2012 Free Agency: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Must Pursue Cornerbacks and Linebackers

as the defensive scheme Barrett Ruud had some success with is likely gone from Tampa. We can do far better (I hope) than Ruud in our F/A search.

That’s not Ruud’s forte. He is, however, a sure tackler and an excellent defensive on-the-field captain.

But i did say that Rudd was the best since Nickerson. I got so much flack for that.

and Barrett Ruud couldn’t hold Hardy Nickersons jockstrap.

What he has to explain is why he kept getting lost in coverage over at Tennesse…

Yes, I agree then.

I would even say McNabb if he wasn’t such a crab cause he could really teach Freeman something especially with all his experience, but McNabb is no mentor

I mean you added very few pieces to a team that looks already like it’s about to have a triple bypass. We would have to sign pretty much every single big name at every position except QB in order for this roster to actually look talented again. We need Bowe or V. Jackson, Finnegan, Grimes, and/or Landry, Griffin, Lofton, D’Qwell Jackson, Nicks, J. Campbell… The draft makes it TBD

1. Pass Blocking
2. Pass Catcher
3. Tough Runner
4. Young
5. Affortable
6. Productive
7. Character

Then either Grimes or Finnegan. While Finnegan is a great player, he’s also a head case to some degree, and his playstyle doesn’t seem to fit a mantra of discipline like Schiano will probably bring to Tampa. He’s a pretty dirty player for a CB, and penalized more than we should want. As for Grimes, I’ve said many times that current reports make him look like he’s more interested in a payday than being a good player, and I see him as another Haynesworth, someone who will quit after that big check arrives.

Carr on the other hand, is a solid 2nd-tier CB (atm) who has the potential to turn into a 1st-tier with a little bit more time. He’s also a few years younger than Finnegan, which also plays into the Bucs youth movement over the last few years.

And DLN, all the players you mentioned would be good pickups, but getting all the ones you mentioned won’t be possible. I think we would be ok at LG if we moved Trueblood inside, even if it were just an experiment. A 2nd or 3rd-tier FA to compete with Trueblood for the LG spot should be ok there. Even a 2nd-tier FA at RT would be a big upgrade over Trueblood there, although drafting a RT in a mid-round is always a possibility.

Lofton is likely to either stay with Atlanta or price himself far outside of what we’re willing to pay. Dan Conner is a much more realistic FA, as his limited body of work as a starter should keep his price lower then he is worth. D’Qwell Jackson is more suited to being a MLB or an ILB, although he could probably play a 4-3 OLB….like Lofton though, if he doesn’t go back to Cleveland he will command a pretty high price tag.

Koppen, Birk and Saturday are all likely going to be far too old for the Bucs to even consider bringing in. Moving Zuttah to C will solve that particular hole, however, as will Pete Konz possibly falling to us in the 2nd (unlikely, but somewhat possible). I also think someone like a Mike Pollack from Indy would be an interesting option as a 3rd-tier depth signing. His background is as a guard, but he was the backup center last year for Indy so he has some of Zuttah’s versatility as well.

At Safety, Michael Griffin has been very inconsistent over his career, so I wouldn’t want to see him in pewter. Landry and Branch would be great pickups, but Landry comes with a lot of injury risk and both will command hefty salaries. I’d like to see us go after Thomas DeCoud from Atlanta. Not only would we be getting a solid, consistent safety, we would also be taking him away from a division rival, which is always a plus. Also, because DeCoud isn’t quite the same caliber of player that the 3 names you mentioned are capable of being, he’s much closer to what the Bucs might be willing to pay.

I’ve made my arguements against Trent Richardson many times, so I’ll leave it at “no.”

That is never ever going to happen. And it would also be incredibly stupid. We would go from having the 2nd most cap space to be cap crunched in 1 year. Not all of those players are going to pan out for their new teams. There are busts in FA also. We just need to grab 2 or 3 players from FA this year to fill obvious needs and let Schiano evaluate what we already have. Anyone who thinks the Bucs are going to replace most of the team are not being realistic at all.

Second round guys I wouldn’t mind (in no particular order): Janoris Jenkins, Mark Barron, Zach Brown, Lamar Miller, Kendall Wright, Mike Adams, Peter Konz. Hopefully at least one of these guys falls.

I would like Gilmore?Minnfield/ or Dennard at CB. or Brown or David at LB. Or the best O-lineman available. I would gamble on Burfict in ther later rounds because i think hes going to fall very far

Everybody has their pick for the most part and understand why for the most part. Now we just wait. I think it will just be like an unspoken rule until we get down to the wire….

Whether he can still play that fast on the field is another thing entirely.

But Rolando McClain and Michael Huff would look great in pewter….I’d even be pretty happy with Aaron Curry. I think he’d be a solid OLB pickup if we can get him involved in a way that maximizes his talent.