Clifton "Peanut" Smith a tough nut to crack

Tampa Bay Buccaneers return man Clifton Smith, recently placed on Injured Reserve, is out for the season after suffering two concussions this year.

Concussions and head injuries are becoming more and more topical in the NFL, especially with particularly retired players struggling.

"Back in the day, they would tell you to put an ice pack on it and go back on the field," Smith said. "I'm an old school type of player. I'll just take my lumps and go back in."

Smith is being treated by independent doctors as well as receiving treatment from team doctors under the NFL's request. He says he feels fine, and that his second concussion (the first was an illegal hit from Carolina's Dante Wesley) was not nearly as bad as the first. "Peanut" reckons he could be on the field in the next two games, but accepts his well-being must come first - especially in such a dismal season without a play-off appearance.

"I can always appreciate [the team] looking out for my health, but my competitive nature, I just want to get out there and have fun and play the game with my teammates," Smith said.

Morris under pressure?

Not many coaches survive a 1-15 season. The Bucs have not quite reached that glorious threshold yet, but with just two games remaining, things don't look so good.

The Bucs have a poor record on the West Coast, where they face fellow 1976 expansion team Seattle on Sunday, followed by division rivals New Orleans, who may well be chasing a 16-0 undefeated year.

A sacking of offensive co-ordinator Jeff Jagodzinski and demotion of defensive co-ordinator Jim Bates, including changing of playbooks on both sides of the ball, plus three quarterback changes and a host of players placed on Injured Reserve, 2009 has been a year to forget in One Buc Place.

With a losing season not uncommon in the Bucs' 32-year history, head coach Raheem Morris has got to wonder what his bosses, the Glazer family, make of such a dismal year.

"That is not my job to worry about my future," Morris said. "That’s for mentally weak people. My job is to coach the football team, week in and week out. I have to go and beat Seattle. That’s what I have to do. And then I have to go and beat the following team after that. Job security in this business, in case you haven’t looked around, there is a ticking clock every day.

"If I wanted to worry about that, I wouldn’t be coaching. I’d go be a reporter."

Morris seems unconcerned. Hopefully, Dominik and Morris are given a second season with the team. Should the Glazers stick with the men they hired not even a year ago, perhaps "the plan" can begin to take fruition.

“Raheem is going to be just fine … just bear with him,’’ safety Jermaine Phillips said Monday.

Phillips has been under Morris tutelage for several years now when Raheem was defensive backs coach.

“Before the season starts, we fire our offensive coordinator (Jaff Jagodzinski), so you don’t get a full training camp with the offense you want to run. Then we’re playing a new defense that’s not working. Since Raheem has taken over, you’ve seen the defense is playing better. It’s night and day."

"We’ve got a rookie quarterback (Josh Freeman), so we know we’re going to have some bumps on the road. You tell me what rookie quarterback hasn’t had growing pains? You can’t judge Raheem off one season. When he got hired, a lot of the good coordinators were already taken. What do you expect him to do? We all make mistakes. Raheem saw his mistakes and tried to correct them.’’

Phillips speaks plainly and it is difficult not see why the Bucs record (1-13) is so pitiful. If Raheem intends to return in 2010, the team needs to show signs of life in their final two games. Another offensive outing like the one against the New York Jets and perhaps the organisation needs to reconsider its direction.

Week 14 Injury Report

This week: New York Jets, Sunday 13th December

Both Carnell "Cadillac" Williams (572 yards, three touchdowns) and rookie Sammie Stroughter (288 yards, 1 TD) "tweaked" their backs on Thursday evening and were added to the injury report as questionable for Sunday's game against the New York Jets. Stroughter's ailment is specified as a lower back injury, while Williams' is more general.

Running back Derrick Ward (304 yards and one touchdown) could see increased playing time, along with Earnest Graham and backup running back Kareem Huggins, who was promoted from Tampa Bay's practice squad earlier this week.

"We'll see," head coach Raheem Morris said. "We'll have Earnest Graham playing fullback and tailback like he always does, but we also got (fullback Chris) Pressley, who is a little more involved in the offense and knows more of the plays. We'll have to see."

As far as Stroughters' kick-return duties, Morris said:"Well, you've got Yamon Figurs who you have the luxury of doing that with, and also Kareem Huggins had some returns for us in the preseason so we've got some experienced guys back there," said Morris. "We've got some guys who have done it before in games in the NFL. Sammie should be fine, but we'll have to get out there and see."

Others on the injury report:
Receiver Michael Clayton (knee),
cornerback Derrick Roberson (groin),
defensive lineman Michael Bennett (toe) are doubtful;

Linebacker Geno Hayes (hamstring) is questionable

Leading reciever, tight end Kellen Winslow (knee) probable.

Freeman's 5 Picks All Part Of Growing Up

Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman still has a lot to learn, according to his head coach Raheem Morris.

Freeman completed 23-of-44 passes for 321 yards and tossed no touchdowns and five picks in Carolina. On the season, the former first-round pick has completed 54.4 percent of his passes 1,114 yards and tossed seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. However, the 21-year-old was intercepted five times in Tampa Bay's 16-6 loss at Carolina on Sunday, including three inside the Panthers red-zone. The 469 total offensive yards were the most by the Bucs in two decades, and the fifth-best in franchise history.

But Freeman's immaturity and rawness as an NFL quarterback is not a justification for losing, coach Raheem Morris said Monday.

"That is what it boils down to yesterday," Morris said Monday. "We had over 400 yards of offense, the fifth-best total of offense around here in team history, and you have six points to show for it. We get to the red zone, and we do it consistently. You are not doing it one-dimensionally. You are running the football. You are throwing the football, you are getting the ball to your big-time players. You're getting the ball to the guys in the run game. [Freeman] is going through his progressions. It was a check down here. It was a shot here. It was a throw there. It was a scramble here. Everything is working well.

"Then you get in the red zone and you just make [three] critical mistakes. You can't do that. It is an 8-8 league, and we got to find a way to get four of those games that you lose. We are not able to do that right now."



"These guys want to win, in particular that No. 5," Morris said. "He's not going to give you an excuse for why he lost the football game for his football team, and the guys around him are not going to give you an excuse. This defense, this offense, those guys on the special teams, they go out there to win every week. We haven't had the success you would like, but there's no passive, 'It's okay,' type of mentality. Those guys are hurting in there. They want to win those games.

"Just like (Sunday). You say, 'You played better; do you feel like you should've won the game?' No. We didn't win the game. We had an opportunity to win it, and we didn't take it. That's where we are."

Morris still believes that his team and staff are behind Freeman. So they should be, as the rookie passed for a career-high 321 yards against the Panthers. His record as a starter has now fallen to 1-4. Give the boy some slack though – he is a rookie in what is turning out to be one of the worst Bucs teams in memory.

"He made three mistakes in the red zone," Morris said. "He's going to put more pressure on himself. He puts pressure on those guys to run the right routes. I think the days of calling him a young quarterback are over in that room for those guys. He went out there and didn't make the plays he's supposed to make in the red zone."
The Bucs are now 1-11 under Morris, their sole victory coming in Freeman’s debut versus Green Bay in week nine.

Morris remains he's not worried about the possibility of a “losing” atmosphere in the Bucs' locker room – despite a Bucs team looking very capable of being the first to lose more than 14 games in a single season.

"No, because of the guys that are here," Morris said. "You're talking about the young guys that are going to bring you through this thing. How well Quincy Black is playing these last two weeks and his production speaks volumes. You're talking about young guys who are going to get better and better together and grow together. If we were around here and we were a veteran team and we had this kind of culture and this kind of development of losing, it would be a problem.

"Every time we come off the field and every handshake at the end of these games with opposing coaches, they're getting a little bit easier because I know they understand that, too."
The Buccaneers have been steadily improving. Opportunities to win three of their past four games were not taken, by either the offenses miscues or defensive lapses. They took Miami and Atlanta (both on the road) down to the dying embers of the game, and outplayed Carolina on both sides of the ball for much of the game. Between the 20’s, Tampa were efficient, bit were at or inside the Panthers 30 eight times, only scoring a paltry six points.

"There's progress in how we're playing," Morris said. "We just have to make better decisions at the end. We've got to make better plays at the end.
"We're still looking for that guy to stand up and be the closer for us. We've got one at quarterback. He just didn't have a good day (Sunday) in the red zone."
Freeman’s development will continue on Sunday against the Jets, where fellow rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had started fast but since struggled. Sanchez was a higher first-round pick from this years’ draft class, but the two have had mixed results in their time on the field.

This time last season, the Bucs were 9-3 and 2nd seed in the NFC before Carolina decimated them on Monday Night Football. The Panthers game last Sunday was very different – but the Bucs still came out losers. Morris said the Bucs can create impetus and momentum over the next four games by concluding on a winning note — something they couldn’t do a year ago.

"That was kind of my cry (Sunday) to these guys, December football. Good teams play great football in December. (Sunday), we went out there and played okay football in December. You have to find a way to play great football in December, not only this year but for the future."

Return of the Tampa-2? Players React

The Buccaneers' defense is apparently moving back towards its older scheme, the one that made them famous - the Tampa 2.

A version of the Cover 2 defense dreamt up by former Buc head coach Tony Dungy and longtime former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, the zone-based scheme leaves defensive linemen responsible for plugging one gap, linebackers allowed to run sideline to sideline and safeties split the deep halves of the field in half in an attempt to limit the chances and prevent big plays.

Nicknamed the Tampa 2, the Cover 2 scheme requires for players to rely more on speed and athleticism than size and bulk. It is the system many current Bucs defenders, from tackle Chris Hovan to linebacker Geno Hayes, were brought here to play.



Demoted coordinator Jim Bates, 63, installed what was supposed to be a blitz-heavy, man-coverage scheme that often asked for the linemen and linebackers to read and anticipate plays instead of simply crashing through the line to make a stop.

"There's a reason why they call it Tampa 2' Chris Hovan said. "Am I more comfortable? Yes. I'm not a two-gapper. I'm never going to be a two-gapper. I can gap and a half. My abilities are to run, penetrate and create at the line of scrimmage. With that being said, some of the guys are comfortable. But at the same time, we've got to go out there and just run the defense that is called.''

"Even when Monte Kiffin was here, you saw us dabble with quarters (coverage), with man (coverage) and with two-match (coverage),'' Raheem Morris said. "That's where we wanted to go. I thought we could be that super mega-morph (defense) and that we could get this thing going this year, and I still think we can.

"That's why I put myself in charge of it. There won't be much of a change. There will just be a little more of a Raheem Morris influence. That's what I'm planning to do."

"It's funny. You were hired to be defensive coordinator two weeks before you were hired to be the head coach and you have some ideas and you've got your plans out there,'' Morris said Tuesday. "Why throw (linebackers coach) Joe Barry out there and let him try to fix it the next six weeks when you think you can? I feel like it's my responsibility, I feel like I have to do it, I feel like it's what I'm supposed to do as a head coach and a man on this football team.

"It's what I owe this organization, it's what I owe this town, what I owe this ownership, what I owe (general manager) Mark Dominik, everybody that's involved with me. It's my job to fix it and that's what I've got to go out there and do.''

"Obviously, we're 1-9 and we've been struggling," middle linebacker Barrett Ruud said. "Hopefully a change will provide some good things. Is it the right move? It remains to be seen. We're going to go in and play and hopefully it turns out to be the right move because we need to get some wins, 1-9 is definitely not good enough.

"One and nine is a wild ride. When you lose, you learn about character. You learn about the guys that are going to play through a lot of adversity. That's one thing our team has never lacked is effort. We haven't executed very good, but the effort has always been there."

"The building is not falling down,'' veteran cornerback Ronde Barber said. ""We're good. This team will stick together as it has all year when we've went through these tough patches. Don't worry about it. We'll find a way.'

Jim Bates demoted, Morris takes over defense

TAMPA BAY Buccaneers defensive co-ordinator Jim Bates has been relieved of his play-calling duties as of today.

Bates, who was hired in the offseason, has overseen a Tampa Bay defense that has struggled badly this season. Tampa Bay is surrendering 29 points and 378 yards per game. It currently ranks 27^th overall in the NFL and last (32^nd) against the run, allowing 168 yards per game. The team has one win and nine losses to date.

Bates, 63, will stay on with the team at least through the end of the season in a consulting role, breaking down film and assisting Morris on game day from the coaching box. Bates' defenses were successful in Miami and Green Bay, and he had a top 10-ranked defense in each of his five seasons with Miami. Conversely, Bates' one-year term with the Denver Broncos is a parallel to his time in Tampa. In Denver, Bates was stripped of his play-calling duties and demoted after Denver's defense struggled out of the gate. At the end of the 2007 season, Bates resigned.

Buccaneers’ head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik met until late Monday to discuss the organizational shift, one day after the Bucs were routed by the unbeaten New Orleans Saints 38-7, one of the worst home defeats in club history.

All defensive play-calling responsibilities have been taken over by first year head coach Raheem Morris. Morris is expected to immediately return the Bucs’ to their former Tampa Two scheme, which will allow their undersized defensive linemen to benefit from their speed rather than reprimand them for a lack of physical size and bulk. The change in gap disciplines and corner coverages (from bump-and-run to cushioned zones) should help the Bucs’ personnel immensely.

Bucs’ head coach Raheem Morris, 33, is the league's youngest head coach. Prior to succeeding Jon Gruden last January, Morris was named successor to long-time defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, only a month before the Glazer family’s Gruden firing.

Morris has never officially handled defensive play-calling duties in an NFL game before, but did serve as Kansas State's defensive coordinator throughout the 2006 season before accepting an offer to re-join Tampa Bay as a defensive backs coach in 2007.

Morris has been more actively involved in the defense in recent weeks. Bates ran a 4-3, two-gap scheme that required the cornerbacks to play less zone and more man-to-man coverage, but the Bucs have been playing more traditional Cover 2 as the season has progressed, attempting to eliminate several big plays offenses have scored against them.

Back With A Bang: Tanard Jackson

TANARD JACKSON has made an enormous impact since returning from his season-opening suspension. In just four games, he has recorded 27 tackles, three interceptions, one forced fumble, three passes defensed and two touchdowns. He scored for the second time this season, and the second time in his career against Green Bay, clinching the game with his 35-yard interception return late in the fourth quarter.

Aqib Talib actually leads the Buccaneers in interceptions with five, but he had three in one game at Philadelphia, which means both he and Jackson have picks in three different games. However, Jackson's interceptions have come over the past three weeks, one in each game against Carolina, New England and Green Bay.

That makes Jackson the first Buccaneer since Derrick Brooks in 2002 to have an interception in three consecutive games. Brooks enjoyed 2002 en route to the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Brooks eventually snared five interceptions in the regular season and returned them for a total of 218 yards and three touchdowns. So far, Jackson has 61 yards and two scores on his picks.

"Tanard had an immediate impact as soon as he got back," head coach Raheem Morris said. "It was 'welcome back' with a hit, a 'welcome back' with an interception for a touchdown — you name it. He's made big plays, he's made big tackles. He's been the guy he was before he left and has come back and developed a little bit of a hunger.

"Some things work out for a reason. … I'm not sure if (the suspension) wasn't a good thing for Tanard Jackson."

“T-Jax” had been a regular in the secondary since he was drafted out of Syracuse in the fourth round in 2007, becoming the first Tampa Bay defensive player to start 32 consecutive games to begin his career. His ability made him one of the Bucs' best young players, and he expected to be one of the team leaders on defense this season.

"When you're away from the team, away from everything, away from what you've been doing for years, your livelihood, the approach is now a little more serious," Jackson said.

"(Jackson) has been great," linebacker Barrett Ruud said. "He's just a natural football player. You can play him at corner, nickel, safety, wherever. He's just a guy who goes in and loves to play, and makes a lot of plays when he's out there. You just know what he brings to a team overall. He is such a good all-around football player. You can line him up in the nickel; you can line him up at safety. You can have him in the box, you can have him as a hole player. You can do everything. It’s just so nice to have a guy that versatile back there."

“I was heavy on the table for Tanard Jackson and for picking that guy up,” Morris said, “I knew he would go down a little. It was a projection that worked out in our favour in a big way.”

When Jackson arrived in Tampa, the experiment at safety turned permanent. He won the starting free safety job from Will Allen in training camp and eventually became the first defensive player in franchise history to open all 32 games in the first two seasons after he was drafted. Jackson's third season was delayed by league suspension, but since his return he has played better than ever.

“It was a smooth transition," he said of that first summer in the NFL. "I always said that when I got into the league the transition from corner to safety is much easier than safety to corner. It was different in that I had never played the position. I think my ability coming out of college and the ability I have as a player, the natural instincts, fit more as a safety in this league. When Raheem told me that he sees me as a safety in the NFL, I took it and ran with it."

In his rookie year, Jackson ranked second on the team with 12 passes defensed with two interceptions. In 2008, he recorded a statistic in every defensive category while ranking fourth on the team with 102 tackles and third on the team with 18 special teams tackles.

“It was very difficult to sit knowing that I had that streak," said Jackson, 24. "I had to sit for a reason that didn’t have anything to do with football. It was something that I could have controlled. You learn from your mistakes, you wish you can get that time back but you can’t. All you can do is learn from it and move on. It definitely helped me prioritize my life, what's most important.

“During that time away from football, the time away from something you love; you have nothing but time to think about those things. You think about what you want and what’s best for you."

“You can’t make up for lost time,” Jackson said. “You can’t make up for the four weeks that I’ve missed. All I can do is come in day-in and day-out, week-in and week-out and perform my job at a high level and try to pick up where I left off and only get better.”

“Since he’s been back everything has been better," said cornerback Elbert Mack. "I don’t know what it is; he’s just been making plays and flying around. He had some time to think about what was going on. He is more focused than I have ever seen him. He’s understanding the game more and is taking advantage of every opportunity he see’s on the field. That’s what we love about him. With him back there you get that natural comfort level."

Jackson’s former position coach concurs. “He is a good player. He is a really good player. He’s been that way since he’s been here. He’s been a splash player since he’s been here. When he gets the ball in his hands, he looks like a punt returner. He scores and finds a way to be around the ball. He is a splash play type of player. He is always going to be around the football. He has been since I’ve been here”, said Morris.

“He has the ability to make a play on you. It’s been no different every week that he’s been out there playing.”

The Bucs’ number 36 agrees. “And my job, the game I love to play, is at the top of my list."

Morris' Miami PC

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris' Monday quotes, courtesy of the Bucs:

(On the positives and negatives in the Miami game)
"The positives were to be able to run the ball going into halftime, having 60 yards of rushing offense, where you want to be, what you want to do. Josh [Freeman]…we only had one conversion on third down and he ran for it, didn't slide this week. So that was a positive on offense. We set up the two field goals on offense. It was a great chance to watch us handle the all-out on offense. There was a nice check down there, a nice crossing route to [Michael] Clayton that was a good job of handling the all-out. His red zone presence still remained the same. Kellen Winslow's positive performance, a good game there was another positive for our offense. The throw to Mo [Stovall] under pressure was another really good job by the young quarterback.

And having a goal-line touchdown run was another good positive sign. Negatively, the sack-fumbles. We've got to control, we've got to protect better. Those were just one-on-one, man-to-man matchups that we lost. The fumbled snaps, we've just got to clean that up – really two, because you had the drop on the shotgun snap. The three sacks in the first half, but to bounce back in the second half and to get some of that stuff cleaned up was pretty good.

Defensively, talking about the positive stuff, the play, how hard they played. They continue to play hard. They got better. Quincy [Black]'s big interception. There were no big plays…there was one big pass play at the end there, in the last two minutes. But we limited big pass plays, which is what we want to do. Really, what you look at is you see five series of three-and-out plays by the defense and you've got two other series that were four-and-out. Of course, with the two big turnovers it was a pretty good day.


(On the Michael Clayton play that was reversed by replay and if he has asked the league to review it)
"Every week you submit your questions to the NFL, like you guys all know. And they'll give us back our answers; there'll be no difference there. But for me, I just chose to control what I can control, and that's not one of them. I've moved on. I made my mistake, I cost my team a loss yesterday, gave them a penalty, moved them seven yards closer and those guys went and scored. I'm done with it. I've got to grow up in that situation and get better. I can't cuss at the official. Besides the point you can't cuss at the official, I've got kids watching. I've got to control my anger in that situation a little bit as well."

(On if he understands the ruling any better now)
"You know I can't comment. Any comment is the wrong comment. No, I can't control that so I'm not going to even try to. I'm going to coach the stuff that I can control this week, and the stuff that I can control is not fumbling the snap, not dropping a shotgun pass, not catching the ball in the back of the end zone, running the correct routes. Those things, I'm going to coach those things, and that's where I'm at. That's out of my control, that's out of our team's hands. That's in the hands of the officials, they made their call and it is what it is. We're done with it."

(On Miami's last drive in the two-minute situation)
"That was pretty clear. It was clear on the field. We called Tampa Two, you've got them backed up. So now you can go back to your philosophy, which has been the philosophy around here for years, which is to get out of here with Bucs. You call Bucs, you call Tampa Two, and they hit the dig behind it. They get a little bit closer and they only need the field goal and they've got a pretty good field goal kicker so you've got to play a little more aggressive but you still want to have two high safeties. So you go with the two-man mentality and now you're matched up and you get the big penalty on Geno [Hayes] and that moves them 15 yards closer. Now you've really got to play, you've got to stay with your mentality of being aggressive because you can't let them hit a couple zones, hit a couple pockets. They've still got some time to do that and they can kick a long field goal and beat you.

Then after that they went into their run-the-ball, set-it-up, get-in-position type of offense. We went to our put-everybody-up-in-the-box, try-to-stop-this-thing-because-you've-got-to-knock-them-back [defense]. You try to cause a fumble or do something and we got a mis-fit and that was one of their runs that broke out and got the running game stats all out of whack. That was what happened in the two-minute. It was on the 30-yard line and for that guy that's almost a layup. You've got to try to do something and we did, had a mis-fit and [they ran] the most popular run in football right now, that belly-weak-bend bluff play that everybody runs – Atlanta, Carolina and obviously [Miami]."

(On how the dig play got behind the Bucs' cover two defense)
"It was a Tampa Two; it's not like you can't get behind them. What happened was the play broke down as far as the quarterback being able to step up in the pocket, step to his right because we didn't have a great pass rush or anybody to make him hold the ball. That was classic endings of Tampa Two back in the day when [Warren] Sapp gets up doing the Warren thing or Simeon [Rice] or somebody like that, where you want a D-Lineman to step up and be able to get a sack, make the clock tick, because it was initially good coverage. Once you break down the Tampa Two, you start to scramble around, you've got to do a thing we call plaster. We did not have the ability to plaster because he put a nice stick on him, a nice ball. We've got to be able to be back there and get him on the ground."

(On why the Bucs didn't blitz more to get pressure)
"When you play Dan Henning, that's not the answer. He's a max-pro passing team, and that means he's going to leave in more bodies than you have, than you can send unless you go all-out. So either you go all-out or you play coverage and our choice yesterday was really to play coverage, and it worked on third down. Third down was a big-time stat for us yesterday, it's where you want to be to play winning football. On third down we chose to play coverage and we were able to really stop them all day on third down and get off the field. Like I mentioned – the five three-and-outs, the other two four-and-outs, the two big turnovers. They just happened to hit a few big plays there in the two-minute at the end. You can't blitz Dan Henning, that's just the nature of the beast. He's protection first, all day every day."

(On if Josh Freeman has any ball security issues in the past that concern him)
"Not me, not at all. Yesterday the two sack-fumbles, anybody would have fumbled those balls. They were clean, blatant strips. Now the one he tried to scramble out, that was his fault. He's got to put that ball away. But when a guy comes around clean he's going to get that ball out. Josh Freeman, to his credit, his fourth-quarter efficiency you're talking about the fourth-best quarterback in the National Football League, or something like that, and third in the NFC or something like that, slightly in front of Mr. [Peyton] Manning. That's a credit to him. You're talking about the fourth quarter, you're talking about how quarterbacks are judged and that's all a part of patience. The fumbles, the fumbled snaps, the couple miscues he had in the first half and throughout the game, that's being patient with a young quarterback."

(On Connor Barth)
“Pre-game, that was the place he was familiar with. He was out there in pregame and told Rich Bisaccia where he was good from. He told him which way he was good. I kind of went against the grain one time. I kind of just wanted to ride the hot man. We kicked into the wind, the 54-yarder. That was kind of a decision I kind of just pulled out and said, ‘Hey, make me look good.’ Good job by him yesterday. It was great. Right now I think he is 80 percent. If he makes one more kick he will be at 87 percent. That’s what you want every week. We’ll just let him go out there and let him keep getting opportunities. He has to seize an opportunity and went out there and took advantage of it yesterday. Three 50-yarders. I don’t know if I’m going to ask him to do that every week. But it’s sure nice to know that he can.”

(On if there was anything he could have done during those last two minutes to stop the Dolphins)
“I went through that all night. It’s one of those things where you say, ‘What can you do differently?’ The coverage I wouldn’t change. You want to play two men but maybe bring in a guy in two men. Some type of two man blitz or something like that. Realistically your guys versus their guys and you just want your guys to win in that situation. We just have to believe in that. We have to do that.”

Freeman Looks To The Past, Gives Hope For Future

The "creamsicle" jerseys of the Bucs' gloomy past were transformed a an emblem of hope for a rebuilding franchise, led by rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.

Freeman only improved as the game wore on and finished with 205 yards passing, three touchdowns and just one interception. The rookie threw second-half TD passes to Kellen Winslow and Stroughter, a seventh-round draft pick who was wide open in the right corner of the end zone with 4:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

I felt really relaxed," said Freeman, the 17th pick in the draft and the third quarterback taken behind the Lions' Matthew Stafford and Jets' Mark Sanchez. Both have had up-and-down starts, as will Freeman.

"I didn't get too high or two low," the 21-year-old Bucs number five said. "I can't say I did anything spectacular. I just played within myself, and when we had opportunities I took them."

Freeman became just the third rookie quarterback in franchise history to win his starting debut, joining former Bucs Shaun King and Steve Young. King helped the Bucs defeat Minnesota, 24-17, at Raymond James Stadium on December 6, 1999 and Young led Tampa Bay to a 19-16 overtime win over Detroit at Tampa Stadium on November 24, 1985.

“His age really doesn’t matter at this point,” said Head Coach Raheem Morris. “He’s got to be a seven-year vet and lead us where we need to go. It was what we thought he was. That’s why we brought him in here to lead this franchise."

But Freeman is also the youngest player ever to start a game at quarterback for the Buccaneers, and hence the youngest starting QB ever to win a game for the team, as he has not yet turned 22. The rookie from K-State was 21 years and 299 days old when he took that opening-game snap from Jeff Faine.

"The guy was very poised - unreal, like, wow," Tampa Bay running back Cadillac Williams said after the 38-28 victory against Green Bay. "That's the hardest position to play in football, man. For that guy to come in and do the job he did, unbelievable."

"He played with no fear," said Doug Williams, current Bucs executive and quarterback of that '79 team. "He kept his eyes down-field the whole time. He made plays."

A large discrepancy between a quarterback's success and failure is down to the play of his offensive line. Green Bay's signal-caller Aaron Rodgers was sacked six times. Freeman was sacked just once.

“We had guys around him, we were doing some things,” Packers linebacker Nick Barnett said. “He kind of got out of the pocket and scrambled a little bit. He’s a tough guy. With the new rules you can’t knock his feet out, you have to tackle him a certain way.

“But we’ve got to make that play. . . . Personally, I think you can only take it so far running the ball as a quarterback, but this game he was able to execute and make it happen.”

"It's a sign of things to come," backup quarterback Byron Leftwich said. "Here's a kid who can play the game of football.

"He had nothing to lose," Leftwich said. "His strength is going out there and slinging the damn ball. I wanted to make sure he understood that, to go out there and throw it the way he can. Just make the plays that he can make."

Raheem Morris concluded, "I’m sure everyone could feel his poise. You know when he goes out there that you’ve got the ability to win.“But we still have to be patient. That’s one
game. That’s a good start.”

Packers 28 - 38 Bucs

In what has been dubbed the "Throwback Comeback", the orange Buccaneers (1-7) defeated the Green Bay Packers (4-4) in a 28-38 shoot-out, winning for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008, snapping an 11-game losing streak.

The celebrations began for Raheem Morris' side when Buccaneers safety Tanard Jackson intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with 52 seconds left in the game.

NFC Special Teams' Player of the Week Clifton "Peanut" Smith returned a kickoff 83 yards to set up Freeman's 7-yard TD pass to Winslow and spark the comeback.

In his first NFL start, first-round pick Josh Freeman threw second-half TD passes to Kellen Winslow and Sammie Stroughter, a seventh-round draft pick, in the right corner of the end zone with 4:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Freeman's 2-point conversion pass to Michael Clayton put the Bucs up 31-28. Clayton had helped set up the go-ahead score with a superb adjustment catch against Packers corner Al Harris, who had kept Clayton under wraps until that 29-yard reception.

“You’ve seen some people step up,” said head coach Raheem Morris. “You’ve seen some great plays from Maurice Stovall and Kellen Winslow. Michael Clayton made a big play down field. We had some things that we missed, but overall you could tell that this team wants to win. They play hard every week.”

Buccaneers CB Aqib Talib had another interception, his fifth in five games, as did Elbert Mack, who somewhat redeemed himself after being beaten badly by James Jones' 74-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.

The game turned on it's head when frenetic linebacker Geno Hayes blocked a Jeremy Kapinos punt, which was promptly snatched by veteran Ronde Barber who raced the ball back for a touchdown, his 14th in his regular-season career. Barber lies behind Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson in defensive touchdowns, both future Hall-of-Famers. In the entire history of the NFL, only two men have scored more return touchdowns than the Bucs' Barber. Sanders holds the record with 19, Woodson is second with 17 and Barber is now tied for third with 13.


The Buccaneers' offense began to fire, (who hadn't scored more than 21 points in a game this season, tallied 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter) as did special teams. However, the Buccaneers' second-half defense was, at times, dominant.

Rodgers was sacked six times as Green Bay's offensive line continued to struggle, even against Tampa's under-performing unit. The sacks hike Green Bay's NFL-worst total to 37 in eight games. Michael Bennett, Tim Crowder, Chris Hovan, Roy Miller, Ryan Sims and Stylez G. White combined to sack Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers six times, the team's highest single-game total since 1994. In addition, Elbert Mack, Aqib Talib and Tanard Jackson all had interceptions, giving the Bucs only their second three-pick game of the year.

“We put [Aaron Rodgers] in situations with 3rd and long. We was going. We felt like we played the Patriots and got good pressure and we could keep it going, ” said defensive end Stylez White, who recorded 1.5 sacks. “That week off was huge. …We’re not good enough to come from behind right now. We need all three phases. We need to do that early. …Going in Monday for work, now it’s not as gloomy as the other days going in. …Hopefully, it’s going to be contagious.”

Reality check: The Bucs are not primed to go on a play-off run this season. This victory is important because it gives hope to the third-youngest team in the NFL. A radically different side from the 9-7 collapse 2008, Raheem Morris and Josh Freeman now have something to build around. Winless no more, the future looks a lot less bleak for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than it did two weeks ago in London. A look to the Bucs losing past gives promise to the future of the franchise.

Freeman on starting

In his interview, rookie quarterback Josh Freeman appeared relaxed about his new job as starter. Whether promoting Freeman to start so soon was the right decision or not, time will undoubtedly tell. The Bucs are certainly a team that needs a spark. Freeman sees no reason why he can't be the catalyst to a new era for this young franchise.

"It was definitely one of those things where I don't feel comfortable sitting on the sideline," he said. "I'm in my element when I'm out on the field. But I also had to look at it like it's an opportunity to sit back and learn a lot of things. Working with [Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks] Coach [Greg] Olson, I definitely feel like I learned a lot and I feel a lot more comfortable in this offense.


"I've had the opportunity to watch it from a different point of view and see things unfold. I feel like I've really grown as a passer and also a leader on this team. [Now] it's a matter of settling down, letting the game come to me and making the throws I know I can make."

"My mindset right now is to prepare the best I can and go out and do what I do, which is play football and try to find a way to get a win," he said. "All that matters is the Green Bay Packers right now. We have a bye week and I have a little bit more opportunity to prepare for the Packers and what they're going to bring at us. It's one week at a time.

"This is definitely something I've been working towards and I finally get the opportunity to step out there and do something."

Freeman named starter

Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris has officially announced that rookie quarterback and first round draft choice Josh Freeman will now start a week on Sunday against Green Bay. This will be Freeman's first start as quarterback, though his first NFL appearance was last Sunday in Wembley Stadium (which I saw).

Freeman was less than spectacular in his cameo appearance, being sacked twice and fumbling once. He completed two passes, one particularly showing a glimpse of his potential.

"He's going to go out there and it's going to help him," said Morris. "He'll get better. He has his center back in Jeff Faine. Some of these offensive linemen are healthy. Antonio Bryant's starting to get healthier and healthier. His running backs are coming along. You've got Derrick Ward, you've got Earnest at fullback, you've got Cadillac; it's time for those guys to step up.

"We went through the growing pains of the 0-7; now it's time for him to come in there and join his team and lead us."

"All the quarterbacks that have been in there have been subject to some other people not doing a great job for them as well," said Morris. "But now it's time to get Josh out there. You know you've got to run the right routes, be in the right spots. Everybody has to do the smart thing, you've got to block and protect the right way and you've got to get it all done together."

Morris continued, "It's up to the quarterback — he's the leader of the offense, he's got to get everybody going in the right direction and that's what he'll do. That's what he'll prepare to do, practice to do and play to do."

Time for Freeman?

Bucs QB Josh Johnson was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 35-7 loss to New England, and Johnson was suprisingly candid about the fact that it might be a permanent move.

On the Wembley sideline, head coach Raheem Morris had some words of comfort for his young signal-caller. 

"I told him, 'You don't have to say anything. I understand,' " Johnson mused. "(It was) the same situation as Byron (Leftwich). If we don't win games, maybe Josh (Freeman) is going to play. I understood what was going on when I first was (named) the starting quarterback."

Morris has thus far been non-committal about which quarterback would play after next weekend's bye, when the Bucs continue the season at home against Green Bay.

"Josh is still our man, and I still support him," rookie Freeman said. 

Whether Morris does, however, is another matter.  

Fan Footage

Amateur Youtube video of the best moments of the day...

New England Patriots 35 - 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs fall to 0-7 in London

Pics from Wembley Stadium

That pint cost £4, by the way. You can tell by my face I'm unimpressed.

London Calling

At 5pm, Sunday 25th October 2009, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the New England Patriots in the third installment of the NFL's "International Series".

I will be in the stand and will post a report following the contest. I use "contest" loosely, as the Bucs are 0-6 and facing a quarterback who threw six touchdowns in a 59-0 rout of Tennessee last week.

A victory here, on foreign shores, in a rather un-Florida like climate, does not bode too well for our Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There's always upset potential, right?

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Hello there!

I'm a second-year sports journalism student at Staffordshire University, and this blog is part of my course.





I intend to keep the blog updated on all things Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, United States. I have been following the Bucs for some years now and am attempting to apply some of my journalism skills (!) and provide a reliable, speedy source for news on the team.





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