LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Let's suppose for a second Brett Favre ends up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (and I don't think that's a stretch anymore). It would mean an instant media circus and have massive implications. Here's a look at 10 things that would happen if Favre joins the Bucs. Garcia Jeff Garcia would be out the door. On the drive over here tonight, I heard some callers to a local radio show suggest that Favre and Garcia could compete for the starting quarterback job. I beg to differ. If Favre comes, Garcia goes. The Bucs wouldn't go out and get Favre to have him compete for a job. If he comes, he's the starter. Garcia would have some value on the trade market. Minnesota and Chicago can't get Favre from the Packers, but they can have Garcia from the Bucs. Chris Simms and Brian Griese would follow Garica out the door. Simms has had one foot out the door for months and I don't see any way he stays on this roster. He either gets traded or gets released. Griese was brought in to provide a veteran backup for Garcia, who has had injury problems throughout his career. I'm thinking the Bucs wouldn't need Griese if they get Favre, the most durable quarterback ever. Luke McCown and Josh Johnson get to learn from the master. Coach Jon Gruden has been saying he wants a quarterback for the future for several years. McCown and Johnson have raw skills. Sitting behind and in meetings with Favre for a year would go a long way in their development. The Bucs get fans buzzing. Although the Bucs won the NFC South last season, they're not a glamour team on the national level. Derrick Brooks is a great player and Gruden is a big name, but the Bucs don't excite a lot of people. Think Favre would change that? We find out who's really running this show. I've said for a while now that bringing in Favre would make a lot of business sense for the Bucs. The Glazer family, which owns the team, is well aware of that. They're also aware they had a difficult time selling out a playoff game last season and a lot of fans have grown disgruntled with rising ticket prices and with Tampa Bay's tendency to bring in troubled players. The Glazers have shown a willingness to make a splash in the past and this would be their biggest splash. Their stadium would be full, the Bucs would be the center of attention and the darling of the flex schedule and they would sell an awful lot of No. 4 jerseys. Favre would get the ultimate crash course. We've all heard about how complicated Gruden's offense is. Bringing Favre in near the end of training camp is not an ideal situation. But Gruden has plenty of confidence in his ability to work with quarterbacks and could make this work. He's also dealing with a veteran who has a history of making things happen on the fly. Sure, the Bucs may have to simplify the playbook a little bit, but Favre and Gruden can make this work. Gruden could get his reputation back. For his entire tenure in Tampa, Gruden's been overshadowed. There's the perception he won a Super Bowl with Tony Dungy's players. There's also the reality that he hasn't been the offensive guru he was in Oakland and that Monte Kiffin's defense has been carrying this team. If the Bucs make the playoffs and Favre makes some downfield throws, Gruden looks like a genius. The Sept. 28 game at Raymond James Stadium becomes the toughest regular-season ticket in NFL history. It would be Favre against the Packers. It's not at Lambeau Field, but it's still huge. The words "pewter'' and "Favre'' would become synonymous. Dale Mabry Highway could be renamed Brett Favre Boulevard and, for a change, the quarterback becomes the top attraction on the strip. At least in the short term, we'll be reminded 67 million times that this season's Super Bowl is in Tampa. Maybe there is a fairy-tale ending for Favre's career after all.
WR 84 Joey Galloway 85 Maurice Stovall 89 Antonio Bryant 10 Dexter Jackson 18 Brian Clark LT 70 Donald Penn 69 Anthony Davis 68 Chris Clark LG 78 Arron Sears 64 Brian Johnson C 52 Jeff Faine 72 Dan Buenning 76 Jeremy Zuttah RG 75 Davin Joseph 74 Chris Denman RT 65 Jeremy Trueblood 73 Dennis Roland TE 81 Alex Smith 88 John Gilmore 83 Ben Troupe 86 Jerramy Stevens 46 Daniel Fells WR 19 Ike Hilliard 80 Michael Clayton 82 Paris Warren 15 Chad Lucas 14 Cortez Hankton/17 Micheal Spurlock QB 7 Jeff Garcia 12 Luke McCown 8 Brian Griese 2 Chris Simms 11 Josh Johnson RB 34 Earnest Graham 28 Warrick Dunn 29 Michael Bennett 33 Kenneth Darby 39 Clifton Smith FB 35 B.J. Askew 44 Byron Storer 45 Carl Stewart Defense LE 93 Kevin Carter 91 Greg White 96 Greg Peterson 92 Charles Bennett DT 95 Chris Hovan 67 Dre Moore 60 Chris Bradwell DT 71 Jovan Haye 98 Ryan Sims RE 90 Gaines Adams 97 Jimmy Wilkerson 94 Marques Douglas SLB 59 Cato June 58 Quincy Black 56 Ryan Nece MLB 51 Barrett Ruud 41 Matt McCoy 50 Antoine Cash WLB 55 Derrick Brooks 57 Adam Hayward 54 Geno Hayes LCB 31 Phillip Buchanon 25 Aqib Talib 37 Darrell Hunter 43 Elbert Mack RCB 20 Ronde Barber 38 Eugene Wilson 22 Sammy Davis 32 Marcus Hamilton SS 23 Jermaine Phillips 21 Sabby Piscitelli 30 Donte Nicholson FS 36 Tanard Jackson 26 Will Allen 6 Sergey Ivanov Specialists P 9 Josh Bidwell PK 3 Matt Bryant H 9 Josh Bidwell PR 17 Micheal Spurlock KR 17 Micheal Spurlock KC 48 Andrew Economos
Jon Gruden's terminology is supposedly the stuff of legend, but don't you get the feeling that on nine out of 10 plays, Jeff Garcia tells the huddle, "Okay, I'll line up in the shotgun. Everybody go out but don't get open. The offensive line blocks for just a second. I'll start running for my life. And then I'll dump it off short to someone standing on the sideline 3 yards away from me. On two. Ready? Break!"
According to the Tampa Tribune the Bucs may have found the running back they’ve been looking for in Kansas City. Word out of that town late Monday was that the Bucs were working a deal that would bring Michael Bennett to Tampa. Details of the trade, which would have to be completed by 4 p.m. today, were uncertain.
After reading his bio he looks to me like he has possibilities if he can stay off the injury list. I just hope they don't give up more than a fourth round pick....... Stay tuned.
Update: It's a done deal. The Bucs traded conditional second day draft choices in 08 & 09 to aquire Bennett from K.C. In a separate move they released Lionel Gates and resigned Kenneth Darby to the practice squad. A word for Bennett, Please stay healthy !
TAMPA - We were drifting off course and headed into sacred territory there for a bit.
Forgive us.
We saw the big hits Sunday from safety Tanard Jackson and, wait a second, was that John Lynch? We saw the pressure defensive tackle Jovan Haye got on the Tennessee quarterbacks and, hold on, that's not No. 99 out there, is it?
Yes, admittedly we were guilty of excessive hyerbole after watching the defensive show put on by the Bucs in a 13-10 win against the Titans. But, seriously, it was just like the ol' days at times out there, with bodies flying and helmets rolling and opponents measuring progress in feet rather than yards.
Or so we thought.
Then we talked to Monte Kiffin.
'No, no, not yet, not yet. I'm not going to compare us to those guys,' he said. 'We've only played, what is it, six games? In those days the pass rush was humming. We were better today, but we still have to get better.'
We'll go with that theory, mostly because it's true.
Those Bucs built a defensive identity that will last for decades.
These Bucs are still feeling their way. These Bucs also let Kerry Collins drive the Titans 86 yards in the last quarter for a touchdown to tie the game with 1:17 to play. Those Bucs would have been appalled.
'It's really frustrating, you know. You can't be a great defense ...' Kiffin said.
It was suggested that such a drive might be part of the growing pains for a defense with more than a few young players.
'They need to grow up quick,' he said. 'We shouldn't give up that last drive.'
Good Attitude
Well, we know what the film session in the Bucs' next defensive meeting will be like. The lads will have a few exhibits to offer in their defense, though, starting with the fact they limited Tennessee to 96 rushing yards. The Titans came in averaging 153.
The Bucs forced three turnovers and almost had five. Two interceptions by Ronde Barber were overturned by replay.
The Titans wound up with 317 total yards, 13 more than the Bucs. That's not bad though, considering Tennessee had the ball 15 minutes more. The second half was a travesty on that front. The defense was on the field for all but 6:45 of the final two quarters.
That's something it needs to get used to, by the way, until the Bucs can fix a running game that has been blown to bits by injuries. They gained 30 yards on 15 carries, which didn't give the defense much of a blow. They punted six times on 10 possessions.
If that part of the game can't be fixed, either through trade or a trip to the healing waters of Lourdes for the backfield, then the task of holding the season together will fall on you-know-who. That's just like it was in 1999, when Trent Dilfer went down with an injury and the Bucs couldn't score but somehow wound up in the NFC Championship Game.
We won't even begin to predict that for this bunch - put that straitjacket away, please - but there are some similarities between those two units. It starts in the locker room.
'It isn't your starters or star players who make you great, it's the quality of your depth,' defensive end Kevin Carter said. 'We've got a lot of guys that people may not know their names, but they're making a big difference on this team.'
You look around at those names.
Haye. Jackson. Phillip Buchanon, who it seems we mention every week. Greg White. Go down the list. These are not the Bucs of yore and legend, but they have hoisted this season on their shoulders.
'It doesn't matter who's out there,' defensive end Greg Spires said. 'If you're out there, you're the starter.'
So Far, So Good
This win needs at least a small asterisk. Tennessee's über weapon, quarterback Vince Young, was injured midway through the third quarter and didn't return. The Bucs had done a pretty good job on Young before the injury, though.
What happens from here is anyone's guess. So much depends on whether they can acquire a running back who can help, because even at something close to full strength it's going to be tough enough to score against the likes of Detroit, Jacksonville and some of the other teams they play from here on out.
Asking the defense to carry the whole load of keeping them close until Jeff Garcia performs his magic won't work every week. That's an argument for later, though. In the NFL, where you are now is all that matters. As Haye wryly noted, '4-2 sounds way better than 3-3.'
That's all that matters right now. We'll save the comparisons for later, when they might actually mean something. At this point, all we know for sure is that this defense is much improved and it gives the Bucs a chance to win.
'We could have done better, but we'll take it,' Haye said. 'To hold Tennessee to 10 points is pretty good - especially when it's 13-10. I'll take that every time.'
Tampa Bay has just pulled off a 13-10 victory against Tennessee. This was arguably the biggest test of the season for the Bucs especially with no running game and no pass rush. Obviously, the win is big...period. To be honest, we should have won by a lot more. We completely shut down their offense through most of the game. We won the turnover battle. We kept their running game in check. But we needed to win with a field goal at the end...not good. Their defense lived up to it’s billing, but we also missed some opportunities - which made them look a lot better than they were. This should have been a 20-3 game. This was a game that we dominated, but we let them make it look closer than it actually was. Our inability to run the ball is starting to look scary. We can beat sub-par teams without a running game, but we cannot hope to take one away from Jacksonville the way we played yesterday. That being said, I really like the way Tampa Bay is playing as a team right now, but in order for the Bucs to have any kind of shot this year they have got to get a decent running back and some sacks.
The Bucs are 3-1 after demolishing Carolina today and they looked totally the part of a playoff team. The Bucs look like the class of their division. They are playing with purpose, unity, and complete confidence. The game Sunday was a blowout from the opening drive, when they drove 71 yards in 11 plays and took 6:17 to do so. But there isn't alot of cheering going on here.
Cadillac Williams was having a good day - 6 carries, 41 yards - when he went down with 3:13 left in the first quarter. The stadium went quiet as everyone could plainly see the injury was serious. Then left tackle Luke Petitgout went out, also with a knee injury. Petitgout walked off, avoiding a ride on the cart, but didn't return. I have a feeling they will be done for the season.
Great game, but I don't feel like a party right now.
