Always Check The Source

Blogs have become an integral way in which many people get their information. As a blogger I think that's a wonderful thing. Nowadays just about anyone can add their voice to just about any conversation about any topic with a blog. That means that more people are being heard and more opinions are being voiced.

But blogs can also be tricky at times. Because blogs tend to blend opinion with fact a lot of the time its hard to actually separate the two. That's made doubly hard when the blogger doesn't go out of their way to make a clear distinction themselves. For that reason its always important that when there are source links to the information the blogger is writing about included in the post or that can be found with search engines that lead you to the source material, readers should ALWAYS check it out for themselves. Its not necessarily that the blogger is trying to trick or mislead their audience, but at times they will allow their personal feelings or how they interpret the source material to color their posts. And that can in turn give their readers a much different impression of what happened or what was said than they would have had themselves when exposed to the same information.

Now obviously this isn't coming out of the blue. Here's the deal, for two weeks now there have been posts about different Buccaneers who went on Total Access after the games and I don't think either post accurately captured what they said. Geno Hayes was on and the impression given was that he was defensive about the notion that our defense played soft against the New Orleans Saints. Well here is the link to that interview.

Geno on Total Access

Did Geno say the defense didn't play soft? Absolutely he did. But it was in the context of explaining what DID happen. And if you read my blog posts I pretty much agree with him that the problem was more about guys not being in their gaps and being on the details than it was about anybody getting pushed around aside from Roy Miller. But what's more important is the interview in full. Not only was Geno NOT defensive, he repeatedly accepted responsibility about their poor performance and repeatedly promised that it would get fixed. And that includes when angry callers were getting after him pretty good. He had every opportunity to get defensive or act offended but I didn't hear any of that in the interview.

Did you?

The second incident is a post that inferred that Jeremy Zuttah said that the Bucs were running a lot of zone plays in the first half against the Rams but that at halftime they made adjustments and stopped running zones and started running other plays.

Well here's the link to that interview.


Zuttah on Total Access

On this one there really is no grey area. Zuttah tells Dave Moore repeatedly that there weren't ANY halftime adjustments and that guys just played better in the second half and were more on the details. And the truth is if you watched the game more than once you would notice that we didn't run the zone plays any less in the second half than we did in the first half. Overall the game plan was better because in BOTH halves we went more with power Os, ISOs and split bellies than we had in previous weeks and in BOTH halves we didn't run as much zone as we had in previous games.

Now the quote attributed him, which was accurate, was about how the Bucs prepared during the week to play the Rams. They decided BEFORE the game to add a little more to the running game to give them a better chance of success. One of those additions was the running play I drew up last week that the Saints ran so well on us and that the Carolina Panthers copied from them where the tight end bows outside to get the end up the field and then the fullback comes and kicks him out. They ran it and had some success with it which was good to see.

Let me say this, I am calling this out because I think its starting to become a recurring problem and people may be getting the wrong impression about some things that are being said.  Also I'm calig it out because I keep getting asked questions about what I see as erroneous impressions people have based on those posts. But by no means does that mean I'm perfect or exempt. You should ABSOLUTELY click on every source link I put in any blog post to keep me honest and if there isn't a source link you should be googling or binging or whatever to make sure you get to form your own impression about what I'm speaking on. And while my focus today is on blogs, the same applies for online editions of print media as well.

NOBODY is perfect and we can all subconsciously interject our own prejudices into any story without meaning to. That's why its on you as the reader not to ever just take anything for granted. It doesn't matter if it's your favorite blogger or someone you hate, if there is source material out there do yourself a favor and expose yourself to it for your own piece of mind.

By the way, for all Bucs fans you should note that all of the shows like Total Access, Coach Morris' show, and Gerald McCoy's show that air on 620 are also archived on Buccaneers.com so if you miss them you can go back and listen to them. So if there is every a quote that arises out of one of those shows that you want to check you can always do so.

A Request

I was on twitter minding my own business when my stream blew up with news of JaMarcus Russell's arrest in Alabama over lean, sizzurp or purple drank if you will. Its basically a concoction of codeine cough syrup and soda that is supposed to get you high. Not only is it illegal but several prominent rappers have died from sipping lean, the most recent of which to my knowledge was PimpC.

Now I was just about to blog that I would like to slap the shit out of JaMarcus until he got his head on straight. But I have changed my mind in the time it took me to fire up my computer.

Instead Id like to slap the shit out of every family member, every advisor, every former coach and every homeboy that has any influence in JaMarcus' life right now or have had any influence in the last couple of years.

You folks have failed him and failed him MISERABLY.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in people taking personal responsibility for their actions. But I also believe that at some point the people around him either have to be helping him on that path of responsibility or in the event he just won't listen, refusing to be a part of his life.

Maybe its just me but I haven't heard stories of his "people" either reading him the riot act nor have I heard of them abandoning him to his own devices. Instead I hear about his hometown being disappointed he didn't make it. And unnamed advisers or "sources close to JaMarcus" claiming that he will be just fine as long as he gets another opportunity.

Well right about now you can kiss any of those opportunities goodbye. Hell I thought he was a long shot to ever be given another shot at an NFL career anyway because of his shitty work ethic. But now, after this arrest? Who in the hell do you know whose gonna give a quarterback who sips sizzurp a second chance?

I wouldn't and I consider myself a pretty forgiving guy.

Anybody who didn't see this coming had to be walking around with their eyes superglued shut and blinders on top of blue blockers. I didn't know it would be lean, but I was sure he was headed down the wrong path, so how in the hell could those closest to him not see the same thing?

Was it because the bling he was buying them was blurring their vision?

Somehow I suspect that could have played a role. Call it a hunch but I doubt JaMarcus took too kindly to folks telling him the truth. But if you are really his family, if you are really his friend, that's EXACTLY what you tell him whether he likes it or not. That's what having love for somebody is really about. Not sucking up so that you can stay in their good graces.

So while everybody is piling on JaMarcus Russell, and they have every right to do so, please save some of the vitriol to the enablers around him. They may just deserve it more than he does.

Bucs Win Bucs Win Bucs Win!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I called it but like I told yall I am still a fan at heart. I was up in here doing my touchdown celebration when that FG went in just like I am sure some of you were. I don't give a damn about what happened the rest of this season or what they will do with Coach Morris after next week, but got dammit this win made me proud. Talk about Buc ball baby. I will put something else up after I calm down a little but this is the best I can do right now.

I can't wait to hear how people will try to explain away THIS win away!!!


YESSIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

A Quick Note On The Bucs Game Today

You have one team with a rookie quarterback that just threw 5 interceptions last week. You have another team with a young quarterback who has been the backup all year. One team decides to run the ball no matter what. Another team decides to line up in shotgun and throw the ball around.

Which team do you think was the Bucs?

The Jets ran the ball 42 times. Let that sink in for a minute.

FORTY TWO MUTHAFUCKIN TIMES

Out of those 42 times they had 2 big runs totally 58 yards. You take those two runs away and they ran the ball 40 times for 117 yards for a 2.9 average. They weren't ripping the our defense with the run. In point of fact for most of the day our defense kicked their ass on the run. And the Jets are ranked number one in rushing offense in the whole NFL. But they didn't give a damn. They knew that it was hot and that their quarterback isn't that good. So they decided they would run the ball, not turn it over, and keep our defense on the field for as much of the game as they could.

The Bucs on the other hand evidently thought they had the second coming of Joe Montana as they decided to start off the game in shotgun and throw the ball with Josh Freeman. The interception to start off the game deep in our own territory evidently did nothing to dissuade them from chunking it all over the field. And that's how they end up throwing the ball 33 times, having Freeman scramble 4 other times and get him sacked 3 other times. Add it all up and their offensive coordinator, Greg Olsen, called at least 40 passes with a rookie quarterback who just threw 5 picks last week and facing the number one pass defense in all of the NFL.

Oh and we ran the ball all of 20 times. I believe I pointed out last week that we passed it twice as much as we ran it that game too.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is not rocket science. If it were there would be a lot fewer coaches in the NFL. When you have a young quarterback and your defense is playing well and ESPECIALLY if you are playing in warm weather, weather that the Jets were unaccustomed to, YOU RUN THE MUTHAFUCKING BALL. And I don't mean run it on first down and then maybe throw it if you don't get much. I mean you commit to running the ball on first and second down and hell maybe even if its 3rd and medium you run it then too. That is what football is all about.

What its not about is selling out your defense and keeping them on the field all got damn day just so you can showcase your new toy to the detriment of the team overall. I don't know how anybody on the offensive staff can even look any of the defensive coaches or players in the face after this game.

Now ultimately this falls on the head coach though. Raheem Morris may not call the offensive plays but he for damn sure hears them in his head phones. Well its time to start vetoing a bunch of this bullshit. I remember when the know nothing assholes in this town on the radio and elsewhere used to knock Coach Dungy because we ran the ball so much and we were "boring" on offense. Well you go back and look at our record in December, especially our home record. We beat teams into submission with our running game in this Florida heat and they didn't want to come down here and see us. I saw defenders for other teams literally quit after trying to tackle Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn for 3 quarters.

That's what wins ball games. All this Mickey Mouse throwing just for the sake of throwing bullshit is how you get beat.

Now maybe nobody on the offensive staff really gives a damn anymore. Maybe for them the games are just glorified practices where they can experiment and wait to get the first pick in the draft. I don't really believe that, but for the people who do I can understand why. What I do know is that they owe the defense a big ass apology for the product they put on the field today. I am sick and tired of watching bad football and what we are doing on offense with our game plan is fucking offensive.

I will say this much, watch the game today wouldn't make me feel any sense of comfort that anybody on the offensive staff has a fucking clue of what they are doing. And that's AFTER the debacle last week. Take that how you will.