The Sports Xchange
NFL Team Report – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – INSIDE SLANT
The Bucs addressed critical needs Friday – continuing to patch a leaky secondary and create an alternative and competition for quarterback Josh Freeman.
With the 11th pick in the second round (43rd overall), the Bucs selected Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks. Then in the third round (73rd), Tampa Bay took North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon – only the third quarterback to come off the board behind Florida State’s EJ Manuel (Buffalo) and West Virginia’s Geno Smith, who went to the Jets in the second round Friday.
The 6-2, 185-pound Banks thought his chances of landing with the Bucs had evaporated after learning of the trade for Darrelle Revis on Sunday. But the Jim Thorpe award winner as the nation’s top defensive back simply became the latest piece in the team’s attempt to retool the worst pass defense in the NFL last season.
“I didn’t think they would pick a corner after taking Darrelle Revis,” Banks said. “That’s where I wanted to go, like forever. They kind of hurt my feelings when they picked up Revis but I’m glad they picked him up now because I get to play with him. But it’s just a blessing to play with those guys: Revis, Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron — those types of guys. Oh, wow, I’m just stunned right now. It’s a blessing.”
Banks likely fell in the draft became of his poor time of 4.6 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. But what he lacks in speed, he has more than compensated for with leadership and ball skills. His 16 career interceptions tied a school record.
“Are you concerned about the deep speed? No,” general manager Mark Dominik said. “Because you love the length of the player, you love the ball skills. He had to push and shove and run when he needed to get into position and he did a great job with that. That probably helped us get him at 43.”
Banks would likely project as a nickel cornerback as a rookie, with veteran Eric Wright moving inside in the slot when opponents go to three-receiver sets. He’s the cherry on top for the Bucs, who signed Goldson, the 49ers’ Pro-Bowl free agent, re-signed Wright to a restructured contract and traded for Revis.
“We felt like we’ve improved the entire talent of that position and obviously that was a key focus for us as an organization,” Dominik said. “We’ve increased the size, physicality and ball skills, also. We’re very excited about what our secondary looks like.”
Coach Greg Schiano has plenty of familiarity with Glennon, the one-time Virginia high school player of the year whom he tried to recruit to Rutgers five years ago.
“I remember exactly what I said to him and he didn’t really like the answer but I wanted to play in the ACC,” Glennon said.
Glennon possesses the kind of arm strength that will allow him to function in the Bucs’ offense that puts a premium on play-action passing and driving the football downfield. Moreover, he played in a pro-style offense at North Carolina State and learned a lot backing up Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for three years.
“Being with him for three years I just learned everything he does behind the scenes,” Glennon said. “He does everything the right way. He works tremendously hard. He always tries to find something to do. He never wastes a minute and always wants to get better. There’s a lot I took away from Russell, not as much as stuff you see on Sundays but how he prepares.”
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NFL Team Report – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – NOTES, QUOTES
–Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy likes to get after quarterbacks, but occasionally he will protect one. McCoy came to the defense of beleaguered quarterback Josh Freeman at Thursday’s NFL draft party.
“You’re not allowed to have a few down games,” McCoy said of Freeman. “But at mid-season they were talking about him making the Pro Bowl and there was MVP talk. So it’s an up and down league.”
–Safety Dashon Goldson watched the 49ers be transformed by the arrival of former Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. He said he sees some parallels with the Bucs and former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano.
“Definitely, the work ethic is there,” Goldson said. “I hate to compare because of where I came from, but I see it’s the same sort of mindset. The coaches came from a college program, they got the young guys in here and their mindset is where it needs to be. Right now, I think we’re on the right path. We’ve just got to keep going and keep pushing every day.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “The thing with the accuracy, if you watch, he had an extraordinarily high number of dropped passes. Certainly not every throw is on the spot, but that’s something we took into account.” – Coach Greg Schiano on QB Mike Glennon’s 58-percent completion percentage last season.
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NFL Team Report – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (5)
–S Ronde Barber will be 38 in April and his move to safety a year ago was largely successful and Barber led the team with four interceptions. But Barber hasn’t decided if he wants to continue playing.
–TE Dallas Clark proved he could stay injury free but doesn’t get the separation he once did. The Bucs have an interest but believe Clark will try to reunite with Peyton Manning in Denver.
–CB Brandon McDonald was pressed into service with the suspensions of Eric Wright and Aqib Talib but eventually lost playing time to younger players. No interest in re-signing.
–WR Roscoe Parrish came over from the Bills and did a decent, if unspectacular job, returning kicks. No interest in re-signing.
–WR Sammie Stroughter is a former seventh-round pick who has been injury prone. Bucs will try to upgrade, but with no slot receiver, he may receive some interest.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
–RB LeGarrette Blount: Potential RFA; $1.75M/1 yr, $350,000 reporting bonus.
–LB Jacob Cutrera: Not tendered as RFA; terms unknown.
–LS Andrew Economos: UFA; terms unknown.
–DT Corvey Irvin: ERFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
–QB Dan Orlovsky: FA had been released by Buccaneers; $905,000/1 yr, $65,000 SB/$365,000 guaranteed.
–DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim: RFA tendered at 1.323M with third-round pick as compensation); terms unknown.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
–LB Jonathan Casillas: UFA Saints; $3M/1 yr.
–TE Tom Crabtree: Not tendered as RFA by Packers; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
–S Dashon Goldson: UFA 49ers; $41.25M/5 yrs, $22M guaranteed.
–P Chas Henry: FA; terms unknown.
–K Nate Kaeding: UFA Dolphins; 1 yr, terms unknown.
–DT Derek Landri: UFA Eagles; $2.75M/2 yrs, $1.25M guaranteed.
–RB Brian Leonard: UFA Bengals; 1 yr, terms unknown.
–TE Zach Miller: FA; terms unknown.
–WR Kevin Ogletree: UFA Cowboys; terms unknown.
–CB Darrelle Revis (trade Jets).
–DE George Selvie: Not tendered as RFA by Jaguars; terms unknown).
–WR Steve Smith: UFA Rams; $715,000/1 yr.
PLAYERS LOST
–WR Arrelious Benn (traded).
–DE Michael Bennett: UFA Seahawks; $4.8M/1 yr.
–CB E.J. Biggers: UFA Redskins; terms unknown.
–LB Quincy Black (released/failed physical).
–DT Roy Miller: UFA Jaguars; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
–T Jeremy Trueblood: UFA Redskins; terms unknown.
–RB Danny Ware (released).
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