MAWSE!!!

Adam Schefter reports via twitter:

Trade is done: Randy Moss to Minnesota for a third-round pick. Details on ESPN's Sportscenter at 9 a.m.

If you know me personally or have been following this blog for a long time you know that I have always been a big time fan of Randy Moss. Hell as a player I got to see first hand what he could do to a defense and how he made you prepare to play against him. Trust me, that wasn't fun at all.

But ever since his first game in Minnesota defenses have tried to find ways to shut him down and yet he still finds ways to put up numbers. Simply put he is the most physically gifted and impressive wide receiver that I have ever seen. I know because of his attitude that he isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I don't think you can name a person who can or has done the things he has on the football field. And I know the fact that he doesn't block all the time irritates folks but look at it this way, when Moss is on the field most teams are loath to play with 8 men in the box for fear he will..well.. Moss them. So in a round about sort of way he's blocking one guy just by being on the field.

Seriously.

But like all wide receivers Moss needs a quarterback. And not just any kind of quarterback either. He needs a guy with a strong arm AND who has some gunslinger in them. Think back to his best days in Minnesota and his first year in New England (we're going to skip that whole Raiders debacle). He had Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, a young Daunte Culpepper, and a Tom Brady who wanted to put up big numbers. Those guys would see Moss running into double coverage and still throw it up to him because they knew he would still go and make a play on the ball. Its only when Moss has quarterbacks who get nervous about getting picked off that his numbers drop off a little. That's what eventually happened with Culpepper and its also what happened with Brady since that magical 2007 season.

Now Moss gets to go to a Vikings team with Brett Favre that is starving for a play maker in the passing game. And one thing about Favre, he's not only a gunslinger but he will also feed certain guys the ball. If he stays healthy I would bet you there won't be another game this season where he catches fewer than three balls and that's probably a conservative estimate. Favre is going to find him, especially on deep balls.

Then you have to remember that Sidney Rice will be back in a few weeks. If he is truly healthy then that tandem of he and Moss is going to be hell on defenses. And that's before you get to the tight end Visante Shiancoe, the slot guy in Percy Harvin and of course that monster in the backfield, Adrian Peterson. Hell think about this for a few minutes, if Rice does comeback playing like he did last year will there have ever been an offense that was more talented at the skill positions?

If you can think of one please leave it in the comments. But make sure its not an answer that will make me clown you.

There are still some variables at play here. How long will it take Moss to learn the playbook and get a rapport with Favre? Can Favre stay healthy? What about the secondary on defense? But let me tell you, if I was a betting man Id bet big that the Vikings will represent the NFC in the Superbowl this year.

Oh and by the way, the Vikings play the Jets this weekend. What do you want to bet that Revis Island is still closed for repairs? LOL

And one more thing...

o/

Are You Really Surprised? Brandon Marshall Edition

According to various media outlets Brandon Marshall has been traded from the Denver Broncos to the Miami dolphins for a 2nd rounder this year and another 2nd rounder next year. For some reason I have a feeling that this will surprise some Buccaneers fans. My question is why should it? It would be different if the Bucs had said anything, ANYTHING in the past few months to give people cause to believe they would really be trading for Marshall. But if you go back and look damn near everything they have said would have you believing the exact opposite. Someone asked me in a live chat on JoeBucsFan last week what the chances were for us getting Marshall and I said Slim and None and Slim just left town. Its not really rocket science folks. At some point fans have to differentiate between what they want the Bucs to do and what is most likely the Bucs WILL do, and that starts with actually listening to what they say rather than what you hope they said.

As Maya Angelou put it, when someone reveals themselves to you, believe them.

On Santonio Holmes

So Santonio Holmes gets traded on Sunday to the Jets for a 5th rounder and the next day quite a few people in the Tampa Bay area started complaining about the Buccaneers not trading for him first. I started to kind of just let it go but I think its best if I make my own personal feelings known on the issue.

First off I am not one of these people who look down their knows at others, or at least I try not to be. So for me its not like I would totally dismiss trading for a guy who had problems. But I will say this, I support the Bucs not trading for Santonio Holmes in this situation. The thing of it is is that over the years Holmes has gotten into trouble repeatedly and he has repeated some of the same mistakes. For instance he got arrested for marijuana possession a few years back, then just last week he got on his twitter and announced to his followers and the world that it was time to "wake and bake" and damn near on the same day word comes out that he is about to serve a 4 game suspension for a violation of the drug policy. That's what you call a pattern.

Do people deserve second chances?

Of course.

Do we have to be the team to be the ones giving Holmes a 4th or 5th chance?

Absolutely not.

If you are looking at it strictly from a business standpoint, why would Coach Morris or Mark Dominick trade for a guy they know is going to miss the first 4 games next year when the truth is if we don't have a decent record after 4 games their jobs might be in jeopardy? Hell by the time Holmes would have touched the field for us their fates might have already been sealed.

Now I fully acknowledge that Holmes is an excellent player but I feel like trading for him right now with the state of our team being as it is would be silly even if it only took a 5th round pick. Its like asking for a PR nightmare.

You may ask well whats the difference between Holmes's situation and Brandon Marshall? Id say pretty much everything. Although Marshall has been in trouble in the past he hasn't been in any off the field trouble lately. He isn't facing a suspension and he would be available from day one. And real talk he is a level above Holmes in my opinion anyway. People have compared Marshall to TO but in my opinion he's TO with much better hands.

There are other reasons that the Bucs really COULDN'T trade for Holmes anyway. First off after they let Antonio Bryant leave via free agency the Bucs tried relentlessly to spin it as a move brought on by Bryant's bad attitude. Unfortunately a lot of fans bought that particular line of bullshit and started really heaping smears on him that I don't think he deserved. I saw on more than one forum fans calling AB a scumbag etc. So how then could the Bucs justify bringing in a guy who has even MORE problems?

Not only that but the Bucs have put SOOOO much focus on their draft up to this point and to hear them tell it every single pick from the 1st rounder to the 7th rounder is going to be a starter and a future all star...or so they hope. And keep in mind that the supposed depth of this draft is the reasoning behind why the Bucs haven't been active in free agency...allegedly. So in that situation a 5th rounder isn't really a fifth rounder anymore. Instead its the potential steal of the draft, a guy who could have gone 1st round in any other year blah blah blah. So for the Bucs to give up said 5th round pick they would have again had to go back and contradict what they have been saying all along. And of course couldn't have that could we?

Last but not least Mike Tomlin and Raheem Morris are very close and there is no doubt in my mind that they at least had a conversation about Holmes and I would kind of lean toward believing whatever was said in that conversation convinced the Coach Morris that it wasn't worth it.

Now we have our share of knuckleheads on the team true enough but we drafted most of them. The truth is the last time we brought in a guy with a questionable background it didn't work out so well for us. Can you say David Boston? And I know people will throw Jeremy Stevens into the mix but the thing to remember is that when he was signed nobody really knew about the rape allegations against him. Instead what we knew about were his run ins with the law over drinking and driving. And it turns out that he ended up serving a suspension after he got here for those issues. Not exactly the kind of thing that would be encouraging the brass to go out and get Holmes.

And please keep in mind that this is a guy who had been in trouble with weed before, got in trouble again this time to earn his 4 game suspension. Who REALLY believes 100% that he won't get in trouble again and get suspended for the whole year?

Not many rational people I suspect.

You know the saying, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. My addition is fool me three times and I'm getting fired.

Its worth noting finally that Holmes will be on the last year of his contract this year. Considering he would be missing a quarter of the season and then be a free agent would it really make sense to trade for him when its obvious you can't sign him right off the bat to a long term deal but on the other hand if you wait till after the season you may lose him to the highest bidder?

Again I think not.

Now the Jets are in a totally different situation than we are. Under Rex Ryan its apparent that they have a win now attitude and they are all about bringing in guys via trade or free agency to accomplish that goal and they will evidently worry about the future later. Now maybe that works for them but its certainly not the approach that the Bucs have been preaching all offseason.

In summary regardless of the ultimate reason why, I think the Bucs were wise to pass on Santonio Holmes.

Just my opinion.

The Eagles Are Effing Crazy!

When the news came across the wire last night that the Eagles had traded their franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb, to their division rivals, the Washington Redskins, I felt sure it was a late April Fools prank. Surely the Eagles organization couldn't have been so brazen as to jettison a guy who had been so critical to their success over the last decade, to a team right up the road from them.....could they?

Well it turns out they could and they did.

After having a night to think on it I believe its time for me to throw around all the reasons I think this moves shows that the Eagles are effing crazy.

1. This move strengthens a division foe: There is no way you can deny that having Donovan McNabb on the roster immediately improves the Redskins' offense. Considering that over the last few years some commentators, not me however, have said that the only thing holding the Skins back was the erratic play of their quarterback Jason Campbell, those same pundits would now have to consider that hole filled.

Not only that but with new head coach Mike Shanahan running the show, you know Donovan will have something he never really had in Philly, a game plan that emphasises running the ball and takes the pressure off of him, literally as well as figuratively. I know some folks question the Skins signing Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to go along with incumbent Clinton Portis, but I would remind those people that Shanahan has historically done more with guys who were a lot less talented. As for the folks who will point to the offensive line as a weakness, I would remind them that

A) The Redskins didn't even have to send the Eagles their first round pick for McNabb so they are still picking #4 in a few weeks and will probably select a big time left tackle with that selection. And

B) The zone blocking scheme that Shanahan prefers doesn't require a bunch of Pro Bowlers to be successful. I asked a question last night for anybody to name the other 4 offensive lineman other than March Schlereth who blocked for Terrell Davis in Denver when he ran for 2000 yards. Several people answered but collectively they only came up with one other name, Tony Jones. Trust me, there's a reason for that and I believe Shanahan will be able to duplicate some of the things he has done in the past in DC this year.

Don't forget the impact that McNabb tends to have on wide receivers too. This is a guy who went to the Superbowl throwing to Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston. Imagine how he might be able to reenergize Santana Moss's career and the connection he might have with Devin Thomas. And that isn't even to speak of Chris Cooley who is already a damned good tight end in his own right. That talent combined with Shanahan's offensive scheme could be a deadly combination.

Oh and as a reminder, the Redskins defense is VERY talented so if they get an offense that can actually score points.....


2. Because the Eagles traded him inside the division, this decision will be scrutinized heavily at least twice a year for as long as he remains in Washington: See its one thing to feel like its time to move on as a franchise, its another to have that decision on full display during the season. If the Eagles had traded McNabb to the Raiders then even if he had a great year it would have been pretty easy to not even notice what with Oakland being all the way cross country and not even being in the same conference. But with trading him to the Skins, fans will get to decide if the Eagles brass were geniuses or dumbasses twice a year. And don't think for a second that McNabb isn't going to try to make a statement in those games. After years of never being fully embraced in Philly even with all of the accomplishments and accolades he garnered, this will be his time to show that team and those fans EXACTLY what they are missing.

Simply put, if the Eagles lose twice to the Skins next year and McNabb decisively outplays his likely replacement in Kevin Kolb both games, is there a way that somebody in the front office doesn't get fired?

I don't think so.

One last note, by trading McNabb in the division then he gets the added benefit of seeing the same defenses and defenders he has seen over the course of his career, along with the defenders and defenses he has played against every week in practice.

3. I said likely starter Kevin Kolb a minute ago because there is one other issue that this trade created that a lot of people aren't focusing on, a quarterback controversy: Now it was pretty apparent last year that Michael Vick was itching to play more. But out of respect for McNabb and the fact that he helped get him the job in Philly Vick kept mum for the most part. But now, with McNabb gone, I can't see a scenario where Vick is happy being a backup to Kolb. Better yet, I can't see a scenario where Vick is quiet about being unhappy being a backup to Kolb. Out of all of the quarterbacks the Eagles could have traded, they got rid of the one guy who might leave a void that creates a divided locker room.

Understand this, there are already guys in the Eagles locker room who feel like either Vick should be the starter or it should be an open competition. Andy Reid coming out and naming Kolb the starter without him having earned it probably will rub some of them the wrong way. So what do you think will happen if training camp starts and Vick out plays Kolb? Even if its only for a few days or for a few big plays. And remember, because starters get limited reps in the preseason it will be relatively easy for Vick to outshine Kolb numbers wise. Will the Eagles then hand the reigns over to Vick potentially pissing off they guy who they believe is their long term answer at quarterback? Or will they stick with Kolb come hell or high water and have the locker room imploding?

Whatever the outcome somebody won't be happy and with two guys who are starting caliber that is pretty much just asking for fireworks.

Now maybe the Eagles are in full rebuilding mode. You can certainly make the case that they are considering how many starters they have lost either by trading them away or releasing them since the season ended. But the timing seems to be off on this one. At the point where they finally get the offensive weapons that McNabb has always coveted is the time when they decide to just give up and start over? And in the process help a division rival get better?

Nothing about this trade makes any rational sense but of course with football you have to let it all play itself out on the field. Still I gotta say that on paper right now, considering how much worse the Eagles look versus how much better the Redskins look, I gotta say the Eagles are effing crazy for trading McNabb.

It is what it is.

Its ALWAYS About The Money

I few days ago I wrote a post about Antonio Bryant and the Bucs' decision to "move on" without trying to resign him. The gist of the post was that I wasn't buying their official reasons for letting him walk, with the primary reasons being his attitude and his age (29).

This evening I saw in my twitter stream that the Bucs had dealt their 2011 sixth round pick to the Eagles for wide receiver Reggie Brown. Of course when I heard about it I had to poke a little fun seeing as how Brown only had 9 catches last year but I want to make a serious point here which relates to my earlier post on Bryant. My point then was that the stated reasons for allowing Antonio Bryant to walk weren't valid. From my point of view trading for Reggie Brown just confirmed that fact.

Understand that I am not trying to take shots at Brown here, I am more so taking shots at the good folks over at One Buc Palace. See you can't try to intimate that you allowed one guy to leave because of his age and attitude then turn around and give up a draft pick for a guy who is the same age and has reportedly had attitude problems of his own in the past. Of course the Bucs also leaked anonymously to the press that somehow Bryant caused quite a few interceptions last year because he didn't run "crisp" routes but since Brown only caught 9 balls total I can't see a way to try to compare and contrast that strawman.

But I digress.

What is the major difference aside from production in the two players?

Compensation.

Antonio Bryant had the franchise tag last year coming off a Pro Bowl season and made more than $9 million dollars. Even coming off a subpar season he figures to get a pretty nice contract on the open market. Brown on the other hand had a deal with the Eagles that runs through 2014. His compensation according to online reports is right around or a little bit more than $1 million dollars each year until 2013 when it shoots up to $3 million or more for the last two seasons. That is probably going to end up being a fraction of what Bryant signs for whenever he lands on a new team.

This isn't rocket science folks.

The Bucs simply aren't going to spend any money in the foreseeable future. Now I am not one of these people who are going to rail about Manchester United or throw the Glazers under the bus for not spending money. When you boil it all the way down its their team and they have every right to run it how they see fit. But my only request is that they don't try to treat us like a bunch of blithering idiots. There was one overriding reason why Antonio Bryant wasn't resigned and that was his price tag. It wasn't about his age or his attitude or his route running, it was about the amount of zeros on the contract he was asking for.

Now for me that isn't even necessarily a bad thing but if you are going to make a move that is about money then you should have the courage to say that. Don't throw a guy under the bus who played pretty well for you for a year and a half just to try to shield yourself from a criticism. Just stand up and be honest about it and quit trying to play the fan base for fools.

End of rant

Brandon Marshall To The Bucs?

This may just be a pipe dream and I certainly haven't heard anything to make me think the Buccaneer brass is considering this, but imagine for a moment that the Bucs ended up trading for Brandon Marshall. Here is a big, physical wide receiver with great hands and speed and he is still young. He is a proven commodity and a Pro Bowler. AND his after the antics of his head coach in Denver, Josh McDaniels this past week, its likely that we could get him from less than fair market value.

I happened to catch Coach Morris' press conference today and he referenced several times how building the team around our quarterback, Josh Freeman, was the highest priority this off season. You couldn't help him any more than by providing him with the kind of weapon that Marshall is. Here is a guy who catches passes that aren't always perfect. A guy who blocks. And a guy who has shown he can perform in more than one type of offense.

Imagine for a moment that the Bucs finally give Antonio Bryant his long term deal as well. You would have Bryant and Marshall on the outside creating havoc for defensive coordinators and Kellen Winslow as well as Sammie Stroughter inside working the seams. That my friends would be an lineup that would be feared, especially with a big armed quarterback like Freeman who can push the ball down the field. There would be defensive coordinators in Atlanta, New Orleans and Carolina losing sleep over trying to come up with a way to defend those guys. That's before you even get to our running game.

I know people will point out Marshall's past problems and I don't necessarily dismiss them out of hand. But I will say that at least some of those same kinds of criticisms were lobbed at Winslow before he got here, but the balled out this year on the field.

I don't pretend to know the mindset of the brass over at One Buc, or if this is even in their realm of possibilities. But I will say this, it certainly seems as if just the potential of getting a guy like Marshall should warrant at least a phone call to the Broncos to gauge their interest. We have the luxury of an extra 2nd round pick this year from the Gaines Adams trade and maybe we can package that together with some later picks to get Marshall for less than market value. Hell who knows, maybe we could even get him for a 3rd round pick, you really never know unless you ask. And hell we have 5 picks in the first 99, I would think we can spare one of those for him (other than the first rounder).

I saw Ira Kaufman on my twitter feed say earlier today that the Bucs need to find 4 starters in this draft. Well I would say this would be one way to ensure that we parlayed a draft pick into a starter. And then some!

If they Glazers want to get Bucs fans excited again, this is definitely one way to get the job done.

And that, my friends, is real talk.

Dominoes

I am sure many people are wondering what does the Gaines Adams trade mean in a tangible way for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Well here is how I see this playing out.

First of all Greg (Stylez) White will obviously be your starter at right end until something changes. I think at least in the short term this will be a good thing for the defense. White may not be as physically gifted as Gaines was but his technique in pass rush is definitely superior. What that means is when a team is passing on first and second down we now have a greater likelyhood that White will still be able to get pressure on the quarterback. I think the one thing we don't know long term is how well White will hold up physically. One thing about great players is that some how some way they find a way to avoid injuries that keep them off the field. Hopefully White will have that same kind of durability.

I think this trade also tangibly helps Jimmy Wilkerson. By trading Gaines it takes the pressure of the Bucs of having to have him on the field on 3rd downs. For that reason its highly probable that now Wilkerson will be allowed to pass rush from his left end post which is where he has been most productive, instead of from an inside tackle position. With the way Wilkerson has been playing so far this year I expect that his production will actually pick up some and that is going to be a scary thing for opposing offenses.

Of course with Wilkerson now rushing from left end on 3rd down that opens up a spot for a pass rushing defensive tackle. Enter a now healed up rookie Kyle Moore who had some flash pass rushing in the preseason. What we really need from Moore more than anything else is to get push in the pocket enough so that the quarterback can't step up to avoid the speed rush from the defensive ends. I think he will do a great job of that and then some and I also think he will have some pretty good production as well.

Tim Crowder will also benefit as he is now going to be the primary backup probably to both the left and the right end positions. I guess that Moore could possibly play both end and tackle and its something that we have historically had on the defensive line, a utility guy who can play both. But because Moore has missed so much practice time I have to believe at least at first Crowder will be getting the extra snaps that White used to get in more of a 3 man rotation rather than the 4 man rotation they have been using. Crowder has actually played relatively well so far as a back up, he just hasn't had many splash plays. But he has played fundamentally sound football when he has been on the field and he has given great effort as well.

Another guy to keep in mind is the recently signed Michael Bennett. He is the little brother of Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellius Bennett and played well in the preseason for Seattle. He may or may not be a factor this year but if there is an injury among the defensive ends it is likely he will be the guy who gets into the rotation.

Now I personally think this will have a positive impact on the defense as a whole. I think that starting this weekend you will see a very noticable difference in how much time opposing quarterbacks have in the pocket to get the ball off before they get hit, especially on third downs. That should also help keep down the number of deep balls our secondary has to defend against as well. I can't promise that it means we will come away with a victory against our division foe, the Carolina Panthers. But I can say that I feel much more optomistic now about beating them than I did a couple of days ago.

Don't forget to catch my recap of the defensive line play on Monday at JoeBucsFan.com to see if my predictions were right.

The Filthy Rich Get Even Filthy Richer

You might remember that a few days ago I picked the New England Patriots as my favorite to win it all this year. Well after they traded for elite pass rusher, the Oakland Raiders' Derrick Burgess, I have a feeling more people will jump on that bandwagon.

From Pro Football Talk

After an offseason worth of rumors indicating a deal might happen, the Patriots acquired Derrick Burgess from the Raiders Thursday. (In a sign of the times, they announced it via their Twitter feed.)New England will give up "undisclosed draft considerations" in the move.

Oakland was believed to be looking for two mid-round picks in the deal, but it's unclear if they got them.Burgess is expected to convert to outside linebacker in New England, where the team is in need of a pass rusher.

Make no mistake about it, Burgess had a bad year last year but the guy can rush the passer like nobody's business and he should definitely make an impact for that defense, barring injury.

Head Scratcher

Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler? Seriously?!

Someone needs to find out who Tyson Chandler pissed off or pissed on in the New Orleans Hornets organization.