Kaspers Korner

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were hurting for another weapon to compliment wide receiver Antonia Bryant, which is why they traded for tight end Kellen Winslow Jr.

Just this past week the Buccaneers offense just got handed a wild card to them that has everyone paying attention.

The Tamp Tribune reports that while the Buccaneers were desperate for a wide receiver to help the load at training camp they came across wide receiver Mario Urrita.

The front office wasted no time jumping on him after the New York Jets released him this week as the front office was high on Urrita.

In practice on Friday Urrita blew the everyone even the coaching staff away as he took a simple slant pattern and made it into a 70 yard touchdown.

The thing is the Buccaneers secondary has some quality cornerbacks in Rhonde Barber and Aquib Talib.

The article doesn’t say who was covering Urrita at the time, but for him to take a slant and make it into a touchdown show that he has tremendous talent as the only wide receivers that do that in training camp are the elite wide receivers.

In the end if Urrita performs like this in the regular season the Buccaneers’ offense will be challenging to go up against.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time drafted a quarterback by taking Josh Freeman in the first round.  Simply, the Buccaneers would be fools to to start him.

Rookie quarterbacks can survive starting right away with a solid defense and running game.

However, with the Buccaneers firing head coach Jon Gruden and replacing him with Raheem Morris, who was Gruden’s defensive coordinator, that changes things.

The changing of the coaching staff means that they Buccaneers are in tranisition.

Each coach has his own playbook, which means that the first year entails the coaches determining which players fit the system and which do not.

For the players it means that it will take a whole year to get down the sytem.

Also, the Buccaneers have a brutal schedule in having to face the AFC East and NFC East divisions.

In the end the Buccaneers will most likely hold off starting Freeman, because of the schedule.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Jon Gruden earlier this offseason.  With the recent news that has come out today the Buccaneers were smart to let Gruden go.

According to Peter King of SI.com, Gruden and the NFL Network had a deal all done, but Gruden’s signiture.  Gruden was slated to be at NFL Films this week to start his job.

We agree with ProFootballTalk.com assesment that Gruden’s shopped the deal to ESPN and they immediately jumped on it, which is the real reason that Tony Kornhiser was out at ESPN.

The fact of the matter is Gruden is a selfish me guy and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks, but himself.

The problem is that you cannot have a my way or the highway approach to coaching.  Some players are going to be just as smart, or even smarter, than you and will notice something that you haven’t.

The thing is just that one little suggestion could be the difference between winning and losing.

Also, with players turning on Gruden, and not giving him their hardest, it was time for a change in Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had $50 million in salary cap space, so when the team cut some long time veterans it took everyone by surprise.  The moves are starting to make the Buccaneers look like the Oakland Raiders.

The Buccaneers cut today linebackers Derrick Brooks and Cato June, receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, and running back Warrick Dunn.

The moves saved the Buccaneers $12.45 million on top of their $50 million in salary cap space.

With space under the cap why make the moves?  Apparently, the reason is the new defensive coordinator Jim Bates is scrapping the cover two defense that they been using for such a long time.

The problem is that Brooks has been with the Buccaneers from day one.  Also, he also listened to former head coach Jon Gruden when he asked him to reduce the his amount of playing time to keep him fresher.
Simply, when you have salary cap space you just do not cut players, especially when one of them has been a long time loyal team player.  On top of that they just missed the playoffs last year, so they should be adding, and not subtracting.

Also, the team blocked quarterback coach Greg Olson for interviewing for the offensive coordinator job in Arizona.

It would be one thing if the Buccaneers blocked him from taking a similar job on another team.  However, Olson was interviewing for a job that would of been a promotion.

In the end the Glazer family simply do not know how to run a football franchise. and now take the title of worst franchise in the National Football League.  The reason being that Raider owner Al Davis at least understands what loyalty means.

Will Allen S unrestricted resigned with team one year $2.35
Antonio Bryant WR unrestricted franchised by team signed one year $9.8 million tender
Phillip Buchanon CB unrestricted signed with Lions two years $8.5 million
Kevin Carter DE unrestricted

Michael Clayton WR unrestricted resigned with team five years $24 million $10.5 guaranteed.
Jeff Garcia QB unrestricted

Cortez Hankton WR unrestricted

resigned with team

Jovan Haye DT unrestricted signed with Titans four year $16.2 million
Luke McCown QB unrestricted resigned with team two years $7.5 million
Donald Penn OT restricted

Jermaine Phillips S unrestricted

resigned with team

Ryan Sims DT unrestricted resigned with team four years eight million $3.25 guaranteed
Jerramy Stevens TE unrestricted resigned with team

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen Friday, which of course shocked a lot of people.  To simply say the move was just horrible by owner Malcom Glazer.

The move itslef was not that bad of a move, and is actually understandable.  What makes it an awful move is that it was done two weeks after the completion of the regular season.

Most National Football League teams fire head coaches as soon as they possibly can.  The reason being that they can talk to other teams coordinators after their team has completed the regular season, and are not in the playoffs.  Teams that are in the playoffs can give their coordinators permission to talk to other teams.

The trouble does not stop there.  There are also reports circulating that cure that current defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will take over as head coach.

The Bucs have thier choice of the top fired head coaches in the league in Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren.

The problem with the move is that the collapse of the Bucs at the end of the season was not his fault.  The fault was on the announcement that long time defensive coordiantore Mont Kiffin was leaving to join his son at the University of Tennessee.

That then sent the defense into a tailspin that they could not get out of.

If Morris does not get the Bucs back to the playoffs next year there will be a lot of aggravated fans.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to win only one more game going into the last month of the regular season, but for some reason could not get it.  Now, it looks like the end for Gruden is coming with all of his assistants on defense jumping ship.

It all started when the Oakland Raiders decided to fire head coach Lane Kiffin.  Kiffin then went on to get the head coaching job at the Unversity of Tennessee.  His dad Monte Kiffin, the Buccaneers defensive coordinator this past season, decided to go with him. 

The move by Monte obviously means that he has full control over decisions in regards to the defense.  Who wouldn’t allow that when it comes to the success, and the amount of experience, Monte has had.

With the conclusion of the season defensive assistant coach Larry Coyer contract ran out, and decided to head into another direction.

Now, new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who was their defensive backs coach before being promoted, could leave if he gets the job as head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Assistant coaches are leaving, and when that happens it means that a head coach is on the hot seat, and that means change is coming.  Assistants do not stick around if they feel a head coach is on the hot seat.

Rumours have been running rampant in the past couple of weeks linking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach to the Tennessee Volunteer’s head coaching job.  Many Buccaneer fans can breathe a sigh of relief today as the Volunteers found their man, but his name is not Jon Gruden.

According to ESPN.com the Volunteers is going to name former Oakland Raider head coach Lane Kiffin to the head coaching job.   That means Gruden is going to stay in Tampa Bay, which is also one less distraction for the Bucs.

The Bucs are in the midst of a battle for the AFC South division, or Wild Card spot to make the playoffs.  With a record of 8-3 going into this Sunday’s game the Bucs are in control of their own destiny.

The Bucs in the next three weeks, in order, face the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and the Atlanta Falcons.  If they are able to run this gauntlet the Bucs are for sure to be in.

After the first game of the season head coach Jon Gruden benched quarterback Jeff Garcia.  That decision could be costly as the Buccaneers are a hlaf game back behing the Carolina Panthers.

The game that it specifically affected was the Buccaneers week five matchup against the Denver Broncos.  Garcia had to come in releif for an injured Brian Griese, and obviously would not be well prepared for the game.

The Bucs lost that game by a feild goal, which could be costly.  One can even argue that the distraction in training camp of Griese’s presence could have costed them their season opener to the New Orleans Saints.

Garcia simply has nine lives.  At age 38 Garcia obviously does not have many football years left, but for the immediate future the Bucs would be crazy not to go with Garcia.

For a while now it has been known that quarterback Chris Simms would be cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which happened today when the Bucs made their cuts to get down to the 53 man roster limit.  What the move shows is that the organization has no class.

Simms was a warrior as during the 2006 season he played a game with a ruptured spleen.  The shame in all of this is that Simms asked to be traded, or released months ago, but was not.

Surely, someone would have jumped all over Simms, but it most likely would not have been someone in their division.  For two of three of the Bucs divisional quarterbacks have established veterans, and the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan with the third pick overall in the draft, and is slated to start right away for them.

So, what was the motivation in keeping Simms around, until the final cutdown?

Most likely the answer is injuries, but that is pointless as there were two other veteran quarterbacks that were out there in free agency available, and one still is in Duante Culpepper.

Simms will latch on to another team, but will most likely be just a backup.  That is a shame, because Simms looked like he has finally fully healed, due to him throwing in camp with his old throwing technique.

In the end it shows what little, if any, class that head coach John Gruden posses.