Turmoil in Tampa - NFL Head Coach 09

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January 14, 2008
Tampa Bay, FL

Big news today out of Tampa as it has been revealed that head coach Jon Gruden has been hired as an analyst at ESPN. Gruden will be missed in Tampa, and the search for his replacement is set to commence. The early favorites for the Bucs are former head coaches such as Brian Billick and Bill Cowher as well as assistants like Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The team will hopefully decide on a replacement soon, so stay tuned.

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February 14, 2008
Tampa Bay, FL

Wow! No one saw this one coming. A month after the resignation of Jon Gruden, the ownership has decided on a new head coach, and this one is a bit of a head-scratcher. Owner Malcolm Glazer announced at the press conference today that he has hired a man by the name of...

Alex Ferguson?

You're probably thinking what I thought when I heard the announcement:
What, that Alex Ferguson? It surely can't be, did the Glazers forget which country's brand of football it is?

Well, it turns out that in a baffling decision, the Glazers have decided to have Sir Alex coach both American football and remain in his position at Manchester United. It will remain to be seen what type of transition Ferguson will make from soccer to football, but he will have some help.

Glazer also announced that much-maligned GM Mark Dominik is out, and his replacement is three men. Ben Allens, the chief scout at Man U, is in at the GM position. However, Glazer decided to hire two men with football experience to advise the two other new hires.

Walter Cherepinsky and Matt McGuire of WalterFootball.com have been hired as the co-associate head coaches and the co-assistant GMs. They will be involved both on the field calling plays for Ferguson and helping in the draft, free agency, and other duties. Both men are well-knowledged in football, as shown by their website, so it will be interesting to see where they take this team.

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March 3, 2008
Tampa Bay, FL

The new assistant GMs in Tampa Bay have made two major trades.

First, they have shipped off star receiver Joey Galloway to the St. Louis Rams.
In return, they will receive the Rams' 2009 1st and 7th round picks.

Also, they have traded corner Phillip Buchanon to New England.
In return, they get running back Kevin Faulk and the 191st overall pick (6th round) this year.

GM Cherepinsky said this about the trades:
"Galloway will be missed, but he was getting up there in age and so we decided to take the 1st round pick and run. A plan for his replacement has been made."
"Buchanon didn't really fit the type of cornerback we are looking for. We're keeping the Tampa 2 but we're trying to find more well-rounded cornerbacks in case we have to go to man. The Pats were willing to give away Faulk, so we'll take him, as he can catch the ball well and complement Earnest Graham."

Walter also said to stay tuned, as more moves are on the way soon.

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March 20, 2008
Tampa Bay, FL

The first week of free agency is over, and the Bucs have been one of the busiest teams. In addition to the trades for draft picks they made, they also acquired a few players from other squads.

The Bucs found their replacement for Joey Galloway in Houston, as they traded away Andre Johnson in exchange for quarterback Jeff Garcia and linebacker Ryan Nece.

The Bucs then traded away backup quarterback Brian Griese. He was sent to divisional rival Atlanta for safety Jimmy Williams. The Bucs also released Chris Simms, leaving Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski as the only QB's on the roster. It remains to be seen if Walter and Matt can find an upgrade in the draft.

The Bucs' main focus was shoring up both tackle spots, as well as center. The Bucs seemed to have found their left tackle of the future when they traded Ike Hilliard and Luke Petitgout for second-year tackle Joe Staley of the 49ers.

Also, the Bucs filled their hole at center by trading their 2009 3rd and 4th round picks for Nick Mangold of the Jets.

The Bucs also were able to acquire a standout defensive end to pair with Gaines Adams. The Giants had shown major interest in Jimmy Williams before he was traded to Tampa, so they agreed to part with Osi Umenyiora for Williams and a fourth-round pick. This was a major steal for Tampa, as it now gives them one of the league's best pass rushes with two elite ends.

Another hole Tampa shored up was cornerback. After the trade of Philip Buchanon, there was only Ronde Barber on the roster. The team managed to snag Chris Gamble from divisional rival Carolina for only a pair of seventh-round choices.

One final trade the Bucs made was sending their 2009 2nd round pick to San Diego for punter Mike Scifres. Many scoffed at trading a second-rounder for a punter, but the GMs explained that they feel Scifres is the second-best punter in the league and is signed on a four year deal that pays him just $1 million over the whole contract. Thus, they felt he was worth the high price.

There's still a long time to go in the offseason, so there could be even more deals made by the deal-happy GMs.

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Today, the Tampa Bay Bucs announced that they have traded for the following players:
WR Calvin Johnson (Detroit) - for HB Kevin Faulk and DT Chris Hovan
TE Chad Mustard (Denver) - for 2009 7th round pick
RG Shawn Andrews (Philadelphia) - for K Jason Elam (FA signing), SS Jermaine Phillips, and FB B.J. Askew
MLB Patrick Willis (San Francisco) - for HB Kolby Smith (acquired from KC for two 6th-round picks), RG Dan Buenning, and draft picks
CB Deltha O'Neal (Cincinnati) - for P Todd Sauerbrun (FA signing)

The Buccaneers have also signed numerous kickers and punters throughout the FA period, and are planning to trade most of them, although draft pick compensation has not yet been announced.

Also, the Bucs signed LT Torrin Tucker to a 2yr, 1.3m contract to back up Shawn Andrews, who was moved from RG to LT. Joe Staley was moved from LT to RT, giving the Bucs an offensive line of:
LT Shawn Andrews/Torrin Tucker
LG Arron Sears
C Nick Mangold
RG Davin Joseph
RT Joe Staley/Jeremy Trueblood

The Bucs are set to go into the draft with tons of picks due to all the trades they have made, which is fine because they still have some major issues, like:
QB
#2 HB
FB
#3 WR
TE
DT
SS
K

The team also has some depth needs which can be filled in the later rounds.

Next update will list all of the Bucs' draft picks and then the 1st round of the draft.