Beckles Says Dominik Is Lying About Ruud
January 27th, 2011
Joe suspected former Bucs guard Ian Beckles would hit the ceiling after reading the comments of Mark Dominik penned by Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.
As Joe documented yesterday, Dominik praised Barrett Ruud’s splash plays and improvement, and the GM said he wanted Ruud to return, among other comments.
Beckles routinely hammers Ruud for being a soft player and, during his daily Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620, multiple times Beckles has challenged anyone to break down film of Ruud and prove to Beckles that he’s a solid middle linebacker.
Today, Beckles said Dominik’s take on Ruud is tainted by lies.
“It’s a respect thing. He can’t believe it,” Beckles said of Dominik’s comments about Ruud.
Beckles scoffed at the suggestion that Ruud makes splash plays anywhere near the amount necessary for a good middle linebacker. And Beckles points to Ruud’s role in the Bucs’ porous run defense over the last 2 1/4 seasons.
Needless to say, Beckles says he’s certain Ruud won’t be back this season.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I get he hates Ruud, but saying Dom is lying is a stretch. Dom said exactly what he should have: we want him back if the price is right. That simple.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Please let him hit free agency. Either some team will pay too much or no team will plunging his $ value. Either way, win-win for Bucs.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Beckles is really starting to piss me off. He’s bordering now on leader of the mob-mentality rather than actual offerer of insightful knowledge to the game. I’m still unsure of how he’s qualified to be a defensive guru, being a mediocre offensive lineman when he played.
When was the last time Dominick “lied” to the fans? Wouldn’t it behoove Dominick to say “we will explore all options” if he wants a leg up at the negotiating table and actually wanted to upgrade MLB with someone else?
This is just turning into Radio-show revelry. What do people who actually know how our defensive system is run think of Ruud? I.E. Steve White, Shelton Quarels, Derrick Brooks et all. I’ve just completely lost respect for Beckles at this point.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Ian Beckles? I’d rather listen to my dog fart!
January 27th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Exactly right Theodore. And if he does come back to us for lower than what he can get on another team, it will show his committment to the team.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Its a tough call on Ruud. For all his limitations he may be better than a guy with a learning curve.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Joe here,
@Leighroy –Actually, if you hit up Google, you’ll can re-live the whole Dominik lying about the ability to fine Donald Penn this past summer. There was even a public apology.
GM’s are playing a high-stakes chess game. It’s nothing new for them to spout off some BS if it will help their team. Joe’s not saying that’s the case here, but it’s all part of their game. Heck, Dominik and Raheem were out there saying they wanted continuity of the staff and Bisaccia, Wash and Mangurian are gone. It’s just how it goes.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
…. which is why we are HEAVILY SCOUTING linebackers.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Joe, I’ll give you the Penn thing, I had forgotten about that. I guess I more so wanted to say was, when was the last time he lied about his “intentions” to the fans.
For example, what coach doesn’t want continuity? You documented yourself that Mangurian left because Olsen won a power struggle and wanted him gone, not Dominik and Raheem. And Bisaccia’s departure was due to him being given an offer he couldn’t refuse so he bounced of his own accord. They stayed true to their word at least as far as special teams is concerned and promoted within there, keeping at least some continuity.
I just take issue with Beckles essentially calling someone a liar because Dominik is on the record saying he likes Ruud as a player and wants to keep him, when Beckles obviously has a different opinion on Ruud. I get that he doesnt like him, but just because he has a microphone and airwaves to broadcast his different opinion, correct or not, that doesn’t give him the right to call the GM a liar.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
If Ian says he’s certain about something then you can pretty much take it to the bank that it will turn out the other way.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
what difference does his price tag make? either way they would be getting a mediocre player. i wouldnt want to pay any amount of money for a guy that i dont believe in. honestly, every one of our starting lb’s could be upgraded.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Oh plz..joe just cuz u go on his show dont mean hes right…btw let me guess ur goin to TRY to block me..lol good luck..wont work..im goodfellajay…
January 27th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Joe here,
@Bigboi – Joe never wrote or implied that Beckles was right. And Joe doesn’t believe you’re goodfellajay. Nobody in their right mind would announce they are a banned poster.
January 27th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
@gotbbucs: So you’re saying you’d rather have no player than a mediocre player? “Hey, that Ruud, he’s no Ray Lewis, so let’s cut him.”
While we’re at it, let’s not re-sign Black or Caddy, they’re average too. You know what, Joseph didn’t make the Pro Bowl last year, let’s cut him.
It’s called depth. Maybe the Bucs are interested in bringing him back and having him compete for a job at 5M/year, but not 8M/year. I’d rather bring back the guy who is a known asset than chance not having anybody if Hayward (or whoever) or a 3rd round draft pick turn out to stink.
January 27th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
I dont get it .. From the comments I read it leads me to believe the Bucs are sending out the message and possibility Ruud will not be with the team next year.
He complimented him but then stated 2 sides need to agree and there is no guarantee a deal gets done .. What is Dominik supposed to say ..
Ruud Sucks and we will find a way better player ?!
January 27th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
I like our other options at MLB! 🙂
LMAO!!!
Everyone wants to draft DE’s and O-Linemen, LB’s late… AND still get of Ruud.
January 27th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Dominik is saying all the right things. Then the team will come in with a reasonable offer that will most likely be well below what Ruud thinks he deserves, and he’ll get to be the bad guy by walking away.
January 27th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Get rid of Ruud.
January 27th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Ruud must stay… I think he’s doing exactly was the buccaneers are asking of him. You can’t make splash plays when the majority of your time is spent in coverage where you have to constantly make open field tackles
January 27th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
More dog fart stories….I need to laugh and not at Ruud getting run over either!
January 27th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
If anyone should know about “mediocre” players being able to stay with the Bucs it’d be Beckles!
January 27th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
I wonder how Ian liked it, When Leroy Selmon called him- said he sucked at guard!! Oh, that’s right, that never happened- Because Leroy Selmon had Class. A boat load of it! Ian has crossed a pretty serious line by critizing active players on his former teams roster. And he did it , just to keep that low dollar job as a radio host on a fairly unpopular show. 30 pcs of silver mighta done it! Good luck with the Vets Commitee. Touring on current players is something usually frowned on. It’s just classless. Like bad mouthing your own family in the press. Just lacks class. Way to forget who you are Ian. I think Ruud will leave, because other teams will offer him a large contract, and play him in a more featured role. In our Defense, MLB is just not the keystone to the defense, as it is in some schemes.
January 27th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
To me the issue with Ruud is less about him being soft (which he is) and more about him being out of position a ton of times. When I curse a player for being out of position while watching the game more than half the time its Barret. Was Shelton Quarles out of position regularly??? NO Was Hardy Nickerson constantly out of position to make a tackle?? NO Every time I see Barret Ruud he is running up to the pile after the tackle has been made. As for him leading the team in tackles middle linebackers are SUPPOSED to lead the team in tackles. You certainly don’t want someone in the secondary leading the team in tackles and if one of your D lineman is then thats a complete fluke.
January 27th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
The guy is a former player, so he shouldn’t state his opinion on Ruud? Bspn would have to shut down with that approach.
Beckles isn’t different than the majority opinion here on JBF is he, concerning Ruud?
Agree or not, the man has some cred and speaks his mind.
As for GM’s lying, thats too strong a word. Stating something to keep all options open is the best for the Franchise, which is what Mr. Dom did. Kinda like when the Glazers said they were keepin Wyche, then didn’t. What do you want the guy to say “Ruud sucks and I am moving heaven and earth to find a viable replacement”. What if he can’t, then what?
January 27th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
@ Capt.Tim,
What would you have him do? Falsely say that he believes Ruud is a good football player? Lie to everyone listening to him by saying that he wants Ruud back? Why? If he doesn’t think Ruud is solid, then he can say it. What happens if he says Ruud will play well and then doesnt? He would look like an idiot. Why would he do that to himself? He’s a radio personality for goodness sake. He gets payed to voice his opinions on players and teams. In fact, if he does not say nothing bad about his former team, then he’s either biased towards a team or the team went undefeated. Last I checked the Bucs went 10-6 and there are MANY players that can and should be replaced, including Ruud. He has to speak what’s on his mind, for you to think that he should do nothing but praise players on his former team is foolish.
Regarding the topic, Ian is right, Ruud needs to go. He has had his chance and hasn’t proved anything. From stopping his feet when he tackles to being completely absorbed by any offensive lineman to being one of the worst blitzing linebackers I’ve ever seen to being overrated as a coverage linebacker to walking around with a sense of deserving a contract extension, it’s been enough.
January 27th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Leighroy and many others:
Just because Beckles was a past player, and average at best, means nothing. It does not mean he can’t or can have an opinion. Some fo the greatest football coaching minds NEVER played. It means nothing.
Beckles is a radio guy and calls them like he sees them. He is basically saying Mark D is doing the “PC” thing and talking nice about Ruud… nothing more.
If you agree or disagree, doesn’t matter, hi is in the talk radio business which is designed to give opinions.
Just so happens my opinion agrees with him 100%. I would rather have a rookie or move Black in there for a season of learning than watch a glorified slow safety play MLB one more season.
January 27th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
The LB’s didn’t live up to expectations, though not horrible. We had no outside pass rush, it was horrible. We also over achieved on the OL. TE is a soon-to-be area of concern.
SO, with that in mind, I expect DE and LB to be the top priorities in the draft, in that order.
January 27th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
I know Ian is paid to piss you guys off but he has made some good points about Ruud. The reason why Ruud coming back is even an argument is really about the money. When you say “Yes Ruud is average but we don’t have anybody better” thats true. The only problem is that Ruud and his disciples doesn’t believe he is average. Ruud believe that he deserves a monster deal like a top tier Linebacker. I would agree to bring Ruud back for an average contract but it is obvious he wants bank and I don’t blame him. I just believe that he will have a “Ruud” awakening once he hits the free agent market. Ruud is not the long term answer for middle linebacker for the Bucs. Oh yeah, the reason why we don’t talk about Caddy and Black is they know that they are average and they will get paid as such or even released. For those who say well we don’t have anyone better, there is free agency and a special event called a draft in the NFL. That is where the Bucs can find a MLB.
January 27th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
BUCWORLD:
Agree 100%
January 27th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
eric:
Now that you mention it… 🙂
January 27th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
The problem with most fans who get on Ruud (including myself) is the fact that he was labled Captain & Team Leader. Is this someone you want to lead the Defense now and in the future? Ruud is a decent player, but is not a vocal leader and definately does not lead by example! People say he is doing what the Bucs want him to, but I don’t think the coaches are telling him not to be physical. The point I’m trying to make is when you have a CB who is 35 and a 7th round small body Safety who hit twice as hard as your team Captain then there is a HUGE problem!
January 27th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
It’s The Ian pull-my-finger Beckles Show!
January 27th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
I guess we will know one way or the other once Ruud does hit free agency. The fact is, outside of Tampa, nearly everyone seems to think Barrett Ruud is one of the better 4-3 MLB’s in the league. Its not just Pat Kirwan, pretty much anytime I hear a national media guy refer to Ruud they absolutely love him. I don’t really know what to believe at this point but I do know Ian Beckles has less credibility to me than just about any other media pundit. He and Ron Diaz freely admit they do little to no research for their “life” show. They don’t even call their show a true sports radio show. I think people have a point that the Bucs could certainly have a better tackler playing linebacker but I also think people are a little deluded if they think ANY linebacker will improve the Bucs run D if the defensive lineman continue to lose gap integrity with regularity next year. I cant believe some people are ignorant enough to think that Barrett Ruud is the first line of defense against the run and not the defensive line. One way or another the free agent market will put this conversation to rest. Or not. I could still see people claiming Ruud is garbage even if he gets one of the bigger free agent contracts and goes on to become a pro bowler somewhere else.
January 27th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Do I expect him not to express his opinion? Not at all. But that’s not what he’s doing! The Coach, GM, Former Tampa 2 LBs, and several Pro football analyst(Not employed by the Bucs!), have all rated Ruud’s performance as A-, or a good year. Ian played here, he knows our Defense. A lot of Fans don’t realize Ruud’s job here, and judge him by MLBs in deferent systems. It doesnt work. They bitched about Hardy Nickerson and Sheldon Quarles about same thing. And they were wrong then, and they are wrong now. Ian knows that. He knew that back then. But rather than try to educate some bitter fans to the fact that, our MLBs will never be in the gap run crushers, he took a different approach. He jumps on the Bandwagon, and futher misinforms Buc Fans. The analyst in the post yesterday wouldn’t even listen to that stupidity. And they have no reason to lie. Yet Ian tries to stir up controversy, and sell out players and the GM, in the hopes that being “edgy” gets a couple more dummies to listen. That isn’t something that happens on Fox,CBS, Or even BSPN. If you guys wanna think everyone is lying to you, and hate on Ruud no matter what the truth is- then go ahead. You can blame him for the run defense sucking all day long- go ahead. Black,Hayes, and Jones appreciate the pardon! But Ian knows the truth, and made the Choice to join the Lynch mob, instead of taking the Steve White high road, and providing education about our scheme. Then he calls out The GM as a liar? As I said. Classless. I’m sure Sapp, Brooks, or some other Alumni will have a little chat with him about it!
January 27th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Capt. Tim: Whether Ian was a player or not he is paid to give his opinions and shouldn’t hold back. I don’t want to listen to a show where the host never criticizes current players because he is in their fraternity…that’s ridiculous. Also I heard the show and they didn’t come out and say Dominick was a liar but inferred he was saying what he needed to regarding Ruud. Dominicks not going to bash Ruud even if he doesn’t want him back out of respect for the guys future in the league.
January 27th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
“he is paid to give his opinions”
Unfortunaely, herein lies the flatulence!
January 27th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Oar-somethings starting to smell with your recent posts.
January 27th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
And it’s not very pleasant, especially when it makes your eyes water! LOL!
January 27th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
The great Ian Beckels with his HOF credentials!!!!! Another has been with an opinion what’s new. Sign Barrett he played well behind a D-Line with rookies and constant changes due to injury.
January 27th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Oar wrote: “It’s The Ian pull-my-finger Beckles Show!” But does it sound like a dog fart?
January 27th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
The other thing that MOST of you Ruud apologists are forgetting:
They do not run the Tampa 2 that much. They actually ran a lot of 3-3-5 and 3-4-4 sets. In those instances you need a good MLB who can lay a hit and stuff a run.
Either way, many seem to be confused and get caught up in scheme and assignments etc….
All sounds like garbage to me. I can watch football and, after dozens and dozens of games tell inf a player is bad, average, good, or great.
He is average. No reason to convult it any more than that.
The funny thing is some of the SAME people are willing to throw hayes under the bus when he ahs not played nearly as much and has shown ALOT more flashes of big play capability… so far he just lacks some consistency, something that usually comes with maturity.
January 27th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
derf,
Only too dogs and not to be mistaken for the infamous dog-whistle!
January 27th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
If Dominick is lying that is a good thing. He needs to lie to gain the upper hand as well as not itp his hand on the draft. Gamesmanship is what I say.
Honestly, if Ruud was a superstar and irreplaceable, he would have had a new contract 2 years ago. They gave Penn his deal, but Ruud is no Donald Penn.
January 27th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
I’m no fan of Beckles, but he never called Dom a liar outright. That was Joe’s headline! As far as Ruud goes, he has just never progressed from his 2nd-3rd year form. He is an above-average LB and that’s all he’ll ever be. I say keep him if it’s a reasonable contract. His experience in the system makes him more valuable to us then to other teams. But if some team wants to pay him elite money, that’s on them. They will be disappointed.
January 27th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Joe here,
Whoa MOBucs! Beckles was asked point blank by Diaz whether he thought Dominik was lying, and without hesitation Beckles said, Yes. …The podcast proof will probably find its way to 620wdae.com.
Joe doesn’t make stuff up. If you continue to spread sinister lies about Joe, you will be banned from this forum.
January 27th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
MOBucs- How would a linebacker possibly progress from their 2nd-3rd year form when, from that point on their defensive line played progressively worse? If Barrett Ruud played behind the New York Giants defensive line would we be having this conversation right now? Im not sure. But I know you couldn’t expect Ruud to raise it to a probowl level while at the same time his d-line was getting worse in front of him. I really didn;t see Ruud being swallowed up by guards in games where the d-line properly penetrated their gaps on running plays.
January 27th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Capt.Tim, your argument is really bringing my IQ down. I have read all the comments and not one person said “Ruud is the sole problem on our defense once he is replaced our defense will be #1.” Are there other people to blame? Yes, definitely. Does Ruud still need to go? The consensus is yes. There have been no comparisons to linebackers in other systems. Is it too much to ask that our middle linebacker not be afraid to hit? Is it too much to ask that he gets off one block in an entire game? I think you are way off on why Ian criticizes him, it’s not a conspiracy to get more listeners. But I’d like to keep the chat on the team. I think every Buc fan in the world would rather have Nickerson or Quarles in their prime then Ruud on his best day.
And don’t bring the fact that pro analysts “rated him an A- or a good year.” What does that matter? Most people on this site watched every snap the Bucs played this year. Your beloved “professional analysts” probably didn’t watch half the amount of defensive snaps that Tampa analaysts did.
And I doubt Brooks will really be hurt by Ian calling the man that cut him and told him he was done a “liar”, a term that applies to most if not all NFL GMs. Watch out Ian, they’re coming for you and they’re furious!!!
January 27th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Lol- I can’t believe we are still having PASSIONATE conversation about Ruud!! Lmao. Joe doesn’t lie, and he’s posted lots of articles stating Ruud’s job in our D, including the one by the analyst yesterday! Still the ruud hate! Ok, let’s try this- in our killer defense years, who was the big hitter? Quarles? Hell no! It was The Mighty JOHN LYNCH! The perfect intimidator in the Tampa 2! god, that guy could smack a back silly!! Ok, now, which player improved our Run defense dramatically? Ruud? Quit booing. It was CODY GRIMM. Instant impact, as a ROOKIE. As strange as this will be, try thinking of our defense like this- change Ruud and Sean Jones titles. Jones is mostly in the Box, Ruud mostly is not. Lol- the argument rages. The teams that still run the Tampa 2, the MLB catches hell. Now that the Bears are fully immersed, Chicago has been pounding on Urlacher for suddenly becoming” soft”. Monte Kiffin discovered that MLBs are better at shutting down TEs than little SS ( usually a 6’5″ vs 6’0″ matchup), so that’s a staple of the Tampa2. Just call Ruud the Strong safety, and Sean Jones the MLB. You’ll be much closer to the truth, and will hate Ruud(Urlacher,Quarles,Nickerson) much less! I hope this helPed, but if it did, I would be amazed! Lol
January 27th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Thanks for the tutorial Captain, I can tell you have real football intelligence. Saying that Jones is in the box more than Ruud is just untrue. I don’t like Ruud for not playing his position correctly, I want him out because he is not that great of a player. His pass coverage skills are EXTREMELY overrated, he stops his feet when tackling, a little league mistake, he doesn’t make splash plays, and he can’t blitz at all. Go ahead, watch when they sent him on the blitz last year. Every time he runs straight into the block, creating no rush whatsoever. I would scream at the end of the year when I saw him blitz on a 3rd down, because it would do nothing. He doesn’t come up and make a hit when he gets a chance to. When was the last time Ruud made any sort of hit that made you say “Wow, that guy can play”?
We are kind of drifting further and further away from being exclusively a Tampa 2 team, if you haven’t noticed. If you say he’s a great Tampa 2 linebacker, and we don’t run it nearly as much as we used to, he loses some value.
Am I saying I could do better? No. But there players out there that could do better, and if our defense wants to take a step forward, they’ll go out and find the right guy.
January 27th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
KD- then hate Ruud, call him a big soft woosie if it makes you freel happy!! The fans said the same thing about Nickerson and Quarles. Just not as loud, because the defense back then was sucessful, but the fans still bitched. If you can look at the game, watch the ball get snapped, watch the MLB drop into coverage, and not understand why he’s not crashing the line- then there is nothing I can say to you- jus keep bitching about Ruud. And for those who point out that we aren’t running the Tampa 2 that much. The 3-3-5 is even more about pass coverage, and even less about stopping the run!
January 27th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
TBH… it doesn’t matter becuase the Bucs are in good hands. They have Shelton Quarles on the staff… he knows what MLBs will be out there in free agency, in the draft (ie available MLB’s) and he knows and has seen Ruud’s play, every single play… and has the game tape.
Mark D and the Glazers would be wise to take Quarle’s opinion on the Ruud situation. I mean, you can’t get better advice than the ex-Super Bowl, Monte Kiffin Tampa 2 MLB. Period.
Quarles also knows the capability of the MLB back ups AND the OLBs (he was a SLB before converting to MLB).
It’s really not a discussion point because Mark D has the ace in the hole on the MLB position. If Shelton thinks Quincy can convert to MLB or Heyward can hold it down, then that’s the direction the team will go, regardless of Raheem’s loyalty.
January 27th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Quarles was a very smart LB who moved from the outside to the middle. Was not known for crushing hits, but he was tough to block even for Lineman and was able to hit running backs before they made it to the second level. Quarles was a very good player for the Bucs for a long time! Nickerson on the other hand could very well be single handedly responsible for turning the Bucs Defense into the monster that they eventually became. His work ethic, attitude, his hard hitting style and his leadership help mold Brooks, Lynch, Sapp, etc…… Now we didn’t have the media coverage or internet blogs back then, but I don’t remember anyone saying Quarles and especially Nickerson were soft!
January 27th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
And yet they did, as was quoted in one of the post yesterday. Accused Nickerson of being soft, and not making any impact in the running game. Kiffin said he didn’t care if Nickerson ever made a tackle. That wasn’t his job. But I guess he was lying to cover up too! Did you guys read The post here yesterday? By Pat Kirwin and Tim Ryan? That’s two pretty informed guys, and they refused to even listen to the rediculious “soft ” nonsense. They said the exact same thing that Raheem Morris,Mark Dominick, Steve White, Shelton Quarles,and I have said for months!! The struggles against the run are NOT Ruud’s fault! Why do some of you continue to believe that all those experts- including those who don’t work for the Bucs-Are lying to you?? And even more importantly, how did I, who really doesnt give a damn about Ruud one wsy of the other, get stuck arguing his defense??!? I hate to see a guy crucified for something that’s not his fault- especially while the guilty stand by. But honestly, MLB just isn’t a real important posistion in our defense. It’s not worth all the discussion. It’s pretty much a safety! I really don’t care if they sign Ruud for 6 years, or let him go. Just because it really won’t affect the Defense that much, one way or another! Sooo. For those occupy who think everyone is lying to you, and can’t watch the game and breakdown basic assignments- then keep hating the poor guy. I am sure he’s not returning anyway. He’s just not that big of a factor for me to keep talking about. I would rather argue over why Adrian Clayborn is gonna be a better DE than Ryan Kerrigan- now that’s an interesting topic!
January 27th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
I agree Ruud needs to go, or at least be demoted. But I also feel we do not have a good candidate to replace him on the team yet. We can talk all about the potential of certain guys, but let’s be honest…Ruud IS better than their current levels of play.
BTW, haven’t been posting much because Internet is still down. Hoping that changes by Monday or so!
January 27th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
If Ruud would have beat running backs to death the way we’ve beat this subject to death, he would have made at least 3 Pro Bowls.
January 27th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
My apologies Joe. I have to plead ignorance on this one. I was listening to the show in the background while working and must have missed more than I thought. My bad.
January 27th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
We are absolutely beating this subject to death. You would think we are talking about letting Freeman walk the way it’s being discussed daily. If our biggest concern in the offseason is whether or not we keep Ruud, then I think we are in excellent shape. Like Captain Tim, I really don’t give 2 sh!ts either way. Seriously, how much of an impact on wins and losses do you see Ruud giving us? I see him as serviceable, but very replaceable. I don’t, however,buy the fact that the MLB is not important in our defense. Realistically, none of us know the real duties of a MLB in our defense (not even Thomas). However, it will be pretty obvious what the organization really feels about him by what happens in free agency. Although they can be fairly characterized as “cheap”, they have shown they will pay top dollar for a player they really believe in (i.e. Donald Penn, Kellen Winslow). I personally don’t see him as that big of an asset to spend big money on, but I could be 100% wrong. I guess we will all find out in a couple months, and after a couple hundred more Joebucsfan articles about Barrett Ruud!
I lived in Tampa when Nickerson played, and I guess I was hanging around the wrong people because I never heard anyone call him soft. Everyone that I knew loved him. I’m sure there were people calling him soft, but there are people now that think Freeman sucks (I sat next to one at the Browns game). The overwhelming majority though he was great. Barrett Ruud, not so much.
January 27th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Hardy Nickerson soft?
totally absurd.
That guy was the first decent free agent that would actually play here, and did so very well for a long time.
January 27th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Even today, I would rather be tackled by Ruud than Hardy Nickerson’s old arse.
January 27th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
It’s ridiculous to say that bucs defense doesn’t lend itself to standout LB play………… I’ve seen it!
I’m not going to say the obvious, you do it.
There are a few teams that run a T2 with pretty well known MLB’s…… hmmmmm, I wonder if i could name a couple?
January 27th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
I hate to say this, but I believe Ian Beckles this time. RUUD kind of was Monte Kiffin’s guy (Nebraska Homeboy) anyway. I really don’t think he fits into the kind of “violent young man” Raheem really wants in the middle of his defense. I think Mark Dominick is just posturing when he praises Ruud, for reasons known only to him. I will not be surprised if Tampa has another middle linebacker to replace Ruud, either by draft or free agency/trade.
Hey, news flash, Jeff Fisher is DONE In Tennessee after 16 years!
January 27th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Crazy news about Jeff Fisher! Guy is a great coach, but I think they dumped him to keep that useless QB Vince Young. Horrible mistake, IMO!
January 27th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Agree wth that Captain, Fisher gets all there is out of his team. Idiotic.