Taking time off from Blogging.

I will be taking time off from blogging. Sorry to all my readers, specially my blogger friend dolphin fan. I just have to much on my plate right now with nursing school/ studying. This degree is more demanding thin my bachelor degree. I am in school from 8-4, 4 days a week and then 1 day a week I have clinicals at the hospital, that leaves Friday, Saturday and Sunday to study.

I will try to post on here, when and if I get down time, but for all your Bucs Blogging needs you can read Ski's blog at www.bestbucsblog.blogspot.com, until I return.

Official Season Kickoff Party

Where will you be Friday, September 7th @ 7 PM, and you call yourself a Bucs Fan. I am a Bucs Fan and I will be at the official Season Kickoff Party for the Bucs, which is hosted by Miller Lite Beer. This fun event is located at Channelside in downtown Tampa.

I went last season, and it was a blast. If you read my blog, you know I go where ever the players are. I love meeting the players and getting their autographs. Last years kickoff party I met Cadillac Williams, Brian Griese, Michael Clayton, Shelton Quarles, Monte Kiffin and Coach Gruden. Of Course, I have met most of these guys during other Bucs occasions, but it is still always great to met them again and have them sign a new Bucs item.

Plus who doesn't like drinking Miller Lite beer and watching a free concert. It is like a high school prep rally but on the PRO-Level. Besides I have been out of high school for well over 15 years, so it is nice to feel like a kid again.

OK got to go, the Bucs had this morning off from training camp, but I will be heading out to make the afternoon practice. As always I'll report on the training camp practice later today. It so great living so close to your team and being able to report first hand on the Bucs activity.

Bucs Win 16-3, In First Preseaon Game.

As always I was there and watched the game live. What a feeling being at Raymond James Stadium for the opening Preseason game. The new grass looks great, the new seats look great, no more pink seats their back to Buccaneer red. The Pirate Ship even got repainted for this season. The stadium looked brand new again.

FIRST QUARTER:The Jets won the kickoff, and drove down the field pretty good against the NFL's number one defense. Chad Pennington looked as good as ever after all his surgeries. The Jets drove down the field, only to end up with a couple of penalties that made them punt the ball.

The Bucs got the ball at their 20 yard line after a touchback. The Bucs offense took the field without Cadillac Williams. Coach Gruden said Cadillac won't see preseason. The Bucs are going to save his legs for the entire season. So Pittman was the starting tail back.

First play for the Bucs: Simms threw a short pass Pittman for 3 yards.
Next play, is a damn PENALTY on Michael Clayton, False Start, 5 yards.
Next play, M.Pittman up the middle for 3 yards (He is not Cadillac or even Earnest Graham) Pittman always has a hard time running, it is like he stutter steps through the hole.
Next Play, another damn PENALTY on our new rookie and number one draft pick, Darvin Joseph, Face Mask (15 Yards).
Next Play, Simms pass incomplete to Clayton.
Another damn PENALTY, but thank God it is on the Jets. 1st down Tampa Bay. Mickens, Defensive Pass Interference, 6 yards.
Next Play, Pittman up the middle for 3 yards.
Next Play, and the crowd goes wild as Mike Alstott up the middle for 8 yards and another 1st down ( a real running back)
Next play, Simms pass incomplete to Alstott
Next Play, Pittman left side for no gain. (We need Cadillac back)
Next Play, Simms short pass left to Pittman for 5 yards.
We now have to punt: Bidwell punts 43 yards.

The Jets had a good drive going during their second possession, which takes the game into the SECOND QUARTER. In fact they got into the red zone and were getting ready to score when Kalvin Pearson sacked Pennington which caused a FUMBLE, which was RECOVERED by Barrett Ruud.

Tampa starts their second drive: Simms is out and Rattay is in.
Handoff to Pittman up the middle for 3 yards.
FUMBLES, recovered by the Rookie Davin Joseph (making up for that penalty).
Next Play, handoff to Pittman for 4 yards.
Next Play, handoff again to Pittman up the middle for 3 yards.
Next Play, Pittman out and Graham is in. Graham up the middle for 9 yards( Finally a real run). (T.Johnson).
Next Play, Pittman (back in) up the middle for 1 yard.
Next Play, Tim Rattay runs for his life and dumps a short pass to the middle to Graham for 26 yards. Rattay looked really good on that play. He made something out of nothing.
Next Play, Graham left for 6 yards (Graham is at least getting more then 3 yards a carry unlike Pittman.
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 3 yards.
Next Play, Rattay up the middle for 2 yards.
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 6 yards.
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 4 yards.
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 3 yards.
Next Play, Rattay pass incomplete short right to M.Clayton.
On comes the kicker, M.Bryant 25 yard field goal is GOOD.

Jets get the ball back and can't do anything no real big plays, but the Bucs Defense holds. Jets Punt.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ball:
We go right back to Graham running like a mad man. Graham up the middle for 2 yards.
Next Play, Rattay pass incomplete short left to I.Hilliard. (Rattay having a lot of Incomplete passes).
Next Play, handoff to Graham off the left tackle for 5 yards.
Bucs have to punt, Simnjanovski punts.

Jets get ball back and drive down and Mike Nugent hits a 20 yard field goal, which is GOOD.


Third Quarter: Changing of the guard, Rattay out Gradkowski in.
Start with another handoff for Graham up the middle for 6 yards.
Next Play, Graham off the right guard for 3 yards.
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 3 yards,
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 3 yards
Next Play, finally a Bruce Gradkowski pass to E.Shepherd for 15 yards.
Next Play, Graham run to the left for 2 yards.
Another pass by Gradkowski to Massaquoi for 6 yards.
Next Play, Graham up the middle for 2 yards.
Next Play, Gradkowski scrambles right end for 5 yards
New runner in, Carey Davis run off of right tackle for 7 yards
Next Play, Davis off of right guard for 5 yards
Next play, Gradkowski pass to Davis for 4 yards
Next Play, Davis off of right end for 4 yards
Next Play, Davis up the middle for 4 yards
Next Play, Gradkowski pass incomplete to Shepherd
Here it is his first NFL TD, Gradkowski pass to Warren for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
X.Beitia extra point is GOOD,

Fourth Quarter:
I got tired at this point, but one thing that stood out was
Gradkowski pass to Stovall for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
X.Beitia extra point is No Good.

Over all I was not happy with the first offensive unit for the Bucs. I mean, Cadillac did not play, which I understand, but damn we really did not look good. During the Colts preseason game Vs. the Rams, the Colts come out on their first drive and score a TD. Peyton Manning, Harrison and Wayne orchestrate a touchdown that looked very easy. Why can't our offense do this?

Anyway, I think Davin Joseph looked great, sure he had a huge penalty right off the bat, but he rebound and played very well. He was excellent at opening holes, and he looked very good at pass protection, which Gruden said he would.

I am tired of Mr. Pittman. I know he is the guy saving his job by playing any position that is needed, but I think Graham has earned his spot as the backup to Cadillac. Graham is a better runner and he hits the holes a lot faster then Pittman does. Now I will say this, Pittman has the best hands out of all the runningbacks, and that is what is keeping his job. Torrie Cox was on fire last night and if you were at the game (LIKE ME) had to rub that in, you would see how is becoming a leader and is in on almost every play. He is looking like a young Ronde. Gradkowski is looking even better then what Gruden has been telling us. I think we got a steel with Gradkowski in the 6th round, and I will remind you all that Tom Brady was a 6th round pick also.

STATS:
Passing:
Bruce Gradkoski: 13 Att, 11 Comp, 104 Yards, 2 TD, and 84.6% not bad.
Tim Rattay: 4 Att, 1 Comp, 26 Yards, 0 TD, and 25.0% bad.
Chris Simms: 3 Att, 2 Comp, 8 Yards, 0 TD, and 66.7 % over 50% so I'll give it to him.

Rushing:
Earnest Graham 17 Carries, 69 Yards, 4.1 Avg, as always he did very well.
Carey Davis 14 Carries, 67 Yards, 4.8 Avg, did very well
Michael Pittman 6 Carries, 14 Yards, 2.3 Avg, stinks

Receiving:
Maurice Stovall 3 catches, 21 yards, 1 TD, he looks good
Earnest Graham 2 catches, 37 yards, 0 TD looked good
Paris Warren 2 catches, 22 yards, 1 TD looked good
Carey Davis 2 catches, 12 yards
Michael Pittman 2 catches, 8 yards
Edell Shepherd 1 catch for 15 yards

Offensive line gave up 0 sacks (this is huge for 2 rookies)

Bucs D. had 2 sacks, o INT, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery.

Head Coach Jon Gruden (On the overall game)

“I would like to say we’re pretty happy with the performance tonight. A lot
of people played. There weren’t a lot of penalties. We didn’t waste a lot of
time. We got some things done in the running game. Our rookie class got a chance
to play a lot of minutes and we’re happy to win the game. We’ve got a lot of
work to do.”

(On QB Bruce Gradkowski)

“He did some good things tonight and it is a great step in the right
direction. You can’t do much better in your debut.”

(On WR Maurice Stovall)

“Some of the blocks he made tonight, I realize it is a preseason game, but
my God. He’s a very physical guy. He is a special competitor. The guy does not
quit. He has a long way to go, I think, to make a real splash here. He
understands that, but he’s learning, he’s working. He has a physical presence.
We said that when we drafted him and when you look at this tape, you will see
that on tape.”

(On G Davin Joseph and T Jeremy Trueblood)

“I thought they did a good job. New York chose to come in here and rush
three guys for the most part, early in the game; [they] made it tough on us to
throw the ball, a lot of two-deep with six-man underneath and we chose to run
the ball and stick with it and there was a couple great plays that those two
guys made. Some really good physical play at the point of attack, some
athleticism on the backside. I don’t believe we had a sack tonight, although we
didn’t throw it a lot, but there are some real positive signs tonight. (Alan)
Zemaitis made a great play in the end zone on a fade. A lot of young guys, our
draft picks, stood out tonight in some ways.”

(On the choice to sit Carnell “Cadillac” Williams)

“Brian Kelly was excused tonight for a personal matter and (we) hope to
have him back soon. We’re with him. We understand his situation. Carnell
Williams, Joey Galloway, some other players, Kenyatta Walker did not play
tonight. Coach’s decision.”

(On FB Carey Davis)

“How ‘bout that. Derek Watson had an ankle sprain. We didn’t feel it was
right for him to go tonight. Earnest (Graham) took 16 or 17 carries. We wanted
to see him perform as we did last season in the early preseason and he has
proven again he’s is a great back, a very good football player, but Carey Davis
was pressed into service today as a halfback. He’d been playing fullback
throughout the entire offseason into training camp, coming here and carrying 15
or 16 times, run hard, pick up blitzes and catch some passes. He gets steak and
lobster in Orlando this week and that’s a fact. He is going to eat steak and
lobster. He gets the game ball. I know it is a preseason game, but what a gut
check, grit performance by a guy who has really worked hard.”

GAME DAY BUCS Vs JETS

Football season is finally here, sure it is preseason, but the Bucs play tonight and as most of you already know, I will be at the game since I am a season ticket holder.

Coach Gruden will be evaluating about 80 guys, but one sticks out more then others:
“I want to see Torrie Cox play,” said Gruden. “I want to see him out there at cornerback. He has made a lot of plays here in training camp and I want to see if he can take that out on the grass.”

MATCHUP: New York Jets (0-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0)
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
WHEN: Friday, August 11, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. ET
VEGASINSIDER.COM SPREAD: Bucs by 3
TELEVISION: NBC (WFLA-TV)
TV ANNOUNCERS: Chris Myers and Ron Jaworski

LAST YEAR: The Jets compiled a 4-12 regular season record en route to finishing in last place in the NFC East division. New York went winless (0-8) on the road in the regular season. That outing led to the trade of head coach Herm Edwards to Kansas City and the hiring of new head coach Eric Mangini.

The Bucs produced an 11-5 regular season record en route to winning the NFC South division title and securing a spot in the playoffs.

BUCS-JETS SERIES: Tampa Bay and New York have met a total of six times in the preseason, and each team has won three times.

BUCS Injury update: Michael Clayton, who missed Wednesday's practices because of a bruised toe, will play tonight, Gruden said. Right tackle Kenyatta Walker will not play because of a sore right knee. Rookie Jeremy Trueblood will start in his place. Others nursing injuries will be game-time decisions. "Some of these guys will go to the football stadium [tonight] and we'll take them out and see if they can go," Gruden said. , The Tampa Tribune August 2006

Things to watch for during this preseason game:
QB: Tim Rattay as Simms’ backup, followed by rookie Bruce Gradkowski, who seems to be outperforming Rattay on the practice field. There is talk that Gradkowski could push Rattay out of a job and maybe even off the roster.

OL: Trueblood gets the start and should win the starting job this season, this will be a good test for him. I also want to see our 1st round pick Davin Joseph. I also think he will win the starting job this season.

WR:Galloway and Clayton's spots are secure, but watch for Boston and Hilliard, who are competing for the number 3 spot. You also need to watch this new fan favorite Chas Gessner, who is a household name among Bucs fans everywhere. As I have said, I have been at training camp almost everyday this season, and fans are in love with this guy, and I think Gruden is too. Coach Jon Gruden calls him “The Golden Goose,” he has been one of the spotlights of training camp, making plays all over the field.

Safety: Bucs are a little thin at safety. The projected starters are Will Allen and Jermaine Phillips. Then the list drops off to n0 names: Kalvin Pearson, Blue Adams, Donte Nicholson and Steve Cargile. Blue Adams had a decent year last season during preseason, and he has had a good training camp. The Jets need to test these unknown guys tonight so the Bucs can get a good look at them.

Corner: Alan Zemaitis should be fun to watch and he should be a big name with our Bucs in the future.

I also want to watch fullback Jerald Sowell, who came to us from the jets. Sowell is a great blocker and has helped Curtis Martin over the years be the man that he is.

Speaking about the Jets and Curtis Martin. Martin is out on PUP with an injury, so fantasy wise, it will be nice to see the backup running back for the JETS.

I will post more on this after the game, when I return home.

NFL News From Around the League.

New NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke with Rich Eisen on the NFL Network. He seems very young and energetic. I think he should be a great Commissioner. Of course the future Labor talks seem to be his biggest obstacle that he will face during his time as Commissioner. He did say that the NFL Network will become huge under him, and host a lot of regular games. I am glad I got Direct TV.

Maurice Clarett is at it again, I bet Denver Broncos are happy they released this criminal. He has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon and a traffic violation after a highway chase. Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on him and finding four loaded guns in his sport utility vehicle, a police spokesman said.

Clarett Officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after a stun gun was ineffective because the former Fiesta Bowl star was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Sgt. Michael Woods said.
"It took several officers to get him handcuffed," Woods said. "Even after he was placed in the paddy wagon, he was still kicking at the doors and being a problem for the officers."

They need to throw this guy away for life now, he is going to really hurt someone down the road. For a criminal to wear a bullet proof vest, shows he planned to have it out with the cops.

The New York Jets' future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin might be calling it quits. That would mean the NY Jets would have a new running back this season for the first time since 1997. Two sources close to Curtis Martin told the New York Daily News that the running back talked about retirement before deciding to give it a go for another season, and one of the sources told the newspaper "I'd be really shocked if he came back." This would be a sad, but happy day for the Jets fans, as a legend retires. Sad because the fans could not see him on the field anymore, but happy because of what he has done, and the fact that he would retire a Jets Player, after all these years playing for the Jets. We all know that retiring with the same team you played for all these years is hard to do in this day in age, due to free agency.

A Stroke could not keep Tedy Bruschi out of the NFL, but a broken wrist could. Well it will keep him out of preseason anyway.

Coach Bill Parcells, is tired of answering media questions about T.O.’s injury. Some are saying this is a new T.O. trick to keep him from practicing. Dallas training staff, who has been praised by Parcells in the past can’t find what is wrong with T.O.’s hamstring. T.O. is using outside staff to treat a hamstring injury that he claims he has. Parcells had this to say :If the player is telling you that he has something bothering him, then you have to give the player the benefit of the doubt," Parcells said Tuesday. "At some point in time it's going to be prohibitive. But that's not now. That shouldn't be the story today." Parcells is also ok with T.O. seeking outside help with the injury. Parcells onlu concern is keeping the media away from T.O.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8ft Airblown Inflatable NFL Player

I am a crazy Bucs fan, but we all know that. My neighbors love it. I have this 8ft Buc guy and I put him in my front yard every Bucs game. It has become a tradition.

NFL's New Commissioner Chosen

Roger Goodell son of former U.S. Sen. Charles Goodell of New York, he worked his way from a public relations intern to perhaps the most powerful job in American sports, most recently serving as Tagliabue's top assistant, particularly on expansion and stadium construction. In 2000, he became the NFL's chief operating officer.

League revenues have skyrocketed during the 17 years under Tagliabue, who said he would leave his post after brokering new television and labor deals. The NFL will collect about $10 billion in TV rights fees during the next six years, and enjoys labor peace with the players' association under an agreement completed in March.

If Tagliabue is happy with this choice, then us fans can be happy with it as well.

Offensive Line falling apart.

Back-up guard Toniu Fonoti sprained his ankle and had to be carted off the field. Coach Gruden said he did not know how sever the injury was.

Kenyatta Walker missed his fourth day of practice. He has knee pain and discomfort. Left tackle Torrin Tucker was walking without having his right knee wrapped today, but he did not practice. Tucker has now missed at least four days of practice. This could be just what the doctor ordered for the two new rookie offensive linemen, Joseph and Trueblood, who have played with the first team since training camp opened. Could our two new rookies make the starting line-up this season. I know Joseph will and if I was to guess, I would say that Walker is replaced by Trueblood.
Just another reason to go to training camp.

NFL Fantasy Football File No. 3-174719KER.CS

What the hell does that File No. mean? Who knows, but I do know that it is Chris Simms. Watch this video of Chris. He is so accurate. Lets just say I know why the Bucs are now in a hurry to give him a long term contract.
NFL Fantasy File: Chris Simms

Chris Simms has Tremendous Accuracy, Don't you want him as your fantasy football quarterback? I know I do. Thank God he is the Bucs quarterback. This video is tooooooooooooooo sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Training Camp Notes:

The Bucs gave the players off on Saturday afternoon, after a sloppy morning practice, Coach Gruden hopes that the Bucs will come back Sunday morning rested.

Another change to the Bucs Training Camp schedule, is the Sunday afternoon practice will be moved to a private location and closed to the public. This means I will be home Sunday afternoon.

Coach Gruden's comments on giving the players the afternoon off:

“The coaches [get time off], too,” he said. “You get a chance to maybe have
dinner with your family and have a meal with somebody else. See some different
faces, you know what I mean? You can only see so much of Bruce Gradkowski in a
week. This is just to break the grind a little bit. Hopefully guys get mentally
rejuvenated and we all come back ready to roll.”

It is funny how he mentioned Bruce Gradkowski, I think Coach Gruden has a new favorite.


ROSTER MOVES: Bucs released rookie cornerback Reuben Houston and re-signed first-year cornerback Dwight Ellick.

I found it interesting that Kenyatta Walker and Torrin Tucker have missed most of training camp this season, but this is really good for Jeremy Trueblood. Walker is the starter at right tackle and Tucker has been working behind starter Anthony Davis at left tackle. With those two out, the Bucs are in a two-man rotation on both ends of the line. On the right side, rookie Jeremy Trueblood, a second-round draft pick, has moved up to the starting line and has seen a significant jump in his number of practice reps.That’s helpful for Trueblood in terms of gaining experience, particularly on the first-team line.

Coach Gruden Comments from www.buccaneers.com:

On the receivers:
“They’re doing well. They’re doing very well. [Joey] Galloway’s had a great week. [David] Boston is picking it up and making big plays for us. We're getting better. We’ve got a deep group of receivers. We like what they’ve done so far.”

On if practice will change next week with the first preseason game coming up:
“Well, in the mornings it won’t. We’ll have very similar practices to the ones we’re having now, try to get some physical work done early and some situational work done late in practice. Then in the afternoon we’ll have a couple periods where we take a look at the Jets – they’re obviously a lot different than they were last year – and familiarize our football team with not only their personnel but what we predict them to do.”

On comparing this team to last year’s team at this point in camp:
“I forgot all about last year’s team. When you get into the grind like this, all you worry about is where you are now. We have a lot of returning starters from a year ago, and we do have, I think, some key additions who are making things quite interesting. I just look at this year’s team. I like the work ethic that we have. I think we do have some talent, but I also know that we have a long way to go.”

On the importance of receivers gaining yards after the catch:
“It’s really important. Sixty percent, on some teams 50 to 60 percent, of what you get is effort. A lot of these 80-yard touchdown passes that guys throw are quick screens where a guy stretches it, breaks a tackle and runs. Yards after the catch is a big part of winning football, yards after contact, hidden yardage is a big part of pro football. We’re always looking for guys who have a knack to do that.”

On if he has thought about a quarterback rotation for the first game:
“Yeah, we have thought about that, but we won’t make any finalization on that until the next few days. We’ve got to see who’s up and who’s out and we’ll go from there.”

On what he likes about Gessner:
“I don’t know, he’s just a good guy. He’s a good player. He makes plays. He’s a functional guy in different positions. He plays pretty good special teams. He’s practiced well; we’ll see how he plays in a game. He’s done a good job. You’ve got to give him credit. He’s worked hard. He’s a bit of an obscure guy coming in here and he’s gone wire-to-wire here with a lot of good players. He’s doing well.”

More on Joseph vs Hovan as I Reported yesterday.

The battle between Davin Joseph and Chris Hovan is getting a lot of media attention.
As I reported yesterday, I was there and it was a scene. Here is more about the battle from the St. Pete Times.Battle of linemen draws big crowd

Davin Joseph vs Chris Hovan.

What a treat it was to be at the Bucs training camp on Friday morning as one-on-one pass rushing drills took place. Davin Joseph and Chris Hovan set the standard. Everyone was on their feet to watch these two guys go at it. The entire team gathered in a circle to watch as the Rookie, Davin Joseph put a licking on Chris Hovan. Hovan who previously according to Coach Gruden set the standard on these one-on-one drills, was beaten by the star rookie, and 1st round draft pick, Davin Joseph. Hovan was so pissed he ripped his helmet off and slammed it to the ground. Now is there any doubt the Bucs made the right choice with Davin Joseph. Like my Poll says PRO-BOWLER.

Buc tight end Alex Smith did not practice today he was out with a slight hamstring injury. He told the media afterwards that it was no concern.

Update on safety Will Allen, he needs a surgical procedure on his thumb. The team originally said Allen will miss a few days but now it seems that Allen might miss at least a week. While Allen's injury does not seem serious it comes at a position where the Bucs have no real depth.

Ronde Barber and Jon Gruden Video.

Goto www.buccaneers.com and watch the new video of Coach Gruden and see training camp live shots, plus a interview with Ronde on his contract. GOOD STUFF

Davin Joseph's Poll Results

Thanks again to all who voted, this time I had 40 votes on the question: How do you think Davin Joseph's career as a Buc will be?

21 votes went towards Pro-Bowl Offensive linemen.
5 votes went towards a good Offensive Linemen.
12 votes went towards an OK Offensive Linemen.
2 votes went towards won't cut it in the NFL.

I have been watching Davin Joseph at training camp and he is the real deal. We have not had an offensive linemen this good since Paul Gruber. This guy is opening huge holes for Cadillac. Coach Gruden has also been giving him a lot of praise.

Thanks again for your votes.

Side Note, I won't be at training camp this afternoon, I got a migraine headache, I think from being in the sun too much this week. I don't have an IV like the players get to help hydrate.

Brian Kelly Wants His.

Ronde Barber is a little richer and a lot happier now that he has his new contract, but this has left Brian Kelly wanting his payday. However, Kelly is signed through the 2008 season so what is he crying about? Sure he will never see the 2008 money, as it was added to help with the salary cap. So basically Kelly has until the END of next season to get a new deal.

Bruce Allen's policy is he doesn't discuss an extension with a player until he is in the final year of his contract. So Kelly will have to wait until next season to start talking about a new contract.

Besides Chris Simms is in his final year of his contract, sure the Bucs just gave him a one year deal, but the Bucs also want to offer Simms a long term deal. I have been told and I have read on several media reports that the Bucs are now working towards a long term deal with Chris Simms, that will keep him locked in as the quarterback of the Bucs for many years. This is going to be a good move. Simms has the ability to be a huge star in the NFL. We don't need another Steve Young situation, where we let Simms go, and years later he is inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Will Allen Injures Thumb.

I noticed today at practice Will Allen was not out there practicing. I later found out that he had hurt his thumb. They told us at training camp that he is being fitted with a splint and should be back on the practice field on Friday.

Barber's Deal Done and Simms' is Next.

According to my source, which I must remind everyone that I got word that a deal was in the works for Ronde Barber on May 22, 2006. However, after two months and a couple weeks Ronde got his money.

Barber and the Bucs have reached an agreement on a five year extension that guarantees Barber $12 million and could be worth as much as $24 million. It includes a $6 million signing bonus. Barber was due to make $3.5 million this season and count $5.1 million against the salary cap. Under his new contract, his salary cap number for this season would be reduced to approximately $3.3 million, reducing his cap number by as much as $1.5 million. Way to go Ronde. But like I said, I knew it would get done, unlike so many media fans, who had Ronde leaving for a new team next season.


My buddy also told me that now the Bucs are going to focus on giving Simms a new long term contract with some of the money the Bucs recovered from Ronde on this years salary cap. I was told it may take a few months to get done, but this is the new focus of the Bucs front office. I guess the Bucs have seen enough of Simms in the offseason workouts and now training camp to make him an offer. Besides every media reporter is now on Simms bandwagon, from NFL Network, to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli: Cool confidence is Simms' defining trait . I wonder what does Steve Young think about Simms now.


UPDATE:

Adam Schefter's reported today on the NFL Networks about Ronde's contract, then followed up by saying the Bucs are working on a contract with Simms.

No afternoon practice the Bucs do the Movies instead.

Well I am home, since the Bucs will not be holding an afternoon practice. Thanks to my Buddy who works for the Bucs called me and told me practice was cancelled. Coach Gruden has decided to let the Bucs go to the movies as a team. The Bucs will be watching a movie called "Invincible" which is a true story of Vince Papale, a 30 year old teacher who quit his job and tried out for and made the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles. Thanks to my buddy for that movie info also.

I can now update you all on Bucs News:
It seems Coach Gruden is is unhappy with the number of passes rookie wide receiver Maurice Stovall has dropped. I could hear Gruden yelling at him from a mile away. Gruden told the St. Pete Times:

"We have one guy who obviously has to starting catching the ball,"

The Buccaneers selected Maurice Stoval in the third round of the draft. With Gruden already fired up about Galloway, Clayton and Boston it looks as if Stoval might find it hard to make this team this season. Maybe Practice Squad is where he will end up.

David Boston The Real Deal?

I am a huge Ike Hilliard fan, but I think I like David Boston better. I have been at training camp and I have seen what Boston is brining to the Bucs and WOW is all I can say. Buccaneers wide receiver David Boston has lost over 40 pounds from his peak weight. He reported to training camp at 219 pounds, 41 pounds below the 260-pound mark he previously played at, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Boston is pushing Ike Hilliard for the No. 3 wide receiver job this summer.

"Boston is no longer concerned with being a bodybuilder. He's refocused on
football and has been earning high praise from Bucs head coach Jon Gruden this
summer. David is also trying to bounce back from a knee injury that spoiled his
two-year stay with the Dolphins. "

"His attitude's been great," Galloway said. "We've all heard things in the
past of other places and what's happened. But it really doesn't matter to us.
All we care about is what happens once he shows up here, and he's been great so
far."

Head coach Jon Gruden has said the same thing throughout the summer workouts.

"He's had some setbacks and they've been well-documented," Gruden said,
"but he's real big and he's real fast and he's got a burning desire right now to
prove he can still play."

Buccaneers and Coach Gruden are always willing to give receivers another chance. Look at Joey Galloway, he has become a star again in Gruden’s Offense. Ike Hilliard has been productive as the 3rd WR, even though I thought that he did not get the ball enough last season. Tim Brown was able to play one more season and get his 100th career touchdown catch. The Bucs even took a brief look two years ago at Andre Rison.

So Boston is the next WR that Gruden will take a chance on. Besides Galloway, Boston is the real deal. Boston is only 27 and all the other WR listed above were over 30 when they were signed by the Bucs. Lets not forget that in 2001, Boston was a Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver.

I like this guy and I think with Galloway, Clayton and Boston as our 1,2,3 guys and Cadillac as our tailback, we might have the greatest show on grass.

In the early training camp practices, Boston has shown the burst of speed on deep routes that once made him one of the top receivers in the NFL. Physically, he thinks he's 100 percent recovered from the knee injuries that limited him to five games in his two years with Miami.

"Speedwise, midway through the offseason I felt like I got all my speed
back so I've just been maintaining it," he said. "I want to go out and prove I
can still play. That's the obvious thing. It's driving me to compete.""I'm a
competitor," Boston said. "No matter what I'm doing, I run through a brick wall
until I win. I'm just glad my body will allow me to go out there again and show
my talent."

What has cutthroat been up to?

Hello Bucs' Fans,

Well, I have been on vacation in Daytona last week. Then left there in time to make every Bucs training camp to date. I have seen some great match ups to date, and some great competition, which I will talk about later. My digital camera is not working, which is what happens when salt water and electronics come in contact. I am in the process of buying another one before training camp ends, and I will get those pictures posted on here.

Training camp has been fun, but very hot and it does not help that Disney’s Wide World Sports Complex sells beer but at $5.00 a pop. Never the less, training camp has been a blast. It is so nice living only 30 minutes from Disney and being able to go everyday. I must say that I hated the afternoon practice when it is special teams only. However, it is great to meet the players and get autographs. I was really excited to meet and get Davin Jospeh's autograph. In fact, I got to see Simeon Rice's press conference, is he not the man? It was funny to hear him talk about himself, this guy is very animated. He talked about how Joe Green told him when Simeon started playing football, that “Once the world knows your good, you got to be that good everyday, and Simeon said that is the hardest thing for him to keep doing.” Simeon was very positive on this years team, he talked about how Simms is looking great, and how Clayton is hungry this season and looks great, which I will say that he could emerge again as the go to guy after this camp. I was watching Clayton practice and he sure does have a fire lit under his ass. If you play fantasy and Galloway is your guy, watch out because Clayton is back and leaner then every. Simeon closed his press conference by saying “I’m on my way to being the best ever, period. The he basically said he is better then Kobe, and D-Wade.

I also found it very interesting that David Boston has been getting a lot of the 3rd WR set snaps over Ike Hilliard. Boston looks great and I say right now he is on this team, and might even take Hilliard’s slot. Also for a little bit of rookie info, Davin Joseph is lining up with the starting offensive line, and is opening huge holes for Cadillac.

Another first at Pewter Pirates,
I got in a quick Q&A session with Buccaneer Linebacker #56 Ryan Nece.

Like I said this was fast and on the spot, so all I could get was two questions in. Which I don’t think its bad considering it was my first time. So my new thing during training camp will be when the players come over to the fans to sign autographs, I will try to get a couple questions in and post them on here.

Q. Ryan what do you think of this years Bucs?

A.

"The team is good and fast. The team chemistry is the best it has ever been.:

Q. Ryan with the new training facility in Tampa, do you think that this will be the last year at Disney Wide World of Sports?

A.

"Good question, I don’t think so. They (Coaches) make training camp like boot camp. They like us isolated and away from our families so we can train hard. I think we will be back here next year."

Barber gets deal.

Barber gets his. Funny I have been saying this since May 22nd, 2oo6. Well let me say this, Cutthroat Pirate has done it again. I guess I can now say "I TOLD YOU SO" .