Daily Roundup

The daily roundup takes you around the web, rather then you surfing for news on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yourself.

According to the the St. Pete lies both Brian Kelly & Alex Smith might return to play against the Arizona Cardinals in week 9.

Scott Reynolds of PR.com states we as fans cant blame Jon Gruden and his play calling for the loss to the Jaguars last week. Well I for one will continue to blame the head coach every time this team puts another one in the loss column.

In an attempt to be funny Stephen Holder of the local lies club tries a little to hard, when he writes in his blog about the kickoff mystery solved. Maybe if the local hacks in Tampa/St. Pete would do more research they wouldn't be trying out for Comedy Central these days.

Sporting News, has released it's latest mock draft, you wont believe who the Bucs will be drafting according to the so called experts, well ok some might have a clue. So with out further pausing to fill space. With the sixteenth selection in the 2008 NFL draft the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select QB Andre Woondson of Kentucky.

The Tampa tribune runs a play off of WWE Smackdown with their own version called SMACKDWON, well this week they are asking fans to choose the biggest surprise at the midway point of the season. Well I guess they are really laying the smackdown on all the candy ass readers.

So are fans right? when they call Gaines Adams a bust. While I don't believe he is living up to the hype as the best pure pass rusher from the draft, He is coming along at a snails pace. Adams has lots to learn.

Mr. Doesn't have a clue offers up his mid season report card on the Bucs.

Counting Kiffin

A combination of skills and statistic excellence are pre-requisites for the Hall of Fame; being better than most at their position before their career began and those who were their direct peers. Those are for players, but what about coaches?

More specifically what about specialty coaches? Guys who were never head coaches? The usual names associated with Buccaneers and potential representatives in the Hall of Fame include Warren Sapp, Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice, and John Lynch, but what about Monte Kiffin? Entering his 12^th season as Bucs’ defensive coordinator last year was the first they didn’t finish top 10 under his supervision.

He’s outlasted a head coach and countless offensive coordinators, seen numerous members of his staff head on to bigger and better positions, and out maneuvered two of the best offenses around in two of the three biggest games in recent Buccaneer history; Super Bowl 37 and the 1999 NFC Championship game.

But he’s never been ‘the guy’, does that restrict him? It shouldn’t, not when you consider his fingerprints aren’t embedded with the help of only elite talent, sure having five of the best at their positions at one time helps, but ask the Cleveland Browns if every defensive first round pick works out, then ask Larry Coyer how to make first round defensive talent work.

He’s credited with the Tampa Two, even if the Bucs’ don’t use the exact formula 75% of the time, and this year he’s expanding his mold, reinventing what you expect from the defense of the Bucs. Talk of the 3-4 being mixed in, or a ‘nickel blitz’ with three down lineman, three linebackers, and five defensive backs, youthful linebacker Quincy Black has been doing a lot of blitzing, and while some will blame Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen for the defense’s collapse, and that’s the correct way of doing so, unlike time those two have a face.

They also have eyes, ears, and a mind apiece that they don’t share, despite what some say, the ultimate example of these two caring what Kiffin says? This past April, facing the 64^th pick in the draft, with another sitting four picks away the team had a choice to make; take Sabitino Piscitelli and Quincy Black, or take their top ranked player and hope that Piscitelli dropped to the third round and Black to the fourth. They went the first route, and it seemingly couldn’t be working out better with both players turning the heads of onlookers and coaches alike.

Sapp, Brooks, Lynch; Adams, Black, Piscitelli, don’t look now, but Monte Kiffin has a young core at each level and some free agent tools to play with, knowing Monte he’s going to carve out a masterpiece, the question becomes will a blacksmith be doing the same with his bust in a few years?

Haye, What?

It’s an annual egg hunt amongst all sports fans, the enchantment of a ‘sleeper’ player. Front offices across the spread had better damn well get their first round picks correct, that’s a requirement, not an expectation, it’s what personnel directors do in the second day and after the draft and free agency is in the process of roster fillers when they earn their praise and paycheck.

Since taking over as Buccaneers’ general manager Bruce Allen has made a name of himself for finding sleeper players, most notably the ever underrated Chris Hovan. It’s a given that every off-season Bucs’ fans will make a comment that equates a current project, Ryan Sims for example, as a ‘Hovan’ like signing. Frankly these signings are overrated, Sims, like Hovan, like Phillip Buchanon, was a first round pick. Players chosen in the first round have tools that stick out, whether the coaching staff can groom those tools, and if the players can mentally adapt to modern day gladiator like abuse is the difference between a bust and a boom.

Shelton Quarles is the textbook example of what great personnel groupings do; find a player who fits your system and fits it well. Quarles was signed after being cut by the Miami Dolphins and spending some time up north in the Canadian Football League, he’d hang around on the Buccaneers until Nate Webster bolted in free agency and the team retooled with Q at mike. He played the spot well alongside Derrick Brooks and numerous strong side linebackers that would come into the system.

In 2005 the Bucs would take a young middle linebacker from Nebraska, Barrett Ruud, NFL genealogy in tact. Quarles would hold the youngster off until 2006 when he’d go down with an assortment of injuries, the rest we know, Quarles has been relieved of his playing duties, and Ruud is the starter at MLB, but that’s not the point here: the Bucs took a chance on a kid from Vanderbilt and he worked out magnificently for nearly a decade.

The pre-season is less than 14 days from starting, reading the training camp reports and coming across the first time under tackle gave me great enthusiasm: Jovan Haye. An undrafted kid from Vanderbilt previously released by the Carolina Panthers Haye took in nine games for the Bucs last season, 11 tackles and six assists later he became a blip on the radar for some Bucs fans looking towards next season.

Born in Jamiaca Haye’s family moved to the United States when he was six, he didn’t play football until his junior year in high school and even then he was an offensive guard for his two years, as well as a shot putter and a basketball player. Haye isn’t your run of the mill ‘jock’, unlike some Buccaneer players who I won’t name, getting into Vanderbilt is quite an accomplishment, as is a 4.5 GPA in high school.

He’d head to Vanderbilt, switch to defensive end, and after redshirting a season would start 11 of 12 games the next year. What he did in college statistically isn’t important in the least, he showed the ability to play against better competition, and he brought his best every week. Scouting reports noted he was a ‘relentless pass rusher’ with a ‘great burst’ but was ‘moody’ and ‘handled adversity differently’, seemingly not a good mix for the world of drill commander defensive coordinators and defensive line coaches.

Jethro Franklin was hardly that, and perhaps that’s one of the reasons Haye excelled, but I’m willing to bet it had more to do with Haye’s determination and drive, and I’m also willing to bet Larry Coyer is a better coach. People warn that small sample size will be the downfall of Haye, but I’d point to Dewayne White’s half season sample last season, and notably when he gave all-ever left tackle Walter Jones fits for 60 minutes, and then took his ball and headed to Detroit for more money than his performance demanded.

Haye has the body of an end, the speed to boot (4.7 in the 40, faster in-game) he’s also got the body of work that shows he’s no enemy of changing for his team’s own good, that shows maturity, he’s coachable and has talent, otherwise an offensive guard turned defensive end wouldn’t have succeed so quickly, now he’s back to step one, only on the opposite side.

He knows exactly how to block a defensive tackle from getting to his quarterback; Haye is a smart man, don’t be surprised when he uses that knowledge to make opposing passers’ days hell come the season, and don’t be surprised when he becomes the next ‘from nowhere’ story, collectively placing a stamp on Bruce Allen’s résumé, filed under ‘sleeper finder’.

Mr. Who

Matt Lehr - OG / C

You were expecting Cato June or B.J. Askew I'm sure, but instead I went with Lehr, who as suspected isn't being thought much of. What he brings is experience, versatility, and the juice.
He would've also brought insight into the Falcons playbook, but as we know Jim Mora Jr. is no longer the coach, however this will give the Bucs some insight into the Seahawks' defensive backs coach and his gameplan for his secondary, this of course probably won't be too much of a help considering the Bucs have seen plenty of Mora's work, and it's not too pretty.

The Runners Up

Number Two: Jerramy Stevens - Tight End

Yes the drinker, party animal, condom using Stevens is only third on the list; personally I feel he's going to make a bigger impact then expected. Sure he's gotten grief for his Super Bowl drops, but Joey Galloway lead the team in drops last season, I don't see anyone shipping the Rocket out of town. Stevens comes from a high power offense and just has the look of a TE who can burn the seam.




Number Three: Ryan Sims - Defensive Tackle

A former top five pick, some actually thought Sims was the more talented UNC lineman, his teammate? Julius Peppers. He never had that 'Batman' to go with his 'Robin' in Kansas City, in Tampa he'll have Simeon Rice, Gaines Adams, and Chris Hovan amongst others, four first rounders on one line, where have we heard of that before?

Number Four

Sammy Davis Jr. - Cornerback - Texas A&M

Another rejuvenation project for Monte Kiffin and crew, the past few years hadn't been stocked full of first round defensive picks, but we're making it up to him by signing former first round 'busts', it worked for Phillip Buchanon, and hopefully another player on this list, but let's address Davis.

Drafted by the Chargers he was traded to the 49ers for another first round bust from that 2004 draft, Rashuan Woods, in his rookie year he grabbed two of his three career interceptions, and was often the target of opposing offenses.

The talent is there, but mentally he's always been unable to adjust, hopefully with two of the best defensive coaches around Sammy Davis Jr. can fit into the Bucs rhythm and give opposing QBs the blues.

The Five Guys You Forgot About

We all know about Jeff Garcia's addition, it's been beaten to death, but this series presents five additions that likely slipped your mind, but could play a role in the Bucs' season.

Number Five: Patrick Chukwurah - Swingman

Donning the 5-0 this year will be linebacker / defensive end Chukwurah. Without Juran Bolden's patented dark visor and long dreads it appears Chukwurah will take the 'Predator' nickname to a whole new level as offenses won't be sure in the huddle which position Chuk will line up at.

A threat to the quarterback the Wyoming alumni recorded 4.5 sacks last season playing with new Bucs defensive line and assistant head coach Larry Coyer. Somehow Chukwurah has gotten lost in the projected depth chart mania, but his versatility and familiarity will likely land him a spot on the roster and in the weekly game plan.








Player Four tomorrow.

Casting a Shadow by Portraying a Light?

Tony Dungy: football coach, Christian, charitable man, and now…author. Dungy’s book, released today, gives a glimpse into his final season with the Buccaneers, but I must beg the question; does it cast the Glazer family as villains rather than concerned business men?

In the book he talks about how in his tenure the owners had flown with the team every game until that final Philadelphia playoff game, and how he was reassured before the season started that winning the Super Bowl wouldn’t be the only way to save his job, and finally how it was a “30 second meeting in which he was told he was fired.” Dungy is a respected man, who earned his accolades, but by painting the picture that the Glazers lied to Tony, isn’t that something Tony doesn’t stand for?

I’m hopeful Dungy points out that the Glazers were dealing with their product and had to do what they felt was best; I’m sure it was nothing personal, and again I’m sure Dungy wouldn’t make the owners come off as the second coming of Michael Myers, but I guess we’ll just have to see.

Another interesting note from his book:

Dungy wrote that in his first draft with the Bucs in 1996, the Bucs were focused on landing Texas A&M running back Leeland McElroy. They thought they had made a deal to move up with the Jets.

But the Jets took another player and the Bucs watched McElroy go to the Cardinals.

"We were disappointed and frustrated, but we had only two picks in which to gather ourselves and decide whom we wanted next," Dungy wrote. "We had been so focused on McElroy, that we needed time to turn our attention to others - time we didn't have. Even though we needed a great, game-changing back, we decided our best option was to make do with the next player on our board - a battering-ram, short-yardage running back."

Mike Alstott.

"Of course, after the pick, we knew we would have to meet with the media and say how thrilled we were to have Mike. But as we gave our separate interviews, I know we were all extremely disappointed at how close we had been to getting McElroy. Years later, we came out looking like geniuses for having picked Alstott.

"He went on to become the second-leading rusher in Buccaneers history and to score almost twice as many touchdowns as any other player in the history of the franchise. I'm a firm believer that the Lord sometimes has to short-circuit even our best plans for our benefit."

Rich McKay at works folk...smoke and mirrors I say.

Opener From Hell

Come September 9^th, the Buccaneers will take Qwest Field’s…uh….playing surface to oppose the hosting Seattle Seahawks. Qwest has created possibly the best homefield advantage possible, and for these reasons victory is unreachable. Simply put; the Bucs will start their ‘reloaded’ season 0-1.

Since 2002 Qwest has proven to be a hostile environment in every sense of the word, the metal bleachers instilled in the north end zone are constantly heard from fans stomping on them. Many a offensive line penalty has been called against the opposing team thanks to a crowd that has reached decibel readings of 137.

In theory, and usually in practice, any NFL game is winnable, and this is the same, although the odds are highly stacked against the Bucs, and to achieve victory will require an early pounce, turnover, score, something, anything to get the crowd out of the game

The Bucs’ offensive line will likely boast four players making their first trip to the stadium, one rookie, one learning a new position, the key position, and one, who while the best on the line, his last trip to the stadium turned it into a house of horrors. Most fans will tell you games are won and lost in the trenches, so how is it that the Bucs will even stand a chance if their offensive line will be torn to pieces from the noise, not even to mention the defense, nor offense that features Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck

Dan Buenning at center will have to master the silent count technique, Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood will officially be baptized by the flames of what a true home team atmosphere is, Arron Sears will have to rely on his days playing in the rigid SEC environments, and Luke Petitgout will just have to forget his last trip to Seattle, not just a place of Microsoft and Starbucks, but also potentially the home of scarred Bucs.

It’s fitting that the expansion siblings meet on opening day, one fresh off their fourth straight playoff appearance with a coach who’s future is unknown, the other trying to get back to the playoffs if only as a wild card entrée, with a coach under fire from the media and fans, both coaches united through their Green Bay pasts.

Joey Galloway and Jerramy Stevens used to be Seahawks, Chuck Darby, Austin King, Marquise Cooper, Will Heller were Buccaneers, in the recent past the teams fought over free agents like Tom Ashworth and Seneca Wallace, but come that day in September all the ties won’t mean a thing if the Bucs can’t find a way to block the sound.

Talking Bird

Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Junior Seau, even our own Warren Sapp all were forced to finish their careers elsewhere than the team we identify them with due to salary cap restrictions. In the NBA they have the Larry Bird Expection, when combined with a ‘soft’ cap that allows teams to first and foremost re-sign their own free agents who have been mainstays with the team.

Now perhaps you’re questioning why I’m comparing anything the NBA does to the NFL, well I’m an Orlando Magic fan, so of course I’ve been following the last half week of contract talks between Rashard Lewis, and more importantly to this piece Darko Milicic. I won’t get into the whole situation, but it’s made me think the NFL needs to take a similar step in allowing franchise players, not in the new contractual sense of the word, to stay franchise players.

I’m not proposing the NFL go to a similar ‘soft’ cap situation like the NBA has in place, where teams can go over the cap and just pay a luxury tax, that’s somewhat ridiciolous when you consider how wide open NFL free agency is, and then note that only three teams in the NBA have ‘cap space’ while everyone else has five million of ‘mid level exceptions’ to work with. Rather when a player has played five or more seasons with one team, the franchise can ordinate him with some role only used once for the longevity of his contract, and have half of his cap value erased, although not from the pockets of the player, but rather from the tally.

This provision allows teams to keep the John Lynches and Warren Sappes of the world, but it also doesn’t completely hinder the salary cap a moot point when keeping veterans. The key is keeping the salary cap in place, but also not restricting hometown heroes from staying. Of course you may ask what if a team doesn’t have the room to re-sign their player for half his costs, in this case you could work out where they’d be allowed to go over the cap on his contract only, but be penalized off-season workouts, draft picks, or future compensatory losses, of course that doesn’t sound like much, but it’s unlikely that teams will run over the cap unless it’s poor planning, and as always if teams were smart they would backload a deal where the first year or two of a five year contract would be miniscule even without being cut in half, near minimum when done, there’s some backlash to that of course, but we really don’t need to go in depth.

Not The News I Want To Receive

The statistical breakdown of the Buccaneers offense continues, and I'm going to look at a certain position which will also be vital for Garcia, that being wide receiver. People look at the players on paper, and there's not too much to dislike. Two wily veterans in Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, and two young stalwarts in Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall. But when it comes to performance on the field... not so much. But how exactly do they match up with the rest of the NFL? Well, using the DPAR system, we're about to find out.

We'll start with the best of the best, and coming in at #1 with a DPAR of 46.0 is Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts. His teammate, Marvin Harrison, is not far behind at #2 with 44.3. Surprised? Don't be. While these are two skilled football players, a big part of their performance is the play of Peyton Manning. Obviously, the play of the QB affects the entire offense, most of the all the WR. This will all make sense when you see that Tampa Bay's top WR, in terms of DPAR, is #59. Mr. Joey Galloway, with 5.7. If you're disappointed, wait until you hear that the next best WR wasn't even a starter! Ike Hillard is ranked 70th with -0.4, and Mike Clayton isn't too far behind at 77th with -3.8. Stovall, on the other hand, was in a different group, specifically the group which only had 10-49 passes thrown to them. He came in with a DPAR of 1.7, doing better than Hilliard and Clayton, albiet with fewer oppertunities.

One other criticism of the Bucs' pass-catchers last season was that they don't go "all out" to catch passes, namely Galloway. The Catch %, which represents the percentage of passes to this receiver completed, might tell the story. Keep in mind that this is a reference to incomplete passes, not dropped passes. #84 had a Catch percentage of 44%, wheras Mr. Clutch Ike Hilliard registered a respectable 62%. Even Stovall and Clayton had decent percentages, 54% and 51% respectively. The reasons for this vary. One possible explaination might be that Bruce Gradkowski's inaccuracy, specifically on deep throws. I can remember numerous times where Galloway ran deep down the field only to see the ball intended for him land 10 yards behind him. This certainly could've contributed to the poor catch percentage.

Compare these with the receivers Garcia had in Philly last season. Reggie Brown had decent totals, with a DPAR of 18.6 and caught 51% of the balls thrown his way. Dante Stallworth did his fair share too, with numbers of 12.3 and 49% for each category. In limit opportunities, Greg Lewis registered a DPAR of 8.4 and a catch percentage of 65%. Essentially the 3rd option in Philly last year, he outplayed Galloway if you go by these numbers. Hank Baskett, an undrafted FA no less, had totals of 7.3 and 51%. As you can see, Garcia had plenty of talent around him, which is the biggest knock on him: He needs a good team around him to win, although that can be said of all QB's.

Other notables (DPAR, Catch Percentage):
Terrell Owens: 27.4, 56%
Chad Johnson: 31.4, 57%
Larry Fitzgerald: 27.6, 62%
Chris Chambers: -19.8, 39%

Opposing Defenses: Beware of the Pitt, Otherwise Non-Threatening

As we continue our look at the Bucs’ offense and see really just how effective Jeff Garcia could be for the team, the running back position might be the most vital. A ground game can open the door for the passing game, and can also wear down defensives, but more so than not the backs in the system must be able to be a double threat to run and catch, something incumbent starter Carnell Williams has had struggles with, so do the Bucs match up?

We’ll begin with the 2000 49ers, of course, this team was lead by former Buc and Raider Charlie Garner, who would rush for 1,142 yards, second best in his career only to the 1999 total of 1,229 yards, as well as fullback Fred Beasley. The two would combine for a DPAR rushing of 14.2, with Garner accounting for 13.4 of it, and a DPAR receiving of -11, Beasley takes that blunt with a -10.9 reading.

In 2001 the Niners would see a larger stable of backs; Garrison Hearts, Kevan Barlow, Terry Jackson, and Beasley would combine for more than 1,800 ground yards in replacing the free agent departure of Garner. Hearst would achieve a 34 DPAR rushing and a 3.2 receiving, Barlow an 11.8 and 8.4, Jackson a 7 and 5.6, and Beasley a 1.1 and a -4.5. The trio of Hearst, Barlow, and Beasly would become mainstays in the Niners’ offense and would account for 37 DPAR rushing in 2002, and -2.3 DPAR receiving, setting up the stage for 2003, Garcia’s final season by the Bay.

The running backs wouldn’t disappoint, Hearst had another fine year with 16.7/-4.4 , Barlow 18.4/-4.6, NFL Europe’s leading rusher Jamal Robertson even got in on the action with a 0.8 rushing DPAR, but didn’t register enough catches to qualify; Beasley meanwhile was the opposite, only qualifying for receiving, and only at a 0.6 rate.

As previously mentioned, the common statement concerned Jeff Garcia’s career is that he needs great supporting casts to be successful, and although that could be said about almost any quarterback, at least to the point of needing a competent helping hand, it seems to be magnified when you consider Garcia’s age. I’m not sure why, it’s not like people look at the older Brett Favre and say things of the such? Well no, and Garcia isn’t Favre, he’s not a Hall of Famer, and I doubt he whines if he doesn’t get a player or two, but I digress.

2004 and 2005 were the years Garcia bar hopped from San Francisco to Cleveland to Detroit, and there should be no surprise that both of these team’s units at running back were horrible. Lee Suggs and Willie Green, 1.8/-0.7 and -1.6 worth of fun combined with fullback Terrell Smith’s -1.7 catching DPAR; yes folks, they had a combined net in the negative, but this is Cleveland we’re talking about, did you expect Garcia to walk with Jesus?

The Lions were much better, although not as good as previously encountered; Artose Pinner stunningly had a combined DPAR of nine, 4.6/4.4, Shawn Bryson also contributed, at least running the ball with a 5.5/-0.8 split, and rookie Kevin Jones was actual detrimental to his team’s passing game, -3.5.

That team wasn’t very good either, the 2006 Eagles however were one step from the NFC title game before being bounced by the New Orleans Saints. Everyone knows about Brian Westbrook and his stunning 34/12.7 split, but even Correll Buckhalter contributed a total of 13 points, 7.4 of them receiving, Ryan Moats had 1.1 running; in other words the stable had a stud and some very nice ponies for Garcia to take advantage of, but how much better were they then the Bucs? Well…

Carnell Williams had a disappointing year and it shows, -2.5/-0.9, but fear not, for not everything from the stable will proceed to vomiting, Michael Pittman was really, really good; 4.2/5.8, to give you an idea of how good that receiving DPAR is, Reggie Bush had a 5.9, and in fact Reggie only had a rushing DPAR of 5.7, albeit in more carries. Pittman was truly a diamond in the rough last season, and in my eyes has solidified himself as a legitimate number two back. Oh and of course there’s fullback Mike Alstott who had a 0.4 rushing DPAR…and a -7.3 receiving, which was second worst in the league for running backs only ahead of Mack Strong also his -6.9 DPAR net is the second worst for any running back Garcia has ever worked with, hopefully like Fred Beasley in 2001 he’ll bounce back from a horrendous -10 and improve by 5.6 points, although I wouldn’t count on a man of Alstott’s age and wear to have such a large gain, not with newcomer B.J. Askew who posted only a -0.2 DPAR receiving.

My advice to Gruden and company? When you’re looking at those big of splits, do everything you can to make sure at least one of Pittman or Askew are on the field in passing situations, otherwise you may want to keep two extra blockers back, it’s not as if Cadillac or Alstott have shown they could catch and produce last season.

Second Stringer With Second Thoughts?

QB Chris Simms re-signed with the Bucs in December under the impression he would be able to battle an unamed veteran for the starting job. Over time, that unamed veteran became Jeff Garcia, and Simms' chance of leading the offense out against Seattle in September 2007 seemed to evaporate, barring injuries. The former Niner, Brown, Lion, and Eagle has all been all but named starter by Head Coach Jon Gruden, who like whichever QB he plays will be under pressure to perform. It's time to put up or shut up for "Boy Wonder", and the Pewter Pirates are putting all their eggs in Garcia's basket. This surely leaves fans and players alike wondering what the future holds for Simms, who dropped even further down the depth chart last week, with second-year pro Bruce Gradkowski taking reps with the 2nd team. Simms finally hinted that he's come to the realization that re-signing was an un-wise move, but he's unlikely to be cut due to the signing bonus he received, so a trade looks to be on the horizon, especially if Jake Plummer finally shows. The spleen-less wonder talked to the Sp.Times on Friday, and for those unfamiliar with this style, I will relay my thoughts here:

CRYSTAL RIVER - For more than three hours Thursday, Chris Simms was the Bucs' No. 1 quarterback again.

Luckily, it wasn't on an actual playing field.

He had just led about a dozen kids from the Children's Home on an interactive tour of Kings Bay, swimming with manatees and free-diving the deep pools of Three Sisters Spring.

Whenever a snorkel was fumbled to the sandy bottom, Simms recovered it. If someone needed encouragement, he offered it. The large creatures are protected here, but it's also a place where Simms could seek refuge.

He stood on the shore with his wetsuit unzipped to his waist, revealing the 9-inch scar from surgery to remove his spleen last September. It's the only visible sign of why Simms' career in Tampa Bay might be endangered.

How touching. Unfortunately, Simms isn't getting paid the big bucks to look at wildlife with children.

But there are other reasons. Simms is asked if he would've signed a two-year, $5-million extension with the Bucs last December had he known all that would transpire during this turbulent offseason?

"I don't know. I would've definitely re-evaluated the situation, " Simms said. ""That's an honest answer."

Surely Simms saw this coming. He had to know that Gruden would bring in the best veteran he could, and fall in love with him. After last season, he had to know that Gruden was losing his patience with him, as well as his confidence, in the Texas product.

Instead, Simms is regaining the throwing mechanics he lost after developing some "bad habits" while unconsciously trying to protect his abdomen. And the 26-year-old lefty has an uphill battle to reclaim his job from 37-year-old Eagles free agent Jeff Garcia, who has been declared the leader in the clubhouse by coach Jon Gruden.

This is a worrying thing for all Bucs fans to hear. His mechanics weren't wonderful to begin with, now they're worse... if possible, that is.

Entering his fifth pro season, Simms still is popular in the Bucs locker room and in the community. His Wild Adventures initiative, which he started last year, combines his love of children, nature and animals.

Well, the page won't load (http://www.nfl.com/stats/clubhousefavorites.html) but I'll take the Sp. Times' word for it.

Simms admits he never saw the trouble with losing his passing stroke coming.

"When you're just out there throwing by yourself, it's a little easier than when you've got live action and real routes being run and everything like that, " Simms said. "It's not something I saw happening, as far as the mechanical thing. But it's not something I'm really worried about, either."

Nice to hear he's not worried. For a guy that played so poorly last season, he's coming off as quite arrogant, as if he can easily win the starting job.

"I was trying to guard my torso, so I was throwing all with my arm and just short-arming it. I put myself in a bad position to throw the football."

Worse yet, Simms may enter training camp behind Garcia, Bruce Gradkowski and perhaps Luke McCown, at least based on reduced reps in the offseason.

Can't say I'm shocked. Some vets wanted Grads to start last season, and Gruden has had nice things to say about McCown in the past. Garcia, Gradkowski, and McCown are quite similar to each other, which means that if one must be subsituted for the other, less changes have to be made, in terms of play-calling. Simms could be traded if Luke shows anything in camp.

"It's tough. Of course I want to be out there and taking all the reps, " he said. "That's part of being an athlete and being a competitor. But the time will come. I know when July comes, nobody is going to be begging for more reps."

Simms smiled. He glanced at the boat that was shoving off for lunch at a nearby restaurant. A manatee surfaced nearby.

For the moment, neither seemed endangered.

"Oh, I see myself battling for No. 1, " Simms said. ""Without a doubt. No doubt."

At least he's hungry. He has the physical tools to be a Franchise QB, but it may be too little too late from a player whose "potential" we have heard all too much about.

Expanding My World

Well this will be the first post I make (A day daddy) and we’re going to look at the Buccaneers and their off-season changes in a new way, no I’m not going to bore you with a thousand words on why Jeff Garcia is better than Chris Simms. I won’t stun you with my extensive history of the past, I will occasionally make a humorous line, I won’t over do it since I’m not that funny to carry my writing based just on that. So what do I bring? Stats! And not just basic stats, but that complicated crap, I am after all; a baseball writer first and foremost.

So today we’ll look at the quarterback position using Football Outsiders ‘DPAR’ statistic. DPAR stands for Defensive-adjusted Points Above Replacement level, and it’s the football counterpart to Baseball Prospectus’ VORP, Victories Over Replacement Player. I won’t get into what they consider replacement level because, well, I’d rather not confuse you too much on my first post, and I’m also going to let Football Outsiders’ website describe the adjusted level:

“This number represents the total number of points scored due to plays where this QB passed or carried the ball, compared to a replacement-level QB in the same game situations.”

In laymen’s terms this stat shows how productive an offense was behind the said quarterback, and is adjusted to the opponent, so if a team played a cupcake schedule you won’t see an advantage over the quarterback on the team that played the hardest schedule in the league. Handy.

Last year Peyton Manning lead the league in DPA, 175, followed closely by Marc Bulger, 108.8, Drew Brees, 106, Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers rounded out the top five, with Tom Brady finishing sixth, all of which makes sense; the consensus top tier of QBs are found at the top of DPAR for a reason; because they’re good, on the flip side, the quarterbacks whose defenses and running backs carried the team, or just didn’t score are on the lower end of the DPAR food chain. Or in other words the bad quarterbacks.

The turnover prone Rex Grossman’s DPAR? 4.1, Michael Vick’s was -6.3, yes negative, Chris Simms’ DPAR was a disappointing -13, but even Simms’ wasn’t as bad as Bruce Gradkowski’s, who finished as the second to last ranked QB, per DPAR, in the league with at least 100 pass attempts, with a -30.4 reading, barely ahead of Andrew Walter and his -30.6.

The Bucs didn’t sit still this past off-season to address the quarterback position, and rightfully so, adding Jake Plummer and Jeff Garcia, two veterans, but only one of whom is a significant upgrade, which one? As previously mentioned Rex Grossman’s 4.1 is amongst the lower tier of QBs, and that’s likely due to his reliance on the Bears’ running game and defense, Jake Plummer finished just slightly ahead at 4.5.

That would mean Jeff Garcia is what I would call a ‘substantial upgrade’ at the QB position; his 27.6 DPAR ranks ahead of Jake Delhomme, J.P. Losman, Trent Green, Matt Hasselbeck, and rookie of the year Vince Young. I know what you’re saying, “But Philadelphia’s offense was easily more talented than what the Bucs have, and Garcia’s great stats are an aberration of his career!”

Absolutely correct! Garcia has always been poor, right? Unt-uh!

In 2000 Garcia’s DPAR of 97.8 was good for second place, right behind Peyton Manning, he’d slip in 2001, down to fourth place with a 67.2 piece, he’d improve his number to 69 in 2002, but slip to seventh, eight points behind Brad Johnson. In 2003 Garcia’s 33.2 would only be good for 16^th, the guy in 15^th? Donovan McNabb.

Now we reach 2004, Garcia’s lone year in Cleveland, his DPAR sits at 11.2, chalk one up for the “needs talented supporting cast” crowd, right? Well yes, his 2005 DPAR would be n the negatives, this with Detroit.

So if Garcia needs a good supporting cast to be truly successful the question becomes, does he have that here in Tampa? We’ll take a look at each of the positions in the coming week, here’s the tentative schedule:

Tuesday: Runningbacks / Wide Receivers

Thursday: Tight Ends/ Offensive Line

Hope you enjoyed the first post of the ‘new writers’, MBF will have his first post on Monday, and we’ll rotate every other day.

- R.J.

Mandatory Mini Camp Set

The Bucs have four OTAs remaining in their off-season program, they are scheduled to conduct them June 19-21 in a three-day mandatory mini-camp at One Buc Place.

The first day of the mandatory min camp will have two practice scheduled for June 19, an one each of the remaining days. The team is expected to have a full 100% attendance for the mini camp as it will be there last camp before ending the off-season an taking a few weeks off before they head to training camp for a report date of July 26..

They are going to be much different,” Bucs head coach Jon Gruden said of the mandatory mini-camp compared to voluntary workouts. “These guys work hard. It’s a situational format. Every day there is a different segment of football emphasized. So it won’t be a lot different. We will have two practices on the first day, one the following two days and try to put an exclamation point on what’s been a really good off-season.”

Tickets….Tickets!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, On Monday announced that fan’s will be able to purchase preseason tickets at the teams annual meet and great feel good event known as “FanFest” during the event, a very limited number of game tickets will go on sale for the team’s two preseason home contest. The Buccaneers will square off against the Patriots on Friday, August 10 and the Texans on Thursday, August 30, at Raymond James Stadium. This years FanFest will mark the first opportunity for fans to be able to purchase single-game tickets for any 2007 contest. This is the first time single-game tickets have been sold during FanFest we think.

If fans want tickets for the Patriots and Texans home preseason games, tickets will be available between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Buccaneers’ box office at the stadium ticket windows. They are located in the South concourse between gates C & D and are at the same locations where rabid fans will be waiting for autograph vouchers, at which point you can stand in line to try an get both game tickets & autograph vouchers if you desire both, So I suggest you bring a lounge chair and some good reading material as it could be a long wait in line. Vouchers for autographs will be distributed in a first come first serve basis at the beginning of FanFest. The gates will open for the mad dash of fans to secure their favorite player autographs, The gate keepers will surely keep you waiting past the 9;30 a.m. open time just so they can see the wild kingdom reenacted through the concourse for themselves.

Ticket prices are as follows $76, $70, $60 and $45.

Ahoy Mate!!

Welcome to the new an improved version of PewterKrew.com, With that being said we hope you stick around for some fun an exciting times this coming up football season.

As you can see the site has gone through a massive over hauling of sorts this off-season for a more user friendly environment for everyone to use.

We hope you check out the new download section as we have been able to come across real NFL playbooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as EA Sports Madden Covers for all the big gaming stations out there, as well as some really neat wallpapers with you the fan in mind.

Of course with any reconstruction that takes place like this there will must certainly be some bugs that need to be worked out.

The forums should begin their new skinning process shortly. We will try to make the forum as easy to read as humanly possible, that is on the eyes anyway.