Some Hype For The Bucs
April 30th, 2010
NFL player turned journalist Matt Bowen is feeling quite upbeat about what Josh Freeman and the Bucs can accomplish in 2010.
He’s not predicting the Bucs contend for a division crown, but he tells his NationalFootballPost.com readers that Bucs fans should be very excited.
With Benn and Williams, the Bucs now have two receivers who can match up physically against NFL DBs and who can both provide something different in the passing game.
Williams can get vertical and can go up, high point the ball and make plays down the field. From a size/speed impact, he could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft. In Benn, the former Illinois product, Tampa might have a player who can emulate what Anquan Boldin did for the Cardinals and is expected to do with the Ravens this season once he gets the ball in his hands. He is the type of player who can break tackles and pile up yards after the catch.
Both are major upgrades from the WRs that Freeman had to work with in ’09.
Joe’s all for the rampant optimism Bowen has for the team. It’s nice to see the Bucs getting some national love. But does Bowen really believe, as he states, that both rookie receivers are upgrades from Antonio Bryant?
Joe would be very happy if Arrelious Benn or Mike Williams turn out to be upgrades from Bryant in two years.
Joe just can’t place that high an expectation on a rookie.
April 30th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
I agree that the hype might be a little premature but rookie WRs have performed at Pro Bowl level before in recent years, like Harvin and Desean Jackson…… I am not saying either of these guys will but they can… I am all for the good publicity they are getting for this draft though
April 30th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I think Bowen believes Benn and Williams will run the routes that they are told to run as opposed to making plays up.
April 30th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Joe check out your boy Santonio. He is what he is….
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/30/disruptive-santonio-holmes-booted-from-a-flight-in-pittsburgh/
April 30th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
lol yep posted that in the Hofstra article as well BigMac…….some kids just never learn.
April 30th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Yea Jeff, some of the comments on PFT about it were hilarious. I also like the one screen name “Ben Rapistberger”.
April 30th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Hype meets reality, starting in September.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Thanks for sharing this article Joe.Nice to see somebody besides the lovers
liked this draft.Surprised to see Santonio misbehavin again.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
If you recognize my name, I’m all about positive spin. However, you can’t compare Percy Harvin and DeSean Jackson to our young receivers. They had future hall of fame quaterbacks Favre and McNabb throwing the ball to them. That’s a far cry from Freeman. Freeman might get there one day, but he’s not there now.
Now, that’s not to say Benn or Williams won’t play well this year. I fully expect them to be our 3rd and 4th receivers (Brown and Stroughter starting). But to expect pro bowl numbers is completely unrealistic, even for homers.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Joe — could two rookies be an upgrade over Antonion Bryant? Sure.
Even if we put aside the two-for-one issue, it is probably reasonable to conclude that two talented receivers in their 20s would be an upgrade over Antonio Bryant, who is almost 30. Plus, you have throw in a premium pick, right? By getting rid of Bryant the Bucs will likely get a 3rd round compensatory pick. So, that leaves the equation as follows:
Antonio Bryant versus Benn, Williams and a 3rd round pick.
Pretty sure the Bucs have upgraded, no matter how you look at it. Really, the only way one might argue that it is not an upgrade is if we are talking about this year only (as you note) or if we are just talking about proven talent man on man. Other than this, consider the WR position “upgraded.”
April 30th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
I am really regretting that we did not take Santonio Holmes for a 5th round pick because those character concerns were definitely overblown . . . oh . . . . uh . . . NEVER MIND.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Joe here,
JimBuc – Please stop reaching. Neither of these guys has caught a ball, and they’re not an upgrade over Bryant. That’s no knock on them, but Bryant is a top player in his prime. The Bucs haven’t upgraded the No. 1 wide receiver position for 2010. No. 2? Yes, they’ve upgraded. No. 3 is status quo. …As for the future, we’re all hoping, cheering and wishing.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
CharlieB, when was the last time you personally saw Freeman play? Probably the last time any of the rest of us saw him, as a rookie. They say he has been working very hard to get better. The Truth is that you, me or anyone else that isn’t a Buc has no clue how good Josh is right now.
April 30th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
An upgrade over AB? Probably not.
An upgrade to the recieving corp as a whole? Possibly.
Now there will, in theory, be more targets to throw to. A few of the INT’s that Freeman threw last season were due to him forcing the ball to Bryant.
You go from having one really good reciever to having (hopefully) three capable recievers.
You can still have upgraded the recievers as a whole even if Bryant is better than each of them individualy.
Now Benn, Williams and Straughter have to hold up their end of the deal.
April 30th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
No idea who CharlieB is..sorry. Our two new receivers have the potential to be great. Agree, Freeman needs to have improved, running game needs to explode, O-line needs to open holes and give Freeman time, and I think our two new guys wont drop any balls and will run tight routes. The TEAM needs to play good football. Its not just up to the rookies. But ref Percy Harvin and DeSean Jackson, how many Super Bowl rings do they have?
April 30th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I don’t know how good he is. Lets take the ludicrous step of saying that Freeman, this upcoming year, will be on par skill wise with McNabb and Favre during the years that DeSean and Percy were rookies. Freeman still can’t touch the veteran savvy and leadership experience that those two have.
I’m sure Freeman will be much improved. I honestly thought he played much better than his stat sheet showed last year. I’m confident in two-three years we might legitimately have one of the top passing attacks in the league. But this year? Nah. Optimistically, this year we’ll see Stroughter emerge as a strong slot receiver and Brown show some of his early career promise; we’ll see Freeman completing a much higher % of his passes and cutting down redzone turnovers. Maybe we’ll see flashes of future brilliance from Benn/Williams. That’s what I hope to see. I would put money on neither Benn/Williams making the pro bowl. Would it be great to see? I’d love it. I’d buy a jersey. But it’s only a little more likely than me winning the powerball.
April 30th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
I thought “upgrades” occurred when guys took the field and played accordingly. Naturally, with rookies they can’t be expected to be immediate upgrades, although some turn out that way and it could happen.
For example the Raiders probably “thought” they upgraded their QB position with Russel, or the bucs “thought” they upgraded with Mr. Adams.
Thus all that can be said is that the bucs “think” or “hope” or “expect” that they have upgraded. The reality of those predictions/expectations has yet to be established, and neither has the success of the “rebuilding plan”.
Not a shock that fans have high expectations, but it does suprise me that Mr. Dom seems to be adding fuel to that by proclaiming he expects both to be starters. Not what you usually hear from a GM.
April 30th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Joe = “win now”
Joe, once when I disagreed with you, you said that you could not be blamed for my reading comprehension problems, right? Might want to review my comments. I said that Bryent wins the “proven man to man” argument and he probably even wins the “2010” argument. My only point was that you and others would not hyperventilate about as much as you do if you looked at (a) the total picture and (b) the long-term.
Long term, this is what the Bucs have done:
Dropped Bryant
Soon to drop Clayton
In exchange they get Benn and Williams, with nowhere near the same investment risk as they had in Bryant and Clayton, and they probably get a 3rd round pick to boot.
That’s good news, right?
April 30th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
“That’s good news, right?”
Except for the dropping Clayton part, results are unknown.
April 30th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Eric — that is the “haters” last line of defense. “It looks like it might be good, but we do not know for sure . . . so it is BAD until proven different.”
One can reasonably conclude that the Bucs have improved the team. In fact, many in the natioanl media have reached that conclusion, some in the local media too. Some Bucs fans are a lttle slow to give in . . . uh . . I mean to acknowledge the obvious . . . uh . . how about, to be converted? (Yeah, that’s better)
April 30th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
@jimbuc
yeah, yeah, I know – I know.
Obvious improvement has already occurred prior to a game being played, it makes perfect sense, I can’t understand why everyone can’t accept it.
Its a big mystery!
April 30th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Eric — and obvious decline has occurred even though we have not played a game, right? That’s the point that I just made to Louie. If we cannot conlude that a team with the worst D-Line in the league is improved by drafting premier D-line guys #1 and #2, then how can we say the Bucs are worse off because they let Hovan go, or did not take Holmes?
Do you see the double standard? Blind hating acceptable, blind praise, not?
April 30th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
McCoy is #93 thanks to Miller. Does anybody know what number Price is wearing??? He looks like a #99, body type to me.
April 30th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Here are their numbers for the first set of practices Big Mac :
P Brent Bowden 1
QB Jevan Snead 4
QB Matt Grothe 6
WR Arrelious Benn 17
WR Mike Williams 19
CB Myron Lewis 23
S Cody Grimm 35
LB Rico McCoy 44
LB Dekoda Watson 56
DE James Ruffin 60
OG Sergio Render 66
TE Jeron Mastrud
WR Preston Parker 87
DT Brian Price 92
DT Gerald McCoy 93
DE Erik Lorig 97
April 30th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
@JimBuc
It would be hard to “decline” from 3-13!
The issue is, will they be any better. You seem to think that is a foregone conclusion. I say the proof will be on the field.