MRToTW (My Random Thoughts of the Week)

As far as I'm concerned, this was a great week for the Bucs and fans alike. The draft went well, and we got positions filled that were a necessity. We got a top 5 talent for a 2nd rounder, and we have some new talent in the backfield. But I'll get to all of that, in my random thoughts of the week.

The Lockout... Just Sucks

As everyone knows, the lockout is back on. Here is where the league starts to really hurt players, and in my mind cross the line. Now, UDFA can't be signed, so they are out of jobs now. The players we drafted?  Can't get their playbooks or start to workout in team facilities. Players agents can't even negotiate contracts. Where that really starts to cause problems, is that agents have multiple clients. Let's take Tom Condon for example. He's one of the biggest agents out there, and every year he gets a bunch of rookies that want to sign him. He has to work out all of their contracts, along with other current players needing new deals. He can't do them all at once, and some players might miss some training camp (if there is one) because their deal hasn't been done yet. Both sides are responsible here, the players wanted to take this to court, and they lost. It's now time to stop the petty games and get the deal done before players start getting hurt.

Did we really just get a top 5 talent for a second rounder?

Yes... yes we did. I really love this pick and there are few reasons not to. Here's the first one, until the injury problem arose, he was in the running for the #1 pick in the draft. And we got him for a second rounder. Is this a big risk? Absolutely, if Bowers doesn't get on the field he'll be a bust. But, I'm actually very glad the front office is willing to take this risk. Players come back from big knee surgeries all the time and do well. Tom Brady for example came back from knee surgery. He's a QB, but doesn't change the fact that a knee injury isn't the end of your career. From what I've heard though, Bowers needs surgery. I'm not a doctor so I have no idea on his recovery time or if he'll play this year, but I do know that this will give him time to sit and watch and learn the D. It's not complicated, but it couldn't hurt to sit and watch for awhile.

I find draft grades useless...

Just for right now at least. Because we honestly have no idea how any of these players will turn out. We have no idea if Bowers will ever get on the field, if Clayborn will do well at all, and ect. We have no idea how any player will turn out. We can speculate and guess, but we won't know at all until we see them play. Not saying that you can't judge a draft at all, just judge if you got the needs filled. The rest is pure speculation and players can surprise you, or disappoint you.

Ahmad Black...

I'm usually all for taking players who might not have all the raw physical tools, maybe a little slow, not as strong. But to a certain extent, and Black in my mind goes beyond this. It's the NFL, and he's as slow as they come as far as safeties go. You can't trust him deep at all. I've said this earlier, but I'll do some math on his speed now. Say Safety A runs a 4.4, and Black well runs a 4.78. Safety A runs a yard in .11 seconds, while Black runs it in .12 seconds. While this might not seem like a big deal, in 40 yards, Safety A is almost 4 yards ahead of Black. Any receiver with any kind of speed at all will burn him deep, and that is a big liability. I'm not sure if he was hurt at the combine or something, but that kind of speed is just... not for the NFL. Not even special teams. We'll see how he does though, not saying we shouldn't give him a chance.

Positions in need...

While I'm not a huge fan of Free Agency, I think the Bucs might need to take a look at some OL or WRs. WR free agents rarely work out, but if someone out there is cheap, I say why not. Wouldn't mind a burner for a WR, but those usually come with catching problems so...

Overall...

The Bucs are headed in the right direction. The Saints and Falcons are falling, and the Bucs are very young but are getting better every year. We have our QB, our HC, and a bunch of young guys ready to burst onto the scene. I think it was a good draft but like I said, we won't find out until a few years from now. But then again, that's what makes football fun.