Get The Ball Back!
June 22nd, 2010
In sort of a throwback to Chucky’s edict of scoop and score, Raheem the Dream seems to have a phrase he wants his defense to live by:
“Get the ball back!”
That’s the word from dapper Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger. He claims Raheem the Dream is drilling that into the heads of his troops. It’s a far cry from the moniker of the heinous Jim Bates Experiment which, best as Joe could tell, was, “Watch and chase.”
This Raheem the Dream mindset is part of the reason why the Bucs signed free agent safety Sean Jones: to get the ball back.
“For the most part, I’ve been doing that for most of my career, and right now, I think I’m reaching the pinnacle of my career,” Jones said. “I think the sky’s the limit. I think my best years are ahead of me.”
Up the middle for the Bucs defense was a sieve worse than a BP oil leak in the Gulf of Texaco. Defensive tackle Chris Hovan is gone. Embattled middle linebacker Barrett Ruud was seemingly piling up tackles seven yards downfield which he claimed were game-savers. Sabby the Goat… well, there’s a reason the Bucs signed Sean Jones.
Despite drafting a pair of rookie defensive tackles and signing Jones, there are still a lot of question marks for the Bucs defense. If somehow Raheem the Dream can shore that up, it will go a long way to getting the Bucs to flirt with a winning record.
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:06 am
Geez…I’m sure you can find a better picture..ANYTHING BUT THE FRICK’N EAGLES
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:39 am
Ryan Sims is not gone. He’s still with the team.
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:45 am
Good catch BucsTV
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:04 am
Joe,
What are the Bucs going to do for the defensive end situation. In my opinion, we have no legitimate starters at the position as Kyle Moore hasn’t proven anything. Wilkerson did a solid job last year for us and would’ve been even better with McCoy and Price on the line. I’m sure gonna be mad about letting Wilkerson go if Kyle Moore doesn’t produce right away!! Cause if he doesn’t, everyone will be thinking “we could’ve kept Wilkerson.”
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 am
No prob Joe and thanks for helping me get my DAILY Bucs Fix. Is August here yet?
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:08 am
LOL! Just around the corner.
First up: Lotsa beer for the Fourth of July weekend! 🙂
Thanks for the kind words BucsTV!
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:58 am
Great read and right on the money! Sean Jones & Tanard Jackson will help eliminate the long ball blues we were suffering through last year. Even though Ronde is a step slower; he has great insticts and is tough as hell. Between Talib, Barber, Jackson and Jones; the Bucs secondary should have more success with producing turnovers then it did in 2009. It really comes down to pressure up front though so we’ll just have to wait and see.
As far as DE’s are concerned; Stylez G. White will most likely start along with Crowder who came on pretty well last year. Kyle Moore will probably be part of a rotation which will include one other player. The middle may be solid with Price, McCoy, Miller and what about Dre Moore? Is he a work in progress or has the team given up on him?
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:02 pm
No one laments lost players more than Bucs fans. Tampa Bay, where the sky is always falling.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Stylez White IS a legitimate starter at RDE.
Other than him though, we’re got a lot of people that need to prove it. If guys like Moore don’t step up, it’s the obvious weakness on our D.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I know Stylez White is a legitimate starter at RDE.
I’m talking about the other DE. For that side of the line, we have no legitimate starters. I don’t know why they let Wilkerson go when he was a very solid lineman for us and when Kyle Moore and Tim Crowder have not proven themselves yet. And if it’s because of his age, that’s complete BS.
Wilkerson would’ve been even better this year with McCoy and Price on the line. What I’m saying is if Kyle Moore or Crowder don’t produce right away this year, I’m gonna be angry. Cause you don’t let go of someone unless you have a legitimate fill in who you know can match their level of play right away. That’s stupid. At least re-sign him and let him compete for his job or let him continue to start until the unprovens deserve to play. If the team starts with their lame “asking for too much money” excuse, then bottomline, they’re just cheap! Cause truth is he probably wasn’t, and I don’t see why he would. It’s only too much when you’re talking about the Glazers here.
June 22nd, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Patrick said:
“Wilkerson would’ve been even better this year with McCoy and Price on the line.”
Patrick, you need to shake off the Gruden “win now” philosophy. Wilkerson was not going to make a significant difference this year so the Bucs would rather develop a young guy by letting him play NOW.
June 23rd, 2010 at 12:12 am
Sean Jones may be the guy. He has good size, but not overly fast. He blocked 4 kicks in college and is a ball hawk. I think Raheem has a pretty good eye for defensive backs and safety’s. That is his forte and he obviously sees some promise in Sabby that no one else does, but Myron Lewis and Jones may help sew up this secondary. I think Raheem is on the right track.