Kevin_ODonnell's Blog

Barry Melrose finally has the job he's been trying to land since 1997. Melrose first interviewed for it with then Lightning General Manger Phil Esposito. Melrose was passed over along with Terry Murray after Jacques Demers undermined both efforts by telling the Lightning he'd take the job for less money. Demers got the job angering Melrose and Murray.

Melrose went directly into the TV booth at ESPN where he grew into an NHL icon as the networks top analyst. Why give up the security for a team that finished last in the league? Because this is the job he's always coveted. Melrose is also inheriting a team thats far more talented than the one he would have taken over 11 years ago.

Can he win after being away from the bench for 13 years? Wayne Gretzky thinks so.. The Great One knows first hand he played for him in LA, where he saw Melrose lead the Kings to the franchises only Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Kings lost to, ironically Demers's Montreal Canadians in five games in 1993.

There are many reasons Melrose has chosen now to make his return to the league. First of all he's known the Lightning's new owner Len Barrie since Barrie was 17.

"I wanted the challenge again. I wanted to find out if I can still do it," Melrose said during a news conference. "I miss it. I've missed it since I left. I miss, the term I use is having a dog in a fight. I'm not a bystander. I've never been a bystander in my life. I hate to be a guy on the outside looking in. I want to be on the inside again."

The Lightnings other majority owner Oren Koules said the reason he made the coaching change is to change the culture within the team.

"Seven years with the same message is a long, said Koules. Seven years is a really long shelf life for an NHL head coach. Listen, he won a cup, he got to the Holy Grail, he did an amazing job and he'll be a great coach with another team."

Firing John Tortorella was the right decision, now it's up to Barry Melrose to prove he was the right person to replace him.

Tampa--Bucs Jeff Garcia has two demands. Respect and a new contract. Garcia is so unhaappy with the lack of progress towards a new deal that he's considering not showing up for future workouts.

"There might come a time when I might have to stand up,'' Garcia said. "I hate to do that to jeopardize my teammates because they're out here, and I don't want to let them down in any sort of way. But at some point you just want to see the respect from up top.''

Garcia, 38, has just one year remaining on his 2-year deal that averages $3.5 million, but he feels he has earned a payday that is more in line with the league average for starting quarterbacks which is $7 million per season.

"I don't think anyone here is trying to break the bank in any sort of way, said Garcia. I think it's about what your peers around the league are making. It's about being appreciated and respected. I understand he (Bruce Allen) has us in a tough situation because we are under contract. It just makes it a real difficult thing to overcome when you think about your emotional and mental approach every single day. You can become very negative and almost counter productive as to what the focus of the team is because your caught up in the negative situations that are going on above you."

Garcia has never staged a holdout in his career and right now he's planning on reporting July 25 when the team checks in at the Celebration Hotel for training camp.

The Bucs policy is not to comment publically on players contract situation.

Bruce Allen normally doesn't enter into discussions about new deals when players are under contract. He has made exception for players entering the last year of their contracts, as he did with Ronde Barber. Given that the Glazers recently extended Allen and Jon Gruden's contracts the time is now for Allen to share the wealth.

 

For the second week in a row, the score doesn't paint the pre-season picture. Jon Gruden wanted to accomplish two things in Jacksonville, get Jeff Garcia on track and turn up the front-four pressure. He got both in the first quarter, which is all you should really care about.

What the Bucs proved in J-ville is that Garcia gives the Bucs something that Gruden hasn't had in his first 5 years here, a QB that can create plays with his legs. His lone TD toss to David Boston was amazing. Garcia bought time and threw a dart with no more room to run. He finished the night 6-for-6 for 43 yards with the one TD. What little the backup QB's did doesn't concern me, because if the Bucs lose Garcia to injury, their season is over.

Defensively, the starting unit picked their pace. Kevin Carter came up with first sack of the night, but it shows that even after 12 years in the league, he's still has some gas in the tank. The second team defensive unit was just awful, giving up 24 straight points on 4 possessions. The tackling coupled with players being out of their gaps were inexcusable.

The good news is that this is just pre-season, but it shows the Bucs aren't ready for Seattle yet.

 Training Camp is essentially over for the Bucs. The team held their final 2-a-day practices at Camp Disney. After handing out 18 IV's to players yesterday, Jon Gruden lightened the load taking the team inside Disney's Milkhouse (basketball arena) for the morning session. Jeff Garcia told me that mental practice can't be overlooked. Given Gruden's enormous playbook I'd have to agree. Gruden didn't reveal the quarterback rotation for Saturday's game in Jacksonville, other than to say Jeff Garcia should get a few more plays than the six that he got against New England. The focus remains on determining which 53 players will make up this roster.

The Bucs received a surprise visit from Governor Charlie Christ at the end of the morning session. Christ, a long time Bucs fan couldn't pass on the opportunity to give a few words of encouragement. He came to Disney to shoot a Public Service Announcement on child obesity. This also gave him a chance to talk with Derrick Brooks, who he named to his Council on Physical Fitness. Brooks will work with Shaquille O'Neal and other athletes in the state to encourage children to get in shape. Before leaving I asked the Governor for a prediction on the season and his political response is that the Bucs are going to have a winning season. I have to mention that Derrick Brooks was standing over his shoulder. I passed the good news on to Jon Gruden and he said," I told you I like that guy."

As happy as Gruden was to see the Governor, every player and coach was happy to get through this final full day. Even Gruden told me he's excited about heading back to Tampa tomorrow. He said after 3-weeks he can't wait to see his family and sleep in his own bed.

Here are a few quotes from Gruden after the morning session on Chris Simm's situation:

“I’m tired about talking about it. Everyday you see him. He’s out here practicing. He’s healthy. Why the hell would he go on I.R.? I don’t understand why [he would go on I.R.], he’s practicing.  I’m not trying to mislead anyone. We have cleared him to practice. If he were injured, he wouldn’t be practicing and throwing 125 balls a day. It’s the performance that needs to improve. I’m confident in time it will. He has been inactive for a long period of time. That’s all I’m going to say. It’s a work in progress. Right now he’s behind and knows that and we’ll adjust accordingly.”

I asked Gruden if Simm's is in jeopardy of makking the team.

“There is jeopardy for everybody, coaches and players if the performance level isn’t good. I’m not going to stir headlines up here. He’s a great kid, and he had played a lot of football here. He had a serious injury. We’re moving on right now with the preseason. When Chris is ready to go, you will see him. Hopefully a little bit Saturday night in Jacksonville, but right now, it’s a work in progress. He’s clearly behind, but he can catch up.”

 

 

The Bucs win the game, but lose praise from their head coach. Jon Gruden calls out the defense after the starters surrender a 10-play 65-yard TD drive to the Patriots backups. For Gruden the lack of pressure continues to be a problem.

"Our pressure's not good enough," Gruden said. "I'm not going to come out of here being negative. But if that's good enough, then hell, let's give them a lollipop sucker. It ain't good enough. We've got to get better pressure. I don't want to rely on blitzes. I want to be able to use a four-man rush like we've done historically here."

The long awaited debut of Jeff Garcia doesn't match the hype. The Bucs new QB completes just one out of four passes for 4 yards. The plan was for Garcia to be on the field for 12 plays, but after back-to-back three and outs Garcia's day was over.

"I think when you come into a situation like this ... you're excited. You want to do well," Garcia said. "You are probably moving through reads and progressions a little faster than normal because you want to get the ball in your receivers' hands and allow them to make some plays."

The two bright spots both came on offense. Luke McCown tightened his grip on the backup role. In his first game action in two years, McCown turned in a perfect performance, 7 out of 7 for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Kenneth Darby, this year's 7th-round pick led the team on the ground with 15 carries for 84 yards, 31 of those yards came on the final drive that produced Matt Bryant's game winning kick.

The Bucs will take the win, but if this team is going to find victories in the regular season, it's going to take a far superior effort than what they showed last night.

Injuries on offense continue to pile up. Mike Alstott is derailed for the second straight day with what Jon Gruden is calling soreness. It's serious enough that the A-train will likely miss Friday's pre-season opener against the Patriots. Alstott's age and experience are reasons enough to keep him out until he's healthy.

Michael Clayton leaves the morning practice halfway through due to a pulled muscle. This is the second time in the last 5-days that Clayton has been hurt. He missed Saturday with a sore back. Speaking of sore backs, Luke Petitgout missed his 9th day of workouts. He will not play Friday and when asked if he has a herniated disc, Gruden says he doesn't know what his injury is other than it's a sore back like many players in the league have. Gruden says look for Petitgout to come to practice sometime next week.

First-round pick Gaines Adams put together arguably his best workout to date. He looked particularly strong in one-on-on drills. Expect to see a lot of Gaines against the Patriots. Gruden is still not revealing his plans for New England. I talked with Jeff Garcia after practice and he says he's not even sure, but he doesn't expect to play more than two-series. Garica says with all his years in the league preseason doesn't mean a whole lot to him.

Cadillac Williams, who got only a handful of carries in the pre-season last year, wants more. But he's not going to get any according to Gruden. Gruden told me that Cadillac is sending him cyrptic messages, but he wants to see 7th-round pick Kenneth Darby and other backs. Gruden knows what Cadillac can do and it sounds like he doesn't want to take a chance given Caddy's durability record.

This post has been edited by an administrator

TRAINING CAMP DAY 12: Jon Gruden finally released the teams "First Edition" of their deepth chart. It confirms what we first reported two months ago that Chris Simms is third string. The biggest change on the chart, Michael Clayton is second team behind Maurice Stovall. First round pick Gaines Adams is also running with the second team behind Patrick Chukwuarah. But this is subject to change and will many times before the Bucs kickoff the season against Seattle.

Day 12 was easy work as Gruden softens the physical work and picks up the pace on the mental game. The morning session in pads was replaced with a "posh practice" inside the Omni's 4-star resort at Champions Gate. The team walked through plays that they will use against the Patriots. It gave the Bucs a break from the heat and allowed players a chance to rest their legs. The Bucs have just 4 more 2-a-days before checking out next Thursday. Their afternoon session was not in pads.

Don't expect ct to see the starters too long against the Patriots. The could be on the field for just one series, maybe two. Gruden wants to gage the young guys too see how much quality he has.

Trainging Camp Day 11 The Bucs hit the halfway point of training camp and right now this team isn't showing many signs of being better than last year. Injuries to starters have mared this camp, Jon Gruden is trying to cut down on them by giving guys days off here and there. But if you look at the overall camp, there has already been a ton of time off due to rain, trips to the movies and family day. Gruden's camp will never be mistaken for a Ray Perkin's camp, but I am not seeing a lot of tough physical work. This has been one of the coolest camps on record and in terms of toughness, this camp is soft. Monte Kiffin is tinkering with his front four, which makes you really wonder if they are missing Simon Rice. Today Gaines Adams got some work at undertackle and left end, while Greg Spires and Grew White moved to the right side. I don't this is a panick move rather than it's getting guys a few reps at differnent positions, but it's worth keeping an eye on. Offensively, there were a few hilights. Garica hit Joey Galloway and a long td toss during 11 on 11's. But the shotgun was mis-firing and Cadillac Williams for the second day was dropping passes. On defense the play of the day was Cato June lightning up wide-receiver Chaz Gessner. Gessner's response was spiking the ball at June. June has been a standout almost every practice and he's showing us that he's going to be fun to watch. Great addition!

The sun finally shines on the Bucs. After a week of the wet stuff, Jon Gruden is able to get two full practices in. They put on the pads in the morning and worked mainly on situational plays. Chris Simm's arm soreness is gone. He looked better, but admittedly says his recovery from spleen surgery is a slow process. All quarterbacks were airing it out. The highlight of the morning was Michael Clayton holding onto to a "Hail Mary" pass from Jeff Garcia from 50 yards out. It helped that the defense wasn't on the field, but it was still a nice catch.

Gaines Adams returned in a limited capacity, he's still nursing a tricep strain that Gruden says is somewhat serious. Still he's expected to practice tomorrow. Same goes for Offensive Lineman Luke Petitgout, who, for the 4th day missed workouts.

Cornerback Phillip Buchanon got his first taste of offense. Gruden has been hinting that he would use him. Buchanon made one catch during 11 on 11's. Buchanon also is be tested out as a punt returner. After practice Gruden says he plans on using the former first round pick of the Raiders a lot.

 "You're going to see more of Buchanon on offense," Gruden said. "He's going to play some offense for us. We'll get him involved in the kicking game. There will be some things that we get to here later in camp."

"He's a really athletic guy who can make plays. He's fast, and he's got creativity after the catch, so there will be some things that we continue to look at with Phillip."

The Bucs have just one practice tomorrow in the morning from 8:30 to 11:00. They have the afternoon off for "Family Day".

The Bucs don't want Simeon Rice serving up sacks in Tampa, but there are plenty of other teams in the league that do. The Giants will be Rice's first stop on what could be a coast to coast tour this week. With Michael Strahan threatening retirement, Rice has been called to Giants camp in Albany, New York for a meeting on Monday. The Jets are also claiming they are interested, so it would make sense for Simeon to stop there next. Tennessee wants to bring Rice in for a physical, but no arraignments have been made. Simeon told me on Friday that we is going to sit back and evaluate the teams before making any decision. He still plans to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder to remove bone spurs as early as this week. Rice says it's a minor issue that is the result of over working during his rehabilitation. Rice's team of choice right now is the Carolina Panthers. He said he would look forward to showing the Bucs what the are missing. He said he would love nothing more that to give the Bucs a double serving since Tampa Bay plays their division rivals twice

Every training camp starts with most eye's zeroing in on Jon Gruden's Offense. Jeff Garcia is Gruden's newest QB toy, but success this season will be measured by the defense. Tampa Bay's first goal is and has to be restoring their defensive reputation. In just one year the Monte Kiffin's Krewe fell from the best in the league to 17th. The main reason for it starts up front. The Bucs defensive line couldn't supply consistent pressure. They ranked 30th in the league in sacks which impacted the secondary. Tampa Bay came away with a meager 11 interceptions, 27th in the league.

The key for a return to prominence lies in the interior line... The outside is covered with Simeon Rice, Gaines Adams and Greg Spires, but who wins the job next to Chris Hovan will dictate if the Bucs win the defensive battle. Ellis Wyms hasn't shown the ability to stay healthy and Jovan Haye is unproven. If the Bucs can't generate atleast 40 sacks this season, an improvement of 15 from a year ago. This season will likely reflect last year's finish of 4-12. That would ultimately mean the end of Jon Gruden.

The 250-million dollar question. Will Beckham-mania sweep the U.S. by storm? That's what Major League Soccer is betting on with Britain's 32-year-old Superstar. Will it make you watch? MLS is banking on it working. The game plan is to lure causal fans in by using the most recognizable "football" face in the world. But early indications are that Beckham isn't an instant hit. At his introductory news conference in L-A last week.... Beckham drew 5,000 fans.. it pales in comparison to the 30,000 that showed up for Thierry Henry's introduction with Barcelona. It shows you how wide the discrepancy is between the world's audience and the America's audience.

At a University of Tampa's youth soccer camp this week. I spoke with a dozen kids ranging from 6 to 12 and not one picked David Beckham as their favorite player... Oh, they know who he is and said they'd probably watch, but it's a scary sign for the M.L.S. How can a core group of soccer fans, who play the sport not be instantly drawn to the most identifiable face in soccer. Not even one.

Beckham alone won't save soccer in the U.S especially when fans see that he's not a scoring machine. His value on the field is that of a set-up artist, which won't play well with America's thirst for points.

From promising to plummeting, the Rays have stumbled backwards. Just two weeks ago every one was going "ga-ga" over what was looking like the best Rays team to hit the field. But what a 10-game losing streak will do to your image. The Rays hit Kansas City just percentage points ahead of Cincinnati, keeping them from the worst record in baseball.

So are the Rays this bad or is Joe Maddon's skippering stunting this teams growth? I've heard growing criticism from fans all season and I have been quick to defend Maddon. But now this situation has me wondering if Maddon's California nice guy act is wearing thin with the players. It doesn't bother me too much that Maddon is quick to pull starting pitchers even with high school arms in the bullpen. But his lineup decisions are at times questionable. It more than raised my eyebrow when Maddon had Elijah Dukes leading off with a sub .200 batting average and most recently Greg Norton was in the 5th spot with a .188 average. Add in Maddon's commitment to Dioner Navarro as an everyday catcher and you have to wonder what Maddon has been watching in his 33-years in MLB. If things don't turn quickly around keep your eyes out for FIREJOEMADDON.COM. Last I checked it's not online.

The first four picks didn't fall the way the Buc preferred, but Bruce Allen claims he knew exactly what to expect when the Buc hit the clock on Saturday. The draft order paralleled the Bucs wish list. They rated Jamarcus Russell #1, Calvin Johnson #2 , Joe Thomas #3 and Gaines Adams #4. Jon Gruden didn't deny that we had his eyes on someone other than Gaines Adams, but given who was on the board Adams was the best choice.

With 4 picks in the top 68 selections, the Bucs have a chance to turn around their troubles. They still might, but their top 4 selections doesn't make you go wow. In the second round the Buc grab the second ranked guard Arron Sears from Tennessee. He's a monster at 320 pound and plays all positions on the line except center, which in my opinion was the greatest need on the O-line. USC's Ryan Kalil was the top overall player (ranked by Scout Inc.) on the board when the Bucs hit the clock, to me it was a non-brainer. We will see if the Bucs prove me wrong.

Their second pick in the 2nd round I love, if indeed he turns out to be anything close to his idol John Lynch. Oregon State's Sabby Piscitelli is a lightning fast strong safety who loves to hit. He has a knack for interceptions, the Bucs were 31st in the league in pick last season.

The Buc go for an outside linebacker in the 3rd round, not their biggest need. The smarter move would have been to go for Florida State's Buster Davis, who fell to the Cardinals on the very next selection. I'm not sold on Barrett Rudd being the guy to replace Shelton Quarles.

The Bucs could have gotten a steal in the 7th round with Florida's Brandon Silar. He was a projected third round pick ended up going to the Chargers in the middle of the 7th round. Urban Meyer told me this spring that without Silar the Gators might not have won the National Championship. In the 7th round the Bucs picked Offensive Tackle Chris Denman from Fresno State. My money is on him not even making the team.

Giving the Bucs a grade at this point is completely ridiculous. We won't know for atleast two years if the Buc made the right picks.

NFL Top 5 Picks

1. Raiders: Jamarcus Russell/QB. The most important position for any team is quarterback. The Raiders don't have one worthy of starting and Russell will solidify Oakland's offense for the long term. Oakland is building from scratch and with Russell's off the chart physical abilities he is a no-brainer for the Raiders. Oakland will entertain offers because of their many needs. In the end Russell will be their guy, contract discussions are reportedly already underway.

2. Lions: Gaines Adams/DE. Rod Marinelli knows better than anyone that defense wins championships. Adams will give the Lions an immediate impact. He's the leagues next Simeon Rice. The one knock is his worth ethic and if that's the case working with Marinelli will be the best thing for him. The Lions have at least 6 teams looking to trade into this spot to land Calvin Johnson, but the asking price of a 1st and two-2nd round picks is too high to pay for a guy the Lions won't take.

3. Browns: *( team that trades with Cleveland) Calvin Johnson/WR. Whichever team makes this deal will grab Johnson. The best wide-receiver to come out of college since Irving Fryar, could be better. He's 6-4, 237 lbs, ran a 4.35 40 at the combine. The Bucs, Falcons, Redskins and Broncos love Johnson, but it won't be the Bucs that makes the deal. Tampa Bay has too many holes to give up a second round choice to move up one spot. If the Browns keep this pick they'll select runningback Adrian Peterson.

4. Bucs: Joe Thomas/OL. It's not a glamour pick, but it's one that is the best move for the Bucs offense. Thomas would give the Bucs a stone wall on the left side for atl east the next 10 years. His pass blocking ability will quickly earn him Pro Bowl status. If Johnson falls to the Bucs, there will be no containing Gruden, who will be heard screaming Johnson's name all the way Radio City Music Hall (site of the NFL Draft). Bucs will have a great player either way.

 

Bucs First 3-Rounds

1. (4). Joe Thomas/OL --as seen

2nd round (35th) Center Ryan Kalil (if Bucs get Calvin Johnson) The best center in the draft. The Bucs are crossing their fingers he's there. It's their greatest need on the o-line. If Kalil is gone or they get Johnson go for defense. There is a lot of depth in the draft for lineman starting with Florida's Jarvis Moss (great pick if he slips) DE Anthony Spencer (Purdue), DT Justin Harrell (Tenn) or DE Charles Johnson (Georgia) at least one should still be on the board.

2nd round (64-last pick in round) Safety Aaron Rouse: The Bucs are in desperate need of help at the strong and free safety position. If things fall well for Tampa Bay Virginia Tech's Aaron Rouse will still be on the board. He caught Gruden's eye at the Senior Bowl with bone crushing hits that will remind you of 'ol number #47. If they Bucs haven't found a DL yet, a great choice would be Florida's Ray McDonald. Not since Warren Sapp have the Bucs had a guy that could plug the middle like McDonald.

3rd round (68) Corner Back Michael Coe: Only if the Bucs make a deal with Brian Kelly. They been trying to find a buyer for the past year. Coe is versatile enough to play safety in the "Tampa 2" defense and help at corner. Florida inside linebacker Brandon Siler would be a nice option if he slips past the Lions at number 66. The Bucs need linebacker depth at all three spots. This maybe the spot to get it. Auburn runningback Kenny Irons will give Gruden someone else to think about.