Re: Gruden fired by Bucs after 7 seasons Bruce Allen is a dumbfuck. His firing is way overdue. As for Gruden, I don't know who the fuck we'll replace him with. He's a decent coach, but coaches do have a shelf life, and the Glazers probably sensed that his time up. This isn't one of those 'anyone but him' type situations. I'll endorse Raheem Morris for new head coach.
Re: Gruden fired by Bucs after 7 seasons JE, how would you personally go about rebuilding that D if you were the GM? How's your cap space?
We got $45 million in cap space to play with, but outside of Peppers and Haynesworth, there isn't a whole lot in free agency. The main issue with our defense was the line. We're golden at linebacker. We might feel it a little bit if Brooks isn't up to par/retires, but we have two good young LBs who can fill in at SLB and move Cato June to the weak side, where he belongs. Our secondary is fantastic, we have two outstanding safeties (Phillips is a FA but I have little doubt he'll be brought back), and an efficient CB group. The line killed it for everybody, because the S.S. Hovan and Ryan Sims couldn't even get a hand on opposing backs. Our A lineup last year was: DE: Kevin Carter* DT: Jovan Haye* DT: Chris Hovan DE: Gaines Adams SLB: Cato June MLB: Barrett Ruud WLB: Derrick Brooks CB: Philip Buchanon CB: Ronde Barber FS: Tanard Jackson SS: Jermaine Phillips* Our supersubs were Wilkerson, White, and Talib. * = free agent Carter is a bag of shit and contributed directly to our defensive meltdown. He needs to go. We have two quality DEs (Wilkerson and White) who can step in and do the job far better than him. See ya. Haye isn't a great D-tackle, but he's good enough. Keep him as the #2 D-tackle, sign a #1. Albert Haynesworth, Tank Johnson, and Jonathan Babineaux are out there. Haynesworth is the grand prize, but I wouldn't be devastated with Johnson or Babineaux (depending on if we keep the Cover 2 or not). Phillips must be re-signed. Its hard to say what our draft needs are, because we'll have the free agency results well before draft time. But what might be the way to go this offseason (for the whole team, not just the defensive unit), is: -Franchise Antonio Bryant. His performance this year was the likely result of a contract drive. So put him on another one. -Sign Devery Henderson. We have no speed whatsoever with Galloway likely gone. Henderson is a lightning bug, he will stretch the field very well. He doesn't have the best hands, but we have plenty of efficient catchers. All we need is a deep threat. -Sign a better running back. Cadillac can't be counted on, Dunn is a stick figure who isn't getting any younger. That leaves Graham as the only somewhat reliable back (and even he has had some injury trouble). Make Brandon Jacobs the #1 target, we have the money to do it. Buckhalter from Philly would be a good backup, but we have other options to fill that role inside. I'm not fond of blowing first or second round picks on running backs when you don't have a dire need there. -Re-sign Stevens. We have an excellent trio of tight ends, that really helps in the red zone. -Intensify Josh Johnson's training and prepare him to be the quarterback in 2010. Sign a vet to a 1 year deal for 2009 (Warner, Grossman, Losman, Boller, Collins, Garcia I guess). I think Johnson will be a quality QB in this league, but he's not really there yet, since his reps were blocked this past year by shitheads like McCown and Griese. -Sign Tank Johnson, keep Jovan Haye, draft a bigger D-tackle to go with them. Johnson and Haye are both smallish pass rushers and would be the best D tackle tandem we've had since Sapp and Darby (again, that depending on the fate of the Tampa Two). They might have trouble stopping the run, which is why we could use a big guy to keep in rotation. -Reduce Brooks's role next year. Quincy Black needs some time. This kid is a speedster and will fit into the Tampa Two perfectly with Ruud and June. -Sign Shane Lechler. QB: vet/Johnson HB: Jacobs/Graham/Dunn/Cadillac FB: Askew/Storer WR: Bryant/Hilliard WR: Henderson/Stovall TE: Smith/Stevens/Gilmore LT: Penn/Zuttah LG: Sears/Mahan C: Faine/Mahan RG: Joseph/Zuttah RT: Trueblood/Zuttah LE: Wilkerson/White DT: Johnson/draftee DT: Haye/draftee RE: Adams/White SLB: June/Hayes MLB: Ruud/Hayes/McCoy WLB: Brooks/Black CB: Buchanon/Talib CB: Barber/Mack FS: Jackson/Allen SS: Phillips/Piscitelli K: Bryant P: Lechler That team could hold its own in the South.
Very nice summary, I liked your replacements. Certainly the D-Line is in dire need of help, it all stems from there. The Cover 2 caused Indy's D-Line to get messed up too. BTW, how does June look against the run these days? I recall he struggled a bit against that when he was in Indy. He was a smaller LB with good instincts in pass defense (was a former safety IIRC, which might account for his build). So you're rather confident with Josh Johnson? Maybe you could take a gamble with another mid-early round pick at QB? Have you considered trading for anyone and will TB use that cap space or play it safe?
Average at best. Though the D line's December play made him look terrible. Johnson, in his senior year at S.D., threw 43 TDs and 1 INT. That is damn impressive, I don't care where you play. He also has some mobility to him. His only weakness is arm strength (its not bad to the degree of Garcia or Pennington, but it definitely needs improvement). I think he has tons of potential, but I don't want to rush him. We have enough cap space where we can win pretty much any bidding war. But should the player in question just prefer another team, don't break the bank on something you don't need. If we lose out on Haynesworth/Peppers/Suggs, just go with the low cost guys I suggested and save the cap room.
