Category Archives: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Maybe Greg Schiano had a good reason to bolt Rutgers for Tampa
At first glance, the decision made by current Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Greg Schiano to leave the same post at the University of Rutgers the day before national signing day seemed scandalous, but upon further review it seems to be making more and more sense.
Vincent Jackson to the Buccaneers is a match made in hell
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed prized free agent wide receiver Vincent Jackson to a five-year $55 million dollar contract. But why? After the way last season ended the Bucs have other positions that need to be addressed making the union of Jackson and Tampa, a match made in hell.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2011 was filled with promise for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they had seemed to find their quarterback of the future in Josh Freeman, but like so many young quarterbacks around the league he has taken a step backwards.
As young and up and coming stars they see peaks and valley’s but such a dramatic turn around as Freeman and the Tampa Bay Bucaneers experienced can bring questions and attention to the problems.
2012 mock draft: NFC South edition
My Divisional Mock Draft break down takes us to the NFC South where it featured two teams in the NFC playoffs and both were unsuccessful in making it to the Super Bowl.
Is 2012 the last chance for Tampa’s Josh Freeman?
Like so many young quarterbacks around the league Josh Freeman has taken a step backwards.
As young and up and coming stars they see peaks and valley’s but such a dramatic turn around as Freeman and the Tampa Bay Bucaneers experienced can bring questions and attention to the problems.
In 2010 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers barely missed the playoffs finishing 10-6 led by Freeman. His 2010 season was one of the most impressive ever seen by a Tampa quarterback as he completed 61.4% of his passes for 3,451 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also added 364 rushing yards.
2011 was a different story as Freeman regressed like the economy throwing only 16 touchdowns.
His biggest problem was his decision making as he threw a total of 22 costly interceptions compared to only six last year.
Maybe Tampa’s inability to stay competitive in games forced him to try and find plays that simply weren’t there?
While the Buc’s are still committed to Freeman as their long-term franchise quarterback he has put doubt into many minds.
New head coach Greg Schiano and Freeman do have a history together. They met five years ago when Freeman lost to Rutgers in the 2006 Texas Bowl.
If Freeman continues his struggles in 2012 it is possible a new coaching staff may start to look another direction.
Remember the Bucs were sitting pretty at 4-2 in the NFC South before losing 10 straight games and finishing 4-12.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: New staff or family reunion?
If anyone has been paying attention to what is going on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in One Buc Place, you might be scratching you head saying ” Is this for real?”
The hiring of Greg Schiano was a definite shock to all fans and is probably making them cross their fingers, hoping that this long shot pays off.
Schiano was a exceptional. college coach that helped turn Rutgers, a losing program, into a winning machine. Needless to say it was at the college level, not the pro level.
What might trouble fans even more is that Schiano was given the duty of hiring his own coaching staff.
Most often that is how a new team is formed, around a head coach who wants to bring in the coaches who fit his scheme. The fans however do not agree. A college coach with very minimal experience picking his the coaching staff? It could make some fans drop their season tickets.
In recent days Schiano has put some names out that would justify a lot of fans anger against the new hire. He has already found a receiving coach, OLB coach, strength and conditioning coach, and a tight-ends coach. You may be thinking ” This seems to be coming together”, but when you see where they come from you could flip-out. All the names mentioned above are former Rutgers coaches all of whom coached at Rutgers.
That brings many to the question, “Is this a new coaching staff, or just a family reunion?”
It could be both, and there could be positive and negative things in both instances.
First we will look at possible positives.
The reuniting of the coaching staff brings them together, they all know the formulas Schiano used at Rutgers and will easily be able to work together as a staff and make it work. Spending years together on the same team means alot of chemistry has been formed between these coaches and that Schianos T.B.A has been engraved amongst them. The youngry team respects Schiano, and his new scheme and they flourish with the talent they possess.
Now to the part everyone is going to hate to read, the possible negative.
The younger, slightly NFL educated staff can not hang in the big league. The professional pressure of a pro team is too much for the college coaches to handle and they have a meltdown. Schiano’s scheme isn’t working and the players do not respect him, they lose confidence and start a downward spiral like the one witnessed in 2011.
Colton Deal is an NFL team writer for TPF and can be contacted at CDeal@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com
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5 NFL owners who shouldn’t own teams
Thanks to Jim Irsay, this article has been spawned and written. I wrote earlier about how his tweeting could cost him Andrew Luck, now I’m saying that he shouldn’t be owning a NFL team. No other owner is on Twitter and tweeting every day and tweeting non-sense. Now he doesn’t tweet all non-sense, I mean he has given out Super Bowl tickets through contests on his Twitter. Despite that, he needs to stop tweeting as it’s not say, the norm for a business executive who is running one of the prestigious 32 NFL teams. Does that mean the 31 other owners are doing better than Irsay just because they don’t tweet? Not exactly, as there are owners out there who all have their flaws, specifically these five owners. They made this list due to the fact that they mishandle their team, don’t do what’s right for the team, who are cheap and shouldn’t be owning any teams in the NFL.
The Glazer Family: The Glazers own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have done so since 1995 when Malcolm Glazer purchased the team for $192 Million. Now Tampa does have one Super Bowl, but Malcolm and the entire Glazer family have shown that not only are they cheap but are more concerned about the Manchester United soccer team that he purchased for $1.47 Billion between 2003 and 2005. That is where the trouble started, after buying the Manchester United, they would begin to spend less on players, and it has even rolled over to the coaching staff. Raheem Morris was a cheap hire, and so was new Head Coach Greg Schiano. Until the Glazers sell the team, the Buccaneers will continue to be ignored and be the red headed step child to the Manchester United, the Glazer’s obviously top priority.
Dan Snyder: Our Fantasy Football fanatic of the Washington Redskins makes this list. Dan Snyder purchased the team in 1999 for a whopping $800 Million, which at the time was the biggest transaction in sports history. Not only do we know that he has money, but he loves to spend it and during Free Agency. Snyder has been playing fantasy Football with the Redskins since he has been the owner. Since he has taken over the Redskins are 91-117, they have gone through seven head coaches in just thirteen seasons, and even demanded a removal of sports writer Dave McKenna for just expressing his opinion, and most importantly how can he screw up the Ricky Williams trade and not find players with all those draft picks. There are so many other things I can name but I will stop before he demands me to be removed from the Penalty Flag.
Jim Irsay: Our Tweet obsessive owner who should be more worried about how to handle Peyton Manning and his bonus than tweeting. Irsay right now is doing way too much tweeting and is not being who he should be, a NFL Owner. Owners of any sports team should act mature, and like a business person should, and Irsay is certainly not doing any of that. Right now he is doing his best impression of a NFL Owner, but is not acting like a Owner.
Stephen Ross: This is an owner who is more obsessed with celebrities, the spotlight and well being all about money. When you can say that Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams owned apart of the team, something is clearly wrong. Ross sold pieces of the Dolphins to these celebrities, and why? There is no point of and when your just handing out ownership like it’s cake, you have to be skeptical of how he runs things. Also who can forget how he was recruiting Jim Harbaugh while Tony Sparano was still under contract. Don’t get too comfy in Miami Joe Philbin, Ross may be recruiting your next replacement behind your back already.
Mike Brown: He wasn’t the only person in the state of Ohio who threatened to move a team out of the state, and because of that and many other screw ups Mike Brown is not a fan favorite among Cincinnati Bengals fans. Since his father’s death in 1991, Mike has been in control of the team and just like when Dan Snyder purchased the team, the on the field product suffered. The Bengals have only had 3 winning seasons, out of 21 seasons and are 0-3 in the playoffs since Brown took over. Another reason why fans don’t like him, he is too loyal and keeps coaches when it is obvious a coaching change is needed. He has kept Marvin Lewis despite the fact the Bengals have had not much success, even though they did make the playoffs this past season, until Brown gives up the team, the Bengals will never live up to their true potential.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
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Florida Trifecta: All Three Florida Teams Will Have New Coaches in 2012
Jack Del Rio was the first to go after being fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars only eleven games into the season. Tony Sparano wasn’t far behind getting fired two weeks later by the Miami Dolphins which leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only Florida franchise still coached by the person that started the season with them. That may not be for long though.
The rumors out of Tampa are that Raheem Morris would have been fired by now but there would not be enough coaches left to run the team. Plus management doesn’t feel that there is a candidate among the leftover coaching staff who would make a suitable interim coach. With that in mind look for Tampa management to complete the trifecta once the season ends.
There are three states that house three NFL teams a piece. The New York Giants, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills all call the state of New York home. The San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders share the state of California while the Jaguars, Dolphins and Bucs all reside in Florida.
It’s unprecedented to see all three teams in a state change head coaches in the same year but the 2012 season could be a first. It has indeed been a miserable year for pro football in Florida.
The Jacksonville Jaguars looked as if they could have challenged for the AFC South crown this season with all of the turmoil that the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans were going through. The Colts knew before the season started that they would miss their star quarterback Peyton Manning for a sizeable portion of the year and that they would have a difficult time coming by wins.
Meanwhile the Titans were changing their head coach and starting quarterback to start the new season. Without a full offseason to get everyone on the same page they knew the road would be difficult in the beginning. Things got bleaker when Tennessee’s superstar running back Chris Johnson sat out of camp due to a contract dispute and started off slow once he finally did make it back with the team.
All that stood in Jacksonville’s way was the Houston Texans…….and of course Jacksonville themselves. Jack Del Rio would confound everyone including the players on his own team by cutting his starting quarterback David Garrard only days before the start of the season.
That would leave the inexperienced Luke McCown and rookie Blaine Gabbert as his remaining options at quarterback….yeah seriously. That’s why it was not a surprise how the situation ended. I’m sure that even Del Rio knew it wouldn’t be long before he would join Garrard in the unemployment line.
Not much to say about Miami though. They weren’t really expected to leapfrog the New England Patriots and the New York Jets but they were expected to show some improvement. Sadly the Dolphins would start the season 0-7, guaranteeing that Sparano would be job hunting next season also.
Tampa Bay on the other hand was the only Florida team that actually had a winning record last season. Although the Bucs placed third in their division last season, they went 10-6 on the year. On top of that they had the leagues’ youngest roster coming into the season and an up-and-coming quarterback who they thought was going to lead them into the playoffs this year.
It’s funny how much change a year can bring about. The Buccaneers are dead last in their division this season at 4-11. To say that Morris’s job was in jeopardy would be a major understatement at this point. It’s really just a matter of time.
So let the countdown begin. Tampa’s last game of the season will be on January 1st in Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons are fighting for their playoff life right now so regardless of how they fair in New Orleans on Monday, the Falcons are looking at their home game against Tampa as a must-win game. Will Morris’s players help him go out with a whimper or a bang? Then again at this point does it really matter?
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.
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NFL wants to add more games to London series
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get ready to face the Chicago Bears in London, England this week commissioner Roger Goodell had some fans scratching their heads after recently saying he wants the league to play an additional games abroad. Goodell remains serious about it and NFL owners will discuss the possibility of an additional game at an upcoming meeting.
The problem with adding another game is that this year’s contest, which is to be played on Oct. 23 at Wembley Stadium between the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers hasn’t sold out. However, Goodell told the press that games in England have been very successful and that the fans have reacted positively to the overseas matches, both abroad and at home in the U.S.
He added that the game isn’t sold out because the tickets didn’t go on sale until the player lockout ended. But that lockout ended long ago and British-based fans have had several weeks to snap up tickets and they haven’t exactly been lining up to buy them. Goodell said the league wants to build on the positive response from British fans though.
The NFL played its first regular season game outside of the U.S. back in 2005 when it held a game in Mexico City and attracted over 103,000 fans. Goodell said it was a success and that’s why they decided London would be a good base for a game starting in 2007. London hosted its first regular season contest that year when the Miami Dolphins came out on the wrong end of a 13-10 decision against the New York Giants.
The league has held one game a year at Wembley in London since and the crowds have usually been pretty good, with about 80,000 showing up at the 90,000-seat stadium. But many NFL fans don’t like the idea of playing games overseas because it means the fans of one club are losing a home game.
In the case of Tampa Bay this season, the team is struggling a little bit at the gate and the present condition of the economy certainly isn’t helping, especially since most of the team’s home games were blacked out over the past couple of years.
It’s hard to get Tampa fans excited though when the league is taking away an attractive home matchup and moving it to London. The Buccaneers vs Bears clash has been a pretty popular one for quite some time now with a lot of Bears fans heading down to sunny Florida to take it in.
In addition, it’s believed the NFL isn’t attracting new fans by playing a game in London since most of those in attendance are already fans since they hail from North America. Most Britons have a mild curiosity about the sport, but that’s about all.
It’s well known that Goodell is a big fan of playing games in Europe and has even said he’d like to see a Super Bowl played there. But if the league can’t sell out one game at Wembley, is there really a point of adding a second one? It doesn’t look like British fans are demanding more games it looks like Goodell is trying to sell them on the idea.
GB Bongiovanni can be contacted @GBBongiovanni
Josh Freeman, greatest Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback of all-time?
For die hard football junkies, this may sound like a ridiculous quandary, but for you numbers guys out there, the sabermetrics may have you looking twice at the former Kansas State signal caller.
Josh Freeman is in his third year out of the aforementioned K-State, and already has engineered eight fourth quarter comebacks. The Bucs went 10-6 last season and Freeman basically willed the team to at least six of those victories by himself. His 2010 season was one of the most impressive by a Buccaneer ever, as he completed 61.4% of his passes for 3451 yards and 25 touchdowns. Those numbers alone have Freeman second on the all time Bucs single season passing list, one completion percentage point and one touchdown pass behind Brad Johnson’s 2001 effort. Add to that equation that Freeman also tallied 364 rushing yards in 2010 and threw only six interceptions to the 21 Johnson tossed up in 2001, and Freeman’s 2010 is quite simply, the greatest regular season for a Tampa QB in the history of the franchise.
The NFL draft is like a box of chocolates
The 2011 NFL Draft is a box of chocolates and each team just received a gift-wrapped box.
Da’Quan Bowers follows his past friend to the Buccaneers
Da’Quan Bowers may have fallen further than any top rated professional football player ever has.
