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TAMPA – We may have seen the last of Jermaine Phillips as a Buccaneer.
Phillips, who could miss the rest of the season with a left forearm injury suffered in the loss at Dallas, was scheduled to become a free agent after this season but the Bucs have made no real efforts to re-sign him.
Their plan, it seemed, was to let Sabby Piscitelli take over as the starter at his spot beginning next season. That plan will instead be enacted now and if Piscitelli plays well he’ll almost certainly keep the job.
Ironically, the thing the Bucs probably worry most about with Piscitelli in at SS is injury. Since coming to the league last year Piscitelli has had a hard time avoiding injuries and staying on the field.
That was a problem for Phillips, too, of course. He’s such a hard hitter that he often took the worst of his hits himself. In fact, his left forearm injury is the second such injury he’s suffered in the last few years.
Phillips broke his right forearm during a Week 10 game at Atlanta in 2004. He wound up missing the rest of that season and nearly lost his job a couple years later as a result.
After breaking his arm Phillips became so concerned about injuries that he toned his game down in 2005 and 2006. He was so ineffective, though, that the Bucs drafted Piscitelli to push him to be better, which he clearly did.
In 2007 Phillips went back to playing the all-out physical style that made him a starter in the first place and the result was one of the best seasons ever for a Bucs safety.
Phillips was playing at the same high level this year but this injury be enough for the Bucs to pass on the opportunity to re-sign him.
Posted by Scott, New York on 10/29 at 09:12 AM
I agree that Sabby has the hard hitting style and tenaciousness of Lynch, but I am not sure if he can develop the football brain of John Lynch. What made Lynch so special is that he knew how to play with his lack of speed by reading an offense and predicting what the other team was doing, particularly on audibles….and he shared his knowledge with the rest of the secondary throughout the game and made them better. I think that Sabby will be a good player, hopefully he will eventually be as good as Phillips, but I doubt that he is another John Lynch. I guess that we will see. Guys like John Lynch come around once in a generation…just like we found when we tried to replace another once in a generation player in Sapp with a lookalike.
Posted by Ron, winter haven on 10/29 at 08:55 AM
I wonder what they are planning to do with Elbert Mack? With Phillips out maybe they should start working him in alittle with will allen and sabby. I think losing phillips will hurt the bucs on the short cross routes other teams will try using for now on. Phillips adds that intimidation factor along with Jackson out there on the field.
Posted by james, ATL on 10/29 at 08:19 AM
I think losing jermanie cuts down the range that the bucs had at the safety jackson has played well and last week when dallas threw TO’s way you see both time sabby was late getting over the top. He needs to relize he is a big kid not a fast kid and can’t cover ground. He is trying to hard to break the starting line up. and he has injuires problems in college also.
Posted by Ron, winter haven on 10/29 at 05:28 AM
They will not let go of Phillips, no way. I like Sabby like the next guy, I think he will be good, and has the big play instincts. He just can’t stay healthy. Why would you let go of Phillips? He is a great ball player and the Buc’s want the depth between him and Sabby. This is the same nonsence type of article that we are all used to reading. Think about it guys, don’t make sense!! They might put him on the pup list to bring someone else up, but no way they let him go!!!!!
Posted by Superagentman, Nashville on 10/28 at 11:10 PM
The Bucs have tried to re-sign Phillips, but to no avail yet, but the Bucs and Jermaine’s agent can’t agree on deal terms. It doesn’t mean a deal won’t get done. It’s a little premature to make the assumsion it won’t just yet. Be patient.
Posted by Greg Williams, Wash,DC on 10/28 at 06:50 PM
I love Piscitelli! I think with him and Jackson, Talib, and Buchannan, we might just have our best secondary ever! Not to take anything from Barber, Kelly, Lynch, and Jackson, but these guys are going to be a beast in the NFC for years to come…We have never had lock down corners other than Brian Kelly…Ronde is good, but he’s a system corner and never has been a locked down corner..we need lock down corners and I’m glad that Monte has started putting Ronde more on the slot receiver instead of lining him up on the outside..QB’s eyes light up when they see Ronde out there! They rarely go at Philip other than last Sunday, which Philip messed up by not looking back at the ball…
Posted by Scott Montgomery, Georgia on 10/28 at 03:46 PM
As long as Gruden is the head coach and Garcia is the qb we will never win another championship. We have alot of good weapons on offense, including a great O-line. We need a qb that can stretch the field.
Posted by Michael Harris, Oldsmar, FL on 10/28 at 03:45 PM
Personally….I don’t think Piscitelli is a starter yet. We’ll see though.
Posted by Damian, on 10/28 at 03:12 PM
Actually, neither Phillips or Sabby are really that good. Philliips is physical but not really a playmaker. Sabby has shown some play making ability but is injury prone.
I wouldn’t make either a high priority. If anything, just keep drafting safeties in the 3rd or 4th round and one will catch on.
And Gruden is awful. Throws deep when he should be trying to make first downs. Throws short when he should be trying shots in the endzone to win the game.
Posted by Jesse Henn, Fort Wayne, Indiana on 10/28 at 02:11 PM
I don’t believe for a second that they won’t re-sign Phillips, unless Sabby takes the position beyond where Jermaine was taking it; from the comments by Kiffin alone, he seems to be too valuable to let go.
Posted by CVal, Nashville on 10/28 at 01:53 PM
Hey Swine, what you say is logical and resigning Jermaine is the prudent thing to do. But, the reporters are basing their belief on experience with Gruden and Allen. Don’t shoot the messenger. Be glad they’re not reporting on events at the zoo.
Posted by Brent carver, Tampa on 10/28 at 12:29 PM
Jermaine Phillips is a great safety, we need him. Although Sabby is good, flip is better!
Posted by Bob Darrough, Charlotte, NC on 10/28 at 12:29 PM
I used to be Jon Gruden’s biggest fan. Now, after losses to Denver and Dallas due to his ineptness, I am all for letting him go. We should have kept running the ball at Denver. We should have gone deep against Dallas. We are too good of a football team to lose because of bad coaching.
Posted by Joey Swine, Salem, VA on 10/28 at 12:23 PM
Please! More melodramatic (with a negative tone) speculation from Bucs beat writers. Have you not been listening to the coaches rave about what a fantastic player Phillips is? You refer to a plan that you yourself said was in place before Phillips regained his form. With all of our cap space and the glowing praise he has received the past two years (particularly the past TWO DAYS), a reasonable individual would speculate the exact opposite. You guys are the most bush league reporters of any who cover their city’s NFL team. I read papers from across the country weekly prior to our games with a city’s team and without question, nobody MANUFACTURES drama like the Tampa Tribune. It’s embarrassing.
Posted by Jim Kinzer, Winfield, WV on 10/28 at 12:19 PM
You only get what you are willing to pay for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by CarolinaBucFan, Charlotte on 10/28 at 12:09 PM
I’d rather lose “Phillip”, as in Phillip Buchanon, than Jermaine Phillips. How many times does Buchanon have to get beat, miss a tackle, or fail to leap in the end zone to defend the pass like he did before half time against Dallas before we move him out?
He is one pick up from the rubbish heap that we should have avoided, IMOH. Like most rubbish, he stinks!
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Posted by Ron, winter haven on 10/29 at 09:38 AM
You are right about Lynch, one of a kind. Will always miss seeing him out on the field. But me need to get these younger guys out there and see what they can do, and get them playing and learning with Ronde and Brooks while we still have them playing. I think Sabby will be o.k. also, but we’ll never know unless he gets a chance to play and learn more. Maybe that time has come, but I still like flip out there right now over Sabby.