Let. It. Go.

On yesterday the recently fired Jim Leavitt called a press conference to announce that he was going to sue USF for his job back. I listened to the press conference several times on this youtube clip as I missed it real time, and the whole time I was unconsciously shaking my head. I don't know what is motivating Leavitt to take this course of action but I know what my advice would be to him.

Let it go.

I have thought about this situation over and over and I can't come up with a way that this will turn out well for him. I appreciate his passion and attachment to the USF football team. He really and truly did literally build it up from nothing. He did some phenomenal things during his tenure, taking a team that didn't exist first to the mid level Conference USA and then on from there to the BCS conference Big East all in a span of less than 15 years. Also during that time the team has spawned quite a few NFL players and two years ago they had their very first 1st round pick in Mike Jenkins, a guy who is playing quite well in the playoffs right now for the Dallas Cowboys.

There is much for Leavitt to be back on and be proud of, of this there can be no doubt. But he is about to run the risk of ruining all those good memories by fighting a fight he can't win. I don't know if he hit Joel Miller or not for sure and only the people who were there really do. But I do know that the report USF released last week was as damning as you can get. And it has only gotten worse since that time as Miller has hired his own attorney and is now back to saying Leavitt DID hit him and that he only changed his story to cover for his coach. That means however Leavitt planned on proving his innocence just got about 1000 times harder.

Dude, its time to let it go!

Now the one thing that was amazing to me most about the press conference yesterday was how weak the questions were from the assembled media. It seemed like all they wanted to do was reask the same question over and over. "Did you hit Joel Miller" was repeated in about twenty different ways. For me the answer Leavitt was going to give to that question had to be obvious going in. If he was going to say he actually hit Miller would he have really been calling a presser in the first place? And the thing of it is USF released the findings of their investigation to the public last week. There were plenty of facts spelled out in that report that supported the university's decision to cut ties with Leavitt and move on. So when given the opportunity to get Leavitt's side, why didn't anybody in the audience bring them up? Here let me give you a few of the nuggets I found in the report last week that I felt were note worthy.

Coach Franks confirmed to the reviewers that he spoke to Student Athlete A, after he first heard rumors that something had happened in the locker room at the Louisville game halftime. He had not been in the locker room on the 21st. His awareness came on the Monday after the game. He told the reviewers that the other players had been "ribbing" Student Athlete A since the November 21st game. Additionally Franks thought that Student Athlete A was "different, just different".

snip

He recalls that in his regular call to Student Athlete A's parents following the Louisville game, the parents told Coach Franks that they were "concerned" about what had happened in the locker room.

What you have here is two instances that would lead you to believe that at least SOMETHING out of the ordinary happened at halftime of the Louisville game. First Miller's teammates were "ribbing" him afterwards. Why exactly were they ribbing him if nothing serious happened? Secondly his parents expressed their concern to Coach Franks. What were they concerned about if nothing serious happened? And remember, this is information coming from a coach who has been at USF for many years. You can't try to paint him as a player just disgruntled over a lack of playing time like some of the others in the report have been portrayed.

Head strength coach Ron McKeefery was interviewed. Coach McKeefery indicated that he was in the locker room, watching the clock for Coach Leavitt and the team, informing them of the time remaining in the half. In that capacity, he was standing approximately three feet behind and slightly to the left of Leavitt. He saw Student Athlete A was not responding nor making eye contact with Leavitt. Student Athlete A had in fact made two mistakes on special teams. Leavitt grabbed Student Athlete A's chin and spoke to him saying, "You're a good Student Athlete." Leavitt left then returned to Student Athlete A. He popped Student Athlete A's shoulder pads twice and grabbed his jersey.

Now Coach McKeefery went on to say Leavitt didn't slap Miller, but the damage, in my opinion, was already done in his testimony. He admits Leavitt grabbed the kid's chin. Leavitt says he didn't touch the kid's face at all. He also admits Leavitt hit the kid twice, albeit he says it was the shoulder pads. Leavitt says he didn't hit the kid at all. The stories are just too divergent, and remember this is another coach, another grown up making these assertions. This isn't a player who may have had an axe to grind.

Those are the two glaring parts of the report that stood out for me because it was two adults adding to the evidence of what happened in the locker room either by a first hand account or with anecdotal facts. But literally there was a mountain of other evidence if not of Leavitt hitting the kid, at least of some kind of cover up. And I won't even get on the story about Leavitt allegedly having personally retaliated against one of his players, Colby Erskin, who had supposedly told investigators that the story reported by Fan House was true.

At this point with Miller's attorney coming out yesterday and saying the situation did in fact happen, what you basically have is a substantial amount of people who saw the incident directly all saying the same thing and Leavitt is now on an island all by himself saying another. And the majority of the people quoted in the report are also people who continue to work at or attend and play football for USF.

And he is going to sue to get his job back?

I have to wonder if Leavitt were challenged on these points yesterday what his responses would have been. And I also wonder if he did a poor job of addressing the stuff in the report if maybe it would have dawned on him that he is in a very precarious situation. Maybe just maybe if he had stumbled over explaining why Coach McKeefery saw him grab Miller's chin he would have realized just how high the deck is stacked against him right now.

But none of those questions were asked, so I guess we will never know.

What I will say is this, somebody close to him that cares should probably be asking those questions directly to him behind the scenes. Because if yesterday's performance is any indications, Leavitt has convinced himself that he has done no wrong. And perhaps he hasn't, for all I know. But what I do know is that should he push the issue, trying to get his job back at some point he is going to have to answer these questions and a whole lot more. I don't think he really wants to do that, especially if he wants to preserve his legacy at USF. No matter how self assured he is of a positive outcome, cooler heads need to intercede. If the people around Leavitt really want what's best for him its time to some advice that he probably won't want to hear.

Let it go.

Total Lack Of Self Awareness

Texas Tech has evidently fired Mike Leach according to what I am seeing in my twitter stream, but I still wanted to post this video of his lawyer giving a member of the media an "exclusive" look at the two places they had Craig James' son stay for hours while practice went on. I would like for you to watch the video all the way through then read my comments underneath.



Now I am as old school as they come when it comes to football. I have seen with my own two eyes the way some players are coddled nowadays and it turns my stomach at times. But this kid was diagnosed as having a concussion by a doctor and you simply can not screw around with that.

Now I want to point out a few things about this video. While they showed both places the kid had to stay what they didn't point out that in both instances he wasn't allowed to leave and in the instance of the shed or the garage or whatever the hell you want to call it, he was shut in and all the lights were out. Mind you HE HAS A CONCUSSION! I have had a few concussions in my time and one thing I have never heard is staying on your feet was good for you in that instance. The guards or trainers or whatever euphemism Leach and his attorney want to call them were not in there with him so had he fainted or lost his balance and fallen and busted his head open, and believe me when you have a concussion something like standing for an extended period of time is hard to do, the only thing they could have done is cleaned up the aftermath.

The second thing is that the lawyer freely admits that Leach has done this to other players in the past. That ladies and friends shows a pattern of punishing players for being hurt. That crap about having him close to the team is just that, crap. There ain't a damn thing Adam James would gain from being close to his team practicing in a damn windowless structure. Bigger than that why even have a training room if you are going to pull this kind of shit? Isn't that where injured players are supposed to go?

Let me put it to you differently, if a parent had done this to their kid they would be locked up for child abuse. So why exactly does Leach or his attorney think its suitable to do to one of his players?

Now there have been rumors that the kid was disgruntled. That Craig James was always calling to complain about playing time. You know what, all of that might be true and what Leach did is still wrong. And I can tell you this, had this been my son that it happened to the story wouldn't be about Leach getting fired. The story would be about me beating the dog shit out of him within an inch of his life until he understood not to ever treat another one of his players that way.

I have seen some crazy shit in my time but punishing this kid for having a concussion by having him stand up for hours inside a shed/garage or a closet/media room is absolutely some bullshit.

It is what it is.

The Difference

I have to keep saying this, this blog was meant to be pretty much a hobby of mine. I had no reason to believe anybody would care about what I had to say about sports in general and the Bucs in particular. So the interest that I have drawn truly humbles me.

Having said that, there are some fans who think that I have some kind of ulterior motives. I have a feeling that they aren't feeling what I say on this blog because for the most part I give substantive critiques instead of broad (and usually wrong) generalizations. See when you speak in specifics a lot of the times the media narratives they normally hear don't fit. So all of a sudden I am covering for the defensive line or I am just trying to get some notoriety when the truth is like I said before this was all a hobby for me.

But here is the thing, I haven't actually been factually wrong about anything all year. I know this because I actually watch and rewatch all the Bucs games before I decide to offer my assessment. I highly doubt any of the chattering classes around here do that listening and reading some of what they have to say. If they do then either they don't really know football or they are intentionally misleading their fans in order to further some other agenda.

However this blog is about what God loves, the truth. Doesn't matter really to me if people believe me or not, like I told a commenter yesterday all I can do is argue with facts. After I do that I can't make anyone accept those facts but at least I will have exposed them to them.

Now here is the narrative you will hear all week about the Bucs. That they are in disarray after essentially firing Jim Bates. That they never gave Bates the players he needed for his defensive scheme. That we really don't have any play makers on defense. And that this change won't really make much of a difference.

So here is what I think about those memes. First of all, yes firing both the offensive and defensive coordinators in the same season is a bad sign. I can't defend it and I don't know that anyone should. But I will say this, something had to give. And honestly, although I would never call for Bates to be fired I would almost bet that the only reason he lasted this long was because the Bucs didn't want to fire him after firing their OC Jeff Jadgozinski right before the season started. Whether this means the team is in disarray will be seen in the final games.

As for not providing Bates the players he needed, yeah I have said for the past few weeks that what we brought in here in the draft this year versus what Bates said he needed for his defense did not line up. Neither did trying to switch Jermaine Phillips from safety to outside linebacker. But here is my thing on that, as a coordinator you have to be able to adjust your scheme to the players you have, especially in the pros. Every year people lose big time players on offense and defense. So lets imagine for a second that the Bucs brought in two big tackles and two big linebackers to fit Bates scheme. What happens if those guys get hurt during the middle of the season? The NFL is set up where you are only going to have so many big time guys because of the salary cap. If your coordinator on offense or defense can't adjust their scheme to their talent level then you will always be one or two injuries away from disaster.

As for talent level I will say again that we have enough talent to win. Not all of the guys on our defense are guys I personally think would be starters in the NFL but that doesn't mean we can't win with them. Lets take a trip down memory lane. In the year the Bucs won the Superbowl one of their starters and best players on defense, Booger McFarland, got hurt. We had to go down the stretch run through the playoffs and into the Superbowl with a guy most people never heard of, Chartric "Chuck" Darby, as our starting nose tackle. Here was a guy who wasn't drafted and had played in the World League before signing with the Bucs. And yet he still played well and we did go on that run and we did win the Superbowl.

It ain't always about the big name guys. Its about how they fit in your scheme.

As for whether this will make a change on defense, absolutely it will. The one thing that I am worried about the calls Coach Morris will make at crucial times. I haven't seen him in that situation so I am not sure how that will go. But I am telling you right here and now that our defense will show a marked improvement on Sunday against the Falcons if they truly go back to our old scheme with the weak tackle lined up over the center and at times running an under defense with Quincy Black on the line over the tight end. If you see those things happening on Sunday you will see our stats improve. Basically the thing about it is there were small adjustments Bates had every opportunity to make all year but never made them.

I know most sports pundits around here won't take the time out to actually attempt to explain what the specific problems on our defense were, but I don't work that way. I am not just going to say this group or that group is the problem or this player or that player is the problem...unless they ARE the problem. I will give you one prime example in closing.

Today on the radio I heard some very popular sports guys say, loudly, that the Bucs didn't have any hurries against the Saints. Now I like both of the guys who said this but that doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. The Bucs actually had 6 hurries. First let me make sure you know what a hurry is. A hurry is when someone hits or gets close to hitting a quarterback which either makes him throw the ball away or affects the throw and ends up in an incomplete pass. The truth is we could have had a couple of other hurries but for the fact that Brees still found a way to complete the pass even with someone bearing down on them.

As for the hurries we did have, Greg (Stylez) White had 3, one of them on a great spin move when he hit Brees right in the kisser. Jimmy Wilkerson had 2, one of them on a 3rd and 5 in the first half when he was rushing the guard and made a really nice rip move. And Roy Miller had 1 where he beat a double team on an early down and got right in Brees' face.

Now would I have liked to have had more hurries? Hell yes. I would have also liked to have some sacks too. But still you have to admit that 6 is a lot more than 0. And for someone who wants to argue with me that we didn't have any hurries they are going to have facts.

*Kanye Shrug*

Anyway, I advise all Bucs fan to at least stay on board or get back on board for this weekend and check the defense out against Atlanta. I am not saying we will win, and I am not saying we will be perfect. But what I AM saying is that you should see a noticeable improvement.

It is what it is.

The Axe Has Fallen

Tampa Bay Buccanneers Defensive Coordinator Jim Bates has been relieved of his coaching duties.

From Tampabay.com

TAMPA -- Saddled with the worst run defense in the NFL and a 1-9 record, coach Raheem Morris decided Monday night to relieve Jim Bates as defensive coordinator and take over the defensive play-calling duties.

Bates, 63, will remain with the team at least through the end of the season in a consulting role, breaking down film and helping Morris on game day from the coaching box.

Morris is expected to immediately return the Bucs' to their Tampa Two scheme, which will allow their undersized defensive linemen to take advantage of their quickness rather than penalize them for a lack of size.

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.

Under Bates, Tampa Bay's defense is ranked 26th overall in the NFL and last against the run, allowing 168.9 yards per game. Only the Detroit Lions have given up more points than the 29.4 per game allowed by the Bucs this season.

Believe it or not I am torn about this. You see while I disagreed with a lot Bates had done during this season, I also realize just how big of a deal it is for a coach to get fired. Coaching in the NFL or on the college level is a very nomadic lifestyle. People get hired and fired so much these days after awhile some coaches don't even have their family's fully unpack until a few years into their contract. Bates won't be leaving immediately but obviously he won't be here after the season is over with and that means unless he retires which is doubtful that he and his family will have to move yet again. Its another reason why coaching is so hard on marriages and parenting.

On the other side of the coin our defense just wasn't getting it done and as I have said many times on this blog, it was the scheme that was killing us. Now I wouldn't expect us to come out and play like the 1994 Dallas Cowboys but I would almost guarantee that the defense will perform markedly better this Sunday when they go back to playing the kind of run defense we have played around here for more than a decade prior to this year. I am not sure if Raheem is going to have a declared undertackle but just without thinking it through I personally would love to see him have Hovan go to the strong side every play so he is always in a position to pass rush and have Sims with his big body always on the center and then have Miller spell both of them at times.

Now Stroud in his article takes a few shots at the defense by saying they don't have many play makers. I respectfully disagree. I would look for Hovan, White, Talib, Black, Jackson, and Ruud to look a lot better this Sunday and make the kind of plays fans have been hoping for all year.

Oh and for all of the haters who thought I was talking out of my ass or that I was "trying to get paid" as one message boarder commented, what do you have to say now?

Memphis Should "Get Strong"

With the news today that Memphis has fired head football coach Tommy West I would strongly suggest that they go after Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong with whatever it takes to get him. The guy is immenently qualifed and at this point the SEC has shown that their teams aren't interested in hiring him (and we all know why).

With his background on defense he can quickly turn the program around while he builds up a new offense with new players. And with him coming from Florida he can open up recruiting lanes that they have never had at Memphis. And finally they can have a program at that school that reflects the level of talent in the Memphis area which is a much overlooked hot bed of football talent.

Because higher level schools are basically discriminating against Strong this would be the perfect time to get him where he can build his resume and you won't have to break the bank to pay him.

To me this should be a no brainer and hopefully somebody in their athletic department feels the same way.

The Turk Is Going After More Than Just Players This Week

Evidently this is what's hot right now in the NFL:

In a press conference that streamed via the team's official web site roughly as well as the team's offense executed its mission during the preseason, the Buffalo Bills confirmed that offensive coordinator Turk Schonert has been ousted from his position.

"Today we removed Turk Schonert and relieved him of his responsibilities as our offensive coordinator," coach Dick Jauron said. "[Quarterbacks coach] Alex Van Pelt will assume the play calling duties and [running backs coach] Eric Studesville will continue as our run game coordinator and we'll obviously move forward as quickly and as well as we possibly can from here. Nothing that we had planned on obviously, nothing that was enjoyable in any way shape or form, but that's what occurred."

Jauron said that the decision was his and his alone.

"I wasn't thinking about firing him three days ago," Jauron said. "I wasn't thinking about it two weeks ago. And when you start thinking about it, I think you need to move on it and do something. So when I started thinking about it I gave it a good deal of thought and did it. Clearly I believe it's the right thing to do. It's painful for him and for his family and for the organization to go through it, but it was just a decision I needed to make I felt, and made it."

Jauron also said that Schonert will not be remaining with the team.

We kinda saw this after the season started last year with Ted Cottrell fired as Defensive Coordintor in San Dieogo and Brian Stewart demoted from Defensive Coordinator in Dallas. Still firing a coordinator a week before the regular season has got to be unprecedented and for it to happen on three different teams is definitely shocking. But I guess that's why they call it a copy cat league.

What The Hizzle?!

Man this dude must have smoked crack or got caught with a hooker or something!

Jeff Jagodzinski has been fired as the Bucs offensive coordinator. Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson has been promoted to the post.

The news is a shock, coming just more than a week before the start of the regular season.

Jagodzinski never coached a regular season game with the Bucs, having been hired in February.

There was no reason offered by the team in its announcement, but coach Raheem Morris will hold a news conference at noon to take questions on the move.

Maybe this is just some kind of new trend with first time Head Coaches in the NFL since we saw Chief's coach Todd Haley do the same thing just the other day, but I gotta say it's not a good look for Raheem Morris. I guess we will see around noon what he has to say about it but this is a sure way to lose the lockerroom if its not played right.



Update: All I can say is WOW!

Sometime during training camp, it became increasingly apparent to Bucs officials and players, that Jagodzinski was not equipped to install and direct an NFL offense. His expertise centered mostly around the zone blocking scheme, which he helped operate for the Atlanta Falcons.

But Jagodzinski lacked sophistication regarding protections and different aspects of an NFL passing game.

The Bucs promoted quarterbacks coach Greg Olson to offensive coordinator. The Bucs made the move today because they have one preseason game remaining Friday against the Texans to work out the logistics of how and where Olson will call plays.

Logan will remain with the Bucs in his current capacity and continue to assist Olson.
The decision to hire Jagodzinski as offensive coordinator was obviously a bad one. In the end, the Bucs believed he might be more qualified as a head coach than a play-caller.

"Coach Jag came in and I have a lot of respect for him,'' Morris said. "But we're at the point now where we have to be more precise and we need to be more detailed and we need to have more direction to where we're going to go. And we just didn't have it right now for whatever reason. That's about as detailed as I can get on it.''

You have to ask why exactly they would hire a guy that didn't have experience calling plays and also what kind of interview process they actually went through for them not to know his limitations before they offered him the job. This actually makes the Bucs look bad if you ask me, especially when they wait until a week before the first game to make this move instead of earlier in the offseason. Adding to that the fact that its not likely that the top two quarterbacks on the team will get meaningful playing time tomorrow in the last preseason game.

You have to ask yourself at this point if his lack of ability might have made a difference in the Quarterback competition. It will be interesting to see if anything changes going forward and how the team adjusts.