What about Bob?

According to this story in the today's St. Pete Times, Raheem Morris (pictured) said after the team's first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday that Plaxico Burress is interested in playing for the Bucs this season.

Morris said that Burress reached out to his former Giants teammate Derrick Ward, who signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay this offseason, and receiver Antonio Bryant, who is Plax's good friend.

Clearly there are many hurdles for Burress to clear before he sniffs the field, but each side is at least throwing out its feelers.

Said Morris: "He's a great player. Any time you get a chance to add a great player to your team, you definitely have got to have some sort of interest. We don't know what's going on with his legal problems, we don't know what's going on with the suspensions in the league. Until we get all that stuff resolved, it's not even worth talking about.

"He contacted those guys [Ward and Bryant] and showed an interest himself."

The addition of Plax would give whoever starts at QB for the Bucs (either Byron Leftwich or rookie Josh Freeman) a nice group of skill position players to work with. In addition to Burress and Bryant, Tampa Bay also has Michael Clayton at receiver, new addition Kellen Winslow at tight end, and Ward, Earnest Graham, and Cadillac Williams in the backfield.

-Chris Mascaro

(Photo by Chris O'Meara/AP)

It seems as if Luke McCown is oblivious to the world around him. Either that, or he has an inflated view of himself as an NFL quarterback.

Despite the Bucs trading up two spots in the draft to get Josh Freeman and signing Byron Leftwich to a two-year deal, McCown told the St. Petersburg Times on Tuesday that he still believes the starting quarterback job in Tampa is his to lose.

Said McCown: "This has been a long time coming for me and I'm not letting anybody take it from me. And it's the first legitimate opportunity. Say what you want about getting three starts at the end of a season.

"But this is my first real opportunity to be the starter, to be the guy. And I look at it as mine and you're going to have to shoot me."

The three starts McCown is referring to came in 2007 (he went 1-2), when he racked up 1,009 yards on 94-of-139 passing (67.6 percent), five TDs and three INTs in five games while filling in for Jeff Garcia. He threw just one pass last season.

McCown acknowledged that new head coach Raheem Morris told him that the team may opt for a QB in the draft.

The addition of Freeman gives the Bucs five QBs on their roster (McCown, Leftwich, Josh Johnson and Brian Griese — who is expected to be released or traded before the season — are the others).

The likelihood is that Freeman won't be able to play right away, leaving McCown to battle it out with Leftwich for the job. The 29-year old Leftwich has more experience, with 49 starts for the Jaguars, Falcons and Steelers (including one in the postseason).

Leftwich was productive for the Super Bowl champs last season, most notably in a Monday Night relief appearance in Week 9 at Washington, when he came in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger after halftime with Pittsburgh leading 10-6 and completed 7-of-10 passes for 129 yards and a TD in a 23-6 victory.

McCown's plan is to beat out Leftwich in the preseason and then play as well as he can while keeping the seat warm for Freeman. His goal, though he's not quite saying it this way, is to parlay one good season into a starting job (read: contract) somewhere else, much like Matt Cassel did this past year.

"Nobody knew what New England had in Matt Cassel," McCown told the St. Pete Times. "You just don't know until you get out there and play, and not three games."

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

The Buccaneers' first-round quarterback made a controversial comment in an NFL.com chat session on Saturday, indicating that he felt the team's signing of free agent quarterback Byron Leftwich was essentially a ploy to get other teams to think the Bucs weren't interested in drafting a quarterback.
"Even when they picked up Byron Leftwich. It was something they told me — they told me it was a smokescreen, everybody would think they didn't want a QB," Freeman wrote. "They said they were ready to trade up. I think it worked out great. I was sitting there with my family and enjoying it, and I got to go to the team that I wanted to go to."

Coach Raheem Morris indicated that Freeman misspoke.

"We talked about that (Sunday) morning," Morris said. "Sometimes quotes are taken out of context. The young man was asked the question and he kind of answered it the wrong way."

The reaction from Leftwich?

"Hey, Leftwich called him this morning and told him he's going to put him in a headlock when he gets down here and then after that he's going to put him under his wing and get him ready to go," Morris said. "So, they talked on the phone this morning and I think we're okay."

The former Stillers' backup will compete with Luke McCown for the starting job in Tampa.

He has agreed to a two-year deal.

Sad/scary/weird story about Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow's father-in-law Enrique Guzman, who was found at the Mexican border early Saturday morning after he had been missing for three days, according to the Associated Press.

Guzman, 67, suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He was found at the Calexico border crossing, but was last seen before that on Wednesday, at an Anaheim gas station in his blue Camaro.

Said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez: "It is our understanding that Mr. Guzman was returning to the United States from Mexico early this [Saturday] morning. While at the border crossing, he was displaying symptoms of confusion. A computer check by United States Customs officials revealed that Mr. Guzman [and his vehicle] were listed as missing."

It's unclear why Guzman headed to Mexico, but it seems pretty obvious that his condition factored into it. Hopefully Mr. Guzman remains safe not that he's been found.

-Chris Mascaro

This thing is turning into a complete disaster.

First, they give Jon Gruden the heave-ho after a 9-7 season, in which the team admittedly suffered a late-season meltdown to miss out on the playoffs. They sent general manager Bruce Allen packing, too.

Then, they replace Gruden with 32-year-old Raheem Morris, who last year was the team's secondary coach.

Next, they appoint Mark Domenik as general manager.

(Look, it's early for both guys, but the learning curve will be ridiculous.)

Then, they dump veterans Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, getting to around $60 million below the salary cap.

When free agency began, they made a play for Albert Haynesworth, who took Dan Snyder's money in Washington ($100 mil, including $41 mil guaranteed). Haynesworth said he wasn't interested in Tampa because they'd dumped so many veterans.

Next, they trade for Browns underachieving tight end Kellen Winslow Jr.

They then tried a desperate move to trade for Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler in a three-way deal involving the Patriots and Broncos. This after Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, the other key player in a potential deal, had already been traded to the Chiefs.

And now, it looks like they're about to re-sign dirtbag tight end Jerramy Stevens, whose myriad off-field problems sent him packing from Seattle.

You know the word we use at a time like this, Bucs fans.

Oy.

UPDATE: Yes, they did sign Giants free agent running back Derrick Ward. Ok, so we'll give them that one.

The Browns tight end and frequent bitcher-and-moaner was dealt to the Buccaneers for draft picks.
And thus ends the ill-fated career of the former first-round pick in Cleveland, who was known more for crashing his motorcycle and suffering a wrecked knee and demanding a new contract about as often as Laveranues Coles.

We can't quibble with new Browns coach Eric Mangini on this one. Winslow was too high maintenance.

The veteran cornerback was one of the only big names spared in the roster purge of recent weeks, which continued yesterday with the release of Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn.

Ronde says he thinks he survived because new head coach Raheem Morris is convinced he has something left.

The Buccaneers plan to do away with future Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks and veteran running back Warrick Dunn.
No real surprise with Dunn, who is on the downside. But Brooks, an 11-time Pro Bowler with an impeccable image, was a bit of a stunner. Looks like rookie coach Raheem Morris is ready to go with the youth movement.

After getting raked over the coals by many of his players for being duplicitous (love that word), deceitful and downright not very nice, Jon Gruden broke his silence and vowed to return to the sidelines as a coach. Pro. College. High school.

"Chucky will be back and hopefully my teeth will be as sharp as ever," Gruden told ESPN.com. "NFL, college, high school or, maybe, I'll just be the best damn flag football coach in the history of Florida. I'm now head of the FFCA — Fired Florida Coaches Association."

(photo from MP3.com)

Hey everyone, unlike Mr. G, I'm up here on snowy Long Island. The only thing that can cheer me up in this dismal weather is some Super Bowl Fun Facts. So let's get to it...

1. Who were the MVPs in the three Tampa Super Bowls?

2. When Denver won Super Bowl XXXII, it broke a streak of how many wins by NFC teams?

3. If either Kurt Warner or Hines Ward wins the MVP on Sunday they will join a group of how many players who have won multiple MVPs?

4. Who was the only Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback not to throw a touchdown pass?

5. Who has scored the most Super Bowl touchdowns?

(Photo by Mark Duncan/Associated Press)

Continue reading "Super Bowl Fun Facts #6" »

The Bucs became the first team to go 9-3 over its first 12 games and then miss the playoffs. That factoid was not lost on the Glazer family, which decided to can Jon Gruden and replace him with 32-year-old Raheem Morris.

Plenty of buzz tonight that Raheem Morris, who only a few weeks ago was the Bucs' secondary coach and later promoted to replace Monte Kiffin, will replace Jon Gruden as the head coach.
Morris was a graduate assistant at Hofstra in 1998, coached Cornell's defensive backs in 1999 and then coached Hofstra's DB's in 2000-01.

Before the 2002 season he was hired by the Bucs to become their defensive quality control coach.

FYI: You might be wondering about the Rooney Rule, which stipulates that all teams hiring news coaches must interview at least one minority candidate. In this case, because Morris is African American, the team can make a hire and not interview any other candidates.

Jon Gruden, who won a Super Bowl in his first season as the Buccaneers' head coach after the 2002 season, has been fired.
Gone, too, is general manager Bruce Allen.

Gruden had been on the hot seat at various points this season, but at this stage - nearly a month after a late-season collapse left the team out of the playoffs - it was unexpected.

Wow.

And get this: It's not out of the question that the Bucs will attempt to lure Tony Dungy out of retirement. Dungy only Monday announced he was leaving the Colts.

Doubt that Dungy would do an about-face at this point, though.

Mike Shanahan is also being mentioned.

Not sure if this changes things with the Jets, who appear locked in on Rex Ryan, Steve Spagnuolo or Brian Schottenheimer.

It's noteworthy that Gruden attempted to get Brett Favre in a deal with the Packers before the Jets traded for the veteran quarterback.

Former safety John Lynch officially said goodbye to his NFL career today during a news briefing in Tampa, where he emerged into a Pro Bowl player and a class act.

Here's what they're saying about him:

"John Lynch is one of the core players who turned this team around and made it great, and I mean that in regards to both his play on the field and the way he conducted himself off the field. He was always one of those players you couldn’t help rooting for, because he worked so hard at the game, obviously cared very deeply about the team’s success and was a true professional in every sense of the word. We’ll miss his big hits and his timely picks, but we’ll always consider John a part of the family.” - Buccaneers Executive Vice President Joel Glazer

“It was an honor and privilege to have played with John for so many years. I was just glad to have been on his team because of the punishing blows he inflicted on the opposing running backs. As a young player coming into the League I was lucky to have a vet like John around as a mentor to show me how to be a professional, how to prepare and how to succeed in this game. John was the true definition of a leader, hard worker and punishing hitter but more so, a great human being. The NFL and the game of football won’t be the same without number 47 lurking in the defensive backfield. As he approaches the next chapter in his life, it’s a pleasure to know that John and I, as well as our families, will remain close friends.” - Former Buccaneers Fullback Mike Alstott

“When you say a player is great, the obvious criteria is his play and talent, but there’s another ingredient that I think is equally important and that’s the intangible… the ‘it factor’ as some describe it. It’s what he meant to his teammates, his coaches and his fans and when you factor that into the equation, then the only place that can recognize John for what he did and who he was, is Canton, for he truly was a Hall of Famer.” - Chicago Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo (Buccaneers Director of Player Personnel, 1987-2000)

Continue reading "John Lynch says goodbye to the NFL" »

The Bucs' former first-round running back suffered what many considered a career-ending injury early last season. But he has been promoted to the active roster and could see some action this weekend.

Great news.

After Garcia led the Bucs to an impressive home win against the Panthers in a huge NFC South game, Jon Gruden says he'll stick with Garcia against the Seahawks.

Brian Griese is still nicked up with elbow problems, but the same decision might have been made anyway.

“He’s going to start this week,” Gruden said. ”If he continues to play like Jeff Garcia, he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber guy. OK? I’ll put it that way. Brian [Griese] has an injury, we need him back. We’re one of the few teams in football who has one games with two different quarterbacks at this stage of the game, and we’re proud of those guys. We like all our quarterbacks."

Our deepest condolences to the family of Buccaneers kicker Matt Byrant, who lost 3-month-old
Matthew Tyson Bryant yesterday.

"Tryson enriched our lives for the short time that he was with us and we will never forget his smile," the family said in a statement issued yesterday. "We know Tryson's death has deeply touched the community and we appreciate the love and prayers from our Buccaneers fans."

The Bucs quarterback opened up about his situation, and said he's not hurt badly enough to miss a start.

He also says his relationship with Jon Gruden is "not fractured."

He did not discuss whether he believes in the tooth fairy.

Sandy saw this one coming, and now it's true.

Jeff Garcia, who has had an assortment of injuries in recent weeks, has been replaced by Brian Griese.

I'm sure a bunch of Bucs fans are delighted by this turn of events, but I would advise them not to get their hopes up. If Griese were that good, he wouldn't have changed teams about 15 times.

Ok, I've got to go to the Patriots locker room to listen to Matt Cassel talk about how excited he is about playing the Jets.

With Jeff Garcia bothered first by a calf injury, then a pinky injury and now an ankle injury, you get the idea that Chucky would rewrite history if he could and give the Packers whatever they wanted to BF.

Gruden's only alternative at this point is going with Brian Griese. Which is no bargain; Griese isn't the answer either.

Which means there really is no answer in Tampa Bay. zSorry, Sandy. Long year.

And that's saying something, considering how good they were in '07.

As much as the attention in Tampa is focused on the offense, especially after Tampa expressed so much interest in trading for Brett Favre (in spite of what GM Bruce Allen said), it's the defense that will hold a huge key to whether the Bucs can improve on last year's wild card playoff run.

I wrote about it in my Sunday notes column.

After the Jets pulled off the blockbuster trade for Brett Favre, Bucs general manager Bruce Allen is now saying the Bucs never really got serious about dealing for the iconic quarterback.

Right.

And that's why Jon Gruden was all but salivating over Favre in the days leading up to the deal. And why Favre himself said earlier tonight Gruden did a fine job of selling him on the idea of playing in Tampa.

Looks like Allen might have gotten a little too complacent during the Favre sweepstakes, which allowed the more aggressive Jets to make the move.

Sounds like Jon Gruden will spare no attempt to get Brett Favre into a Buccaneers uniform.

"We are a good football team," Gruden told reporters today in Orlando, where the Buccaneers train. "We're trying to become a great one. We'll do anything we can to get better. And if that involves looking at other players, by George that's our job. That's our responsibility."

By George, that means getting Favre!

Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia is obviously aware of the swirl of speculation centering on Brett Favre's potential trade to Tampa. But like the gutsy quarterback he has been throughout his career, he answers the controversy with a combination of in-your-face confidence and bemusement.

Asked about Jon Gruden's flirtation with Favre, Garcia quipped: "He loves quarterbacks. But he likes to just date. He doesn't like to marry."

Brilliant.

As for Garcia's overall take on the situation: "If (Favre) comes in, as much as the accolades are huge on that side, I'm the starting quarterback, and it's going to be a battle. That's just my attitude. I'm the starter here. I'm going to choke it to death until somebody pulls my grip off of it."

Beautiful.

It sure seems that the Bucs are the logical landing spot for Favre, who still wants to play, but might decide not to play, but might change his mind and play after all.

Depends on what day it is, I guess.

Anyway, the Bucs do seem like a good fit for Favre. After all, the Packers have no interest in dealing Favre to division rival Minnesota. And with little interest around the league for the services of a soon-to-be 39-year-old quarterback who can't seem to decide whether he'll play or not, Tampa has plenty to offer Favre.

There is head coach Jon Gruden, a former Packers assistant (receivers coach) whom Favre knew early in his career in Green Bay. Gruden loves veteran quarterbacks, and with Jeff Garcia making noises about a contract extension, Favre could be an instant fix at the position.

The Bucs are coming off a playoff berth and have a defense that is nearly back to the level of a few years ago.

It's anyone's guess when Favre will make the next move, but the next move is his.

With NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pressing both Favre and the Packers to resolve his situation, and with the Packers reporting to training camp on Sunday, things need to be resolved in short order.

It sure seems that the Bucs are the logical landing spot for Favre, who still wants to play, but might decide not to play, but might change his mind and play after all.

Depends on what day it is, I guess.

Anyway, the Bucs do seem like a good fit for Favre. After all, the Packers have no interest in dealing Favre to division rival Minnesota. And with little interest around the league for the services of a soon-to-be 39-year-old quarterback who can't seem to decide whether he'll play or not, Tampa has plenty to offer Favre.

There is head coach Jon Gruden, a former Packers assistant (receivers coach) whom Favre knew early in his career in Green Bay. Gruden loves veteran quarterbacks, and with Jeff Garcia making noises about a contract extension, Favre could be an instant fix at the position.

The Bucs are coming off a playoff berth and have a defense that is nearly back to the level of a few years ago.

It's anyone's guess when Favre will make the next move, but the next move is his.

With NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pressing both Favre and the Packers to resolve his situation, and with the Packers reporting to training camp on Sunday, things need to be resolved in short order.

Sound weird?

It is.

The Bucs are attempting to recoup $7 million from quarterback Jake Plummer, who has never played a down for Tampa Bay, who refused to be traded from Denver to the Bucs, and who has never given any indication other than that he never wants to play football again.

Go figure.

Plummer is headed to New York Wednesday for a sit-down at NFL headquarters that will determine whether the team can collect more than $7 mil from him. Complicated? You bet.

The Bucs are seeking to recover the prorated portion of a signing bonus paid to Plummer when he renegotiated his contract in 2005. That contract was renegotiated when Plummer played for the Broncos. Now the Bucs, who technically own his rights because of the trade, are looking to collect the money.

Stranger than all that? There is the expectation that Plummer might actually have to pay up because of the language in his contract.

And if Tampa wins, they'd not only get the money, but $7 mil in salary cap relief.

... he wants a new contract.

If I'm not mistaken, Garcia has just become the oldest player in NFL history (38) to bitch about wanting a new deal.

Jon Gruden took the Buccaneers from last to first during the 2007 season, and has been rewarded with a three-year contract extension that keeps him in Tampa through the 2011 season.

Bucs general manager Bruce Allen also got an extension.

Gruden had a year left on a deal that was extended after the Bucs won the Super Bowl five seasons ago. He earned $4.3 million in 2007.

The Bucs finished 9-7 in the regular season and lost to the Giants at home in the wild card playoff round. It was Gruden's third divisional title in his six seasons in Tampa.