Off-Season Update Anyone missed my column? Hands up! (If anyone has put their hands up, I hope someone is in the vicinity and is laughing at you – heartless I know) So the Bucs off-season. Slightly busy, slightly bizarre, slightly... crap? Including the draft, we’ve signed players at the following positions (who do have a chance in hell of making the roster - I’m looking at you Eugene): On Offense QB: Jeff Garcia (Good) RB: Kenneth Darby (Realistically, and non-FFL based, so what?) FB: B.J Askew (I guess he could replace Mike the Munch?) WR: David Boston (Again?! – There’s a reason he didn’t play last year…), and bizarrely that’s it. I’ve got faith in Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall, but what do I know? I’m not their coach… T: Luke Petitgout (Can’t be worse than Monsieur Davis… Although he is 30 years older – what does that say about Big Ant?) Chris Denman (Who?), C: Matt Lehr (I like) G: Arron Sears (Another positive move – this is getting dangerous!) On Defense DE: Patrick Chukwurah (Also and OLB – Bit of a so what signing – he’s a DE backup at best, and hold on, an OLB backup too! Good move Dumb and Dumber!), Gaines Adams (Best DE in the draft, who should make an impact for us this year – whilst we didn’t mortgage the future for CJ, based on our first three rounds I actually wouldn’t have minded with hindsight..) DT: Kevin Carter (He’ll be moved here from DE. I hope), Lance Legree (Who?), Ryan Sims (Oh great…), Greg Peterson (I actually like this – well I will in a few years anyway) LB: Quincy Black (He’ll play this year, but I don’t know if that says more about him, or our existing Linebacking corps...), Cato June (FANTASTIC!), Adam Hayward (So what signing), CB: Sammy Davis (Try a little tenderness… Not that one?) S: Tanard Jackson (Drafted as a CB, but projects to be a S for the Bucs…) Sabby Piscitelli (…With Jackson, I think Allen, and probably Philips will be saying bye to their starting positions by the end of the season – that’s good in case you weren’t sure) Players of note who’ve gone? Shelton Quarles, Dave Moore, and Mr False-Start himself… Kenyatta!! That’s a net gain of 17 potential roster spots – I didn’t forget Jake Plummer, but it was a list of players who will realistically make the final cut… Now the fantastically brief update of players has gone, what are my overall thoughts on the Bucs off-season: Generally, I actually think we’ve done quite well. We’ve addressed the defense, which was key, and whilst it may take a couple of years to develop (by which time I believe Dumb and Dumber will have been fired), I think the future is bright (but not orange – that’s 12 years old) on D. In regards to the o-line we’ve brought in Luke Petitgout to go straight into the starting line-up to give us a one season boost, presumably whilst we scout a left tackle to draft next year – Jake Long and Sam Baker are the two highest projected Tackles for 2008, and I’m sure come March next year Wayne Maw will include them in his pre-draft articles – unless something goes pear-shaped for them both). Whilst it is fantastically early, (318 days as I write this) I do see LT and WR being the two positions we take first next year. I digress. Our offensive line looks more stable than last year, and has that bit more experience, particularly for Buenning, Joseph and Trueblood. This can only mean things are back to normal for Cadillac, with more than 1 TD in the works for this season, along with an almost certainty (touch wood) that we will have an experienced quarterback who can throw the ball past the line of scrimmage (Jeff Garcia). In regards to the Quarterback position, all hell seems to have broken loose this past week since Gruden announced that Garcia currently sits atop the depth chart. Whilst it is 4 weeks away from training camp, Simms is having mechanical troubles (A bit of WD40 tends to help), and the other ‘competition’ is just that – ‘competition’, I see little point in announcing it. Sure, it might give Simms the impetus to bust a gut in camp (not literally – he lost one organ last year, let’s not recreate the feeling), but it genuinely seems pointless. In my opinion you announce who’s atop the depth chart at the commencement of the first regular season game – by whom you start. With 3 months to wait till then, I can’t help but feel that Gruden has finally lost the plot… along with the media, all crowing “Yes, I knew that as soon as Garcia was signed”. Really? Like myself backing Clayton, I don’t ‘know’ he’ll return to 2005 form – I hope he will, but I’m not going to make an arse out of myself saying that I can see the future (That said, I did draft 7 rookies in the FFL draft…) and that I know what Gruden is thinking (Thankfully). I appreciate the media are there to offer comment, but general bullsh*t that is as newsworthy as Gruden announcing Garcia as the current starter is hardly worth the kilobytes that it takes up online. Finally, in regards to the new Commissioner (not Paul) taking no prisoners (unlike the police…) when it comes to bad behaviour (Chris Henry, Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson and Michael ‘8th Pick Overall’ Vick [not yet admittedly]), I can only say well done. The prima donnas in all sports who think that they can get away with murder (dogs, not humans) should be hung out to dry – in the NFL so many players are mentioned in reports where either a shooting has occurred, a drink-driving charge is issue, an assault occurs and so on. If a player is caught up in these surroundings on a regular basis (See Jones, Pacman) they need to be taught that they have a choice – you party all night long with questionable characters, and you lose your job and your income. NFL players are role-models for American youths (and increasingly British youths also) and should act so. A hard upbringing to 1st round draft pick is the American Dream – showing you can achieve your goals – messing this up by allowing yourself to be dragged into a life of guns and violence is not. It shows weakness. Incidentally, I’m awaiting the update on the Buccaneers website to start my cheerleading countdown… Richard Lowe, June 2007