Hats off to the New Orleans Saints for winning Super Bowl 44.
They have come a long way since the days of the New Orleans Aints.
The Saints franchise has struggled for most of its existence, and seeing Drew Brees proudly holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy last night shows just how far that franchise has come.
The sight of the Saints players celebrating victory reminded me of another team that came from the bowels of the NFL to ultimately win the sport's richest prize; the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For years, the Buccaneers were THE biggest joke in the NFL. This was the first team to finish a season winless; in fact the team started off 0-26 until they beat (you guessed it) the Saints.
After a few playoff runs in the late 70s and early 80s, the team became the poster child [...]
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With the 2010 Draft becoming the center of attention, one of the many players making some noise is former Clemson running back CJ Spiller. Spiller was one of the prolific players in college football while with the Tigers. Spiller finished with 7,592 all purpose yards, along with 40+ career touchdowns in his college career.
Spiller obviously brings a top ten talent to this draft class, with the ability to be a running back, receiver, and even a kick returner. One problem though, which is most of the league is satisfied at their running back positions and will draft for other needs. If Spiller is available from the mid to late rounds, it is quite [...]
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Josh Freeman didn't exactly break any rookie records during his nine starts this year.
In fact if you were to compare his numbers to that of a 16 game season, you would see he was on pace to throw over 30 interceptions and fumble almost 20 times.
So why in the world would anyone expect Freeman to make any sort of significant improvement next year?
As someone (for better or for worse) who followed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through all 16 games this year, specifically the nine started by Freeman; there were many positives to take away.
Let's start with the obvious.
The Buccaneers were not a very good team to begin with, and if you throw a rookie quarterback into the fire, no one should really expect big things immediately.
In his first ever start against the Green Bay [...]
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The Buccaneers have just finished their 2009 campaign with a record of 3-13 under rookie head coach Raheem Morris.
There were rumors swirling around that the Bucs we're going to try to convince Bill Cowher to be the head coach for the 2010 season.
Those rumors were quickly put to bed when it was announced earlier this week that Morris would indeed be returning for his 2nd season as head coach.
Some fans were disappointed and annoyed that Morris was coming back because they fell he is not qualified to be a successful head coach.
While there is no debating that Morris had some issues during his first season, I have no problem bringing him back next year.
Yes, at the beginning of the season he had that "'deer in the headlights" look and appeared to be in over his head. When [...]
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After facing one of the hottest teams in the league last week in the Patriots, the Dolphins now get to play one of the worst in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their lone win of the season came last week against a Green Bay team that many anticipated would be very good this season. So did starting rookie QB Josh Freeman give the Bucs the spark they needed to turn the corner, or is Green Bay just terrible? In my opinion, it is kind of the latter one. The Bucs are still in heavy rebuilding mode, and are not stocked with very much talent right now- so these keys should be short and sweet- in fact, there are really only two main points:
Make the rookie QB look like a rookie: Josh Freeman got his first NFL start last Sunday, and his first NFL win. He did look [...]
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I hope the good people across the pond enjoyed Sunday's game in London between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If this game was in Tampa, it would have definitely been a nominee for most forgettable game of the season. Nothing in this game was much of a surprise to anyone who is used to watching American football:
*Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns. You knew that was going to happen.
*Patriots RB Laurence Maroney just refusing to be consistent, only gaining 43 yards and a TD off of 13 attempts on the ground.
*The Buccaneers managing to allow two more 30+ yard touchdowns, this time to WR Sam Aiken (54 yards) and TE Ben Watson (34 yards).
*Patriots backup QB Brian Hoyer again receiving mop-up duty, gaining 20 yards on a [...]
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On Sunday October 25, the National Football League goes to Wembley Stadium in London, England as the 0-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the 4-2 New England Patriots. For the second week in a row, the Patriots will play a winless team, and they are coming off a historic 59-0 victory over the Tennessee Titans that saw QB Tom Brady throw six TD passes, five in the second quarter. The Buccaneers lost at home 28-21 to the Carolina Panthers and are one of three winless teams (Titans, Saint Louis Rams). The loss dropped the Buccaneers to their worst start in over 20 years. This will be the Patriots' and Buccaneers' second interconference game this season. The Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 26-10, and the Buccaneers lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 33-20.
This will be [...]
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The Carolina Panthers learned Monday that special teams ace Dante Wesley will miss one game for the bone-crushing blow he delivered to Buccaneers' Pro Bowl return man Clifton Smith.
The play has been a large topic of conversation on blog sites and at water coolers across the country today and rightfully so.
The hit was late. The hit was brutal. The hit certainly warranted the 15-yard penalty it brought about.
But the ejection and the suspension? Not so much. Hear me out.
Watching the play live was shocking. I could not believe that Wesley had laid into Smith with that type of tenacity and ferocity before the ball got there. After viewing the replay, though, I felt a little different about it.
No, I don't think the play should be deemed as 'acceptable,' but Smith [...]
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October 19, 2009 by
Austin Penny |
Carolina Panthers,
clifton smith,
dante wesley,
deangelo williams,
jake delhomme,
john fox,
jonathan stewart,
Josh Johnson,
Julius Peppers,
Raheem Morris,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
thomas davis
The Carolina Panthers knew heading into Sunday's game against the Buccaneers that if their running game was ever going to break out, it would happen in Tampa Bay.
The Panthers' wish came true as DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the team's 28-21 victory.
Jonathan Stewart said via Twitter after the game that "Double Trouble is back," and it appears as though he may be on to something. The dynamic duo will have another weak run defense to dissect next week when Buffalo comes to town.
The Panthers have won two straight after starting off the season 0-3. The two victories have come against tumultuous teams, but are victories nonetheless. There are still several areas that need addressing before the schedule turns sour in [...]
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October 15, 2009 by
Michael Ellis |
Aqib Talib,
Barret Rudd,
Boise State,
Brandon Spikes,
Byron Leftwich,
Derrick Brooks,
Florida,
Jermaine Phillips,
John Lynch,
Jon Beason,
Jon Gruden,
Josh Freeman,
Kellen Winslow,
Kyle Wilson,
Mike Alstott,
Mike Nugent,
Monte Kiffin,
Patrick Willis,
Ronde Barber,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
Tanard Jackson,
Tony Dungy,
Warren Sapp,
Warrick Dunn
Brooks did not deserve to be mentioned with ZERO.
Zero wins, Brooks has been through his trials and far share of poor teams. Yet nothing as dejected at what I have witnessed thus far into a season. If the Glazers (owners of the franchise) were smart...wanted to do something for their fans (a band aide to the season that is) they would go out and beg on their hands...knees...butts...whatever it takes to get Herman Edwards on a flight from Bristol, Connecticut where he works at ESPN (have no idea where the man lives) and get his ass firmly in front of the team to talk to them about how "you play to win the game". That is the aspect the Buc's seem to be lacking...an intensity....a fire...a passion to go out and play hard, leave it all out on the field.
You saw the media point out [...]
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