By Vince Vitale 

I started to think about this issue this morning as I was listening to sports talk radio. I found it absolutely amazing and sad that shows were talking more about Jake Westbrook a 32 year old pitcher on the Cleveland Indians with 13 wins in the last 4 years and a 69-71 lifetime win/loss record and career ERA of 4.34 than talking about the upcoming signings of Rodger Saffold and Sam Bradford. With Training camp starting tomorrow where was the football talk, the excitement, the anticipation?

Not only are the media outlets not talking about the St. Louis Rams much I can’t even get Rams fans to discuss the team. This week alone I informed 100+ known Rams fans about the possible Terrell Owens signing and the signing of Rodger Saffold and I received ZERO responses!

Well as St. Louis Rams training camp approaches tomorrow I am curious as to where St. Louis Rams fans are at. Fans should feel this as the start of something special, a new year, new players, a fresh start, and most of all a level playing field as each team is currently 0-0. I however feel that St. Louis Rams fans are currently apathetic to the point of almost being num and I will explain.

Over the last three seasons the St. Louis Rams have played some very poor football which has resulted in them winning only six of their last forty-eight contest, that’s right they have won six total games since 12/31/2006 a span of almost 43 months! That could be considered their top achievement over the last few years but let’s look a little deeper at some underlying issues.

Rams fans rarely talk about anyone else other than Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson, this speaks to almost a decade of terrible drafting. While not winning of late the experience at the Edward Jones Dome has come under a lot of criticism. Recently ESPN rated the Rams quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment 114th out of 122 professional franchises. The atmosphere along with the play of the team lead the Rams to finish 29th in home attendance in 2009 at 84.6% of capacity only ahead of Detroit, Jacksonville and Oakland in percentage.

This leads us to another issue, St. Louis Rams ownership. Since the death of Georgia Frontiere on 1/18/2008 the Rams primary owners are Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez. From the beginning Chip and Lucia wanted out of that role placing the Rams basically in a lame duck position, seemingly to fans without ownership that cared about the team. To add to this matter the Rams have to be in the upper 25% of stadium revenues after 2014 or they can basically break the lease and leave town for the highest bidder. Currently there is a pending sales of the club to Stan Kroenke but this has been dragging out for a while and I am afraid the fans are tired of hearing about it.

As they say winning cures everything and frankly the St. Louis Rams have not been winners in a while and that has led to this malaise that has come over the city towards them. The product on the field has been bad and even worse than that everything about the team has become boring. The Rams hiring of Scott (Lameahan) Linehan has to be one of their worst decisions. Linehan came across as a talking block of wood during press conferences and seemed simply clueless when making any coaching decisions. The Rams have since moved on to inexperienced Steve Spagnuolo who tries to say the right things but it is still not apparent to Rams fans if we have even started to move in the right direction. Other than Steven Jackson the Rams offense has been awful ranking in the bottom five in scoring three straight years including averaging 10.9 points per game in 2009.

So Rams fans are you still out there?

http://stlouisramfan.blogspot.com/

By Derek Arnold 

If I told you that Todd Heap caught a 65-yard touchdown pass, what would you immediately imagine?

Most likely a 2003 vintage Brian Billick “jump ball” type play where Heap simply out leaps about four defenders in the end zone and comes down with the score, right?

Certainly, you wouldn’t picture Heap catching a 25-yard pass and then turning on his “jets” and outrunning an entire secondary for the next 40 yards to paydirt.  Well, that’s exactly what happened in the second quarter on Sunday.  The Bucs forgot to cover Heap, Joe Flacco’s eyes lit up, and he hit “The Stormin’ Mormon” at about the Bucs’ 40 yard line.  From there, instead of what we’re used to seeing from (goes down in a ) HEEEEEEEEEEEAP, Todd made a beeline for the goalline and the longest play of his career put the Ravens up for good.

It was 10-3 at that point, and the Ravens would never look back.  Joe Flacco would find Derrick Mason from 10 yards out on the very next possession, and the 17-3 halftime lead was all B’More would need on this day.

Mason’s touchdown came at the end of half during which he was targeted a ridiculous 14 times by Flacco.  The obvious reaction to this from fans and media alike is that Mason’s tantrum during the fourth quarter of last week’s Carolina game (when he reportedly grabbed Joe’s facemask before teammates separated the two) paid immediate dividends.  John Harbaugh and the Ravens’ official stance was, and will be, simply that the Bucs’ were doubling Anquan Boldin, leaving Mason singled up on his side of the field.

On the surface, this explanation makes some sense.  The FOX broadcast team repeatedly pointed out how Bucs’ CB Aqib Talib was giving Mason a very large cushion, one that the cagey veteran was all too happy to exploit on comeback route after sideline route after hook route in front of Talib, who is extremely talented, but only in his third professional season.

The extent of Talib’s talent was on full display earlier in the second quarter. He jumped in front of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, had Joe Flacco’s pass bounce off his chest initially, then proceeded to cradle the ball between his calves while falling to the ground before pulling it to his chest for the interception and returning it to the Ravens’ 36-yard line.  It was Flacco’s first interception at M&T Bank Stadium since the heartbreaking pick he threw at the end of the Indianapolis game in Week 11 of 2009.

That’s right, it had been over a full calendar year since Joe Flacco threw an interception at home.  Keep hating, haters.

Anyway, back to Mason.  While the company line seems to check out on the surface, one has to wonder if Mason’s demanding of the ball directly impacted the team’s – and more importantly Joe’s – plans going into the game.

The fact is, Cam Cameron is still trying to figure out how to get the ball in the hands of all of the Ravens’ offensive weapons.  Mason wants the rock.  Housh wants the rock.  We saw what a finally healthy Todd Heap can still provide.  And we’ve yet to even mention the team’s big offseason signing, Anquan Boldin.  Boldin was the forgotten man in the first half, but then the very first play of the second was a quick pass to him – so you wonder if #81 may have had some words for his quarterback and/or offensive coordinator during the intermission.

The most frustrating thing for we fans is that, despite all of those aforementioned weapons, the offense continues to bog down time after time.  They only managed two offensive touchdowns in Carolina, and matched that number yesterday.  In fact, the Ravens managed points in only the second quarter Sunday, going scoreless in the first, third, and final periods.  Let’s not take anything away from Tampa’s defense, who were coming off a shutout on the road in San Francisco, but many had hoped that this would be the “epiphany” game that Ravens fans have been waiting for – and had really hoped to see materialize prior to the Pittsburgh contest.

Well, it obviously wasn’t.

In the first quarter, the Ravens squandered some great field position, going scoreless despite starting their second drive on the Tampa 47-yard line.  After starting on the Bucs’ 41, they managed only a 45-yard Billy Cundiff field goal.  On Mason’s touchdown – the team’s second and final of the day – the team would have again been forced to settle for a field goal were it not for an extremely questionable pass interference call that set them up with 1st-and-goal from the 10.

In the second half, they had a 76-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Ray Rice nullified by an illegal block penalty (also highly questionable) on Boldin.  Other than that, they never – NOT ONCE IN THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF – moved the ball even as far as Tampa territory until their final possession, when they were simply trying to run out the clock.  There was absolutely no sense of urgency, and certainly no indications that they were trying to put the game away with another score or two.  The final seven-point margin of victory was the result.

And so, this is the point where we put on our purple glasses, cross our fingers, and hope that the Ravens’ offense is simply “playing possum” going into the critical match up with the Steelers, at which point Cam will UNLEASH THE FURY!

Right?

Ugh…

Anyway, let’s talk defense for a minute.  As worried as we were about LeGarrette Blount running roughshod over the Ravens, they held him largely in check.  The big rookie managed only 55 yards on 13 carries, with a long of 16.  And as nervous as big Josh Freeman had us, the Ravens did a great job of rattling the second-year quarterback, flushing him out of the pocket and making him throw on the run all night long.  Fortunately, he was off the mark far more often than not.  Although they were unable to register a sack, the constant pressure was very encouraging.  This week, they face old nemesis Ben Roethlisberger, who isn’t as fleet-of-foot as Freeman, but who is much more accurate throwing on the move.  They’ll have to do a better job of getting him on the ground than they did with the Bucs’ QB.

On the whole though, it was a strong showing from the defense.  Despite another poor tackling effort (something it appears we’re just going to have to live – and cringe – along with in 2010), the Ravens, for all intents and purposes, held the Bucs to just three points until “junk time.”  Even those three points were set up by the Talib interception, which gave them a short field to work with.

Unfortunately, the win did not come at no cost to the team.  Starters Le’Ron McClain, Dawan Landry, and Michael Oher all left the game with injuries.  Landry sustained a concussion on a vicious hit on Tampa running back Cadillac Williams.  As long as he can pass his concussion tests later in the week, he’ll be good to go Sunday.  Though it looked to be much worse initially, Oher’s injury is being reported – to this point – as simply a sprained knee.  McClain’s injury may be the most serious.  “Pain Train” was blocking on the kick return after the Tampa field goal in the second quarter, when his ankle was rolled up on.  On the play, David Reed brought the ball out from 6 yards deep in the end zone; if he just does as he is most likely taught there – down it for a touchback – McClain’s injury never happens.  Annoying, but that’s the game, and the injury did occur.  With any luck, it’s a run-of-the-mill ankle sprain, and Le’Ron will be back very soon.  With no luck, we’ll be referring to #33 as not “Pain Train” but as Le’Ron “High Ankle Sprain” McClain for who knows how many more weeks.

Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for all three, as a loss of key players couldn’t come at a worse time.

Once again, a Ravens win came with very few style points.  The substance though, of 8-3, cannot be understated.  If they manage another win next Sunday exactly like this one, I’ll be absolutely ecstatic, won’t you?

http://www.bmorebirdsnest.com/

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Offensive Tackle 

Oklahoma State

6-5 310

40 time: 5.17

Draft board overall prospect rank: #3

Draft board offensive tackle rank: #1

Overall rating: 98*

1/19/10: He’s got excellent footwork and good zone versatility. He has the agility, athleticism, and footwork to be an elite zone blocking left tackle, but he also has good strength, though not elite, and can take down defensive ends one-on-one. His footwork is his best attribute and he is strong as a run blocker and as a pass blocker. 

6/27/09: Russell Okung is that franchise type left tackle that teams have been taking in the top 5 over the past few years. In 2007 we had Joe Thomas, in 2008 Jake Long, and last year Jason Smith. He doesn’t really have any weaknesses. He has great footwork and plays with great leverage. He has great size and while he doesn’t have good timed speed, he has good lateral quickness that can be used to block quicker defenders. Some of the faster defensive ends and rush linebackers will still be able to blow right past him. He has a ton of experience and a great track record. He played left tackle for Oklahoma State’s dynamic offense last season and was a huge part of it. The left tackle is the 2^ndmost important position on an offense. He started week 1 as a true freshman and hasn’t missed a game in 3 years since. In addition to being a great pass blocker, he’s also a terrific run blocker, especially for a left tackle, a position that mainly used as a pass blocker. He doesn’t let off blocks until the play is completely over, which is rare for a college kid, and he never takes plays off. He has an amazing work ethic. He can play right tackle, in addition to left, and he can play some guard, though he doesn’t have as much value as a guard.

NFL Comparison: Ryan Clady

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

 

Debate the Chargers’ offseason needs in the The Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

The Chargers have a cakewalk of a schedule this year. The Chargers play a total of 4 playoff teams from last year, one of whom, Arizona, lost their quarterback in the off season. The Chargers always start slow, but I can’t see that happening this year. Look at their first 6 games, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, and St. Louis. This is still a very talented team. They won 13 games last year without being able to run the football at all. With the addition of Ryan Matthews, they should be able to run a lot better this year. If anything they won’t be worse on the ground because, well, they can’t be worse on the ground. It’s not possible.

However, once again it doesn’t really matter what they do in the regular season. They win 11, 12, 13, 14 games every year seemingly. That won’t change this year. They have to show up in the playoffs this year and until they do that, I won’t predict them to do that. They just choke in the playoffs way too often.

Projection: 13-3 1st in AFC West

Power Ranking: 3 

Last season: 13-3

Draft:

#12 RB Ryan Matthews (Fresno State)

I don’t see the need to trade up all the way to 12 to get Matthews. The highest that Matthews could have gone was 20 to Houston and even that was a stretch. Plus, I don’t see the need to draft Matthews, a one hit wonder, in the first round. This is a deep running back class. Guys like Montario Hardesty and Ben Tate and even Deji Karim are future starting caliber backs available in rounds 2-4. The Chargers have too many needs (given that like half of their starters are free agents in 2011) to be trading up to get running backs they didn’t need or didn’t need to trade up for. The Chargers gave up a lot of picks and a veteran to get this deal done. Finally, Knowshon Moreno was drafted 12^th by the Broncos last year and he is much better than Matthews. Matthews was not deserving of this spot.

Grade: D-

#79 MLB Donald Butler (Washington)

Butler was a bit of a reach, but fills a need and fits the scheme. Tim Dobbins was traded in the deal to get Matthews and he could have been upgraded anyway. Butler has decent upside and if he pans out, he could be a starter for this team, but they could have done a little bit more with this pick. Butler is the classic late riser meaning that he raised his stock significantly after the season so you have to be wary.

Grade: C+

#110 S Darrell Stuckey (Kansas)

Stuckey is great value and could have been a late 2^nd early 3^rd round if the safety class wasn’t so strong and/or teams that drafted safeties in the 2^nd or 3^rd round knew what they were doing. Stuckey looks like a future starter for this team and in the 4^th round, that’s pretty good.

Grade: A

#146 NT Cam Thomas (North Carolina)

For the second straight round, the Chargers have drafted a guy who looks like a future starter. That’s hard enough to do in the first 2 rounds, let alone the 4^th and 5^th rounds. Thomas is a major steal here who could have gone in the 2^nd, so, even though they needed to keep picks to take much needed depth, I love their decision to move up for him.

Grade: A

#168 QB Jonathan Crompton (Tennessee)

As I said before, pretty much half of the Chargers’ starters are free agents in 2011. They need depth. However, Phillip Rivers is under contract for another 5 years so a backup quarterback was not the kind of depth I was referring to.

Grade: C-

#235 TE Derrick Epps (Miami)

They needed other types of depth, but a blocking tight end was needed to replace Brandon Manumaeluena, so this isn’t a bad pick.

Grade: B+

Overall:

They did some things I didn’t like, but I think it’s safe to say they got 3 future starters, if not four, out of this draft and with 6 picks, that’s not bad. However, they had a bunch more picks before they decided to trade them away to move up for some guy who didn’t need and didn’t need to move up for, at least that far. This draft helps them alright in the short term, but not so much in the long term.

Grade: C+

Key undrafted free agents:

WR Jeremy Williams (Tulane)

MLB Kion Wilson (South Florida)

RLB Brandon Lang (Troy)

RB Shawnbrey McNeal (SMU)

WR Seji Ajirotutu (Fresno State)

FB Cory Jackson (Maryland)

CB Traye Simmons (Minnesota)

Positions of need:

Running Back:

LT is gone and Darren Sproles is a restricted free agent. Sproles is not an every down back anyway so the Chargers will look for a running back early in the NFL Draft. They like complete players, who can pass catch and pass block, in addition to run the football very well. A guy like Ryan Matthews or Jonathan Dwyer could be targeted in the 2^nd round or first even if they really like one of them and want to secure him.

Signed Marcus Mason, Drafted Ryan Matthews (#12)

Offensive Tackle:

You can’t blame LT alone on his decline last year. None of the Chargers running backs ran well and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Their offensive line, especially the right side, didn’t open up a lot of blocks. If they can get a true run blocking right tackle in the NFL Draft, they’ll pull the trigger. Ciron Black is one of the best pure right tackles in the draft class and he could still be available when they pick in the 3^rd.

Signed Tra Thomas 

Wide Receiver:

Both Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd are free agents, albeit restricted. They don’t have much depth behind either anyway and Floyd could be upgraded because he’s borderline at best.

Offensive Guard:

The Chargers inability to run block wasn’t all the fault of their right tackles. Their interior blockers weren’t very good either. They need at least one upgrade at guard this year, even if not two.

Middle Linebacker:

Both of their middle linebackers were fairly mediocre last year, as they have been for years. There also isn’t a ton of depth behind either. They could take a middle linebacker if one they view as a value falls to them in the early to mid rounds.

Drafted Donald Butler (#79) 

3-4 Defensive End:

Igor Olshansky was not replaced after he left as a free agent last year. It’s not a very important position but, if one falls to them, they could take one in the middle rounds.

Safety:

There safeties overall are pretty mediocre, especially at strong safety after Clinton Hart was cut, but they have other needs so this one might get ignored again.

Drafted Darrell Stuckey (#110) 

Nose Tackle:

Jamal Williams will be 34 next season and he’s coming off of a major ACL injury. Nose tackles are extremely valuable and the Chargers don’t have a true one on their roster at the moment. If Terrence Cody is there at 28, it wouldn’t surprise me if they took him. The Chargers have a history of doing what people don’t expect them to. They happen to be one of the toughest teams to predict in terms of mock drafts.

Drafted Cam Thomas (#146) 

Free agents:

QB Charlie Whitehurst (restricted)- tendered (3rd)

RB LaDainian Tomlinson- signed with Jets 2 years 5 million

RB Darren Sproles (restricted)- resigned 1 year 7.2 million

RB Michael Bennett- signed with Raiders

FB Mike Tolbert (exclusive rights)- resigned

WR Vincent Jackson (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

WR Malcom Floyd (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

WR Kassim Osgood- signed with Jaguars 3 years 6.6 million

WR Demetrius Byrd 

TE Brandon Manumaleuna- signed with Bears 5 years

TE Kris Wilson- resigned for 2 years

OT Marcus McNeil (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

OT Jeromey Clary (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.6 million

C Eric Ghiaciuc (restricted)- signed with Patriots

NT Jamal Williams- signed with Broncos 3 years 16 million

NT Ian Scott 

3-4 DE Antonio Garay (restricted)- resigned 2 years

RLB Shawne Merriman (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

RLB Antawn Applegate (restricted)- resigned

RLB Marques Harris (restricted)

MLB Tim Dobbins (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

S Kevin Ellison- signed with Seahawks 

Offseason moves:

Chargers cut S Kevin Ellison

Chargers cut NT Ian Scott

Chargers sign WR Josh Reed 

Chargers sign OT Tra Thomas 

Chargers re-sign WR Malcom Floyd

Chargers sign TE Randy McMichael

Chargers trade MLB Tim Dobbins to Dolphins in 1st-round swap

Chargers re-sign RLB Antwan Applewhite

Chargers re-sign MLB Tim Dobbins

Chargers re-sign OT Jeromey Clary

Chargers re-sign RB Darren Sproles

Chargers re-sign FB Mike Tolbert

Chargers sign CB Nathan Vasher

Chargers waive WR Demetrius Byrd

Chargers trade QB Charlie Whitehurst to Seahawks for 2011 3rd-rounder and the swap of 2010 2nd-rounders

Chargers sign CB Donald Strickland

Chargers claim RB Marcus Mason

Chargers Trade CB Antonio Cromartie to Jets for conditional 2011 third-round pick

Chargers re-sign TE Kris Wilson

Chargers cut NT Jamal Williams

Chargers tender RB Darren Sproles

Chargers tender QB Charlie Whitehurst

Chargers tender WR Vincent Jackson

Chargers tender RLB Shawne Merriman

Chargers tender OT Marcus McNeill

Chargers tender WR Malcom Floyd

Chargers tender OT Jeromey Clary

Chargers tender MLB Tim Dobbins

Chargers tender RLB Antwan Applewhite

Chargers tender FB Mike Tolbert

Chargers re-sign 3-4 DE Antonio Garay

Chargers cut RB Michael Bennett

Chargers cut RB LaDainian Tomlinson 

 

TE Owen Daniels UP

Daniels has been activiated from the PUP list and looks likely to start the season opener. There are definitely no guarantees that he will play all 16 games, but he’s very talented when healthy so he could be worth the risk as a TE1.

RB Maurice Jones Drew DOWN

MJD has knee soreness, but insists that he’ll be ready for the season opener. I also expect him to be ready for the opener, but I won’t have him in my top 3 as long as there’s a chance his missing a game or is slowed down by a knee injury.

WR Vincent Jackson DOWN

Many sources are reporting that Jackson has played his last game with the Chargers. He’ll have value if he’s traded, but until he is, let him be someone else’s problem.

WR Malcom Floyd UP

If Jackson has truly played his last game as a Charger, Floyd’s value goes up even more. He has certainly looked like a #1 receiver this preseason and could match Jackson’s 2009 numbers, 1167 yards and 9 scores.

 

WR Legedu Naanee UP

With Jackson out, Naanee would become a starter in the Chargers offense. He has looked decent in the preseason and has some late round upside.

TE Antonio Gates UP

Gates will become even more involved in the Chargers offense with Jackson out, especially near the goal line. That’s enough to push him over the top and make him my #1 tight end.

QB Philip Rivers DOWN

Floyd is a solid #1 receiver for him, but replacing Floyd with Naanee does hurt this offense. His receiving corps simply don’t look as strong without V-Jax. He’s already missing his left tackle Marcus McNeil, who is also holding out, so he is already due for a statistical decrease. 

 

 

OT Mike Adams (Ohio State)

G Kelvin Beachum (SMU)

RLB Andre Branch (Clemson)

G Brandon Brooks (Miami-OH)

WR Greg Childs (Arkansas)

WR Toney Clemons (Colorado)

TE Michael Egnew (Missouri)

NT Hebron Fangupo (BYU)

TE Ladarius Green (LA-Lafayette)

MLB Jerrell Harris (Alabama)

NT Akiem Hicks (Regina)

MLB Dont’a Hightower (Alabama)

WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

WR T.Y. Hilton (Florida International)

3-4 DE John Hughes (Cincinnati)

RB LaMichael James (Oregon)

RLB Cam Johnson (Virginia)

CB Jeremy Jones (Wayne State)

MLB Mychal Kendricks (California)

WR Keshawn Martin (Michigan State)

OT Bobby Massie (Mississippi)

LS Zach Nolan (Stanford)

TE David Paulson (Oregon)

RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)

RLB Nick Perry (USC)

NT Dontari Poe (Memphis)

TE Adrien Robinson (Cincinnati)

OT Mitchell Schwartz (California)

G Amini Silatolu (Midwestern State)

CB Keith Tandy (West Virginia)

RLB Olivier Vernon (Miami)

3-4 DE Derek Wolfe (Cincinnati)

 

 

Debate the Buccaneers off season in the Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

If I had to pick one of the three rookie quarterbacks who started last year, Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman, as the most improved this offseason, I’d have to go with Freeman. Reports out of Tampa rave about Freeman’s work ethic this offseason and how he’s spent a good majority of his offseason in the film room, studying last year’s film, and on the field, getting into better shape and improving his throwing mechanics. Unless he spent all that time at the Buccaneers’ facilities inefficiently, doing things other than becoming a better football player, I think he’ll be a much better football player this year. Remember, even Peyton Manning struggled as a rookie, but if you can improve in your sophomore year, no one will remember your rookie year.

That being said, that improvement might not translate to the stat sheet and the win loss record quite in the way one would expect. I expect his picks to decrease this year (18 picks in 290 throws last year), but his supporting cast isn’t as good as Mark Sanchez’s, or even Matt Stafford’s. He doesn’t have Sanchez’s amazing supporting cast. He doesn’t have Calvin Johnson. I’d even go as far as to say that Detroit’s running game and defense are better than Tampa’s. This defense should be better this year, especially against the run with the additions of Gerald McCoy and Brian Price in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, but they still lack a strong pass rush, and overall they lack talent on the defensive side of the ball.

They’ll be better this year, especially through the air offensively, but the talent isn’t there in Freeman’s supporting cast. Freeman won’t look as good as he should this year, even though close examination may show Freeman as the best quarterback in the 2009 draft class this year. Some teams have to be the worst and the Buccaneers, because of their overall lack of talent, look like a team destined to be among the lowly of the league.

Projection: 4-12 4th in NFC South

Power Ranking: 27 

Last Season: 3-13

Draft:

#3 DT Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma)

Normally I am against using a Top 3 pick on a defensive tackle, but when you have your franchise quarterback and left tackle already in place and there are no franchise defensive ends available in the draft range, and you were the worst team in the league against the run last year, and it’s a player like Gerald McCoy, I say it’s a great pick.

Grade: A

#35 DT Brian Price (UCLA)

Very interesting pick, he is definitely one of the best available and when you are dead last against the run, you need all the help you can get, but something about seeing a 3-13 team go DT-DT doesn’t seem right. One upgrade at defensive tackle would have been sufficient this year for a team that needs DE, WR, S, CB, LB, etc, but it’s not an awful pick.

Grade: B-

#39 WR Arrelious Benn (Illinois)

There were certainly better wide receiver options on the board, but Benn is one of the highest upside wide receivers available and the Buccaneers’ don’t need a #2 or #3 guy. They need #1 guy and Benn could be that guy in the future, though I would have taken Damian Williams.

Grade: B+

#67 CB Myron Lewis (Vanderbilt)

I like Lewis a lot and I guess former defensive backs coach Raheem Morris did too. They need a successor for Ronde Barber and Lewis can certainly be that in time, but I’m not convinced this was the best pick they could have made with guys like Everson Griffen on the board.

Grade: A-

#101 WR Mike Williams (Syracuse)

Williams has a huge list of character issues, not caring about school, getting kicked off the team, quitting on his team, showing up out of shape to the Combine, but he has 2^nd round talent. I don’t love the idea of this team going with 2 boom or bust WRs, but it could definitely work out for the best.

Grade: B

#172 P Brent Bowden (Virginia Tech)

Yeah, they needed a punter, but with other needs, why would they take one before the 7^th round. Bowden wasn’t even the best punter available.

Grade: B-

#210 S Cody Grimm (Virginia Tech)

Grimm was a linebacker in college, but because of size he’ll have to move to safety. He’s a project, but Raheem Morris knows a thing or so about defensive backs and he fills a need. At the very worst, he’s a solid special teamer.

Grade: A

#217 OLB Dekoda Watson (Florida State)

I don’t know if there was a bigger steal or a better fit all night. Watson is built in the mold of Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks and he was a legitimate 3^rd round prospect available in the 7^th for a team that badly needs linebacker help. I would be very surprised if Watson wasn’t a main stay on this defense for years to come. You don’t get that type of player in the 7^th round very often.

Grade: A

#253 DE Erik Lorig (Stanford)

Lorig should not have been drafted. He doesn’t offer a pass rush like the Bucs need and he doesn’t fit the speed to fit the scheme. This is one of the worst 7^th round picks of the day.

Grade: D

Overall:

It’s hard to give a bad grade to a team that could legitimately come away with 7 future starters in one draft, but considering those guys are DT, DT, WR, WR, CB, OLB, P, they probably could have done some better things with positional value and gotten some pass rush help, though this was a weak DE class.

Grade: B

Key undrafted free agents:

QB Jevan Snead (Mississippi)

K Hunter Lawrence (Texas)

OLB Rico McCoy (Tennessee)

OT James Williams (Harvard)

G Sergio Render (Virginia Tech)

OT Derek Hardman (Eastern Kentucky)

TE Jeron Mastrud (Kansas State)

DE James Ruffin (Northern Iowa)

Positions of need:

Defensive Tackle:

The Buccaneers were extremely weak through the middle of their defensive line last year and couldn’t stop anyone on the ground. Ranking dead last in the league against the run last year in almost every major category. This will have to be improved if they are going to improve.

Drafted Gerald McCoy (#3), Drafted Brian Price (#35) 

Defensive End:

They only had 28 sacks last year and no one had more than 6.5 so an elite #1 pass rusher for the future will be a necessity.

Drafted Erik Lorig (#253) 

Wide Receiver:

I’d say there’s a good chance that Antonio Bryant won’t be brought back as a free agent this offseason, and even if he is brought back there’s a good chance that once he gets a longterm deal he turns back into a sloth, and even if he doesn’t becomes a lazy primate, they still could use an upgrade opposite him. Michael Clayton isn’t going to live up to his contract so they can just forgot that happening. Big mistake. They need to get Josh Freeman better receivers to throw to.

Drafted Arrelious Benn (#39), Drafted Mike Williams (#101), Traded for Reggie Brown 

Outside Linebacker:

One the first thing Raheem Morris did when he was higher as a coach was to cut everyone older than him. If he were Mike Martz or Al Davis this would be an okay strategy, but Morris was 33 at the time. Both Derrick Brooks and Cato June were cut and replaced with the oft injured Angelo Crowell and a former safety. Gee, I wonder why the Bucs were awful on defense last year. They need to get a real outside linebacker.

Drafted Dekoda Watson (#217) 

Safety:

As I’ve said before, the Bucs simply lacked talent on defense at almost every position. Safety is no exception. In fact, they haven’t had a good safety since Dexter Jackson in 2005.

Signed Sean Jones, Drafted Cody Grimm (#210) 

Cornerback:

The one area the Bucs were actually decent at defensively was against the pass, but that could change if Ronde Barber decides to retire or gets cut because Morris realizes he is older than him. Aqib Talib looks like a good #1 cornerback of the future, but they have no depth behind him and Barber currently so if Barber is gone, they won’t have a good #2 corner.

Drafted Myron Lewis (#67) 

Offensive Tackle:

Both of their starting tackles will be free agents this offseason. I expect Penn to be brought back because he’s doing a good job for them, but Trueblood was one of the worst starting tackles in the league last year so even if he returns, he could be upgraded.

 

Free agents:

QB Jevan Snead 

RB Cadillac Williams (restricted)- resigned 1 year 2.3 million

RB Clifton Smith (restricted)- resigned 1 year

FB Byron Storer (exclusive rights)

FB BJ Askew 

#9 WR Antonio Bryant- signed with Bengals 4 years 28 million

The talent is there, 1009 yards in 2005 and 1248 yards in 2008, but is the motivation? Chances are, if you give him a longterm deal, it won’t be. He’s still young, 29 in a couple of weeks, but you have to worry about his character concerns plus past concerns about injuries.

WR Maurice Stovall (restricted)- resigned 1 year, 1.1 million

WR Brian Clark (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Lions 1 year

WR Mark Bradley- signed with Saints

OT Donald Penn (restricted)- resigned 6 years 43 million

OT Jeremy Trueblood (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

G Arron Sears  

DE Jimmy Wilkerson- signed 1 year

DT Chris Hovan- signed with Rams

OLB Angelo Crowell 

OLB Jermaine Phillips

OLB Matt McCoy (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Seahawks 1 year

MLB Barrett Ruud (restricted)- tendered (1st/3rd)

MLB Rod Johnson (restricted) 

CB Elbert Mack (restricted)- tendered

CB Torrie Cox 

S Will Allen- signed with Steelers 3 years

P Josh Bidwell

P Dirk Johnson 

Offseason moves:

Buccaneers waive QB Jevan Snead

Buccaneers re-sign OT Donald Penn

Buccaneers sign G Keydrick Vincent 

Buccaneers cut OLB Angelo Crowell

Buccaneers cut WR Mark Bradley

Buccaneers re-sign RB Cadillac Williams

Buccaneers re-sign OT Jeremy Trueblood

Buccaneers re-sign RB Clifton Smith

Buccaneers cut DT Chris Hovan

Buccaneers cut G Arron Sears

Buccaneers cut FB B.J. Askew

Buccaneers trade QB Byron Leftwich to Steelers for a 7th-round pick 

Buccaneers re-sign WR Maurice Stovall

Buccaneers re-sign OLB Angelo Crowell

Buccaneers re-sign WR Mark Bradley

Buccaneers sign S Sean Jones

Buccaneers sign OLB Jon Alston

Buccaneers acquire WR Reggie Brown from Eagles for 2011 6th-rounder

Buccaneers tender RB/KR Clifton Smith

Buccaneers tender CB Elbert Mack

Buccaneers tender WR Mark Bradley

Buccaneers cut CB Torrie Cox

Buccaneers cut P Josh Bidwell

Buccaneers cut P Dirk Johnson

Buccaneers tender WR Maurice Stovall

Buccaneers tender ILB Barrett Ruud

Buccaneers tender OT Jeremy Trueblood

Buccaneers tender OT Donald Penn 

# refers to unrestricted free agent rank

 

Updated 4/20/11

QB RB FB WR TE OT G C DE RLB DT 3-4 DE NT MLB OLB CB S K P

Scoring System 

100 Once in a decade prospect 
95-99 Elite talent 
90-95 Solid top 10 pick 
85-90 Solid first round pick 
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd 
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick 
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick 
65-70 3rd-4th round pick 
60-65 4th-5th round pick 
55-60 5th round pick 
50-55 6th round pick 
45-50 7th round pick 
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp 
30-40 Career practice squader 
20-30 No NFL future 
0-20 No football future 

 

1. Kyle Rudolph 79 (Notre Dame)

2. Lance Kendricks 75 (Wisconsin)

3. Luke Stocker 66 (Tennessee)

4. DJ Williams 65 (Arkansas)

5. Rob Housler 61 (Florida Atlantic)

6. Jordan Cameron 60 (USC)

7. Zach Pianalto 59 (North Carolina)

8. Virgil Green 58 (Nevada)

9. Charles Clay 57 (Troy)

10. Colin Franklin 52 (Iowa State)

11. Mike McNeill 51 (Nebraska)

12. Julius Thomas 50 (Portland State)

13. Andre Smith 47 (Virginia Tech)

14. Lee Smith 46 (Marshall)

15. Weslye Saunders 45 (South Carolina)

16. Charlie Gantt 44 (Michigan State)

 

 

1-10 

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50