2007 The Year of Reclamation or Gruden’s Discontent? Another season is upon us and the Gruden watch is officially underway. The general consensus being that if we drop eight or more games this year, Chucky will be off into the sunset – more likely a TV studio – taking Bruce Allen with him and leaving behind a few decent building blocks for his successor. Can he pull another 2005 rabbit out of the hat on us or is the script already written? The more I look at the Buccaneers roster the more question marks seem to appear in too many places for us to be truly confident about what will unfold over the next four months. It’s seems too obvious to state we need to start well, but early wins breed confidence, help players buy into the programme and give us some momentum for the long grind ahead. We need to run the ball a whole lot better that we did last year, that’s for sure and with a retooled (again for the umpteenth time) offensive line, and a potentially far more potent passing game with a savvy QB in Jeff Garcia we should be able to get Cadillac untracked as often as possible. We may well have an elite back on our hands, but if he’s surrounded by two defenders before he’s even out of his own backfield, or is facing eight men in the box all the time it’s asking too much for him to make a success of it as he’s overmatched at the line of scrimmage. My pet project and continual whinge in the Bucs' offense is our use, or misuse, of the Tight End. We now have two monstrous and above average receiving targets in Alex Smith and Jerramy Stevens – so long as we can keep Jerramy out of Banana Joe’s anyway. These guys are match-up nightmares, being far too big for a safety at 6-5 and 6-7 respectively, and far too fleet footed for most linebackers. I read again and again player comments on how Coach Gruden is a genius in creating mis-matches – well between them if used correctly Smith and Stevens should be catching 80 balls in this offense. The two of them can use their bodies to be huge targets in the short game, and can both haul ass up the gut to stretch the field when required; I pray they become a feature as we are hardly loaded with talented at wideout, and their success will stop other teams loading up to stop the run. A few things I think 1) You’ve just got to feel sorry for Parris Warren. One minute he’s open, he’s reaching back for yet another under thrown pass from the Polish Pop-Gun and then he’s hit paydirt and is certain he’s nailed a roster spot. Unfortunately when the play stops, Parris is facing towards Miami but his left ankle is pointed at New Orleans going around the panhandle. The guy didn’t deserve it and lets hope he gets another shot in the NFL somewhere down the road. 2) It's September, a ball hasn’t been teed up yet and I’m already sick of the New England Patriots and the media fawning over their off-season moves. Well one Rodney Harrison suspension, added to the Randy Moss cancer injected into the locker room equals trouble ahead – god I hope so anyway. 3) I still hate The Twits more though, in case you were wondering and intend to lampoon their hick quarterback and overrated D as often as possible. At least they will be 0-1 once the Rams have run them off the field on Sunday. 4) Jeremiah Trotter? Would have been a great signing ……. Five years ago. In fact you could say that about a lot of Gruden and Allen acquisitions couldn’t you. 5) Hurray for the introduction of the shotgun formation into our offense, though the way Gruden has been dragged kicking and screaming into it’s introduction would lead you to believe we were attempting double flea-flickers on every play. Given how rancid our offense has been in his five-year tenure, why has it taken so long coach? 6) We are officially in the Jeff Garcia era. Lets hope those 37 year old legs still have some spring in them as he might be running for his life at times this season. 7) This will be the season we run back a kick-off – it will happen at RJS sometime in October, I can feel it in my water. Then again that feeling might just be the chilli’s I had on my lunchtime sub. 8) I see Simeon’s back in the NFL with The Broncos. I wonder how much influence John Lynch had in that call. Like him or loathe him, Sim is interesting to watch and the NFL world is a better place for him being in it. On the defensive side we are banking on creating a pass rush from a raw rookie in Gaines Adams and a defensive line with more questions and answers based on age and/or lack of recent success. We’ve got a whole lot younger at the linebacker position, and this should help reaction times and general team speed though whether this translates into deciphering the nuances of the Cover-2 with the same swiftness of thought that’s required is another thing. Barrett Ruud’s moment is now, he’s had time to assimilate into our system and was drafted solely for this event when he would step in as Shelton Quarles successor, it’s over to you son the balls in your court. The experience and skills of Cato June and Jesus in cleats himself, Mr Brooks, are a given and provide pillars for us to lean on, as does the reuniting of our famed cornerback duo of Ronde and BK. However we seem all over the place at safety, with Jermaine Phillips now a fully fledged nearly man and Will Allen taking a major step back in 2006 – we need more from them, but when factoring in all the above questions already raised is this possible, do they have it in them? As Bucs fans we’ve been spoiled for many years by a stellar defensive unit but those days are in the books, and on recent evidence we don’t frighten anybody anymore. In 2006 we gave up far too many home run hit plays, and often couldn’t get off the field on third down - more of the same and it will be long season ahead. We open up this year at the aesthetically pleasing Q-West field, home of the Seahawks who are a real tough nut in their own backyard. I’d be expecting a strong dose of Shaun Alexander who will be itching to get going following an injury ravaged 2006. Stop him and we are in the game, if not then we will be done by the end of the third quarter. I think we will hang tough and a mobile threat like Jeff Garcia should be able to do some damage on a fallible Seahawks Defense, that should bend plenty enough to keep us close, especially if we can get Cadillac untracked. The game might be tighter than some think but I just don’t see us pulling it out – Seahawks 27-20. Nod of Acknowledgement to - A close family friend of ours, Jackie Elliott, who sadly passed away from cancer this past week at too young an age. We talk about bravery, guts and determination all the time in the NFL but cancer survivors and patients, and indeed their families have it in spades. Treatment and finding a cure for this thing has to be pursued to try to reduce the number of people who have to go through this trauma. Get in the Real World Award - Byron Leftwich. Named a starter in February, goes through all 4 pre-season games at top of the depth chart, then cut. This was the guy who Joe Theisman anointed a future Hall-of-Famer when he piloted the Jags to a win against us in 2003, looking about as mobile as a cowpat. I wonder if the king of the bullshit overstatement still thinks the same way? Sports News Story I No Longer Give a Toss About – Jake Plummer’s “retirement/leave of absence/sulk” - It’s boring, and as we’ve already got 23 quarterbacks on our roster anyway a pretty moot subject as far as the Bucs are concerned. Lee’s Super Bowl Tip Not the new England Patriots. Chargers over the Bears in the Arizona sunshine – they’re actually doing a rehearsal this Sunday to make sure they get things right. Head on the Block Time OK, if Dr Z can do this so can I throughout the season as we will see if I can stink the joint up at tipping too, only he gets paid to do it. The winners this week - Colts, Philly, Minnesota, Washington, Houston, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Buffalo, St Louis (of course), Jets, Oakland, Seattle, San Diego, Dallas, Baltimore and San Francisco.