The Richard Lowe Column The regular season is over, and the play-offs are in full swing. Sadly, my picks last weekend boiled down to a 1-3, although I’d like to argue a 2-2 occurred as I said either the Chiefs or Jets would win… Although neither occurred…! This week’s picks will rumble in later... The Bucs have seen plenty of coaching moves already this off-season, although the Falcons are quite clearly at the top of the list, in practically firing all of Mora’s coaches – whilst they might take a while to gel, I feel comfortable in keeping Michael Vick with my FFL team for the upcoming year (although it wouldn’t surprise me to see him on the FFL block next year). Paul Hackett, the Bucs QB Coach might be leaving? The “Polish Pop-Gun” (Awesome) could barely throw past his own feet, and Spleenless Simms couldn’t do much better (how many were batted down?). Timmeh the Rat was the best over a 3 game span, and that’s with sitting on the bench for the past two years. What does this say? That not having a QB coach is better than Paul Hackett? Shame. Raheem Morris has replaced Greg Burns as the Bucs’ defensive backs coach, in a move that wasn’t exactly the most shocking release of the year, what with the Bucs finishing 19th in Pass Defense. Morris has past experience, having only been gone a year to be Defensive Coordinator of the Kansas State Wildcats – indeed, when he was working with the Backs in the past, we never finished below 6th in Pass Defense – it seems like a positive move, so here’s to a top 6 finish next year! Casey Bradley has been named as the Linebackers coach for the new year, replacing Joe Barry who headed to his daddy-in-law in Detroit. Whilst Bradley has over a decade of coaching experience, this is his first coaching position in the pros – last year he was the defensive quality control coach – for a defense who far from excelled – which doesn’t fill me with tremendous amounts of enthusiasm, but I doubt he was hired for the sake of it – let’s see if he can get our Linebackers back to the regular Pro-Bowl slots of old. In the spirit of our Editor’s latest column, I’d also like to add my votes to the Bucs UK Awards, along with explanations, partly so I can start defending myself before it turns out I was the only person to vote for a player in a particular category… Offensive Player of The Year: Joey Galloway. In truth, there is no other alternative, Caddy didn’t produce, Timmeh The Rat and Maurice Stovall didn’t produce enough over the season to warrant a mention, and the O-Line was hardly fantastic... Honourable Mention: Mr Bicep, Michael Pittman Defensive Player of The Year: Ronde Barber. Come on, there’s no-one else who comes close – Ronde had a magnificent day against the Iggles, and truth be told without him we may have been lucky to keep our 4 wins intact. However, Philip Buchanon did impress me with his play, and wasn’t the bust I was expecting, and Shelton Quarles appeared to give the D a boost whenever he took to the field. Honourable Mention: Ellis Wyms Special Teams Player of The Year: Matt Bryant. Can it be anyone else? A record-setting field goal, in RayJay, with the fantastic Gene audio file makes it all the more magical. Josh Bidwell showed us why he has been rewarded with an extended contract, as he appears to be amongst, if not the, best punter we’ve had in Tampa, along with steady kick-holds. Honourable Mention: Josh Bidwell. Buccaneer of the Year: I was inclined to give it, purely because it’s his last season, to Mike Alstott. The man lives and breathes Tampa Bay, much like Derrick Brooks, but there’s a reason the fans love A-Train. However, instead I’m placing my vote with Ike Hilliard – he doesn’t complain about not getting more balls, and he backed Maurice Stovall to take his spot on the team. What more could you ask for? Honourable Mention: Paul Stewart & Phil Jones Rookie of the Year A toughie – Davin Joseph played excellently this year, and Maurice Stovall kept plugging away through the year, to be rewarded with significant playing time when Clayton bust his leg. It comes down to a coin toss, and I’m giving it to Maurice Stovall. Honourable Mention: Jeremy Trueblood. NFL Player of The Year: Drew Brees. Over, and over and over. Sure, LT played his socks off, and had a ridiculous year as far as stats go, but when he came out, Michael Turner also excelled – for this reason, and I do not doubt LT’s talent in the slightest, I feel it is a combination of O-Line and LT, whilst Brees has been the perfect solution for the Saints. A QB to come in and throw the amount of times he’s had to, with the success he’s had, make him my MVP. Honourable Mention: Frank Gore, Shawne Merriman Dickhead of the Year: Randy Moss. I’m not even going to explain. Honourable Mention: Nick Halling, Terrell Owens Writer of The Year: Seeing as I can’t vote for myself…. Lee Bromfield made me laugh the most, producing odd looks from my co-workers, and Roy Cummings provided a fantastic insight into the Bucs. For the humour value, Lee takes it. Honourable Mention: Paul Stewart, Wayne Maw, Denis Crawford. My Favourite Buccaneer Player: Mike Alstott. I’m hoping to model myself on him (in years gone by!) when I start playing, and hope I can reach the determination and dedication levels the man has shown. For a last year, he’s deserving of hit. Bucs UK Hall of Fame: Ricky Bell and my own nomination, Malcolm Glazer. I’m not going to embarrass myself with reasons why, other people (see the Glazer articles on this site for starters) have written more in depth, more in detail, and more accurately than I could ever hope to achieve. Honourable Mention: Doug Williams, Warren Sapp. NFL WATCH: So the playoffs. Indianapolis are at Baltimore (Colts game for the ages!), New England at San Diego (Game of the week!), Philadelphia are at New Orleans (Shoot out!), and Seattle are at Chicago (Snore fest). My picks? Here goes… Indianapolis, New England, New Orleans, Chicago. Don’t shoot the messenger, and I’ll cover the NFL game at Wembley if and when it becomes official on Tuesday! That’s all folks! January 2007