QB's in the league in Drew Breese or an unproven, raw and inexperienced QB that may not utilize his skills the way Breese does?

Also if switching to a vertical offense who better to groom Jackson and Clayton than Tory Holt who is expected to be released with LT Pace to free up about 14 million in cap space for the Rams? Holt is only 32 and could be signed for 4 years and wouldn't have to stay the fourth (team option) and we'd have a true #2 WR who would be an excellent mentor for Jackson on route running, catching (he's got GREAT hands),
finding seams and alleys in zone coverages and would give the receivers the leader that they need in terms of experience having played in two Super Bowls. Holt has 8 straight 1,000 yd seasons prior to 2008 and last year was a nightmare as the team tanked as a whole. He's still got great speed and really good hands and is the best value out there once released. And unlike Boldin we wouldn't have to pay for him in terms of a trade.

This team should not be done signing WR's yet IMO
and with our cap situation we can afford to sign high level quality players and still rotate them with our younger players. Also having Holt would help McCown immensely with his checkdowns, defensive presnap reads, and hot reads. Too much youth with an injury plagued Clayton is simply not gonna get it done and why not put the best team on the field talent wise while still developing our younger talent? Jackson played at Appalachian State (Div 2) and will need a lot of mentoring and adjusting to the pro game.

Also signing Stevens at TE along with Holt would be awesome and help McCown quite a bit in terms of familiarity and having a huge target to throw to where shorter TE's wouldn't be able to catch overthrown balls like Stevens would. Also we need the depth with Winslow having the injuries from his accident, and he wouldn't cost a ton and why not load up at TE which is a very important (checkdown) receiver for any inexperienced QB ?

This team still has the cap room to be very competitive this upcoming year with some more FA signings that are still out there and a little luck in the draft with players possibly falling but Freeman is highly unlikely to fall to the 2nd round.

Good signing. Its good to see that we're doing something and got a player at a position of need.

My only concern is that he's already going to be 29 in august and is only a year or two away from that dreaded age for RB when they start to drop in production. The only thing that might negate that is the fact that he only has about a year and a half worth of carries in his career so he hasn't taken much wear and tear.

PewterDude,

Don't get me wrong, I'd love for us to further upgrade at WR with Henderson, or even better with Holt! I just think with Bryant and Winslow, we can afford to let the other 7 recievers under contract compete for the #2 spot. It would be nice to see if any of them can step up.

As far as Freeman in the second, he will more liekly be there at Cleveland's 2nd round pick than ours, but alot of the Mock drafts I've seen have Sanchez available in the mid to late 1st now that KC signed Cassel. If Sanchez falls that far, Freeman will almsot certainly be there at the beginning of the 2nd round. Who really knows? It's all a gamble. I just feel if your picking after 12-15 like we are at 19, I'd rather have 2 second rounders than a first and a third.

Totally agree with the 2 second rounders especially Cleveland's and

Totally agree with the 2 second rounders especially Cleveland's and

Totally agree with the 2 second rounders especially Cleveland's and

THis sight is signing me off right while I'm posting.

JDouble

Like I wrote. I totally agree with the 2 second rounders instead of staying put at 19 especially Cleveland's 2nd rounder and you're correct that the latest mocks DO have Freeman dropping with the Cassel signing into the 2nd round and some have the 9ers taking Sanchez with their first rounder at the 10 spot (I believe it's 10). I'm getting a good feeling about the draft for the Bucs and I also see DE English is dropping as well. Many had the Bears taking him at 18 just before the Bucs.

Even with the slow start out of the gates in FA this team still has a chance to compete this year and I think the team will do very well in the draft due to some surprise players available. I do the Cleveland deal in a heartbeat to move down and get the multiple 2nd rounders even if we have to throw in another late round pick in next year's draft and we have 3 7th rounders this years