Former Rams Coach Linehan to Interview for Bucs OC

By JC De La Torre

Bucs Head Coach Raheem Morris is off to the Senior Bowl. While looking at prospective draft picks perform, Morris will also be busy filling out his coaching staff. Among candiates for the vacant offensive coordinator position is former Rams Head Coach Scott Linehan.

Morris fired six assistants on Monday, including offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Bill Muir, ssistant offensive line coach George Yarno, offensive assistant Jay Gruden (brother of Jon), defensive quality control coaches Johnny Cox and Ejiro Evero and strength and conditioning coach Mike Morris.

The St. Pete Times is reporting that Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, former Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Bucs quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2006-07 are also in the running for the gig.

Morris hopes to have the majority of the staff hired before leaving the Senior Bowl but will not rush the decisions.

Players Like Raheem for Bucs Gig

By JC De La Torre

The players of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expressed excitement over the elevation of Raheem Morris to Head Coach of the team.

Quotes were provided to the Tampa Bay press from the Buccaneers Public Relations staff and compiled by our friends the Pewter Report -

"He's one of the more young and dynamic coaches in the league. He's a guy that everyone in the locker room has looked up to for a long time for the way he knows this game and for the way he approaches this game," Bucs Running Back Earnest Graham said, "I'm definitely excited and ecstatic about the opportunity to play for Raheem and give his head coaching career a heck of a start. I'm definitely ecstatic."

"I'm extremely proud for Raheem's opportunity today. He is a great example for all of us about how to really tap into your talents and run with them! He's energetic, diligent at his job and I know, well respected by everyone that works with him. He's a star in the making and we've known that for a long time," CB Ronde Barber said, "But this chance to be in what I think is an ideal situation for him, coaching where he mostly grew into his own, is very rewarding for a lot of us! I know I speak for my current and future teammates when I express how exciting it will be to work with him. I truly believe he'll build on the great traditions of Buccaneer football and lead his team to great things."

"I couldn't be more happy for Raheem," said former Buc Fan favorite Mike Alstott, "He is a great guy with a lot of passion for this game. I think he is a great fit for this team and was a great decision by the Glazer family. I think he will do a great job and the fans of Tampa Bay will be extremely pleased."

"He's a guy who's going to let the players just play and take control of the game," Running back Warrick Dunn said, "You have to respect that and I think he's going to bring - when you have a new coach he's going to bring a little bit of new fire, a little tenacity and I think for some of the young guys, and definitely for some of us older guys, it's good to have that spice a little bit. He's a guy that's going to bring a lot of energy to work and we know he's going to have a certain type of tenacity that guys are going to enjoy and love to play for. I just think he's going to do a great job and bring great leadership."

"Basically, I'm ecstatic over the decision. Obviously I'm a good friend of Raheem's, I'm a huge fan of his as a coach and I think he was on that fast track to being a head coach and he's one of the young, rising superstars in the profession." Middle linebacker Barrett Ruud said, "So I'm thrilled he's going to be coaching me while I'm there and I think he brings not only great X's and O's strategy and fundamental football, but he really knows situational football too. You combine that with knowing how to motivate people and knowing how to push people, I think he's going to be a great coach."

"I'm looking forward to going in and leading the football team under his leadership and his vision of where we need to go to win another championship," Future Hall of Fame Bucs Linebacker Derrick Brooks added, "At the same time, in anything with change, you have questions, but I think the one thing that Coach Morris will bring to the table is energy, everybody being on the same page at the same time, from top to bottom. I think that's going to be key, because we have to deal with change. The more comfortable people are in their roles and knowing their roles, the better we can deal with this change and make the best of it."

"Coach Raheem is a great energy guy and a great guy mentally. I know he knows the game. The things that he does out there on the field, especially with the defensive backs, I think it will work out great for us. He has the tools. He's been around great coaches, like Monte Kiffin, that have been around football," Prospective Free Agent Wide Receiver Antonio Bryant said, "Coach Raheem also showed his energy and his passion for the game. He's a fun person. He's a fun person to work with and winning is definitely his number one characteristic trait. I'm definitely looking forward to working with Raheem Morris as the Buccaneers head coach."

"He's, I think, very, very qualified for the position and definitely was one of the hot prospects around the NFL as a guy that's going to bring fresh life into the team and the organization," Center Jeff Faine said, "That will be a big change. I think that Coach is going to step in and do a great job."

"I remember vividly in 2002 Herm Edwards calling me and saying we have a guy coming down here who worked with us. Herm said you are going to really like this guy, I think he's really got a bright future ahead of him and just look out for him. Sure enough when Raheem arrived you could see," Former Bucs Safety John Lynch said, "We struck gold in those couple of years with some great assistants in Mike Tomlin and Raheem. I think Raheem is a young guy full of passion for the game and has been trained by the best in my mind in Monte Kiffin. I think he's got all the makings of being a tremendous head coach. I'm excited for him to have this opportunity and I think he'll thrive with it."

"The thing I believe is that Raheem was brought up in this profession correctly. He understands the backbone of this defense, and is a rising star in this business." Former Bucs assistant and Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli said, "It all starts with his work ethic, the fundamentals and the fact that he is an excellent teacher. He has done every job there is in this business and has earned the right to be a head coach. Raheem has earned the respect of his players because he understands them. He will make a great head coach."

"Raheem is an exceptional coach and more importantly, he is a better person," Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said, "Leadership is something he does not have to work at, it oozes out of him. He is a great example for all of us about how to really tap into your talents and run with them. He's energetic, diligent at his job and I know well respected by everyone that works with him. He's a star in the making and we've known that for a long time. The Tampa Bay organization and its fans are in great hands. "

"I see the way our DBs respond to him and they really rally around him," Bucs Offensive lineman Jeremy Trueblood said, "He looks like the type of guy who commands respect and gives respect at the same time. I think I'm going to really enjoy playing for him. I could see that attitude spreading through the whole team."

Anatomy of Jon Gruden's Dismissal

By JC De La Torre

Many pundits and fans around the league were shocked when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers terminated Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen in favor of a 32 year old coach who has never been a head coach at any level and a 37 year old General Manager who has never held that position before. While news of Gruden's dismissal sent shockwaves throughout the community, it wasn't an "Oh my God, how could they do this?" type reaction. It was more of a "Why the heck did they take so long to do it?"

True enough, the seeds of this outcome were planted long ago and it had to be done if the Buccaneers were going to sniff another Super Bowl. Only time will tell if Morris and Dominik were the right choices to succeed but both are highly regarded in NFL circles and among players on the team. The latter may have doomed Gruden and as with guilt by association, Bruce Allen.

To understand the firing of Jon Gruden, you have to go back to the very beginning. It was January 2002 and the Buccaneers had just fired Tony Dungy after the team posted their second consecutive 9-7 season and for the second straight year getting blasted out of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles. Dungy was let go because the Glazers had a deal with Bill Parcells, who was already putting together a staff. Bill Muir was hired as his offensive line coach, while Mike Tannanbaum (current Jets GM) was scheduled to take over as General Manager. Somewhere along the line, Tannanbaum and Parcells got a look at the Buccaneers salary cap situation and quickly came to the realization that Tampa Bay's window of opportunity for a championship was rapidly closing. Parcells reneged on the deal, sending Joel and Bryan Glazer on a wild odyssey that spanned the country. At first, they trusted sitting General Manager Rich McKay to lead the coaching search but when McKay brought the name Marvin Lewis as his choice for the job, the Glazers all but neutered McKay - eliminating him from the coaching search process. It was nothing against Lewis, but the Glazers wanted an offensive minded head coach and viewed Lewis as a Dungy clone. They inquired about Spurrier at Florida, but Spurrier had already secured a lucrative deal in place with Washington Redskins. They talked to Maryland Head Coach Ralph Friedgen and new USC coach Pete Carroll. They inquired with the Raiders about Gruden but were told he wasn't available. On Feb. 18, 2002, while on a trip to speak with 49ers coach Steve Mariucci, Joel Glazer received a late night call from Raiders owner Al Davis. Davis told him that they could have Gruden, but the price would be steep - two first round picks, two second round picks, and eight million dollars. Joel swallowed hard, accepted the terms and Jon Gruden was introduced as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the next day. During the press conference, Gruden irked some fans by mispronouncing fan favorite Mike Alstott's name, calling him "Mark Alstott".

Gruden's fiery demeanor and offensive prowess were a stark contrast to Tony Dungy's style. It was a cultural shock to the defense that had pretty much been the whole show in Tampa Bay. Monte Kiffin was retained and Raheem Morris joined the team as Defensive Quality Control Coach. Morris learned under the wing of defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin and the mad genius himself, Kiffin. Gruden meanwhile brought something that had never been seen in Tampa Bay under Dungy, accountability for the offense. Gruden added some pieces to the puzzle, like wide receivers Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius, running back Michael Pittman, tight end Ken Dilger - in all several new offensive starters joined the club. Holdover Quarterback Brad Johnson wasn't Gruden's style of quarterback but he adjusted his massive playbook to accommodate Johnson's limitations. Loudmouth Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson was given a prime role in the offense. Gruden's 2002 Bucs rolled to the NFC South title in the division's inaugural season, boasting a franchise best 12-4 record and earning a first round bye. The Buccaneers blasted San Francisco in the divisional round and went back to Philadelphia to face their old foes, the Eagles, in the final game ever to be played in Veterans Stadium. A tremendous defensive effort in addition to just enough offense from the Johnsons, Jurevicius and fullback Mike Alstott got the Bucs over the hump and they claimed their first NFC Championship. Amazingly, Gruden's former team, the Raiders, won the AFC. The team had promoted from within, giving the reigns to Bill Callahan who essentially kept Gruden's playbook intact. Gruden was a master at preparing the Bucs defense to face the powerful Oakland offense and when the Bucs thrashed the Raiders in Super Bowl 37, he was on top of the world.

The bloom would fall off the rose quickly. During the March 2003 owners meetings, a drunken Gruden trashed General Manager Rich McKay with reporters in earshot, complaining about his draft choices and work ethic. Gruden never acknowledged the incident but there was underlying friction that began to develop. The Bucs opened up 2003 in similar fashion to the way the ended 2002, blasting the Eagles on Monday Night football during the opening of Philly's new stadium Lincoln Financial Field. The Bucs had slayed the Eagle dragon, ruining both their closing and opening of their stadiums and taking a Super Bowl Championship that many believed would belong to Philadelphia but things would not stay hunky dory for the Bucs. In their home opener Week 2, Martin Gramatica missed the game winning extra point against the Carolina Panthers, forcing the game to go to overtime where the Bucs eventually lost. During the game, Tampa Bay lost both Jurevicius (knee) and Alstott (neck) for the season. Tampa Bay would bounce back the next week, crushing Atlanta on the road and came home to face their former coach, Tony Dungy and his Colts on Monday Night football. The Bucs built a 35-14 lead late into the fourth quarter when the Bucs defense suddenly collapsed. Peyton Manning led one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history as the Colts scored 28 points in the final 5 minutes of the game to tie the Bucs at 35 and eventually won the game in overtime. Instead of a strong 3-1, the Bucs had crashing to 2-2. The Bucs would lose four of the next six games, during the slump Gruden had a falling out with Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson that ended in his suspension from the team. After Johnson was exorcised, the Bucs rallied with two straight wins to get to 7-7. On December 15, 2003, General Manager Rich McKay resigned due to irreconcilable differences with Gruden and promptly became the Atlanta Falcons President and General Manager. McKay was in the opposing Owner's box at Raymond James Stadium as the Falcons ended the Bucs slim playoff hopes with a 30-28 upset, causing many Buc fans to give him the moniker "Benedict McKay". The Bucs would finish 2003 at 7-9.

The 2004 off-season brought in Bruce Allen, who quickly signed Charlie Garner from the Raiders to a lucrative deal. Garner would play three plays for the Bucs before blowing out his knee and retiring. Wide Receiver Keenan McCardell held out in a contract dispute and was eventually traded to the Chargers. As the Bucs descended into cap hell, Warren Sapp and John Lynch were let go from the defense, much to the dismay of the fanbase. McCardell joined Keyshawn Johnson in claims that "Gruden would tell you one thing but do the opposite, he's fake." Keyshawn was traded to Dallas for oft-injured wide receiver Joey Galloway. Fans grew angry with Gruden for not playing Mike Alstott. Alstott had only 67 carries for 267 yds and 2 touchdowns in 14 games. The Bucs started the season poorly, 0-4, before the benching of Super Bowl winning quarterback Brad Johnson. Johnson would eventually be released. Chris Simms would take over but be injured in his first game, forcing the Bucs to go with Brian Griese at quarterback. Griese went 4-6 as a starter and the Bucs fell to 5-11, their worst record since 1993. Gruden continuously lamented about injuries during the season and it became a broken record throughout the remainder of his tenure. Gruden constantly used injuries as an excuse when his teams lost.

The 2005 season was a renaissance of sorts for Tampa Bay. The Bucs 1st round draft pick, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams burst onto the scene, rushing for more yards in his first three games than any rookie running back in NFL history. Joey Galloway was a force in the offense, terrorizing secondaries with his speed and big play ability. Tampa Bay ripped off four straight wins to begin the year and started off the season 5-1 before starter Brian Griese went down with an injury. Chris Simms stepped in, went 6-5 as the starter, leading the Bucs to the NFC South Division championship. The Bucs lost at home to the Washington Redskins in the first round of the playoffs. Alstott was relegated to 3rd down back status but continued to earn the fans love, converting a game winning two point conversion earlier in the year against Washington. Fans continued to complain that Gruden was ruining Alstott's career.

In 2006, Raheem Morris left the Buccaneers to become Defensive Coordinator at Kansas State. Days later, defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin left to join the Vikings as defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli took over as head coach of the Detroit Lions. Chris Simms began the season as the starter but started poorly, throwing 7 interceptions and only 1 touchdown in his first three games. In the third game, Simms severely damaged his spleen in a loss to Carolina and had to have an emergency spleenectomy. The Bucs fell apart under rookie 6th round draft pick Bruce Gradkowski who was abysmal, going 3-8 as a starter before finally being relieved by third string QB Tim Rattay and the Bucs fell to 4-12, the franchise's worst record since going 3-13 in 1991. More inner turmoil developed as defensive end Simeon Rice called out Gruden to the press and wide receiver Michael Clayton complained about being told one thing by the coach and something else happens. With the defections of Morris, Marinelli and Tomlin, the Bucs defense fell out of the top 10 for the first time in ten years, finishing 17th in total defense and 21st in points allowed.

During the 2007 off-season, Rice would be dumped just before training camp and the team signed Jeff Garcia as a free agent, and then traded for Denver's Jake Plummer, despite Plummer's assertions that he was going to retire. Gruden and Allen failed to talk Plummer out of retirement. Raheem Morris returned to Tampa Bay as defensive backs coach. Mike Alstott reinjured his neck in the pre-season and was lost for the year. Garcia took over and was 8-5 as a starter. Cadillac Williams suffered a catastrophic knee injury and was lost for the year. Thanks to its #1 ranked defense, Tampa Bay had the division wrapped up on December 2nd, giving Gruden the opportunity to rest his players down the stretch. The Bucs lost three of their last four games and headed into the playoffs with no momentum. The Bucs would be beaten soundly at home in the first round of the playoffs by eventual Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants.

In the 2008 off-season, Jeff Garcia claimed he was lied to by Gruden and Bruce Allen and was expecting a new lucrative contract. The team flirted with bringing in Brett Favre, further ticking off their quarterback. Mike Alstott retired from football, many fans still blaming Gruden for ruining his career. After failing to secure Favre, Gruden brought back Garcia, who nursed injuries during training camp. Joey Galloway also missed most of camp, creating a huge hole for the Bucs to fill. Galloway had posted three consecutive 1,000 yd receiving years under Gruden, who nicknamed Galloway "The White Tiger" because he was rarely seen during training camp, like the white tigers at Tampa's Busch Gardens. Garcia was benched in favor of Brian Griese after week 1 but Griese's shoulder injury brought the starting job back to Garcia. Tampa Bay rolled to a 9-3 record with a division title and first round bye in sight. Galloway would rarely see the field as tormented reclamation

project Antonio Bryant burst onto the scene and essentially took Galloway's job. Fans complained at Gruden's inability to get Galloway and Bryant on the field at the same time as Gruden said they both play the same position in his offense and he wasn't going to take Bryant off the field. Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin, the heart and soul of the Bucs defense, announced that he would be leaving the Buccaneers after 13 seasons to join his son Lane at the University of Tennessee. As soon as the announcement was made, the defense collapsed and the Buccaneers lost their last four games, including two at home to sub .500 west coast teams and missed the playoffs.

The scuttlebutt is that by 2008, the players - at least on the defensive side of the ball - were not playing for Gruden, but Monte. Once Monte made his intentions known, it was over as far as the Buccaneers defense was concerned. Gruden tried to save the season by naming Raheem Morris as the eventual successor to Kiffin, but it wasn't enough.

The Glazers were disgusted with the way the season ended. After an unsatisfactory exit meeting with Gruden and Allen they decided that rather than make an emotionally rash decision, they would take some time away and let the emotions of the situation subside. During the past three weeks, they talked to players about Gruden and the feedback was not positive. They didn't trust Gruden and didn't believe in him. He was billed as a two-faced ego maniac who held grudges. They again met with Gruden and Bruce Allen - a meeting that led Gruden to believe he'd have one more year to turn things around, but still left unsatisfied with the direction the franchise was headed. Meanwhile, two internal figures they liked very much, Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik, were getting consideration around the league for promotions.

Ultimately, they weren't satisfied with the direction of the franchise. Gruden and Bruce Allen weren't builders - they were patchers. They would find some mid-tier veteran to patch holes to allow the team to remain competitive - but that wasn't going to get you another Super Bowl title. Allen told a reporter that, "December did us in." There are strong indications that the decision was just to fire Jon Gruden but Bruce Allen was so entrenched with Gruden that it made for a very uncomfortable situation and spurred on his dismissal as well.

Time will tell if the Glazer family made the right decision. At the very least, the Glazers reportedly will be paying $25 million dollars over the next 3 years for two front office people not to run their front office. Morris and Dominik will at least have that long to begin the process of building a dominant championship caliber team in Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, you have to wonder about Gruden's thought process today. He was a Super Bowl Champion coach and that may have inflated his ego a bit. His player relations ultimately brought about his termination and his philosophy of patching instead of building hurt his ability to get the team at championship level. Their inability to draft impact players also hurt the franchise as it continued to tread the water of mediocrity. Will Gruden self-evaluate? Understand what went wrong and learn from it or will he continue to blame others and circumstances?

It will be interesting to see.

Rumors say Raheem Morris Next Bucs Coach, Dominik GM

By JC De La Torre

There are strong rumors in the bay area that former defensive backs coach and new Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris is going to be named the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Director of Pro Personnel Mark Dominik will take over as General Manager.

ESPN's John Clayton is reporting that the Bucs have hired former Saints Defensive Coordinator Gary Gibbs, but the position Gibbs will be given within the organization is currently unknown.

Morris was a finalist for the Broncos head coaching job, meanwhile Dominik was a finalist for the Kansas City General Manager job that went to Scott Pioli.

ESPN and 620 WDAE are both reporting on air that Dominik and Morris are taking over in Tampa Bay.

Bucs Players Dissed Gruden

By JC De La Torre

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network just stated on NFL Total Access that over the past couple weeks the Glazers have interviewed several players on their opinions of Jon Gruden and apparently the opinion was NOT favorable.

Word is, both Gruden and Allen were blindsided by this news.

As the Bucs turn continues...

GRUDEN AND ALLEN GONE!

By JC De La Torre

Shocking development late on Friday...The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired General Manager Bruce Allen and Head Coach Jon Gruden. From the Buccaneers.com website, an official statement from Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer, “We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise, however after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward.”

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network said former General Manager Bruce Allen stated, "December did us in," referring to the four game collapse where the Buccaneers fell from 9-3 and the 2nd seed to 9-7 and out of the playoffs.

The story will continue to develop, some speculate that the Bucs may have someone (Mike Shanahan anyone?) in waiting.

JC De La Torre's Tampa Bay Sports Blog would like to take this opportunity to thank Jon Gruden for the Super Bowl championship and three division titles. We'd also like to thank Bruce Allen for tackling the tough task of getting Tampa Bay out of cap hell and setting up the Buccaneers for this season and the future with an impressive $45 million dollar cap surplus.

Folks, I'm stunned. While I made no bones about my feeling that Jon should be dismissed for the late season collapse and overall body of work since 2003 I am suprised because Gruden and Allen got through Black Monday in the NFL unscathed.

As a Buccaneer fan, we can only hope that the Buccaneers coaching search ends better than the last time they fired a coach. Buccaneer co-chairman Joel and Bryan Glazer scoured the country for a coach and ended up surrendering two first round picks, a second, a third and $8 million bucks to the Raiders for Gruden. Of course, Jon's hiring paid off as the Buccaneers won Super Bowl 37. After the Super Bowl, the team began its inevitable decline as the team descended into salary cap hell, Rich McKay left the sinking ship and Bruce Allen came in. Allen was forced to dismantle the championship team, ushering the exit of John Lynch, Warren Sapp, Joe Jurivecius, Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, and others. Gruden drew criticsm for his treatment of players (fan favorite Mike Alstott in particular) and earned the reputation of being "two-faced".

Again, we'll keep on this through the night and let you know as soon as we hear anything on this story.

WOW!

Joe Barry Back with Bucs

By JC De La Torre

Our friends at the Pewter Report are confirming an early report on ESPN that Joe Barry has returned to his roll as Linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barry was linebacker coach for Tampa Bay from 2001 to 2006 before leaving to join his father-in-law Rod Marinelli as Defensive Coordinator of the Detroit Lions. The Lions struggled under Barry's tutelage, ranking dead last in points in each of Barry's two seasons, ending with this season's horrid 0-16 year. Barry had left with some bad blood after the Bucs blocked opportunities for Barry and his father-in-law from opportunities to take defensive coordinator positions with other teams because they were under contract with the Bucs.

Barry replaces Gus Bradley, who became defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks.

Reflections on Tony Dungy

By JC De La Torre

As a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I have great memories of Tony Dungy's tenure with Tampa Bay. When it was announced by the Glazer family that Dungy was going to replace Sam Wyche, I may have been one of the few in the area who didn't say "Who the hell is Tony Dungy?" I admired Dungy during his time as defensive coordinator in Minnesota and as he was passed over from one job to another I had always felt that his time would come. When it came with my beloved Buccaneers, I was ecstatic. Things didn't start out so well for Tony. In 1996, the bay area was embroiled in a "should we or shouldn't we" stadium situation that would ultimately decide whether or not the Bucs stayed in the area. Dungy and his family didn't buy a house until after the referendum decided the issue. Two days before the election, Dungy had his NFL debut as head coach. Many felt the Bucs needed to play well to prove to the fans they were worth saving. Tampa Bay lost to division rival Green Bay 34-3. Under the cloud of this terrible defeat, the Community Investment Tax that brought the Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium narrowly passed. Dungy's Bucs lost their first six games, but finished strong winning five of their last seven to rally to a 6-10 finish. It would be the last of 14 consecutive losing seasons for the Buccaneers, thirteen of which were double-digit losing years.

In the off-season of 97, Tampa Bay changed their colors and had their final season at the place we lovingly called "The Ole Sobrero". The Bucs built off of their strong finish in 96, announcing Pewter Power to the NFL with a shocking upset of the mighty San Francisco 49ers, taking out (albeit not intentionally) Steve Young and Jerry Rice in the process. The Bucs roared to a 5-0 start and made the playoffs for the first time since 1982 by beating the Bears 31-15 to finish the year 10-6. Tampa Bay was the wildcard, hosting Detroit and Barry Sanders. Many pundits thought the Bucs would lose, as the Lions pounded Tampa in their last meeting with Barry running for 259 yds. The Bucs used the power of Alstott and the skill of Dunn to power past the Lions 20-10 in the final game of old Tampa Stadium's history. They would lose the next week but set the foundation of what would eventually become champions.

Dungy would never have a losing season with Tampa Bay after 1996, culminating with a trip to the 1999 NFC Championship game and a division title where the Bucs battled the greatest show on turf, the St. Louis Rams. Under the direction a rookie QB and with one of the best defenses in the NFL, Tampa Bay held the powerful Rams to 11 points, their lowest output of the season. Unfortunately, the Bucs fell short, losing 11-6. Expectations were risen when top flight quarterback Brad Johnson joined the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay fell to 10-6 and 9-7 the following seasons, barely making the playoffs and eventually losing on the road in Philadelphia in both games.

Dungy was dismissed after the 2001 wildcard loss at Philadelphia and went on to a fabulous career with the Colts, eventually winning the Super Bowl in 2006. I was never on board with the dismissal of Dungy. Many fans in Tampa were frustrated with the production of the offense and felt that the team would never win the Super Bowl under Tony. We'll never know. Jon Gruden came in, made a few changes on offense and took Tampa Bay to the title in 2002. Tony, meanwhile, left a dramatic impact on this community. He's still a beloved figure here and he, as well as General Manager Rich McKay and even the previous coach Sam Wyche, were instrumental in turning the worst franchise in sports into champions - a franchise people respected.

We wish Tony Dungy the very best in his retirement and we look forward to seeing Tony's continued impact in the Tampa Bay community. A great coach, a great man, the NFL is losing a great one.

Weekend Round up - Tebow, The Lightning, Bruce Allen, and More!

By JC De La Torre

Hey folks, apologies for the late posts, the old warhorse that was my computer finally past away. So with excuses out of the way - let's touch on some topics that effected Tampa Bay sports over the weekend.

Tim Tebow Returning to Florida
Florida Phenom Quarterback Tim Tebow announced he will be returning for his senior season at Florida, to the glee of all Gator fans. During the Gators celebration of their latest national championship at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the crowd chanted "One More Year" and after thanking his teammates, God, and his family, "Superman" added, "Oh, by the way, one more thing, let's do it again. I'm coming back." At that moment, there was a collective, "Aww...crap..." everywhere in the southeast outside of Florida (and a few in Tallahassee, too). Tebow will have the unique opportunity to cement his legacy as one of the greatest Gators in school history while enhancing his resume for the Pros. We think it's the best move for Tebow and even if he doesn't succeed in the Pros, Tebow will be a legend that all Gator quarterbacks are measured against for many, many years.

Gators Basketball team opens SEC schedule with victory over Ole Miss
Billy Donovan's Florida basketball team held on for a 78-68 victory over Ole Miss to open up their SEC schedule. Donovan, however, was none too pleased with his team's performance. Florida was outrebounded 46-22.

"What really got exposed is the thing that I've always been worried about with our team, is, will be physically compete up front and create a level of confrontation in the paint," Donovan told the St. Petersburg Times, "I don't know the last time, since I've been here, we've been outrebounded by 24 rebounds."

Ole Miss rallied from a 21 point decifit to pull within 2:07 left in the game. Florida would hit their free throws down the stretch to provide the difference.

USF Upends DePaul for 1st Big East Victory
The USF Basketball team got 22 points from Dominique Jones and 18 from Jesus Verdejo to get their first Big East victory of the season, an 80-58 destruction of DePaul. The Bulls opened up the game with a 15-6 run and never looked back.


Bruce Allen Speaks to the Media
Buccaneers General Manager Bruce Allen spoke to the media on Friday on a myriad of issues facing the team. The gist of the conference was yes, the Glazers are as ticked off as the fans are at the end of the season and no, they aren't holding the wallet because of their Manchester United debt. Allen has the go ahead to sign any free agent he deems will improve the team. Allen is never one to get into specifics but it seems the team is tired of using retread quarterbacks for Jon Gruden's system and may seek out a young stud to go along with 2008 5th round draft pick Josh Johnson that the team can build around for the forseeable future. The team also believes Carnell "Cadillac" Williams will return to the Bucs, but aren't counting on him for at least the first half of 2009.

Bolts Blow Another Lead, But Pull Out Win in Anaheim
The Tampa Bay Lighning blew another 2 goal lead Saturday night but Ryan Malone's second of the game gave the Lightning a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Vaclav Prospal and Martin St. Louis also scored, while Kari Ramo made 29 saves in his first start of the season. Steven Stamkos did not play in this one. The Lighting put Stamkos on a conditioning program to build up his strength after a 16-game stretch with only one goal and two assists.

Bolts Owners Amend Financial Deal with Palace Sports
The principals of OK hockey, Palace Sports, and the NHL met in New York to amend the $70 million dollar financial agreement between the OK hockey and Palace Sports. While details of the changes were not released, all sides seemed pleased with the changes.

"The only thing I can say is they're in fine shape," Palace Sports CEO Tom Wilson told the St. Petersburg Times.

"It gives us a lot of room to maneuver and do what we want to do with the team," Lightning Principal Owner Oren Koules said.


NFL Final Four Set
Two of the four teams will make it to Tampa for the Super Bowl and no one had them pegged as likely candidates. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles each advanced to their respective conference championship games and play for the right to go to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals shocked the Carolina Panthers 33-13 in a game no one saw coming. The Panthers' Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions in the loss. Baltimore stunned top seeded Tennessee in a defensive battle 13-10.

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles continued their improbable run, beating the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in a dominating defensive performance, 23-11, while Pittsburgh outslugged San Diego 35-24 to become the only home team to win during the Divisional playoffs. It marks the first time since going to a 16 game schedule that two teams that did not win at least 10 games played each other in a conference championship.

The Philadelphia Eagles will head to Arizona for a 3pm (ET) kickoff of the NFC Championship game, while Pittsburgh will host division rival Baltimore at 6:30 pm (ET) in the AFC Championship game.

The What If Game

By JC De La Torre

St. Petersburg Times columnist Gary Shelton put together an interesting column, speculating on what may have happened if the Glazer family hadn't fired Tony Dungy at the end of the 2001 season. Its a confounding question - where would the Bucs be today? Further, what other what if questions can we add to the pot? I believe its definitely an interesting topic of conversation.

First, lets speculate on Dungy.
Scenario 1 - What if the Glazers didn't fire Dungy in January 2002?
Shelton speculates that Bucs would not have won the Super Bowl the following season and would have never won it under Tony Dungy. Dungy's record in Indy seems to disagree with that assumption, but let's face it - Tampa Bay has no Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, or Reggie Wayne on their offense - the catalyst of Dungy's success with the Colts. Jon Gruden likely would have remained in Oakland and considering the Raiders team he built went without him, he would have likely gotten the Raiders to the Super Bowl. Would the Raiders have continued their poor play throughout the decade? Its hard to say but with the braintrust that built the Raiders into a power still intact, one would have to imagine that Oakland would still be competitive today.

The Buccaneers would still have had their draft picks, with the ability to draft players like Ed Reed, Charles Grant, Lito Sheppard, Andre Gurode, or Clinton Portis - all players who were available where the Bucs would have picked in the first and second rounds of the 2002 draft. In '03 you could have seen the Bucs select Nnambi Asomugha, Drayton Florence, Kawika Mitchell or Aquan Boldin. How would any of those guys look in a Buccaneer uniform?

Mike Alstott would have definitely been better utilized by Dungy and may have completed a Hall-of-Fame career, rather than become a blocker and short yardage back as he did in Jon Gruden's offense.

Dungy and Rich McKay would have had to make the same tough decisions that Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen had to endure as the salary cap would have been a factor for them as well - but with the extra draft picks, the Buccaneers could have weathered cap hell a little better. Dungy was extremely loyal to his staff and likely wouldn't have fired offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen. It was the elevation of the inexperienced Christensen that evetually cost Dungy his job in Tampa Bay. That means either Christensen would have grown into the role and become a better play caller or the offense would continue to stagnate, worse than it has under Jon Gruden.

Would the Bucs have won the Super Bowl under Dungy? In 2002, not likely, but in 2003 - the last shot the Bucs had a being a truly competitive force during the Sapp/Brooks era, I think he could have gotten it done. Keyshawn would have continued to be a pain in the butt but he wouldn't have been kicked off the team. Benedict McKay wouldn't have bolted to Atlanta mid-season, and Alstott would likely not have injured his neck (there would have been no Joe Jurivicious to collide into on the team). The team would have likely resembled the 99 squad - with the one last hurrah. There was no power in the NFC that year, with the 11-5 Carolina Panthers going to the Super Bowl to face the Patriots. The Bucs would likely have had to beat the Eagles in the playoffs and you'd have to wonder if they could have under Dungy.

If Dungy survived the salary cap years of '04 and '05, he likely could have had the Bucs back in contention in 06 - but what would have been the ceiling? With no offense, the best Tampa Bay could hope for was 11-5 and in most seasons it would have been right around .500, in other words, right where the Bucs are today with Gruden.

Scenario 2 - What if Bill Parcells would have came to Tampa Bay?
So, let's say Dungy was fired and Parcells came to the Bucs with Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum in toe. Would the Bucs have won the Super Bowl? I'd say yes, this team was primed and ready for a championship run. Parcells would have provided the same accountability commanded by Jon Gruden and would have found the pieces on the offense to put the Bucs over the top. The Bucs would have still had all of their draft picks and would have been in much better shape for their salary cap hell. 2003 the Bucs would have had a chance to repeat but Parcells likely would have quit before 2004 or 2005 downturn hit, leaving the Bucs searching for a coach again in 05. Where would they be today? That's tough to say.

Scenario 3 - What if Marvin Lewis would have come to Tampa Bay?
GM Rich McKay picked Marvin Lewis to replace Tony Dungy, but the Glazers vetoed it, wanting an offensive mind after the years of defensive minded Tony Dungy. They also wanted to keep Monte Kiffin and the defensive staff intact, unlikely under Lewis. Would they have won the Super Bowl? Unlikely, while Lewis' teams were definitely effective offensively, there was no Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson or TJ Houshmandzadeh on the Buccaneers. The Bucs would have had their extra picks and likely would have been set up better for cap hell, but the team would still be defensive minded. Its hard to say if Lewis could have gotten it done, his Bengals made the playoffs only once and lost in that game. Lewis likely wouldn't have survived the cap years.

Scenario 4 - What if Lane Kiffin was never been head coach of the Raiders?
Lane likely would have gotten a job in college elsewhere and wouldn't have needed the security blanket of his dad to get the gig. Monte Kiffin would still be defensive coordinator of the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay would have managed to win at least two of their last four games and made the playoffs as a wildcard. Would they have gotten far? Unlikely.

As Shelton said at the end of the article - Dungy would have still brought a consistent winning product to Tampa Bay, as he's done with Indianapolis. The Bucs record wise wouldn't have been much better, but they still would have been competitive and in better position to weather the cap hell years. Likely, except under Parcells scenario, the Buccaneers wouldn't have had a Lombardi trophy to call their own.

Would you trade those memories and the Lombardi trophy for better treatment of the players, more draft picks, and more consistency in winning?

Personally, I would not. That doesn't mean I support Gruden's continued employment with the Buccaneers, but I would never trade that trophy for anything. And who knows? John Fox and Jeff Fisher weathered mediocre seasons and were on the hot seat coming into this season and they're contending for the Super Bowl. Bill Cowher had subpar years in Pittsburgh before the Steelers won it and made him the hottest coaching commodity today. You never know, Buc fans.

Bucs Collapse Not the Worst in NFL History, just the last 15 years...

By JC De La Torre

As it turns out, the Buccaneers four game collapse from 9-3 to 9-7 wasn't the worst in NFL history, its just the worst in over a decade. The 1993 Miami Dolphins started the season off at 9-2 before collapsing with a five game losing streak to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs.



Some other notable late season collapses included -
1996 Washington Redskins - started 7-1 and finished 9-7, missing the playoffs.
2003 Minnesota Vikings - started 6-0 and finished 9-7, missing the playoffs.
2007 Detroit Lions - started 6-2 and finished 7-9, missing the playoffs
2008 New York Jets - started the season 8-3, finished 9-7, out of the playoffs
2008 Denver Broncos - were the first team in NFL history to be in or tied for 1st place in their division from Week 1-Week 16 and lose the division in Week 17.

Still, the Bucs choke job was the worst in the league since the 93 Dolphins and that is not something anyone can be proud of.

On the bright side, though, the Buccaneers are no longer the last team to go through an entire NFL season (that was not strike shortened) winless. Thank you Detroit Lions. If the Lions lose their first 10 games of 2009, Tampa Bay will no longer have the longest losing streak in NFL history (26 straight) either. Detroit made a good first step by promoting Tom Legwand to President and Martin Mayhew to general manager. Who gives out promotions after an 0-16 season? The Detroit Lions do.

Cadillac's Injury Not As Severe As Originally Feared

By JC De La Torre

Finally, some good news out of the debacle against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Pewter Report is reporting that Carnell Williams' tear of the patella tendon in his left knee was not as severe as the one he sustained last season to his right knee that jeopardized his career.

“It is. It’s torn, but it’s not the severity of the last one,” Williams told Pewter Report, “It’s more of an off the bone tear, so this process should be much easier. If it is the way it was explained to me, it’s like the Mark Jones tear. After six or eight weeks he was rolling. I’m just hoping for the best and go in for surgery and look forward to rehab."

"That’s the encouraging word,” Gruden told PR, “It’s a patella injury that is the same type of injury that Mark Jones had. Mark Jones, obviously, has returned to full health. It will be another grueling process for him. I’m just excited to see him come back to life as a ballcarrier. I thought he caught the ball well. All indications are that he has a chance to be ready for training camp, but it will be a long road to recovery.”

The TBSB wish Cadillac the best in his recovery.

Bucs 2009 Opponents...YIKES....

By JC De La Torre

The Pewter Report has given us the 2009 opponents after Tampa Bay's 3rd place finish and historic late season choke job. Its not pretty Bucs fans - Tampa Bay will only face three teams with losing records going into next season and have 8 games against 2008 playoff teams.


Home
Atlanta (11-5)
Carolina (12-4)
New Orleans (8-8)
Dallas (9-7)
New York Giants (11-5)
New York Jets (9-7)
New England (11-6)
Green Bay (6-10)

Away
Atlanta (11-5)
Carolina (12-4)
New Orleans (8-8)
Philadelphia (9-6-1)
Washington (9-7)
Buffalo (7-9)
Miami (11-5)
Seattle (4-12)

Historic Collapse By the Buccaneers, Caddy's Career May Be Over

By JC De La Torre

It was one of the greatest late season collapse in NFL history. Since 1993, every team that has started a season 9-3 has made the playoffs....until now. It will rank up there with the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies blowing a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 to play to the St. Louis Cardinals, losing their last 10 games or the 1958 Brooklyn Dodgers, who led by 13 games in August but blew the lead to the New York Baseball Giants. Its worse than the 1996 Washington Redskins starting 7-1 and missing the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew a ten point fourth quarter lead with 11:27 left in the game and lost to the woeful Oakland Raiders 31-24, completing an epic collapse that could cost Jon Gruden his job.

Its only rumor and speculation now but when you go from 9-3 to 9-7 and in the process lose to two west coast teams with losing records at home while giving up 72 points, your job security can expected to be questioned. Remember, the Buccaneers owners, the Glazer family, is the same group that fired Tony Dungy after a playoff loss. At least none of Dungy's teams never fell apart like this. What's worse for the Buccaneers is the fact that had they won, all they would have needed would have been a Dallas Cowboys loss to Philadelphia. The Eagles beat Dallas 44-6. We will never know if Philadelphia would have given the same effort if the Bucs could have eliminated them by proxy.

Also in this one, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who inspired everyone with his remarkable comeback from a career threatening torn patella tendon in his right knee suffered a similar devastating injury, this time to his left knee midway through the fourth quarter and his NFL career could be over.


The horrible horizontal offense engineered by offensive genius Jon Gruden stalled through the first 15 minutes of the ball game, failing to secure a first down against an Oakland defense that came into the league ranked 27th in the NFL until 0:43 was left in the first quarter.

Seven seconds into the 2nd quarter, Johnnie Lee Higgins 31 yd punt return put Oakland at the Tampa Bay 40 yd line. After three straight runs secured a first down, Oakland Quarterback JaMarcus Russell found Higgins for a 17 yd completion to the Buccaneer 12. Oakland pounded beefy back Michael Bush at the Bucs undersized front four three consecutive times, the third time being the charm as Bush slipped into the end zone for 4 yd score to give Oakland a 7-0 with 10:44 left in the first half.

The Buccaneers offense finally rumbled to life, driving 80 yds on 12 plays, including big passes to Michael Clayton for 29 yds and Antonio Bryant for 15 to set up Carnell Williams 9 yd dart and score to tie the game at 7 with 5:45 left in the first half. After the teams exchanged punts, Oakland took the ball over at their own 39 with 1:45 left in the half. Jamarcus Russell connected with tight end Chaz Schilens 19 yds and tight end Zac Miller for 26 yds putting the Raiders at the Tampa Bay 8 yd line. After a couple runs, Russell avoided a strong rush and tossed it to a wide open Schilens in the endzone with only 0:35 left in the half to give Oakland a stunning 14-7 halftime lead.

The Bucs would tie the game at the 10:14 mark of the third quarter when Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia scrambled and found a wide open Michael Clayton streaking down the sideline, Clayton hauled in the pass and raced the rest of way for a 58 yd touchdown, Clayton's first score since October 15th, 2006. After forcing the Raiders to punt, the Bucs began at their own 13 yd line and drove 76 yds in 13 plays before settling for a 29 yd Matt Bryant field goal to give the Bucs a 17-14 lead with 14:51 left in the game.

Russell would find the suddenly potent Schillens for 24 yds to the Buccaneers 45 yd line, then two runs by Michael Bush would set up 3rd and 6. On third down, Russell was rushed by Gaines Adams and threw an interception to former Raider Phillip Buchanon but unfortunately during the rush, Adams grabbed Russell's face mask and nullified the pick, giving the Raiders a first down at the Tampa Bay 26. Russell dropped back to pass again and tried for a deep pass to tight end Zac Miller but was picked off by Bucs Safety Sabby Piscitelli. Piscitelli tight roped the sideline then crossed the field for a spectacular 84 yd return before being bulldogged down by Russell at the Oakland 11. From there, Cadillac Williams would take it in from 8 yds out and with 11:35 left in the game, Tampa Bay led 24-14.

Back came Oakland, a short run by Michael Bush and a short pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins achieved a first down, then Russell pitched to Bush, who fired a pass deep down field intended for little used wide receiver Todd Watkins. Bucs safety Will Allen, playing for the winded Sabby Piscitelli, scrambled to get back in coverage and ended up interfering with Watkins, setting Oakland up at point blank range at the Tampa Bay 12. From there, Russell hit Higgins in the end zone for a touchdown, closing the gap to 24-21.


The Bucs tried to strike back, beginning their drive on the 33 yd line. Cadillac had his best run of the season, making a wicked cut in the hole and busting out for a 28 yd run before being pushed out of bounds by Raiders DB Chris Johnson. As he went out, Cadillac reached down to his left knee and buckled in pain...it was a left knee injury, similar to the one he miraculously recovered from last season. The Bucs players surrounded, knelt and prayed for Williams who fought back tears and cursed, knowing that this injury could mean the end of his career. Cadillac had a solid game, rushing for 78 yds on 12 carries and 2 touchdowns. He also caught 5 passes for 37 yds. Tampa Bay had the ball at the Raider 39. Warrick Dunn gained 6 yds off tackle, then was held to no gain. On 3rd and 4, QB Jeff Garcia went deep for tight end Alex Smith, who made the catch but had one foot out of bounds at the one yard line. On 4th and 4, the Bucs decided against going for the field goal and went for a first down. Garcia tried to hit Michael Clayton on the sideline but Clayton was unable to hold on to the ball, giving the ball to the Raiders. Oakland wasted little time, as Michael Bush busted off right end through a gaping hole and raced 67 devastating yards for a decisive touchdown, giving Oakland a 28-24 lead with 7:16 left.

On the Bucs ensuing possession, Jeff Garcia attempted to go deep to Antonio Bryant, but Oakland safety Rashad Baker set under the fluttering pass and picked it off. Oakland would go 51 yds in 10 plays, bleeding 5:31 off of the clock and driving all the way to the Bucs 2 yd line to set up a 25 yd Sebastian Janikowski field goal with 1:13 left in the game, giving Oakland a 31-24 lead.

The Bucs would drive the ball all the way to the Oakland 45 with Tampa Bay facing 3rd and 5 and only 0:13 left in the game. Garcia scrambled but would be sacked by Oakland defensive end Greyson Gunheim to end the game and by result the Tampa Bay season.

In the aftermath of the greatest late season collapse in NFL history, it will be interesting to see what occurs at One Buccaneer Palace over the next week. If Jon Gruden remains head coach of the team, one would have to expect changes in the coaching staff will be made. If Gruden is fired, will general manager Bruce Allen go with him? Will Jeff Garcia, Joey Galloway, Antonio Bryant, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber, Luke McCown and Kevin Carter return for 2009? Will the Bucs actually spend their massive surplus of salary cap space or will they sit on it as they did this off-season, bringing questions on whether the Glazers are devoting their monetary resources to the Manchester United soccer club instead of the Bucs. Interesting times, indeed.