Tuesday Afternoon Linebacker

Now that everyone, including the doctors, are saying that Chris Simms will recovery fully from his splenectomy I don’t feel bad about making a joke or two. And what about Leak versus Tebow?

Oh So Close
One hell of a game. Maybe if Simms is intact the Bucs win the game. Up to that point the offense was finally hitting on all cylinders, and the defense was back on track. Once Simms went out things changed and the offense had to simplify. Which is what allowed Carolina back into the game. Though, the decision to call a long pass when they needed that late third down was a bad one in TALB’s opinion.

After the first two games I thought the Pewter Pirates were capable of attaining a perfect season (of futility), 0-16. But as the game progressed Sunday I saw some hope. I saw maybe 8-8 or thereabouts. Now with Simms out and a rookie and a pair of scrubs the only options (more below) to take over I’m back to my sour prediction. For a team that is not executing, the remainder of the schedule is brutal. Maybe we can beat the Giants and maybe the Panthers next time. And at the end of the season we should be able to handle Cleveland. Plus the Seahawks are likely to have secured their place in the playoffs and will rest everyone. Toss in a couple that we might win by sheer luck or by being overlooked (maybe Cincy or Chicago) and we’d be fortunate to end up 6-10 this year.

Now, the big question; who runs the Bucs’ offense for the rest of the season? Bruce Gradkowski has potential, but is he ready to start in the NFL? Tim Rattay… he’s proved that he’s not ready. Jay Fiedler is still out there, but the status of his shoulder is unknown. Who else is out there? And then how long will Simms The Younger be out? Experts say that it takes 4 to 6 six weeks for “normal” people to recover. What is uncertain is how long it will take for him to be in football shape. And then we have to talk about Simms’ contract status. He’s an unrestricted free agent following the season. Though if Grads does well, it would be ideal to keep both Simms and Grads for 2007.

On Tuesday, Gradkowski was given the starting nod. For now.

And as for who the Bucs are looking at (via Free Agency or Trade) to fill the 3rd spot:
Shaun King
Tommy Maddox
Kliff Kingsbury
Drew Henson
Todd Bouman
Stefan Lefors
Marques Tuiasosopo

Boo-urns
It wasn’t 70-3 or anything, but the Gators had the game under control after just a couple series. Even though the ESPN bobbleheads thought Kentucky was doing pretty well, they were not in the game past the first quarter. TALB is not sold on Chris Leak running the spread option, but at the end of the day he’s the senior leader of the team and Tim Tebow is just a freshman. Tebow’s time will come Gator fans. 2007, 2008, and maybe even 2009 will be big years for the Gators’ offense.

But this year is what matters right now. And for 2006 the Gators have a decent team. The defense is smothering. The offense is competent most of the time, and spectacular some of the time. This upcoming stretch through hell should tell us what’s what about the 2006 Gators. First up, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

As for the booing of Chris Leak, TALB is of two minds on the subject. I don’t think that Leak is the right guy for this offense. However, he is much more experienced than Tebow is at this point. And so far Tebow’s passes have not been spectacular. Then again, that could be because he hasn’t been asked to attempt many in game situations. The one thing, I think, that is keeping most Gator fans from recognizing that Leak is one of the better QBs to play for the team is his lack of championships. Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, and Rex Grossman all have championships to their names. And they are regarded as being among the greatest signal callers in team history. Leak has the stats and the regular season wins to be counted among that group, but he doesn’t have that one last thing. However (here it comes), I think that Leak is also forcing a lot of passes. He’s trying to make things happen that just aren’t to be. The truth will be told over the next four contests. If Leak can lead the team past Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Georgia things setup very nicely for the team to be playing in Atlanta in December.

BMOC
Before getting to the scores around the nation, an aside. Over the first three full Saturdays of college football here is some advice for the “second-tier” teams. If you get ahead of a team you shouldn’t even get close to, don’t let up. Keep the pedal to the floor in all phases of the game. This also holds true for a team that is behind but close and holding the momentum. I’m talking to you Colorado, Troy, Kentucky (well, not so much…), Arizona, NC State, and all the rest.

Jayhawking
The Bulls thrive on a stingy defense. But their offense leaves something to be desired. That sounds familiar doesn’t it? Anyway. In Lawrence, KS over the weekend the mighty Bulls defense held the Jayhawks to 13 points, but gave up nearly 400 yards. The problem was that the Bulls offense only managed seven points. Phreshman Phenom Matt Grothe tried his darnedest to get the Bulls a W, but the come back drive ended with a pick in the end zone as time expired. This week the Bulls will be home against #23 Rutgers. Hey wait, #23 Rutgers?

Gonad’d
70-38. That was the final as the Finger Bangers fell once again in Fantasy Football. Detroit versus Green Bay on defense, should have been a good match-up right? 31 points later and my bench D, Philly, puts up 13. And for all those points scored by the Saints did Reggie Bush get any touchdowns? No, of course not. This sucks.

On the upside for me, I picked up Shaun Alexander’s backup. Maurice Morris did pretty well in some mop up duty over the last couple of weeks. But by virtue of being on my roster he’ll probably tank and be replaced in about four minutes of game time.

Running Items
WTF?
NFC South Standings
Saints 3-0
Falcons 2-1
Panthers 1-2
Bucs 0-3

I dare you to find anyone who would have predicted such an occurrence before the season started. The Falcons at 2-1 maybe. But the rest? Not likely.

Seriously, WTF?
Did you ever think you would see the day that Rutgers appeared on the AP Top 25?

No Really, WTF?
This weekend the Vanderbilt Commodores are 34 point (link goes to Bodog wagering site) favorites. Against Temple you’d figure anyone would be a favorite. But to see Vandy as the favored team on a 34 point line is uncommon to say the least.

And since I was there…
Rutgers (-4.5) over USF
Florida (-14) over Alabama
Miami (-16.5) over Houston
Ohio State (-7) over Iowa
USC (-17) over Wash. State
Auburn (-14.5) over South Carolina

Reverse Watch
The ESPN crew covering the Gators-Wildcats collision were able to correctly spot the “single” reverse on the early TD pass. That’s right, they did not call it a double-reverse. However, a later end around was greeted with “REVERSE!!!111!!”.

Team TALB
TALB is always looking for fresh insight and additional input. If you want to submit something to be included in TALB, please feel free to contact me and I’ll get it put in the next edition.

King Of Football
As always, feel free to submit your entry for TALB’s King Of Football 2007. It will appear during the off week between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl (January 30, I think).

Next Time: I guarantee you that the Bucs will not fall to 0-4 next week. You can take that to the bank.