Posted by  Russ Mitchler, Valrico, Fl on 03/16  at  11:57 PM

For those of you who think signing a younger free agent, and opposed to an older one is a “gamble” answer me this...In order for a player to be UNrestricted they have to be in the league for five or more years(unless they were cut).  HOW IS A PLAYER WITH FIVE YEARS WORTH OF NFL GAME FILM TO LOOK AT A GAMBLE?

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, California on 03/16  at  10:36 AM

I’ll grant you all that that D played poorly last year...but there were factors that went into it.  We had guys playing injured most of the season.  We had a big hole at safety.  And we had no continuity from week-to-week...new guys starting every game.  That, combined with the fact that the offense went 3-and-out constantly, made for a tough year for the D.  Getting young, expensive, gambles for the defense is not the answer.  Yes we need some youth, but we cannot blindly sign every youngish, expensive, commodity out there.  Getting a player like CJ, who can help us sustain drives, will work wonders for the D…

Posted by  jason a anders, tamp fl on 03/16  at  07:51 AM

we need d period why draft a young wr if the defense cant get off the field.not sure if any body here watched games last year but we STUNK no 3 and outs no sacks no turnovers.draft d,all d if we have to.we still dont have a line to pass/run block any way no point in getting wr early.new england shows u time and time again u dont need great big name wide recievers to go far in this league its DEFENSE.like the old bucs used to have now well.....were just old.

Posted by  Patrick Dotson, Tampa,FL on 03/16  at  07:09 AM

why does it matter the age of a player,experience and knowledge of the game is what makes a good player,the signings we have had so far are what we needed to do in free agency,getting depth at certain positions,getting qaulity players without spending every dime we have,id rather us get 6 or 7 guys who can plug holes on our roster compared to only 2 players we invest a bunch of money in and they flop or get injured,now all our money is gone and have no resources to fall back on,look at new england,they dont have a bunch of top notch players,but they are in the playoffs every year."depth is one of the winning keys in winning games in the nfl..

Posted by  Dexter Fields, Neptune, N.J. on 03/15  at  06:55 PM

Patrick Dotson-what are you talking about-kenny Smith hasn’t played in two years-who is Legree.Better yet where is the youth of our defense.The offense is very young but still we will draft a WR-WHERE WAS OUR DEFENSE RANKED LAST SEASON-IS NEXT SEASON OUR LAST SEASON OF FOOTBALL?How many more years do Carter have left in him-do we know that,how about Rice?Who gonna replace these guys if one of them can’t get the job done,one of these scrubs we signed.Then you speak of experience,our defense has plenty of that,draft a DE and let him learn from these guys.GET A JOB!

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, California on 03/15  at  12:32 PM

Here is a statistics lesson, smart-guy:
1. O-Linemen are at their best between 28-33.  Most of the best in the league are in that range [Ogden, Hutchinson, Faneca, etc...] Signing 31-year old Petitgout seems good to me.
2. Young, expensive, free agents are the bigger gamble.  The new NFL is filled with “system guys.” Guys like Porter and Adalius Thomas are studs b/c of where they play.
3. The best players on ANY team [in general] are the vets.  For every all-pro 25 year old, there are 5 all-pro 30-somethings.
4. Maintaining a revolving door keeps the team competitive.  Vets replaced by young guys in rotation means the team stays talented over time.  Teams that get young in a hurry end up self-destructing all at once.

Posted by  Miko Fisher, Oxnard, California on 03/15  at  10:04 AM

Another BUCS fan representing here in Southern California. Its a tough job when I’m surrounded by Cowboys and Raider fans but I stay true to my team. The free agent signings by the Bucs have been decent, they have addressed some need areas and have provided depth for at least camp when half the O-line and D-line semm to get hurt. The battle is won in the trenches and I cant wait until these guys go live with pads on in camp.

Posted by  Patrick Dotson, Tampa,FL on 03/15  at  07:33 AM

mr fields,signing a de that hasnt missed a game in 12 years,a o lineman who is the best run blocker in the whole nfl sounds like they can contribute to me,when it comes to lineman on either side of the ball,ill take vets over young players anyday of the week,the older a player is the more experience they have,why spend 4 or 5 mill a year on a guy you dont know is good enough,instead go with players that have made a name for themselves.so gruden and allen are thinking of the future,there just not spending a aot of money for no reason.thats pretty smart of a game plan if you ask me.remember what mckay did before he left,i dont think any buc fan wants cap issues like that again.look how long it took for us to get out of that hole.....GO BUCS

Posted by  Mike Creyton, New Tampa on 03/14  at  11:23 PM

People chill out. These 4 signings are mostly camp meat.  We are supposed to be a football savy town, but some of these posters are almost embarassing with their ignorance.  The roster will have almost 100 players by the time OTA’s roll around.  It always does. Are people going to scream and holler when they sign 5-6 undrafted free agents after the draft too?  These signings really don’t even warrant mentioning.  The only one of these guys that even has a shot to make the team is Sammy Davis and that would be as a dime back.  These are just some guys being signed for no money and invited to camp.  Every team does the same thing every year.  Good God, people are ridiculous.

Posted by  Russ Mitchler, New Tampa on 03/14  at  10:04 PM

BTW, when’s the last time a team comprised of 3/4 thirty+ year olds on one side of the ball (whether offensive or defensive) won a Superbowl? JUST BECAUSE YOUR YOUNGER, IT DOESN"T MEAN YOU HAVE TO PLAY POORLY. (I.E. Shawn Merriman,Marcus Colston,Joseph Addie,Ben Rothlisberger,Tom Brady(his rookie year esp.),and on, and on, and on…

Posted by  Russ Mitchler, New Tampa on 03/14  at  09:51 PM

Some of us need a little statistics lesson. The league minimum is somewhere near $214,000/player. The majority of draft picks signed from rds 2 through 7 are much closer to the league min. than the top round and most of FAgent signings (especially this year), and most of the top draftees only make the huge contractual money if their near the top of the draft. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that if you can keep quality young draftees on your team that you will have more $ to spend on better athletes in FA? Yes, you can sign cheap older free agents, but they still make a good chunk of money and in order to bring one in, you have to let another young guy go. Each time you do it you trade not only youth, but a larger sum of money.

Posted by  Dexter Fields, Neptune, N.J. on 03/14  at  06:55 PM

Are you kidding?BUC’S SIGN A GUY WHO HASN’T PLAYED IN TWO YEARS!Here we go again-another dum signing.
If you’re signing for depth at least sign guys who can contribute instead of a body to plug in.

Posted by  Devon Perkins, Brockville, Ontario, Canada on 03/14  at  04:15 PM

haha we spell a few words differently here in Canada, colour, favourite...by the way, know what a meter is?

I wasn’t suggesting you aren’t a true Bucs fan, I was only saying how they are that good of a team that no matter where a person is from they can appreciate the team.

Posted by  Mitchell Rose, NY on 03/14  at  03:48 PM

Devon, they didn’t teach you to spell favorite correctly in Canada?

Posted by  Mitchell Rose, NY on 03/14  at  03:41 PM

Actually, I’m from Fla and lived in Tampa during the Ray Perkins/Sam Whyche and early Dungy years so I have a history with them.  I’ve only lived up in NY for about 8 years and there are NO bucs fans.  But since I have the dish, I don’t care.

My friend lives out in LA and he goes to some bars with Bucs fan clubs.

Posted by  Devon Perkins, Brockville, Ontario, Canada on 03/14  at  02:39 PM

Mitchell, I’m an 18 year old from Canada, the Bucs have been my favourite team since the third grade..because they’re good! No wonder Shawn, a guy from LA seems passionate about them as well.  Or maybe he followed Gruden from Oakland?

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, California on 03/14  at  02:15 PM

Not so many Mitchell.  Outside me, my brother, and 2 of my best friends there aren’t many bucs fans out here.  I’ve run into a few through the years, but no more than a handfull. 

I’ll tell you this, there were fans coming out of the woodwork after the Super Bowl victory, but that disappeared right after the next season.  LA is one of those places...everyone likes a winner.  Take USC for example.  It was UCLA hats all over LA until USC started winning, now everyone and their mom is a Trojan-fan.

Me: I’m a UCLA grad, and a Trojan-hater...but I’ve always been loyal to me team. 

How about you...Bucs fans in NY?

Posted by  Mitchell Rose, NY on 03/14  at  01:31 PM

Shawn, you come across many Bucs fans in LA?

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, California on 03/14  at  11:43 AM

Thank you Mr. Rose, at least someone gets me.  To the rest of you...listen closely:
VETERAN TEAMS WIN...period.  Teams like New England and Denver have consistently replaced losses with veterans and remain competitive for years.  Teams that bring in young talent for big money [i.e. Dallas, Miami, Minnisotta] have a good year or two and then go back in the toilet.  Teams have a choice, build for a short run or consistently re-load and remain tough for long periods of time.  The key is a mix of youth and veterans.  Youth should be sought out in the draft and vets come in free agency.  Its the way to build and maintain and good team.

Posted by  Mitchell Rose, NY on 03/14  at  10:55 AM

Of all the Posts out there, there are only a few of you that make sense, and people like Shawn of LA totally makes sense.  The team stunk last year due to a lack of depth.  We had no depth on the OLINE, DLINE, QB and Secondary.  This year we’re addressing the depth issue by bringing in key vets (Petitgout, Carter, Garcia) and some young projects (Davis & Chukwurah).  I really like what Gruden and Allen are doing, and think we’re no worse than a 8-9 win team RIGHT NOW.  The draft will help us back fill these older vets (like Rice, Brooks, Galloway, Carter, etc) and give us more flexibilty for the years to come.  For all of you that are skeptical, go follow the Dolphins!

Posted by  PHIL CASON, ATLANTA on 03/14  at  09:51 AM

THE REASON WHY THEY’RE SIGNING ALL THESE RETREADS IS GRUDEN KNOWS HE DOESNT HAVE TIME TO BRING ALONG ROOKIES BECAUSE HE KNOWS IF HE DOESNT WIN THIS YEAR HE IS HISTORY!!!

Posted by  Gerald Henriques, Del Ray on 03/14  at  09:12 AM

Laughable signings so far outside of Petigot and Garcia (who is a very short-terms solution to a larger problem).  The defense will be abysmal this year.  Bucs fans are staring at another 3-13 to 5-11 type season.  At least the whole franchise will get a fresh start next year with a new regime and lots of cap space.

Posted by  Michael Harris, Oldsmar on 03/14  at  05:04 AM

Can anyone spell:  RETREADS???

Posted by  James Hendon, Seminole, Fla on 03/13  at  11:22 PM

Your 2007 Defensive Starting Lineup.
LE-Drafted player or platoon
UT-K.Carter NT-C.Hovan/E.Wyms
RE-Simeon Rice
LB’s Brooks,Ruud, ???
CB’s Barber,Kelly,Buchanon
S- I would like Reggie Nelson at FS and Phillips at SS. With a better D-line Phillips will play better. Reggie Nelson could develope in to an Ed Reed or Troy Palomalu, a ball hawk type safety.

Posted by  Russ Mitchler, New Tampa on 03/13  at  10:13 PM

Raymand, being part of the “knucklehead Club” must mean you can see through all the bull&^*t these people are saying in how signing other teams thirty-something cast-offs are going to get this team back into the playoffs! Being a ‘knucklehead’ must mean that you have an understanding that Allen’s signing these retreads because he’s going to lose his job based on poor performance. Building a good team from ashes means finding a strong nucleus of young talent to put on the field and build from. On who’s watch did this team become a bad one? (Gruden/Allen) How did it get bad? (Letting half the team get too old) How are they trying to fix it? (by signing more retreads)