Ryan Sims is at the center of it all

THE PESSIMIST is a die-hard Bucs fan whose negative writings appear on occasion at JoeBucsFan.com. His views surely do not necessily reflect those of Joe. However, Joe sure gets a kick out of them.

So Raheem the Dream put himself out there yesterday telling everyone how third-round pick Roy Miller is showcasing his talents at defensive tackle and is now N0. 3 in the DT rotation behind Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims.

Hovan. Sims. Miller. 

Break out the barf bags. 

THE PESSIMIST didn’t sleep a wink last night. Just when the guy was starting to relax realizing bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman won’t start on opening day.

Hovan was front and center during the Bucs defensive collapse last year. Entering his 10th season, he’s ripe for a permanent falloff in his game that happens to so many defensive tackles at this stage in their careers.  Sapp was on the downside after nine. Exactly why is Hovan better now than what he showed last year?

As for Sims, this dude has been a waste since he entered the league as a first round pick in 2002. He’s a sure-fire bust. The only reason Bucs fans aren’t up in arms at the thought of him starting is because Tampa Bay wasn’t the team foolish enough to have drafted him. THE PESSIMIST dares anyone to make a case why Sims deserves to be a NFL starter — anywhere.

And then there’s Miller. Nice, strong, hard-working kid. Great motor. Third-round pick. Yes, third-round pick.  So not a whole lot can be expected of him in his rookie year. If he doesn’t surpass Sims on the depth chart by opening day, that’ll be an even greater concern.

Maybe the Bucs defensive ends will help make these tackles better? … Uh, oh. There’s more vomit.

No wonder Jim Bates and Raheem The Dream are talking about an assortment of blitz packages and about Quincy Black rushing the quarterback.

At this point, THE PESSIMIST will be satisfied if the Bucs defense isn’t embarrassed on Saturday night.