Raheem The Dream Gushes Over Roy Miller
May 20th, 2010
Joe watched Raheem The Dream spew serious Roy Miller love yesterday.
It was a comprehendable but still trademark ramble by the head coach, and it made Joe revive that lingering question, “If Miller is so good, then why did the Bucs draft Brian Price early in the second round when the team had other areas it could have addressed with that pick?”
Here’s what Raheem The Dream had to say about Miller:
“You go back and look at tape, and you’re just, you’re shocked how he jumps off the film. And what he was able to do last year, and how we ended that season was a major part becuase of what he was able to do. …He’s a part of that youth movement, as well. We told Roy, really he was the first defensive cog added to this new regime. He was that, that guy. And I pulled him into my office and let him know and said, ‘Hey, we picked you because of your leadership, your background, how you are, your serious, that you’re detailed and all those types of things.’ And that warrior type of attitude that he brought to the table, that he was able to present during the game last year as a rookie, we all forgot about that. And now he’s coming to his second year. He’s fired up to get back. He’s not an easy guy to keep off the practice field because he will absolutely lie to you right to your face because he wants to play. You got to love that. You got to respect that about the guy.”
So Roy Miller, per Raheem The Dream, was a “major part” of the revitalized Bucs defense last year, yet the Bucs couldn’t pass on Price.
Yeah, Joe gets that Price was the top guy on their draft board. Joe understands that whole philosophy. And surely Price wasn’t a reach.
But ultimately, Joe’s having a hard time swallowing the Price pick given that the team views Miller as a true standout player and leader.
It’s a fun argument, and one Joe suspects will rage on for years, especially if both players, and Gerald McCoy, pan out.
May 20th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
I would like to hear what Joes selection at 35 would have been. I see alot of people out there say they are unsure about this pick, but they never say who they would have taken instead.
May 20th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
But ultimately, Joe’s having a hard time swallowing the Price pick given that the team views Miller as a true standout player and leader.
Florida + August heat = Need for numerous quality DT’s
May 20th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
I agree. The more DT’s, the better in the heat. Not only that, but Price was more of a 3-tech guy in college and will be learning both in the pros. Miller can play both. McCoy is a 3-tech that has even moved outside from time to time. It would be interesting to see a heavy front from time to time of McCoy, Price, Miller and White on the line. Maybe that would put a hurt on the Panthers and Falcons run game!!!
May 20th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Bullshit Creamsicle.
The year we won the superbowl Warren Sapp and Chartric Darby played nearly every down.
…and even if I concede the point that you need a DT rotation in FLorida , you still don’t draft a part-time rotation player that high in the draft. That high of a value pick needs to be a full-time starter for years to come, not playing 15 snaps a game.
The pick was stupid , stop making excuses for it, people. Let’s just hope it pans out somehow…
May 20th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
@ Radio
“The pick was stupid , stop making excuses for it, people. Let’s just hope it pans out somehow…”
First round talent (Price) in the top of the 2nd isn’t too shabby. Listen, the pick was fine in that we turned a weakness into a strength. The only players who were drafted near Price but more highly ranked (per the ESPN draft website) were Benn, Sergio Kindle, and Lamar Houston. We got Benn, Kindle is a walking red flag, and Houston is a DT. The pick itself was a masterstroke…if Price turns out to be a bust then you can trash the pick.
May 20th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
@sensible
Pretty much agree with you…..I doubt I would have made the same pick if I were in Dom’s position….personally I would have been looking at Safety’s although I feel in love with Dex McCluster in the last half of the college football season
But to say it’s stoopid? Dominik quite possibly cemented our DT position for the next 5 years…….I can see what he was thinking
May 20th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Is there a player on the bucs roster that the dream does not gush about?
May 20th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
2nd round picks since 1998:
Dexter Jackson — Useless
Arron Sears — Cut
Jeremy Trueblood — Starter
Barrett Ruud — Starter
Dewayne White — Gone
Cosey Coleman — 4-year Starter
Shaun King — 1 Year starter, 3 year back-up
Jaquez Green — marginal
Brian Kelly — Long term Starter
So to recap, Brian Kelly is the only full-time, long term starter on that list. Ruud has potential, but half the people that come to the site want to see him cut. Trueblood can stick around if he gives up his infatuation with the color yellow. So Radio, while your point is valid in a perfect world, past history shows that our second round picks are hardly “starters for years to come.” If Brian Price turns out to be a solid rotation guy, I think that would be better than what we’ve had.
May 20th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Wether or not Miller is great has nothing to do with drafting Price. You need more than two solid DTs to have a dominant defensive line. If all three work out, we will constantly have fresh DTs thru all four quarters by heavy rotation, and that is huge. We will also have flexibility in defensive schemes. Don’t be surprised to see Miller/Price/McCoy on the field at the same time.
May 20th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Man, that is gonna scare the hell out of the Saints……………………
May 20th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
It’s stupid because you had stud defensive ends like Carlos Dunlop still on the board….guys that would be full-time starters , impact players down in and down out.
Instead , on a team full of holes , you draft a rotation guy?? Stupid Stupid STUPID !!!
May 20th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
@Radio MushMouth, Carlos Dunlap will fail…
I love the Brian Price pick. With that pick, you take a weakness and make it a strength. That’s how you create depth. If the Gruden/Allen regime followed this strategy, we would have taken Adrian Peterson.
May 20th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I’ve said it for quite some time now. Raheem is delusional. He’s also a verbal narcissist. He loves to hear himself blabber on.
May 20th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
@Radio: Price>>>Dunlap. Price has great work ethic and was a leader on his defense. Dunlap? Quite the opposite. All the quality DEs were really gone in round 1.
Glad you are not the GM. You would pick a mediocre player over a good one to satisfy “need” on the roster. Wait. We have seen this before in Tampa.
May 20th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Since when is brian price known for “great work ethic ” . With that being said i still like the pick. At first i was not sure but if he is the best player on the board and you have one of the worst defensive lines in the nfl. you have to stick to your board and take the best available d lineman. Regardless if we drafted a d-tackle in round 1. Dom just make sure you get us Adrien Clayborne. He is next years “Man Beast”
May 20th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I am totally on board with the McPrice team. I really like how they played their cards in the draft. Sure they may have done better by not giving up that 5’th, but they got the players they wanted based on their board. I have only seen Price’s highlights and the guy is quick and aggressive. I really like him and thought the Bucs might take him at 35 if they took Eric Berry at #3. I still would have been very happy with Berry, but I’m happy how things are now.
Yahoo/Sports/NFL has Price on the front page with a write up about the Bucs’ DT’s.
May 20th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Why not run the old 5 man front on some plays. Miller NT, Price LT, McCoy RT, White DE, & Bennett DE or Crowder. 2LBs, 2CBs, 2 Safetys. Big Beef on the line
May 20th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
or 3LBs as usual with only 1 Safety= TJak. I mean really, for all the good Sabby does, you might as well only have 1 safety.
May 20th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I am absolutely shocked that Radio Mushmouth disagreed with a move by the Bucs! Shocking!
May 20th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Someday’s people really show their anuses…
Consider today one of those days.
Cheers.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Why do the Giants spend high draft picks on defensive linemen year after year when they already have the cream of the crop? Because you can never have enough of the guys, that’s why. Like Rod Marinelli always said, if the d-linemen are doing their jobs, you can give everyone else their pink slips.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Good Find BiGMacAttack!!
Here’s Yahoo! Sports’ article on the Bucs
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Akt9sYWlF9pODtJpSBmGIU5DubYF?slug=ys-undersurveillancebucs052010
GO RAYS!!!! SUCK IT NY!!!!!!
May 20th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Actually, that Yahoo! Sports article SUCKS!! LOL
I hope this guy’s projection that McCoy and Price are too small for the NFL is as inaccurate as his reporting…(he said the bucs finished 4th in the NFC NORTH and he said we drafted the DT’s after we cut Hovan…what you want accurate reporting from Yahoo??)
May 20th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
I’m right there with some of you that I also initially thought it was an odd pick, but consider these points:
1. We got terrific value.
2. Most great D-lines have a solid D-tackle rotation (at least 3), even if the “3rd” guy isn’t always a big name. (ahem, chartric darby)
3. DT is probably the most important position on a defense
4. It’s been a huge weakness for us for years
5. Will be HUGE against the run with fresh players, especially later in the game when we usually get torched, and also against the run-heavy teams in our division
6. Fantastic insurance policy on the position
Honestly, I could go on and on…. I’m just trying to make the point that, yes, it was an odd pick, but when you consider what it does for us, was a fantastic and well-thought out move. This entire draft could turn out to be a turning point in the franchise.. either way, I think it’s way too early to judge the draft the way most of us do. Stop being negative, what they did makes a lot of sense and nobody knows how the players are going to turn out.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Still don’t like the pick. You had McCoy and Miller already. You don’t waste a high 2nd round pick on a damn part-time player. I just don’t get it. They could have drafted a pass rushing DE. Maybe a decent S. A playmaking LB. A quick young RB since the RBs we have are getting up there in years. So there was plenty of options for Mark D. to make. The only way this pick works is if Price plays the majority of the snaps. Since Miller is being raved about by Rah, I see him playing the majority. So the Bucs have spent a 3rd last year and 1st and high 2nd this year of DTs. I just don’t like it.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
He isn’t just a rotation guy. All three of these guys will get enough playing time to be considered starters.
Besides, what if we didn’t draft Price and then Miller or McCoy got hurt? We plug in Hovan or Sims and we are right back to having a shitty interior D-line. Having three solid DT is a very good thing. Some of you are just plain stupid.
May 21st, 2010 at 12:00 am
$toopid
May 21st, 2010 at 12:57 am
@ Eric S
I’m just curious who we should have taken if not Price at that pick. DE? Which one? Kindle is kinda small and was considered by many to transition to a 3-4 OLB. Dunlap? High risk for a high 2nd round pick. What RB? Tate, Gerhardt, and Hardesty were not worth that high of a 2nd round pick. Decent S? Which one? This draft was heavy in FS (Tanard’s position), but pretty light on SS.
Which of the “plenty of options” should Dom have taken? I’m thinking he was looking at the team’s late game collapses and figuring he needs 3 DTs to stop those 8 minute drives that keep us from wining games. Fresh legs rotating in the 4th qtr would sure be nice.
May 21st, 2010 at 3:13 am
Ok. I’ll play. Nate Allen the S from USF would have been a good choice. Sabby isn’t very good and who knows how the former Philly S will work out. I would have been fine with Kindle as well. He’s a medical risk, but I would have taken a chance. The guy just makes plays. And Marky D. is not afraid to take risks as evidence by the Syracuse WR pick. Dexter McCluster would be a fine choice. He’s another local product and he’s explosive when he is in the game. The Bucs need all playmakers they can get on offense. Give him 10-12 touches and see what he can do. The guy isn’t an every down back, but the Bucs don’t need that. Kao Misi would have been an intriguing choice. Since the Bucs run a 4-3, you can slot him as a pass rushing DE. The pass rush has been atrocious for a few years, so a pass rusher would be a nice idea. Daryl Washington from TCU also would have been a prudent pick. He is very fast and is all over the field. I loved watching TCU games last year and seeing their D. I wouldn’t touch Carlos Dunlap. The guy disappears way too much in games.
I liked the McCoy pick. I didn’t have any problems with the WRs taken (I do worry a bit about Mike Williams though). The CB from Vandy looks like a solid selection. And the ST players later in the draft weren’t bad selections since the Bucs have lost some of their ST standouts. But I do have a problem with the Price as previously mentioned. And it was extremely stupid to trade a valuable pick to move up 3 spots. Just like it was dumb beyond belief to trade up to get Freeman. Both Benn and Freeman would have been there for the picking. Ok. Next question.
May 21st, 2010 at 8:30 am
Joe, I don’t know why it’s so hard to understand…rotation and depth…Miller, Price, McCoy.
May 21st, 2010 at 9:13 am
@ Eric…How do you know those guys would have been around if the Bucs did not trade up? Just wondering if you have better sources than Dom? Many people from the NFL have praised the draft, and that includes Price. Also, why is it ok to bring in a part time RB with a high pick but not a DT? Not trying to be a smart ass, just wondering about a few comments is all.
May 21st, 2010 at 9:27 am
@ Eric S
So, you’d take a FS (which we already have, need a SS), a medical risk, a part time/rotational RB, or a couple guys that were not valued that high in the 2nd round (a reach) instead of getting a value pick in Price. OK, that’s fine, but not the choice I would make.
May 21st, 2010 at 11:45 am
Eric S, good thing you are not GM
May 21st, 2010 at 12:20 pm
@Eric S.
Please stop posting. You sound dumber and dumber each time. Price was a GREAT pick! Our D-Line will be solid for years to come.
May 21st, 2010 at 2:38 pm
I have no problem with having 3 damn good DTs if they all pan out. keep them fresh. Of course injuries happen and odds are one does not pan out that well.
The other reasoning from what I have heard and seen is this: next years draft may ahve lesser overll talent than this year but it is supposed to be loaded with top notch speed rushing DEs. In some interviews over the last month the Bucs have hinted at that. They have basically said they felt price was a great pick there and the DEs there were a reach.
Fine, I have no problem with that if that is their philosophy, but unless Crowder and Moore and White suddenly become all world, they HAVE to draft a speed guy for the DE slot next year.
What’s looking good is the fact that they can put Price, White, and Moore at just about any position along the D-Line when going after the passer.
MAN I just REALY hope these DTs pan out because if they do, everything else will be a domino effect and making returning to a dominant defense much easier and quicker.
May 21st, 2010 at 2:56 pm
ERIC:
I won’t jump on you like some because you made good points: BUT, the pass rush and LB play SHOULD improve if the DTs are ALOT better. Plus they will be going after a DE in next years draft as stated in my other post.
As far as trading up a few slots for Benn, the rumors were that 1 or both those teams picking next were looking at him so I have no problem with that.
Last year, trading up a couple spots for Freeman probably was unneccesary, but they saw their guy sitting there and got a little jumpy. Whatever, it is what it is.
You are right about the ST guys later in the draft except for Watson. I have seen more and more stuff (not from Tampa) wondering why he dropped when MANY places had him as a 4th to 5th round pick. He seems slated for much more than STs.
May 21st, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Tampa still loves Miller, but you can never have too many good defensive tackles.
May 21st, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I love that there are some very stupid new posters on here. I gave Mark D. some props on most of the selections. I just thought the Price pick didn’t need to be made. Picking a situational RB is a lot different than a backup DT. McCluster would be our version of Reggie Bush. He can break it at any time. Cadillac, Graham and Ward are not that type of backs. It is good have some variety in the backfield. I can only imagine a LB corps of Kindle, Ruud and Hayes. That would be something. I still wonder where the pressure is going come from. Hayes had his moments. White is only a decent pass rusher. McCoy will help in this area, but why not have another threat to the QB? The pass rush hides the weaknesses in the secondary.
There is no doubt that Freeman would have been there last year. I have no doubt that Benn would have been there as well. If not, so what. Tate would have been a fine 2nd choice for the Bucs.
I guess some people want all the posters to agree with all of Mark D’s selections. I am not going to do that. As I said it was a fine draft. Could have been better.
Where did JDouble go? That guy was an intelligent poster on here that I disagreed with on occasion. It is too bad he’s left and we are left with some of the dumb asses on here. Note-This is only directed a few of the posters. You can probably figure out who.
May 21st, 2010 at 4:23 pm
ERIC Ok, I lied and jumped all over you and RahDomDaBest on another article…. oh well, the negativity from you guys gets old.
May 21st, 2010 at 4:27 pm
AS faras the picks: that is all opinion and in theirs, PRICE is much better than Kindle or McCluster and Benn is much better than Tate. I don’t know if any of that is true, but we shall find out.
Personally I am glad they did not select McCluster because I think he won’t last more than 2 years. I also think Tate is WAAAAY overrated by many. But, it is just my opinion.
What I do not understand is why you turn half your opinions into a “rip Raheem a new one.” It makes no sense. Wait and see where the REBUILDING process goes.
May 21st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I definitely wasn’t directing my comments toward you Dave. You were civil.
May 21st, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Well fellas, this was fun. Everyone has an opinion or this would be boring as hell. Keep posting Eric S, that is why Joe has this section. I am headed to happy hour. take it easy everyone!
May 22nd, 2010 at 8:54 am
A part-time rotation player at 35 overall, when your team is full of holes at starting positions.
Someone explain to me again how that is a good pick??
….and if you claim it’s because we are going to make him play nose-tackle , that is even worse…