Big Changes Could Be Coming… In Secondary
December 20th, 2011
Hope Bucs fans got a good look at the Bucs starting secondary Saturday. It could be drastically different next season, as pointed out by Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times.
It’s very possible that Ronde Barber, Sean Jones and Aqib Talib all could be gone.
No one knows what Team Glazer will do with embattled coach Raheem Morris. But let’s put that aside for a moment.
The Bucs will likely stink again next year, if the Bucs truly are as bad as their record says the team is. So why would Barber actually want to return to this mess, or have to come in and learn a new defense under a new coach or new coordinator?
Then there is Sean Jones, whose contract is up after the end of the season. Jones could walk away or the Bucs could let him walk. Either way, it’s entirely possible Jones won’t be back.
Then there is Aqib Talib. There again, the State of Texas could make the Bucs decision for them if he is thrown in a jail cell. And if that doesn’t happen, there is always the looming shadow of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell.
And if there is a new Bucs coach, is he going to want to put up with all the drama of Talib? It’s not like he’s irreplaceable.
So keep that mental picture of the Bucs secondary in your memory from Saturday night. The next time the Bucs play at home, it could be very different.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Why wouldn’t they want S. Jones back I mean he takes horrible angles, is always out of position, can’t play the ball in the air, can’t play the run, and sucks out loud…..he fits in perfectly!
December 20th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
What….a Buc defender will lay a lick on an opponent….
December 20th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Barbr hasn’t performed well this year. Just a couple plays here and there. Consistently beat in coverage and has missed more tackles than any other player in the league. His absence won’t make us any worse.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Well at least they gave an extension to their chronic drug offender safety
December 20th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Barber..bless his heart is too old for the game…has been targeted an punished by OC’s…pull the historical stats on on his pass interference calls…just a guess but this may be career high
December 20th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Joe, you still standing by your comments before the season that the Bucs don’t need Asomugha or Joseph? My money says no…lol. Biggers will be our #1 CB. What a joke
December 20th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
We need 2 corners, 2 linebackers, and a safety (2 if Tanard doesn’t remember how to tackle) on defense. Minimum. We had better be hitting free agency hard this offseason.
Talib is gone. Ronde is gone. Jones is gone.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Namdi is a man cover guy who absolutely sucks at playing any kind of zone. Joseph would have been the better DB for us, he is best in zone, yet plays man very well.
IMHO I think we’ll cut Talib and actually sign a FA corner and draft another.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
My prediction:
Raheem is gone.
A new coach and DC is coming
That means Talib is gone.
Barber retires.
Sean jones is sent packing.
The good news: they have a high draft pick coming and it appears a CB is the biggest need now.
Unfortunate since they have such a big need at LB too.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Lavonte David, second round.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
They will likely draft Claiborne and then go after another corner is FA. Probably draft a LB in the second and go after another in FA. We’ll bring in a speed WR either thru the draft or in FA. There are still a lot of pieces to fill defensively. Hopefully they play Gaitor and Black these last two games so we can get a look at these guys.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Raheem will coach the Bucs next year !!!!!
1 Jan vs Falcons
then AMF…
December 20th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
don’t be so surprised if we don’t draft claiborne, one he could very well be a top 3 pick he is that good and the vikings could definitely use him. two I think we need to get more weapons on offense and guys like floydd and jefferson you can not pass up on. Freeman needs some more help and im pretty sure this offseason is going to be all about getting him back to 2010 form.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
don’t forget fatazz Penn is past his prime and declining fast !
did I say FAT !
December 20th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
“And than there is Jones, whose contract is up after the season”
I actually wouldn’t be shocked if we see him back here. We know Dom likes to reward losers that don’t produce with contracts.
It’s also near impossible for me to be confident that any free agents will be brought in under Dominick.
There’s plenty of reasons why we need to possibly consider firing him this offseason.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Penn has had a solid year imo. Not pro bowl or anything, but not bad. He does look like one of the players that is mailing it in the last couple games though.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
You guys are way off about Ronde. He can play until he’s 40 at least. Romo picked on Mack all night
December 20th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
JOE:
I saw this at Walter F00tball and thought it was pretty good. I know it is very early for this stuff, but….
I know Banks and james and would be very pleased with these picks.
I do not know Luke, but like the idea of drafting an ILB and moving Foster to the outside where he would rather play anyways.
It would be like getting 4 picks in 3!
Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
Johnathan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
December 20th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Thibs if the Rams don’t take Blackmon from OSU, that guys is an absolute BEAST…..that said Luke Kuechly is the Best LB in the draft (assuming he declares) and I think he would be a bigger impact on our D than Claiborne.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Dave, I like those picks but we’re going to be picking way too early for Kuechly. Now if we could trade down, take Kuechly, and pick up an extra second rounder I’d be loving it.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
And no way would I take Kuechly over Claiborne if those 2 were the choices.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
@Dave: Also, I doubt James is there in Round 3.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
I am simply reporting the mocks I saw at Walter F00tball
The other one by Charlie Campbell had
RD 1 – Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
RD 2 – Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
RD 3 – Prater CB Iowa St (previously it was LaMichael James, RB, Oregon)
December 20th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Most mocks (not all) have him going in the third and we’ll be picking early in the round. I don’t know if he makes it that far or not, but there are better all around backs that will be taken earlier.
He’d be a perfect fit here with Blount though, and I’d love to see us get him.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
After going over film, they should take out everyone who showed lack of effort, replace them with those who are working their asses off for a roster spot in this league.
Maybe they forgot how much of a privilege it is to actually be in this league.
I’m sure that would send a clear message to the entire team.
Now, I know this might seem ridiculous, but what if rams, vikings, and browns win all their games the rest of the way and we (bucs) lose another 2.
#2 draft pick?
December 20th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
@Nick Yes, technically Ronde can play until he is forty. Whether he is able to is not in question. It is that he is just not good this year. In any area.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
I have no idea who will be where and when.
I like the idea of LaMichael James but don’t know if he is a 2nd or 4th roundser. His production screams high draft pick, but his size and the fact that he is going to be a “share the carries type of guy” and the fact that RBs constantly seem to fall……
I think he will be around in the 3rd. If not Jeff Demps might.
As for the LBs, I just really like the idea of getting an ILB and moving Foster to an OLB.
I was pimping for keeping Foster on the Outside the beginning of this year because that is where he likes to play and I think he will come off blocks better. The guy has great instincts but they stuck him in a thinking role.
From what I have read, Kuechly is a hard working, smart thinking, sure tackling type of guy who fits right in at ILB.
To pimp a little for JOE – Lavonte David has been real good also.
I do not know Talib’s contract situation, but maybe they could get a draft pick for him IF he clears the trial in March (hopefully it is a speedy trial)
Just food for thought, long way to go to the draft.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Kuechly would be an excellent pick, and foster would have to slide over. But #4 or #5 is too early for him. We could trade back to 10-12ish and still get Kuechly. We have so many holes to fill I hope we trade down unless Kalil or Claiborne are there. Those 2 both have too much talent to not pick them.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
There are a ton of roster moves and position changes that should happen next year.
First on offense, our offensive line, that seems to have been a work in progress for the last how many years, is still not good. Faine needs to go and Zuttah needs to scoot over and we need to find someone to fill the hole that Aaron Seers left behind. Trueblood is a waste of a roster spot. They either need to find a veteran Right Tackle or move Penn over there and draft a real life Left Tackle in the first round this year. My vote is bring in a veteran Right Tackle and let Penn regroup next year. This unit alone has single handedly forced every one of our young skill players to regress with countless bonehead penalties that kill drives and put us in unmanagable down and distance.
If Winslow is kept, he needs to have a 50/50 share on snap count with Stocker and realistically he should mainly be used on 3rd downs. There is no reason to have him in there blocking when Demar Dotson and Luke Stocker can run our early down two TE sets, Winslow just gets in the way.
I’m not worried about our young WR’s, they’ll develop in time. Third year is ussually when you see the big jump with that position.
On defense, the loss of McCoy was huge, no matter what some on this site choose to believe. We have not had a consistent rush up the gut since he went down and our rush D went straight down the tube. He needs to learn how to stay on the field. Basically our interior guys just need to stay healthy and our D-Line should be damn good.
Mason Foster, I think, looks out of place in the Middle. I would much prefer to see us take Luke Kuechly in the 1st round for our MLB and move Foster over to where I think he would be more comfortable on the strong side.
Cody Grimm needs to be moved to starter at SS. I think Jackson, Grimm, and Black would be a strong rotation at Safety.
Talib’s gone, Ronde’s probably gone if Raheem goes, and Biggers, who I happen to really like, is a #2 Corner at best. This position is going to require some major moves, way too many for me to even speculate.
There’s work to do, but this is by no means a talentless team. Fix the O-Line and the rest of the offensive talent will show through. Get healthy in the middle and re-shuffle the LB group and we’re about 3/4 of the way on defense.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Sorry, that got really long winded.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Meh, how much BC football did you watch the last 2 years? I have watched most (I live in NE) and I have also watched a ton of LSU games. We need to stop the run, L.K. will make an impact right away in that department, Claiborne is a great player, but I don’t care how good our corners are if opponents are knocking off 5.5 yards per carry. A good front 7 will make up for a below average secondary.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
gotbbucs, I agree with most of that, but grimm is too small for SS. I’d still put him there over Jones, but it would only be a stop gap move.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
I love Kuechly, but I’m telling you he’s going to be there at 10ish. We can get him and an extra pick. And ya, I’d still take Claiborne over him straight up, but I think claiborne will be gone and we really need an extra pick.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
flmike
We play more man coverage than zone coverage. Either way one of those CBs would have been an excellent signing.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Meh, we need LB’s way more than we need D-Backs. I’m not a fan of taking D-Backs in the top 10, same with RB’s. Kuechly is a can’t miss player, and this team can’t afford to miss on that pick.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
We need to sign two good veteran DT’s because McCoy and Price haven’t shown yet that they can stay healthy. And either way, whether they’re healthy or not, we need quality depth. Ask Haynesworth to take a pay cut…..I’d like to see him stay as a backup.
December 20th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
@gotbbucs
Which is exactly why I think a named veteran HC would come here, the core talent is here, and we have what every unemployed HC says they want when looking at a team, we have a Franchise QB, for the first time since Doug Williams, we actually have a franchise QB.
December 20th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
@Gotbbucs…nobody is a ‘can’t miss’ player but I’d be happy with Kuechly in the first. Our LB’s are horrible and if we put Kuechly in the middle and moved Foster to the outside and then gave Watson the other side I think we’d be immediately upgraded. There are a lot of good DB’s in this draft so I’m sure we could get one in the second. Now, having said that…I’m not so sure they will want to get a rookie MLB and start over again there. We may go WR in the first and try to get Floyd or Jeffery. We could trade down and get one of them. If we stay pat we may take Blackmon but I like Floyd or Jeffery because they present a bigger target. Jeffery is 6’4″. That’s like Brandon Marshall or Calvin Johnson tall. Floyd is still 6’3″. We could use a WR like that. We’d see a lot more catches by Mike Williams if the opposing team had to worry about covering a big target like that. Rotate in Briscoe and Benn and it’d be sweet. We could go either way and I wouldn’t be disappointed. All we have to do is wait 4 months to find out……
December 20th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Ronde is the only hustler on our team at his age throwing his body around I say hes earned another year. Cut s.Jones replace him with ahmad black. Then put cody grimm at lb like he played in college keep foster in middle and replace q.black with Dakota Watson and pay Matt forte when the season ends. And fill in the blanks with the draft. This team just has a few bad apples. Oh yeah and keep haynesworth so him and mccoy can both play inside and the dominate bucs return. Haynesworth and mccoy both require double teams and with that Adrian clayborn will be imitating simeon rice all over again…
December 20th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
If we pick at 4 and Robert Griffin is there, Freeman will be on his way to Washington or Jacksonville and the Bucs will have an extra second and third rounder.
December 20th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I’m thinking Morris Claiborne if he’s still available or Dont’a Hightower if he’s not.
December 20th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
bucfan34, not even a rational thought. qb is the least of our issues.
December 21st, 2011 at 1:37 am
With the way the season is ending up. We will be in the top 5 for draft pick. I strongly believe Claiborne will be there and will be extremely excited if we can nab him. Grab a good Linebacker in the top of the second.
I would recommend going after Asante Samuel in FA. Seeing if Amhad Black can play in tandem with T-Jack. Move Biggers into the Slot or allow Gaitor to play slot ( he seems more Rhonde-esk).
On paper with would solidify the secondary. Giving a mix of Veteran experience and Fresh (Talented) legs.