Lofton Rated No. 11
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If you’re working on a Bucs shopping list for March 13, Pat Kirwan’s latest on CBSSports.com is a good read.
The former Buccaneers scout and Jets team executive and linebackers coach, now a busy analyst for CBS Sports, NFL.com and Sirius NFL Radio, has ranked the top-30 available free agents. And Joe can assure you Kirwan has watched plenty of film on these soon-to-be-very-rich men.
Many Bucs fan swould applaud if the Bucs scored Falcons young run-stuffer Curtis Lofton. Kirwan gives him a high grade.
11. Curtis Lofton, Atlanta ILB: Someone labeled him a two-down linebacker and that’s supposedly a bad thing. Well, he’s a fine two-down linebacker who ensures you get to third downs. He also has as many pass breakups in the same amount of games as D’Qwell Jackson has, plus he has forced seven fumbles.
Another interesting name on the list comes from another Bucs division rival.
22. Tracy Porter, New Orleans CB: Before I overpay some of the corners listed above like Finnegan and Carr, it might be wise to check out Porter.
A former second-round pick of the Saints, Porter is still just 25 years old and has made a lot of huge plays in the postseaon. One has to think rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has had him on his watch list for a while, plus the Saints have salary cap issues and Joe can’t imagine why any free agent would want to sign on to that mess of a team.
Definitely a name to watch.
March 7th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Lofton, hell yes. Porter, only if we can’t get Carr or Finnegan and he doesn’t expect us to comp him for his missed bounty opportunities.
March 7th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Porter especially would be a very smart signing. The guy has injury issues, but when he is healthy he is more consistent than the ones we have. He should not cost much and would allow us to aggressively pursue another CB of Finnegan’s caliber.
March 7th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
See #10.
March 7th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Porter would be a nice addition for depth and is better than anyone we start now.
March 7th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
If Porter is found to be involved in Bount he may also sit for half the season or worse.
March 7th, 2012 at 6:50 pm
What about Luke McCown to back up Freeman when Josh Johnson leaves ??
March 7th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
@Jvato24 you must have not watched any Jaguars highlights. Lol
March 7th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Prioritize both Porter and Lofton – cut Talib and Toast Biggers.
March 7th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
The thing I like about Porter is he is only 25 years old, gotta love that. As Joe has stated he has made some big plays especially in the playoffs, but something about Finnegan gets me fired up. Maybe it is just his intensity and physicality, this team needs to stop the run, and Finnegan can help out in that department more than Porter. Either way, lets get our selves another CB next week so we can have more options of what to do in the draft.
March 7th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Forget Lofton, trade down and draft Luke Kuechly who will be the man in the middle for the next 10-12 seasons.
March 7th, 2012 at 8:16 pm
No to Luke “Mark Simoneau” Keuchly!!!! Stop the nonsense. If we’re not giving up the pick for Wallace, then Claiborne is the pick. Enough with this BS of drafting an undersized MLB.
March 7th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
I’ll take Lofton and Porter all day long. And can I get a little Sriracha on that?
March 7th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Brandon- righteous! If we had the oppurtunity to trade down, and get a couple more picks in the first 3 rounds- I’m all for it! And Luke Keuchley will be a great MLB- great speed at that size- ten times better than the slop we have
March 7th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Not too big on Porter after quite the disappointing season, but Lofton was amazing this season and has been getting better steadily every year.
March 7th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
I think Luke Keuchley will be a great LB for years, but I’d also like to see the Bucs score on getting Lofton, who unlike our LB’s of recent pasts, is a thumper, not a “drag down” type of LB like Foster/Ruud, now I still think Foster will make a decent LB, but we need guys that can lay the wood, I mean even when we were horrible in the 80’s, we still had “thumper” LB’s like Scott Brantley, Jeff Davis, Irvin Randle (who got NFL Hit of The Year on Neal Anderson in ’87 I think),Lonnie Marts and Hardy Nickerson….I mean after the All World Derrick Brooks, we kind of got away from drafting/acquiring good LB’s and I think by adding Lofton will help tremendously with runs between the guard and center, he likes to pop runners all day long, which changes EVERYTHING on the defense!!
March 7th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Undersized Linebacker????? He is perfect size for a linebacker and has the credentials to back it up. Also a very smart player, I would love to trade down and draft Kuechly, better yet draft him right at 5 if Claiborne is gone. In about a week or two we will have a better idea of who we will be targeting come draft day.
March 7th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Lofton, V-Jax, Carl Nicks, & Carr or Finnegan (either 1 im ok with) then draft Richardson and move Blount to FB. mayb im crazy but mayb it would work. who the hell am i kidding the Glaizers wont ok that much $$$$$. i do hope we land a BIG fish or 2 or 3. Buc it im out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 7th, 2012 at 10:00 pm
i just hope its not like last year, u kno when it felt like x-mas morning and you rushed down to open your presents only to find out that you parent are now practicing jehova’s witnesses. sorry if i offended any1 not my intent. Buc it im out!!!!!!!!!!
March 7th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
@Bucfever: you forgot broderick thomas. Loved that guy!
March 7th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
There isn’t a lot that Lombardi on NFL Network says that I would repeat. But, he said that teams throw on more than just third down these days so there really isn’t such a thing as third down packages anymore. Probably meant only third down packages. That really isn’t much of an epiphany. (credit where credit is due) However, as the above players are evaluated and seeing as how teams play nickle about 50+ percent of the time, it does beg the question: what is a third down RB/ every down LB/ Safety/ becoming over the next 6 years, or standard contract length, in the NFL? Certainly WO have become bigger and less fluid, TE’s have become less big and more fluid. The rules give advantages to these changes at these positions. The position names stay the same but the roles and skill sets are changing. The smart teams will be signing the BPA that give the greatest advantage per the competition committee. I hope the Bucs’ are among them.
March 7th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
@mjmoody
Very sound thinking there. Bravo.
The NFL is all about putting the right packages of players on the field versus a defense that can’t match up to certain players. It’s more of a chess game now than a “my guys can beat up your guys” league. That’s why I don’t really think there is such a thing as a #1 WR or a #1 RB anymore, it’s more of a who can I create mismatches with type of deal. It truely is a situational game for the most part, you have to have a roster full of offensive weapons that can attack in different ways. The one thing that you absolutely do need though is someone to take the top off of the defense. That’s why we absolutely need to make a serious run at Vincent Jackson and/or Robert Meachem. Obviously too, almost any back seven defensive FA should be a target.
March 7th, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Anyone else getting sick of Manning 24/7 yet? It’s as if certain networks just wanted to photoshop Peyton in every team’s uniform today and have some local honk from each city beg for his services.
March 7th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
Anybody listen to Espn 1040 today? T Cras had Finnegan on today and he was very educated about Bucs and said he would love to play here. Also T Cras asked him if he was close to any other free agents and he said he was very close to V Jax and Tulloch and how awesome it to would beto play together. Sign those three and call it a day!
March 8th, 2012 at 1:09 am
If Glaziers don’t put out the dough for some good talent in the FA, to me it will be proof they have selling the team in mind. Its crunch time boys. As the old saying goes, “put up or shut up”. You said you were ready and willing to spend, Seeing is believing!
March 8th, 2012 at 1:44 am
@941Buc… I did hear that interview and after listening to that I want the bucs to sign Cortland even more. The guy is humble as can be and sounds like a genuine good guy. He’s the polar opposite of taliban.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:49 am
Anyone interested in listening, here’s the link to the Cortland Finnegan interview: http://www.espnflorida.com/today-on-primetime-3-7-12/
March 8th, 2012 at 2:01 am
Does anyone else think that a Blount/Tolbert backfield would be absolutely awesome? Not very realistic, I know, but those two with a run heavy offense might be overwhelming.
March 8th, 2012 at 8:16 am
@firethecannons
Excellent link with very entertaining interview with Kras.
Everything a Bucs’ Fan could hope for. We’ll see. Fingers crossed.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:14 am
FIRETHECANNONS
Thankscfor that link. I bokmarked it to listen to at my desk this morning!
Off topic, which is better, everyone? A finesse RB who can run between the Defensive tacklers, or a pounding RB that can run over them?
Is it better to have one of each splitting the carries? Or to have two hard hitting pounders that wear down a Defensive line quickly, and then havee a finesse 3rd-stringer come into the game later in the game?
I remember opposing Defensive players being interviewed and saying they “feared” Mike Alstott because when he plowed into them it was a very hard hit.
So I always wondered if the Bucs shouldn’t hit that d-line hard and often in the first half, even if there wasn’t a lot of gain…just to wear them down so that we could completely own them in the second half.
They have a guy that keeps getting to the QB? Why jot run our hard-hitting guy right at him a few times, not to injure him, but to make him tired more quickly…to slow him down.
Thoughts?
March 8th, 2012 at 9:31 am
Who said that Mason Foster not a thumper, has not watch closely. I’ve watched a rb run into him and budged. He was the best LBer we had last year.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:34 am
That was he didn’t budge. Sorry for the typo.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:38 am
I don’t care for his pick numbers…but Finnegan seems like a quality guy. I would not be heart broken if we got him…especially in that package deal 😉
March 8th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Terrell Thomas, considered a rising star at cornerback for the Giants after two highly successful seasons as a starter
Run support fiend, more than 240 tackles. Fourth year player out of USC. Unrestricted free agent.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@ AfroBuc
He already resigned with the G-Men
March 13th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
I would be happy with Lofton or Tullocuh for mlb.. this should be an interesting free agent year if the Bucs are actually going to be players!