First Five Picks Will Wear Helmets On Sundays
June 4th, 2011
Buccaneers coordinator of pro scouting Shelton Quarles, also the last Bucs middle linebacker to get a Pro Bowl nod, says Tampa Bay again will play its share of rookies in 2011.
“I think our first four guys, or five guys, [from the 2011 draft] will have an opportunity to play on Sundays for us right away,” Quarles said on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday. “We were the youngest team last year. I think we had 10 rookies start for us during the course of the season. It was the first team in NFL history to have 10 rookies start and have that team end up with a plus-.500 record.”
Of course, hearing this confidence in the rookie class prompts Joe to wonder which 2010 Bucs will be shown the door.
None are retiring, and the Bucs say their goal is to re-sign all their own free agents. Plus, the Bucs surely have high hopes for their three 2011 picks from the sixth and seventh rounds, and a pile of guys are returning from injury. It’s a long list, from the big-name guys to Demar Dotson and Kareem Huggins.
Joe’s planning on legitimate surprises come final cuts.
June 4th, 2011 at 8:18 am
first off, i miss quarles. he was so underrated. i completey agree with the amount of rookies playing in next season. i’m pumped for this season and really want the dumbass lockout to end so we can see these guys fight it out in training camp. there is gonna be some major position battles. i’m looking forward to the battle for the safety’s in particular.
June 4th, 2011 at 8:55 am
This is great news because it says two things – that we had a quality draft and you can expect for this team to improve. However, in Economics, there is something called the Marginal Concept of Utility or stated differently, the Law of Diminishing Returns. There is not as much benefit (taste) in the 25th lick on a cone of ice cream as the 1st lick. The bucs are the youngest team in the league now. What happens when we start replacing 25 year olds with 21 year olds. We are already discussing the 2012 draft. How much younger can this team get and still have the experience to win the big games? Stylez White, Gilmore and Stovall this year, perhaps Ruud. Barber, Cadillac and Graham next year. I know this is football and not economics, but the principle applies. For now, I think it’s great, but at some point I will become concerned (at the analogous 25th lick).
June 4th, 2011 at 11:43 am
This is what is known as a good problem. Whereas many teams struggle due too aged vets and not enough going stock to resupply, we seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum.
June 4th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
the only problem that exists is hopefully we keep the right personnel and cut the correct people. I think a lot of those position battles among the young players are going to be tough to call in just a couple short weeks of practice (or less if Goodell has his way)
June 4th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Tuggs,
I agree, it’s all good.