The Buc’s addressed all of their most glaring needs this weekend in the draft, but also raised a few eyebrows in the process. With the departure of Brian Kelly to Detroit in the off-season and Ronde Barber’s career winding down, the Buc’s drafted Kansas DB Aqib Talib with their first round pick ( #20 overall ). With no viable compliment to Joey Galloway, not to mention he will turn 37 before the season ends, they added the speed they have been lacking. In the second round, after opting to trade down from the 52nd pick to the 58th pick, they drafted diminutive Appalachian State WR Dexter Jackson. Both come with question marks. Talib has immense talent but it’s his character that has come into question. Talib admitted to failing three drug tests for smoking marijuana while at Kansas, the NFL isn’t as lenient when it comes to failed drug test ( see Ricky Williams’ career ). With Jackson the question is size. There is no doubt that Jackson can run, he has elite speed, but in a league where only a small handful of wide receivers under 6 feet tall have thrived, at 5’10 170lbs can he be more than a return man. If not people will wonder why the Buc’s slid back six picks, for a 5th round pick, to select a wide receiver when Texas WR Limas Sweed, who was drafted one pick later ( #53 by the Steelers ) was staring them in the face. Sweed, with his prototypical NFL size at 6’5 215lbs, was arguably the best wide receiver available in the draft. If Saturday was the day the Buc’s filled their two most immediate positions of need, then Sunday can only be described as “Huh?” It started early with Florida WR Andre Caldwell who was rated much higher than Dexter Jackson, the Buc’s drafted Rutgers OG Jeremy Zuttah in the 3rd round. Zuttah’s a very versatile lineman that played Guard, Tackle and Center, but how could they bypass Caldwell. In the 4th round they selected Maryland DT Dre Moore, a physical specimen who doesn’t always put forth his best effort. Then they did what no one but Jon Gruden could conceive. They used their 5th round pick to select San Diego QB Josh Johnson, making him the sixth Quarterback (seventh if you count the bearded, handballing enigma that is Jake Plummer) the Buc’s now have. The Team has been excited about Johnson’s natural ability, and consider him a project. The only problem is can anyone name the last Quarterback Jon Gruden has ever developed. In Oakland he won with an aging Rich Gannon. In 2002 it was an aging Brad Johnson who led the team to a Super Bowl victory. In 2005 both Brian Griese and Chris Simms played significantly. This past season’s NFC South champs were led by an aging Jeff Garcia. When Gruden has succeeded he has done it with veteran signal callers, not a youngster he has groomed as his own. With their final pick in the 2008 draft the Buc’s selected Florida State LB Geno Hayes, another guy who has good talent but also brings baggage and character questions with him. He was arrested last September after a fight outside a Tallahassee bar and he played in the 2007 Music City Bowl while not actually being enrolled in school. Like anything else involving the Buc’s it’s hard to understand some of the decisions they make. With the inexact science that is the NFL Draft only time will tell which players ultimately develop and which ones flame out.
JUSTIN LEWIS
WRAPPING UP THE DRAFT The Buc’s addressed all of their most glaring needs this weekend in the draft, but also raised a few eyebrows in the process. With the departure of Brian Kelly to Detroit in the off-season and Ronde Barber’s career winding down...
BUCS 2008 SCHEDULE RELEASED The NFL has released the schedule for the 2008 season, and with some surprise the Buc’s are scheduled to make three prime-time appearances this coming season. Unlike last season when the Buc’s lone scheduled night game...
A Must Win? Sportswriters and radio talk show hosts like me always love to qualify any game they can with the ever-threatening phrase "must win". It's not so much a literal designation as a metaphoric one, but the ominous threat it poses is just the same...
Training Camp Journal Day 1 Happy Friday to everyone as I come to you live from Day 1 of the 32nd training camp in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, the sixth here at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, just off exit 65 on I-4...
