Is Haynesworth done?

By the time Week 9 of the 2011 NFL season was in the books (a Tampa Bay loss at New Orleans), the Buccaneers were up against an interior defense thinned by the loss of DT Gerald McCoy.  General Manager Mark Dominik elected to claim from waivers a player he had been seeking since ascending to the top spot in 2009: Albert Haynesworth.  In fact, Dominik outbid the team Haynesworth signed with that year but the All-Pro defensive tackle went elsewhere.  By Week 9 of 2011, Haynesworth was back on the waiver wire after disappointing stints in Washington and New England.  This time, Dominik was alone in the quest for Haynesworth and brought him to Tampa Bay.  Now Dominik has to decide if he wants to keep Albert Haynesworth on his roster.

Upon arriving, Tampa Bay immediately gave Haynesworth his first start since the 2009 season.  Of the remaining eight games in 2011, Haynesworth played in seven and started six, recording 18 tackles and 2 assists (no sacks) which surpassed his output with the Redskins in 2010 and with the Patriots for the first half of 2011 combined. He did miss the week 16 game completely and did not start for the final game of the season.  From an output perspective, Haynesworth appeared to step up for Dominik and Tampa Bay.  A odd tidbit to consider: after the waiver wire Tampa Bay did not win a game with Haynesworth, while the Patriots did not lose a game without Haynesworth.

One drawback to signing Haynesworth up for additional service is the number of draft picks the Buccaneers have used on the defensive interior recently (three since 2009). All three have been productive players, along with free agent pickups John McCargo and Frank Okam:

	Total	Solo	Asst	Sacks	2011 Games
Roy Miller	36	20	16	0	16
Brian Price	24	20	4	3	15
Albert Haynesworth	20	18	2	0	7
Frank Okam	16	15	1	0	9
Gerald McCoy	11	10	1	1	6
John McCargo	5	3	2	0	4

This brings us to the first Big IF for resigning Haynesworth:  IF his production over the seven games he played in can be sustained over a 16 game season, he would record around 45 tackles, which would make him one of the 10 most productive Defensive Tackles in the NFL (based on league-wide stats for 2011). On the other hand, Tampa Bay is in the middle of rebuilding their team from the ground up, so every snap taken by Haynesworth is a snap lost by one of the young players.  Should Tampa Bay keep Haynesworth and bring the youngsters along more slowly?  Or is it likely that Haynesworth, having spent 10 seasons in the middle of trenches, cannot be highly productive over a 16 game season?

The second Big IF is Haynesworth's cost to the team.  The league minimum for a player with 10+ years experience in 2012 is $925,000.  That's not much more than the $700K or so the Buccaneers paid for half a year's service this year.  Would Haynesworth be willing to go year-to-year?  If not, how long?  And what price would he demand? And what expense to the salary cap can the team afford, with Josh Freeman, Roy Miller, and others coming up for contract renewal next year?

These are the decisions which try the soul of the NFL GM, and Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik has a lot to consider, particularly with a new coaching staff.

In the end, I do not see a roster spot available this fall for Haynesworth.  He could surprise everyone and show up to OTAs 30-40 pounds slimmer and agree to play for reasonable to discounted price but I doubt it.  A man with his career can leave the game with his head high, and I suspect that's just what Albert Haynesworth will do.

Dominik vs. The NFC Champions: Defense

General Manager Mark Dominik has stayed the path of building with youth and only adding the occasional free agent.  Let's see if this philosophy lines up with the NFC Champion New York Giants defense.

NY Giants Defense

The Defensive two-deep for the New York Giants:

DE Justin Tuck - Drafted (3rd Round, 2005); has only been a Giant

DE Dave Tollefson - Free Agent (Green Bay, 2007)

DE Osi Umenyiora - Drafted (2nd Round, 2003); has only been a Giant

DE Jason Pierre-Paul - Drafted (1st Round, 2010); has only been a Giant

DT Linval Joseph - Drafted (2nd Round, 2010); has only been a Giant

DT Rocky Bernard - Free Agent (Seattle, 2009)

DT Chris Canty - Free Agent (Dallas, 2009)

DT Jimmy Kennedy - Free Agent (Minnesota, 2011)

LB Michael Boley - Free Agent (Atlanta, 2009)

LB Jacquain Williams - Drafted (6th Round, 2011); has only been a Giant

LB Mathias Kiwanuka - Drafted (1st Round, 2006); has only been a Giant

LB Greg Jones - Drafted (6th Round, 2011); has only been a Giant

S Antrel Rolle - Free Agent (Arizona, 2010)

S Deon Grant - Free Agent (Seattle, 2010)

S Kenny Phillips - Drafted (1st Round, 2008); has only been a Giant

S Tyler Sash - Drafted (6th Round, 2011); has only been a Giant

CB Aaron Ross - Drafted (1st Round, 2007); has only been a Giant

CB Micheal Coe - Free Agent (Jacksonville, 2010)

CB Corey Webster - Drafted (2nd Round, 2005)

CB Brian Williams - Free Agent (Atlanta, 2011)

That is:

1 Undrafted Free Agent

9 Free Agents

11 Drafted

The drafted players breakdown like this:

4 First Rounders

2 Second Rounders

1 Third Rounder

3 Sixth Rounders

Again, there is more drafted talent than free agent talent in this group, but much closer to half and half.  There are more high-round draft picks on this side of the ball as well.  Two members of this unit were drafted in 2005, meaning it took seven years to get the right group together.

Clearly the New York Giants have leaned heavily on the draft to reach the SuperBowl in 2012.  Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik shares this philosophy, and it is a philosophy which should (accounting for coaching, retention, team chemistry, etc) allow the Buccaneers to compete with playoff teams in the near future.

Young Buccaneers Discover Higher Gear

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Green Bay Packers 35-26, falling to 4-6 on the season. The Buccaneers have now suffered a four game losing streak to teams with a combined record of 31-13. The biggest challenge of the four games was going to Lambeau Field to play the undefeated Green Bay Packers.

The Buccaneers have been their own worst enemy in many ways during this downward swing, and last weekend was no different.  Tampa Bay was called for nine penalties (losing 55 yards), lost a fumble, and had two costly interceptions.

But this game featured something new: a resilience, combined with a competitive spirit which was not tangible in the past two games.

Although the Buccaneers did not score in the first quarter, the defense showed early they were ready to compete.  Green Bay's first possession stalled deep on their own end of the field, and Tampa Bay let their first opportunity slip by when pressure up the middle forced the Packer's punter to abort his kick.  Although he fumbled twice on the way to the sidelines, he did get enough yards to pick up the first down.  Instead of the Buccaneers getting a short field (maybe more), Green Bay would take the new opportunity and drive the length of the field for a touchdown to take the early lead 7-0.

The second quarter opened with Green Bay driving to a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.  On the next possession, LeGarrette Blount ripped off what could be the best running play in the NFL this season for 54 yards and a touchdown, helped by a crushing block by G Davin Josepth who removed a would-be tackler from Blount's back.  The play narrowed the Green Bay lead down to 14-7.

Tampa Bay scored on their next offensive possession as well, with a 23-yard Connor Barth field goal to reduce the deficit to 14-10.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Buccaneers attempted an onside kick which failed on an illegal touch by the Buccaneers.  The play appeared to catch the Packers off guard, but the opportunity was lost when Tampa did not allow the ball to travel 10-yards before touching the ball.  Green Bay took advantage of the short field and scored a touchdown to push the lead to 21-10.

The Buccaneers took the following kickoff from their own 24-yard line to the Green Bay 43 and were in a position to possibly get their own field goal attempt before halftime.  But another opportunity was lost when Josh Freeman was intercepted on a second and 10 play, and the game went to halftime with the Buccaneers behind 21-10.

Tampa Bay was able to get a field goal attempt on their first possession of the second half, bringing the score to 21-13.  However, the story of the third quarter was the defense who, for the first time in Green Bay's previous 10 quarters, held Green Bay scoreless.  In fact, the Buccaneer front four on defense kept pressure on the Packers all day, including sacks by DT Brian Price and DE Adrian Clayborn.

Tampa Bay opened the fourth quarter by finishing a 91-yard drive from the third quarter with a touchdown.  A failed two-point conversion left a two point deficit 21-19.  The Buccaneers and Packers then traded blows with each scoring a touchdown, and with 2:43 remaining in the game, the Packers held just a two point lead at 28-26.  Tampa Bay then attempted to steal the game away with another onside kick attempt, but did not recover the ball.  Faced with another short field, the Packers took advantage and scored another touchdown to put the game out of reach at 26-35.

Tampa Bay had their opportunities: two onside kicks, the possession before halftime, holding the opponent scoreless in the 3rd quarter.  Green Bay is undefeated and has scored more points this season than any other team in the NFL.  The Buccaneers stood toe-to-toe with them but were unable to take advantage when the opportunity presented itself.

It's rough for fans, but when a young team gets a glimpse of how good they "could be", it's an important event.  I guarantee none of the Buccaneers walked away from the game feeling Green Bay was a better team, just that the Packers were better that day.

Clearly this team has talent.  Last Sunday, they almost put it all together, but not quite.  Instead, the youngest team in the league will have to grow for another week and then test themselves against the 5-5 Tennessee Titans.

It's desperation time.

Loss of Brian Price Puts More Pressure On Young Roster

As expected (but not who I suspected), another Tampa Bay Buccaneer is done for the season.

With 2010 2nd Round draft pick Brian Price heading to Injured Reserve (and therefore out for the year), the Buccaneers now have a hole on the regular roster and a hole on the practice squad.  The Buccaneers are no doubt burning some midnight oil these days trying to keep fresh bodies available for Head Coach Raheem Morris and his staff as they prepare to invade Atlanta with a possible NFC South Divisional Championship on the line.

General Manager Mark Dominik has now faced a practice squad promotion three straight weekends in a row.

It started back on Week 6, when RB Kareem Huggins went to IR with a knee injury.  The following week, TE Jerramy Stevens was cut from the team after an altercation with the law.  Last week, G Keydrick Vincent was cut and T Jeremy Trueblood was inactive due to a knee injury.  These moves resulted in the promotion of T Derek Hardman, TE Ryan Purvis, and T Will Barker being promoted from the practice squad.

What General Manager Mark Dominik will do next is . . . pass out from lack of sleep.  Seriously, who knows?  With just four regular defensive tackles on the roster before Price went down, is it time to find a free agent defensive lineman?  Experienced or another young talent to go with all the rest of the youth at that position?  The Buccaneers have won two games since Price went down -- perhaps there is already plenty of talent on the roster and a replacement at defensive tackle is not needed.  Or, maybe, it's time to promote DE George Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster and see what the young man brings to the table.

Another option available to Dominik with the deactivation of Brian Price is to snap up a practice squad player from another team.  Dominik has found some gems in this manner before.  Can he do it again?

And the Buccaneers just keep getting younger and younger . . .

Rumor: A Buccaneer Is Headed To IR This Week

I've been burning up the network this evening but do not have a name.  But from what I understand, there will be yet another Buccaneer going to IR this week.

I have not been able to determine who it is, so let's see if we can figure it out by analysis.

Last week's injury report had the following players not participating in practice:
Keydrick Vincent (G) Back
Brian Price (DT) Pelvis
Jeremy Trueblood (T) Knee
Jeff Faine (C) Quadricep
Preston Parker (WR) Knee

Add in those who did not play last Sunday:
QB 11 J.Johnson

And those who were inactive last Sunday:
QB Rudy Carpenter
RB Kregg Lumpkin
CB Elbert Mack
C Jeff Faine
T  Jeremy Trueblood
WR Preston Parker
DT Brian Price
DE Alex Magee

And we have our list of suspects.

• It is not Keydrick Vincent, he was cut from the roster late last week.
• I doubt it's one of the Quarterbacks, Rudy Carpenter or Josh Johnson, since neither has seen much action and neither has been on an injury report this season.
• Brian Price and Jeff Faine have been week-to-week for a couple weeks now.  If it was one of them, you would think they would already be on IR.  You can't really eliminate them from the possiblity, however, until they get back on the practice field.
• Jeremy Trueblood is recently injured, a possibility on an already thin line.
• Elbert Mack has been hurt but participated last week, which does not sound like a candidate for IR.
• Preston Parker's injury is recent and I do not know the extent.  Parker is a possiblity.
• Kregg Lumpkin and Alex Magee have never been mentioned in an injury report.

So the possiblities are Parker, Trueblood, Price, and Faine, in my estimation.  It would seem that Trueblood and Parker are most likely as they are more recently injured.

Coach Morris did not provide an injury report in his Monday press conference so there are no hints there.

Again, I would classify this a rumor at this point.  We should know if I'm completely mistaken by Wednesday.  In any case, it's still going to be a busy week in the Buccaneer's front office -- not what you want going into a showdown for the top spot in the NFC South.

Attrition Problematic For Young Buccaneers

If there is one thing a young team needs it's NFL game experience; to get it, you have to play, not just practice. For the young Tampa Bay Buccaneers injuries are starting to be a significant concern.  Not only do injuries keep important players off the field, possibly impacting the ability of the team to win, they could impact the overall growth of the experience pool on the team.



The Primary case in point is Kareem Huggins, who is lost for the year to Injured Reserve.  No more game experience for him after he just started getting some game action.



Also this weekend, Brian Price will watch instead of get reps on defense under game conditions.  Price has a pelvis bone injury and is week-to-week at this point, but definitely out for the Rams game on Sunday.

Mike Williams has lost only practice time (thank goodness) due to a foot injury, while Elbert Mack will miss his second game at nickel due to a problem with his heel.

All these players are part of the foundation the Buccaneers will need to have stand up and play over the next several seasons.  To prepare for that they need to play.

The Buccaneers training and strength staff got the team through the offseason without major injuries and into the regular season in great health.  In fact, after the bye week (Week 4), the injury report was clean.  Hopefully the young players can continue to stay healthy and continue their development.

Nothing To Hype Here

There has been much ado about nothing on two topics during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 training camp so far.  Time to put them both away:

Barrett Ruud is Just Fine:  While some people might want to rift the team over Donald Penn getting a long term contract it is not going to happen.  Barrett Ruud, usually very open about his desire for a long term, lucrative contract, has shown more maturity over Penn's contract than a number of reporters have given him credit for.  It is not a surprise they have underestimated him.  And, in fact, Ruud should be glad to see such an investment in a player with nearly the same experience (Penn is entering his 5th year, Ruud his 6th).  With a young and talented line in front of him this year he should have his best opportunity to shine since taking over in the middle of the defense. This is his best chance to show he can handle being the core of this defense for many more years.  If he does it,  he will probably get that big contract next year (or after the looming strike).

Brian Price Will Play Week 1:  Barring some new, disasterous injury, Brian Price will play come week 1.  Although he had to watch some of the summer program while nursing some nagging injuries, and although he has been rested on occasion through training camp, he will be there on Day One of 2011.  Count on it.

After slamming on the changes made to the team for a full season it may take some time for some reporters to fully swallow their crow.  They better hurry before this young, aggressive, and talented team shoves it down for them.

Let Expectations Grow for Rookies in 2010

With OTAs heating up and the 2010 season on the distant horizon it seems many are looking forward and who can blame them?  Buccaneer fans, fanatical about their defense, have two young defensive linemen coming in.  And Buccaneer fantasy fans have two young wide receivers to watch.

Then Pat Kirwan shows up on NFL.com a couple weeks ago to apply water to the flames the blowtorch known as the 2010 draft put into the Buccaneer fan base with his article about having too high of expectations for the rookie defensive linemen.  Just a flat out harsh to the love. I understand why Kirwan said it.  I just wish he would have used a bigger sample size.  Namely, a six foot two inch three hundred ten pound sample called Roy Miller.

Kirwan makes a pretty good case about first round defensive linemen not producing incredible numbers during their first season.  I think Buccaneer fans get it -- it takes time for younger players to work well with the players around them, they make mistakes, they think too much, etc.  But I don't think Buccaneer fans have to lower their expectations.

Here's a Tampa-sized sample of why:  Roy Miller was the second Tampa Bay draft pick in the 2009 Draft class (arriving in the 3rd round).  He was touted as a strong, stout interior line presence.  Miller was one of 37 rookie defensive linemen last year.  He dove into the regular season war and nobody heard much about him.  Such is life when the TV only shows your back just before a play begins. But he emerged with a solid, impressive season behind him.  Quietly.

Miller was the third most productive rookie defensive linemen in 2009 (according to NFL.com statistics) recording 27 total tackles, better numbers than 25 of 26 defensive ends drafted in 2009.  Only Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tyson Jackson had better numbers from a standing start.  Only Terrance Knighton (also a 3rd rounder selected by Jacksonville) had better rookie numbers from the defensive interior.

Miller also had two sacks (only four other rookies had two or more) and was even credited with one pass defensed.  For comparison, Warren Sapp had three sacks and an interception for a touchdown as a rookie in 1995.  Not exactly comparable (the NFL did not keep individual tackles until the 2001 season), but not that far off either.

So no matter how you look at the numbers, Roy Miller brought it to the table in 2009.  He reached the field in 15 of 16 games and even started one.  And there is no doubt he will be improved for 2010.  Clearly he has the right stuff.  And what have you heard from him since?  Nothing but a quiet mouth and more hard work.  This is the kind of leadership the new Buccaneers management was hoping for.

The real reason why the Kirwin article can be easily dismissed by Tampa Bay fans is the same guys who found Miller in the third round were evaluating McCoy and Price in 2010.  Many still do say they do not think the new front office has it figured out in Tampa.  I could not disagree more with that opinion and I look forward to the 2010 season as proof.  Will any of the rookies from 2010 go to the Pro Bowl this year?  Probably not.  Will they be impact players?  Will they be productive?  Will they get the Buccaneers back to the playoffs?  Those questions get the excitement rolling for the 2010 season and it's well deserved.

Don't let a national media wonk ruin it!!

Perhaps Mr. Kirwan should have looked a little deeper into the draft -- his analysis is based on 17 players from the first two rounds between 2006 and 2009.  Sadly, he has overlooked some of the best performers by going to sleep on the third round.

Thank goodness the Buccaneers did not!!

Video: Rookie Defensive Linemen

A quick run around YouTube provided the following video of the first and second round draft picks as well as one of the college free agents.  These men need to be disruptive for Tampa Bay next season -- scout for yourself!

DT Gerald McCoy:  Video 1, Video 2

DT Brian Price:  Video 1, Video 2 

DE Johnson, George:  Video 1 (starting at 1:38)