Tuesday Afternoon Linebacker

Here it is, the long awaited TALB Buccaneers 2004 Post-Season Post-Mortem. Read on and enjoy. Feel free to flame away at my lack of football knowledge and fundamental mis-understanding of the game and the business.
(these links don’t work right now…)
Quarterback | Running Back | Full Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Line
Defensive Line | Linebacker | Safety | Corner Back
Place Kicker | Punter | Kick Return | Punt Return
Coaching | Draft and Free Agency | 2005 Outlook

Jon Gruden takes a lot of flak for signing older free-agents. Well, guess what, he really didn’t have much of a choice for the last few years. The deal that brought him here seriously hamstrung the team’s ability to bring in younger players. Many of his critics want him to win now with young players, and the draft picks just were not there. Reality is a bitch, ain’t it?

So, this year at 5-11 and with all of their picks, the Bucs should be poised to bring in some much needed youth to build for the future. Look at the first round pick that was brought in by the hated Gruden/Allen regime, Micheal Clayton. He turned out okay, don’t you think?

Free agents of any age are a crap-shoot. Was their success due in part to where they played? Did they just have a monster season or two?

In my view, the Bucs need to basically stand pat on personnel this off-season. Of course, with the exception of the draft. But the reality is that some guys will leave in free agency. It’s going to happen. Plus, the brain-trust at One Buc might just know more about football than me. I expect the team to look about the same next year, but with a few additions and subtractions. However, this analysis will, probably naively so, assume that most players will be staying in pewter and red for 2005.

And then there is the matter of the salary cap. The bobbleheads during the Arizona game kept mentioning that the Bucs are about $25 million over the cap for next year. Bruce Allen indicates that it is more like $12-15 million. Either way, it’s going to be a tough road to hoe. That being said, we are probably in store for a couple of cap casualties this off-season. I will mark those players in italics that I think are candidates to be cut/traded as a result. And either way the long-time and/or highly paid players are going to have to restructure, again. Dealing with guys like Brooks, Barber, and Rice is going to be a delicate matter.

Offense
Quarterback
Brad Johnson, contract not withstanding, is going to have to go. He doesn’t really fit in the system anymore and then there is the matter of the other two guys. Brian Griese is damn good, so far. I think that he has a bit of a decision making problem when under pressure. I would be okay with having Griese stay on as the starter for a while. But then there is the matter of Chris Simms. He has potential. He played well when he was given the opportunity. If it was decided that Simms would be the starter for next year I would be okay with that as well.

Rumors are floating around that Jeff Garcia could be brought in next year. That, in my opinion, would be a mistake. I’d rather we hang on to Griese and Simms in some combination as the 1 and 2 guys and then bring in a mid to late round rookie QB. Or, call me crazy, but bring in a guy like Shaun King as the #3 guy. That is, some mid-tier quarterback with some starting experience who we can have confidence in to handle things for a game or two in an emergency.

Proposed Depth Chart:
1. Griese/Simms
2. Simms/Griese
3. Mid/late round rookie/mid-tier journeyman

Running Back
Seems like the future of this team in the backfield is Earnest Graham and/or Ian Smart. Mike Pittman is on the backside of his career, but still good enough to play. Charlie Garner, well, he’s a nice insurance policy in case Pittman goes down ea 0, Of course, Pittman’s strength is as an outside guy. Get him the ball on a pitch or a swing pass and he’s golden. Between the tackles, not so much. The fumbling problem can be corrected and I’m sure that will be a focus during the off-season. Though, because the WR corps is so strong, it might be a good idea to feature an “inside” runner instead. Just in, Travis Henry is looking to get out of Buffalo. I have no idea what his salary numbers are, but maybe we should look at the guy. The same goes for Shaun Alexander out of Seattle, unless the Hawks tag him. If the Bucs were to pick up either of those guys they would likely part with either Pittman or Garner (or both).

Proposed Depth Chart:
1. Pittman/Garner
2. Graham/Smart
3. Smart/Graham
4. Garner/Pittman
Toss a good free agent or draft pick in there somewhere and dump Garner or Pittman.

Full Back
Wither Mike Alstott? Does he stay or does he go? That might just be the biggest question looming over this offense in the off-season. He came back strong this season after last year’s injuries. But he is getting older and Comella and Cook have shown talent. I would love for Mike to stay a Buc until he retires, but I guess at this point it’s probably up to him. To get the running game going, we need a full back who will block. Which isn’t to say Alstott doesn’t block, he does and he does very well. But he also has a need, I’m sure, to touch the ball a lot more than most FB’s in the league. It’s his reputation at this point. Will fifty touches a year be enough for Alstott? He’s been used to getting 10-20 touches a game over his career.

This may turn into a John Lynch situation. The Bucs will say to Mike, “This is the role, and this is the money. Take it or leave it.”

Proposed Depth Chart:
1. Alstott/Cook
2. Cook/Comella
3. Comella/draft pick/free agent

Wide Receiver
It’s good to be rich. Okay, maybe the Bucs’ receivers aren’t the fastest guys to ever lace em up, but damn are they good. Clayton, Galloway, and Jurevicius just fit so well into this offense that it’s scary. They all can get open and they all can catch the tough ball. This is a solid unit. When was the last time any Bucs fan could count on the WR corps? Oh yeah; Tim Brown, bye bye. Hope you find a team that has “real fans”.

Proposed Depth Chart:
1. Micheal Clayton
2. Joey Galloway
3. Joe Jurevicius
4. Charles Lee
5. Free agent/draft pick

Tight End
Dilger, Moore, and Heller seem to be the top guys for us at this spot. Like the WR spot, we seem to be in good shape here too. Heller is on IR right now. But when he was in I was really impressed. So I’ll submit that he should be slotted in at the #2 spot. Dave Moore is an excellent long snapper and great at blocking and catching the ball.

Proposed Depth Chart:
1. Dilger
2. Heller
3. Moore

Offensive Line
Ah yeah. The O-line. The Bucs O-Line. At this point I think the best thing to do is keep the unit intact and let them work together for a whole offesason and all of next season. We’re going to get Wade back next year. Though Mahan hasn’t been doing too shabby either. And, our old friend Kenyatta has begun to turn the corner. I wanted him gone and now I’m ready to say I was wrong. Now that he’s back in his natural spot he seems to be flourishing. But, I would like to see the Bucs spend their top round picks on stud O-Linemen this April. We need another Paul Gruber down there. A guy who can compete for a starting job from day one. I’ll take a guy at any spot, but the tackles seem to be in the most need of help.

LT: Deese, Davis/FA/Draft
LG: Stinchcomb, O’Dwyer, FA/Draft
C: Wade, Mahan, FA/Draft
RG: Coleman, Terry/FA/Draft
RT: Walker, Steussie/FA/Draft

Defense
Defensive Line
Simeon Rice, who should stay on despite his comments, is an animal. We get McFarland back next year (sounds like a broken record, doesn’t it?) to again anchor the line. Though the current starting tackles, Spires and Darby are doing a great job. This defense is almost plug-and-play. Find a guy who fits the physical profile of the position, coach him up, and then put him out there.

Proposed Depth Chart:
LE: White, Ahanatou/FA/Draft
DT: McFarland, Darby, White/Spires
DT: Spires/Darby, White, Wyms
RE: Rice, Savage/FA/Draft

Line Backers
Hello, probably the best linebacking corps in football right now. Top 3 at least. Don’t change a thing here. Get these guys under contract and then get them some guys to teach.

Proposed Depth Chart:
SLB: Gold, Gooch, Nece
MLB: Quarles, Burns, FA/Draft
WLB: Brooks, Cooper, FA/Draft

Safeties
The safeties might be the most important guys on a cover-2 defense. They have the most to watch for and the largest area of field to cover. Which means these guys have to be good. Another star comes off IR in this group, Phillips. Otherwise, a solid squad. Could also probably use help from the draft here.

Proposed Depth Chart:
SS: Smith, Allen
FS: Phillips, Howell

Corner Backs
Like the Safeties, these guys need some young backup, but they are solid otherwise. The depth just isn’t there though. Which is why going out and getting some players will be paramount.

Proposed Depth Chart:
RCB: Barber, FA/Draft
LCB: Kelly, Ivy

Special Teams
Place Kicker
I expect that the Bucs will bring in a PK or two just to compete. Jay Taylor won our hearts by putting a 50-yarder through on his first try. But the Bucs need to look at all of their options this off-season. Matt Leach out of Florida is a senior in 2004 and would not be a bad guy to bring in to training camp.

Punter
Bidwell is doing well enough. He’s kicking 43 yards per punt right now, not too shabby.

Kick Return
Man. It’s been 67,985 (or something) kick-off returns for the Bucs without a touchdown. Almost everyone that’s been put back there this season has almost broken one. Give Cox and Smart the shot.

Punt Return
Joey Galloway. Hands down.

Coaching
My biggest gripe last off-season was special teams and I called for the special teams coach to be sacked. Well, he wasn’t. But things turned around anyway. Though, Rich Biasscia has been hired at Notre Dame to be part of Charlie Weis’ staff.

I think that Simeon Rice is correct to say that the team has lost focus and discipline. The coaching staff needs to work on making those priorities again. And the veteran players are part of that as well. They have to step up and be the leaders that enforce the discipline on the field. If you’re Simeon Rice and you see a guy loafing, take his head off. Don’t wait three more plays until you get off the field and expect the coaches to do it. Heck, they probably won’t say anything to them until Tuesday anyway.

Bill Muir probably needs to be shown the door. He hasn’t been able to do much with the O-Line during his tenure. At this point a fresh voice may be the start of a solution.

Gruden has a ton of wiggle room when it comes to the team’s performance. He won a championship his first year. He has at least two more years to turn this thing around. As long as the team improves I can see the Glazers giving Jon an extension that would keep him around for a long time. But, if next year and the year after are like 2003 and 2004, it would be right to think about a change.

However, the man can’t win around here with the public. He knew full well what was coming for this team. He got criticized for even mentioning a salary cut for Brad Johnson. Sapp and Lynch leave, it’s all his fault. He had no draft picks, but it’s a bad idea to bring in all these older players. But he was directed to win RIGHT NOW by those same critics. How exactly is one to bring in youth without draft picks or cap space? I think that the “97ers” are the ones most vocal about things like this. Those of us who have been around a while are more understanding of what it takes to build a contender.

Draft and Free Agency Priorities
When looking to add new players next spring, the Bucs have a definite need in some areas, and not so much in others. I personally would like to see the Bucs build through the draft. This is something they can do now that they have their full slate of picks for the first time in a while. I don’t think the Bucs need to make any splashes in the free agent market. A few mid-tier guys with modest contracts should fill out the roster nicely.

What follows is what I view as the Bucs’ priorities this off-season. This is not necessarily a draft order. The punditry seems to think the Bucs need a running back and wide receiver; obviously I don’t agree. If they can beef up the offensive line that should go a long way to improving the running game. But, if there is some A1 type runner or wide-out available at #5, it would be a crime not to select him.

Proposed Draft/FA Priority:

1. OL - The OL needs the most help in the long run. So getting some young guys now should prove valuable down the road.
2. LB - The LB corps is still young enough to make an impact. But getting youth in the fold now while Brooks and company are still around is important.
3. DB - Depth is a problem here. So getting guys who can contribute on the 2nd and 3rd team and on special teams will prove worthwhile.
4. DL - This group is solid right now, so maybe picking up a guy or two would be worth it.
5. RB - See above. Though a low round “sleeper” draft pick would be nice.
6. WR - See above. Maybe get some depth via mid-tier free agents.

2005 Outlook
I want to be optimistic about 2005, but I can’t. I think the team will improve, maybe head back to 8-8 or even 9-7. Maybe even a wild-card spot. But as for playing in Detroit in February? I’m not that confident. Pending the results of the upcoming draft, the new core of the team should be nearly complete. However, I really think that the new era of success for this team will not begin until the 2006 season. Patience is the new mantra for us Bucs fans.