Posted by  Mike Smith, Orlando on 10/04  at  03:30 PM

Although the caddy is known to be injury prone, I still liked him being part of the run force. I do beleive that barring further injury, Ernest Graham and the addition of Darby will be sufficient.

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, CA on 10/04  at  11:36 AM

I understand that Penn and Davis are guys we like.  I even accept that they can very likely do an “okay” job.  BUT - with a lead in the division, fighting for a division crown, and having a 3-1 record…can we afford to risk it?  If a team is 1-3, or 2-2, and loses a few key guys, they just move on.  We are 3-1, 1st place in the division, with a 2-0 division record.  I just feel like, if we have a chance to bring in a solid player at the tackle spot, we should do it.

Posted by  Kurt,  on 10/04  at  07:48 AM

No surprises here; just good management, use of draft picks and free agent signings. Now you know why our team brings in 90-100 players in the offseason and why we take a look at every player that goes on the wire. Injuries are a sure part of the game.

Posted by  Michael Harris, Oldsmar, FL on 10/03  at  10:33 PM

That’s good.  I was wondering when they would sign Darby.  I think he’s an NFL starter someday, if he stays healthy.

Posted by  Warren Villaren, Waipahu, Hawaii on 10/03  at  04:00 PM

Donald Penn 6-5, 305lbs, big. Dennis Roland 6-9, 325lbs, bigger. These are BIG tackles. If the Buc coaches will key in on their desire to play and focus on quickly developing their skills, either of them could be a future big name NFL tackle. I know it’s a big IF and largely depends on Bill Muir’s so-called excellent O-line coaching reputation to get them to produce and perform well. I’d like to see it happen for them, the Bucs and the fans. Imagine 6-8 Trueblood at RT and 6-9 Roland at LT….damn that’s a huge O-line.

Posted by  Jason, State College, PA on 10/03  at  03:19 PM

Darby can’t hold on to the ball(benched in a PRESEASON game).  We still need to replace Pettigout, but I think Graham (AKA Gnarls Barkley) and Pittman (you would think somebody in this good of shape would be tougher to bring down) alone will keep us solid at RB…for now

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, CA on 10/03  at  03:04 PM

Wade, I don’t think there is much doubt that Pitt and EG can handle the workload, the only question is how productive they will be.  EG, obviously, has little game experience, but has looked okay in the last 2 games.  Pitt, we all know, can be an every day back - he was the team’s primary RB for 2 years.  The real question here is on the o-line.  Can Penn do the job?  Is Davis any better?  WE don’t know the answers yet…at 3-1, with an advantage in the division race, can we take the risk that those guys don’t work out?  If we wait too long to address the LT spot, and the guys we have don’t pan out, we may miss out on the opportunity to make things better.

Posted by  wade krett, clermont on 10/03  at  02:08 PM

This makes more sense then going after the Viking RB (Moore). It’s less costly for the team, and until we see darby and roland out there performing we can’t really be sure that they can’t do the job. Let’s rally around Pitt, Tank and Darby. We are still 3-1 and I don’t think we should go into panic mode until we know that the replacements can’t handle the job. If and only then, should be start to sacrifice draft picks. The Mt. McKinnie and Taylor rumour seemed to good to be true.

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, CA on 10/03  at  02:06 PM

I’m not sure anyone is really surprised by these moves…but I think it serves as a good indication that the team is meeting with little success in the trade market.  Darby is going to be fine in what little playing time he gets.  The tackle is just here for depth and will, likewise, see no playing time. 

These moves speak volumes…chances are there will be no trade soon, though I wouldn’t be surprised if we make a move RIGHT BEFORE the deadline.  That will depend on how the replacements play.