THE PESSIMIST: No Need For Pro Bowl Talent?
September 6th, 2010
THE PESSIMIST is a diehard Bucs fan whose negative writings appear occasionally on JoeBucsFan.com. His views surely do not necessarily reflect those of Joe. However, Joe sure gets a kick out of them.
Spin the Bucs waiving Clifton Smith however you want. But the Bucs just cut a great returner they can’t replace.
Nice move by the personel czar. Way to improve the team. That’s going to sell a pile of tickets.
Smith was successful in 2008, and successful in 2009. Micheal Spurlock is a nice story and a great talent, but the same special teams coach, Rich Bisaccia, let the guy go after being the Bucs kick returner for half a season in 2007 — and nobody picked him up.
THE PESSIMIST just has to put it out there that this 27-year-old Spurlock guy is not Smith. Not even in the same league.
Spurlock the receiver has no career catches, so please don’t start telling me the Bucs need this guy in their receiving corps. If they do, then just shoot THE PESSIMIST now.
It was a crappy move.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Clifton is easily replaceable. That was proved last season when he got hurt and the return game actually improved with Stroughter and Spurlock.
Peanut doesn’t have the speed any longer. Too slow to be an upper-echelon returner , and he can’t do anything else for the team except fumble.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:48 am
get over it….
September 6th, 2010 at 9:49 am
In 2008 & 2009, Peanut had 7 fumbles. Add another from the Texan’s game on Thursday, makes #8. How many points or chances did the fumbles cost the team? This is a problem that just can’t be overlooked, not to mention the health issues. Rich Bisaccia is the asst head coach and I’m sure he had a say in who they kept and who they cut. Don’t be surprised if Peanut ends up back on the team in the future. Stranger things have happened, so quitcher bitchin. Pessimist my arse, “Idiot” is more like it.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:55 am
The rams picked spurlock up and cut him..
September 6th, 2010 at 10:00 am
i dont agree with much of what he thinks but mushmouth has it right this time.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Personally, I don’t think Peanut is completely healthy (anyone remember Antonio Bryant). The combination of his health and fumbling problems, I think are a concern. It sure looks like he passed through waivers, I’m sure it wasn’t because of a hefty contract. There are certainly other areas of this team to be pessimistic about, but the third string RB/Return man with health and fumbling problems isn’t one of them.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Losing a Pro Bowler? Really? Ok, he made the Pro Bowl, sure. As a return man… after a half a year on the active roster. It was a great story… undrafted rookie free agent from Fresno State recovers from massive knee damage (doctors said he would never play again) and makes the practice squad of the Bucs, gets brought up to replace a HORRIBLE 2nd round draft choice and has good success in the return game. Gotta love the story… but he’s not irreplaceable. He’s probably not really a Pro Bowler anymore. There are many good return guys, and much of their success goes along with the ST coaching ability. Bisaccia could probably make Preston Parker a Pro Bowler this year, he’s that good (Bisaccia, not Parker).
If you wanna gripe about players let go, why not gripe about the lack of depth on the O-line? About Purvis being cut (then signed to the practice squad) when nobody uses blocking TEs anymore, just receiving ones. I didn’t hear a single complaint in the column about the guys we picked up when Peanut was cut. Really Pessimist? I’d figure you’d be all over how Lumpkin is worse for the offense than Peanut (although I’m not saying that’s true, he provides the short yardage type back that none of our current guys can be).
September 6th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Waaaaaahhh!
September 6th, 2010 at 10:44 am
BamBam is exactly right.
…and seriously , stop calling him a Pro Bowler…the guy made one Pro-bowl in a down year for return men .
Trent Dilfer made 1 pro bowl also , does that make him a Pro Bowl Quarterback ???
Anyone who thinks he is still even remotely pro-bowl caliber is smoking crack. Get over it.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:11 am
It seems our returning success has more to do with coaching than with the return man..
September 6th, 2010 at 11:12 am
without the special teams runbacks the bucs would have finished 1 dash 15 last season.
Probably a small issue in the long run, but i would have given our special teams coach all available amunition, vs. the tomato can rb we brought in instead. If that guy plays a down this year were in serious trouble. Not that we aren’t already…………..
September 6th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Most everyone posting in the comments area of this post are correct, Pessimist, Peanut is no longer needed on this football team. How many skill players that can also return kicks are required? Tampa has Spurlock for kickoffs and Stroughter for punt returns and someone like Preston Parker can fill in when required. The bottom line is Peanut fumbled way too much and unlike the other three guys I mentioned that will return kicks for this football team, Peanut’s value was only in the return game, as his inability to hold the football made it difficult to justify playing him as a RB. All that and his kick return ability and speed has declined since his Pro Bowl season. And Kregg Lumpkin isn’t a waste product, he gives this football team a short yardage pounder who can also pick up the blitz, and as of right now, is a more complete RB than Peanut is/was.
j.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Agree with Mushy! Way ta go! Losing a fumble and concussion prone specialist isn’t an issue. This new running back will get alot of carries here, and will prove as talented and useful as his name is funny. Grabbing this running back was a good move. Cutting Smith is a necessary evil. The team is still improving. The pessimist is still a tool
September 6th, 2010 at 11:34 am
not since Nilo Silvan was released has this much been made about nothing
September 6th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Oh, ya had ta bring up Nilo Silvan, didn’t ya!! Lol
September 6th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
@Radio Mushmouth
– – Trent Dilfer made 1 pro bowl also , does that make him a Pro Bowl Quarterback ??? – –
Well, yes…actually it DOES, lol. Guess what? He’s also a Superbowl Quarterback.
@Capt.Tim
– – This new running back will get alot of carries here… – –
You had better hope he doesn’t, because that would mean either our start is injured, or our other RBs suck out loud.
September 6th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Pete- actually it will be because he is s different type of back. Lumpkin is a power runner. Goal line with Graham, a grinder in the 4th quarter. He, like Huggins, will be a change of pace back
September 6th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
You are not a “pro bowler ” just because you’ve been in 1 probowl. You know how many bums have backed into a pro-bowl appearance due to injuries or just flat-out luck??
More than you can count.
There’s a difference between a player who has been to a pro-bowl and a Pro-bowler, IMO. A Pro-bowler is someone like Derrick Brooks , who spend virtually thier whole career thier.
September 6th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
@Radio Mushmouth
You are mistaken. ANYONE that has been to a pro bowl is considered a probowler.
You may not agree with it, but that’s how it goes. It doesn’t mean he’s a great player any longers, but once a probowler, always a probowler.
You cannot change the meaning of a word just because it doesn’t suit your opinion.
And, aside from that, the pro bowl is nothing but a popularity contest anymore. Very few actually go because they were the best at their position. So the Pro Bowl is no true testiment to the ability of a player any longer.
September 6th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
first of all, i agree with you pete that pro bowls are meaningless anymore, but if you beleive that then what’s your gripe with the team releasing peanut?
September 6th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I agree, the whole “Pro-Bowler” term for players is meaningless. Peanut was good Buc. He worked hard and represented the team well. I will miss him, but it was time to move on. When he took the cheap shot from Wesley, you could tell it was bad, and he has not been the same since then. It is a shame that one thoughtless A$$hole could cost someone so dearly in a game. I realize $hit happens but I would have liked to see that SOB prosecuted and/or at least kicked out of the NFL for a year or two. That had to be the most blatant cheap shot I had seen in years. He could have killed Peanut and IMO Wesley started the end of his career with that hit. Dante Wesley is one Sorry Mother F@@ker. I would love to see the same thing happen to him, maybe by a Kenworth.
September 6th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Too true, BigMac. I thought for sure he’d be suspended for a LONG time for that hit.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Pete…Kregg may show us all something. In juries has always been his issue. He played at GA, and was recruited by most major programs coming out of college. He was one of the top rated prospects coming out of high school. He was injured his sr year and split time with pther backs. One bad thing is, he was also injured in GB. Good thing Gruden gave EG a shot, since he was another undrafted RB from a big program school. Sometimes timing is everything. I will not be shocked if this kid makes something of himself.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
That should have been injuries have always been his issue.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
They had no use for a kick returner with fumble-itis. Forget the Pro Bowl.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
A probowler is a probowler…but Mushy’s point is valid. Like Eddie Murphy once said “What have you done for me lately”. One time PR pro-bowler is not the same thing Mushy is talking about. Derek Brooks and Peanut may both be pro-bowlers, but of a different breed. I like Smith’s story too, but Radio is right on this one…and me agreeing with him may be a first. However, no one can take that pro-b owl status away from peanut, but it does not garuntee a job either.