I've seen so many training camps come and go, and all of them have the same thing in common for the most part; If the Bucs can do this, they can have a good year. All except 2009, where practically NO ONE is giving our team a chance to win more than 6 games. They will point at Luke McCown and call "inexperience", even after he beat the Saints in 07. They will point to Raheem and say "too young", and think of him as too much of a player's coach instead of seeing him win his team over as a disciplinarian. They will say our defense has lost its leaders, though Ruud is still on the field calling the plays. "If these young guys were any good they would have started last year"....oh yeah? Like Ruud? and Earnest Graham?
With such low of expectations, a 9-7 season this year could set the town on fire like it hasn't been since '97. I can see it happening. Doesn't mean it will, but I can see the steps that could happen as real as if they were happening right now, and that would be very special.
This is a special year. For fans from an older era, seeing the Orange uniforms on Earnest Graham and Antonio Bryant had us shouting out "Its Lars Tate and Kevin House"!! OK OK, There really wasn't a white guy who wore #51, and Gaines Adams is trying too hard to compare him to Ron Holmes just yet !
And with this special day coming up, we are also paying tribute to Lee Roy Selmon, Dozens of members from the 1979 NFC Central Division championship team will be in town as the Bucs honor their 30 year anniversary of the first playoff team ever in Buc's history - of how a team that lost its first 26 games in a row, came only ten points short of a Super Bowl only two years later. These are stories worth telling. If its one thing Ive learned from my experiences lately, Buc's fans are interested in the past, and they are going to want to know what the buzz is all about.
I really enjoyed starting up a website of my own. Bucstop.com was an inspiration and was a complete blast to set up, and worth every hour (and oh there were many of them) spent tweaking and tuning it. ...But this is a season with a message. This is a season with a lot of history behind it, and will be very special for a great many people, and I want to reach as many people as I can with not only the memories, but the stories, the dreams of all of those fans and players, and getting it out to as many people who can soak it in.
I want to thank a couple of faithful visitors to my site who were always there to leave a comment and support! Tetris, and Tye, Thank You so much!
So what's in store? What will I bring? Who the heck am I?
Buc 'Em readers will have first hand access to:
- HD REPLAYS-High Def Highlight movies of each Bucs game telecast (and SD for home blackouts if they occur, as soon as available)
- ON THIS DAY- Video feature that shows the highlights of a Bucs game played on the same day, some time in the past!
- KNOW YOUR '79- Yet another video feature that will go over each week of the 1979 season that will be celebrated later this year at the Green Bay game. Stun the guy next to you at the stadium when you know who Jerry Eckwood is and that you know the Bucs through trade in 1978 got Doug Williams and Jimmy Giles for Earl Campbell!
- WEEKEND PREVIEW- yup- another video feature that goes along with articles about the upcoming opponents from Buc Wild and myself, and includes clips from the last meeting between the two teams, and also includes a classic game in the history of the series!
- JUST ASK ACCESS to whatever you want to know about the Bucs that you cant find out on the internet! Stump me? usually ends up in you winning a prize- during the BUC TRIVIA section Im excited to bring back! Want to see a clip from a favorite game? just ask - Want to know something about the 1982 Bucs? just ask. Post in the Fan section and I will see what I can do!
So here we go! Rolling up the sleeves and getting to work...