Back To The Future (Part III) IThe final part of my look at the future of the Bucs' roster sees the secondary in the limelight, with the news that Ronde Barber is once again going to Hawaii for the Annual Joke Bowl, but Derrick Brooks is only on the alternative list at Linebacker – the first time in a decade that he’s not been on the list. The secondary has come under scrutiny this season, particularly when missed tackles were making the headlines rather than Bruce’s woes and “Al-Jazeera’s” call for Gruden to be sacked. Linebackers: Currently: SLB: Ryan Nece, Wesly Mallard MLB: Shelton Quarles, Barrett Ruud WLB: Derrick Brooks, Jamie Winborn, Antoine Cash Middle linebacker seems to be the spot with the fewest questions – indeed; the only question is when is Shelton Quarles going to retire? Barrett Ruud appears to be set as his replacement, and has done a good job when called into action when Shelton has been injured. The next issue will be who’s going to come in as Barrett’s back-up? Winborn, Cash and Mallard have seen extensive special teams action, and with the Bucs having amongst the best units in the league, it could be argued that they may be ready to step up and play LB. The problem is that when are they going to get playing time? The best way to know if a player is ready for the NFL is by playing – without it, can they be considered a waste of roster space and salary cap? Indeed, the best way that they can be considered for a starting spot is to either take on Barrett Ruud for the centre job, or put themselves squarely in position to replace Derrick Brooks – although as it will be a huge task to replace this future hall-of-famer, they really will need to step up their game to take over from #55. Ryan Nece is the youngest of the three starters, and is likely to be the last one replaced; hence I do not look for Mallard to be starting anytime soon. – Derrick Brooks is entering the twilight of his career, and with the Bucs record for consecutive games started, could be looking at a possible retirement date at the end of 2007. This leads us to the future. Next season will be the same, unless Shelton is replaced, and the back-up situations will more than likely change, unless the Coaches see something in Mallard, Winborn or Cash. For all the criticisms of age and tackling, our LB corps are amongst our strongest resource, and as such should be kept intact, at least for now, although the potential availability of Cato June (Indianapolis) and Lance Briggs (Chicago; who beat out Brooks in the Joke Bowl nominations) in the Free Agency market could provide a ready to go replacement for Brooks. Prediction for next season: SLB: Ryan Nece, Wesly Mallard MLB: Barrett Ruud, Rookie WLB: Derrick Brooks, Jamie Winborn Safeties in Tampa Bay have not played to particularly high levels since John Lynch was allowed to leave, and, if you believe him, when Dexter Jackson is not here. Currently residing in the deep secondary are Will Allen and Jermaine Phillips, with Kalvin Pearson and Blue Adams acting as their respective back-ups. Both back-ups are Special Teams fixtures, with Blue forcing a Devin Hester fumble leading to Alex Smith’s TD against Chicago. The safety spot has borne the brunt of secondary criticism this season, along with cornerback Juran Boldin, down to apparent lack of tackling ability. It is the youngest spot on the defense, with Pearson being the oldest at 28, and Allen being the youngest at 24. With no interceptions, one sack and 199 tackles between all safeties, we have more tackles than the Bears (down to D-Line and LB weaknesses?) but 6 less INT’s than Sunday’s opponents Cleveland. The numbers cannot be fairly compared, as NFL.com’s stats do not include missed or broken tackles by the defense, however the sign of a good D is the sacks and INT’s – figures we are considerably low on this season. Next season? A powerful, game-changing safety would be nice. Deon Grant (Jacksonville) and Michael Lewis (Philly) are the two biggest name Safeties potentially available in FA, but neither are ball-hawks – despite this, Grant is known for his pass-blocking ability, something that would benefit the Bucs. Will we make any moves? Possibly, although with Pearson getting more snaps than before, I see a change coming at FS. Prediction for next season: Free Safety: Deon Grant, Kalvin Pearson Strong Safety: Unknown, Blue Adams The cornerback position this season has seen several changes, some called for changes (like my Zemaitis ‘campaign’), and an increased look towards next season. Brian Kelly went on IR early on, and is unlikely to make it back in ’07, although his opposite, Ronde Barber, is almost certainly going to be back for season number 11. Replacements for Kelly on the active roster see Philip Buchanon, Juran Bolden and Alan Zemaitis at his RCB position, with Buchanon playing well during the last few weeks since he replaced the much-maligned Bolden. Zemaitis? Who knows! He was drafted with the intent of being the future at CB, and has yet to play a down. The true reason for this has not been made aware, although with several established players ahead of him, it may be that he is merely awaiting his turn. Barber sees Torrie Cox behind him, and with him nearing the end of his career also, a replacement is needed, as although Cox has shown his adequacies on special teams, and should be considered back-up material. Nonetheless, Nate Clements (Buffalo) is available this off-season, and he is the one target I feel the Bucs should break the bank for. Sure, Asante Samuel is available too, although it may be that he fits the Patriots mould rather than any other team, but Clements seems to have the build, the speed, and the awareness that all teams need at Corner. Nate would be a big improvement, and he and Barber would be an accomplished line-up. It would also mean us listening to the regular ‘Nate’ comments from Mr Mike Carlson, but it’s a small price to pay – the mute button IS there for a reason…! (Ed - Mike's said references are because he and Kirsten named their now three-year-old son Nate) . Prediction for next season: LCB – Ronde Barber, Asante Samuel/Philip Buchanon/Alan Zemaitis RCB – Nate Clements, Torrie Cox/Philip Buchanon/Alan Zemaitis There we have it, my prediction for next season complete. Sure, there are possible gaping holes (No line jokes please), there aren’t enough draftees included, and there are possibly too many returnees for some people’s liking. The fact is, we don’t have a bad nucleus – we just don’t have a good, Championship quality one by a long shot. In order to reach that status we cannot expect changes overnight – a couple of positions here and there, and eventually, come the end of the decade, I can see us making the post-season on a regular basis. To summarise (or if you can’t be bothered reading past articles…) my prediction for next season’s roster is (it’s not full, and I have incorporated some changes!): Quarterback: Matt Schaub (Sticking my head out here!), Bruce Gradkowski, Luke McCown. Running Back: Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams, Michael Pittman, Earnest Graham Full Back: Justin Griffith, Brian Leonard (Rookie). Wide Receiver: Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton, Maurice Stovall, Paris Warren, Ike Hilliard, Deep-threat Rookie. Left Tackle: Unknown/Davis, Rookie Left Guard: Dan Buenning, Unknown Centre: Sean Mahan, Unknown Right Guard: Davin Joseph, Jeb Terry Right Tackle: Jeremy Trueblood, Unknown. Tight End: Alex Smith, Anthony Becht Defensive Tackle: Ellis Wyms, Rookie Nose Tackle: FA, Rookie Defensive End: Dewayne White, Gaines Adams, FA, Rookie Left Outside Linebacker: Ryan Nece, Wesly Mallard Middle Linebacker: Barrett Ruud, Rookie Right Outside Linebacker: Derrick Brooks, Jamie Winborn, Rookie Left Cornerback: Nate Clements, Torrie Cox, Alan Zemaitis Right Cornerback: Ronde Barber/Asante Samuel, Philip Buchanon Free Safety: Deon Grant, Kalvin Pearson Strong Safety: FA/Rookie, Blue Adams/Jermaine Phillips Personally, that’s not a bad line-up (unknowns aside!), and should be enough to see us aiming for at least an 8-8 season. Any discussion or debate? Join me on the Bucpower forums! (And our Kicking and Punting Units are fine!) Richard Lowe, December 2006