A Quick Note

In order to truly evaluate whether a player played well or not you have to first know and understand what they were supposed to be doing in the first place.

It seems to be the case with Barrett Ruud that he is going to be the media's and fans' whipping boy whether he play's well or not. I have seen and heard from several different places where he had a horrible game against the Chiefs.

No he didn't .

As a matter of fact he played pretty well.

It wasn't a Pro Bowl performance but it was more than serviceable.

Let me point out three different plays and break them down.

First I've heard people complain about the play early on where Kyle Moore made Thomas Jones fumble. We were in a 3-4 alignment and the Chiefs ran a lead draw. That means the fullback leads up on the linebacker and the running back makes a cut off that block. Ruud's job is to attack the fullback with his inside shoulder leaving his outside arm free to make the tackle of the tailback cuts outside.

Annnnnnd. Ruud came downhill, attacked the fullback in the hole with his outside arm free and made Jones cut back to his help. Some how some way some people are saying he didn't something wrong on this play. I watched it at least 10 times just to be sure. He gave the fullback a nice pop and if you slow it down you will see the fullback's helmet rattle around. He made it cut back and he even ran to the ball after he did his job. But hey if you don't know what he was supposed to do on that play I guess you might not understand that.

Another play I've heard about was on a counter. The offensive tackle came off the ball and Barrett gave ground to get outside of him. The problem is we teach our defensive ends to spill the play on a counter and make it go outside. For that reason the middle linebacker has to get over the top of any blocks so they can make the tackle when it bounces outside. If they try to go underneath the block they get washed inside and the play is out of the gate. Aside from turning into the Incredible Hulk and running directly through an offensive lineman there wasn't much else Ruud could do if he wanted to do his job.

The last play was on 3rd and 1. We had one of our short yardage packages in (which I do not like) and the Chiefs ran a simple full back lead stretch weak. Ruud had to track the fullback because if he slips out to the flat that's who he has in coverage. The ball should have never gotten outside but our defensive end didn't get far enough up the field to turn it back so it bounced out. At that point Ruud has to get outside leverage on the fullback so Jones couldn't continue up the sideline.

Annnnd that's exactly what he did. He gave a little bit of ground and got outside leverage on the fullback. Jones cut it back in to the help and other guys made the tackle.

Now I have said this before and I will say it again. Barrett isn't necessarily what I would want as a prototypical middle linebacker. He doesn't explode into his tackles the way I would like and yes sometimes I would like him to come down hill more. But he isn't some cupcake who isn't physical or doesn't do his job. For most of the game we played some form of Tampa 2 when we weren't blitzing. In that situation in our defense the middle linebacker can't always come down hill immediately because of their pass responsibilities and their run fits. In Tampa 2 the linebackers have to play more than one gap at times. And that's something I bet most people don't know.

Tell you what, I know I said this would be quick but let me tell you about another play. On I believe the third drive the Chiefs ran a simple one back zone play. The ball started strong and then cutback. Now had we been in Cover 3 or any other coverage where the Safety is down in the box this would be a chance for all the linebackers to fly through their holes as soon as they saw a run threat because against that formation with the Safety down they all only have one gap that they are responsible for. But they didn't have a safety in the box (couldn't see the coverage because of the camera angle) so they still should have slow played it a little and then ran through their gaps.

Geno Hays, as he is won't to do, instead flew right through his gap. Unfortunately the guard blocked him. Barrett read it correctly and started towards his strong side A gap. The problem was that Roy Miller slipped and fell down so he wasn't in position to make the tackle when the ball cut back in his weakside A gap. Now had Barrett run through his strongside A gap as Geno ran through his backside B gap, the running back would have had a clean look at our safety about 7 or 8 yards up the field and would only have to beat him for a major gain. Instead Barrett throttled it down, came back and helped make the tackle.

Now some folks will look at that play and say "Look at Barrett making plays 5 yards down the field again" never realizing that he was doing his job AND somebody else's job so that we didn't end up having a breakout run against our defense. And its mostly because, again, people just don't know what he is supposed to do on any given play.

The funny thing is that as people are dogging Ruud for his play against the Chiefs his head coach slash defensive coordinator pointed him out as a guy who played well and was all over the field during press conference yesterday. Of course he has this little thing called film, but what does he know?

I recognize that some folks won't take this post well but I'm not trying to call anybody out specifically. My ultimate point is if you don't know then you can't really criticize someone's play fairly. You just can't. Now I answer pretty much any question when it comes to what happens on a football field so you an feel free to ask me as long as its not something ridiculous. Or you can go and ask someone else who is knowledgeable. Hell you can even go and buy some books and read up on different positions and their responsibilities. But this situation where people complain about stuff that isn't actually happening on the field has to end. And if I have to be the one to end it then hey, so be it.

Peace.

On Character

Cross Posted at joebucsfan

As I was driving home from watching the Bucs practice at training camp yesterday I heard news that Barrett Ruud finally talked to the media about his disappointment over a lack of a new contract after Donald Penn got paid this weekend. I think what he said was ok and he didn't go over the top but I heard someone speaking about it and they turned it into a conversation about character. As in Ruud thought about holding out but it wasn't in his "character" to do so. On the flip side the argument was that for Penn it was about the money but for Ruud its about security.

Uhmm what the hell?!

The money IS the security when it comes to playing in the NFL. Penn said a bunch of times that he wanted to end his career with Tampa and that it was ALSO about security for him as well going as far as to talk about how the injuries to Chad Jones influenced his decision to take the Bucs' offer.

I was kind of leaning towards dismissing it until I saw a report from Stephen Holder that Ruud considered walking out of camp after he heard about Penn's deal but his "character" wouldn't allow him to.

Lets get something straight right now. The NFL is a BUSINESS. Whether a guy chooses to hold out or not if they really have out performed their current deal isn't a matter of their character, its a matter of BUSINESS! The mistake Ruud made was signing his tender which then allowed the Bucs to fine him if he did in fact hold out. It kind of got me wondering if he bought the false report the Bucs put out about their ability to fine restricted free agents even if they hadn't signed their deal. Whether he did or he didn't though once he signed he effectively gave up all of his leverage.

Now I happen to agree with Ruud that he deserves a new contract. I have even went so far to defend him against the talking point about making tackles 5 yards down the field. But him showing up and staying in camp doesn't show that he has "character" any more than him holding out would have made him a "bad guy". In both instances it would have been a business decision and its bogus to view it any other way.

You know who never gets called out for a lack of character? Team owners who refuse to pay players that deserve it. Team owners who cut payroll even when their franchises are making loads of money. Team owners who cut or trade guys who were the cornerstones of their teams without so much as an explanation.

But do you ever hear anyone saying they showed poor character when those situations arise?

Nope. Instead the phrase "business decision" is tossed about. Well holding out for a new contract is in the same category. Making it about someone's character is not only wrong, its ridiculous. Nobody wants to be underpaid no matter what kind of job they have. Holding out is one of the only tools an NFL player has to force a team to renegotiate with them. So everyone needs to chill with this "character" argument because it just doesn't hold water.

I was about to end this post when I happened to go over to joebucsfan and I see this post about Jeff Faine weighing in on Ruud's situation.

Faine, the player, sympathizes.

Faine, the suit, has a different take.

"I understand, but at the same time, [Rudd]'s under contract," said Faine, who hit the free-agent lottery after the '07 season, his last with the New Orleans Saints. "If you're going to have issues with the last year of the contract, don't sign the contract. I'm really tired of [that]. ... This is me, as a player -- and we've been taught [by the union] not to talk about the league and guys around the league -- but as a player in that position [last year of his contract] , I came to camp, I did everything. I could have easily done the same thing and held out for an extension and wanted a new contract ... but I signed the contract as a rookie and that was the last year of my contract. If I didn't want a five-year contract, I should have signed a four-year contract."

Neither Ruud, a second-round pick in 2005, nor Penn, an undrafted free agent, could have foreseen the complicated CBA situation, but Faine's point is that a contract is a contract. He's played by contract rules on the football fields and been bound by them in the business fields.

So let's unpeel this onion. First off Faine does have a point in a sense. Barrett Ruud had the opportunity last year and this year to holdout for a new contract but he declined to do so. I happen to like his backup Adam Heyward because he gives you everything he's got whenever he's on the field. But the reality is he is not the caliber of middle linebacker that Ruud is and thus had he done what Penn did and not signed the tender he would have had the same kind of leverage and perhaps a new contract. He decided not to and when he made that decision he should have let it go. I don't know where some players get this notion that teams are going to "do the right thing" if you just show up and play. History has shown that isn't the case. But if its really about "character" as folks are trying to make it out to be then that same "character" should have kept Ruud silent on the issue after he made the business decision to sign his tender and show up to camp.

On the other hand however, what is Faine doing here? Is going public with his problems with Ruud's situation going to help a team that was horrible last year in any possible way?

First off he's wrong on the details. Ruud DID play out his contract which is the reason he's playing on a restricted free agent tender right now. Ruud was in line for a new contract, just like Faine was but the CBA situation precluded him from going out on the open market.

Besides that he goes on to say:

"Players complain when they get cut from a contract, but they don't complain when they're [under-producing] and already under contract. So it's, 'Hey, I'm already paying you $4 million this year -- and you want more?' You signed a contract."

News flash Jeff, teams will ask players to take pay cuts when they under perform or are hurt and in some instances they release them if the salary cap allows it. Which is precisely the reason why players have to fight their buts off to get paid what they are worth when the iron is hot because the owners aren't going to just give that money away and guys have to worry about their financial security for the future.

Now I personally think Faine has played well since he has been a Buccaneer but now might be a good time to remind him that since he signed his $37 million dollar deal here the team hasn't made the playoffs and he hasn't made the Pro Bowl. Considering his deal was the richest for a center in NFL history at the time does that mean he has under performed? Should he be giving some of that money back to the Glazers, especially in light of last year's 3-13 season?

See that's why its never good to talk about another guy's contract status. Because then the spotlight gets shined right back at you. And at this point it would probably be good if both Ruud and Faine took some STFU pills.

Anticipating The Argument

One thing about blogging sometimes over at joebucsfan is that you start to get a feel for how some of the regular commenters will come down on certain topics. There is definitely a segment of Buccaneers fans there and elsewhere across the blogosphere that seem to back whatever the brass over at One Buc says without much thought or examination. Right now many of them, with all evidence to the contrary, will try to convince other people and maybe even themselves that Donald Penn doesn't deserve a new contract. Mind you but for the CBA expiring, which wasn't really a sure thing until last year, the Bucs would be in a situation right now where they would HAVE to give him a new contract or risk losing Penn via free ageny. At the least they would have had to franchise him to keep him and while not a long term deal it would have been a helluva lot more than the $3 million and change they are offering him right now.

But those kinds of facts don't appeal to that section of Bucs fans. Nope they will find new excuses for the Glazers not cutting the check every single day. As soon as you shoot down one, here comes another. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing inherently wrong with fans trusting their owners. But at some point that trust crosses over into the land of the delusional.

So this morning I happened to see a post that I KNOW will make that crowd giddy. It seems that the player ratings for the new Madden video game have come out. And whaddya know.

Top Left Tackles
R. Clardy - 98
J. Long - 96
J. Thomas - 95
M. Roos - 95
J. Gross - 95
D. Ferguson - 91
J. Brown - 91
B. McKinnie - 90

Madden has the top 8 left tackles and ZOMG there's no Donald Penn!!!

Now you may think I'm crazy for saying this but I can almost guarantee that there will be a Bucs fan who uses the Madden ratings to justify Penn not getting a new deal.

No bullshit.

I can hear them now..."SEE SEE even Madden agrees with Mark Dominik and you know its the most realistic video game EVAHHH"

Laugh now, but I will accept your apology when it happens.

But here's the thing, remember that these folks ALWAYS back ownership. That being the case there is something about the Madden ratings that is going to give them a lot of heartburn if they try to use them against Penn.

Top MLB
P. Willis - 99
J. Beason - 96
R. Lewis - 94
D. Harris - 91
B. Ruud - 91
L. Fletcher - 91
D. Ryans - 90
J. Vilma - 90

Yep. that's right folks. Madden has Barrett Ruud, you know the OTHER guy the Bucs won't commit too long term, as the 4th or 5th best middle linebacker in all the NFL. Oh I know you've been repeating that "he makes tackles 5 yards down the field" crap all off season, but evidently (like me) Madden and his people disagree.

And I mean if Madden is a fair arbiter of Penn's talent shouldn't he also be a fair arbiter for Ruud's.

Understand this, I think BOTH guys deserve new deals so I'm happy as hell for Barrett that he is getting props on the game AND I think Penn should have been in the mix at his position. But the point to get across is this.

ITS A FRIGGIN VIDEO GAME!!!

Using it as an argument for or even against a guy getting money is ridiculous. But because I know at this point Penn detractors/Glazers supporters are grasping at straws to justify this situation I just know someone will use that weak ass analogy.

Welp, just know if you bring that weak stuff to me I'm slapping it hard against the backboard and giving you the Mutombo finger wave.

You've been warned ;)

On Barrett Ruud

Over the past season there has been a fair share of Barrett Ruud bashing. I will be honest and say that Ruud isn't exactly what I consider a prototypical middle linebacker but I think most of the main criticisms of him are bogus and borne of a fundamental lack of understanding about the role he plays in our defense. For that reason I wanted to debunk one of the most wide spread talking points against him, the one about him not making plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.

First off every Bucs fan should try to burn all the images of Barrett Ruud from the first 10 games out of your memory. The scheme simply sucked and it put him at a disadvantage in that he was called upon to take on centers and guards as if he was in a 3-4 defense and that is not really his strong point. And because it isn't likely that we are going to go back to that scheme or a 3-4 defense at least in the next season, that's not really a fair way to judge the value he brings to the team.

Now here in Tampa we have been blessed and somewhat spoiled to have some really good middle linebackers over the past 15 years or so. Hardy Nickerson or "Hardware" as we called him was a very physical and very intimidating presence in the middle our defense and he was also athletic enough to cover the deep middle in our Tampa 2 coverage. After Hardy we had Shelton Quarles who was a little more athletic if a little less intimidating in leading our defense in the middle. Now we have Ruud who just plays the game some what differently from both of those guys but is none the less still effective. He matches up well with tight ends, he is able to cover that deep middle, and he doesn't miss very many tackles. Still some folks around Tampa would have you to believe that Ruud isn't a playmaker or I guess they want to infer that he is afraid to come down hill and hit somebody. Well I for one watch all the games and I have seen nothing of the sort. And since players can't very well combat these criticisms themselves, I feel its important that people know the truth.

Lets talk about the role of the middle linebacker in a Tampa 2 defense. First and foremost, yes they have to play the run and fill their gap, but they also have to cover the deep middle/seam routes on the pass. It sounds like an easy concept, but in practice its pretty damn hard. Especially when you factor in having to react to a play action pass. In Tampa 2 our Safeties split the deep section of the passing zone into two halves. The most vulnerable part of this section is always the middle because in Tampa 2 the safeties split and pay more of their attention to what the wideouts are doing, making sure to cover the corners' backs on any deep balls. Nowadays their job is even harder because of the 5 yard chuck rule because the corners generally aren't able to get the good reroute like they use to and force the wide receivers further inside where its easier for the safeties to help cover them. That means more wide receivers are able to get off the line with an outside move and get up the sideline on go routes. In turn the safeties have to be ready to get over the top of any sideline deep route thus leaving a relatively big piece of real estate open right down the middle of the field.

If your middle linebacker gets sucked into the line on playaction pass in this situation, then a tight end or slot receiver will basically have free reign to burn you for 20 or more yards a pop right down the seam. THAT is why there are times when you see Barrett Ruud hesitate before he comes down hill. He is trying to discern whether its really a run or if he needs to get back in pass coverage. And if you noticed the seam route wasn't really a pass that hurt us a lot this year.



I know some folks pine for the days when we had Shelton Quarles manning the middle, and one thing is for sure and that is I am a HUGE fan of Quarles from all the way back when we played together. But some of those same people probably don't realize that Quarles only had 5 tackles for a loss his final year as a starter. And when I say only, that's not a knock against Quarles, its more an illustration about the position both he and Ruud play. Tackles for loss aren't really put at a premium for a middle linebacker in our version of a Tampa 2. That is more the job of the Will linebacker which is why you saw Derrick Brooks make so many plays behind the line in his career and why Geno Hayes had more than his fair share last year in his first full season as a starter.

Now I would say that all things being equal Quarles was probably a better overall athlete than Ruud but one thing is almost undeniable and that is that Ruud is exceptional in coverage. Just compare his 16 passes defensed and his 5 interceptions in his past 3 years as a starter with Quarles' 8 passes defensed and 0 interceptions in his last 3 years as a starter. Again, that's not to say that Ruud is better than Quarles, its just to say that the guy has put in work. And some folks should at least acknowledge that.

As far as I can tell this talking point is a reaction to people who point out Ruuds impressive tackle totals as a starter. For instance one year Ruud reportedly had over 200 tackles from the middle linebacker position. So instead of giving him credit for being a productive player in that regard, some folks have decided they can just dismiss all those tackles by saying they happened too far down the field. Of course there are no statisticians that track that kind of thing so its a hard talking point to refute. But all I need are my two eyes so allow me to call bullshit on that.

To be honest with you when it comes to being physical, I have seen Ruud really rock some fullbacks on iso plays. An iso is what some people refer to as a fullback lead where the fullback goes through the hole first to try to create space and the tailback follows behind him and tries to cut off his block to get yardage inside. We used to call it an attitude play because you can watch the fullback and the linebacker he is taking on to see which one of them is going to be the hammer and which is going to be the nail. As a matter of fact if a team runs enough of those plays you might well either see the fullback slow down a bit, or tipping as we call it, because they are tired of being pounded into oblivion, or you might see the linebacker all of a sudden try to go around the block instead of through it because their shoulders are probably on fire. Ruud takes on that block the same way from the first play of the game through the last. I won't say he wins every single collision but he for damn sure wins his fair share.

So as you can tell now this talking point about tackles for losses is a helluva lot more complex than many area sports pundits would have you believe. But there is at least one legitimate criticism of Ruud that I have and I don't mind sharing it with you.

I am a guy who believes you have to play defense with a lot of emotion, that emotion usually being pissed off. When I watch a middle linebacker I don't want to see him just make a tackle, I want to see him try to tear a guy's head off. Whether its behind the line or a tackle after a five yard gain I want to see that middle linebacker get a guy down on the ground as if he just said something foul about his mama. Now that just isn't the kind of linebacker Ruud is, and likely isn't the kind he ever will be. I think week after week Offensive Coordinators fear him a lot more than the running backs on the other teams do. That's because the offensive coordinators know that he will make the tackle if he gets the chance while the running backs know he won't necessarily try to take them out on that tackle. The yardage will still be the same but at times you want to see a running back get up and go back to the huddle in such a way that you can tell that tackle is going to stay on their mind all game. And in truth, as much as I get on Jeremy Trueblood for getting dumb penalties, I for one wouldn't mind Ruud getting a personal foul or two a season, just to send a message.

But here is where I tend differ from other people who it seems spend every other day bashing Barrett Ruud. While I see the area in his game where I feel like he could improve, I ALSO see the areas in his game where he happens to play at a high level. I won't say that Ruud is a Pro Bowler right now or that he is every going to best to ever play the game at that position, but what I WILL say is that for what we ask him to do he is definitely doing a better than average job. And remember, I'm just talking about what he is doing in a physical sense on the field, I didn't even touch on how well he does getting us lined up play after play or his apparently high football IQ

There is an old saying that you never appreciate what you have until its gone. Well if Ruud ends up leaving I have a feeling more than a few Bucs fans will come to understand what that saying means. There might be a few middle linebackers that could play the position better than Ruud here, but certainly no more than a handful. And if you think the teams that those few guys play are are just going to let them walk away you're crazy. And if you think the Glazers are going to break the bank for them then you haven't been paying attention. Bucs fans who are clamoring for a new middle linebacker would do well to remember another old saying.

"Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it."

How Important Is Barrett Ruud To The Bucs?

Pewter Report is reporting that Barrett Ruud will not hold out of training camp (who even knew he was considering it?).

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have a full training camp roster when the team reports to One Buccaneer Place on Friday, July 31. PewterReport.com has learned that starting middle linebacker Barrett Ruud will not hold out of training camp and will report to One Buccaneer Place tomorrow. Ruud had missed all of the team's OTAs (organized team activities) due to the fact that he is looking for a contract extension, but did show up for the mandatory mini-camp in mid-June.

Ruud, who has one year left on his rookie deal and is set to earn $1.6 million in 2009, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in March if the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association is renewed. If the CBA is not renewed, Ruud will only be a restricted free agent next year and will not become an unrestricted free agent until 2011.

Now I realize that Ruud has played really well since becoming a starter But just how important is he to the Bucs right now?

On the one hand I would venture to say that if he was ever going to hold out for a new contract now is the time. Having jettisoned both certain future Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks as well as the starting strong side linebacker Cato June, Ruud is the only hold over starter for new coach Raheem Morris. For a team that for over a decade now has been defined by a stifling defense, losing all three starting linebacker would seem to be an unworkable situation. Besides that, you would be losing your defensive play caller on a team with a brand spanking new defensive coordinator.

On the other hand you might say what would Coach Morris and the new staff have to lose by calling Ruud's bluff? I don't know of anyone who has lofty expectations for the Bucs this year. Besides that as a new head coach, Morris might not have wanted to appear weak by giving in to Ruud's demand. Along those lines you might have also had the perception out there by the fans that if you pay Ruud then you picked him over a guy like Brooks whom I think a lot of people are still upset about the fact that the Bucs cut him some what unceremoniously.

In the end, if I was advising Ruud, I probably would have advised him to hold out. I just think that the public would have turned on the Bucs had they allowed him to hold out especially since he has become a fan favorite. Besides that, he is in fact a fan favorite now and you see his picture all over any Bucs promotional items. I think the Bucs not paying him would be a road to far for most of their fan base. I also think that Ruud risks having a bad year this year trying to become familiar with a new system and surrounded by new starters which may bring his stock way down. And then there is always the prospect of injuries.

I guess its all moot now since he is going to report on time, but should he get injured or so called under achieve this year, it will be interesting to see what kind of contract he is offered next spring.